Mayor Walter Maddox Breaks Ground on Alberta Gardens as Part of National GRO1000 Gardens and Green Spaces Program

TUSCALOOSA, Ala., April 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, a plot of undeveloped property in Alberta City, a community in Tuscaloosa devastated by tornadoes in the Spring of 2011, will be transformed into a community green space as part of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company and The U.S. Conference of Mayors nationwide GRO1000 gardens and green spaces program. Once declared a Major Federal Disaster area, the City of Tuscaloosa will transform an area along the City Walk into a new green space and recreational area for local residents as part of the two-year anniversary of the disaster.

GRO1000 is a national program launched by ScottsMiracle-Gro in 2011 to create more than 1,000 community gardens and green spaces in the U.S., Canada and Europe by 2018. The U.S. Conference of Mayors partnered with ScottsMiracle-Gro on the GRO1000 initiative to recognize mayors for the installation of innovative, public green spaces designed to improve our nation's cities. The Alberta Gardens will support Mayor Maddox's "Tuscaloosa Forward Plan," which is focused on community development and beautification projects to revitalize Tuscaloosa after the tornadoes in 2011.

"With the help of ScottsMiracle-Gro, The U.S. Conference of Mayors and many other partnerships, we are building Tuscaloosa back stronger and better," said Walter Maddox, Tuscaloosa mayor. "Alberta Gardens will provide a safe learning environment for families to connect with nature and each other, and help to accomplish the City's goals of a synergetic community."

The GRO1000 Tuscaloosa event at Alberta Gardens kicks off at 10 a.m. on April 24 at 706 25^th Avenue East, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 35404. Students from Alberta Elementary School will join local volunteers, including University of Alabama students and ScottsMiracle-Gro associates, plus city officials and GRO1000 national and local partners to install edible garden beds at recently rebuilt Habitat for Humanity homes in the community. Gardening and environmental activities will take place for area residents and youth. One deserving student will be presented with the ScottsMiracle-Gro Give Back To Gro Youth Gardener Award.

"We are honored to help the City of Tuscaloosa rebuild and revitalize the Alberta City community," said Bruce Caldwell, Senior Vice President for Research and Development, ScottsMiracle-Gro. "The Alberta Gardens will provide local residents with a new green space for area families to come together and enjoy the outdoors."

GRO1000 Tuscaloosa was made possible through the combined efforts of local partners, including the City of Tuscaloosa, along with national partners including, The U.S. Conference of Mayors, ScottsMiracle-Gro, Plant A Row for the Hungry, the National Gardening Association, the Garden Writers Association and Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.  The Tuscaloosa GRO1000 event is one of several public installation events being held in the U.S., Canada and Europe in 2013.

About ScottsMiracle-Gro

With approximately $3 billion in worldwide sales, 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. In the U.S., we operate Scotts LawnService®, the second largest residential lawn care service business. Visit us at www.scotts.com.

About the U.S. Conference of Mayors:

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,295 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/usmayors, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors.

SOURCE The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company