Update on My New Year Post

It appears Kat White and Trey Pitsenberger admins at IGCN and one other garden related Facebook group have taken to kicking out many long term members including myself. What was only a  "time out" imposed on me  for insisting the group remove members who work for Lowes and  other box stores may have become something more. Several other long term members who joined IGC Talk have been given the boot as well.

Trey Pitsenberger in his Golden Gecko Nursery blog regularly invites independent garden center owners and employees to join the ICGN group and the group established for independent media and wholesale trade as well.
"You need to be an owner or employee of a Independent Garden Center or Nursery" to join ICGN facebook group: Quoted from The Blogging Nurseryman December 11th 2011

The hullabaloo started when I received a FB message asking me to jump on the issue of box store employees being in the independent group.I jumped at the chance to keep sacred a site that was for independents only. Turns out a few were grandfathered in before the site became by member vote only.

But how would you feel if you were invited to a group that was titled Independent not knowing that there are at least three members of the group currently working for box stores or supplying them. There is no mention in Pitsenbereger's post about anyone being grandfathered. Nor is there any, to my knowledge, disclaimer on the "homepage" of the group.

Pitsenberger has become somewhat of a garden media darling on his approach to being a social marketing expert in the industry.  Apparent solicited endorsements from industry experts proclaim his telling it like it is in the garden industry.

While he does take on important issues in the world of gardening this blog has taken on more without seeking a pat on the back from the rest of the garden world gurus.

With what looks like a mass exodus from the 300+ member IGCN group is under way. All because I was asked to take what became a leading stance against box store employees remaining in the closed group.

It seems to me like the "tells it like it is" blogger from California can't stand a little heat in the kitchen.


Garden advice you can dig!