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Maine Celebrates Greenhouse and Nursery Day May 1

April 15, 2010

Contact: Judy Blaisdell and Mary Lou Hoskins
207-287-3491 and 207-848-5453

AUGUSTA—Greenhouses, nurseries, and garden centers will be celebrating on Saturday, May 1, as the industry launches its first annual Maine Greenhouse and Nursery Day.

In the tradition of Maine Farm Days and Maine Maple Sunday, on Maine Greenhouse and Nursery Day, 30 family-owned businesses around the state will hold special events to highlight the joys (and challenges) of gardening in Maine. They’re eager to entertain you, educate you, answer your questions, give advice, and share tips for your area. A few will even feed you home-baked treats. They’re our local experts because they garden where you garden.

Planned activities among the 30 participating businesses include giveaways, door prizes, raffles, plants and balloons for kids, container planting demonstrations, landscape design advice, a tomato tasting, personal tours, and a free planting calendar for Maine. Find your local participating greenhouse or nursery at http://www.plants4maine.com or http://www.getrealmaine.com for more information.

Country Junction Greenhouse in Bradford will have Discover magazines to give away; Plainview Farm in North Yarmouth will host Kelly Roth from VitaminSea Seaweed, talking about soil amendments from the Atlantic; in Rockport, Hoboken Gardens features Maureen Heffernan, author of Native Plants for Your Maine Garden, with a talk and book signing; and Lois Stack and Caragh Fitzgerald from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension will be speaking at Longfellow’s Greenhouses in Manchester, just to name a few. And, of course, there’s much, much more to experience. It’s a family-oriented day across the state.

Environmental Horticulture is a major sector of Maine agriculture, with more than 1,010 firms in the industry. It currently represents $253 million and provides jobs for over 12,000 people. Businesses in this industry paid an estimated $21 million in taxes in 2007. Plant production and sale are a significant part of the industry; more than half of the plants sold in Maine are grown right here in the state, from start to finish. Horticulture represents a significant economic impact. Shopping at a local, family-owned enterprise supports our Maine economy.

Press Contacts: Judy Blaisdell, 207-287-3491, judy.blaisdell@maine.gov, and Mary Lou Hoskins, 207-848-5453, greenc@gwi.net