UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. --People associated with the ornamental horticulture industry can glean information and ideas at the 56th annual Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Conference, Feb. 6-8 at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel in University Park.

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.

"Entrepreneurs and professionals can find answers to business problems, discover new marketing strategies and make contacts," says Jim Sellmer, assistant professor of ornamental horticulture in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. "Participants also will hear about the issues impacting the industry today, such as nutrient management, invasive plants and e-commerce."

New happenings this year include expanded pre-conference workshops, a job fair, a silent auction and crew chief training tracks in landscape maintenance and landscape installation.

The week begins with seven concurrent pre-conference workshops on Tuesday, Feb. 6. Pre-conference sessions focus on labor resources, advanced computer-assisted design, advanced web design, insect and mite diagnosis and management in the landscape, training for owners, tips for winning promotions and pot-in-pot nursery production.

The conference begins Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 8:15 a.m. with the talk, "Industry Trends: What Changes Are Affecting All of Us?" by Todd Davis, editor, Nursery Manager Pro Magazine. Four concurrent sessions will be held throughout the day.

Topics covered in Wednesday morning sessions include the changing face of the American gardener; tree and shrub fertilization; the basics of container production technology; the perks and pitfalls of e-commerce; marketing you, your relationships and your business; putting on a big show with tender perennials and tropicals; container configurations and alternatives for production; and employee discipline.

Wednesday afternoon topics include keeping garden center annuals looking good; estimating costs to guarantee profits; specific growing aspects of container production; web and e-commerce issues; containers and garden ornaments; landscape lighting; nutrient management in ornamentals; perennials to die for; post-plant care of landscape plants; exploring the use of plant growth regulators with perennials; and collecting outstanding debts.

The conference resumes on Thursday, Feb. 8, at 8:15 a.m. with the talk, "Motivation for the New Season," by Clyde Vadner, senior management consultant at Kraft Associates in Exton. Again, four concurrent sessions will be held throughout the day.

Thursday morning topics include using the web to find resources and answer questions; sales skills for green contractors; nursery challenges and possible solutions; underused small trees; creating powerful promotions; traits of a successful landscape contracting business; IPM in the nursery; and exciting new ornamental trees and shrubs.

Thursday afternoon topics focus on Pa. Gardener Selects; classic trees, shrubs and perennials for the landscape; using constructed wetlands to manage nursery runoff; efforts to develop a national early warning, rapid assessment and rapid response system for invasive plants in the United States; working with the news media; water quality in your water gardens; compost utilization in the nursery and landscape; and gardening in harmony with butterflies and birds.

Professionals interested in becoming a Pennsylvania Certified Horticulturalist (PCH) can take the PCH Exam on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Crew chief training is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 7 and 8, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This year's training is organized into installation and maintenance tracks and includes new techniques as well as time-tested methods.

Registration fee for pre-conference workshops is $65 before Jan. 31, except for the 1 p.m. workshops, which are $40. After Jan. 31, add $10 to the workshop fee. Registration fee is $150 for both conference days, or $85 for a single day, with fees raised after Jan. 31 to $170 and $95 respectively. Crew chief training is $150 for both days, or $85 for a single day, with fees raised after Jan. 31 to $170 and $95 respectively.

Registration forms are available at the Penn State conferences and short courses World Wide Web site at http://conferences.cas.psu.edu/. Registrations can be submitted online, 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: Jim Sellmer can be reached at 814-863-2250.

Contacts: Kim Dionis KDionis@psu.edu 814-863-2703 814-865-1068 fax