Apr 23, 2004

Athens Select Announce Two New Licensed PropagatorsSource: Athens Select Marketing Association

The Athens Select Marketing Association has announced two new additions to its group of licensed propagators: Center Greenhouse, Denver, Colo. and Meadow View Growers, New Carlisle, Ohio makes eleven members in the group. The new members are expected to reach full production capacity by the 2004/2005 growing season.

The Athens Select program is a collection of heat- and humidity-tolerant plant varieties. Potential plants for the program are heat and humidity tested for 2-3 years and selected by Allan Armitage from the University of Georgia Trial Gardens before entering the program. Final selections are made by members of Athens Select. All Athens Select materials are tested for and cleaned of potentially harmful viruses.

According to Pat Bellrose, president of Athens Select, the addition of the new members gives the group a better market circulation in areas of the country that hadn’t been previously represented. “The need for heat- and humidity-tolerant plants exists not only in obvious regions such as the Deep South, but in many parts of the country such as the Midwest and even the Northeast, where summer temperatures can get quite hot and humid,” explained Bellrose.

The other licensed U.S. propagators are Dupont Nursery, Plaquemine, La.; Emerald Coast Growers, Pensacola, Fla.; EuroAmerican Propagators, Bonsall, Calif.; Fahr Greenhouses, Wildwood, Misouri; Four Star Greenhouse, Carleton, Mich.; H.M. Buckley and Sons, Inc., Springfield, Ill.; James Greenhouses, Colbert, Ga.; Pleasant View Gardens, London, N.H. and Sunbelt Greenhouses, Kalamazoo, Mich.

The Athens Select Marketing Association has introduced five new varieties for the 2004-2005 season. “This year’s new introductions are some of our best performers yet,” said Armitage. “Each of our new plants will stand up to the pains of summer heat and humidity without losing their vibrancy or color. It’s this extra zest that is sure to make them favorites with both gardeners and growers.”

The new plants are Acalypha ‘Bourbon Street,’ Colues ‘Velvet Lime,’ Cuphea ‘Susan’s Little Gem,’ Duranta ‘Cuban Gold’ and Graptophyllum ‘Black Beauty.’

For more information, visit www.athensselect.com.