SECURE SHOPPING

Award-winning Horticulturist Robert F. Gabella, of Villa Park, IL, announces the debut of a range of exiting fine art and Horticultural products on his gardening website, www.gardenopus.com. High impact photographic prints, ready-to-frame posters, note card sets and newsletters are now part of the expanded group of products and services available to visitors of the site. The artwork is based upon Gabella’s original photography and unique artistic vision, and captures the drama of plants growing in the wild or in gardens.

Secured credit card transactions and a range of shipping options are integral to the comfort of the Garden Opus® shopping environment, and Gabella has worked closely with Harris Bank-Moneris Solutions as well as Verisign and Dun & Bradstreet to establish a security protocol so that internet shoppers can visit the site with confidence.

The website has many unique features including a Question and Answer section where gardeners ask a wide range of questions, share tips, and submit photographs of problem plants. Notes Gabella, "...despite these uncertain times, people continue to turn to gardening and nature - as they do to family and friends - as a source of comfort and assurance."

Gabella, with degrees in both Horticulture and Business Management, also minored in English Writing. He is an Illinois Certified Nursery Professional and is a member of the Garden Writers’ Association of America. A lifelong gardener and experienced in the Horticulture Industry since 1983, he has worked in a range of industry positions including project management for a commercial landscape construction firm; administration of centralized purchasing for a commercial landscape management firm; sales and marketing for a wholesale tree farm; vendor and client relations for a major international Horticultural brokerage firm; commercial interior landscaping; retail nursery sales and management; and most recently, administration of an encyclopedic Horticultural database for a Greenhouse Software Developer. He is also an occasional contributor to industry publications such as Growing Trends and Floriculture International.

Noted as a speaker at Garden Clubs and Community Groups, he presents forums on a wide range of popular gardening topics. He is also an Independent Horticultural Consultant ands recently completed specialized assignments on both the Soldier Field and Wrigley Field renovation projects, among others, in the Chicago area.

Previously, in 2001, Gabella announced an agreement with Terra Nova Nurseries of Tigard, Oregon for testing and pre-production virus indexing of a unique Purple Coneflower variety which he has selected, Echinacea purpurea Twist Of Fate™. The plant is to be patented, and reproduced through tissue-culture micropropagation (cloning). Limited quantities may be available to commercial growers as early as 2004.

Garden Opus® is the title of an upcoming book which features a compilation of Gabella’s past and current Horticultural essays, with subject matter ranging from the idiosyncrasies, challenges and silliness of popular and botanical plant names; to the environmental and human rights toll exacted through the harvest of Burmese Teak for use in high-end garden furniture. It features the unique perspective of both an expert home gardener and an industry insider, along with Gabella’s ability to unearth candid testimony from many key industry players. The work is complemented by Gabella’s high impact photography, high resolution line drawings, and an occasional sprinkling of poetry.

Gabella is available for both residential and commercial consultation. An accomplished Entertainment journalist and photographer, he also operates an additional website at www.buzzmix.com.

Media requests for interviews, special-interest segments, editorial content, readings from Garden Opus® or other features on timely gardening topics, should be directed to Robert F. Gabella at 630-834-4027,

or via email at info@gardenopus.com.

Copyright © 2002-2009 Robert F. Gabella