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2023 PERENNIAL PLANT OF THE YEAR
The Perennial Plant Association (PPA) announced Rudbeckia ‘American Gold Rush’ as Perennial Plant of the Year for 2023. The black-eyed Susan originated from open-pollinated seed sown from the seed parent Rudbeckia fulgida var. Deamii, and was introduced by Brent Horvath from Intrinsic Perennial Gardens.
Horvath said, “I’ve always liked my plant introductions to speak for themselves and this one speaks volumes. From start to finish this plant
is generally trouble free and easy to propagate, grow and finish in a container and a breeze to garden with. It started as an open-pollinated seedling among several other related seedlings, but quickly distinguished itself with clean disease-free foliage, a naturally compact and rounded habit and beautiful presentation in a container over an extended bloom period.” In a media release, PPA said, “At the height of summer, ‘American Gold Rush’ black-eyed Susan turns up the volume for a long season of dazzling colour right up to autumnal frosts. The bright goldenyellow flowers feature arching rays and a reddish halo surrounding dark chocolate cones. Three-inch flowers blanket the compact plant, only 22-27 inches tall with a broader width to 40 inches if given room to grow. “The green leaves and stems are covered in hairs, which gives them a silvery cast — on sunny days, peeking through the blooms to the leaves is a luminous silver-and-gold treat. More than just boosting the ornamental show, the hairy foliage Rubeckia ‘American Gold Rush’ is resistant to Septoria leaf spot — a debilitating fungal disease that causes unsightly black spotting and premature seasonal decline on some black-eyed Susans. ‘American Gold Rush’ is a reliable hardy perennial and a great substitute for popular, brassier ‘Goldsturm,’ which is highly susceptible to leaf spotting. ‘American Gold Rush’ is a stunning focal point in perennial borders and meadows and is brilliant when massed in public or corporate landscapes. Butterflies caper over the blooms and songbirds feast on the plentiful seed long after the flowers have passed — the seedheads provide winter interest too.”
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KRESS LAUNCHES IN NORTH AMERICA
With deep-rooted heritage in German engineering and design, the Kress brand is coming to North America with commercial outdoor power equipment (OPE) for lawn care and landscape professionals. Kress will launch in North America in Q4 of 2022 in conjunction with Equip Exposition.
“As a part of the wellestablished Positec family of leading brands, Kress Commercial is introducing advances that will, for the first time, offer commercial OPE professionals in North America the opportunity to transition away from gas-powered products, a transformation that will change the OPE industry forever,” the company stated in a media release. “Built upon a reputation for innovation and pushing the boundaries in engineering and manufacturing excellence, Kress is well-established throughout Europe as a professional-grade equipment manufacturer. As early as 1966, Kress introduced to the European craftsmen clean, quiet, professional-grade tools. Today, with the brand’s introduction to North America, Kress’s proprietary technologies will now be available to commercial landscapers in the US and Canada.
Learn more at Kress.com.
TREES FOR HEROES
Trees for Life recently announced Trees for Heroes. Through this new program, the organization will continue to plant trees to honour many kinds of heroes in our lives and the people who make Canada one of the best places to live in the world.
“We are excited to announce the launch of our collaborative initiative, Trees for Health, which will see hundreds of thousands of trees planted in honour of our health workers over the next five to 10 years,” the organization wrote in a social media post. “[On September 20] we planted 155 trees at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre [in Toronto, Ont.] honouring frontline health workers who have bravely led us through the pandemic and who work tirelessly for our health and well-being.”
Tree for Heroes marks the continuation of the Highway of Heroes Living Tribute tradition of creating living legacies.
“Trees for Life is proud to plant trees that pay tribute to the heroes who make our communities and our country a better place for you and for all. These heroes include military, first responders, front-line and healthcare workers, neighbours, and loved ones,” the organization said.
Learn more at treesforlife.ca/hero-trees.
STATSCAN RELEASES SOD AND NURSERY WORKFORCE AND REVENUE DATA
Statistics Canada (StatsCan) released data on the sod and nursery sectors in Canada. The dataset compares sales and staff numbers from 2014 to 2021.
Canadian sales from nurseries and sod operations to landscape contractors, garden centres, mass merchandisers, nursery stock growers, and other buyers all increased in 2021 compared to 2020. The combined sales ($897,154,000) have steadily risen over the past six years, but are still below the 2015 peak of $916,472,000.
Although overall sales are up, the number of nurseries, sod farms, and employees are at the lowest point since 2014-2015, having decreased seven per cent for nurseries and four per cent for sod operations over the last seven years.
Canada’s nursery stock sales topped out at $747,457,000 in 2021. Historically, numbers had been rising from 2008 to 2015, but then took a dip. Sales hit a low in 2017 but have risen 11 per cent since then. National sod sales reached $149,697,000 in 2021, up from the past few years but some $13 million shy of their 2012 peak.
Production was booming in 2011, when the number of nurseries in Canada jumped 78 per cent, from 1,526 to 2,721. It did not last, however, as the number of nurseries has declined steadily since. In 2021, only 1,840 remained, down from 1,993 in 2020.
View the StatsCan data at: data.ontario.ca/dataset/nursery-trades-industry-statistics.
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SITEONE ACQUIRES LINZEL
SiteOne Landscape Supply announced it has completed its acquisition of Linzel Distributing — a wholesale distributor of outdoor lighting and landscape supplies with one location in Hamilton, Ont.
“Since 2008, Linzel has built a reputation for providing tremendous customer service, product expertise, and industry-leading customer education programs to landscape contractors in Ontario and Eastern Canada,” Doug Black, Chairman and CEO of SiteOne Landscape Supply said. “We are excited to welcome the team to our SiteOne family and continue providing world-class products and services to our combined customers.”
This is the tenth acquisition in 2022 for SiteOne as the company continues to expand the number of markets in which it offers the full range of landscape supplies and services to landscape professionals.
SiteOne is the largest and only national wholesale distributor of landscape supplies in the United States and has a growing presence in Canada. Its customers are primarily residential and commercial landscape professionals who specialize in the design, installation and maintenance of lawns, gardens, golf courses and other outdoor spaces.
YUKON SUN JOINS 49TH PARALLEL COLLECTION
Yukon Sun is the latest addition to Vineland’s 49th Parallel Collection of made-in-Canada roses. The bright yellow rose has been released by Vineland Research and Innovation Centre (Vineland) and will be available in Canadian garden centres next spring. Yukon Sun is a golden yellow rose with dark green foliage and early, continuous bloom. Growing to about one metre tall, it is winter hardy to -35 C and moderately resistant to black spot and powdery mildew.
“Canadians have embraced these stunning Vineland roses since we first introduced the collection in conjunction with Canada’s 150th anniversary celebrations in 2017,” Vineland President and CEO Ian Potter said. “We are excited to expand the collection once more with the addition of the first yellow rose. Yukon Sun was specifically bred for the Canadian climate and will brighten any outdoor living space with its warm, sunny hues.”
Yukon Sun joins three other roses in the collection: the red Canadian Shield, the coral Chinook Sunrise, available in 2019 and the pink Aurora Borealis. All roses in the collection come from Vineland’s rose breeding program and its close collaboration with the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association (CNLA). The CNLA has owned the rights to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s hardy rose breeding program for more than 10 years. Roses in the collection are known for being low maintenance, black spot tolerant and able to withstand temperatures down to -40 C.
“We value the ongoing partnership with CNLA and its members who are helping us deliver what Canadian gardeners and consumers across the country are looking for: hardy, beautiful and easy-to-grow roses thriving in Canada’s varied climates,” Potter added.
More information about Yukon Sun and the rest of the collection is available at 49throses.com.
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