If You Keep Digging You’ll Come Up in China
When I was young and learning to garden I’d often hear an adult say, “You know, if you keep digging you’ll come up in China.” Well, perhaps that is true, but I know now that a 12-hour plane flight will get you there a lot more quickly. Sure, there is a 13-hour time change from Chicago, and you cross the International Date Line in the process, but the 25-hour net time change going to China still beats digging a hole with a garden trowel.
Earlier this month, I had the honor and privilege to travel to China to see some horticulture and to speak at the Dalian International Horticulture Forum. My topic was “Beautifying Our Cities with ‘In Bloom’ Programs.” The story of the entire forum was so pertinent to our America in Bloom audience that I have to share!
The forum was co-sponsored by the Dalian Municipal Government and the company for which I work, Ball Horticultural Company. The audience was about 220 mostly government workers from across China who are responsible for some aspect of municipal, provincial or national government, often related to social improvement, parks, business development, and/or agriculture or urban forestry. There were a few growers from large commercial horticultural operations as well. And there was a smattering of foreign government workers, including two Chinese women working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture as trade development officers and at least one Dutch government official.
After welcoming speeches from Dalian Mayor Li Wancai and Vice-Mayor Sun Guangtian, who also addressed “Construction of a world-class garden city,” Ball Horticultural Company’s Anna Ball (who keynoted last year’s AIB Symposium) spoke on Trends in the American floriculture industry. Anna’s big point was that unlike the Chinese market, which is mostly related to government landscaping projects, the American market was largely driven by consumers.
Next, Robert Dolibois, Executive Vice-President of the American Nursery and Landscape Association, gave a historical perspective of the development of the modern horticulture. Mentioning that the U.S. horticulture industry’s history is not even 150 years old, Bob noted that much of its growth related to suburban life and urban sprawl. Most of this development has occurred since World War II.
AIB Board member Charles Hall, Ph.D., from Texas A&M University, was the next to address the crowd. Charlie presented much of the information that is captured in his just-published “Economic, Environmental, and Health/Well-Being Benefits Associated with Green Industry Products and Services: A Review.” We highlighted this paper in last month’s AIB e-newsletter, and the paper can be downloaded from the AIB website.
I was the last speaker for the first morning of the conference. I began with the justification for urban beautification programs as evidenced both by Dr. Hall (above) and by the Knight Foundation’s “Soul of the Community” study, which I have previously reviewed in this column. You may recall that this study proved that beautifully landscaped cities offered better productivity (higher GNPs) than similarly-sized cities which were not well-landscaped. Then, I presented a history of the “in Bloom” programs from around the world, beginning with Ireland’s Tidy Towns program in 1958; France’s Villes et Villages Fleuris in 1959; England’s Britain in Bloom in 1963; Entente Florale, now in 12 European countries, about 30 years ago; Canada’s Communities in Bloom 17 years ago; Japan in Bloom a dozen years back; and America in Bloom, now in its 10th contest year. I explained the contest as it differs from country to country and offered the AIB contest, as an example. Beyond the contest, I also explained that AIB offered an annual symposium, a “best practices” program, an awards program, a fact-filled website, webinars, a “Best Ideas” book, a monthly e-newsletter, and more! I offered that an “in Bloom” program, in many ways, was a community enhancement program, which encouraged volunteerism and resulted in civic pride.
Following lunch, Stuart Lowen, who directs the marketing efforts for Ball Colegrave (England), presented “Flower Power – U.K. style.” Stuart highlighted many landscaping trends and designs that have been seen in England’s Britain in Bloom program and other decorating contests in the U.K. His photography literally opened the imagination to the world of flowers.
Allan Armitage, Ph.D., University of Georgia, spoke about “Ornamental Plants for Hot and Humid Areas.” He provided an “up-close-and-personal” view of trialing and trial gardens and discussed the breadth and width of plant options used to add beauty to the world.
Adam Schwerner, Director of Natural Resources of the Chicago Park District, always challenges our thinking when it comes to plants. Here, he provided photographic examples of his work in Chicago and some of the ploys he has devised to get people to notice plants. The painting of dead trees in bold colors was surpassed only by the painting of soon-to-be-removed, but still living, trees in its ability to generate reaction from both City of Chicago residents and Dalian audience members. Adam’s presentation opened the world of plants to the imagination. The Chicago Park District sponsored Chicago’s winning entry in the first AIB contest in 2002, and they hosted AIB’s second Symposium and Awards Program in 2003.
Shi-Ying Wang, Ph. D., a consultant who has been responsible for China market development for the Ball Horticultural Company for more than 10 years, spoke on how to succeed in the China floriculture industry. He stressed the need to be aware of both Chinese and foreign cultures. Shi-Ying was the event’s main organizer.
The next speakers, representing three production firms, spoke on Innovations in Plant Production. John Williams, Vice-President of Production and Operations from Tagawa Greenhouse Enterprises, presented “Implementation of Spring Bedding Plant Production” and explained how Tagawa utilizes its 2.3 million sq. ft. of production space in Colorado, California, and New Mexico. Elin Dowd, President of Monrovia Growers in California, spoke on Monrovia’s “85 Years of Innovation.” And Gary Mangum, Co-owner of Maryland-based Bell Nursery, spoke of how his firm grew to supply 200 Home Depot stores in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, and the District of Columbia using a network of farm families as supplemental flower producers.
Day 2 began with Shuhua Li, Ph.D., professor of landscape architecture at China’s Tsinghua University, describing traditional Chinese and Japanese cultural elements found in Asian garden design. Dr. Li’s presentation touched on Feng shui, Buddhism, Taoism, and Hinduism and how symbols and beliefs central to each of the religions get replicated in the traditional Asian landscapes.
Jeff Gibson, Landscape Business Manager for Ball Horticultural Company, discussed the North American professional landscape trade. His talk, which described the installation, maintenance and design elements of the landscape industry, served as the perfect introduction to the three landscape architects which followed. The first, Doug Hoerr, spoke of “Chicago’s Urban Horticulture.” He told how a small project in front of one Crate and Barrel store provided the impetus for much of Chicago’s beautification efforts and how a small stretch of highway running from the airport to downtown Des Moines, Iowa also had an effect not only on beautification efforts, but also on the itinerary chosen by many of Des Moines’ residents. (Incidentally, Des Moines is also an AIB city.)
Michael Braden, Principal of California’s ValleyCrest Design Group, addressed “Increasing bio-diversity in the built environment.” His thought-provoking comments about man’s impact and potential influence on the landscape challenged all to consider the responsibility each has for environmental stewardship.
The conference’s final speaker was Jeffrey Bruce, owner of Jeffrey L. Bruce Company, a national landscape architectural firm in North Kansas City, Missouri. Jeffrey invited the audience to dream with him about “The Future of Green.” His talk catapulted the listener from considering the landscape around a building to considering the possible landscape on a building (e.g., green roofs and vertical green walls) and again to the possibility that a building, one day, might be made of live plants. This was indeed quite thought-provoking.
Following lunch, the entire conference group, speakers, and audience, hopped busses to tour Dalian’s beautiful city landscape and then to travel, with police escort, to Pulandian, another city about 90 minutes north. There, the group was welcomed by balloons and Chinese drums, flutes, and dragons at the opening of the Dalian International Flower New Variety Show and Trade Fair. We also helped inaugurate a brand new city park, completed just that morning, and we were treated to a closing banquet. The press coverage for these horticultural events was unbelievable!
This trip, like other overseas and some domestic destinations before, reinforced my belief that what we do in America in Bloom is indeed important to cities and the people who live in them. Flowers greeted us at the airport when we landed in Beijing. Flowers and plants welcomed us as we travelled from city to city, and indeed plants blanketed almost the entire highway leading from Dalian to Pulandian, a 90-minute trip. As an ode to horticulture, fruits and vegetables remain a staple part of the Chinese diet and may indeed be the most recognized parts of the meal. In the blocks of the cities abandoned for urban renewal, ornamental horticulture was often the only harmonizing element. And when new construction enticed the views of passers-by, it was the flowers and plants that exclaimed we’re open for business.
Throughout the week, most all of the travelers, and indeed even the conference’s Chinese attendees, were exposed to new cultures and differences. But what brought us together during the conference was the discussion of flowers and plants, trees and shrubs, turf and groundcovers, the tangible elements of the “in Bloom” programs. Even without interpreters, you could tell folks appreciated the “pretty” that plants bring to the world, but you knew the special beauty of plants is that their beauty encompasses so much more than pretty.
The forum was co-sponsored by the Dalian Municipal Government and the company for which I work, Ball Horticultural Company. The audience was about 220 mostly government workers from across China who are responsible for some aspect of municipal, provincial or national government, often related to social improvement, parks, business development, and/or agriculture or urban forestry. There were a few growers from large commercial horticultural operations as well. And there was a smattering of foreign government workers, including two Chinese women working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture as trade development officers and at least one Dutch government official.
After welcoming speeches from Dalian Mayor Li Wancai and Vice-Mayor Sun Guangtian, who also addressed “Construction of a world-class garden city,” Ball Horticultural Company’s Anna Ball (who keynoted last year’s AIB Symposium) spoke on Trends in the American floriculture industry. Anna’s big point was that unlike the Chinese market, which is mostly related to government landscaping projects, the American market was largely driven by consumers.
Next, Robert Dolibois, Executive Vice-President of the American Nursery and Landscape Association, gave a historical perspective of the development of the modern horticulture. Mentioning that the U.S. horticulture industry’s history is not even 150 years old, Bob noted that much of its growth related to suburban life and urban sprawl. Most of this development has occurred since World War II.
AIB Board member Charles Hall, Ph.D., from Texas A&M University, was the next to address the crowd. Charlie presented much of the information that is captured in his just-published “Economic, Environmental, and Health/Well-Being Benefits Associated with Green Industry Products and Services: A Review.” We highlighted this paper in last month’s AIB e-newsletter, and the paper can be downloaded from the AIB website.
I was the last speaker for the first morning of the conference. I began with the justification for urban beautification programs as evidenced both by Dr. Hall (above) and by the Knight Foundation’s “Soul of the Community” study, which I have previously reviewed in this column. You may recall that this study proved that beautifully landscaped cities offered better productivity (higher GNPs) than similarly-sized cities which were not well-landscaped. Then, I presented a history of the “in Bloom” programs from around the world, beginning with Ireland’s Tidy Towns program in 1958; France’s Villes et Villages Fleuris in 1959; England’s Britain in Bloom in 1963; Entente Florale, now in 12 European countries, about 30 years ago; Canada’s Communities in Bloom 17 years ago; Japan in Bloom a dozen years back; and America in Bloom, now in its 10th contest year. I explained the contest as it differs from country to country and offered the AIB contest, as an example. Beyond the contest, I also explained that AIB offered an annual symposium, a “best practices” program, an awards program, a fact-filled website, webinars, a “Best Ideas” book, a monthly e-newsletter, and more! I offered that an “in Bloom” program, in many ways, was a community enhancement program, which encouraged volunteerism and resulted in civic pride.
Following lunch, Stuart Lowen, who directs the marketing efforts for Ball Colegrave (England), presented “Flower Power – U.K. style.” Stuart highlighted many landscaping trends and designs that have been seen in England’s Britain in Bloom program and other decorating contests in the U.K. His photography literally opened the imagination to the world of flowers.
Allan Armitage, Ph.D., University of Georgia, spoke about “Ornamental Plants for Hot and Humid Areas.” He provided an “up-close-and-personal” view of trialing and trial gardens and discussed the breadth and width of plant options used to add beauty to the world.
Adam Schwerner, Director of Natural Resources of the Chicago Park District, always challenges our thinking when it comes to plants. Here, he provided photographic examples of his work in Chicago and some of the ploys he has devised to get people to notice plants. The painting of dead trees in bold colors was surpassed only by the painting of soon-to-be-removed, but still living, trees in its ability to generate reaction from both City of Chicago residents and Dalian audience members. Adam’s presentation opened the world of plants to the imagination. The Chicago Park District sponsored Chicago’s winning entry in the first AIB contest in 2002, and they hosted AIB’s second Symposium and Awards Program in 2003.
Shi-Ying Wang, Ph. D., a consultant who has been responsible for China market development for the Ball Horticultural Company for more than 10 years, spoke on how to succeed in the China floriculture industry. He stressed the need to be aware of both Chinese and foreign cultures. Shi-Ying was the event’s main organizer.
The next speakers, representing three production firms, spoke on Innovations in Plant Production. John Williams, Vice-President of Production and Operations from Tagawa Greenhouse Enterprises, presented “Implementation of Spring Bedding Plant Production” and explained how Tagawa utilizes its 2.3 million sq. ft. of production space in Colorado, California, and New Mexico. Elin Dowd, President of Monrovia Growers in California, spoke on Monrovia’s “85 Years of Innovation.” And Gary Mangum, Co-owner of Maryland-based Bell Nursery, spoke of how his firm grew to supply 200 Home Depot stores in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, and the District of Columbia using a network of farm families as supplemental flower producers.
Day 2 began with Shuhua Li, Ph.D., professor of landscape architecture at China’s Tsinghua University, describing traditional Chinese and Japanese cultural elements found in Asian garden design. Dr. Li’s presentation touched on Feng shui, Buddhism, Taoism, and Hinduism and how symbols and beliefs central to each of the religions get replicated in the traditional Asian landscapes.
Jeff Gibson, Landscape Business Manager for Ball Horticultural Company, discussed the North American professional landscape trade. His talk, which described the installation, maintenance and design elements of the landscape industry, served as the perfect introduction to the three landscape architects which followed. The first, Doug Hoerr, spoke of “Chicago’s Urban Horticulture.” He told how a small project in front of one Crate and Barrel store provided the impetus for much of Chicago’s beautification efforts and how a small stretch of highway running from the airport to downtown Des Moines, Iowa also had an effect not only on beautification efforts, but also on the itinerary chosen by many of Des Moines’ residents. (Incidentally, Des Moines is also an AIB city.)
The conference’s final speaker was Jeffrey Bruce, owner of Jeffrey L. Bruce Company, a national landscape architectural firm in North Kansas City, Missouri. Jeffrey invited the audience to dream with him about “The Future of Green.” His talk catapulted the listener from considering the landscape around a building to considering the possible landscape on a building (e.g., green roofs and vertical green walls) and again to the possibility that a building, one day, might be made of live plants. This was indeed quite thought-provoking.
This trip, like other overseas and some domestic destinations before, reinforced my belief that what we do in America in Bloom is indeed important to cities and the people who live in them. Flowers greeted us at the airport when we landed in Beijing. Flowers and plants welcomed us as we travelled from city to city, and indeed plants blanketed almost the entire highway leading from Dalian to Pulandian, a 90-minute trip. As an ode to horticulture, fruits and vegetables remain a staple part of the Chinese diet and may indeed be the most recognized parts of the meal. In the blocks of the cities abandoned for urban renewal, ornamental horticulture was often the only harmonizing element. And when new construction enticed the views of passers-by, it was the flowers and plants that exclaimed we’re open for business.
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