Please join us for the Fall Tour! This year's tour is headed to the Flathead Valley September 10-11, 2020.
The two-day event starts on Thursday, September 10th with a CPP Exam, Hackers & Pruners 9-Hole Golf Scramble, and Kick-Off Dinner. Site tours around the Kalispell area will be on Friday, September 11th. Join us for one, or both, days.
It's a great way to see what fellow professionals are doing in the field, literally. It's a fun two days with lots of opportunity to rejuvenate, reconnect with fellow MNLA members, and share new ideas.
HOW TO REGISTER for Fall Tour: You may register on-line at www.plantingmontana.com , by email at ed@plantingmontana.com or by calling the office at 406-755-3079. Please register by August 31st. Note that, with everyone's health in mind, we have eliminated the usual tour bus transportation this year. Everyone will need to provide their own transportation to the tour sites. A detailed map with be provided at check-in on tour day. We understand that circumstances can change; that's why MNLA will offer a full refund if we need to cancel the Fall Tour due to COVID-19 restrictions.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10:
CERTIFIED PLANT PROFESSIONAL EXAM: The CPP Exam will begin at 1:00 pm at Glacier Nursery, 4343 Montana Hwy 35, in Kalispell. Applications for the test and order forms for the manual are available on the MNLA website, or by calling the MNLA office at 406.755.3079. Registration for the exam is not included in the Fall Tour registration; if you wish to take the exam and attend Fall Tour, you will need to complete separate registration forms for each. Register online for the CPP Exam here. Registration must be received by August 31st.
HACKERS & PRUNERS GOLF TOURNAMENT: Golfers join us at 1:00 pm at Village Greens Golf Course, 500 Palmer Dr, in Kalispell for a fun 9-hole golf scramble. The golf scramble is always a great time, and no previous golf experience is needed! The golf scramble requires a separate registration form - register online, or request a registration form by emailing ed@plantingmontana.com or by calling the office at 406-755-3079. Please register by August 31st.
KICK-OFF DINNER: Columbia Nursery will be hosting dinner for Tour attendees on Thursday night, September 10th, and is included with your Tour Day registration. This is a great time to see familiar faces and connect before the hustle and bustle of tour day. Meet at the Nursery, located at 2544 9th St W, in Columbia Falls at 5:00 pm, where we will enjoy a walking tour of their beautiful facility. Columbia Nursery has been serving the Flathead Valley for over 20 years, locally grows most of their product, and have expanded to 11 greenhouses that are filled with a rainbow of color. Kick-off dinner is always a great time – we look forward to seeing you there!
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11: Tour Day
Tour Day Details: The 2020 Fall Tour will take place in Kalispell on Friday, September 11, 2020. Meet at the Country Inn & Suites Glacier Lodge at 7:45 am. With everyone's health in mind, we have eliminated the usual tour bus transportation. This year everyone will take their own transportation to the tour sites - a detailed map will be provided when you check in the morning of the tour. We have some fun games and door prizes along the way!
Where to Stay? Country Inn & Suites by Radisson – Glacier Lodge at 4150 U.S. Hwy 2 E (near the airport), will be hosting MNLA Fall Tour guests. Call 406.751.9000 and ask for the MNLA Fall Tour room block to reserve your room, or follow this link: MNLA Fall Tour Booking Link Must register by August 9th to receive reduced rate.
TOUR SITES WILL INCLUDE:
Plant Land. In the middle of the 1980’s Bob Balding was turning his hobby of growing gladiolas into a career for him and his family. Plant Land was started on some family land in Evergreen just below Kalispell underpass. When Plant Land began they were growing 500 geraniums; today they produce over 10,000 in a myriad of colors. Bob and his family have grown Plant Land into one of the leading nurseries in Kalispell with 11 green houses and a 3,000 square foot gift shop.
Kalispell’s hidden gem of awesomeness, Bibler Home & Gardens, is situated on a hillside west of the city overlooking the Flathead Valley and the Swan Mountains to the east, with views of several peaks in Glacier National Park. The main portion of the garden consists of four acres of beautifully landscaped beds and water features. The gardens are intensively planted to achieve a stunning floral display in both spring and summer. Australian black swans, Argentinean black-necked swans, and native Tundra swans roam the ponds. This tour stop is sure to be a crowd-pleaser!
Desi and Brad Brown started Glacier Nursery in 1983 on twenty acres of prime Creston topsoil and have since grown it to the operation it is today. From the very beginning, the nursery was known for its Montana Grown plants and its personal service as a family business. That tradition continues today with a number of dedicated, knowledgeable, hardworking folks who assist them each and every day in supplying Montana and its surrounding states with hardy, premium grade plant material. They offer approximately 1,000 varieties of trees, shrubs, fruits, roses, perennials, vines and evergreens. Join us for lunch and a guided tour of their wholesale nursery.
M&M Landscaping & Design has been creating masterpieces in the Flathead Valley for nearly 20 years. Eric Gardner and Michael Heuscher completed the award-winning Wakewood project in 2019. Located in Many Lakes, the property is nestled in a wooded area between Kalispell and Bigfork, with a stunning view of nearby mountains. The site was designed to complement the grand scale of the home, with ample patio space, terraced natural stone retaining walls, and a pondless water feature that runs underneath a section of the home. This breathtaking landscape was honored with multiple awards in the Flathead Building Association’s 2019 Parade of Homes. Come join us as we tour this spectacular site.
Founded in 1999, Four Seasons Nursery is proud to be a family owned business. Since 1983, they have been involved in the landscape and nursery industry. Four Seasons Nursery is located seven miles east of Kalispell, Montana. They are situated on 100 acres of rich, Creston silt loam soil. This fertile soil supports excellent root development and helps to create a superior root-ball. Tour will give a behind-the-scenes look at their impressive operation.
Biggy’s Landscape Service was founded in 2005 by Adam and Holly Bigelow. Since 2005, Biggy’s has grown into a full-service landscape construction and maintenance company employing more than twenty-five people annually. The Biggy’s team consists of professional gardeners, irrigation technicians, landscape designers, accomplished equipment operators and landscape installers. We will be touring their design-build project at The Country Inn and Suites that was completed in 2018. Holly worked directly with the owner/builder, Greg Bain, on the landscape design. This landscape design includes bright, season long color, which was the main priority during the development of the design. The landscape areas include several components that are considered semi-formal, but with the feel and look of a lush home garden. The water feature was an important element as well, designed to eliminate noise pollution from the highway and airport while vacationers relax on the patio and upper deck.
We look forward to seeing you there!
