Creditors want trustee for Pike's
Creditors of Georgia-based Pike Family Nursery want a trustee appointed so management can be investigated for possible legal action, The Charlotte Observer reported. The company's officers should be removed so a trustee can investigate "insider claims," a committee of unsecured creditors said in a March 6 filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Atlanta. Pike Family Nursery filed for bankruptcy last year and went on the auction block earlier this month.

Lowe's delays store openings
Lowe's delayed the opening of 20 new stores in California, Florida and other markets, Wall Street Journal reported (subscription required). The move was made in response to the nation's economic downturn and housing crisis. Lowe's president Larry Stone told the paper he remains optimistic that conditions will improve despite the tough sales environment.

Gift, home accent market shows strong growth
The market for gifts and home accents reached $65.2 billion in 2007, according to a new study conducted by Unity Marketing. Overall, the market grew 72% from 2002, rising from $37.9 billion five years ago. One notable change uncovered by the study is how often shoppers are turning to the Internet to purchase gifts and home accents. In 2007, online retail sites were the second most important shopping venue, trailing only discount department stores. Fewer shoppers are turning to specialty gift and card stores for their purchases. In 2007, specialty stores accounted for 7% of overall giftware sales. The number of specialty gift shops has declined 21% in the past 5 years.

Michigan garden center chain adds location
English Gardens, a chain of 6 stores in the Metro Detroit area, has purchased Leppek Nursery in Genoa Township, the Daily Press & Argus reported. Most of Leppek's staff will continue to work at the store. The store was scheduled to open under the new English Gardens banner last week.

Popularity of grills continues to soar
The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA) reported record-breaking sales in 2007 at this year's HPBExpo held in February in Atlanta. Grill shipments exceeded 17.4 million in 2007, the highest the industry has seen in more than 20 years. Gas grills continue to be the most popular, with more than 10.2 million shipped. Charcoal grills came in 2nd with more than 6.8 million shipped. Electric grills came in a distant 3rd with 287,000 shipments.

Organic greenhouse to supply Meijer stores
Elzinga & Hoeksema Greenhouses in Kalamazoo, Mich., opened one of the Midwest's 1st USDA-certified-organic greenhouses last week, the Grand Rapids Press reported. The 4-acre greenhouse will supply organic herb and vegetable plants to Meijer, a general-merchandise chain with more than 180 stores in 5 states. The company's new greenhouse features energy-efficient equipment and renewable energy sources such as a closed-loop ground heat exchanger and hot water heating system, high-efficiency condensing boilers, solar panels and in-floor heat.

AHS presents book awards
American Horticultural Society announced the winners of its 2008 book awards. 4 winners were selected from more than 50 nominations of books published in 2007. This year's winners are: "Foliage" by Nancy J. Ondra (Storey Publishing), "A Natural History of North American Trees" by Donald Culross Peattie (Houghton Mifflin Co.), "Perennial Vegetables" by Eric Toensmeier (Chelsea Green Publishing Co.), "Viburnums" by Michael Dirr (Timber Press). AHS also presented a Citation of Special Merit to 2 regularly revised reference resources: Brooklyn Botanic Garden's All-Region Guide series and "Sunset's Western Garden Book."

View from a blog
• The Plant Hunter offers his take on what makes a good plant introduction. Open Register
• Is daylight-saving time actually an energy waster? Project: Green Industry

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