Contact: Rose Getch
National Gardening Association
(800) 538-7476, ext. 129
Rose@garden.org
Su Lok
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company
(937) 578-5169
su.lok@scotts.com
South Burlington, VT (March 25, 2008) - The National Gardening Association (NGA) and the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation are pleased to announce that The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company will participate for the third year in a row in the NYC GROWS Garden Festival presented by Target. This year The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company will present Rebecca Kolls who invites children of all ages to join her at the Main Demo Tent to learn how to create ″Plant People″, a Growonder activity.
NGA president Mike Metallo says, ″There's a great deal of research indicating that gardening presents physical, psychological, and education benefits that help children achieve higher test scores; get exercise; connect to the environment; develop social skills; and improve their attention, focus, and self-esteem. With all this in mind, the National Gardening Association is pleased to have joined forces with Scotts Miracle-Gro to create Growonder activities.″
Growonder provides parents with nature-inspired activities for their children. A sure cure for boredom, Growonder offers a summer-long calendar of weekly activities to make getting outside an enjoyable, healthful and educational experience. There are even designated ″indoor″ nature projects, so kids can still connect with nature, even if they can't head outside due to the weather.
″It is our responsibility to plant the seeds of enjoying and preserving our environment with the future gardeners of the world - our children - and Growonder activities are an excellent way to introduce children to nature,″ said Su Lok at ScottsMiracle-Gro. ″Whether it's exploring wildlife and vegetation during a hike in the local park or planting an edible garden in the backyard, providing children direct contact with their outdoor surroundings has tremendous benefits.″
About Growonder
When you were young did you lie in the grass, looking at clouds and seeing
fanciful animals? Or spend hours hunting fireflies and tadpoles? Kids these
days often spend more time in front of computers, TVs, and video games than
exploring the wonders of the great outdoors. Getting them off the couch can
be a challenge, so together the National Gardening Association and The Scotts
Miracle-Gro Company have compiled some fun activities that will entice kids
to celebrate nature. To find ten easy ways for kids to connect with nature,
visit www.kidsgardening.org/growonder.
About Rebecca Kolls
Master Gardener Rebecca Kolls knows her dirt — she's been digging in the
garden most of her life! She spent 11 years hosting the nationally syndicated
show ″Rebecca's
Garden″ produced by NBC Entertainment. Kolls has served as the lifestyles
and gardening contributor for ABC's Good Morning America, and is the author
of the book, Rebecca's Garden: Four Seasons to Grow On. Kolls has been featured
in numerous national magazines and newspapers, and in 2006 began publishing
her own magazine, ″Seasons by Rebecca.″
About Scotts Miracle-Gro
With more than $2.7 billion in worldwide sales and more than 6,000 associates,
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, The
Scotts Company LLC, is the world's largest marketer of branded consumer products
for lawn and garden care, with products for professional horticulture as
well. The Company's brands are the most recognized in the industry. In the
U.S., the Company's Scotts®, Miracle-Gro® and Ortho® brands are
market leading in their categories, as is the consumer Roundup® brand,
which is marketed in North America and most of Europe exclusively by Scotts
and owned by Monsanto. The Company also owns Smith & Hawken®, a
leading brand of garden-inspired products that includes pottery, watering
equipment, gardening tools, outdoor furniture and live goods. Additionally,
the Company owns Morning Song®, the leading brand in the wild bird
food category. In Europe, Scotts' brands include Weedol®, Pathclear®,
Evergreen®, Levington®, Miracle-Gro®, KB®, Fertiligene® and
Substral®. For additional information, visit us at www.scotts.com.
About NYC Parks & Recreation
Parks & Recreation is the steward of almost 29,000 acres of land —14
percent of New York City — including more than 4,000 individual properties
ranging from
Yankee Stadium and Central Park to community gardens and Greenstreets. We operate
more than 800 athletic fields and nearly 1,000 playgrounds. We manage four
major stadia, 550 tennis courts, 52 public pools, 48 recreational facilities,
17 nature centers, 13 golf courses, and 14 miles of beaches. We care for 1,200
monuments and 22 historic house museums. We look after 600,000 street trees,
and two million more in parks. We are New York City's principal providers of
athletic facilities. We are home to free concerts, world-class sports events,
and cultural festivals. For more information about Parks, visit our website:
www.nyc.gov/parks.
About the National Gardening Association
The National Gardening Association (NGA) founded in 1973, is a national nonprofit
leader in plant-based education, respected for its award-winning Web sites
and newsletters, grants and curricula for youth gardens, and research for
the lawn and garden industry. NGA's mission is to advance the personal, community,
and educational benefits of gardening by supporting gardeners and teachers
with information and resources. To learn more, please visit www.kidsgardening.org.
About the NYC GROWS Garden Festival
Hosted by the National Gardening Association and the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation
and presented by Target, the festival will be held on Sunday, April 27, from
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Union Square Park, South Plaza. Featured sponsors are
Ames True Temper, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, and The Home Depot. Additional
support provided by Con Edison, Daily News, Hilton Garden Inn, Organic Gardening,
Scholastic Parent & Child magazine, and WCBS-FM. Visit www.garden.org/nycgrows.