FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Burlington, VT – November 25, 2002 -- National Garden Month during April 2003 promises a potpourri of petal power as the festivities kick off April 1, 2003.

This year the National Gardening Association (www.garden.org) is helping to promote and celebrate “The Power of Gardening” to highlight how gardening can transform lives.

“We are hoping for a multi-media extravaganza of expos, displays, contests and demonstrations celebrating the joy millions of Americans are discovering right in their own backyards,” says Jeff Gibson, of Ball Horticultural, one of the sponsors of the event.

From coast to coast, NGA is hoping mayors and governors, who will be issuing their own proclamations in support of civic and community groups, will join with garden centers, community organizations and schools to show how simply planting a garden can help grow a whole community.

Valerie Kelsey, president of the NGA and one of the key organizers of the event, hopes for every facet of the gardening community nationwide – from home gardeners and community groups to retailers and public gardens – to use this month as an opportunity to share what they feel is powerful and transformative about gardening.

“We at NGA know from 30 years of experience that gardening has the power to transform individuals and their local and global communities,” notes Valerie Kelsey, President of the National Gardening Association.

One of the central celebrations planned is a special dedication ceremony at the (U.S. Botanic) National Botanical Garden in Washington, DC honoring the presidential proclamation declaring the inaugural National Garden Week in 1986.

Other planned activities include a “Plant the National Flower” campaign directed by the National Garden Bureau. An NGA school promotion will award a garden to a school that wins an essay contest on “What Gardening Means to Us.”

With a generous donation from The Conard-Pyle Company, an NGA promotion will award Star® Roses gardens to a number of schools throughout the country. Details of the contest can be found on at www.garden.org.

At garden centers across the country, customers may discover demonstrations, seminars and displays from how to grow organic to the hot new garden gadgets and gardening trends.

During the week, brand name manufacturers will sponsor themed events showcasing products and services that add beauty, pleasure and ease to personal gardening.

NGA will launch National Garden (month) Week 2003 on its Web site www.garden.org the first of the year. This site will be gateway to information for all green activities planned to celebrate this exciting time for gardeners across the country. It will feature downloadable promotional materials and suggested garden-related events and activities.

Schools, public gardens, communities, and retail garden centers nation-wide may post their activities on a national calendar of events and create links to their own Web sites.

The National Garden Association, which was founded in …… believes that gardening promotes responsible stewardship of the earth, physical and emotional health, infuses beauty into our lives, strengthens local and global communities and serves as learning laboratories.

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

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

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