Force of Nature zeros in on Ontario pesticide ban

The Ontario pesticide ban is scheduled to take effect in April. About 250 products are being taken away from residential lawn care. A rather remarkable e-newsletter, called Force of Nature, being written by  William H. Gathercole, a long-time Green Industry trainer, instructor and columnist, offers a wealth of information on the ban, plus some fascinating personal commentary.

He says the opinions in the e-newsletter don’t reflect those of everyone in the Green Space Industry, or, on occasion, even his own associates. In fact, he admits that he and his team may sometimes be “irreverent or fearless” with their commentary, which is somewhat of an understatement. The enewsletter is unlike anything of its kind that shows up in my email.

Gathercole says that he’s been accused of being anti–environment, but he considers himself a Green Industry advocate, which, he points out, hasn’t stopped him from criticizing the industry on occasion — when he deems that it deserves criticism.

Gathercole, who holds a horticulture degree from the University of Guelph and another pure and applied science degree from McGill University, is a frequent contributor to Canada's TURF & Recreation Magazine.

He says he’s been following “environmental terrorism” for more than a quarter of century. Now he’s writing about it.

Stay up to date on the Ontario pesticide issue via his “Force of Nature” e-newsletter by dropping him an email at force.of.de.nature@gmail.com    — Ron Hall

Save a tree, save your business

In these tough economic times, the tree care industry is facing a puzzling reality: the decline of business from budget-conscious clients and a rise in infestations of new, invasive pests that threaten trees from municipalities to residential communities. Insects like mountain pine beetle, emerald ash borer, hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) and ficus whitefly have devastated trees in several regions of the U.S. However, clients often do not consider tree removal costs and loss of property value when assessing the economics of treating infested trees.

Tree removal in urban settings can be very expensive. For the past several years, I have worked closely with several key arborists including Will Blozan (Appalachian Arborists, Asheville, NC) on control of hemlock woolly adelgid in North Carolina. Will has estimated that costs associated with removal of hemlock trees killed by HWA are 10 to 40 times greater than treatment of trees with a systemic insecticide. The same is true for many other invasive pests. Explaining this reality up front to your customers can give them a better understanding of the value in treating — and ultimately saving — a beloved, fully grown tree.

For many large trees, a soil or trunk applied systemic insecticide is the only viable option for saving the tree from an invasive pest. Unfortunately, many clients do not contact arborists until after trees are already severely infested. In these instances, a rapid acting product like dinotefuran is required. Dinotefuran, the active ingredient in Safari Insecticide, is taken up into trees within one to three weeks, and can reduce the likelihood that customers will be faced with the prospect of costly tree removal.

So when discussing tree care options with your clients, it is important to make sure they understand that left untreated, some pest infestations will result in expensive tree removal and loss of property value. By doing so, you can improve your business and at the same time help your clients save money in the long run.

Joe Chamberlin, Ph.D.
Field Development Manager - Southeast
Valent Professional Products

Trade in your mowers for goats?

If this trend catches on you might want to consider trading in your zero-turns. You won’t need so many employees either, other than a veterinarian and some experienced shepherds, which is going to make for some very curious want ads — not to mention job interviews.

The city of San Jose, CA, is using goats and sheep to control the weeds and vegetation at the San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant and other sites in and around the city, about 400 acres in all. This is the third year the city has brought in the animals, which apparently do a good job of keeping vegetation in check and ridding city property of nasty weeds, such as thistle and poison ivy.

In February the city brought in 600 animals, and expected to “employ” at least that many more as the season progressed, maybe as many as 100 goats and 1,000 sheep.

The animals come from Living Systems Land Management, San Francisco, but they don’t come cheap. The process reportedly costs about $87 an acre, reports the local CBS affiliate.

Outsourcing and expectations

Grounds workers for the Seminole County School Board may have to start looking for new jobs if the school board in this northeast Florida county goes through with its plan to outsource its grounds maintenance, reports the Orlando Sentinel the other day.

Not unexpectedly, these same 26 grounds workers aren’t very happy, and have appealed to their union for help.

The school board says it’s facing a $64-million cut in state funding. It reportedly spends $867,000 annually on the salaries and benefits of the grounds workers who maintain 70 sites within the school district.

The school board is accepting bids for grounds maintenance until the end of March. Thirty-six companies had expressed interest by the end of the first week of March.

It will be interesting to see how much the school board can save by outsourcing grounds maintenance. Or, what kind of service it can get if it goes the low-bid route. — Ron Hall

Here's a neat idea — a "Staycation"

Here's a great marketing idea from Bruce Allentuck, Allentuck Landscaping Co., Clarksburg, MD, and Mike McShane at Plantique in Allentown, PA — a "staycation." Bruce emailed the following to his customer recently. He says he got some of it from Mike McShane's blog.

How about the following for a neat message:

From rising airfares and gasoline prices, to the hassle and stress of travel itself, there are a number of factors driving the ideal vacation spot closer to home.

In fact, many homeowners are opting to create a vacation spot in their own backyard. Dubbed a "staycation," this at-home retreat is characterized by finding rest, relaxation and the amenities of a vacation in the comfort of one's home.

Vacations often lead to visions of sitting on a beautiful patio or deck, drinking a glass of lemonade and enjoying beautiful scenery or landscape. Another vision is spending time with family, playing games and enjoying a few good meals. Whether vacationers opt for tranquility or activity, it can be achieved with a staycation.
Just like a vacation, a staycation requires some preparation. Here are some items to consider prior to the time off:

—Establish the official staycation timeline: To avoid falling into the daily routine around the house, create a start and end date to the staycation so it is a true vacation.

—Brighten the landscape: A freshly mowed lawn and flowers in bloom brighten any backyard. Plant a variety of flowers, update the landscape and incorporate a waterfall, fountain or focal point.

—Create an outdoor living room or kitchen: Extending outdoor living is one of the latest trends. And there's no better time to have the new outdoor living room ready in time for enjoyable summer weather. By adding an awning or canopy over a deck or patio, the living space is versatile in a variety of weather conditions. A grill, cozy furniture, speakers and ambient lighting can also compliment the area.

—Stock up on games: From bocce ball and croquet to badminton and horseshoes, there are plenty of backyard games well-suited for family and friends. A game of cards or board games also make for more low-key activities.

— Find a good book: Grab a few good reads - a newly released book, a classic tale and a few favorite magazines.

—Plan a luau: Just because a flight to Hawaii is out of the picture for now, it doesn't mean a luau can't take place. Grab all the essentials - leis, tiki torches, pineapple, mango, a roast and Hawaiian music. Preparing for the evening ahead of time allows for easy implementation and enjoyment during the staycation.

I'm into the luau idea. We'll try a luau (without the roasted pig and grass skirts) once our neighborhood on the shores of Lake Erie thaws. — Ron Hall

Creative ways to keep going in this recession

These extraordinary times call for creative thinking. And maybe partnering with folks you never thought about partnering with before.

Today, I read an article about two formerly competing remodeling companies on Long Island, NY, sharing the same showroom and parking spaces, saving the one company more than $3,000 a month in rent and utilities. Both companies are having down years and were looking for ways to stay in business. The payback for the company supplying the showroom is that it gets to access the other’s dealer discount for cabinetry, and probably some other favors, which weren't mentioned in the article.

Also mentioned in the article, which appeared in Newsday, is a networking group known as “Go-To-Group," nearly a dozen different businesses that cater to household needs. The group includes a real estate agent, caterer, painter, interior designer, website developer, florist and landscaper. These service-related businesses exchange client lists and referrals, and, of course, enjoy much reduced marketing costs.

Although it wasn’t mentioned in the article, what would keep landscape and lawn service companies from sharing employees, at least during the period of the economic downturn? Of course, it would require trust on the part both companies, and extra scheduling and tracking, but why not? — Ron Hall

New book says immigration benefits the U.S. economy

A new bestseller by Harry S. Dent, Jr., “The Great Depression Ahead,” makes some interesting observations about immigration, and how it benefits the U.S. economy.

In the book, published last year, he makes the point that, although immigration creates social costs, including the costs of health care and education (which critics are always quick to cite), on the whole it’s beneficial. Immigration brings mostly young, hard-working, productive people into the U.S. economy, he says. These immigrants, on average, add a net of $80,000 more in taxes over their lifetimes above these social costs. In addition, they’re an immediate boon to the areas to which they move because many of the things they consume — clothing, food, etc. — are bought locally, boosting consumer demand.

Save Small Business (SSB), a lobbying organization comprised of small businesses attempting to convince Congress to allow more H2B seasonal guest into the United States, held yet another Washington D.C. fly-in this past week. What does that make, seven or eight fly-ins these past several years? I’ve lost count. But SSB is determined to convince Congress that its members desperately need the guest workers. About 150 SSB supporters participated in the fly-in and urged their respective legislators to pass a bill sponsored by Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) to expand the H-2B program.

If history offers a lesson (and I think it does) it’s going to be very difficult for some members of Congress to speak out in favor of this proposal, especially now that times are tough and unemployment is rising. They’re not going to want to be perceived as supporting a measure that allows immigrants “to take jobs away from American workers” — even if few U.S. workers would even consider taking the arduous, low-paying jobs that H-2B workers typically fill.

If Mikulski’s proposal, which many senators and representatives have signed on to, isn’t adopted soon, chances are it won’t be for a very long time, if ever, given how unemployment keeps rising.

Similar scenarios have played out several times during the 20th Century in the United States. We’re all witness to the high levels of immigration into the United States during our nation’s boom years starting shortly after the 1991-1992 recession. But, few of us were around during the Great Depression of the 1930s when immigration stopped, and anti-immigrant sentiment bubbled into protest and, on moe than a few occasions, violence.

When times are good and business is booming, the U.S. government either passes laws to allow more immigration, or (the more recent 1990’s example) turns a blind eye to enforcement of immigration laws.

When the economy tanks and unemployment rises, Congress, responding to howls of protest that immigrants are taking jobs from U.S. citizens, tightens the borders and more strictly enforces immigration law. This is in spite of the continuing need for these mostly young immigrant workers who, Dent claims, add much more to the economy than they take from it.

You may not agree with the observations about immigration he makes in his book, but likely we can all agree that if employers paid higher wages for many of the jobs now done by immigrants, and U.S. workers did step up to do them, we would pay more for our our domestically grown vegetables and U.S.-processed chicken and seafood products, hotel stays and landscaping services.

How much more are we willing to pay for these and other services that immigrants do for us, who knows?

As for the book, "The Great Depression Ahead," if the author is right, we're in for a long, protracted deflationary period, perhaps three or four years. It's an interesting read, whatever your take on the economy and where it's going. — Ron Hall

Should "People's Garden Project" be about veggies?

When U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Tom Vilsack whipped out his trusty old jackhammer and started demolishing a slab of concrete in front of the USDA headquarters in honor of Lincoln’s Birthday recently, it’s not likely he envisioned the excitement, misunderstanding and coverage (on the blogosphere ini particular) that would follow.

Apparently, the ceremony and obligatory photo-op was meant to demonstrate the USDA’s commitment to sustainable landscaping. The press release issued by the USDA on Feb. 12 referred to the event as the establishment of “The People’s Garden Project,” which excited a whole lot of people who assumed somehow that the 1,250-sq.-ft. plot would be planted in an edible garden — vegetables and fruit trees, whose bounty would be donated to local food banks.

No, that wasn’t the intent at all, says the Feb. 12 the press release”

“The USDA People's Garden announced today will eliminate 1,250 square feet of unnecessary paved surface at the USDA headquarters and return the landscape to grass. The changes signal a removal of impervious surfaces and improvement in water management that is needed throughout the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

The new garden will add 612 square feet of planted space to an existing garden traditionally planted with ornamentals. The garden will showcase conservation practices that all Americans can implement in their own backyards and green spaces. As a component of the garden, pollinator-friendly plantings will not only provide important habitat for bees and butterflies, but can serve as an educational opportunity to help people understand the vital role pollinators play in our food, forage and all agriculture. The garden plot is adjacent to the site of the USDA Farmer's Market.”

Will the garden be planted in grass and ornamentals, as originally planned, or in vegetables and fruit trees as a whole lot of people want?

That’s unclear, but there's a chance it will. Then again, maybe not. That's the take-home I got from reading the comments from the USDA on the blog Obama Foodorama (click on the headlne) that gave the ceremony and confusion resulting from the public’s perception of the concrete-bustin’ ceremony a pretty thorough going over recently.

Which would you like to see, traditional "sustainable" landscape of grass and ornamentals? Or vegetable and fruit garden on the USDA property? — Ron Hall

Great new bio-herbicide on the way?

Biological control of weeds in turfgrass is the equivalent of the holy grail in lawn care, the reason why a new bio-herbicide from Scotts may be the next big thing. Karen L. Bailey, with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon, and Scotts Canada are in the registration process for a product based on the fungus phoma macrostoma. The product will be granular and can be used as a pre-emergent and a post-emergent. When applied to the soil, the product blocks chlorophyll synthesis, which kills emerging seedlings and adversely affects established weeds.

Any effective and affordable biological herbicide would be welcomed with open arms, especially in Canada where much of the
country has banned the use of synthetic pesticides on landscapes by professional applicators.
This past season they got some help with the release of Sarritor, a biological developed by Dr. Alan Watson of McGill University.

The biological agent in this product is also a fungus. It was approved by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency of Health Canada in 2007.

Click on the headline to see the patent application for phoma macrostoma. —Ron Hall

PLANET Day of Service a great idea

If you're the owner or manager of a landscape, lawn care or irrigation service company, mark April 22 on your calendar. That's the day of the first-ever Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) Day of Service. What better time to do something worthwhile for your local community than during these tough economic times.

Think up some way to help — perhaps helping to fix up some ballfields, preparing beds for color plantings, a new fence around a city park, whatever. Your project doesn't have to be large. Get in touch with the local city manager or parks director and come up with something that needs to get done. Then, start planning and getting your team fired up about the project. You many even want to hook up with some friendly competitors in your neighborhood and double- or triple-team a larger project.

There's all kinds of information about the Day of Service on a special PLANET website (click on the headline) or go to — http://planetdayofservice.org/home/index.php

The website has a list of the companies that have already signed on to do something for their communities. Click on the map, which is on the web site, and see which companies are getting involved. — Ron Hall

U.S. EPA — "No bad deed goes unrewarded"

American industry, including the Green Industry, is always hopeful that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency bases its policies and decisions on science and not politics.

Longtime observers of the EPA (in spite of what every incoming agency administrator promises) remain skeptical. For good reason, says Henry I. Miller, a physician and fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. Miller, an official of the National Institute of Health and Food and Drug Administration from 1977-1994, wrote a scathing review of the EPA, which appears in the nationalreviewonline.

Says Miller, the EPA “has long been a haven for zealots in career positions and for scientifically insupportable policies . . . (with) a sordid history of incompetence, duplicity, and pandering to the most extreme factions of the environmental movement.”

Is the EPA likely to improve under the Obama administration with the recent appointment of Lisa Jackson at its head? Fat chance, believes Miller, who, in referring to Jackson’s appointment and the naming of former EPA chief Carol Browner to coordinate environmental policy throughout the government, comments — “No bad deed goes unrewarded.”

Click on the headline for the Henry I. Miller’s piece — “Environmental Protection, in Name Only” — and let us know if you agree or disagree with his assessment. — LM Staff

Trade Shows — what's the future hold?

You have to wonder about the continued health of trade shows. That’s not to suggest they’re going away soon, not the big ones anyway. These shows have strong educational and professional accreditation components planned around them.

But in these uncertain economic times, and with consumers (including business people attending trade shows) scrutinizing the need for every purchase (including travel), it stands to reason suppliers are looking hard and long about the level of their participation in trade shows — indeed if some of the shows they formerly supported continue to make economic sense to them, at all.

This trend isn’t new. The merging of the PLANET Green Industry Expo with the OPEI EXPO several years ago was a good example of what will likely become an accelerating trend, especially if this economy doesn't start brightening. And soon. You can’t blame manufacturers and suppliers for putting their resources where they feel they get the best return. Moving equipment and materials from place to place, and staffing show booths with grinning reps is expensive.

And there's another factor at work. It's changing the way many of us get our information.

The emergence of online networking and communication gives experts and educators an avenue to present information inexpensively and with relative ease via webinars and online video. It's no longer so necessary for folks to hop on a plane and sit in a classroom at a conference to get information. Why travel halfway across the country to learn about the latest advances in weed controls or see the newest mowers, when you can get the information in your den?

Yes, trade shows and conferences are still vital for people to kick tires, get face-to-face, make deals and trade ideas. Nothing can replace that.

And having attended my share of them over the years, I sincerely hope that they remain a part of everybody’s program. . . But as Dylan sang — “The times, they are a changin’.”

(What got me thinking about this was an enewsletter from the United Kingdom that I received this morning. It reported that in spite of equipment manufacturers Toro, John Deere and Jacobsen Ransomes not exhibiting in the Jan. 20-22 trade show known as BTME (Harrogate Week), the show had a lot of “buzz.” Was the publication just being polite?) — Ron Hall

Atlanta-area landscaper can pick'em up and put'em down

I’m familiar with Roswell, GA, and I know several people that live and work there in the landscape business, but I don’t know 37-year-old landscaper David Rindt. But, even if I did know him, I’m sure I couldn’t keep up with him. This guy can run.

I read in the Huntsville, AL, Times where he out-raced a field of 275 other runners in the 15th Annual Mountain Mist 50K Trail Run this past weekend. Yes, that’s 50K as in 31 miles of running. The race was run over trails in Monte Sano State Park and the Huntsville Land Trust. Rindt did the 31 miles in 4 hours, 7 minutes and 5 seconds. Actually, the time was almost certainly slower than he would have liked, since he and the other competitors found the going slick on the trail because of a light rain that morning, the newspaper reported.

Curious, I Googled “David Rindt” and found a University of Georgia e-yearbook mention of Rindt with a grainy 1993 picture of him and teammate Dan Tucker in full stride. “David’s hard work earned him the outstanding senior award,” said the e-yearbook. — Ron Hall

Staffing your landscape company? 5 things you must ask

Mel Kleiman runs the Texas-based consulting business Kleiman/HR Exchange. I heard Mel speak at a Bayer “Healthy Lawns, Healthy Business” seminar a couple of years back. I was impressed with Mel, an energetic and entertaining presenter, and with his suggestions for hiring new employees. He laid out a plan. Having a plan is better than having no plan.

I kept asking myself, why didn’t I ask those same questions when I was interviewing applicants for a job in our company? As it turned out, I got lucky and hired a good editor and fellow employee, anyway. Yep, dumb luck. I admit it, just like in my selection of a wife almost 40 years ago. Sometimes things work out in spite of being clueless, right?

But, you can’t count on luck in the landscape business. Not now in this cutthroat environment you can’t. You don’t want to make mistakes in taking on new management or landscape field supervisory staff.

Consider asking applicants the following questions offered by Mel Kleiman (click on the headline to visit his Web site) for finding the best candidates to join your landscape company:

#1. "Tell me about your very first job." One key here is: "Don't watch the movie backward." It makes more sense when you watch it from the beginning. (There is also a lot of other great stuff you can learn from this question.)

#2. "How would you rank yourself on a scale of 1-10 as a [job title]?" This question, when used correctly, combines behavioral interviewing and situational interviewing into one question that is easy to learn and use.

#3. "Which work achievements or accomplishments to-date are you most proud of?" The number of achievements or accomplishments is not as important as the motivations that drove them. Capacity+Attitudes+Personality+Skills+ Achievements=Success.

#4. "Did your previous employer do a Performance Review?" If used correctly, this question will help confirm what has been learned and will also help you to get real, relevant references.

#5. "Do you have a question to ask me?" Faster than a speeding bullet and more powerful than a locomotive, this question will uncover those hidden motivators and drivers that help determine not only if the person can do the job, but if they will do it.

— Ron Hall

UK landscapers facing stiff challenges, too

If this is any comfort in this economic climate (and in the spirit of misery loves company), landscapers in UK are experiencing the same challenges as we are. A group of 15 landscapers met recently there, and Wyevale garden center trainer Neville Stein offered these 13 suggestions to keep them going:

• Overhaul your website – it needs to have great images and customer testimonials
• Stay in touch with customers, colleagues and industry experts

• Respond fast to every enquiry
• Word of mouth – astound customers with your service and they’ll talk about you

• Debtor ledger – keep on top of what people owe you, reduce your “debtor days” or the amount of time it takes for customers to pay you
• Negotiate discounts with suppliers for paying on time

• Internal cost cutting – examples are mobile phone contracts or vehicle costs

• Review your bank account

• Sell off assets you don’t use – eg a piece of kit you don’t need

• Set financial targets 

• Think about a five-year plan – it will help you stay focused

• Come up with a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) that sets you apart from other landscaping firms

• Get off the tools – it might only be for a couple of hours but use the time to think about your business and plan for the future

Source: hortweek.com (Click on the headline to keep track of what your colleagues in the UK are doing and to sign up for their weekly enewsletter.) — Ron Hall

Monmouth University serious about going 'green'

WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ — College campuses are often venues for progressive ideas, and that’s certainly the case at Monmouth University as the school strives to enhance its environmental commitments through an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The agreement, a memorandum of understanding signed Jan. 16 by university and EPA officials, outlines goals to improve the school’s energy, water and fuel use, waste disposal and landscaping.

“Monmouth University is already a leader among institutions of higher education regarding environmental commitments,” said EPA Regional Administrator Alan J. Steinberg. “This agreement with EPA will strengthen those commitments and identify areas in which the school can do even more to reduce its carbon footprint.”

"Monmouth University is proud to enhance its commitment to a greener, cleaner campus for all of its students, faculty and staff, as well as the surrounding community," said Monmouth University President Paul G. Gaffney II. "This agreement will yield results in the near term, but it also stands to help make Monmouth a better place to learn and live for the future."

Monmouth will join several of EPA’s voluntary programs, which provide trainings, online tools and technical support from EPA experts to program partners. Monmouth will report the progress of its goals to EPA every six months. Based on the reports, EPA will quantify the benefits of the school’s environmental efforts.

Through the agreement, Monmouth will enhance its commitments in the following areas:

· Clean energy: In 2005, Monmouth installed the largest solar power project at a university east of the Mississippi. Through EPA’s Green Power partnership, the school will explore options to increase the amount of green energy it uses.

· Energy efficiency: Monmouth has already taken steps to reduce energy usage across its campus, like installing energy efficient lighting in many buildings and dormitory roofs that absorb less heat. Through EPA’s ENERGY STAR partnership, which includes recommendations specifically for colleges and universities, Monmouth will reduce energy use across campus by an additional 10 percent.

· Water efficiency: Through EPA’s WaterSense program, Monmouth will install water-saving fixtures and appliances where possible. It will also educate students, faculty and staff about how to better conserve water. A WaterSense labeled fixture saves an estimated 11,000 gallons of water per year.

· Recycling and Waste Reduction: Monmouth already participates in EPA’s national Recycle Mania competition for colleges and universities, and it employs myriad recycling and waste reduction programs on its campuses. Through this agreement, Monmouth will join EPA’s WasteWise program, and will reduce waste, increase recycling, and utilize the program’s tools for streamlining material use and waste reduction.

· Cleaner vehicles and construction: Through EPA’s National Clean Diesel Campaign and Clean Construction USA program, Monmouth will learn how to further reduce emissions from vehicles and construction equipment on campus. The school will reduce idling from its fleet of vehicles and require the use of clean diesel-powered equipment at future campus construction projects.

· Landscaping: Monmouth will join EPA’s GreenScapes program, through which it will look to adopt more sustainable landscaping practices like reusing and recycling landscape waste, reusing industrial materials for landscaping, and planting drought resistant trees and plants.

· Composting: Monmouth will develop plans to compost campus food waste either on campus or at an off-site location.

EPA has established an agreement similar to those with Monmouth and Montclair State with St. John’s University in Queens, N.Y., as well as with the New York Mets for the team’s new Citi Field stadium, the commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield and the Destiny USA mall project in Syracuse, N.Y.

Monmouth University, founded in 1933, is a private university and some 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students attend the school. Its Web site is http://www.monmouth.edu.

For more information on EPA’s voluntary programs like the ones incorporated in the Monmouth agreement, visit http://www.epa.gov/partners/.

7 tips for attracting more A-list clients

You know who your best clients are. They only complain when there’s a legitimate issue, they pay on time, they say good things about you to their associates. Your goal in these tough times is to find other customers just like them.

Heed these seven simple tips and you’ll land more of the kind of clients that will keep your company profitable and growing in these tough times.

1. Deliver a message that gets to the value of your services. Marketing is the process of educating people to desire the value that you and your company can deliver. Different clients have different perceptions of value; adjust your marketing message to fit the client.

2. Use a clear statement, usually just a sentence or two, which explains how your service will add to the client’s property and, by extension, their life. Keep this out front throughout your conservation with your client. You’re focusing on the benefits of your idea, design or service to your client.

3. Know when to shut up and listen. You can’t know what your clients want if you don’t listen to them. Beyond that, listening is the first (and often most important) indication that you give to clients that you really care about their needs. Ask questions, and then listen.

4. Emphasize the “warm & fuzzies”. You’re not just planting a deciduous tree, you’re giving your client shade in the summer
and a beautiful display of red and yellow leaves in the autumn. You’re not just going to mow and trim their property, you’re going to deliver a maintained property that pleases their spouse or makes their employer happy. People want to see, smell, hear and enjoy their landscapes. Describe to them what they will get.

5. Use good words. Use simple, descriptive and positive words. Avoid abstractions and professional jargon.

6. Empower the client to make the decision. It’s time to get down to business. Remember this phrase and use it: “What I’d like to do is walk you through our ideas on the project so we can show you how this design best achieves all the things you talked about. We then would like to hear your feedback and concerns, so we can move into the next phase of this project.” You’ve acknowledged the client’s role in helping you progress in the project. This simple act is acknowledging your respect for them and their authority, and they will be more likely to be open to what you have to say.

7. Yes, there will be disagreements. When disagreements arise align yourself with the client, not against him or her. Don’t let your ego over-ride your best interest. An argument will almost certainly destroy whatever goodwill you and your client had built to that point. — LM Staff

God look over the inauguration; we can fix the grass

WASHINGTON, D.C. —Most of us will be glued to our televisions midday Jan. 20, the third Tuesday this month, to watch Barack Obama take the oath of office as our nation’s 44th president here. The oath of office will be administered on the steps of the United States Capitol. At noon the president-elect becomes president.

Washington D.C. will be bursting at its seams with people, common folk (like most of us), dignitaries, the rich and famous, and power brokers from around the globe. Security will be incredible, as well it should be. The Associated Press reports that a recent internal intelligence assessment says the worldwide visibility of the inauguration and the historical significance of the swearing in of America’s first black president make the event a promising target to attacks. No specific threats were noted in the news article, but every precaution is being taken to secure the city against threats.

God be with our newly elected president.

More than a million people will be shoulder to shoulder on the National Mall. They will get a good view of the U.S. Capitol from the Mall, which is flanked on either side by the imposing row of museums comprising the Smithsonian Institution.

The Mall is one of my favorite places. I’ve been fortunate to have visited Washington D.C. and the Mall many times, my first trip being in the fall of 1964 on a high school senior class trip. About 40 classmates and me arrived there after an eight-hour, all-night bus ride from Ohio, and excitedly scrambled up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial that late-autumn morning. The picture of the mist rising off the pond and the crystalline, glasslike frost on the green grass as I looked toward the Capitol in the distance remains framed in my mind.

In subsequent trips to Washington D.C., I’ve walked and sometimes jogged the Mall’s 1.9 miles, both in the heat of mid-summer and when the snow is shin deep. The Mall and its surrounding environs are stunningly beautiful during and after a heavy snow.

I’ve visited the memorials — all of the memorials — under a blazing noon sun and also in solemn pre-dawn darkness. It’s during the quietest hours of the evening that the full emotion of the memorials emerges. They almost seem to whisper then.

I always leave Washington D.C. cognizant of the fact that I’ve walked on the streets and the pebbled paths of the Mall in the most powerful and politically important city in history. Not even Rome in its heyday commanded the world's attention to such a degree.

And I leave our Capital praying that our leaders — indeed leaders worldwide — cooperate and make wise decisions that advance peace and prosperity for all mankind.

I started this blog with the intention of pointing out the sorry shape of the Mall, in terms of the grass, in particular. Because of the heavy foot traffic, the National Park Service can’t keep grass there. By midsummer each year much of the Mall is a dustbowl. That's what visitors will be standing on during he inauguration. Those areas of the Mall still grassed will be trampled into oblivion by the end of the day. But, considering the magnitude of the challenges facing our society and our leaders, the grass at the Mall is not that big of a deal. We can fix that; of that I'm positive.

If you’re still interested in reading about the condition of the Mall and what needs to be done to fix it and spruce it up, click on the headline for an interesting article in the LA Times. — Ron Hall

Unemployment picture could dim H2B expansion hopes

Proponents of the H2B seasonal guest worker program keep pushing for a Congressional fix that would expand the 66,000 visas now allotted to the program, giving U.S. companies access to more foreign-born laborers. Whether Congress, faced with much bigger issues, will revisit the Save Small Business issue is unknown. But there’s always hope. (Click on the headline to keep abreast of the issue.)

It’s almost certain U.S. businesses won’t need as many of these workers this season, considering the state of the economy. With unemployment approaching 7% in most parts of the country and expected to keep climbing, more U.S. citizens may start to look at a job operating a mower or laying paving blocks in a more favorable light.

Two experienced landscape company owners we’ve talked to this week — one in the Northeast and one in the Midwest — told us the same thing. Business was going along nicely until the fourth quarter last year. Then the bottom dropped out. Both said they ended up on the positive side of their 2008 projections and both said they’re confident they will remain profitable this year.

To that end, they’re taking aggressive steps to reduce overhead. This will probably mean reducing the number of their employees, laborers mostly. Sales people and account managers are safe. They’re too hard to replace.

If unemployment continues to rise, you’ll see increased pressure from anti-immigrant groups not to expand the H2B seasonal immigrant guest worker program. It will be harder and harder for legislators to ignore these voices. So, if your company needs these workers, partner up with Save Small Business and keep the pressure on your legislators. — Ron Hall

Dallas firm gets into true spirit of the Xmas

DALLAS — Moore Lawn & Garden and Moore Tree Care employees organized a food drive to help the less fortunate here this Christmas.

“The economic downturn has affected many individuals and we wanted to assist those families in our area, ” said Brenda Scott, Garden Manager for Moore Lawn & Garden. Beginning December 8 employees delivered bags to every client, with each bag containing a letter explaining the food drive and that Moore would pick up the donations when the regular crew came by on the scheduled maintenance day.

“Our very generous clients and employees,” provided more than 950 lbs of non-perishable items such as canned meats, soups, cereals, instant breakfasts, rice and pasta, equaling 850 meals, said Ken Fischer, Director of Moore Lawn & Garden. Employees from Moore delivered the donations to a North Texas Food Bank.

Moore Lawn & Garden and Moore Tree Care have been serving the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex since 1962 and today are a division of Lambert Landscape Company.

Ruppert Nurseries donates 5% of profits to charities

Ruppert Nurseries pledges to share at least 5% of the company’s budgeted profit, which is budgeted at $300,000 for 2008, with charitable causes in the community each year. A major recipient of donations this year was Easter Seals, but Ruppert has supported at least 50 nonprofit organizations with financial, in-kind or labor donations.

The Easter Seals’ Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Inter-Generational Center in Silver Spring was the recipient of a $100,000 donation from Ruppert Nurseries in 2008. In addition to the financial support, Ruppert employees have helped landscape or spruce up various sites, made friends with Easter Seals clients and attended events in support of Easter Seals.

Other events and organizations that have been supported by Ruppert in 2008 include: Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, Home Health & Hospice, Becca’s Run, D.C. Students Construction Trade Foundation, Friends of the Patapsco, Lions Club Mulch Delivery, Capital Area Food Bank Drive, Waterford Park, American Diabetes Association and more.

Source: Dolan Media Newswire

Where consumers cut back during a recession

Many companies can anticipate the performance of their sectors in a recession. McKinsey research shows that during the 1990 – ‘91 and 2001 – ‘02 downturns, for example, U.S. consumers reprioritized their spending rather than cutting it across the board. Consumer spending dropped in discretionary categories like dining out, personal care products and charitable donations. But expenditures for groceries, reading materials, and other options that substitute for more expensive ones actually rose. So did outlays on insurance, health care, and, above all, education.

Average growth in U.S. consumer expenditures (1990-91 and 2001-02) compared with average growth for entire period (1984-2008); index: average growth for entire period = 0

Increased spending over period average

Education (eg. tuition, textbooks)....................90
Reading (eg. newspapers, magazines) ..............53
Personal insurance, pensions ..........................43
Health care (eg. health insurance, services)........29
Food at home 28

Decreased spending over period average

Entertainment (eg. tickets for events, trips).............-06
Housing............................................................-10
Tobacco products..............................................-13
Cash contributions.............................................-28
Apparel & service...............................................-45
Transportation...................................................-70
Personal-care products & services.........................-78
Food away from home ......................................-110

Source: The McKinsey Quarterly (https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com)

Am I missing something on this phosphorus issue?

Having lived literally within sight of the Great Lakes almost all of my life, I’ve seen what pollution can do to a body of water, especially Lake Erie, which now supplies my drinking and washing water, and provides me, my family and friends with excellent recreational opportunities.

A NASTY LAKE

I saw the lake covered with algae during the summers of the 1960s, and witnessed the decline of the sports fishing industry through 1970s. About that time the federal and state governments began taking serious action to reverse (slow is a more accurate word) the Lake’s decline. They forced communities within the Great Lakes watershed to upgrade their sewage treatment plants and they mandated the removal of phosphorus from laundry detergents, inasmuch as phosphorus promotes the growth of algae. This brings me closer to the point I want to make. And to a question for anyone reading this blog.


Why are some people in the lawn care business so opposed to legislation aimed at restricting the use of lawn fertilizers containing phosphorus near streams, lakes and bays, especially when the legislation, on the surface, seems reasonable?

A RECENT EXAMPLE

Let’s take a look at recent legislation in Annapolis, MD. That city regulates the use and sale of fertilizing containing phosphorus to limit runoff into the Chesapeake Bay. The law applies to home lawns, parks, cemeteries and golf courses. It also forbids the application of lawn fertilizer when the ground is frozen or where it will run onto any impervious surface, such as parking lots, sidewalks and roadways, and not be collected or applied to the turfgrass.

That said, there are exceptions that allow the use of phosphorus-containing fertilizers:

— on turf or lawn areas where soil tests performed within the last three years confirm that the phosphorus levels are deficient
— on newly established turf or lawn areas during their first growing season.
— on gardens, including vegetable and flower, trees, shrubs, and indoor applications, including green houses.
— on yard waste compost or other similar materials that are primarily organic in nature and are applied to improve the physical condition of the soil

OH NO, NOT AGAIN

Lake Erie improved dramatically through the 1980s and 1990s because of the above-mentioned actions (and others). The recreational boating and sport fishing industries boomed as a result. Unfortunately, researchers and other knowledgeable experts are telling me the Lake is going back the other direction again.

I don’t know how large a role that lawn fertilizers are having on the quality of Lake Erie, not a clue. But it seems to me that limiting the use of phosphorus-containing fertilizers on soils that are tested and already have sufficient phosphorus for plant health is reasonable and I don't see any reason to kick about it.

Now my question — Am I missing a key element of this issue, the reason why lawn care applicators sometimes oppose this type of legislation? — Ron Hall

How the Brits view the landscape biz in '09

Source: Horticulture Week, which covers the Green Industry in Great Britain


"It is hard to say exactly what the outlook is going to be for 2009 but if I'm honest I'd say there is going to be more of a slowdown.

"It is still busy at the moment but without a doubt there has been a slowdown in enquiry rates. A certain sector of the market in smaller projects has fallen away. The larger private contracts are still there but they are going to be hard-earned. I don't know whether projects like the Olympics will help.

"In a recession, people will spend more on their gardens - but the early part of the year will be difficult. January to March will see a big slowdown." - Robin Templar Williams, managing director, Robin Williams & Associates

"The recession is going to be worse than people think and next year will be tough. I think the outlook is pretty bleak.

"Housing is obviously the worst hit - it's fallen off a cliff. Commercial will be hit but not as hard, and grounds maintenance clients will be looking for savings, particularly in local authorities. I don't think the weaker companies will survive. I think it will be a short, sharp shock and by 2010 or 2011 we'll see recovery because there are major capital schemes that will boost the economy - roads, Crossrail, the Thames Gateway and the Olympics." - Neil Huck, senior contracts manager, Ground Control

"It is going to be tough for all sectors of the industry. But it is an opportunity for professional businesses to look at how they do business. It is about sharpening up and looking at systems of working and labour.

"I think it will be short-term pain and long-term gain because it will get rid of a lot of the dross in our side of the industry. Contractors will have to be careful how much credit they give people and everyone will have to raise their game.

"For the past five years it has been too easy and, in this sharper market, to look at all your costs is a good thing." - Mark Gregory, director, Landform Consultants

"I think that, paradoxically, once people understand they are in a recession they are more likely to treat their house as a home and invest in enjoyment of that.

"That includes investing in their gardens rather than trying to sell their house.

"It can be hard as an individual garden designer to gauge how the industry is going to look next year but I have already had enquiries from landscapers looking for work to build my designs.

"They are obviously feeling the pinch in other areas - there is a seasonal aspect to that but it's clear they are nervous." - Peter Thomas, chairman, Society of Garden Designers.

Click on the headline to register and receive HortWeek's weekly enewsletter. It's a quick, informative read.

New Cowboys stadium will be incredible!

How bot dem Cowboys, eh?

Apart from the New York Yankees, what other team is ready to plunk down a cool $1 billion for a new stadium, in this case $1.1 billion. For that price, the stadium better get lots of use, and it looks like it will. It's already being touted as perhaps "the most used stadium ever built." In addition to being the home field for the NFL Cowboys, the Stadium, designed by HKS Architects, is going to host the 2011 Super Bowl, the 2010 AT&T Cotton Bowl, the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, the 2014 NCAA men's Final Four basketball tournament, maybe even World Cup soccer and NCAA lacrosse.

The retractable roof stadium will have three different Matrix synthetic fields being installed by Hellas Construction, Austin, for three different sports -- one for the Cowboys, one for college football and one for soccer. The Matrix trademarked field is an advanced version of the RealGrass surface that the Cowboys have played on at Texas Stadium the past eight years.

"This is the only stadium in the NFL that has the option to have as many different kinds of fields as they want and can change out for every event," said Reed J. Seaton, CEO of Hellas Construction, which is installing the fields.

The new field is unique in several other ways, including its "roll-up" design. The field can be rolled up in strips and stored under staging areas along the sidelines at field level. In other words, one field can be rolled up and another laid down, reportedly within a day's time.

The Stadium, which will seat 80,000, with the possibility of expansion to 100,000, is to be done in August, and the Cowboys will play its first home game there in September. Although the Stadium is yet to sell naming rights, some folks are referring to it as "Jerry World," in reference to team owner Jerry Jones.

It replaces Texas Stadium, which opened in 1971, as the Cowboys home.

Click on the headline and see the video of the new stadium being built.....It will blow you away!

Can Canada's ag community stand by and watch?

OTTAWA, CANADA- Author and Ottawa Citizen columnist Dan Gardner was the guest speaker Wed., Dec. 3, at a national agricultural conference co-hosted by CropLife Canada and the Grain Growers of Canada.

Gardner, author of Risk: The Science and Politics of Fear, will talk about why - at a time when the world population is the healthiest and safest it has ever been - people worry about things they don't need to worry about and don't worry about the things they ought to. He will also talk about how that applies to chemicals and the huge gap between what chemical experts know and what the average person worries about.

"Mr. Gardner's book is very thought-provoking. As an industry that has been under attack recently, we thought our audience would be interested in hearing more about how fear can drive people to behave in ways that really don't make sense," Dr. Lorne Hepworth president of CropLife Canada said.

Following this year's keynote address, CropLife Canada will be commenting on draft regulations to ban the sale and use of some pesticides in Ontario. The association is highly critical of the government for failing to articulate scientific criteria, arguing that citizens are safer with science-based regulations.

"The agricultural community cannot stand by quietly as the Government of Ontario ignores the fact that these products are rigorously reviewed to ensure they will not harm people, animals or the environment before they are permitted for sale. It's a dangerous precedent that could have dire consequences for agriculture because it contributes to heighten and unmerited perceptions of risk."

CropLife Canada is the trade association representing the manufacturers, developers and distributors of plant science innovations - pest control products and plant biotechnology - for use in agriculture, urban and public health settings.

Dallas plans first fully sustainable urban square block in U.S.

The City of Dallas will host a full-day "Design Charrette" Friday, Dec. 5, to examine the necessary framework and community impact of what will become the first fully sustainable, urban square block in the United States. The Charrette, attended by community design and urban planning experts from across the nation, will be held at City Hall from 8:30 am until 5:30 pm.

The outcome of the day will include a series of recommendations, which will in turn structure an international design competition to create the actual block. That competition, which kicks off in January 2009, will invite architects and planners from around the world to translate the needs of the Dallas Community into structural designs for the future city block.

"The goal is to create the first fully sustainable block downtown," said Brent Brown, Dallas architect and founder of the Building Community Workshop (http://www.bcworkshop.org). "And by sustainable, we mean a place that is socially, economically and environmentally healthy. We'll take the first step in that effort on Friday."

Hosted by the City of Dallas, San Francisco-based Urban Re:Vision (http://www.urbanrevision.com) and Dallas' Building Community Workshop, the Charrette will look at the common city block in an uncommon way, examining the impact of this particular city block's development on the City of Dallas and its surrounding area. In rethinking the city block, experts will re-assess the potential value of available resources like water, waste, and air and how to strike the delicate balance between economy and equality.

"Our job on December 5th is to explore how pivotal the city block is in the urban landscape, and how it can be used as a catalyst for a whole new way of living," said Stacey Frost (http://www.urbanrevision.com/biography/stacey-frost), Founder of Urban Re:Vision.

"This process is one that puts real people first and promotes sustainability." Potential requirements, barriers, and changes will be examined in an effort to pave the way for the implementation of the proposed site. This examination will also serve to aid both site-specific, and regional decision-making.

Topics will include: energy systems, transportation, the natural and developed environment, community, the economy and technology.

Additional groups involved include Downtown Dallas, The Real Estate Council, Central Dallas Ministries, The Institute for Urban Policy Planning, Dallas Institute for Humanities and Culture, Enterprise Foundation, Fannie Mae Foundation, Vision North Texas and others. Participants from outside the Dallas area include representatives of the Biomimicry Institute, Architecture for Humanity, ARUP, Organic Architect, United States Green Building Council, and others.

Along comes a robotic mower that's also a security guard

OK, here’s a question for you — which will come first:

A robotic mower that can be used for daily commercial mowing?
Or
We land a man on Mars?

We ask that because we’ve seen or read about more than a dozen units designed and built by university students over the years, mostly in competitions. And we’ve also seen several attempts at producing and marketing robotic mowers that can be used by commercial cutters. But all have fallen far short of exciting grounds professionals or landscape maintenance companies. Yes, there are several neat little robotic mowers that would probably do quite well for a homeowner, although even these look more like novelties than work machines.

Now comes two students at Louisiana State University’s department of computer science with their AgBot, a prototype robot that can be used for multiple tasks, such as mowing, seeding, fertilizing, and since it’s also equipped with a night vision camera positioned atop a 360-degree swivel, a high-frequency alarm system and a motion sensor it can double as a night watchman.


Click on the headline to see the students putting the AgBot through its paces.

Big Canadian retailer to stop selling "cosmetic pesticides"

Rona Inc., a big Canadian retailer that sells home improvement and garden products, says it will quit selling cosmetic pesticides (pesticides used on home landscapes and lawns) by next July, reports CBC News.

Taking these products off its shelves will cost it $20 million in annual sales, out of total revenues exceeding $6.3 billion (Canadian) at nearly 700 stores, including about 75 big-box stores.

The use of pesticides on home lawns and common properties, which started out with the small community of Hudson in Quebec Province winning a 10-year legal battle to institute a pesticide ban in 2001, has blossomed into a national issue.

Here’s a rundown from the CBC of what’s happening within provinces where cosmetic pesticides have become an issue:

— British Columbia: 22 communities have introduced controls on pesticides.

— Ontario: In April 2008, Ontario announced plans to ban more than 300 pesticides by 2009, but will allow them to be used to control pests in farming and forestry.

— New Brunswick: The communities of Shediac, Caraquet, Sackville and St. Andrews have outlawed cosmetic pesticides.

— Nova Scotia: The Halifax Regional Municipality is the only region to have issued a ban on cosmetic pesticides in the province.

— Prince Edward Island: The province is considering introducing a ban on the use of cosmetic pesticides.

— Quebec: In April 2006, Quebec introduced a province-wide ban on the sale and use of pesticides on public, private and commercial land. The ban does not apply to golf courses and farmlands.

Leaves raked onto curbs adds to phosphorus loading

Below is some timely information that appeared in a recent enewsletter from the Cornell University turfgrass team. In light of the actions by some communities to ban the use of fertilizers containing phosphorus, regardless of what soil tests reveal, we thought it was interesting. Phosphorus runoff, of course, promotes algae and plant growth in streams, rivers and lakes, and none of us wants to do anything to degrade the environment.

The Cost and Waste of Leaf Collecton

Many communities throughout the Northeast and Midwest spend enormous amounts of tax dollars on the collection of fallen leaves. In fact some communities around New York City such as Scarsdale will spend in excess of $1.25 million dollars annually on leaf collection. In these challenging economic times one might consider better use for this money and the science is there on several fronts to support alternatives.

First and foremost bringing the leaves to the curb increases the risk of phosphorus contamination of surface water bodies. Several monitoring studies have found that P loading of lakes and streams peaks during periods of leaf drop suggesting that the leaves are releasing the P as they degrade. Bringing the leaves to the curb awaiting collection is simply increasing the P pollution problems as much as depositing P fertilizer on paved surface essentially bypassing the natural filtration capacity of turfgrass areas.

Of course the regulating of P-based fertilizer is well known and yet there is little discussion of this existing practices effect on water quality. So, if we do not collect the leaves and bring them to the curb what should we do with them?

More than a decades worth of research consistently shows that mulching the leaves effectively into the turf canopy so that they are not in clumps on the surface has no negative effect on turfgrass performance.

Furthermore there is some evidence that leaf mulching can reduce weed problems such as dandelion (see ShortCUTT Week 29; September 29, 2008). While the mechanism of this is not completely understood I suspect of we continue to study this issue more benefits will come to light. In the end, simply mulching the tree leaves into the turf is the most cost effective and environmentally friendly practice to implement at this time of year.

Source: Cornell Turfgrass Short CUTT, Week 32......click on the headline, which will take you to the Cornell Web site where you can sign up for Short CUTT. It's a great source of information about turfgrass in the Northeast and New England.

Maybe we should ban deer

Here's a quote for you. It came from the Edmonton, Canada, Journal newspaper. The object of the article is weed & feed, you know that combination of fertilizer and weed killer that many of us have been using on our home lawns for decades.

See if you think this sentence in the article is a bit — just a wee bit — over the top:

"The problems associated with the spreading of weed-and-feed granules are well- documented, encouraging gross over-application of pesticides containing a nightmare of toxins linked to a long list of terrible ailments affecting humans and wildlife alike."

OK, so this isn't related, but I thought it was interesting anyway: Last year car-animal collisions (mostly deer) killed 223 motorists or their passengers in the United States. Where's the "ban the deer" movement?

Having won the lawn care fight, is foresty & ag next?

In spite of rigorous pesticide testing procedures by the Canadian government (among the most rigorous in the world), Ontario Province will almost certainly pass a province-wide ban on the use of almost all commercially available chemical lawn care pest controls this coming spring.

Jeffrey Lowes, Director of Government & Industrial Relations, M-REP Communications, says a recent survey suggests that when the ban is implemented it could cost the Province anywhere from 3800 to 9100 jobs.

Says Lowes: “The Ontario Government is unable to recognize their policy is based on the false claims of the activists. The same activists are now in the process of targeting the agricultural sector . . . They have already held planning meetings on how to target the forestry industry. Given their success and support by the Liberal’s, the damages caused by these groups will continue.”

Click on the headline to view a recent conference focusing on the use of pesticides in agriculture, sponsored by the Canadian Cancer Society.

North Georgia: more menacing, but it gets less mention

You can't help wondering about life's ironic twists, even the small ones.

For example Anaheim, CA, averages a mere 14 inches of rainfall annually. Anaheim was the site of the Irrigation Association Conference and Exhibition this past Nov. 2-4. To everyone's surprise, two of the three mornings of the event, it rained at the Convention Center there.

Meanwhile, I'm talking with Ed Klaas, president of the Georgia Irrigation Association at the event, and he's telling me that Atlanta and the rest of north Georgia, which averages more than 50 inches of rain annually, is still in a drought. In fact, Lake Lanier, the manmade reservoir northeast of Atlanta and the city's primary source of drinking water, is at a record low. It's lower in fact than last December when the local news media was writing almost daily about the lingering dry spell and its affect on the region, and especially on the Green Industry there.

The Atlanta drought, which continues, is now old news. Even the media says so in a recent article in the local press. Click on the headline for the latest on the drought. — Ron Hall

Long arm of the law nabs long-ago lawn offender

If you don’t mow your lawn, the long arm of the law will track you down and put you in jail, which begs the question: Is there a statute of limitations for not mowing your lawn?

MyFox Atlanta reports Amy Parker, a resident of Gainesville, GA, was arrested this past Friday because of a complaint and a fine arising from not mowing her yard four years ago. Apparently a neighbor complained, resulting in the violation.

Parker, according to the article, still owed $35 (apparently an “office fee”) after paying the $290 fine for not keeping her lawn mowed. She paid the fine but says she didn’t know about the “office fee.”

The law certainly hadn’t forgotten. And, counting up penalties, that fee had risen 10-fold to $325, and a judge (and this is tough for me to believe) signed a warrant for her arrest.

Parker ended up spending four days in jail until her husband could pay the fine, said Fox News

Reminds me of the parking ticket I failed to pay in Fremont, OH, back in the day (way back in the day). I forgot about the ticket, which I think was just a dollar or two. I might have tossed it or I might have forgotten to pay it; I don’t remember.

But I do remember that I had forgotten about it until weeks later when a deputy sheriff came knocking on my apartment door with a warrant.

That one unpaid parking ticket cost me a morning in court, a day of work and a $16 fine, which was a lot of money for me then. (After reading about Amy Parker, I now consider myself pretty darn lucky I didn’t get some serious jail time.)

Click on the headline to see a video of Amy Parker, who seems like a nice person, in her own defense.


— Ron Hall

Huge new source of fresh water discovered in Oregon mountains

While the U.S. Southwest looks to a future of continued population growth and development but no substantial increase in fresh water supplies — indeed projections are for a reduced supply of fresh water due to climate change — a huge underground reservoir of fresh water has been discovered in Oregon’s Cascade Mountains.

The stockpile stores close to seven years’ worth of Oregon rain and snow and is like to become increasingly precious, given the West’s continued growth.

The U.S. Forest Service and Oregon State University say the water has been collecting in cracks and fissures in the young (less than 1 million years old) volcanic rock in a large swath of Oregon and northern California.

The cache of water is being described as “one of the biggest groundwater known in a mountainous region anywhere on the planet” — in effect a huge sponge.

Click on the headline to read more about the underground discovery courtesy of oregonlive.com.

Plant breeder Crystal Rose-Fricker gets props from the Crop Science Society of America

If you plant turfgrass, renovate it, fertilize it or mow it, you owe the small fraternity of U.S. turfgrass breeders a big thanks. These are the folks that love working and improving the most valuable landscape plant in the United States. Without them, you’d be out of a job.

Mitch Lies, a reporter who often writes about turfgrass for the Capital Press in Salem, OR, in the heart of the nation’s turfgrass production region, wrote a recent excellent article focusing on Crystal Rose-Fricker, plant breeder and president of Pure-Seed Testing.

In the article she points to the development of Aurora Gold, a turftype tall fescue with natural tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate, as one of her most gratifying projects. Not only is she talented, she’s persistent. It took her 10 years to develop Aurora Gold.

Click on the headline to read about Crystal Rose-Fricker’s work and the well-deserved recognition she recently received at the recent Crop Science Society of America meeting.

How do you steal 120 tons of road salt?

Tovar Snow Professionals, headquartered in the west Chicago suburb of Elgin, IL, recently discovered that somebody made off with 120 tons of road salt from its Aurora storage facility, according to the Chicago Tribune. That's enough salt to fill six semi-trucks. The salt, as any snow management professional will tell you, has become an expensive commodity. The value of the stolen salt was listed at $32,000, according to the article, which is available by clicking on the headline above.

Florida landscaper decides to grow his own fuel

Tired of those high prices at the pump? Brian Shank, president of Clermont Scapes, a landscape company based in Groveland, FL, was.

He says he's planting a 22-acre crop of a desert-native plant known as jatropha to make biofuel for his equipment.

According to an article posted at gas2.org, he figures he can get about 1,000 gallons of biofuel per acre per harvest from the jatropha, which offers significantly more energy bang for the buck than the same amount acreage planted in corn.

Click on the headline for the article and the comments it generated.

The unexpected kindness of strangers

Just about the time you’re thinking that everybody is out for themselves and don’t give a crap about anybody else, something happens to recharge your faith in people’s kindness and generosity.

An article on tampabay.com by talented reporter Erin Sullivan brightened our day recently.

Briefly: Joseph Prudente, a 66-year-old grandfather, was jailed without bail on Friday Oct. 10 because he wasn’t keeping his lawn in good shape. Apparently it was brown and not being taken care of, which didn’t sit well with the homeowners’ association where it was located. It seems Prudente had fallen on hard times and didn’t have the money to care for the lawn.

The next morning Andy Law, who lived in a nearby community, read about Prudente being hauled off to the slammer, and it really ticked him off. He rounded up some equipment, and other folks, including a Pasco County commissioner, started showing up and fixing the lawn. By 6 p.m. the volunteers had replaced the brown grass, fixed the sprinkler system and planted flowers.

The next day, the sheriff, after a brief court hearing in which a representative from the homeowners’ association confirmed the lawn had been improved, let Prudente out of jail.

Click on the headline for Erin Sullivan’s article. It will gladden your day.

Cry for universal lawn care raised again during campaign

Columnist and University of North Carolina professor Mike Adams says that in spite of candidates' promises, preventative lawn care remains out of reach for most American families.

Will the winner of the approaching presidential election finally initiate a plan to make lawn care universally available? he asks.

In part he writes:

"Well we can't afford another disappointing charade in 2008 and 2009 and 2010. It's not only tiresome, it's wrong. Wrong when a home-owner cannot hire the child next door because he cannot afford the bill that comes with it. Wrong when 46 million Americans have no lawn care at all. In a country that spends more on lawn care than any other nation on Earth, it's just wrong.
And we can do something about it.

"In recent years, what's caught the attention of those who haven't always been in favor of reform is the realization that this crisis isn't just morally offensive, it's economically untenable. For years, the can't-do crowd has scared the American people into believing that universal lawn care would mean socialized lawn care, burdensome taxes, rationing - that we should just stay out of the way, let the market do what it will, and tinker at the margins."

Weigh in and support our drive to provide affordable, universival lawn care for U.S. homeowners.

Click on the headline and let Adams know that you're with us 100%.

Bird feed could be spreading noxious weeds

Lots of Americas like to put out bird feed to attract song birds. What they probably don't realize is that they could be helping to spread noxious weeds. No kidding. The Weed Science Society of America issued the news release below.

In studies at Oregon State University, scientists examined 10 brands of wild bird feed commonly sold in retail stores. The samples contained seeds from more than 50 weed species – including 10 ranked among Oregon’s most noxious weeds. Each brand tested contained weed seeds, with six different weed species found in half or more of the samples.

“Once a weed seed drops from the feeder to the ground and sprouts, it has the potential to flower and spread,” said Dr. Jed Colquhoun, associate professor at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, formerly with Oregon State University. “In fact, when we informally questioned landowners and farmers to investigate the spread of a relatively new weed in the Pacific Northwest – velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti) – we found it is growing in the soil beneath backyard bird feeders.”

In a short-term study of what happens when stray bird feed drops to the soil, about 30 weed species sprouted in just 28 days. Between three and 17 weed species grew from each of the 10 brands of feed tested.

So how can you minimize the spread of new or invasive weeds that originate in bird feed? There are several simple strategies to consider:

Use a tray attachment under your feeder to keep seeds off the ground.
Select foods that won’t sprout, such as sunflower hearts, peanuts, peanut butter, raisins, mealworms and plain suet cakes.
Look for treated wild bird food mixtures. Many manufacturers are now baking their products to kill weed seeds, using guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. So read product labels carefully to make certain you buy a treated brand.
Keep an eye out for weeds under your feeder and pull them before they can flower and spread.
If you use a wild bird food blend that contains a variety of seeds, contact the producer or talk to your local retailer to discuss what measures are taken to ensure the product is free of invasive weed seeds.
Jed Colquhoun was lead researcher for the bird feed study in cooperation with Carol Mallory-Smith, a professor at Oregon State University. The Agricultural Research Foundation at Oregon State University funded the work.

Ten Noxious Weeds Found in the Bird Seed Evaluated in the Oregon Study:

Buffalobur (Solanum rostratum Dunal)
Bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare)
Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense)
Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia)
Dodder (Cuscuta spp.)
Field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis)
Jointed goatgrass (Aegilops cylindrica)
Kochia (Kochia scoparia)
Puncturevine (Tribulus terrestris)
Velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti)

Americans entitled to government-funded lawn care?

Jon Delaney of Springfield, VA, in a recent letter to the Culpeper Star Exponent newspaper asked our national leaders in this election season to do something about the disgraceful situation of Americans being forced to provide their own lawn care.

In part he wrote:

"It is my belief that everyone who must perform lawn care should have this basic need fulfilled. Some argue that it is the homeowner’s choice to live where lawn care is required. The argument follows that if one does not want to be bothered by lawn care, one should not buy a house.

"Surely it is a patriotic duty to pay more taxes to help our brothers and sisters maintain their lawns as there are millions of Americans afflicted by this abandonment by their government."

We think he has a great idea (wink, wink) , but tell us what you think.

Read the letter (and the responses it got) by clicking on the headline above.

Spring-Green reaching clients with podcasts

Spring-Green, the Illinois-based, lawn care franchisor, is now offering podcasts containing information about seasonal landscape care — watering, mowing, raking leaves, shrub care, you name it.

The most recent "Lawn Talk" podcast (click on the headline), features Harold Enger, the company's director of training and support, offering autumn tree and lawn care advice. Enger has more than 30 years in the business so he knows what he is talking about.

We think this is a neat way to provide information to consumers. Way to go Spring-Green.

What are neighbors for. . . .?

More than two years have passed since the city of London, in Canada’s Ontario Province, passed a bylaw to outlaw lawn pesticides. Several local professional lawn care service providers vigorously defended their right to use chemical products in this city of about 350,000 people that is located midway between Detroit and Toronto. In the end they lost that battle.

Now the city says it's time to begin enforcing the ban and it looks like it will rely upon neighbors squealing upon each other. Not only will neighbors be expected to rat out neighbors,they’ll also be asked if they’re willing to testify if the matter ends up in a court, according to an article (click on the headline) in the Sept. 22 issue of the London Free Press newspaper.

If that weren’t enough, the city could even go to the lengths of testing the suspected malefactor’s lawn for evidence of pesticide use, which could cost the property owner (the squealee) several hundred dollars.

Wow, talk about putting some extra excitement into neighborhood block parties.

NOXFOX tees up its mower emissions fix

The recently announced U.S. EPA rules to reduce emissions from small gasoline engines (under 25-hp) don't go into effect until 2011 for lawn and garden equipment, but at least one company has already stepped forward to address the problem. Mempro Ceramics Corporation, based in Akron, OH, says its "revolutionary brand of catalytic filters" destroys pollutants emitted by small gasoline engines. The brand name of the filters is NOXFOX.

We're not experts on emission controls so we'll let the following description from the company's Web site explain how NOXFOX does it:

"The NOXFOX brand incorporates patented nanotechnology in the form of ceramic fibers with diameters averaging one-thousandth the thickness of a human hair. The high-surface-area ceramic nanofibers hold nanoparticles of platinum, palladium, rhodium, and other catalysts, which are instrumental in the destruction of NOx, CO, and HC. Since the catalyzed ceramic nanofibers provide large catalytic surface area, there is maximum catalyst-exhaust contact and minimum exhaust resistance."

The company says it will have a booth at the GIE+Expo in Louisville, Oct. 23-25. If you're interested in learning more about the product, click on the headline.

Stricter emission standards will raise costs of mowers

Expect to pay 18% more for your mowers once the new U.S. EPA emission rule for mowers with gasoline-powered engines under 25-hp takes effect in 2011, predicts the California Air Resources Board. That’s in addition to inflation, of course.
The EPA announced earlier this month that all lawn and garden equipment of less than 25 hp must reduce emissions by 35% by 2011. It’s likely manufacturers will have to equip mowers and other gasoline-engine lawn equipment with catalytic converters to meet EPA’s new emission rule.

For sale: The White House Lawn on eBay

Want to buy a piece of the White House lawn? You can on eBay. A 1'-1' parcel costs $10. You can buy larger parcels, up to and including a 10'x 10' square. That will set you back $1,000.

Not that FedEx or UPS is going to showi up at your front door with a box of sod even after you finish your transaction on PayPal. You will be buying virtual lawn and not the real stuff. But the sale will be real in the sense that you'll be paying (or donating if that sounds better) real money. After you purchase your piece of the White House lawn you will be expected to give it back to the American people to be converted to a new food garden in 2009.

The Great White House Lawn Sale is the idea Roger Doiron of an organization known as Kitchen Gardeners International (KGI). Doiron, on KGI's Web site, describes himself as “Compost-Pile-Turner-in-Chief”.

KGI is a 501c3 non-profit founded in Maine with more than 7000 gardeners in 100 countries. Its mission is to empower individuals, families and communities to achieve greater levels of food self-reliance through the promotion of kitchen gardening, home cooking and sustainable local food systems.

“A purchase of the First Lawn with proceeds going to a global gardening charity makes a unique gift. Donors/buyers will receive a weblink to a ‘certificate of ownership' that they can download and customize in a friend or loved one's name,” according to KGI's Web site.

The KGI is promoting its sale of the White House lawn in hopes of convincing the next U.S. President to remove some of the White House lawn and converting it to a food garden to promote the idea of home gardens and locally grown produce.

If you're interested in buying a virtual chunk of the White House lawn, click on the headline for the eBay listing.

Brickman Group, others fix up Ohio VFW landscape

The following article appeared in the Elyria (OH) Chronicle-Telegram on Aug. 31.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1079 received an overdue landscape upgrade from the Brickman Groups’ Cleveland West office in Avon, a project employees completed as the company’s annual Founders Day Project.

Post Commander Gene O’Quinn reached out to Brickman, and employees responded in a big way by cleaning up the area, which was sparsely landscaped with a few overgrown shrubs and empty beds full of weeds. With donations from Kurtz Brothers, Alpha Lawn Care, Worchesters Sales and Service, Best Truck Equipment, Willoway Nurseries, Davis Tree Farm and Pinehaven Greenhouses, Brickman installed a whole new landscape.

“We really felt strongly about, knowing we are helping those who have given so much in serving our country,” said Project Manager Ryan Marhefka of Brickman.

“Most of our guys had fathers and grandfathers who have served overseas, and this was something we could all stand behind and be proud showing how much we appreciated their sacrifice,” Branch Manager Matt Krems said.

Mosquitoes unfazed by non-treatments

If you’re a business owner and you see an attractive, confident young lady dressed in business attire purposefully striding your way with tv cameraman in tow, that’s probably not good news.

That’s what the management of a New York lawn and tree company discovered when television reporter Tappy Phillips showed up.

It seems the owner of a nice home in Long Island had hired the company for three “Skeeter d’feater” treatments. But even after the treatments the owner complained the mosquitoes were still biting him.

It turns out with good reason.

Security cameras looking over the homeowner’s front and back yards revealed that the lawn care company’s spray technician on the final of the three treatments on Aug. 6 merely got out of his service truck and planted a couple of yard markers indicating that the property had been treated for mosquitoes. Then he got back into the truck and drove away without so much as touching the spray equipment.

The local ABC affiliate aired Tappy Phillip's report, which turned out to be three minutes of bad publicity for the local lawn care company. The company refunded the property owner's payment of $263 for the non-treatment.

Click on the headline to see Tappy Phillips' interview with the property owner and one of the managers of the lawn care company on 7online.

Neat blog in Spanish by a Puerto Rican pro

Raul Feliciano,CLM, is a landscape pro in Puerto Rico that knows his stuff. A college graduate, he has a certificate in Commercial Horticulture/Landscape Management from the NY Botanical Garden.

He's also the author of the only blog on his lovely island that's devoted to horticulture. (At least the only one we're aware of, that is.)

While it's been 40 years since I spent a year studying and teaching English in Bogota, Colombia, and my Castellano is admittedly weak, I could still understand enough of Feliciano's Spanish-language blog to recommend it to your Spanish-speaking workers. I think they would enjoy it and learn something too.

If the link above doesn't work (click on the headline), here's the url for the blog — endemismotrasnochado.blogspot.com. I know that works because I've tried it a couple of times.

— Ron Hall

Cacti rustlers target Palm Desert, CA

Cactus rustling isn’t new to the arid Southwest. Folks have been lifting beautiful specimen plants from public lands for a long, long time, and it's very difficult to control. Recently it’s been making news in upscale Palm Desert, CA. Thieves are targeting cacti planted on city properties, in resorts, on golf courses and just about anywhere they’re planted. It seems the cactus of choice is the golden barrel cactus, according to a recent article by the Associated Press.
The problem has gotten so bad that people are installing surveillance cameras to deter thieves. Apparently some cacti are also being implanted with microchips with barcodes that can be scanned, says the AP.
Other popular desert plants being targeted by thieves include agaves and Mexican fan palms.
To get an idea of the scale of the thievery click on the headline and read the recent Associated Press article. You’ll be surprised by the boldness of the cacti rustlers.
After I posted this I noticed I've written several blogs recently about the theft of landscape plants. I think I'll look for more positive news to post here for a while.

Murray's blog tells how he built the Olympic baseball fields

Murray Cook has one of the most interesting jobs in the world. He travels the globe installing baseball fields and teaching other people how to install and maintain baseball fields. This year he's been spending a lot of his time in Beijing. When you watch the Olympic baseball competition you will be seeing Cook's handiwork — the baseball fields. He had a similar role at the Melbourne Australia and the Athens Greece games.

Murray runs the Sports Turf Division of The Brickman Company. He also works for MLB Commissioner's Office as a field and stadium consultant. He has been taking care of baseball fields since 1974.

In recent years he has been averaging 300,000 air miles annually, traveling to exotic locations to build baseball fields.

If you want to get a flavor for what Murray does and see some fascinating images of the Olympics, check out Murray's blog at — groundskeeper.mlbblogs.com.

Murray's favorite hobby? According to his blog it's "staying at home."

Thievery is always a concern in this business

The Kitsap (WA) Sun newspaper reported on a strange theft the other day. A landscaper there reported that the 50 two-gallon barberry plants he installed on a property on Aug. 4 were dug up and stolen by the next day.

Shortly after replanting them he discovered that 40 of that second batch of shrubs had been stolen, as well. It seems the thief (or thieves) damaged some of the property's irrigation during the heist.

Plant thefts aren't that uncommon, but much more common is the theft of landscape equipment, especially trailers containing mowers, trimmers and other power equipment. Chains and locks aren't much of a deterrent to knowledgeable and determined thieves.

I've also heard of thefts of equipment from trade shows, generally as the equipment is parked waiting to be unloaded onto a trade show floor. Thieves know when trade shows are starting and they're ready to lift and drive away with any equipment that isn't being tended.  — Ron Hall

One very expensive mowing lesson

While I enjoy playing 9 holes from time to time, I’m not a good golfer. I usually play at a local municipal course. My favorite hole is #5, a long par-5 with an expansive fairway that’s pretty difficult to miss. Even by me.

But I miss it on occasion nevertheless, and, a couple of years ago, darn near took out the windshield of an approaching Buick with a wicked slice. The driver of the car, I’m pretty sure, never realized what a close call he had. Now I wait until no cars or trucks are approaching before I tee off on #5.

That memory came to mind as I read a recent article in the Vineland (NJ) Daily Journal.

The article reported on the $725,000 settlement of a lawsuit brought by a motorist who was injured when a golf ball flew through his car window. The ball was launched not by a golfer but by a commercial mower during the routine maintenance of a nearby residential lawn.

The court ruled that the homeowner and the mowing company shared some of the blame for the plaintiff’s injuries because they should have surveyed the lawn and removed the ball before allowing the mowing. They were ordered to pay $37,500 each. The golf and country club got rocked for $650,000 because it did not have netting in place to keep golf balls from leaving its property.

Click on the headline to read the article. — Ron Hall

Reel Earth-friendly mowing

Despite relocating their business from Seattle to Meridian, Idaho, a couple of teenage boys are finding success with an environmentally friendly landscape company. From the Idaho Statesman:
Last year, while living in Seattle, Blake, 17, and Brandon Skenandore, 16, started Join Earth Green, a zero-emission lawn care business, which is green-speak for "people-powered push reel lawn mower."
"We call it the bad haircut that saves the planet," said Blake. A push reel mower may not give a golf course-worthy trim, but it is better for the lawn, the environment and the pocketbook.
In their first year of business the brothers picked up more than two dozen clients. "A gas mower creates as much pollution as running eight cars. We saved 22,000 car miles in pollution in our first year," Brandon said.
Since moving to Meridian five months ago, the brothers have been looking for new clients, not only to earn money, but also to do their part to improve air quality and the environment.
— Mike Seuffert

Brickman employees die in bus accident

Two Brickman employees died in a freak accident on a sightseeing bus on July 11. The Loudon Times reported the story:

Josh Stoll, 24, of Sterling, and Mike Feiock, 35, of Centreville, struck a metal rod under the 11th Street overpass as the sightseeing bus headed down Dwight D. Eisenhower Freeway from a tailgating party at RFK to Nationals Stadium for a baseball game.

"I was right next to them on the bus," said Sheila Christensen, an administrator at landscaping firm Brickman Group, where the two men also worked. "We had gone through two other underpasses and they had reached up with their arms extended and touched the underpass. That's why we didn't know there was any danger, because we had already gone under two and there was plenty of room. When they saw the bridge coming, they didn't duck because it was the same height as the other two."

Christensen said that the 11th Street underpass, however, had a "steel pole" that was not immediately visible and apparently protruded from under the underpass ceiling.

Our sympathies to the victims' personal and professional families. — LM Staff

Fert prices going higher, higher

I hope that Wayne Horman of Scotts Turf-Seed is wrong but I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Horman was quoted in The Capital Times newspaper (Madison, WI) as predicting that the price of fertilizer is going to skyrocket.
He said that urea has gone from costing $200 a ton last year to $790 a ton., and it may approach as much as $1,000 a ton.

Is the lawn care industry as we’ve come to know it going, going, gone?

It’s time to reinvent the lawn care business model.

Click on the headline for the article in The Capital Times. — Ron Hall

More good deeds

I don't think this industry get's enough credit for all the good work it does. Not only do landscapers and lawn care operators keep our lawns looking beautiful, but the people who make up this industry continue to be extremely generous. There's Green Care for Troops, our recent post about Hope In Bloom, and now this from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
"Scott Reinblatt, founder of Big Blue Sky Landscaping, is behind the all-day landscaping event in which his company will mow, trim, edge, and organically fertilize a lawn for $125, money that will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Homeowners will also receive a landscape management care guide, sponsors say."
The event will take place on July 12. The goal is to raise $2,500 for breast cancer research. Think about helping out or holding a similar event in your community. Not only is it good for some PR, but it's good for the soul.
— Mike Seuffert

Hope in Bloom for cancer patients

Here's an article featuring a landscape professional with a heart of gold. It appeared in the Monday, June 23, issue of the Norwood, MA, Daily News Transcript.

WALPOLE — Brenda Cooke is helping to change the landscape for local cancer patients - literally.

She is a landscaper who has donated her time to a nonprofit organization called Hope In Bloom that plants gardens in the yards of people fighting cancer.

Friday, Cooke, a Walpole resident herself, replanted gardens around the pool of breast cancer patient Lynne Bean of Ponderosa Lane in Walpole.

Cooke said the flowers serve as powerful symbolic inspiration. The perennials that are planted show cancer patients that they, like the new flowers in their yard, can bloom again. They encourage people to stick it out through difficult times, as the flowers do in winter, because spring is inevitable.

"Fresh cut flowers are an expression of love," she said. "It's a gift of life."

Bean was diagnosed with breast cancer in December of 2005. While she was being treated, a former co-worker told Hope In Bloom about Bean.

She said she is "deeply grateful for (Cooke's) willingness to donate her time."

Bean calls herself a survivor, but she said she still needs to make regular visits to the hospital for treatment. The new garden, she said, will surely help her continued recovery.

Cooke met with Bean about a month ago to discuss themes for the garden. After looking at catalogs and various sketches, Bean decided on a beach theme with a pink and lime green color scheme.

Cooke then went to work finding flowers and tall grasses to make the vision a reality.

Her work doesn't stop with planting flowers.

By weeding, clearing out space in the garden, tending to window boxes, rearranging furniture and building a lattice to hide pool equipment, Cooke worked to create a "clean, brightened space to enjoy" as well.

"Plants are very therapeutic," Cooke explained. "When the landscaping goes astray, it affects you emotionally and psychologically."

Straightening out a yard, she added, brings a patient "back into emotional balance."

A yard can fall into disorder because keeping it neat is not a priority for a patient undergoing treatment.

Survival was the top-priority when Bean was diagnosed with cancer, she said. She only attended to the "bare necessities" of life.

Along with being weak with illness, a cancer patient tends to spend time with family and devotes financial resources to children and costly treatments.

"It's a family situation," Cooke said. "It's a home situation."

As a cancer patient, you don't "have time to enjoy your landscaping, let alone make it enjoyable."

Bean is married with three children - Lauren, 9, Danny, 11, and Steven, 13.

Hope In Bloom has given her more than just a landscaper. Bean has found a confidant in Cooke.

The landscaper became involved with Hope in Bloom after losing her mother to breast cancer. Her mother, she said, taught her everything she knew about gardening. Cooke said it was an especially difficult time toward the end as the two looked out the window to a yard that had fallen into disarray since they had last devoted time together gardening it.

Cooke's father is also currently in a battle with cancer.

She also started a company, Gardens With Spirit (gardenswithspirit.com), that creates gardens with the aim of cultivating the mind and the soul.

Roberta Herson started Hope In Bloom last year when she lost her best friend, also a gardener, to breast cancer.

Three dozen gardens have been installed, but there are more than 100 requests from all over Massachusetts to attend to.

Today, Cooke and others in the organization are looking for volunteers, especially men, to help with the landscaping and for donations to purchase flowers and plants from nurseries. Donations can be made by consulting the group's Web site, hopeinbloom.org.

"People need to know they can make an impact," Cooke said. The impact they make is personal as well. Money isn't being given to a faceless organization. Like helping the Beans in East Walpole, she said, one would be "making a donation to your neighbor."

Congo put down after one attack too many

Congo the German shepherd made one attack too many — this one injuring and sending the 75-year-old mother of its owner to a hospital.

Congo, of course, is the big dog that chewed up 42-year-old landscape worker, Giovanni Rivera, almost exactly a year ago. He and four other workers came to work on the property of Guy and Elizabeth James in Princeton Township, NJ, that morning when he was attacked by the dog and several of its offspring. Rivera required surgery to patch up his wounds and eventually ended up with a $250,000 settlement.

When the judge hearing the case against Congo last summer, ruled that the dog was a “vicious” dog and should be put down, thousands of Congo’s supporters weighed in to save his life, many claiming that the dog was just protecting its owner from a perceived threat.

Take your pick — either Congo was, in fact, a vicious dog or he perceived that the 75-year-old mother of its owner, Elizabeth James, was a threat when he attacked her.

The family had the dog and his three offspring euthanized this week. According to news reports of the dogs’ death (there were many), their owner Guy Games denied the dogs attacked his mother-in-law. He insisted that they jumped on her “in play.” — Ron Hall

A lighter look at water shortages

Last week California's Governator declared the state was in an official drought and ordered water be transported to the driest areas.

This is a very serious problem and could have a major impact on landscapers and others in the Green Industry. With that in mind, my favorite fake-news source, The Onion, provided a list of ways for California to conserve water, including:

Gardeners must haul their own water from Mexico

Upon the conclusion of each Shamu Show at San Diego's SeaWorld, all persons seated in the Splash Zone must wring out their wet clothes over the lip of the orca tank

Wildfires only allowed to rage out of control on odd-numbered days

Top scientific minds will be summoned to see if they can somehow utilize the immense body of water immediately to the state's left

Click here to see the whole list.

— Mike Seuffert