TRENDS IN BULB GARDENING

Chicago, IL - January 13, 2003 - Ball Horticultural’s Simply Beautiful is joining forces with the not-for-profit National Gardening Association as founding sponsors of National Gardening Month (nationalgardenmonth.org) for one very simple reason: to focus the spotlight on local garden centers.

With the re-launch of National Garden Month, NGA (garden.org), the event’s organizer, has revitalized a celebration of gardening that began by presidential proclamation in 1986. This month long celebration will kick-off at the National Garden in Washington, DC.

“This a huge opportunity for us to help focus attention on local garden centers as THE one-stop source for gardening information, advice, know-how, and most importantly, supplies and plant material,” says Jeff Gibson, Ball’s marketing manager.

From coast to coast during the month of April, thousands of garden centers, “green” organizations and communities will be joining to “Celebrate the Power of Gardening” to show how gardening can transform lives.

“As the principal sponsor, Simply Beautiful is playing a major role in making this event a success both within the lawn & garden industry and with consumers,” says Valerie Kelsey, president of NGA. “Its support with networking, advertising, banners and public relations will generate widespread enthusiasm for this national event.”

HOW NATIONAL GARDEN MONTH CAN WORK FOR THE IGC

First, garden centers signing up with Simply Beautiful automatically become an “Official Host Site” for National Garden Month receive a promotional package, including exclusive widespread media coverage with national television commercials on The Weather Channel and HGTV promoting National Garden Month. Host garden centers will have 5-second tags at the end of a 30-second Simply Beautiful commercial and a 5-second National Gardening Month announcement. The tags provide exclusive media coverage to local garden centers for only $350.

HGTV Simply Beautiful/National Gardening Month commercials are expected to reach 80 million homes in the U.S., driving consumers to their local “host” garden retailer.

Additionally, “host” garden centers received a free eye-catching National Garden Month banner, bench POP, Simply Beautiful POP and an event kit, along with localized public relations to attract much valued media coverage from newspapers, radio and television.

These garden centers will be featured on both the National Garden Month website -- garden.org -- and Simply Beautiful site with hot links and location addresses. The national Garden Month site will highlight participating garden centers as well as feature a calendar of special events and exhibits. Visitors to the site will be able to link directly to the website of their local garden center to see the kinds of celebrations are being planned for their own area.

“The local garden center will not only be conducting useful and exciting displays and seminars,” says Gibson, “but will also be providing the venue by which local customers can join and participate in the national celebration and activities.”

During the week, brand name manufacturers will sponsor themed events showcasing products and services that add beauty, pleasure and ease to personal gardening. Simply Beautiful’s partnership with the NGA, the recognized leader in gardening information, networking and environmental stewardship since 1972, helps bring valued information to gardeners on a timely and regional basis.

“Our goal is that National Gardening Month activities will help people recognize and celebrate all the ways that plants sustain us,” says Valerie Kelsey, president of the NGA. “We want people to know that, wherever they live, they can make a positive impact by gardening.”

More information about the Simply Beautiful product line can be found at simplybeautifulgardens.com. Retailers can also register to be included on the Simply Beautiful product locator database. Contact Jeff Gibson (jgibson@ballhort.com) at Ball Horticultural for more information about Simply Beautiful.

For more information about National Garden Month, call Rose Getch at (802) 863-5251, ext. 129 or e-mail her at rose@garden.org or Susan McCoy at Garden Media Group, 610-388-9330 or susan@gardenmediagroup.com.