A Picture Can Be Worth ... A Lot

When it comes to making purchasing decisions nowadays, most people rely heavily on digital technology to gather vital information. I know I do. In an instant, you can boot up your computer and/or just open the browser on your iPhone to compare and contrast specs on just about anything from toaster ovens to 3-D TVs to waterfront homes. Along with all the important listed features, up-close, detailed images with all types of enhanced views and 360-degree angles also are included to aid the shopper's search.

Though price is usually the ultimate deciding factor in most transactions, how the object of your desire appears at first glance is what is going to make or break a potential deal. All functionality aside, if something is not suited for your specific taste or style (you know, if it's ugly) then taking a pass and looking at the next option is how the normal chain of events progresses. I know, we're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but we all are guilty of it at one time or another.

On the seller's side, it's hard to account for taste. But when you're in a competitive market, having quality product and services make a difference. The ability to effectively show off what you have to offer (especially in the digital domain) is vital for success and a key to survival for many.

Today's photographic technology options make it hard for even the least-experienced novice to take a bad picture. Yet, plenty of less-than-flattering images of people, pets, plants, and property (to name just a few) are published and posted all the time. When in doubt, hire a professional to secure the photos and help present the image you want your company and its products and services to be portrayed. Now, if you were taking a Marketing 101 class, no doubt a similar passage spewing the same kind of "wisdom" would be in the textbook. Yep. It's basic stuff, but cannot be stressed enough. Now, if you don't want to or cannot spend the extra money, re-focus your efforts, practice, and learn how to take a better picture. It's not that hard, especially when you have attractive subject matter (i.e. a greenhouse full of beautiful hydrangeas or a virtual scratch-and-sniff landscape teaming with twisting vines of Confederate jasmine---BTW, proud to say, both my pics) on the other side of the lens.

Indeed: "A picture is worth a thousand words." When in business to sell, the right picture could be worth at least that and hopefully much more in potential profit. Click!

Pumping Up Promotion

From plants and flowers to fruits and vegetables, new varieties are something to get excited about. Typically, years of diligent work and research go into producing something that improves on a predecessor. Whether it be more vibrant colors, enhanced cold hardiness, proven pest and disease resistance, or better taste, these are all horticultural scientific breakthroughs that should be celebrated.

For those of us who cover ag for a living, new product news is something we search for and report on a daily basis. The press releases we receive from companies promoting their wares and accomplishments are the tools we need to get the info out to our readers and then for them to get to their clients, and eventually end consumers.

Recently, Costa Farms and Suntory teamed up to create a product promotion meant to make a big impact for the Sun Parasol line of flowering plants. The video presentation of their recent spring kick-off event not only is a good example of using today's modern technology, connectivity, and instant worldwide reach to get the message out, but also a way to create buzz and excitement about a product line they believe in and one they believe people will buy into.

Though the scope (mainly time and money) of this kind of production might not be easily duplicated by just anybody, the concept of a simple video and distribution via YouTube, website, blog, or eNewsletter sure can. Not to mention, other means of slick communication choices (podcasts, webinars, etc..) Here's to continue showing us what you got. We'll be watching and waiting.

Spring Forward, Think Ahead

Spring is in the air, and my azaleas know it.

It appears just about every plant and tree around my Central Florida yard knows what time it is: early spring. The azaleas are in full bloom and putting on quite an impressive display. My pink tabebuias are sporting scores of trumpet-shaped flowers. The twisting vines of star and confederate jasmine are starting to pop, and countless crinum lilies are sprouting anew from old, withered stalks left behind by this year's cooler and wetter than normal winter. Oh, and my weeds are really green and robust, too --- sigh --- but I digress.

Even though the threat of freezes has melted away for this season and the emerging color and warmer weather are beckoning many to get their yards back in shape, a little hindsight and foresight is needed by all to set things right.

Despite the freezing temps being a royal pain for growers, those who were able to endure and protect their supply are sitting pretty. Things are picking up for garden centers and nurseries with good material and selection. I visited a local IGC this past weekend and the place was mobbed with eager homeowners like myself and landscapers looking to stock up. This scene was impressive, especially since a nearby Home Depot, located just down the street, was advertising a spring "doorbuster" event. BTW, HD was mobbed, too.

As I was perusing displays scouting new plant material to replace what was lost to those cold January nights, there was a little voice inside my head telling me to "be smart" and don't make the same mistake as before by choosing borderline plant material that stretches and often breaks the limits of cold hardiness. Easier said than done, however. You can rationalize almost anything when within striking distance of a point of purchase. Reality tends to prevail in the end after you spend an afternoon or two tearing out another ill-advised landscape addition.

Now is a prime time for Florida garden centers and nurseries to be pushing cold hardy, site appropriate plants. It's a great selling point, especially with this past winter's cold spell still fresh in the minds of many. The temperature may be in the upper 70s and 80s now and soon to be 90s, but thinking ahead to what next winter might bring is a good move that will pay off in the long run.

Looks and performance are great attributes when looking for things like a car or landscape specimen. I think more people are beginning to see the value of performance --- I know I am --- and that's a beautiful thing.

Right Plant, Right Place

This big live oak tree went way beyond serving an aesthetic purpose in the landscape.

It's easy to take for granted all the things plants and trees do for us on a daily basis. But there are times when their value goes beyond mere aesthetics, the food and safe harbor they provide for multitudes of creatures, the mini microclimates they can create, and-- not to mention -- the very air we breathe.

The other night, I was watching TV with my wife when the quiet of a mild evening was broken by the sound of locked-up brakes trying their best to halt whatever was doing the hauling. Now, this kind of noise isn't unusual around where we live. We have some fairly heavy traveled thoroughfares in relatively close proximity. Seconds-long screeches normally result in silence that signifies a near-miss event. The jolting thud that put the period on the end of this screeching sentence was the exception. My wife and I gave a look to each other that said without words, 'that didn't sound good.'

About 20 minutes later, I stepped outside and noticed a plume of smoke wafting over my neighbor's house across the street. Man, just how close was this crash? In the next few minutes, I found out the answer to that question: very close.

After spotting the reflection of flashing lights on a window down the street, I walked down to the end of my street and around the corner to see 4 fire trucks, several police cars, and at least two dozen onlookers (most of them my neighbors) watching rescue personnel flanking a pickup that veered across the road, over a grass median and sidewalk, plowed through a wood fence, mangled part of a chain-link fence behind it, and finally came to a rest at the base of a large live oak tree.

Perhaps it was the fumes of the dieseling fire/rescue trucks starting to get to me while we were watching the top being cut off the vehicle, but a thought crossed my mind that if the big oak tree wasn't there, this accident scene could be a lot worse. Beyond the fences and tree was the back yard of one of my neighbor's where patio furniture and a lanai were next in the path.

The tree -- which by the sheer size of it probably has been there about 40 years --looked no worse for wear considering it just took on about two tons of hurtling metal. Amazing and scary as we all stood in shock and awe for more than an hour as the driver was carefully extracted from the vehicle. The other amazing thing was that the driver was alive.

In Florida, "Right Plant, Right Place" is a big mantra in defining the textbook Florida friendly yard. In this case, that couldn't have been more true.

Cold, Hard Facts Of Life

Ice, ice, baby! In my Florida back yard? Yep.

When one thinks of Florida, the usual staples of sun, sand, palm trees, and -- most notably -- warm weather come to mind. Every once in a while though, the sometimes long, cold, cruel hand of Mother Nature reaches down into our peninsula and gives us a smack.

It has been several weeks since a record-breaking cold streak made its mark on the Sunshine State. So, I've had time to contemplate and build my case against cold weather as the worst of its kind. While an occasional freeze/sub-freezing event might be a novelty to some of us down here not used to experiencing the thrill of the chill (I still can't understand that), it is a major pain for those who toil in the ag industry.

Cold spells make for long days and longer nights of time and energy spent in trying to save crops --- whether they are fruits and vegetables or tropicals and foliage. Freezes aren't anything new to Florida farmers. Nonetheless, when they strike, the damage inflicted can range from having to regroup for some to total devastation for others. The crop and production loss figures from January's freezes have been staggering --- and are still growing.

It's amazing how fine the line is of being cold and being too cold. It's all part of the risk that comes with working in agriculture and doing it in a subtropical climate. The rewards can be great, but the risks are high. Covering the Florida ag industry for a living, I know this all too well.

In addition to my professional interests, as a homeowner and a freezing-weather foe, I have my own personal reasons for disliking cold weather. After all, a temperate climate is one of the reasons why I live and work in Florida. So, when reminders of when I used to live up North come calling, I bristle ... and just because I've caught a chill.

My blood certainly has thinned since becoming a Floridian. Besides the sky-high heating bills, having to scrape frost off my car windows in the morning with one of my credit cards, and/or having to wear bulky sweaters better left at the back of the closet or in a never-to-find-again time capsule ... the following are a few more of my LEAST-favorite things about the cold when it visits my neck of the woods:

Burned-out bougies

Crinkled crotons

Not-so-regal anymore royal palms

Bleach-beige grass

And ... melted legions of lilies

The war zone-like scene around my yard (as captured in the above images) and most other landscapes like mine is the rule right now around Central and South Florida as opposed to exception. I know it is a temporary situation (well, for the most part), but that doesn't make it any less aggravating. Since I took the photos, things have started to green up a bit.

Whether you are a farmer or a landscaping weekend warrior, there's not much to do in the meantime except to see how things shake out, get ready to prune, replant, and wait for some "normal" Florida weather. I think that usually takes place some time between fire season and hurricane season.

The Chime Is Right For This Belle

When Peter Chaires of the New Varieties Management & Development Corp. stopped by the office the other day with a bag of oranges, we knew we were in for a treat. You see, what he was dropping off was the first University of Florida-created citrus variety meant for commercial production --- aka the Sugar Belle. The news about this cultivar broke a couple months back. Now, we were about to get our sneak preview. One of the perks of being an ag editor.

The Sugar Belle is a Mandarin orange hybrid that is made up of a cross between a sweet clementine and the Minneola. The bell-shaped beauty was bred to be high in flavor and low in seeds. An early maturing fruit, this orange also is suited for winter-holiday marketing purposes.

OK, enough background info, let the peeling begin --- which I must say, was easy. As the skin was peeled back, a very strong aroma of the fruit's citrus oil began to permeate. My colleague commented how he could smell the orange half-way across the office. It was pretty potent. So was the taste going to match the Sugar Belle's aromatic prowess?

I would describe my culinary experience as quite juicy and flavorful. The sweetness was a high note for me. I wouldn't call it "sugary sweet," but it was definitely satisfying. The stringiness was minimal on the flesh and I only found one small seed in the fruit.

Overall, I can honestly say Sugar Belle met my expectations as well as the ones built up by my co-workers since learning about it. We'll have to see if the Sugar Belle rings true when it hits the stands. I know I'll be looking for it when it does.

Out Of Gift Ideas? Try A Plant

Year after year, the holiday season turns up the pressure cooker on those trying to find the right gift to give -- especially in the cases when it is for a distant relative you see maybe once a year or the office worker you were stuck with in the holiday gift exchange. Either way, gift giving certainly can be a challenge.

While the buzz of high-tech toys and gadgets are a cool gift choice, they can be a bit pricey. Gift cards, while practical, are kinda boring. And hey, nothing says "re-gift" like a slightly disheveled box that contains a Snuggie.

OK, let's explore some other options. Clothing: Attempting to shop for someone in this department is a sure-fire way to find yourself in the dog house. Taste is a hard thing to account for --- especially in clothes. Taking this route normally leads to a number of equally tragic scenarios following the receiver's frantic search for a gift receipt: a one-time wearing of said garment and never to be seen again; the garment doesn't make it out from an unfortunate dryer incident; or perhaps it finds itself on a one-way trip to the Goodwill pile. Either way, the chances of the oversized sweater, shirt, or ugly tie you gave showing up on the catwalk is not very likely. Let's pass on this, shall we?

Jewelry: Don't even go there.

Come on, time is running out before the onslaught of the company holiday parties and family get-togethers begin. This year, instead of falling back on the old reliables (or unreliables), consider giving the gift of a plant or plants. Though hard to wrap, there is no shortage of variety, size, shape, and color to choose from --- all at relatively reasonable prices. In short, your much sought after gift idea might be as close as your local garden center or even in your own nursery.

Poinsettias are popular during the winter holidays. Although they tend to get lost in the shuffle and discarded once the confetti has settled from the New Year's bash, these colorful foliage plants can really be a solid gift choice any time of the year.

Stepping off the beaten holiday path a bit, orchids are a nice desktop and/or counter-top adornment. They also now are being marketed for ease of care and convenience. Case in point, Just Add Ice Orchids launched earlier this year by packaging attractive orchids with easy maintenance instructions. As the name suggests, the watering secret is to add 3 ice cubes once a week (according to the directions) and that's it. People like things that are pretty simple. Pretty and simple is even better. An orchid on the rocks, please. I like the sound of that.

Mini container gardens of succulents or bromeliads also are attractive, cool-looking low-maintenance gift-giving options. You could go with bigger specimens (depending how much you like the person you are getting the gift for) like a ficus and/or a potted palm. The spectrum of height, width, color, and texture is extremely broad. That ensures the gift's originality. All plants, even if they are the same species, are unique.

While you still might get that less-than-enthused reaction when you give a plant as a gift, tell them you got it for their health. There are several studies showing the benefits of having indoor plants around. For example, "Project Carbon," an ongoing three-pronged study is seeking to provide the additional science that would support an expansion of the certification to indoor plants. Preliminary results released a couple of months ago (more to be revealed during the Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition next month in Ft. Lauderdale) show that a total of 216 4-inch plants of Ficus benjamina, pothos, philodendron, sansevieria, aglaonema, and spathiphyllum, clearly fix carbon. Research like this not only bodes well for the foliage industry, but also for us who enjoy breathing. It's good information to have when giving a plant as a gift, too. You can call it a gift that keeps on giving.

Now, if the aforementioned suggestions and all else fails, perhaps it's time to go with Plan B: Can you say Chia Pet? Like I said earlier, there is no accounting for taste.

Happy holidays to all, and here's to getting as good as we give!