Area nurserymen, landscapers, lawn care and landscape professionals congregated in Greensboro last week for updated horticultural information and displays of new and interesting plant materials. The Green N Grown’ Show is a showcase for those in the landscape and nursery industry, providing an opportunity to share their wares and ideas. It also gives the public a chance to peek at what’s trending in the landscape industry, sort of like a fashion show of plant materials for 2024.

Exhibits featured everything from bedding plants to four-inch caliper ball and burlapped shade trees. Large caliper trees seemed to be very popular this year with many different types available. There were also number of nurseries promoting seedlings and bare rooted trees and shrubs.

Landscape plants with unusual leaf shapes, color, fruit, flowers and bark interest continue to be an appealing part of landscaping efforts. Contractors also appreciate the use of tough plant materials; plants that can withstand droughts, poor growing conditions and pests.

The show also featured ornate planters and containers of all shapes and sizes delivering sidewalks, decks and patios a splash of color adding plant interest to rather dull outdoor landscapes. Both annuals and perennials add a full season of color to both outside and inside the home. Large planters were featured with a vast array of both blooming and colorful foliage plants.

An interesting product was a mulching product called the Tree Diaper. A ring made from diaper materials is formatted for plantings and placed around newly planted trees and shrubs. The diapers absorb irrigation water and rainfall and then slowly release the collected water back into the soil providing constant moisture for enhanced plant growth and development. It is a very interesting and cost-effective method of supplying constant plant irrigation.

Darrell Blackwelder is the retired horticulture agent and director with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service in Rowan County. Contact him at deblackw@ncsu.edu.