Page 30 - Free State Spring 2023_WEB

MANTS RECAP A Kelly Finney

MANTS Means Business

The industry feels reinvigorated after a blessedly normal MANTS.

T he industry feels reinvigorated honored way to separate your yard at the Cavano’s Perennials booth and

from your neighbors without installing
promoting his excellent new multi-year
after a blessedly normal MANTS.
WHEN YOU’RE AN EDITOR, a fence. Arborvitae is booming, and trial report, which focuses on 70 Carex
spp. Watch for that in a future issue.
several companies were touting fast-
people ask you for your takeaways. My growing arbs. We covered Private Jet
biggest takeaway from MANTS 2023 from Bloomin’ Easy in the recap on pg. I look forward to returning to Baltimore
was that it felt really, really nice to be 20, and we get to know Brent Markus, for MANTS 2024. Save the date:
among people again. I believe that founder of InstantHedge, in our back- January 10-12, 2024.A
was a shared experience, too, from the page column this month, but another
smiles I saw while walking the aisles of that caught my eye was Emerald Matt McClellan
the Baltimore Convention Center. Editor
Squeeze. This Thuja occidentalis was
I missed hearing laughter and discovered at Shreckhise Nurseries Nursery Management
glasses clinking at happy hours and and is being introduced through Star mmcclellan@gie.net
running into people at receptions. It Roses and Plants. Matt Shreckhise told
was great to walk down Pratt Street me it is similar to Emerald Green but
again and see the green industry take comparatively compact, hitting 8.5 This article has been reprinted with
over the Inner Harbor for a few days. feet high. However, it’s not slower in permission from Matt McClellan and
Anywhere you went, you were likely production – it just stops short. Nursery Management Magazine.
to see someone in town for the trade Speaking of short, redbuds seem
show. On and off the floor, people felt to be in short supply. One of the See more photos from MANTS on the
reinvigorated, and after the last few reasons is that vascular streak following pages.
years, it was nice to start the year off dieback is still a problem in many
with a proper MANTS. Apologies for states, especially Tennessee. That’s
stealing a line from Bruce’s solo years, bad news for nurseries who have
but I think we all needed a little of that seen the issue in their operation but
human touch. And maybe a crab cake good news for growers that have
or two.
a solid supply of healthy redbuds (I
But as excited as I was to see the talked to a few at MANTS who did,
people in the booths, there were also and boy, were they selling them). This
plenty of plants to see in the booths. has been an issue for a while now,
One trend I noticed was that growers and plant pathologists have had
are doing their best to meet the time for preliminary research into the
increased demand for hedges. If you redbud problem. We’ll dig into it in
look around your typical suburb, you’ll detail in an upcoming issue of Nursery
see that most new construction tends Management.
to be bigger homes on smaller lots. We We also got to chat with Sam Hoadley,
may try to love thy neighbor, but most horticultural research manager with
of us don’t want to see or hear them Mt. Cuba Center. He was hanging out
all the time. Enter the hedge, a time-

30 SPRING 2023 • Free State News