UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- People associated with the ornamental horticulture industry, including educators, business owners and practitioners, can gather information and ideas at the 55th Annual Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Conference, Feb. 9-10 at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel in State College, Pa.

The conference, sponsored by Penn State Cooperative Extension, the Penn State department of horticulture and the Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Association, will feature workshops on a variety of topics, including marketing on the Web, store design, plant disease management, production practices and plant selection.

"We'll have topics to appeal to all types of horticultural businesses," says Jim Sellmer, assistant professor of ornamental horticulture in the College of Agricultural Sciences. "Entrepreneurs and professionals can find specific answers to business problems, discover new marketing strategies and make personal contacts."

A half-day pre-conference starts at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8, featuring four concurrent workshops. The sessions are: "Recruiting, Hiring and Retaining Employees," "An Introduction to Computer-Assisted Design," "Creating Your Own Web Site" and "Diagnosing Plant Disease: A Hands-On Workshop."

The conference events begin Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 8:30 a.m. with "Business Success Through People-Oriented Management," presented by Robert Milligan, professor of agricultural resource and managerial economics at Cornell University, and Bernie Erven, professor of agricultural, environmental and development economics at Ohio State University.

Four concurrent sessions will be held throughout the day, beginning at 10 a.m.

Presentations include:

10 a.m.: "Retail Store Design," "Insect Pests of Herbaceous Perennials," "Marketing at the Retail Level," and "Marketing on the Internet."

11 a.m.: "Plant Combinations for Gardens in the Northeast," "Landscape and Irrigation Design Software," "Planning Irrigation: How Much Water is Needed? Is it Available?" and "Tax Issues in the Green Industry."

2 p.m.: "Container Gardens of Distinction: Designing with Specialty Annuals and Tender Perennials," "Water Garden Design and Installation," "Use of By-product Materials as Soil Amendments in Nursery Production," and "Estate Planning Means Getting Organized."

3 p.m.: "Trends in Perennial Marketing and Production," "The Garden Path as a Way to Good Design," "Eating Your Vegetables: Wildlife Management in the Nursery," and "Going MAD: Mergers, Acquisitions and Divestitures for Small to Mid-Size Landscape Companies."

4:15 p.m.: "Shopping as an Emotional Experience," "The Electronic Paintbrush," "Boring Insects of Woody Ornamentals," and "E-Commerce: Buying and Selling via the Internet."

At 1 p.m. Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Association will stage its Awards Presentation. At 5 p.m., there will be a special membership meeting of the American Nursery and Landscape Association. At 5:30, a reception is scheduled, followed by roundtable discussions on various issues concerning the horticultural industry from 8 to 10 p.m.

The second day, Thursday, Feb. 10, starts at 8:30 a.m. with "New Plants for a New Century," presented by Barry Yinger, new product resources manager for Hines Horticulture Inc. in Lewisberry, Pa.

Interested members also can attend the Pennsylvania Nursery and Landscape Association meeting and breakfast from 6:30 to 8:15 a.m., Feb. 10.

Again, four concurrent sessions will be held throughout the rest of the day. Presentations include:

10 a.m.: "Grow, Market and Use Specialty Annuals for the Summer Border," "Pest Management in Commercial Environments," "The Ins and Outs of Nursery Crop Insurance," and "Top 20 Crabapples for Today's Landscape, and Other Choice Plants."

11 a.m.: "Media and the Garden Center," "Brush Control Strategies," "An Update on the Use of Mushroom Compost as a Container Amendment," and "The Sun Still Rises in the East: Another Century of Plant Hunting in Asia."

2 p.m.: "Marketing as if Your Life Depended on It," "Artillery Fungus in the Landscape," "Best Management Practices for Containers," and "An Update on Invasive Plants in the Landscape."

3 p.m.: "Perennials That Think They Are Annuals/Long Blooming," "How to Set the Price, Bill and Collect for Landscape Design," "An Update on the Use of Paper Pots in Production," and "Pennsylvania Gardener Selects Program/Penn State Arboretum."

Professionals interested in becoming a Pennsylvania Certified Horticulturalist (PCH) can take the PCH Exam on Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon. Thursday at noon, Penn State Cooperative Extension agents and faculty will update participants on programs and personnel supporting the state's horticultural industry.

A separate hands-on educational training event designed for landscape and nursery crew chiefs and supervisors is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 9 and 10 at the Ag Arena. Concurrent sessions will take place at 8:30, 10 and 11:15 a.m. and at 1:15 and 3 p.m. Topics addressed in these workshops include assessing hazardous trees, leaf disease diagnosis, ornamental entomology, tractor safety, pruning trees and shrubs, and chemical handling, storage and cleanup. Attendees also can opt to attend adult CPR and first aid training sponsored by the American Red Cross on Wednesday from 8:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Registration fee for the pre-conference is $38, except the recruiting and retaining employees workshop, which is $48. Registration fee before Jan. 31 is $150 for both conference days, or $85 for a single day. After Jan. 31, fees are raised to $170 and $95 respectively. Walk-in registration is $95 per day. Crew Chief Training registration is $110 for both days, or $65 for a single day. After Jan. 31, fees are raised to $125 and $75 respectively.

Registration forms are available at the Penn State conferences and short courses Web site: http://www.cas.psu.edu/docs/casconf/horticultured.html. Registrations can be submitted on-line, faxed to 814-865-7050, or mailed to Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Conference, The Pennsylvania State University, 306 Agricultural Administration Building, University Park, PA 16802-2601. For more information, call 814-865-8301.

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EDITORS: For more information, contact Jim Sellmer at 814-863-2250.

Contacts: John Wall jtw3@psu.edu 814-863-2719 814-865-1068 fax