Hines Horticulture Raises Proceeds and Donations For Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts; Commercial Nursery Operator Takes Action to Help Gulf Coast Victims

Business Wire, Sept 12, 2005

IRVINE, Calif. -- Hines Horticulture, (NASDAQ:HORT) one of the nation's largest purveyors of ornamental and container-grown plants, is taking action to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

During the month of September, Hines Horticulture will donate a portion of all total product sales to the American Red Cross to assist in the recovery of the families and communities affected by Hurricane Katrina.

"Everyone at Hines has been touched by the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina," said Rob Ferguson, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We hope that our efforts will help those most in need of assistance and will also encourage others to give what they can."

In addition, Hines organized a corporate-wide donation drive on Friday, September 9 for all employees to donate non-perishable goods to help the victims of the storm. All donations went to the Houston Food Bank, a non-profit organization based in Houston, TX that is working in conjunction with the American Red Cross to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

During peak growing seasons, Hines employs more than 5,000 employees at their 13 commercial nurseries across the United States.

For information on how to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, contact the American Red Cross at www.redcross.org or call 1 (800) Help-Now.

About Hines Horticulture:

Hines Horticulture is the leading operator of commercial nurseries in North America, producing one of the broadest assortments of container-grown plants in the industry. The Company sells nursery products primarily to the retail segment, which includes premium independent garden centers, as well as leading home centers and mass merchandisers. For more information about Hines Horticulture, visit their website at www.hineshort.com.