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Author: Landscape Management

A chance to grab a Rain Bird grant

Here’s a heads up about a neat new contest from the folks at Rain Bird. You’re getting the news here before it’s released to the public. We’re one of the partners in this contest and we’re very excited about it because it addresses just what our landscape industry is all about. In other words, we’d […]

New 1099 Tax Rule = Paperwork Nightmare

Paperwork. The very word sends a shutter through folks in almost every profession who after long, tiring days must succumb to the job that’s not quite finished until the i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed. Detectives who chase down bad guys spend most of their waking moments conducting witness and suspect interviews, but each […]

Today’s Landscape Industry Pulse

Grade schoolers enlisted in anti-pesticide effort

OTTAWA, CANADA — A class of grade-school students at an elementary school in Canada crafted containers of natural slug bait and pesticide-free weed killer. The youngsters sent their classroom concoctions, each with accompanying note to Canadian lawmakers. The notes urged a nationwide ban on pesticide use, said a recent article appearing on Coquitlam.now, This is […]

A great rain garden guide….and it’s free!

Nothing attracts Americans’ attention as quickly as the phrases “free” and “all you can eat,” but this blog isn’t about Hometown Buffet. It’s about information that can help you prevent runoff and non-point-source pollution on your clients’ properties. You can pay $4.95 for the Oregon Rain Garden Guide or you can download a pdf version […]

A neat app to serve (and impress) your livescape clients

I would hardly refer to myself as a technophile, but I’m far from being a Luddite. The evidence: I’ve been an eager participant in the incredible technological revolution transforming publishing — starting as I did with manual typewriters, lead editing pencils, copy paper and glue pots and now sharing information in this brave new digital […]

Will this visionary landscaper/urban planner be Florida’s next governor? Fat chance

Michael E. Arth wants to be governor of Florida. Fat chance. Visionaries rarely become governors, and especially in Florida. The Sunshine state chooses its chief leader from that small group of insiders firmly entrenched in party politics, possessing absurdly fat war chests and predictably bereft of vision. The lack of vision is an unspoken qualification. […]

Having a Ball

On a beautiful and sultry West Chicago afternoon, scores of landscape contractors and growers wandered the 9 acres of Ball Horticulture Co.’s well-manicured grounds. They were there as part of the company’s Landscape Day, a chance to see what new varieties will be available in the coming years.“We tend to talk about the pretty” when […]

Take a peek into the Marianis’ incredible landscape

Check out the landscape of one of the best-known landscapers in the Chicago region by accessing the recent article in the Daily Herald describing Frank and Sherri Mariani’s spread in Lake Forest, IL. Frank Mariani, of course, is the founder of Mariani Landscape, a 400-employee operation that specializes in designing, installing and maintaining landscapes. It’s […]

A shrinking Cooperative Extension not good news for our industry

Cooperative Extension is our bridge between research and what’s practical “down on the farm.” Or in the case of the Green Industry, what works for our growing, living landscapes. Many of us have gotten to know and rely upon the experience and advice of extension specialists. We value the helpful and impartial service they provide. […]

Sharpen your irrigation skills as the era of cheap water approaches

The significance of the results of a recent survey by Black & Veatch should be obvious to anyone in the business of installing or maintaining irrigation systems. The price of water is going go up, up, up so the need for irrigation that doesn’t waste water (i.e. money) is growing, growing, growing. In other words, […]

Arlington National Cemetery prettied up by trowel-wielding kids

ARLINGTON, VA — The Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) held its 14th annual Renewal and Remembrance event at Arlington National Cemetery here Monday. More than 300 Green Industry professionals showed up with spreaders, sprayers, aerators and other equipment to work in 90-F.-plus heat to improve the grounds at the huge cemetery. In what’s become a trend […]

When invasive species get loose they often turn into monsters

The offices of Landscape Management magazine in Cleveland are just blocks from Lake Erie. There’s a monster at our doorstep, our lakefront. It threatens incredible harm. This monster is an invasive species, the Asian carp, and the only thing keeping it from damaging the ecology of our Great Lakes and its multi-billion dollar sports fishery […]

Embark’s YouTube message strikes the right tone

Hurricane season is here. Landscape and tree-care companies get lots of cleanup work after a major hurricane. Some of the owners of these companies have told us they have enough to do without the hot dirty work of cleanup, fixup and hurricane debris removal, which some have described as “blood money.” Houston-based Embark Tree and […]

We can only hope we’re like Larry

(Image by Owen Baker, staff photographer The Daily Breeze) Larry Marty, a great-great-grandfather who lives in Torrence, CA, is pretty amazing. The guy is 91 and goes to work four days a week as a landscaper, working in his grandson’s company. I read about Larry in an article written by Dennis McCarthy in the July […]

Perennial peanuts being readied for Florida landscapes, including replacing turfgrass

Here’s a news release from the University of Florida where researchers are developing varieties of perennial peanuts to be used as landscape groundcovers or low-input lawns replacing turfgrass. UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences has released two rhizoma perennial peanuts for ornamental use, Arblick and Ecoturf. They are formally announced in the current issue […]

‘Denialism’ too often trumps science

SAN ANTONIO — Michael Spector, a reporter and author of the book “Denialism,” expressed his concern about the public’s fear of science including vaccinations and genetically engineered food and their role in society today at the American Seed Trade Association’s 127th Annual Convention here. “People are anxious about the future and they don’t understand who […]

Study says natural pesticides can do more harm than synthetics

Arsenic is a natural element and a deadly one if ingested. Lead, which is certainly natural, can do incredible harm, especially to youngsters. Even common table salt, which almost all of us have on our dinner tables, can result in death if taken in excess. Many people (too many?) see the word natural as connoting […]

Do these irrigation/landscape tech salaries sound right to you?

I’m not sure how accurate these averages or how they were obtained, but here goes anyway. My guess is that they’re greatest value lies in showing that the wages for landscape and irrigation employees differ significantly by region. You might say “Duh, that’s a no-brainer. ” Fair enough but I thought you might find these […]

Former PLCAA leader Jim Brooks dies

We were saddened today to learn of the death of James Richard Brooks, 69. A note from Tom Delaney of the Professional Land Care Network informed us that Jim died Monday, May 3 of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at the Embracing Hospice facility in Cumming, GA. Those of you that have been in the lawn […]

NY State Go Green program seeking to change an industry?

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is announcing a “Be Green Organic Yards NY” program that will reward businesses that do not use synthetic pesticide and other materials prohibited by organic conditions in an agreement that the DEC is crafting. The reward? It’s the right to use the “Be Green” service mark and […]

Landscaper comes up with colorful gay pride creation

KEY WEST, FL — Landscapers can be very creative as evidenced by John Mumford who teamed with artist Rick Worth and a handful of helpers to “landscape” Mount Trashmore here. They didn’t use plants, pavers or any of the other traditional landscape materials; they used buckets of paint, 87 gallons to be exact. If you’re […]

American Veterans’ Lawn Care now on active duty

OK, what’s the proper protocol? Do we salute our lawn care provider first and pay later, or pay them first and then salute? The new American Veterans’ Lawn Care Service, based in Tyler, TX, sounds like a pretty neat idea. From the little bit we could learn about it, it appears to be both a […]

Plant some vegetables for your clients — they’ll love it!

I take a pair of kitchen scissors and cut fresh leaf lettuce from a large clay planter in our backyard whenever the wife or I want a salad for lunch or dinner. I planted the lettuce seed, a combination of green and red-leaved varieties, in potting soil left over from the previous season. The package […]

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