Four Star opens its display gardens to green industry professionals

CARLETON, Mich. – Four Star Greenhouse will hold its Third Annual Landscape Day on Tuesday, Aug. 3 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. in their display gardens. This event is being held in conjunction with the Southeast Michigan Nursery and Landscape Association (SEMNLA) summer Meet and Greet event and the Michigan Garden Plant Tour.

This event will provide an opportunity for landscapers, professional gardeners, retailers, designers and growers to explore Four Star’s expanding “living catalog” display gardens full of both current and new 2011 Proven Winners and Proven Selections varieties, tour the greenhouse growing facilities and network with peers. Registration is required for Landscape Day  by phone (734-654-6420) or e-mail.

Richard Angell, ASLA, MCN, director of landscape construction with B & L Landscaping, says “If you have been to Four Star’s facility, you need to go. I and a colleague were completely amazed when we visited and saw their production of plants, the fertilization program and their watering systems. Four Star is one very high-tech operation which delivers performance, beauty and quality. Their on-site gardens are a vision to behold.”

During a barbeque dinner at 5:30 p.m., Jack Barnwell of Barnwell Landscape and Garden Services, Mackinac Island, Mich., will talk about the unique challenges of landscape construction on Mackinac Island. Located between the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan, Mackinac Island is “motor vehicle free” and all plants and materials are transported to the island by boat, and then to the jobsite by horse and wagon, or by bicycle. He will tell stories of juggling these challenges and embracing them to create his beautiful gardens and landscapes. Barnwell is also the designer of the first Proven Winners Signature Garden at the Hotel Iroquois on Mackinac Island.