About FNGLA

2:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Floriculture Road Show

Join a garden tour for the afternoon and evening prior to the seminar. The tour will depart from Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club lobby promptly at 2:00 p.m. Transportation provided. Pre-registration required.

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2:00 p.m.
Depart from Disney's Yacht & Beach Club
1700 Epcot Resorts Blvd, Lake Buena Vista

2:30 p.m. – 3: 30 p.m.
Tour Aquatica: Seaworld's Water Park
5800 Water Play Way, Orlando

4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Tour Roper's Garden Building
144 W Plant St, Winter Garden

5:15 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Tour Knox Nursery
940 Avalon Rd, Winter Garden

6:15 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Dinner at Knox Nursery

8:00 p.m.
Return to Disney's Yacht & Beach Club

Morning in the Gardens — The group will be split in two with half in the performance trial garden and the other half touring the festival.

It’s a morning filled with facts, flowers and fashionable trends. Conference attendees will either spend their morning at the FFD performance trials or at the Epcot® International Flower and Garden Festival. Those at the trials will spend one-on-one time with the breeders, evaluating how their varieties held up to Florida’s grueling spring climate. Those not at the trials will spend their morning at the Festival and experience all the magic that Disney has to offer.

Quirky But Quaint Take on European Floriculture Trends — Felder Rushing, founder of Slow Gardening, Jackson, MS

Felder Rushing is a 10th-generation American gardener who travels extensively for lectures and garden tours from both his celebrated cottage garden in Mississippi, and a farmhouse in the West Midlands of England. Believing that too many would-be gardeners are intimidated by a crush of “how-to” experts, Felder uses an offbeat, “down home” approach rife with humorous anecdotes and garden-irreverent metaphors, zany observations, and stunning photography to help gardeners get past the “stinkin’ rules” of horticulture. Come hear all about what he has uncovered on his recent travels while he provides his observations on current floriculture trends.

Understanding Consumers’ Preferences To Increase Your Green — Dr. Dave Clark, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

Dr. Dave Clark has mixed scientific research analysis of different generations of consumers and is here to show attendees how the University of Florida is developing a stronger understanding of why consumers buy what they buy. Understanding the similarities and differences, what motivates, and what are existing expectations, all play an important role in understanding what people want before they buy it. If you want to add green to your pocket, this will be critical information you need to hear.

Mixing Tropicals in the Landscapes — Dan Benarcik, Chanticleer, Wayne, PA

Chanticleer has been called the most romantic, imaginative, and exciting public garden in America. The garden is a study of textures and forms, where foliage trumps flowers, the gardeners lead the design, and even the drinking fountains are sculptural. It is a garden of pleasure and learning, relaxing yet filled with ideas to take home. Dan will share their design strategies for successfully incorporating tropical into the landscape.

Break
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The Art of Shade Gardening — Keri Leymaster, Orange County Extension Service, Orlando, FL

Trees – and the shade provided by them – offer a welcome relief from Florida's intense sun, but there is certainly an art to gardening in shade. Shade shifts daily, seasonally, and over time as trees grow. Carefully designing where and when shade occurs is a first step and then to determine what works well in those areas is next. By focusing on plant selection and placement, this session will cover how to use color effectively in deep shade to make those darker areas come alive with color.

Finding New Products to Fit the New Niches — Lloyd Traven, Peace Tree Farms, Kintnersville, PA

There is a an art of creating an interest and desire for a new product in the industry to grow and then to pass that enthusiasm down to the consumer. Come learn the best strategies to search out and find new products to fit your special niches.

Dinner on Your Own

Floriculture SMACK DOWN

It’s the battle of some of the best minds in the Floriculture Industry. After dinner, come back to the hotel for an evening of fun and insightful opinions on what new varieties are the best of the best! Come see our speakers wrestle to win your favor and proved their varieties are untouchable.

Morning in the Gardens — The group will be split in two with half in the performance trial garden and the other half touring the festival.

It’s a morning filled with facts, flowers and fashionable trends. Conference attendees will either spend their morning at the FFD performance trials or at the Epcot® International Flower and Garden Festival. Those at the trials will spend one-on-one time with the breeders, evaluating how their varieties held up to Florida’s grueling spring climate. Those not at the trials will spend their morning at the Festival and experience all the magic that Disney has to offer.

“Some Like it HOT!” — Jimmy Turner, Dallas Arboretum, Dallas, TX

This year the Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Garden celebrated its 28th year of its acclaimed “Dallas Blooms” festival. With over 500,000 spring-blooming bulbs, 100,000 pansies, violas, poppies and thousands of other spring-blooming annuals and perennials. The Garden’s 66 acres have to be lush 365 days a year. Jimmy Turner, Senior Director of Horticulture at the Dallas Arboretum is here to share his favorite plants they have tested in their trial program. The Dallas Arboretum is one of the largest independent national testing programs (over 7,000 entries this year) and the only testing site for the All-America Selections seed trial program in the state of Texas.

Increasing Top-line Revenue Growth through Marketing — Dr. Charles Hall, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX

In an atmosphere where the industry marketplace is very competitive and buying dollars are limited, growers need to differentiate themselves from their competitors. This session will focus on marketing strategies that will provide the business edge needed to survive in today’s economy.

Edible Landscaping Panel Discussion

Break
Sponored by:

Plants Continue To Make the World A Better Place — Katy Moss Warner, President Emeritus, American Horticulture Society, Orlando, FL

As the closing session, it is so appropriate for attendees to be inspired that “Plants Continue to Make the World a Better Place”. Katy will share her views on how our industry can come together to spread this message. Whether it is to share ideas about what American towns are doing to inspire their residents to include plants in their surroundings or the research that has shown plants benefit people, you will certainly not want to miss the opportunity to her presentation.

Dan Benarcik is with Chanticleer, a pleasure garden in the greater Philadelphia area. Chanticleer has been called the most romantic, imaginative, and exciting public garden in America. The garden is a study of textures and forms, where foliage trumps flowers, the gardeners lead the design, and even the drinking fountains are sculptural. The Chanticleer Foundation owns 47 acres, 35 of which are open to the public. The remaining acreage is in agriculture, woodland, service areas, and staff housing. The main path is just under a mile in length.

Dr. Dave Clark is a professor in the Environmental Horticulture Department at the University of Florida. He has specialized in Floriculture Biotechnology and genetics research and has taught undergraduate courses for 17 years. Most recently, Dr. Clark founded the UF-Plant Innovation Program. He has utilize his technical skills in physiology, genetics, molecular biology and biochemistry to lead a multi-faceted research group dedicated toward the genetic improvement of floriculture crops through conventional breeding and biotechnological approaches. The common thread that makes his efforts in these areas cohesive is the time spent communicating with academicians and corporations around the world to stay abreast of developments and make collaborations in research and industry. It also allows him to communicate new ideas with students and also provide them with career opportunities after they finish their student careers.

Dr. Charlie Hall is a native of North Carolina. He received his B.S. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Tennessee in 1984 and his Master’s Degree in Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design from the University of Tennessee. He is currently a professor at Texas A&M University as Professor and holds the distinguished title of Floriculture’s Ellison Chair. Dr. Hall has built a national reputation for providing a down to earth understanding of today’s economic challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities.

Felder Rushing is a 10th- generation American gardener whose pioneer ancestors settled across the Southeast, bringing many plants with them. Rushing’s overstuffed, quirky cottage garden has been featured in many TV programs and magazines (including a cover of Southern Living), and includes a huge variety of weather-hardy plants along with a collection of folk art. There is no turfgrass, just plants, yard art, and “people places.”

Lloyd Traven graduated summa cum laude from Delaware Valley College of Science & Agriculture in 1979 and attended Cornell University Graduate School in fl oriculture and ornamental horticulture. In the 1980's Lloyd worked in market research and special projects at Ball Seed Company developing Spark Plug, pelleted seed products and worked on the Genesis Seed project. Lloyd and Candy purchased the Peace Tree Farm property in Bucks County, Pennsylvania in 1983. They have grown Peace Tree Farm from 'the little greenhouses up on the hill' to an established and respected operation among international horticulture. Lloyd is a technology guru and advocate for small growers, being among the fi rst to successfully invest in sophisticated environmental control systems for their operation. He conducts seminars and makes presentations at growing industry conferences and conventions. As an author Lloyd has contributed to GMPro Magazine, OFA Bulletin, Greenhouse Product News, Greenhouse Grower, and GrowerTalks. He is a member of the Council of Advisors for GMPro Magazine and Greenhouse Product News.

Jimmy Turner is Senior Director of Horticulture at the Dallas Arboretum. He is a native born Texan. He grew up in Lone Oak, TX and currently resides in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas. He received a B.S. in Horticulture from East Texas State University and a Master’s degree in Horticulture from The Pennsylvania State University. Jimmy Turner’s southern charm had the audience glued to their seats at the 2011 conference and he has agreed to come back to Florida to share more of his creative talents and unique ways that he is using plants in Texas.

Katy Moss Warner is President Emeritus, American Horticultural Society Board Member and City Judge, America in Bloom. Katy provided day to day leadership as President and CEO of the American Horticultural Society. Prior to becoming AHS President, Katy was at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, one of 11 Loeb Fellows at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. This mid-career fellowship program allowed Katy to focus attention on the current challenges we face to enhance the quality of life in our built and natural environments throughout America. Prior to that, Katy was the Director of Disney’s Horticulture and Environmental Initiatives at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, responsible for the landscapes of four theme parks, 15 resort properties and over 70 miles of roads on the 30,500-acre property. For over 24 years – from 1976 to 2000 – she provided the leadership necessary to ensure that Disney’s horticultural traditions of beautiful gardens and themed landscapes were sustained.