Walking the trade show floor and attending education sessions at Cultivate’22 hit a little differently this July. This was my first time at the Columbus Convention Center in three years, and with that came reunion after reunion with many people I had truly missed during my hiatus from the horticulture industry. Numbers were up compared to the first post-COVID-19 event last year, an increase likely driven by a return of many Canadians and Europeans.

The Short North Ballroom was completely packed for the State of the Industry address by Ken Fisher, AmericanHort president and CEO; Craig Regelbrugge, AmericanHort vice president of advocacy, research, and industry relations; and Charlie Hall, AmericanHort chief economist. And that wasn’t the only standing-room-only event.

Our special reception for the GPN 40 Under 40 Class of 2022 had its biggest turnout ever, featuring the vast majority of honorees, the GPN/Prospiant Intern of the Year, the Suntory Flowers “Dream Big” Scholarship winner, program sponsors, and hundreds of friends, family members, and colleagues.

Turn to page 24 for photos from these events and some additional scenes from Cultivate’22.

ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES

From a personal standpoint at the event, my husband and I were just days away from closing on our new home. This means that my gardening, which has largely been reserved to some containers outside my Chicago apartment, is about to be tested with a landscape, raised beds and room for as many containers as I would like.

As I sat in education sessions on landscape trends and consumer behavior, I found myself thinking “this sounds like me.” Developing a vision is the most exciting part right now, and inspiration was readily accessible in Ohio and still is within the pages of the magazine.

Reading through Vaughn Fletcher’s “Distinctive & Exceptional Perennial Introductions” from the Costa Trials on page 36 leads to conversations on first-year flowering perennials and ensuring color throughout the season.

In the Culture Report on page 32, Michael Wiebe highlights Sakata’s Flamma series of celosia. He describes it as a wow factor in all types of weather, with color that will stay bold into autumn. That’s an annual I want to add to my new lineup, and maybe it makes sense for your growing operation, too.

I’d love to hear from you what caught your attention if you were able to attend Cultivate’22, and feel free to add your solicited (and likely needed) advice as I hopefully take my gardening to the next level.