Tag Archives: horticulture

Southeast Green Conference Returns to Athens with Record Exhibitors and Growing Buzz

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Athens, GA |

The city might have changed since its last visit, but the energy was every bit the same at Georgia’s premiere trade show and conference for the green industry. With more than two hundred exhibitors packing the Classic Center, excitement was at an all-time high as the Southeast Green Conference returned to Athens for the first time in over fifteen years.

“When we left Athens in 2009, it was just because we outgrew the area. But now that they’ve done the expansion, we are so excited to be back. Athens really is a horticulture city,” said Lanie Riner. “We were actually able to add fifty additional booths, which is huge for our industry, and attendee registrations are really high. Everyone has just got a really excited, positive vibe about being back in Athens.”

AN INDUSTRY THAT NEVER STOPS MOVING

Like any industry, horticulture is constantly evolving — which is exactly why an annual event like this one matters so much to the people who depend on it.

“Things are moving fast — technology, plant breeding, best practices. And then of course we have the other side of that with emerging pests and those types of things,” Riner said. “Showing up every year to stay up to date on the latest scientific information that UGA is putting out, or getting the best equipment for your business — all of those things you can find here, including the education. It’s just an amazing thing to come to each year.”

For Sonya Harrison, the advances in plant genetics on display this year were especially striking. “There’s a lot of new genetics going on — we can make plants smaller, bloom more, tighter. It’s just amazing what science can do with plants nowadays,” Harrison said.

GOING NATIVE IN 2026

As for what’s trending this year, gardeners appear to be steering toward a more natural look, with native plants and pollinator-friendly gardens leading the way.

“Natives are huge. People love pollinator gardens and anything that can attract hummingbirds, bees, butterflies,” Harrison said. “Lavender is huge too. People just want to make pollinator gardens and get back to their native roots.”

YOU GET OUT WHAT YOU PUT IN

With gardeners of every skill level represented at the conference, one piece of advice for beginners stood out above the rest: success in the garden depends entirely on the care that’s put into it.

“People think that they can just buy these plants and not feed them or water them, and not do proper care — and that’s just not how it goes,” Harrison said. “If you want them to thrive and really pop and bloom for you in your garden, then you’ve got to feed and water the babies. The more you feed them, the more they’ll perform for you.”

BUILDING CONNECTIONS, GROWING AN INDUSTRY

With so many vendors, experts, and industry professionals on hand, the overall goal of the Southeast Green Conference remains the same year after year — bringing people together to strengthen an industry that continues to grow in importance across the state.

“I hope they make new connections and continue to grow. Our industry is ever growing — it is the fourth largest commodity in agriculture,” Riner said. “I really hope they continue to build those connections and grow their businesses.”

By: Damon Jones

Wintergreen Conference One-Stop-Shop for Horticulture Industry

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Duluth, GA – Horticulture experts and enthusiasts from all over the state recently gathered for the annual Wintergreen Trade Show and Conference.

Whether it was plants, equipment, or even pine straw you were looking for, you could find it all under one roof at the Infinity Energy Center in Duluth, as it played host to the premiere horticulture showcase in the state. Those in attendance got a unique chance to meet a number of the region’s top vendors face to face and get an update on an ever-changing industry.

 

Chris Butts, Executive Director of GGIA says, “essentially what it offers is a world of contacts all under one roof. It would take days, weeks, and months for you to be able to go and visit with all these vendors and suppliers from across the country. It offers you the convenience of being able to visit with all these folks under one roof. It’s the largest event for the greens industry in Georgia, three full days of education along with exhibitors from across the country.”

This is Georgia’s only multi-day trade show and conference with experts holding seminars through the three-day event. It’s information that is not only important to the individuals, but the industry as a whole.

“Professionalism in our industry is a big deal. We want our members and the industry in general to be up to date on different trends but also in regulations as far as pesticide application and that sort of thing. So, it increases that professionalism. It’s also a draw to bring those folks in and while they’re here they can go to the show. They can meet new vendors for different supplies for their business,” says Butts.

While there is plenty to look at in this trade show, it’s pretty clear to see what this year’s trend is.

Dr. Michael Dirr, horticulturist says, “color, color, color, and color. What colors? Yellow, purple and red, blue, but never green. Green is not a color. The industry has kind of gotten to a point where we’re kind of like decorators and that’s the trend. It’s smaller because many of our gardens, our landscapes are smaller, but they still want the color element, whether it’s hydrangea three feet or whatever it might be, a gardenia with white flowers and fragrance.”

And that’s good news for an industry that was in dire straits following an economic recession just over five years ago. But with the economy gradually improving since, it’s an industry that has never been in better shape.

“We lost 30-40% of our nurseries and production capacity. Gradually, we’ve built back up. Building starts are high everywhere, commercial and residential, and that is largely driving the big number in sales. There’s nothing but positivity. Everyone is feeling that. This is a great year, record sales, sold out in many cases, so, our future looks good. Let’s hope we can keep it going,” says Dirr.

And that’s important to the state as a whole, as the horticulture industry has a major financial impact in a number of different sectors.

“The industry has an estimated economic impact on the state of $7 billion a year and employs up to 70,000 Georgians. Like you said, that includes everything from turf grass, to pine straw, to flowers, shrubs and trees. It’s touches the lives of many Georgians and that’s an important part of Georgia’s agricultural economy,” says Butts.

By: Damon Jones