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MANTS -Winter Networking

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MANTS was the perfect place in the midst of winter to introduce a new name GARDENCOMM formerly known as the Association of Garden Writers and Communicators.

Winter warm-up could have multiple meanings depending on where you live. As a garden writer, winter warm-up means gearing up for the seasons ahead. In the Mid-Atlantic, the horticulture community looks forward to an event called MANTS.

A BIT OF HISTORY

The Maryland and Virginia Nurseryman’s Association saw a need to create a way for the horticulture community to connect. The conversation evolved and became a reality in 1970. In 1972, a trifecta was created when the West Virginia Nurseryman’s Association joined this partnership. Traveling to different locations, within Maryland and Virginia a final home was found. Baltimore has been the home for MANTS since 1981. If you are in the Trade and it’s January, most likely you are looking forward to attending the Mid Atlantic Nursery and Trade Show.

The Mid-Atlantic Nursery and Trade Show is the season opener for those interested in the earth.  MANTS hosts vendors that provide items for horticulture professionals. Looking for the latest in heavy equipment or automated watering systems,? Need to know what plants or hand tools will be hot items this year?  Attending  MANTS offers answers to these questions and so much more.

WHAT’S NEW?

This year, it was the perfect opportunity to introduce a new name for The Association of Garden Writers and Communicators. Our new name is GardenComm International. Our new name says more about who we really are. GardenComm will not change the definition of who we are, but further, define what we do. GardenComm International members come to MANTS to connect, get the scoop on what is new and trending, as well as network.    Vendors like Brent & Becky’s Bulbs, Botanical Interests, and Autocrop USA, can be found in one huge room with many other vendors.

Connecting with Peggy Riccio, Pegsplant.com is always a delight as we share the MANTS experience.

Moving from vendor to vendor, meeting friends new and old along the way. The excitement builds as the new season’s merchandise catches the eye. This is the inspiration which inspires the communicator within. There is something about knowing what Ball Seed is offering for the home gardener. What is the hot item from David Austin Roses? Wondering who wrote a top-selling book?  What will the latest “need” be in hand tools? Think MANTS. This event is like a three-day world’s fair of horticulture.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

This year 48 states, 16 foreign countries, 11,600 attendee’s including exhibitors were reflected in this Masterpiece of Tradeshows. This event started with 64 vendors in 1970, and it has grown by leaps and bounds. In 2020, MANTS officially turns fifty years young. I am certain that on its golden anniversary, there will be a celebration to share in its success. The dates for the 2020 MANTS Event is January 8 – 10, 2020. With sponsors like State Nursery and Landscape Associations of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, it stands to reason that this IS the Masterpiece of Tradeshows in horticulture. A special mention, 2019 had the highest number of attendees in 11 years.

MANTS provides the environment for Encore Experiences, season after season!

CULTIVATING BUSINESS CONNECTIONS

MANTS means business! Not just their slogan, but a fact. Need to know about David Austin roses? Just visit their booth…

I am looking forward to visiting the David Austin Rose Garden in England in August…a true Garden Experience. MANTS inspires me to seek all things beautiful…

For the large landscaping company to the boutique garden shop, something for most can be found at MANTS. Need a few exquisite pots, lightweight, functional and quite handsome? There is a booth for that…

Pennoyer Newman, Distinctive Garden Pots are cast from Estate origins. This vendor has some of her work at the United States Botanic Garden in Washington, DC. Who knew? You can find just about anything at MANTS!

Find yourself not knowing what to anticipate about garden trends? Ready to discover new plants? Wondering where you can find garden art? Want to connect with vendors providing garden travel?

Herb Frazier and Kirk Brown will have you wanting to visit Magnolia Plantation, in South Carolina, as soon as possible. It truly is a place of beauty.

I strongly suggest you consider attending the Mid-Atlantic Nursery and Trade Show.

SAVE THE DATE 

Why not mark your calendar now?

 

Mentally  The Garden,

Teri, Cottage In The Court

Click to find out more about MANTS

Click to find out more about GardenComm

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We Grow More Than Collards…

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I love collards, kale, and a mixture of both. In the pot with some chicken or vegetable broth – that is simply good eating tome. However, as an African-American woman, garden writer, and spender of ridiculous amounts of money on all things horticultural, I am having a hard time finding a representation of me amidst the perennials and annuals. What’s up with that?

So I thought I would share an article I wrote on Medium.

View at Medium.com

Enjoy and add some candied sweets (yams) on my plate with those collards!!

It’s a rainy evening at the Cottage In The Court – Teri

View at Medium.com

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Inner Gardening with Black Panther

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A Red Carpet event after viewing the Black Panther was awesome. I ran into old friends and made new acquaintances. Delicious food, awesome vendors and an opportunity to have great conversation about the movie.

Long overdue, the movie ” Black Panther” was a delight to see. Recalling the tidbit of a preview shared at Blogalicious last year, I knew I wanted to see this movie. What I did not realize at the time, was how much the messaging would resonate to the world as we know it today.

It was refreshing to have a VIP event from a notable organization – Sisters4Sisters sponsor an after party for a purpose. The purpose was to send their group of girls S4S Daughter’s of Destiny to camp this summer.

I eat, breathe and sleep gardening. Seeing the beautiful land called Wakanda simply took my breath away. Fiction can always make mediocre things look phenomenal. Wakanda, however was not mediocre at all. It was a self-sustaining community that had not been colonized. Considered a small, backwards farming community, Wakanda was not on the radar of the outside world. This was the blessing that sustained its beauty. From the lush forests, mountains, magnificent waterfalls and beautiful people, Wakanda was naturally a beautiful land. The rituals that took place in the water to the beautiful heart-shaped plants, Wakanda was genuinely a place to dream about.

When Erik Killmonger became a force to be reckoned with, one of the first things he did was destroy life. Erik ordered the destruction of the heart-shaped plants that caressed

the vibranium. This heart-shaped plant was a herb that when properly prepared, allowed only those of royal blood to partake. Drinking this herbal concoction, allowed the person to transition and get advice from the ancestors who had passed on. It also provided strength to the recipient for the return journey back to earth.

In today’s world, as development razes older communities or breaks new ground, one of the first acts is removal of vegetation. Stripping the gifts of Mother Nature, to start with a clean slate. Is it replaced? Minimally, in most cases. The symbolism of this act in the Black Panther movie has stuck with me. When change presents itself, why is it easier to get rid of the unfamiliar?

What about integrating the old into new concepts? I could easily compare this to preparing pots for a new season. Should we dump all of the soil out and start with nothing ? Is it possible to mix in a little fresh soil to enhance the old? Is the old soil totally lifeless…or can it be revived?

All of the imagery was not positive. Just like in the garden, if you leave behind diseased foliage, it will cause problems in the garden. Killmonger was left behind by his uncle, which led him to feel unloved and unwanted. We must stop leaving behind things to haunt our existence as we plant seeds of positivity in our life gardens. Usually there is a way, preferably organic, to address and catch negativity before it becomes a problem.

There was other messaging such as the ability for this community to thrive, without outside influence. There were beautiful fabrics, wonderful market scenes and honestly, the people appeared to be happy.

There was even the opportunity to have a make up artist decorate your face in authentic markings of strong female warriors.

The messaging in the Black Panther movie was subliminal, but caught up with the viewer after the show. The conversations about the Black Panther will continue for some time.

I had to pull out my black and  authentic fabric with the triangles carefully placed. After all, the messaging was key. On this night, I was Royalty.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and I will see it again. I must say, it was quite refreshing to see a movie depicting Africa Americans with a positive ending and a willingness to share. We can create our own version of Wakanda by planting seeds of love, knowledge, prosperity, and by making sure that no one is left behind as we pursue success in this world.

Wakanda Forever…if only in my dreams…

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Upward Bound Agriculture-Up Top Acres

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Using the term ‘upward bound’ in horticulture traditionally meant gardening on a trellis or some contraption allowing plants to climb. However, todays Millennial’s have put a whole new face on ‘upward bound’ agriculture as we know it. Rooftop agriculture is happening in places where you would least expect it.  I was privileged to take part in a Community of Gardeners Meet Up to tour the rooftop garden at The Farm at 55 M Street, SW. What a great building and what a phenomenal use of rooftop space it is.

Imagine – seeing Nationals Stadium, The Washington Monument, and the Cityscape amidst rows of kale seedlings, onion bulbs and carrot tops. It was truly an amazing site to see.  Agriculture this close to heaven can only be successful and the Owners/Farmers at UP TOP ACRES are proving this in so many ways.

Welcome sign upon entering the rooftop farm at UP TOP ACRES.

THE WHO AND THE HOW

Kristof Grina, Host of our tour of Up Top Acres

Our host and guide for the afternoon was Kristof Grina. Nothing like a young person with a vision. Realizing that space on the ground might make things a bit tricky for farming in the City, Kristof and a few of his High School peers decided to think in an upward bound manner.  Not trellises but rooftops…utilizing underused spaces….like commercial building roof tops. What a novel idea, but not unheard of in other cities. After a bit of research and utilizing models of upward bound or rooftop farming in similar settings, Up Top Acres was born. This unassuming young man shared how he and his friends  Kathleen O’Keefe, Jeff Prost-Greene, and Nick Berini, got started with this upward bound adventure.

Kristof is fascinated with the concept of growing in non-traditional environments. An out of the box thought of farming in a City environment, utilizing space on top of office buildings and convincing developers to buy into this concept was the beginning of Up Top Acres. Did I mention that while feeding people is the part of the concept, a CSA has evolved from this? Did I share 90% of the produce goes to local restaurants? How AWESOME  is this??? What do you expect from a person who studied Plant and Soil Science in college.

Imagine this view as you garden???

Almost unfathomable but it’s happening right above our heads. This is quite an undertaking from Young City Innovators that want to make a difference in how we source our food. Here are a few fun facts:

  • In order to weed or plant the rooftop beds, the Farmer/gardener must be tied off and secured in the event of a mishap.
  • Up Top Acres employs 1 Full Time Farmer
  • There is a weight and drainage threshold
  • Up Top Acres worked with the University of Maryland to create a unique soil mixture for growing on roof tops
  • never boring, crop rotations vary  from building to building
  • has three farms currently producing produce and is growing
  • offers rooftop event rental  at The Farm at 55 M Street, S.W., for corporate outings, receptions or that unique special event with a City line view
  • is the home to two beehives
  • offers a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) to clients in the buildings
  • provides locally upward bound produce to select restaurants in a 5+/- mile radius
  • uses Veterans Compost for healthy soil…encouraging healthy, well fed plants

Those are just a few of the unique facts that make Up Top Acres  an asset to the community. As local developers plant more concrete buildings, the opportunities to enhance sustainability efforts by including rooftop farms should not be ignored. Think about the tax credits – as well as building a more cohesive surrounding community. The health benefits to potential clients by offering fresh-cut flowers, organic meeting space as well as a communal food option would be unique.

As I sat a few weeks ago with Kathleen O’Keefe discussing events that are upcoming like pop up restaurant events, unique hands-on activities, and more it was mesmerizing! I was amazed at the growth that had taken place since my last visit and how healthy the plants were.

Planters that had mere seedlings now had rapidly maturing plants!

Of course every garden has its challenges such as volunteers. Up Top Acres needs volunteers to help with events, to assist when school groups come to visit while sharing the possibilities, as well as funding to keep this idea growing throughout the City.  You can find out more by scheduling a tour with one of the Up Top Acres Team.  It takes a community to encourage a more sustainable stance on the way we get our food and the way we participate in community outreach. Up Top Acres….YOU ARE AWESOME!!!

Click Up Top Acres book a tour or to find out more.

Sharing good news from The Cottage In The Court,

Teri

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Connecting With Our Eco Community

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Eco Community is not a trend it is a way of life.  What is the definition of an Eco Community??  Upon comparing many different definitions of “Eco Community”, I have summed it up  to basically mean a traditional or intentional community that is striving to become more sustainable in social, cultural, economic as well as ecological practices. A mouthful, right??? However, it is achievable.

Kevin Alsop – Alsop Growers…thinking about his community’s needs.

In the Town of Capitol Heights, there is an aspiring Farmer. His name is Kevin Alsop, Alsop Growers. If you have an hour or so, Kevin is more than happy to fill you in on his vision of feeding the masses and sharing his methods of growing as well as reconnecting with the land. I met Kevin and his lovely wife, Alana at the Washington Gardener Seed Exchange. He was anticipating with much joy the Prince Georges County Master Gardener Program and learning more about horticulture. Sharing opportunities as I often do, Kevin and I ended up at the same Community Garden last year, where we both gardened with a passion. Let me tell you – that man can grow some tomato’s!!

Kevin has found greener pastures this year and what a pasture it is!!! In the Town of Capitol Heights, just up the street from the Capitol Height’s Metro Station, you just might notice a fenced in area behind the bus stop. You also might see Kevin passionately laboring in his place of peace…..more than likely Kevin will welcome you to come and garden with him.  There is no sign, however there are some gorgeous sunflower seedlings, strawberries, peppers, tomato’s, Kale, garlic and much, much, more!!

Kevin has spotted some weeds and is on the job! No chemicals here!!

I remember when this area was dedicated to the residents of Capitol Heights a few years ago. The following Spring I gave a talk to the residents that rented plots there. At the time this Community effort to re-engage the residents with the earth was promising…or so it seemed. Nikita Floyd, Green Forever Landscaping, even built beautiful raised beds to accommodate young, old or even the disabled. It seems as though the interest was not long-lasting and that is where Kevin, Alsop Growers, seized this opportunity to share the joy of growing.

Working with the Town of Capitol Heights, as well as local Ministries like Mission of Love Charities – Kevin is putting his feet behind his faith…as well as his mission. His eco-community mission? The Feeding 5000 Initiative. The purpose is to provide naturally grown, locally sourced food for 5000 families annually within the next 5 years. How will The Feeding 5000 Initiative be achieved??  Kevin’s plan is to utilize direct producer to consumer marketing, education as well as hands on training to achieve this goal. What a special opportunity for the 5000 families that will be a part of a local up and coming eco community.

Imagine a delicious pot of beans grown locally in your own community…awesome!

Tomorrow is Capitol Heights Day. Kevin will open the gates to his Eco-Community to share activities with families from children’s events to inspirational talks on the importance of growing ones own or knowing what to grow and how to grow it. The garden plot will welcome the residents of Capitol Heights tomorrow from 10:00 until 6:00 pm at 5400 Emmet Street, Capitol Heights, MD 20743. It will be a great day to enjoy the festivities for residents, friends and families in Central Prince Georges County, Maryland. After all, when it comes to our Temple, isn’t it great to know that you are eating things as fresh as possible???

What is going on in your local eco community? Do you have an active role in building a sustainable initiative that will positively affect where you live?

Good News From The Cottage,

Teri

Alsop Growers, please click this link to discover more about Kevin.

Green Forever Landscaping, please click this link to find out more about Nikita Floyd, Green Forever Landscaping

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