to get the full effect of our greeting, then look for your weekly news below.

Associations create careers Web site
Twenty-seven green-industry associations from across the country have united to develop a nat'l. careers Web site, designed to create interest in a variety of positions from landscape design to hort production. Initiated by Minn. Nursery & Landscape Assoc. and PLANET, the site is expected to launch in summer 2008. The Web site's target market is high-school students, but it will also contain info. related to description of green-industry segments; explanation of career paths and career growth opportunities; info. on wages, salaries and benefits; resume tips; internship opportunities; career paths and career growth opportunities; and info. for counselors and parents outlining the benefits of green-industry careers. Research, including focus groups and surveys, is being conducted to obtain a Web site name.

Yoder issues chrysanthemum white rust bulletin
Yoder Brothers released a chrysanthemum white rust bulletin in response to the increased number of CWR cases in the U.S. this year, particularly in the Northeast and California, on cut and garden mums. Caused by the fungus Puccinia horiana Henn., the disease is prevalent in Europe and South America, but it is not established in the U.S. If an outbreak of white rust is found at a U.S. production site, a quarantine is established and strict federal and state protocols are mandated. Although the number of U.S. growers impacted is small, the economic loss to these growers has been significant. To prevent an outbreak, growers should: buy cuttings from a reputable commercial supplier; not handle imported mum cuttings in or near production facilities; maintain a low greenhouse humidity and keep foliage dry; monitor crops regularly; and schedule preventive fungicide applications.

New Dutch auction organization begins operation
The merger of the 2 Dutch flower auctions, Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer and FloraHolland, will be official on Jan. 1. The new cooperative, called FloraHolland, will present itself using a new corporate identity with a new Web site. FloraHolland offers growers and customers a network of 6 auction locations (Aalsmeer, Naaldwijk, Rijnsburg, Bleiswijk, Venlo and Eelde), 1 nationally operating intermediary office and a centrally controlled import department. The merged organization generates annual sales of 4 billion Euros.

Mexico tour focuses on language, floriculture
Labor and marketing are 2 of the critical issues facing the ornamental plant industry. Both of these areas are impacted by the growing Hispanic population in the U.S. Being able to effectively communicate in Spanish and having an appreciation of Latin American culture are becoming essential skills. Texas A&M Univ. hort. professor and ext. specialist Don Wilkerson is leading a weeklong Spanish-language immersion study program to Cuernavaca, Mexico, Feb. 24-March 1. Participants will have an opportunity to learn or practice functional and conversational Spanish in small classes with accredited teachers. There will also be educational tours focusing on floriculture and marketing.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
In keeping with the spirit of the season, I thought I'd share this seasonal display idea from Knollwood Garden Center in Beavercreek, Ohio. The company uses Euphorbia Diamond Frost in its DiamondPoint poinsettia combinations, which it retails in 12-inch pots for $49.99. With some extra euphorbia plants, head growers Cheryl and Steve Hopkins designed a Diamond Frost snowman. Diamond Frost flowers naturally through January.

Discovering the world of sustainability
Eco-friendly products will be showcased at 2 trade shows in 2008. Project: Green Industry

Worth a visit
GMPRO's Combo Chef, Kelli Rodda, shows you how to create a colorful combination planter for partial-shade conditions and a combination that makes a bold statement with color and texture. Only on GreenBeam.com.

• New England Grows
• Walters Gardens
• Goldsmith Seeds

The green industry's must-attend event. Just a few efficient days in this prductive environment will give you everything you need to make your garden center a s tand out.

Raised Right. Our business is helping you put down profitable roots without ever forgetting our own. For a free wholesale catalog of perennial liners call 1-888-WALTERS.

Spring favorites! 'Penny' Violas offer great performance on the bench and in the garden. Strong plants are covered with large, uniquely-colored flowers all season long.