OAN Celebrates ‘The Year of the Conifer’ During Farwest Show

The Farwest Show, produced by the Oregon Association of Nurseries, has declared 2011 at “The Year of the Conifer.” The Farwest Show will take place Aug. 25 to 27, in Portland, Ore.

Conifers add year-round interest to gardens, parks, highways and cityscapes, yet they are often overlooked when designs are created. Oregon growers produce more grafted conifers than any other state in the United States, and the Farwest Show, produced by the Oregon Association of Nurseries, hopes to showcase that fact by declaring 2011 “The Year of the Conifer.”

The Farwest Show will take place Aug. 25 to 27, in Portland, Ore.

Conifers will appear in exhibitor booths throughout the 222,000-square-foot trade show. Displays, demonstrations and the New Varieties Showcase will feature the array of texture, color and form conifers offer, educating show attendees about the diversity of this versatile plant.

“Well-merchandised conifers sell themselves in garden centers and can be the center of attention in a garden or municipal setting,” said Oregon Association of Nurseries Director of Marketing Ann Murphy. “The New Varieties Showcase will demonstrate merchandising ideas for the newest conifer varieties and conifer displays on the show floor will exhort their visual attributes.”

Nursery tours held in conjunction with the Farwest Show will provide a spectacular array of conifers, both on display and in production. A tour on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011, is dedicated to showcasing the Conifer Garden at the Oregon Garden, which has 600 unique conifer varieties and is one of the largest collections of dwarf and miniature conifers in the United States.

The same tour wil include three nurseries dedicated almost exclusively to growing specialty conifers: Meadowcraft Farm Inc. (Oregon City), Peace of Mind Nursery (Silverton) and Russell’s Nursery Inc. (Aurora).

A & R Spada Farms LLC, Don Marjama Nursery Co. Inc. and Iseli Nursery Inc. – all world-class conifer growers – will be featured on other nursery tours.

The Farwest Show seminars will also feature important speakers on the topic of conifers.

For more information, visit www.oan.org or call 503.682.5089.