Independent Nursery, Master Nursery merge
Master Nursery Garden Centers and Independent Nursery Group (ING) approved a plan to merge effective Jan. 1, 2007. The union will bring together more than 800 independent garden centers into 1 buying group. Bill Jameson, Master Nursery Garden Centers CEO, said combining the 2 groups is an effective way to battle the big boxes. "As we enter a period of increased pressure from national chains, the management of both Master Nursery and ING have come to believe we can serve our members better as one large, more influential organization, than as two separate ones," Jameson said. "I believe this union will be a pivotal step in ensuring the survivability of independent garden centers."

Fashion in Bloom adds 10 participants
Ten more companies recently signed on to display products at Garden Centers of America's Fashion in Bloom: Beds & Borders, Biancheri Ranuculus, Dümmen USA, Farmen Seed, Greenleaf Nursery, Murakami Seed, Plug Connection, Savvy Succulents -- John Greenlee Collections, Valleybrook Gardens and Wollemi Pine North America. Six locations in the Mid-Atlantic region will host Fashion in Bloom, Sept. 20-23. Visitors will get the chance to see new plant material and preview the latest garden designs and marketing trends.

Hydrangeas take center stage at Heronswood
Hydrangeas will be the focus of the inaugural Heronswood Open, July 14-15 at Fordhook Farm in Doylestown, Pa. Univ. of Georgia horticulture professor and hydrangea expert Michael Dirr will lecture both days. Tickets for the lectures are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Admission to the Open is free on Friday, and a $5 donation to the Garden Conservancy will be collected Saturday. More than 200 rare and unusual perennials will be on display.

Shrub thwarts mosquitoes, study shows
Scientists at Univ. of Miss. have isolated compounds in American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) that may keep insects away. The plant's bug-repelling properties made it a traditional folk remedy. "Traditional folklore remedies many times are found to lead nowhere following scientific research," said Charles Cantrell, an ARS chemist. "The beautyberry plant and its ability to repel mosquitoes is an exception. We actually identified naturally occurring chemicals in the plant responsible for this activity." Don't expect to see beautyberry-derived repellents on the market anytime soon. Scientists still need to scrutinize toxicity levels and evaporation rates.

$5 note next up on the drawing board
The U.S. Treasury recently announced plans to redesign the $5 bill to help update and protect U.S. currency. The redesigned $5 bill should be issued in early 2008, with an updated $100 note to follow. "The $5 note is widely used in a variety of vending, transit fare card and self-service machines," said Bureau of Engraving and Printing dir. Larry Felix. The latest incarnation of the $10 note was introduced in March. Retailers can access training materials online to acquaint employees with new currency and security features.

Worth a visit
When all is said and done, retailing is about consumers. This month we asked our exclusive consumer panel about garden center services. Only on GreenBeam.com