Can this remote-control mower break into the commercial market?

Labor is the single largest expense for landscape companies. In these economically challenged times when everybody is looking for every efficiency, a remote-control mower that would reduce labor costs would be very attractive to some owners. To this point, in spite of some interesting tries, nobody's been able to come up with a unit that appeals to commercial cutters.

John Wright, owner of Southern RobotX, is the latest entrepreneur to give it a try. He says his hybrid remote control SRX22T commercial mower reduces fuel consumption by 40% and increase productivity for lawn care professionals.

Wright, a distributor of remote control mowers based in New Albany, MS, says that lawn care professionals typically use a bunch of men equipped with 2-stroke weed eaters to maintain slopes over 30 degrees. They are now able to maintain slopes up to 70 degrees with one man and a SRX22T hybrid remote control lawn mower. The hybrid power system on these mowers also keeps the battery charged, he says.

For more information on hybrid remote control lawn mowers, visit RemoteMower.com.

This physician makes house calls . . . . but with a mower

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Emergency room doctor Nathan Arnold makes house calls.

But he won’t be bringing a little black satchel of pills and ointments. He’ll be showing up in a pickup truck sporting a solar panel on its cab and a trailer carrying a battery-powered lawn mower.

Arnold is a franchisee of Clean Air Lawn Care, an environmentally focused landscape service started by a Kelly Giard and a handful of other sharp young people in Fort Collins, CO, four years ago. It offers mowing and trimming with rechargeable battery-powered equipment and organic lawn care services.

You might wonder why a doctor would get into lawn care, as we did when we read the article in The Grand Rapids Press.

“I just feel good about doing it,” he told reporter Garret Ellison of the newspaper.

Obviously, he also thinks he sees a potentially profitable business opportunity, this in spite of Michigan’s economy, one of the hardest hit in the nation.

Checking the Clean Air Lawn Care Web site we see that the idea is growing with new franchise locations in Illinois, North Carolina, Texas and several in the Inner Mountain West and the Pacific Northwest.

By the way, Arnold just charges $40 for a house call . . . meaning mowing a standard-sized lawn. — The LM Staff

The Bahamas starts its own landscape association

NASSAU, THE BAHAMAS — The Bahamas Landscape Association (BLA) launched this spring. As of the end of May more than 50 individual and company members had signed up.

The BLA has partnered with the Florida Nursery Growers Landscape Association and is in discussions with The Bahamas Ministry of Education to acquire funding to provide professional certification to its members. The first “Certified Horticultural Professional” program is being offered to its members online.

The BLA sees certification as very important in creating standards in the Green Industry and providing training to industry members. — The LM Staff

Mississippi landscaper gives away a house

Not all the news you read in the newspapers or see on television makes you want to jump off a tall building. Every once in you see something in the news that makes you appreciate the goodness in people. Here’s one of those stories.

Richard Drummond, who runs Landscaping Logistics, in Biloxi, MS, knows what it’s like to lose a house to a disaster. Hurricane Katrina wiped out his home a couple of years ago.

So, when he learned that a long-time sheriff’s deputy in his area had lost his home in a recent fire and was living with relatives, Drummond offered to give him a house. This week a moving truck is picking up the 3-bedroom house and moving it to the property of the 75-year-old fire victim and former sheriff’s deputy, Glennis Pops Rayburn.

Drummond said he intended to sell the house, which he didn’t need anymore, to make room to expand his landscaping business. That was when he learned that Rayburn had been burned out of his.

"I had something that I didn't need anymore. And here was a man who has a great need for it," Drummond told reporter Brad Kessie of WLOX ABC 13 in Biloxi, MS.

Click here to see the WLOX video interview with Drummond.

Anti-pesticide documentary gets premiere

Paul Tukey's film, Hudson: A Chemical Reaction, premiered in Hudson, Monday night. Hudson is the small town in Quebec Province that set off the chain reaction that has resulted in the banning of lawn care chemicals in Quebec and Ontario provinces.

The film chronicles how Hudson, rallying behind a determined local dermatologist, battled the lawn care industry in court and, receiving a favorable Supreme Court decision in 2001, banned lawn care chemicals.

In the last several years, Tukey has emerged as organic lawn care’s most vocal and recognizable proponent, crafting his organic message into what appears to be a pretty nifty cottage industry. On his website he describes himself as “magazine publisher, best-selling author, public speaker and 2006 Gardening Communicator of the Year.”

In light of his new movie, he’ll need to update it to include filmmaker, too. — Ron Hall

A must-see movie for lawn care business owners

You won’t be seeing this movie in the local cinemax, but you might get to see it at a regional or state conference. Or maybe even on PBS, who knows? I’m talking about a 1-hour documentary entitled “Hudson: A Chemical Reaction.”

We haven't seen it yet, but we understand that it chronicles how Hudson, the small town in Quebec Province, successfully implemented restrictions within its jurisdiction on the use of traditional lawn care chemicals. The town cited health and safety concerns in taking the action, and battled several lawn care companies, eventually winning its case in the Supreme Court. That event, occurring a generation ago, has now been committed to legend, and is viewed as a milestone victory by anti-pesticide forces.

Since Hudson’s successful effort to ban pesticides, the Canadian Provinces of Quebec and Ontario have also essentially banned the sale and use of these products, and other provinces are expected to follow their lead.

Paul Tukey, who is emerging as North America’s organic lawn care guru, is the force behind production of the movie. He is the founder and editor of the magazine “People, Place & Plants,” author of the book, “The Organic Lawn Care Manual,” national spokesman for www.safelawns.org and co-host of a HGTV program . . . and now he’s into cinema.

Tukey collaborated with filmmaker Bett Plymale in making “Hudson: A Chemical Reaction,” which reportedly will be shown at the Toronto International Film Festival this coming September. (Plymale is also listed as director of photography on Tukey's "People, Place & Plants," website.)

From a business as well as a health standpoint, Tukey's decision to switch from operating a traditional lawn care company (which he claims seriously harmed his health) to emerging as perhaps the most recognized proponent of organic lawn care in North America, appears to be working out very, very well for him. — Ron Hall

Electric mowing maybe; push-mowing probably not

I recently read with interest an article in the Aurora Beacon (IL) newspaper about Kevin Franz and his Go Green Mowing Company. Apparently, Frantz has been offering mowing services for the past 10 years, but this year decided to mow only electric and hand-pushed mowers. In the article he describes his concerns about carbon emissions arising from the use of gasoline-powered mowers as the reason for using electric and push mowers.

The article said that Franz had secured “about a half dozen” customers and when he reaches 20 he intends to take on a helper. I’ve read several similar articles this spring in other regional newspapers about start-up lawn service companies that are using electric and push mowers only. These eco-mow professionals make for safe, feel-good copy for local newspapers, but you have to wonder if they can ever generate enough customers and do enough production week in and week out to make a commercial go of it.

Based upon my personal experience (that's me in the image), I don’t see how anyone could do enough production with a push mower to build what can legitimately be described as a growing concern of a company — assuming, that is, that the person doesn't provide any other property services.

For the past 34 years I’ve owned and used a push mower on our 50-ft by 100-ft. property. I started with an old Sears model that I bought at a yard sale, but about five years ago I replaced it with a light-weight Brill mower. My experience has been that a push mower doesn’t mow wet or high grass very well, and it takes longer to mow because sometimes you have to go over the same patch of grass several times with a push mower if grass conditions aren’t just right.

That said, my little green Brill is quiet, never fails to start and is easy to store when I’m done with it. I don’t see any reason to use a gas-powered mower on my small property, but I wouldn’t want to have to depend upon it to build a commercial mowing service; that’s for sure.

Electric-powered equipment is the better alternative for the eco-mow contractor, but the state of battery technology, as it now stands, hinders its adoption by production-oriented service companies. Obviously, the development of better batteries for electric mowers and other lawn service equipment would provide an attractive alternative for lawn service companies that want to serve the “greener” portion of their customer base. Corded electric equipment is just too unhandy for professional users, especially on larger properties.

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal highlights writer Gwendolyn “Wendy” Bounds experiences with the latest alternative-energy lawn service equipment, including the new battery-powered AMP Rider from Ariens Co. It's an entertaining article and highlights a trend that will almost certainly grow — quieter, more environmentally acceptable lawn service equipment.

Manufacturers are developing a host of new alternative-energy products to market but, so far, most of them are targeted for consumers. — Ron Hall

Our Memorial Days must always be green

Years ago, a good friend was in charge of the cemetery maintenance in our small town. For some reason he didn’t get the cemetery in the proper condition for Memorial Day. Perhaps the weather didn’t cooperate, or he had staffing issues or maybe he just dropped the ball. I don't recall the details. It doesn't matter. Our town won’t accept excuses for not having its two cemeteries and its public properties green, tidy and mowed for Memorial Day. The city fired my friend within the week.

Yes, coming out of a long, cold winter there's always a lot that needs to be done in our city, which hasn't changed all that much in the 39 years that I've been there. The downtown could use fixing up and the streets are begging for more than a little patching. But these things will have to wait, as they always do, until after Memorial Day, which this year is almost upon us already, a week early it seems.

My town takes Memorial Day seriously, and it always has as far as I can tell, although the significance of the day must have grown enormously here more than a half century ago. This was a long time before I became a member of the community but I've heard the story often enough that it's become more real to me than anything I studied in high school history class.

On Nov. 25, 1940, just weeks before Pearl Harbor was attacked and the United States entered WWII, a sizable group of local men were inducted into the U.S. Army, proud members of Company C, 192nd Tank Battalion. After training at Fort Knox, KY, and Fort Polk, LA, they were wisked to San Francisco and then to the Phillipines. Within four months of landing in the Phillipines they had been captured by an invading Japanese army. Of the 32 local men captured by the Japanese, only 10 survived the “Bataan Death March” and 3 1/2 years of hard labor and starvation as prisoners of war before being released and returning to our small community.

I’m not sure if any of the men still survives, hopefully so. But other people keep the memory of those soldiers alive, and many years ago supported the naming of a then-new city elementary school Bataan School. That’s appropriate, of course, as is the attention we give to the grass and flowers in our cemeteries and public properties that, in some small way, recognizes the sacrifices of these and others on this one day of the year.

And here we are, just days away from another Memorial Day, and our public officials are making sure everything will be ready, especially the county courthouse property that's in the center of town. It gets special attention.

Two inmates wearing county jumpsuits, are spreading mulch around the trees and in the small gardens that dot the 4-acre property. The courthouse grass is always its darkest green as Memorial Day approaches. One of the inmates, obviously preferring the work and the open air to his jail cell, tells me they he will have opened and spread 488 bags of the mulch prior to this coming Monday morning.

The grassy property, dominated by the handsome 108-year-old sandstone courthouse building, is where the townsfolk will gather this coming Monday morning and line the street to watch the tiny parade pass by — the high school band, the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Brownies, the three or four rows of marching veterans, some holding flags, others with rifles at their shoulders and many in uniforms now much too small.

The marchers, with locals following behind the police car that signals the end of the parade, will head north for another two blocks and then turn left to the west and stop and gather at a smallish rectangular Veteran’s Park behind the imposing brick former armory building, which is now an urgent care center. The park's purpose is easy enough to divine, even for a casual visitor. A hulk of a WWII tank and an adjacent “eternal flame" dominate the small area.

Following the script of every Memorial Day that I can recall, a local dignitary will lead a short solemn ceremony and the veterans will aim their rifles skyward and fire several rounds into the quiet morning sky.

This park too, as tiny as it is, will be freshly mowed, there will be flowers and everything will be tidy. Our small town will not look greener and its grounds will not again look so tidy and presentable as it does this and every Memorial Day. — Ron Hall

ASIC gets briefing on the amazing Masdar City project

Abu Dhabi is one of the seven emirates and the second largest city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the Persian Gulf. Although it averages just 4.2 inches of rain annually, it’s in full blossom thanks to its robust oil production and progressive leaders. Its skyline bristles with new skyscrapers, its streets with retail shops (including some of the most exclusive shops in the world), and its boulevards and parks are awash in greenery and colorful gardens.

Abu Dhabi, with about 900,000 people, is building what it is describing as the world’s first carbon-neutral city. Masdar City is a $28-billion development on a 7-year fast track to become the home of 50,000 people within a decade, and to become “a net carbon waste city.”

The city will be the most visible manifestation of the larger Masdar Initiative, an ambitious program launched by Abu Dhabi in 2006 to become a leader in the development of alternative and sustainable energies.

Jared Thorpe of CH2M Hill, provided details of Masdar City to about 150 people during the recent American Society of Irrigation Consultants (ASIC) Conference in St. Augustine, FL. ASIC members, who design and consult on major irrigation projects, were understandably fascinated by Thorpe’s overview of this visionary, sustainable project in one of the driest regions on earth. As designed, the city will recycle 80% of the water it needs, including capturing the irrigation water in underground pipes after it is used to grow crops.

Thorpe, from New Zealand, has been in the United States since 2001. The firm he works for, CH2M Hill, based near Denver, offers global full-service engineer, consulting and construction services. The company Web site says that CH2M Hill employs about 25,000 and that it had revenues of $5.8 billion in 2007.

Most recently CH2M Hill has been working in the UAE on desalination, the main source of the region’s drinking water, which will also supply potable water for Masdar City. Desalination, of course, is a huge consumer of energy. This, and other major energy users, such as the actual construction of the city, will be offset by the city’s greenery and by the production of energy once the city is up and running.

“This will be a brand new city,” said Thorpe. ‘There will be no cars. Private cars will be parked at the perimeter of the city, and there will be light rail to the airport and neighboring cities.” Within the city, people will be whisked from one area to another in what look like pods or something from the movie Blade Runner, the city’s Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system, which will have several hundred locations and stops. The PRT will run on solar cells and batteries.

Electricity for the city will be supplied mostly from photovoltaics with some contribution from wind turbines and a waste-to-energy system, which is under development. “This city is going to be a testing ground for photovoltaics,” said Thorpe. The city will also use geothermal and concentrated solar power to help supply its energy needs.

Thorpe said the key to ultimately making the city function as designed is the comprehensive “integrated resource system modeling” that is being used. This, of course, depends upon tying all of the project’s complex components together with the aid of an incredibly sophisticated information and technology system.

Thorpe said the Masdar Institute of Technology in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will be opening by the end of the year.

For more information on Masdar City, visit the Web site www.masdaruae or click on the headline above.

Neat, quick guide to sustainable landscape design

We're in awe of how fast this sustainability movement is taking off.

It appears that it's no longer just a word, but a movement, real. We’re just beginning to see it emerge in the landscape industry. We feel that once it gets rolling full blast it’s going to change the industry in a big hurry — and for the better. It's going to open up service opportunities that none of us imagined previously.

This growing focus on sustainability will broaden the need for the landscape industry’s professional services beyond aesthetics and deeper into ecological remediation and regeneration. Like our nation’s infrastructure (roads, bridges, water plants, etc.), our urban environments (public and private) need help.

Academia can see what’s going on and is there to help. We lifted the information below from a a neat little publication from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. Click on the headline for the concisely written 4-pager. A nice introduction to sustainable design.

1 Windbreaks and shelterbelts conserve energy, control drifting snow, provide food and shelter for wildlife, screen unwanted views, filter dust and noise, and create microclimates that benefit plant health.

2 Berms (gradually sloped mounds of soil) help define landscape spaces by creating sloping “walls” along pathways or between different areas, elevating plants for better visibility, and improving drainage and growing conditions for plants in poor soil.

3 Ornamental grasses tolerate a wide variety of conditions, provide food and cover for wildlife and offer year-round visual interest. Many of these ornamental grasses are native to the Great Plains.

4 Groundcover plants used on steep slopes eliminate dangerous turf mowing conditions, lessen precipitation runoff and soil erosion, and provide additional visual interest and biodiversity.

5 Grouping similar plants into masses creates a stronger visual impact and interest in the landscape, copies natural plant community structure, and produces stronger edges in the landscape that are important for both aesthetics and habitat.

6 Selectively use higher maintenance turfgrasses in areas of high visibility, access, and use.

7 Use lower maintenance turfgrasses and prairie or adapted grasses in areas of low use and access (not necessarily low visibility).

8 Use organic mulch in all planting beds to increase soil water retention, reduce weeds, visually strengthen bed lines through the color and texture contrast between the mulch and turf, minimize short-term swings in soil temperatures, and enhance soil structure and organic matter content.

Source: Steven N. Rodie, Extension Landscape Horticulture Specialist and Anne M. Streich, Horticulture Educator, U. of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension

New water meters pose mowing risk for the unaware

If you’re in the mowing business be aware of the new ‘green” water meters that are being installed in some cities. The meters, which are installed flush into the ground, have a plastic transmitter that sticks up about an inch. It allows water department employees to get properties' readings electronically. The meter guy or gal doesn’t even have to leave their truck to find out how much water has been used on the property for the month.

Television station KSWO in Wichita Falls, TX, says that property owners in Lawton, OK, have been accidentally mowing off the transmitters with their mowers, costing the city about $100 per meter to repair, not to mention the waste in time and fuel.

Our guess is that this warning is unnecessary for you professional cutters since you know better than to mow that close to the ground anyway. Higher cut turfgrass is healthier turfgrass and discourages weed competition.

Click on the headline if you’re interested in seeing a video of the KSWO newscast about the mowed off water meter sensors.

Green claims alone just won't cut it

Do you want to sell green? Well, green by itself won't cut it with the great majority of consumers, says Honey Rand, Ph.D., APR, an engaging ball of energy with a smiling, here’s-the-real-deal way of making a point.

Rand runs a Florida-based consulting, pr and issues management firm that specializes in environmental issues and was one of the presenters at the recent American Society of Irrigation Consultants (ASIC) conference. Here's what she shared with the irrigation professionals about selling green to today’s consumers — four selling points:

1) An economic reason

2) An environment reason

3) A social reason

4) A political reason

Get any combination of three of these right and — bingo — you’ve got the sale. (Actually, Rand’s phrase was “you’ll change public policy,” which we’re taking as a flashback to her days as director of communication for the South Florida Water Management Agency).

Rand, Environmental PR Group, Lutz, FL, used the example of a swimming pool service to make her point. Apparently, there’s a movement to replace the fresh water in residential swimming pools with salt water. (Since not LM editor owns a swimming pool we'll take her word for it.) Companies are selling this service by providing the following reasons:

1) economic reason — pool treatments are less expensive

2) environmental reason — reduces or eliminates the need for chlorine

3) social reason — less time is spent maintaining the pool

4) political reason — none for this particular example


The take home message: Few consumers select a green service or product solely on green claims. Your product or service will need to be competitively priced, and if it delivers other benefits, you've got a sale.

What consumers really want is “substantive value,” said Rand.

Cocoa (mulch) a no-no for Fido

Apparently, cocoa mulch and dogs don’t go together very well. We just ran across an article in a local newspaper about a man’s dog gulping down an indeterminate amount of cocoa mulch and getting extremely sick as a result. While it would seem that cocoa mulch provides an inordinate amount of roughage for any system, which would create an obvious problem, apparently the veterinarian determined it was the cocoa more than the mulch that caused the pet's near-death experience.

Curious about what effect cocoa mulch might have on a dog, we Googled the subject and came across this information from dogownersdigest.com.

Chocolate contains theobromine. A naturally occurring stimulant found in the cocoa bean, theobromine increases urination and affects the central nervous system as well as heart muscle. While amounts vary by type of chocolate, it's the theobromine that is poisonous to dogs.

Not all chocolate is the same. Some has a small amount of theobromine; another type has a large amount and still another contains an amount that is somewhere in between. The quantity has a relationship with the weight of your dog. Small dogs can be poisoned, it is easy to understand, from smaller amounts of theobromine than large dogs.

I’m not sure if landscapers use cocoa mulch anymore, and we wouldn’t recommend it in light of the hazard it might present to the family pet.

If you want to know more about what chocolate can do to a dog, click on the headline.

Groundcovers work when turfgrass won't

We love turfgrass, and nothing comes close to it for beauty and utility on our sports fields, in our parks, in our common areas and for our home lawns. Even so, native and regionally adapted creeping perennials are often a better design choice for some locations within landscapes and also in some regions of the country, where water resources are scarce and/or expensive.

A little research or a trip to a local botanical garden or demonstration garden will usually reveal attractive low-maintenance perennial ground covers that grow in sun or shade, often in locations where turfgrass struggles. Most ground covers, once they're established, require very little water or fertilizer. Most varieties only need one feeding of slow-release fertilizer each year to provide a thick mat of foliage that helps prevent weeds, eliminating the need for chemical control.

Ground covers are especially well suited for small areas that are difficult to maintain — slopes, under trees or in confined landscapes. Many of the varieties will withstand some foot traffic. Varieties such as Platt's Black Brass Buttons, with its wonderfully textured purple-gray leaves, and County Park Pratia with its showy blue blooms above a dense mat of foliage, are perfect varieties to use between stepping-stones or along walkways.

Check out the many varieties of sedums that thrive in sunny, dry areas. Sedums work well on slopes and are a classic rock garden plant filling in between rocks, eliminating a haven for weeds. John Creech Sedum, with it purple-pink flowers and dense foliage, and Angelina Sedum, with its uniquely textured golden-yellow foliage, are star performers in sunny, arid areas.

Some ground covers, such as the Yellow Ripple Ivy, also do very well in patio containers. Ivy and other creeping perennials make great fillers for container gardens, drooping or cascading over the edges of the pots.

(Thanks to Forever and Ever Groundcovers for reminding us of the beauty and utility of these attractive but often-overlooked landscape plants.)

Accurate read of Canadian's views on lawn chemicals?

Are Canadian's feelings against the use of common synthetic pesticides on lawns as strong as the responses to recent news articles suggest? Or is the weight of these responses misleading because people with strong feelings regarding a particular issue tend to be more outspoken in expressing their opinions about it?

Your answer, I suppose, depends on which side of this issue you favor.

The action by liberal provincial leaders effective April 22 banning the sale and use of more than 240 pesticide products for the “cosmetic” use on landscapes in Ontario Province would appear to have widespread support — assuming reader responses to a recent article in the Toronto Star newspaper accurately measure citizen's sentiments.

That article briefly notes that new Democrat MP Pat Martin introduced a bill in the nation’s House of Commons to impose a national ban on pesticides on lawns, gardens and parks. While his proposal isn’t expected to go anywhere (not soon anyway), it generated a spat of responses on the Star website, most of them seemingly in favor of a national ban.

Click on the headline and check out the responses, an indication perhaps of how effective activists have been in regards to the lawn pesticide issue? — Ron Hall

National Arboretum unveils first solar-powered irrigation system

The U.S. National Arboretum is "going green" with the installation of its first solar-powered drip irrigation system that will save electricity and water at the 446-acre facility operated by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Washington, DC., writes Stephanie Yao for the USDA.

The new system is part of a long-range plan to update and improve the arboretum grounds. Future plans include installing a larger solar collector near the National Capitol Columns and solar shingles on the Arbor House, which houses the gift shop and visitor restrooms.

Installation of the new system marked the end of a week-long workshop conducted by students and faculty from Alfred State College of the State University of New York. The workshop—attended by arboretum staff, contractors and homeowners—provided hands-on instruction on how to construct and use the system and its many benefits.

Located in Nursery 5, which is used to conduct research aimed at the development of improved trees for landscape use, the new system consists of six solar panels that collect sunlight, a battery that stores the energy, and a converter box that converts the stored energy into electricity used to run the nursery's drip-irrigation system. Because of the nursery's remote location, installing solar panels was less expensive than running an electrical line from the main power source, approximately a half mile away. As a result, the arboretum will see immediate savings on costs.

The latest project is a staff-driven effort to cut energy costs and conserve resources. The new system took less than one year to complete. Arboretum Director Tom Elias first met Alfred State representatives during the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Bio Energy Awareness Days (BEAD II) exhibition held at the arboretum last June. The meeting led to a five-year cooperative agreement to develop and install green technologies that will help the arboretum reduce its carbon footprint.

The arboretum's new system serves as a model for more energy-efficient landscape gardening. Solar power can be used in urban and suburban areas and is applicable to all types of power systems. Gardeners can use it to power water features, such as fountains and waterfalls, and irrigation systems.

USDA gets in on the Earth Day 'People's Garden' action

WASHINGTON, D.C. — I’m beginning to get the feeling that the U.S. government, perhaps channeling Thomas Jefferson’s vision of America, would like us to return to being a nation of self-reliant, small-scale truck farmers/landscapers.

I'm not sure we've still got the grit for that because many of the people I know take cheap food an American God-given, and that it's always available neatly packaged at any local super store. Somehow it just miraculously appears on store shelves. No fuss. No problem.

I can confidently say that that's not the case, having misspent the summers of my youth working on truck farms in northern Ohio, most of which have long since disappeared, the land apparently being better suited for growing houses and strip malls. Based upon the many days I spent hoeing peppers and cucumbers, pulling sweet corn at the crack of dawn and picking green beans, tomatoes and all sorts of other edibles, I think I'm qualified to say that farmng, include its smaller cousin gardening, ain't that easy.

Landscaping, I've since learned, isn’t something for the untrained or sedentary either, although I think the point the U.S. government is trying to make in regards to some of photos ops it has staged recently involving the planting of vegetable gardens in places like the White House is that we've got to do a better job of taking care of our land.

That said, at the Earth Day ceremony at the USDA headquarters here Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack declared the entire grounds at the USDA Jamie L. Whitten Building as 'The People's Garden' (whoa there, sounds too much like the People’s Republic for my taste) and unveiled plans to create a sustainable landscape on the grounds.

A positive gesture, a symbolic gesture, a reminder that we should get off our fannies and get reconnected with the land that we live on, but, alas, mostly an opportunity for a photo op?

Here's the release (shortened) from the USDA regarding the Earth Day ceremony. You can click on the headline to be taken to the news release and a slew of images of the ceremony so you can judge for yourself.

"USDA is an every day every way kind of department and this garden will help illustrate the many ways USDA works to provide a sustainable, safe and nutritious food supply as well as protect and preserve the landscape where that food is produced," said Vilsack. "The garden will help explain to the public how small things they can do at home, at their business or on their farm or ranch, can promote sustainability, conserve the nation's natural resources, and make America a leader in combating climate change."

The People's Garden is designed to provide a sampling of USDA's efforts throughout the world as well as teach others how to nurture, maintain and protect a healthy landscape. If practiced, these garden concepts can be the general public's, government's, or business' contribution to providing healthy food, air, and water for people and communities.

In response to the overwhelming public support and hundreds of letters the 'People's Garden' concept has received, Secretary Vilsack challenged USDA facilities around the world to plant their own 'People's Gardens.'

Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan officially kicked off the Earth Day event at the Whitten Building with Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chairman Brings Plenty who performed a traditional song and planted seeds at a ceremonial Three Sisters Garden to celebrate American Indians' contribution to American agriculture. Merrigan led volunteers and USDA staffers in planting vegetables, herbs and flowers to complete the first phase of The People's Garden. Eventually, the garden will include organic raised vegetable beds, organic transition plots, an organic urban container garden, an organic kitchen pollinator garden, rain gardens and a bat house.

A Three Sisters Garden is a traditional garden consisting of corn, beans and squash that has been planted by American Indians for centuries. Stories of the Three Sisters refers to a tradition of interplanting corn, beans and squash in the same mound. It is a sophisticated, sustainable planting system that has provided long term soil fertility and a healthy diet to generations of American Indians.

The People's Garden is not confined to USDA headquarters in Washington, DC. Secretary Vilsack has challenged all USDA facilities-across the country and around the world-to create similar gardens and create healthier landscapes. — Ron Hall

Making the connection with Mexican workers

Emeric McCleary, a first generation U.S. born Mexican-American who lives in Alexandria, KY, maintains a blog for businesses that employ Latin American workers.

The tips and advice he offers on the blog help Green Industry employers of Hispanic workers (primarily Mexican) reduce frustration and identify potential profit-killing mistakes that business owners are prone to make before they happen.

McCleary offers the tips and strategies in a respectful win-win style, yet he doesn’t mince words. Check out his blog at www.MexicanWorkerTips.com (or click on the headline).

He would like to hear your comment, especially regarding any area of concern and interest you would like addressed.

Battery-powered robot mower in your future?

BOISBRIAND, QUEBEC — RobotShip and BelRobotics have signed a distribution relationship to improve distribution of battery-powered BigMow and ParcMow commercial robot lawn mowers and a robotic BallPicker for golf practice ranges.

RobotShop says the lawn mowers mow properties of up to 2.5 to 5 acres respectively. Large properties, private and commercial, can benefit from these automated mowers by reducing labor overhead, noise and emissions. They also follow a set of mowing patterns that improves property aesthetics.

"The agreement between BelRobotics America Inc. and RobotShop Inc. marks the dawn of our first steps into cyber space, a world premier for the Belrobotics group. We have great hope in this new channel of distribution and the RobotShop team," shared M. Christophe Sepulchre, President of BelRobotics North America.

The BallPicker is an automated golf ball picking robot that can collect up to 12 000 golf balls a day. The BigMow-ParcMow and BallPicker make a great combination for golf practice range owners, merging efficiency with silent operation and no emissions.

"Belrobotics products are green, producing absolutely no emissions and are autonomous. Our product line focuses on lawn care for small, medium and large surfaces and golf ball picking on practice range," stated M. Christophe Sepulchre, President of BelRobotics North America.

For more information on the BigMow, ParcMow and BallPicker, visit robotshop.com or click on the headline.

Colorado lawn care pros get into Earth Day spirit

DENVER — Davey Tree Expert Co., Whit Tree Service, Jim's Pride Landscaping, Cyn Mar, Fertek, Van Diest Supply, Bestyard.com, Green Mountain Lawn and Tree Care, and Lawn Doctor are among the companies, aided by local boy scouts, that are fixing up rundown Riverside Cemetery here on Earth Day, April, reports the Denver Post.

Riverside, established in 1876, is the oldest cemetery in Colorado. Its 77 acres are the final resting place for more than 67,000 people. The cemetery's last burial was in July 2995, because the company that manages the cemetery said it could no longer afford to maintain it, claiming that the cemetery's $2.1 million endowment did not generate enough money (about $62,000 annually) to water and take care of the grounds.

Green Industry companies across the country will be participating in community service projects on Earth Day. The Professional Lawncare Network (PLANET) is heading the effort for the landscape/lawn service contractor segment of the industry. State associations are getting into the act, too, as evidenced by the work being done at Riverside by members of the Colorado Lawn Care Association and other volunteers.

The group will plant and test various types of native grasses in various plots to determine what kinds of plant life will thrive in the cemetery's soil.

Scouts plan to pull weeds and clean up the fence line of the cemetery on Brighton Boulevard. Riverside's $2.1 million endowment generates about $62,000 a year — not enough to water the property and properly care for the graves.

Donors of materials and seed include Pawnee Buttes Seed, Sharp Brothers Seed, High Country Gardeners, Western Native Seed, Beauty Beyond Belief, John Deere Landscapes, Chem Way, Alpha Once Inc., Helena Chemical Co. and Arkansas Valley Seed Co, says the Denver Post.

Public picks winner of $35,000 park landscape

SAVANNAH, GA — Three companies have been chosen as finalists in the waterSmart Landscape Challenge here. The winner, which will be determined by public vote, will be awarded a $35,000 contract with the City of Savannah to install their garden design in Bryan Square. You see each of the plans and vote by going to www.watersmartgardenvote.com or clicking on the headline.

Three innovative landscape designer firms have created sustainable, water-efficient gardens for Bryan Square on Hutchinson Island as part of an overall effort by the city and state of Georgia to show residents how to create and maintain landscapes that use less water.

The three finalists are:

• Kern-Coleman & Co.: Multi-disciplined landscape architecture firm based in Savannah
• Thomas & Hutton Engineering Company: Savannah-based firm with more than 26 years experience in landscape design
• Witmer-Jones-Keefer, Ltd.: Bluffton, S.C.-based landscape architecture and land planning firm

"These three firms have delivered beautiful, creative and sustainable gardens designs that will welcome visitors to Hutchison Island and showcase our city's commitment to sustainability," said Laura Walker, administrator of Savannah's Environmental Affairs Department. "Each showcases new ideas for water-efficient landscapes that can easily be translated to residential gardening and I hope everyone takes the time to see them at www.watersmartgardenvote.com."

Bryan Square is located on Hutchinson Island and sits between the ferry landing and the entrance to the new Savannah International Trade and Convention Center, where thousands of visitors arrive each year. The property is also part of the Savannah Harbor at Hutchinson Island development, which will rely significantly on reclaimed water for landscaping needs.

The waterSmart Landscape Challenge's main objectives are to promote water conservation and education, while highlighting the creative potential of waterSmart landscape principles, specifically selecting plants that suit the location and minimizing the use of fertilizers and pesticides. The selection of the right plants used in the right places will yield landscapes that, once established, can be maintained with little or no supplemental watering.

"Maintaining beautiful lawns and gardens requires much less water than most people realize. Overwatering harms plants and wastes a valuable community resource," said Deron Davis, director of the waterSmart program for the state Environmental Protection Division. "By creating waterSmart landscapes, homeowners can significantly reduce their water consumption - and their water bills."

In order to maximize public awareness of water-efficient landscaping and irrigation techniques, proposals were evaluated in a two-stage process. In the first round, a panel comprised of landscaping professionals and knowledgeable representatives selected by the city of Savannah selected the three finalists. In the second round of judging, residents of Savannah and across the state will select the final design through a period of online voting. Installation will occur according to the city of Savannah's needs, and will be paid for through a contract with the city.

The city of Savannah is working in partnership with the waterSmart program of the Environmental Protection Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. A Request for Proposal, which includes rules and site information, can be obtained online at www.ci.savannah.ga.us.

About waterSmart

waterSmart is an education program designed to give Georgians the information they need to successfully conserve water. Developed by the Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority in 2000 for residents in its service area, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division began using the waterSmart brand in communications and education activities in 2006 to help residents statewide understand how to maintain their landscapes while using less water. The State waterSmart program was piloted in six communities in 2007 and went statewide through a partnership with University of Georgia Cooperative Extension in 2008. For more information, please visit www.conservewatergeorgia.net.

A fresh look at unauthorized immigrants

The Pew Hispanic Center today released "A Portrait of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States," which includes population and labor force estimates for each state, as well as national-level findings about families, education, income and other key indicators.

The report finds that unauthorized immigrants are more geographically dispersed than in the past. A group of 28 high-growth states in the mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Mountain and Southeast regions are now home to 32% of the unauthorized population, more than double their 14% share in 1990. California's share declined to 22% from 42% during this same period.


Unauthorized immigrants are more likely than either U.S.-born residents or legal immigrants to live in a household with a spouse and children, according to the report. A growing share of the children of unauthorized immigrants (73%) are U.S. citizens by birth. The U.S.-born and foreign-born children of unauthorized immigrants make up an estimated 6.8% of the nation's students enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12.

Looking at undocumented workers, the report finds that the rapid growth of the unauthorized immigrant labor force from 1990 to 2006 has halted. The new report estimates there were 8.3 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. labor force in March 2008, accounting for 5.4% of the work force. The 2008 labor force estimate appears slightly lower than the 2007 estimate, but the change is within the margin of error.

The unauthorized immigrant share of the labor force varies widely by state. Undocumented immigrant workers constitute roughly 10% or more of the labor force in Arizona, California and Nevada, but less than 2.5% in most Midwest and Plains states.

About three-quarters (76%) of the nation's unauthorized immigrants are Hispanic. As the Pew Hispanic Center has previously reported, 59% are from Mexico.

The new report builds on a Pew Hispanic Center analysis released last year, which estimated there were 11.9 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. in 2008. That report said the size of the unauthorized population appears to have declined since 2007, but the difference is not statistically significant. Both reports are based on an analysis of data from the March Current Population Survey, conducted by the Census Bureau, and on the 1990 and 2000 Censuses.

Other major findings:

— Adult unauthorized immigrants are disproportionately likely to be poorly educated. Among unauthorized immigrants ages 25-64, 47% have less than a high school education. By contrast, only 8% of U.S.-born residents ages 25-64 have not graduated from high school.

— An analysis of college attendance finds that among unauthorized immigrants ages 18 to 24 who have graduated from high school, half (49%)are in college or have attended college. The comparable figure for U.S.-born residents is 71%.

— The 2007 median household income of unauthorized immigrants was $36,000, well below the $50,000 median household income for U.S.-born residents. In contrast to other immigrants, undocumented immigrants do not attain markedly higher incomes the longer they live in the United States.

— A third of the children of unauthorized immigrants and a fifth of adult unauthorized immigrants live in poverty. This is nearly double the poverty rate for children of U.S.-born parents (18%) or for U.S.-born adults (10%).

— More than half of adult unauthorized immigrants (59%) had no health insurance during all of 2007. Among their children, nearly half of those who are unauthorized immigrants (45%) were uninsured and 25% of those who were born in the U.S. were uninsured.

Click on the headline for a link to the full report.

City of Guelph plans world's first large "pollination park"

The world's first large-scale "pollination park" is a step closer to reality and will be on the agenda during a Pollination Symposium to be held April 18 at the Delta Hotel and Conference Centre in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

The event will feature experts from Canada and the United States speaking on a variety of topics, including the importance of pollination, challenges facing the honey bee industry, and how to keep “good bugs” happy using native plants.

The symposium runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will raise funds to establish pollinator habitat at the new Eastview Pollination Park, to be built on a former Guelph landfill site. The City of Guelph is scheduled to begin construction of trails and sports fields and a demonstration plot will be planted on the site this summer.

Pollination Guelph, a not-for-profit group formed this year, is working with the city to design habitat for pollinators including birds and insects, said Karen Landman, a member of the group’s board of directors and a professor in the department of environmental design and rural development at the University of Guelph.

Scientists estimate that pollinators provide one out of every three bites of food on our plates and that three out of four flowering plants require animal pollinators to set seeds and fruit. But pollinator populations have declined in recent years, she said.

Landman added the goal of the project isn't just to provide a habitat for pollinators; it's also to foster research and education programs that encourage people to help – by demonstrating the use and maintenance of pollinator-friendly plants, for example.
Speakers and topics scheduled for the symposium include:

• Ontario Beekeepers' Association, "Problems Facing the Honeybee Industry in Ontario"
• Cory Sheffield, York University, "The Bees of Canada"
• Rufus McIsaacs, Michigan State University, "Keeping Good Bugs Happy: Using Native Plants to Support Bees and Other Beneficial Insects"
• Bob Wildfong, Pollination Canada, "Be a Pollinator Observer: How to Identify and Record Information About Pollinators in Your Own Backyard"


For information or to register, contact pollinationguelph@gmail.com or visit www.pollinationguelph.ca

Will Canadians become U.S. pesticide customers?

A lot has been made in our region of the Great Lakes in northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan of seniors slipping into Canada to buy cheaper prescription drugs.

It looks like some Canadians might be returning the favor after April 22 when a ban on 250 lawn chemicals goes into effect throughout the Province of Ontario, Canada’s most populous region. A recent article in the Sarnia (Ontario) Observer points out how easy it will be for Canadians to still get their favorite pest controls, assuming they want to make the short drive into Michigan or other U.S. border states where the products are still sold.

We're waiting to hear if the Ontario pesticide police (with apologies to Dirty Harry) try out the following line on a would-be, lawn-loving, border-crossing, pesticide-buying homeowner: "You've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya punk?"

Click on the headline to read the short article in the Sarnia Observer. — The Staff

Barthuly Irrigation team steps up to the plate

A news article in a recent issue of the Indianpolis Star, a newspaper I used to read every day as a college student in Indiana a long time ago, reminded me of something I've been meaning to do for a long time, but always put off because I was too busy — or maybe I just I made myself too busy. I've been meaning to contact the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity and volunteer my skills as a volunteer home builder, as meager as they may be. Now that I've committed it to paper, I know my chances of following through are much greater.

The article in question? It referred to a recent "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" project near Indianapolis, and the generousity of volunteers, including Ken and Larry Barthuly and some of the other folks of Barthuly Irrigation, Carmel, IN, who donated time and product to the project:

Here's what the Star reported:

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" -- a reality TV show that builds a house in a week for a deserving family -- has built a 2,750-square-foot home on Indianapolis' Near Eastside. It is for Bernard McFarland, a computer specialist at Indianapolis Public Schools' Marshall High School. He and his three sons will return today, after the show sent them on a Paris vacation while the work was being done.

The McFarland makeover includes a 975-square-foot community resource center on the adjacent property.

The center is a surprise for McFarland, a mentor for children in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood, where volunteers also improved dozens of homes in the area of 25th Street and Keystone Avenue.

Zionsville's Barthuly Irrigation, which specializes in residential and commercial irrigation and landscape lighting, is among more than 180 area companies and organizations -- and thousands of volunteers -- that have donated time and goods to the "Extreme Makeover" project.

Ken Barthuly, 39, and his brother Larry, 45, both Carmel, started the business 18 years ago. Barthuly Irrigation works closely with Carmel-based home builder Estridge, the TV show's local building partner.

"I heard about it on the radio and was about a minute away from making a call for us to be a part of it, and then found out they (Estridge) already called us," Ken Barthuly said.

Ken and Larry Barthuly; their father Roland, Carmel; and the company's production manager Brett Berry, Westfield, installed landscape lighting around the house, through the courtyard and around trees.

Ken Barthuly describes himself and his wife as reality show freaks who love being involved with a television program, but he said his involvement came about mostly because he wanted to give back to the community.

"It's a sense of paying it forward, and what better place for it to happen than in Indiana -- the heartland of red, white and blue," he said.

His company also contributes to about 20 other charities throughout the state and country.

Barthuly said it's great to see how many volunteers, businesses and organizations have come together. He called the house and outpouring of community support the McFarlands have received pretty impressive.

"The community is in need of some cleanup and it's nice to see the kids and adults watching the process because it's Hollywood in their front yards," he said. "This is something they'll (the community will) cherish for the rest of their lives." — Ron Hall

A peek at the Obama White House garden plan

Just after First Lady, Michelle Obama, broke ground for the White House vegetable garden, Plangarden released an online interactive version of the Obama's organic garden layout. The interactive vegetable garden layout was built using the new 2.0 version of Plangarden's garden design software

Plangarden plans to maintain the garden views with up-to-date information as the garden plantings change from season to season.

Plangarden also just released a, "Grow Your Own Vegetables – Value Calculator" tool that estimates the value of produce from your vegetable garden in supermarket, farmer's market, and organic produce dollars. This can help calculate how much can be saved on groceries as more families are being squeezed in this economic downturn. Variables, such as vegetable costs, can be modified by the user to best reflect local costs.

Here’s a plug for Plangarden (www.plangarden.com), which supplied the image and is hooking onto the growing urban gardening trend. We think that designing some edibles into landscapes has nice possibilities for landscape professionals.

To see a bigger picture of the White House vegetable garden plan, click on the headline. –The Staff

Would you describe this landscaper as a hero? We would

The word “hero” is tossed around pretty freely these days. In fact, you can hardly turn on the television news program without mention of yet another hero, which is a good thing, if you give it much thought. Hero is certainly better than swindler or racketeer or fraudster or. . . well, let’s give it a rest.

I don’t know if Scot Olson, a landscaper working in Oak View, CA, feels comfortable being described as a hero, but you can bet at least one family wouldn’t hesitate to call him that, reported the Ventura Country Star.

You see, Olson was working in a yard in that city late Friday afternoon when he noticed two toddlers near a swimming pool. He told the youngsters to stay away from the pool, and, believing the toddlers were being watched by adults, he went back to work.

You guessed it. When Olson checked on the youngsters a while later, he noticed one of them floating on the surface of the pool. He broke through a picket fence and snatched the little one from the pool, yelled for help and began giving it mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. A woman came and, with Olson’s help pulled the second girl from the bottom of the pool. Again, he applied resuscitation and again the toddler responded.

The newspaper reports both youngsters survived thanks to Olson. Way to go Scot Olson!! -- LM Staff

A reasoned response to the Ontario ban

On April 22 homeowners and landscape professionals will no longer be allowed to use about 250 chemical products on their landscapes or lawns in Ontario, the most populous province in Canada. Ontario is following the lead of Quebec Province, which took a similar action earlier this decade. Other Canadian cities and provinces are considering bans of their own on chemical landscape products they feel are being used for "cosmetic purposes" only. These bans typically target residential, school, municipal and commercial properties but not golf courses. Farmers and suppliers to the country's agricultural industry are concerned the anti-pesticide movement within the country will target them next.

Below is a letter that Dean M. Stanbridge, a technical consultant to Pest Management Professional, a sister publication of Landscape Management, sent to a local newspaper in Ontario where he resides. We think he takes a reasoned position to the issue of landscape chemical use. What do you think?

Dear Editor

As a long term resident of Milton, I feel it's time to speak up and set the record straight on the new unconstitutional pesticide ban in the Province of Ontario. Before I begin, I would like to make it clear that I am not a proponent of indiscriminate use of pesticides.

To ensure credibility, I've been an international consultant to the United Nations Environmental Program for over 10 years. My research has been published in numerous countries and won several awards that include being the 2004 recipient of the World's Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award for my work on reducing harmful ozone emissions. I'm familiar with the use of pesticides throughout the world and am a regular speaker on this topic.

Although I agree that steps needed to be taken to address the use of "cosmetic" pesticides, it's a sad state of affairs when science and common sense were pushed aside by scare tactics and emotion. This ban will have far reaching consequences that include documented increases to disease and reduced public health. It's sad that extremists on both sides of this issue couldn't have come to a common ground to provide the groundwork for the support of the "judicious" use of pesticides. This would have immediately reduced the use of pesticides by over 90% and still produced the desired control and protection to public health.

I'm deeply disappointed to know that our Federal Constitution can be so easily disregarded and that an entire layer of government, including hundreds of scientists testing can be ignored by pure emotion and misinformation.

Most Canadians will never understand that Canada is one of the hardest countries in the World to grant a federal registration, its use continues to be monitored and reviewed on a regular basis. If any questionable science is unearthed, the pesticide is immediately re-reviewed and validated. In addition to the rigorous pesticide registration process, each professional applicator must be trained and licensed.
In most Provinces, they must also accumulate continuing education hours in order to maintain their license. No other Canadian industry, including doctors, requires this type of diligence to maintain its standing.

I am disturbed to find that an entire industry of this caliber can be essentially disintegrated because of hearsay and rhetoric. To put thing in perspective, I've spend the past 5 years doing a test on mine and my neighbor's properties. We've applied commonsense and kept our lawns cut longer, fertilized at key times of the season and applied spot applications of pesticides, only when required to control noxious weeds. In total, we've applied less than 12 ml of a highly regulated, approved and scientifically tested pesticide. Our lawns are the best on the street and yes I encourage my young children to play on them.

To further that perspective, the average vehicle leaks approximately 1 liter of an unknown mix of oils, gas, antifreeze and other liquids per year. the combination of these fluids are neither tested, regulated or registered and, no, I would never permit my children to play in or around any ditch or ground water anywhere near a road or parking lot.

Before we condemn a highly regulated industry, let's take a good look at our own backyards or in this case our driveways.

DEAN M. STANBRIDGE

Outsourcing and edibles: trends or fads?

You're fired, You're hired: A Fayette, GA, newspaper reports that growing, modern Peachtree City, located just southeast of Atlanta, just signed a one-year contract with TruGreen Landcare of Stone Mountain for about $256,206 for this year to do the landscape maintenance, pick up litter and perform "other duties" for the city. The contract can be extended for one-year terms in 2010 and 2011. The contract includes quotes for individual services so if the city needs to adjust the schedule for mowing and landscaping, it can be done, according to the report in \"The Citizen."

The city recently fired 23 workers, subsequently hiring back several, to get a handle on a projected $3.5-million budget shortfall in next year's budget.

A trend? Definitely. Cities are more and more likely to outsource landscape maintenance and related services to contractors, assuming the contractors are efficient enough to provide the service the city desires, turn an acceptable profit and still save the city money. No disrepect to municipal workers, but my gut feeling is that well-run, profit-driven landscape companies have better systems than cities to get these tasks done efficiently.

Another likely factor in outsourcing is that cities facing budget woes see hiring outside contractors as a way to get out from under the burden of paying benefits to their employees, something that many contractors don't provide hourly workers. That said, I can't speak to whether that's the case or not with of TruGreen Landcare of Stone Mountain as I don't know.

The newspaper reported that Peachtree City expects to save more than $900,000 by letting its city workers go and outsourcing the work they had been performing.


Something to chew on: In an unrelated news flash, but something that we've been referring to occasionally on this blog, Maria Shriver, California's first lady, announced plans for an edible garden on the grounds of the state Capitol.

California chef Alice Waters, who teamed with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom to plant a vegetable garden outside city hall last summer, will help build the garden in May.

The nation's first lady Michelle Obama joined school children last week to plant a produce and herb garden on the White House grounds.

We'll keep an eye on the phenomenon of edible gardens to see if it has legs or is merely a fad. - Ron Hall

An Obama garden would make edibles huge

It looks like the Obamas are going to be gardening at the White House, so break out your hoes and rakes, and dust off your straw hats because edible gardens look like the next big thing.

In the April issue of Oprah Winfrey’s “O” magazine, Michelle Obama indicates that the First Family is putting in an organic garden. “We want to use it as a point of education, to talk about health and how delicious it is to eat fresh food, and how you can take that food and make it part of a healthy diet,” she tells Winfrey.

Q.) Are vegetable gardens something that landscapers can work into their services?

A.) Yes, but isn't this something that farmers do?

(OK, so I’m having a bit of fun with this. I’ve earned the right after spending much of my childhood working on family truck farms.)

Seriously though, what’s to keep landscapers from incorporating edibles into the landscapes of customers that want them? Many edible plants are attractive, and who doesn’t appreciate fresh produce? Some customers, I’m certain, would jump at the prospect of having colorful and tasty herbs, vegetables or dwarf fruit trees located in the appropriate locations of their landscapes.

Should the First Family go ahead and put in an organic garden at the White House look for a huge uptick in consumers’ demand for homegrown fresh herbs and vegetables.

Imagine this, in addition to showing off that new outdoor kitchen, complete with chrome barbeque grill, wet bar and natural gas fireplace that you installed for them, your customers could be walking their guests to a corner of their property to brag up their prize-winning tomatoes, too. Thanks to you, of course. — Ron Hall

LEED for residential; a green rebuild project

Only portions of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program apply to services that the Green Industry performs, but it’s going to greatly impact the industry, especially once the Sustainable Sites Initiative dealing with landscaping practices are folded into it. You can expect that in another three years or so. The process is a lengthy one, and rightly so in light of the profound influence it will have on the Green Industry. Google Sustainable Sites and you'll see how ambitious it is.

To get a taste of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), and learn about a fascinating green building project in northern Florida, click on the headline for a short and informative video of a fascinating residential project — the green rebuild of a north Florida home that was destroyed in Aug. 2008 by Tropical Storm Fay.

"Those of us in the green community here in North Florida, we've been waiting for a couple to come along and have the vision to spend the extra time, spend the money take the time to do a true green project and this is an awesome project," said Kevin Songer, engineering manager and green consultant in Jacksonville, FL. This will be the first LEED-certified Platinum residence in Florida.

Clicking on headline will take you a site devoted to following the progress of this fascinating  LEED home project.  — Ron Hall

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