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                                                                      Exhibit 99


[SCOTTS LOGO]

THE SCOTTS COMPANY                                                          NEWS
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For Immediate Release
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                   THE SCOTTS COMPANY COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF
                    EUROPEAN LAWN AND GARDEN CARE BUSINESSES

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                     EXPECTS ORTHO DEAL TO CLOSE ON SCHEDULE

Marysville, Ohio, October 7, 1998 -- The Scotts Company (NYSE: SMG) today
announced that it has completed the acquisition of Rhone-Poulenc Jardin,
continental Europe's largest consumer lawn and garden products, from
Rhone-Poulenc. The companies had signed a letter of intent for the transaction
on July 10, 1998 and signed a definitive agreement on September 30, 1998.

         Rhone-Poulenc Jardin manufactures and sells a full line of consumer
lawn and garden pesticides, fertilizers, and growing media products in France,
Germany, the Benelux countries, Austria, Italy and Spain. Its leading brands
include KB(R), Fertiligene(R), Celaflor(R) and Nexalotte(R). Rhone-Poulenc
Jardin had 1997 sales of approximately $150 million (FF 850 million) and employs
approximately 420 people.

         In addition, Scotts said that it expects to complete its acquisition
and associated financing of the Ortho pesticides business from Monsanto Company
(NYSE: MTC) as originally planned around the end of the 1998 calendar year.

         "As Scotts lead banker, we continue to have confidence in Scotts'
ability to finance the contemplated transactions in the capital markets," said
Randy Barker, Managing Director and head of high-yield at Salomon Smith Barney.


         The Scotts Company is a leading supplier of consumer products for the
lawn and garden care, professional turf care and professional horticulture
businesses in both the U.S. and U.K., and is expanding operations in other
international businesses. The Company owns what are by far the industry's most
recognized brands. In the U.S. lawn care business, consumer awareness of the
Company's Scotts(R) family brand outscores the nearest competitors by about
6-to-8 times, as does awareness of the Company's Miracle-Gro(R) family of brands
in the U.S. garden care business. In the U.K., the Company's brands include
Weedol(R) and Pathclear(R), the top-selling consumer herbicides, Evergreen(R),

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the leading lawn fertilizer line, the Levington(R) line of lawn and garden
products, and Miracle-Gro(R), the leading plant fertilizer.

STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION ACT OF 1995: Forward-looking
statements represent challenging goals for the Company, and the achievement
thereof is subject to a variety of risks and assumptions. Certain
forward-looking statements contained in this press release, include, but are not
limited to, information regarding the future economic performance and financial
condition of the Company, the plans and objectives of the Company's management,
and the Company's assumptions regarding such performance and plans. Actual
results may differ materially from the forward-looking information in this
release, due to a variety of factors, including, but not limited to:

- -     The effects of weather conditions on sales of the Company's products,
      especially during the spring selling season;

- -     The success of the Company's advertising and promotional programs;

- -     The Company's ability to maintain favorable profit margins on its products
      and to produce its products on a timely basis;

- -     The possibility of new competitors entering into the pesticides business
      and/or the Company's existing lines of business;

- -     Inherent risks of international development including currency exchange
      rates, economic conditions, regulatory and cultural differences;

- -     Changes in economic conditions in the U.S. and Europe and the impact of
      changes in interest rates;

- -     Ability to successfully integrate the operations of acquired companies;
      and

- -     Environmental issues and consumer perceptions.

Additional detailed information concerning a number of the important factors
that could cause results to differ materially from the forward-looking
information contained in this release is readily available in the Company's
publicly-filed quarterly and annual reports.


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Contacts:
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William Jenks                           Rebecca Bruening
Broadgate Consultants, Inc.             The Scotts Company
212/232-2222                            937/644-7290