Bird's Eye View

One of the great things about the McCormick Place in Chicago is that they almost always have a place to photograph the events from above. Here is an attempt at a panorama from the food court. It has been made official that MIDAM will be moving back to Navy Pier in 2011. Better food choices and a much more enjoyable scenery all come with a show at the Pier. If you did not come this year, you missed out. Traffic was above average. Make sure not to miss the 2011 show at Navy Pier! Until next time, have a great day!

Welcome to MIDAM

Hello everyone,
Have you ever wondered what MIDAM is like before you get there? Well, I've got some pictures to show you on how we do setup. Years ago, Midwest Groundcovers had a gazebo, and loads and loads of plants in every last possible spot on the show floor. Those days required two full days of preparation and very hard work putting the displays together. At the end of the show, breakdown lasted well into the night, deconstructing the gazebo and all the other functions of the booth. We are working smarter nowadays, and we don't construct large gardens or large wooden structures anymore. These displays lacked focus and while they looked beautiful, were a little distracting. There was never enough space to stand and talk to a customer and newer attendees may have been a little wary of coming into such a large structure like our gazebo was. This week we have made room for you, our customer, to walk right in and have a great conversation with us. We've even added two tables and chairs for you to take a break from all the walking and for placing an order with us, of course! Keep reading to see why you should come and place those orders!
When the day started on Tuesday, we were lucky to have the skeletons in place. We do still come down for two days of setup. It's just that those two days are much easier and shorter than in the past. So here, our booth is arranged like we planned, but the plants and highlights are not yet in place.


Then we put the fabric on our benches to make the plants really pop. We set up different sections of the booth with themes. Like the center island here is for new plants.

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Here is another view with some signs in place.

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Literature stands are placed where you can help yourself. You are always encouraged to talk with us, because we'd love to see you. But if you are in a hurry, catalogs and informational handouts are available throughout the booth. As you can see above the bright green bench, we have show specials. It is definitely worth going to the show for these great discounts!

The final product. Well, actually, the booth will look very different once the show floor carpet is rolled out. But as of right now, or Tuesday afternoon, it was not in place, and we didn't want to wait into the night for that to happen. I'll post again come Friday when I'll be at the show again.

Customer Service people are there all three days. If there is someone you'd specifically like to see, here is the current schedule.

Wednesday: Brent Gustason, Grace Koehler, Janice Guiborat, Beth Guimon and Kim Kaczmarek

Thursday: Brent Gustason, Kim Kaczmarek, Amber Ulmer, Nikki Melin and Grace Koehler

Friday: Chris Darbo, Catalino Mendoza, Elfego Machuca and Kevin McGowen

Thanks again for reading. I hope you all go to the show and check out our show specials. We have some great plant material on display that should brighten up your day! And this year more than ever, with many vendors not showing at MIDAM, you will find that those who do, are very interested in you. Stop by and talk to them. Especially us of course. Until next time, have a great day!

Happy New Year

Midwest Groundcovers would like to wish one and all a Happy New Year! These are some of my favorite pictures of the year.

Calamagrostis brachytricha

This was a Saturday full of fog. I couldn't resist the puffy plumes of this Korean Feather Reed Grass.

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Echinacea 'Tiki Torch'

Close ups of Echinacea are always attractive. I liked the fresh colors of Tiki Torch when it first came to flower.

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Hydrangea paniculata Quick Fire™

I've always been a big fan of the paniculata Hydrangeas. This year, when Quick Fire™ first started changing to pink, it was delightful. I can't wait for the Hydrangea trials to be full grown, because it is a site to see. Varieties in our trial include 'Unique', 'Pink Diamond', 'Tardiva', Pinky Winky™, 'Little Lamb', Quick Fire™, 'Limelight', and Little Limelight™.

Aesculus parviflora

This is obviously a close up of the flowers. When in bloom, our stand of 18 plants is pretty spectacular. This year I found green bees who seemed to enjoy the pollen of these shrubs.

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Ligularia 'Little Rocket' in front of Ligularia 'Britt-Marie Crawford'
These two plants are remarkable in my eyes. They were planted four years ago and still have done well in a full sun location on top of the hill. These are not given extra water, which goes to show these are great garden plants. They would still prefer more shade and much more water, but they can handle some rough situations.

Once again, Happy New Year, and I hope all of you success and happiness in 2010.