Exhibitor Load In -Exhibit Halls Closed

The exhibit hall floor is closed during exhibitor load-in. This is for the safety of our exhibitors, and load in crew. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation!

Designing the Environmentally Responsive Landscape; A Nature Inspired Approach

Noted expert Richard Ludwig will teach you everything you need to know to produce exciting landscape designs. This full-day, hands-on workshop is for green industry professionals wishing to create landscape designs that are stunning and earth-friendly. The course focuses on weaving ecologically sound concepts into traditional residential design. In addition, this class provides basic graphics instruction to communicate ideas efficiently and boldly on paper. By centering around an in-depth, hands-on understanding of curvilinear based drift designing, this class will prepare you to create native plant displays and gardens that are both visually pleasing and environmentally conscious. All drafting equipment and supplies are included. Materials provided: Circle template, drafting pencils (8B, HB, 4H), eraser, erasing shield, flexible curve, tracing paper, gridded vellum

CAT 24 Pesticide Certification Review

Join Tim Daly and other ANR Extension Agents to prepare for your Commercial Pesticide Applicator's License (Category 24) test. The class is targeted at turf and landscape professionals that that do contract spraying of herbicides, insecticides and fungicides in Georgia for residential, industrial, or business applications. This session is also open to licensed applicators who would like a refresher course. Participants are required to purchase and bring both the National Pesticide Applicator Certification Core Manual and the Ornamental & Turf Pest Management (Cat. 24) Study Guide.

Advanced Disease Workshop - Hands On

This session is a hands-on workshop that will provide information and instruction on identifying plant diseases using minimal equipment. Rapid, on-site identification of some plant diseases is possible with commercially available test kits and cell phone cameras. The trick is knowing what to test and look for when diagnosing the problem. In-house test kits for various pathogens will be available for demonstration and use, as well as guidance in pathogen characteristics and using cell phone cameras with and without hand-held microscopes to capture features will be shown.

Nursery Production & Disease Management (Spanish)

This talk will cover essential production concepts and disease management in the state of Georgia. Esta Charla va a cubrir concepts de production de viveros ornamentales asi como manejo de plagas y enfermendades en Georgia.

Tailgate Diagnostics – Turning Your Truck Into a Lab

There is no substitute for the accuracy of sending a sample to the lab, but sometimes there is no time to wait. Management decisions must be made. This presentation will help you learn some basic principles of plant diagnostics on how to identify problems on the fly. We will discuss a systematic approach to diagnosing plant problems and the latest tools you can keep in your toolbox.

GCLP / GCPP Training

Plants are the language of the green industry. Mastering plant identification and understanding plant growth are essential skills for the horticulture practitioner. The session will highlight the curriculum of the Georgia Certified Landscape and Plant Professional Study manuals and help those preparing for certification or brushing up on their horticulture skills.

Weed ID Workshop

This two-hour workshop will first include a lecture on key weed identification characteristics, life cycles, and how proper identification can help manage weeds in a more effective and economical manner. The presentation will also focus on weed identification resources that are available. To help attendees better learn and understand weed identification, the second portion of the workshop will be a hands-on weed identification lab where attendees will see and identify live samples of 30 different weed species.

An Informal Chat About Cut Flower Production with Dr Allan Armitage

We invite you to kick off your day with Dr. A, as he chats about cut flower production. Don't miss out on learning the basics about cut flower production from one of our industry giants. Everyone is invited, but discussion topics will be specially designed for new growers. He will informally chat with cut flower growers about key points of cut flower production.

2-Wire Irrigation Workshop

Join irrigation industry veteran, Dirk Hessman, to learn about proper installation and trouble shooting of 2-wire irrigation systems. If you do irrigation, or need to brush up on your skills, this is one session you won't want to miss!

New Plants from Bailey Nurseries

Bailey Innovations is the in-house, plant breeding and trialing division of Bailey Nurseries, located in Winterville, GA. David Roberts, the Director of Plant Breeding for Bailey Innovations, leads a small team of breeders in developing exciting new introductions for both First Editions® | Shrubs and Trees, as well as Endless Summer® Hydrangeas. Join David as he discusses some of the newest plants to graduate from their breeding and trialing program and get a glimpse of things to come.

Effective Container Plant Irrigation

The amount of irrigation applied is something we can control. Yet we often do not know if we are fulfilling the plant’s need. So, come and learn how to be effective at matching irrigation applications with container plant need.

New Plants from Spring Meadow Nurseries

Proven Winners® ColorChoice® works with plant breeders from around the world to bring the best new flowering shrubs to North American horticulture. Learn about the selections that are especially valuable to the southeast, and how they can help solve challenges in both nursery production and landscape applications.

Container Plant Production: Phenomena To Count On!

Plant production in containers is complex, yet past research reveals that you can count on some specific plant responses. So, come and learn how the phenomena can be used to achieve efficient production.

Managing Ornamental Crop Risk with USDA's RMA

Every grower worries about their crops and the effects that the increasingly unpredictable weather and weather events will have on their bottom line. Join Matthew Wilkin, the Deputy Director of the Valdosta Regional Office Risk Management Agency, to learn about how you can protect your livelihood through Crop Insurance for Specialty Crops, including ornamental nursery and greenhouse crops.

Trade Show Walkabout with Dr. Allan Armitage

Tour the trade show floor with one of Georgia’s green industry legends, Allan Armitage. Get his take on hot new plants and trends and learn from his long-standing relationships with some of the favorite growers. It’s a crash course in spotting the best of the best from the Southeast Green exhibitors. Meet at the GGIA booth just inside the trade show entrance.

Southeast Green Trade Show

You won't want to miss the Southeast Green Trade Show! Take the opportunity to connect with suppliers and network with industry. Guaranteed to help you grow your business!

Keynote: Growing Weeders into Leaders
Leadership Development from the Ground Up

Pre-pandemic statistics in the green industry tells us that 36% of employees stay with the job less than one year. According to Gallup, replacing a full-time employee can cost anywhere between half to two times the amount of that employee’s annual salary. It does not have to be this way! With the right strategy, your business can GROW the talent you have to get the leaders you need. Understand that outstanding organizations reach championship results by having Great teams, Raising results, Opening opportunities and cultivating Winning attitudes. In this informative and entertaining Keynote session, Jeff discusses his GROW-theory, an impactful leadership and professional development program for your staff.

Operation Motivation

Can you really motivate employees? For decades experts have said you can’t make people change, but new research is telling a different story. According to Healthline, people can change but that does not mean they will. So, what does a leader do? Instead of ignoring the problem of low employee motivation until it’s too late – until true damage to the team and organization has been done – join in learning what you can do in gaining traction with your unmotivated team members before it is too late.
Attendees will:
• discover ways to assess employee motivational levels.
• understand the difference between internal and external motivation.
• explore ways to appeal to both.

Irrigation Pump Workshop

We are working with this presenter to build out another outstanding educational session. More details are coming soon.

Replacing Peat Moss with Biochar as a Container Substrate Component for Nursery and Greenhouse Production

This 1-hour session will help attendees understand biochar and its use for greenhouse and nursery production. This session will focus on biochar replacing peat moss as a substrate in greenhouse and nurseries. Besides that, other topics including environmental concerns caused by peat moss and other greenhouse and nursery practices, biochar types, biochar environmental and economic benefits, and its limitations will also be covered during this session.

Drone Usage in Nursery

This 1-hour session will focus on how drones can be used in nurseries including plant inventory, chemical applications, marketing & sales, asset tracking & management and crop monitoring, Attendees will learn about types of aircraft & sensors and flight regulations. This presentation should help participants make improved decisions to match the best drone system with their needs. Speakers will be Dr. James Robbins, University of Arkansas (retired) and Dr. Joe Mari Maja, a research sensor engineer with Clemson University.

Ornamental Diseases in the Landscape

This session will cover current trends and emerging diseases that landscape managers may encounter on ornamental plants and trees. Find out the latest in disease management practices and an update on new products.

Landscape Disease and Plants (Spanish)

This talk will cover the most common diseases in the Landscape industry in Georgia. Will learn to Identify and manage diseases from an integrated approach. Esta charla va a cubrir las plagas mas comunes de los jardines en Georgia, asi como las estrategias de manejo inetragado de estas plagas.

Managing Common Landscape Pests

Join Dr. Joseph as he discusses the biology and ecology of major landscape pests in Georgia. The presentation will include the details on when and where these pests will occur in the landscape. Dr. Joseph will also cover the best management options for the pests.

Landscape Weed Management or Herbicide Efficacy

This presentation will focus on weed control in and around ornamental plants in landscapes. Information on herbicide options, non-chemical tools, and how to develop an overall integrated weed management strategy will be shared.

Pollinator Gardens

Pollinator habitats not only provide beautiful color in landscape, but provide a multitude of ecosystem services - clean air and water, fertile soil, flood control, pollination, and biological pest control. Such habitats have become more commonplace along roadsides, in parks, golf courses, and gardens. Dr. Pennisi will share ways to develop pollinator habitats, including bed preparation, seed vs. transplants, species selection, and long-term management.

Annual Meeting and Breakfast

Join GGIA’s Board of Directors and special guests as we announce the winners of the GGIA Professional Awards and present the winners of the GGIA Bill Inabinet and Wilbur Mull Scholarships. Updates are provided on the work of the association as well as updates from our key strategic partners.

Complimentary breakfast provided.

Entomology in Turf or Ornamentals

In this session, you will learn about pest biology, best management timing, and effective management approaches against common pests of turfgrass and ornamental plants. The management of common turfgrass pests, such as fire ant, armyworm, mole cricket, and white grubs, will be discussed in the first half of this session. Ornamental plant pests, such as scale insects, aphids, ambrosia beetles, and mites, will be discussed in the second half. This session will arm you with information you’ll need to build an effective management program for common pests of turfgrass and ornamental plants.

Highlighting 2022’s New Varieties & Presenting 2023’s New Varieties from Ball Floraplant & Selecta

We will start by highlighting some great varieties that was introduced last year that had some great Wow! Power and performed well throughout the season! In addition, reviewing this year’s 2023 New Introductions from Ball FloraPlant & Selecta. This presentation should provide you great information on what you should consider growing for your next season!

Landscape Lighting Workshop

Come join us for a Beginner/Intermediate class for landscape lighting and design. In the first half of this session, we will discuss the components of a lighting system, best practices, and basic installation. During the second half, we will dive deeper into more advanced techniques of lighting and lighting design and the application of these in your jobs. If you are new to landscape lighting or want to learn more, this will be a great class for you to add some skills to your toolbelt and some margins to your business!

Semi-hardwood Propagation

The successful marketing of newly developed woody ornamental plants depends on the development of commercial feasible production strategies. While collecting specimens from the wild, conducting controlled crosses, and germinating seeds from open pollination can generate many new clones with great market potential, propagating these plants can present significant challenges that may delay or even terminate the introduction of new cultivars. Rooting woody stem cuttings can be particularly difficult, with success rates varying widely from year to year. In the past 10 years, we have propagated more than 60,000 plants in our woody ornamental plant breeding programs. Our successes and failures indicated that our first consideration should be timing to take the stem cuttings. Timing and types of woody stem cuttings significantly impacted the rooting ability of different species. Depending on the taxa, the better rooting percentages were majorly from semi-hardwood cuttings collected during late spring and summer. In addition to timing, stock plant source, hormone application, plant materials, hormone cofactors, and other environmental factors should also be considered.

New Plants from Walter's Gardens

Walters Gardens specializes in perennial starter plants, including plug liners and bare root material. They have grown to be one of North America’s largest wholesale perennial growers with a reputation for superior quality, excellent service, and cutting edge new varieties. Our breeding program works with almost 100 different genera of perennial and has introduced hundreds of cutting edge new perennials to date. This combination of high quality product and unique plant introductions has led to a partnership with Proven Winners® as the home of Proven Winners® Perennials. Join Kata Kress Wallace as she unveils the latest additions to their perennial collection and provides insights into the successful cultivation of these plants in southern regions, whether in a greenhouse environment or within southern landscapes.

Maintenance through Summer Heat

Dr. Ruter will discuss practices that work at the Trial Gardens at UGA to help get your plants through the summer.

Past Chairman's Meeting

Past Chairmen of the Georgia Green Industry Association are invited to meet with the current Executive Committee of GGIA to discuss the organization.

Southeast Green Trade Show

You won't want to miss the Southeast Green Trade Show! Take the opportunity to connect with suppliers and networking with industry. Guaranteed to help you grow your business!

Walkabout Presentation on Woody Ornamentals

Tour the trade show floor with one of Georgia’s green industry legends, Dr. Michael Dirr. Get his take on hot new plants and trends and learn from his longstanding relationships with some of his favorite growers. Meet at the GGIA booth just inside the trade show entrance.

Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants - presented by the Ga Exotic Pest Plant Council

Invasive plants are non-native species that can cause harm to the environment, human health, and the economy. They can displace native plant species, disrupt ecosystems, reduce biodiversity, and cause problems like erosion and flooding. One way to combat invasive plants is by using native plant alternatives. This presentation will cover practical information on which native plants can replace invasive plants commonly found in gardens, parks, and other landscapes, and it will offer tips on how to sell native plants to homeowners and business owners that typically ask for the bare minimum landscaping options. We will attempt to cover: Some benefits of using native plants, some identification of invasive plants, choosing the right native plants to replace invasive species, designing and planting with native plants, and a brief discussion of how to maintain native plantings.

Breeding and Introducing New Plants

Join industry legends, Dr. Michael Dirr, Jeff Beasley, and Mark Griffith, as they discuss the goals, objectives, and strategies to breed, evaluate, license, patent, market, and introduce NEW PLANTS (woody and herbaceous).

These partners are the owners of Premier Introductions, Inc., a plant breeding company located in Watkinsville, GA. This panel discussion is one you won’t want to miss, and it is sure to be the one that will leave you with a lasting impression.

Turf - Heat Stress Management & other Tips for success in summer

This session will cover heat stress for warm- and cool-season turfgrasses, preconditioning for drought, best management practices for turfgrass water conservation, and common pest (diseases, insects, and weeds) management during the summer.

Managing Fire Ants and Other Invasive Ants

This presentation will provide an overview of fire ant management in landscapes and nursery settings. Learn how to properly use baits and other tools for invasive ant management.