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Author: Landscape Management

Readers Digest gives a nice shoutout to Cleveland lawn care pro

Phil Fogarty, owner of Crowley’s Weed Man, Euclid, OH, got a great shoutout from Readers Digest in its June issue. The magazine praised Fogarty for his efforts for many years on behalf of the Professional Landcare Network’s annual Renewal & Remembrance Arlington National Cemetery greenup. Said the magazine (access the article here), Fogarty and 400 […]

Wisconsin schoolboy entrepreneur lands government mowing contract

Who says a tiny mowing/maintenance operation can’t compete against the big guys? Not 17-year-old Marty Walleser, founder and sole employee of M’s Lawn Care. Marty, who obtained the proper insurance for his company and calculated his costs and time in sizing up the task before outbiding a dozen other companies to win a government contract […]

Revving up those mowers and making music

Finally a movie about us landscapers. And a darn good one too, we’ve read. And if you’ve ever worked on a mowing crew you know that there’s fertile ground for humor, most of it supplied unintentionally by the guys you’re working with, right? The movie is “Mow Crew,” a comedy with lots of original music […]

Why did these landscapers have to die?

Here are two more tragic reasons why we must provide ongoing safety training if we own or manage a landscape, tree or lawn service business — “ongoing,” because we all tend to forget or let sloppiness slip back into our routines if we don’t get regular reminders. Two recent and very similar mowing-related fatalities involved […]

Beyond Logic

As landscape professionals, you may be faced with questions regarding pesticides and the effectiveness of the tools you use every day. It’s important to be aware of “what you’re up against” when it comes to the information your customers may be getting from groups who oppose the use of pesticides. Last month, the 28th National […]

Rain barrels are all the rage…..why?

My wife Vicky and two of her close friends signed up for rain barrels more than a month ago, sent in their $45 payments to the local conservation district and yesterday they finally got their long-awaited rain barrels. They were delighted when they drove up to a local park and saw a knot of people […]

Landscapes are interesting; people are fascinating

Begins my 26th year reporting on the Green Industry and my wonder grows at the incredible diversity of ecosystems, both natural and manmade, that give each region of the United States its distinctive personality. That said, it’s the people connected to these landscapes that fascinate me most. People like Phil and Rhonda Brewer who live […]

Does your city belong on the ‘thirstiest’ list?

The San Antonio Water System (SAWS) is the poster child for conserving its fresh water reserves. Since 1984 the city’s population grew 65% to more than 1.3 million people. Yet SAWS is holding the line on the amount of water it pumps from the Edwards Aquifer and other lesser sources to the 1984 level. Because […]

Mirrorscapes cleans up mysterious prehistoric Indian site

Park Director David Fey, left, and Mirrorscapes owner Chuck Miller, right Tucked on the edge of the tiny village of Tarlton in central Ohio is 29-acres of old-growth oak, beech, maple and ash. On this picture-perfect April 22 morning the tender greenery of the forest floor is dotted with irregular patches of phlox, wild geranium, […]

You call that a ‘green’ house: Here’s a ‘GREEN’ house

On a perfect May day in 2009 we spent an afternoon with Michaela Miller and Steve Sadler on their property located on the bank of the Arlington River with a great view of downtown Jacksonville, FL. It took imagination at the time to see what the couple had in mind in restoring their Villa Paraiso […]

Earth Day Climate Rally at the Mall will find (at least) one patch of nice turfgrass

Pity the National Park Service (NPS). One of its tasks (perhaps its most visible) is maintaining healthy attractive turfgrass on the National Mall in Washington D.C. The deck is stacked against the NPS from the start, we were reminded April 15 as we walked the Mall on a perfect spring afternoon. Keeping the Mall (our […]

This pink tractor has a special significance

Pink tractors? OK, maybe not such a good idea in the landscape trade. Or maybe they are. Who can tell? But Paige McClure loves hers and we think what her tractor symbolizes is cool. Paige, who runs a 100-acre farm and orchard in Peru, IN, with her husband, Jerry, bought the 34-hp, KIOTI CK30HST model […]

Pierre adds the green spaces to this Habitat for Humanity project

((Image courtesy San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity) Earlier this year Pierre Sprinkler & Landscape volunteers partnered with San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity in landscaping of a multi-unit complex in Monrovia, CA. Pierre Sprinkler & Landscape contributed estimating and installation services. The complex involved more landscaping then most typical Habitat projects that have either […]

Hope in Bloom should inspire us to greater service

Roberta Hershon, founder of Hope in Bloom It’s April 2, just 20 days before several thousand landscape and lawn workers and their families and friends, representing hundreds of landscape and lawn service companies participate in PLANET’s 2nd annual Day of Service. Leading up to the April 22 event we’re going to be sharing some of […]

Hey pal, you need a permit for that leaf blower

ARDSLEY, NY — This community of 4,900 on the southern edge of affluent Westchester County in the New York Metropolitan area likes things nice and quiet. Maybe too quiet. Take its leaf blower law for example. Posted prominently on the village’s Website is a regulation: — that makes it unlawful to operate a leaf blower […]

Obama appoints CropLife America exec to key ag post

WASHINGTON D.C. — President Obama this past weekend appointed Dr. Islam Siddiqui to be chief agricultural negotiator in the office of the U.S. trade representative. Siddiqui’s nomination was held up in the Senate and was opposed by a coalition of more than 80 environmental, small-farm, and consumer groups, citing Siddiqui’s close ties to the agrochemical […]

RSVP to Rain Bird’s Smithsonian Water Summit

WASHINGTON, D.C. — If you live in or around our nation’s capital and are interested in water issues — the broader perspective — consider attending Rain Bird’s Intelligent Use of Water Summit: “State of the Union”, set for Thursday, April 15. There is room for 500 guests at the Summit that will take place from […]

Webinars, like going to college but better

Landscape Management’s next Landscape Contractor Business School Webinar is Thursday, March 25, 11 a.m. EST. It’s the third in a continuing series. This one features well-known business consultant Phil Harwood, Pro-Motion Consulting, who will share great information on landscape services in this incredibly competitive service environment — specifically how to determine which services to promote […]

PLANET’s Day of Service: Do something your community will appreciate

The Professional Landcare Network’s (PLANET) Day of Service, set for April 22, 2010, is going to be huge. More than 1,000 landscaper company owners and their employees from across the United States and Canada have already selected projects and are gathering the necessary supplies and readying their teams. Many more are expected to join the […]

Slinging ‘green’ mud

TruGreen, with more than 2.5 million clients and 250 branches, recently announced that it’s the “exclusive U.S. organic and sustainable lawn and landscape care sponsor” of Earth Day Network and that it will participate in Earth Day Network’s Earth Day event on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on April 25. The announcement drew strong […]

Plan to “Respectfully Rehabilitate” National Mall Moves Forward

From the ASLA’s “The Dirt” The National Capitol Planning Commission (NCPC) has given its preliminary consent for the National Park Service’s preferred alternative plan for the National Mall, a “comprehensive framework plan” that has undergone a rigorous process of public comment. According to the Park Service, the $700 million plan has received thousands of comments […]

Quick, informative refresher on preemergent herbicides

The North Carolina State University Turffiles website is an excellent source for information regarding turfgrass best management practices, especially for turfgrass and grounds pros working in turfgrass transition zone or the Mid-South. If you feel you need a refresher on preemergent herbicide use for summer annual weed control in turfgrass, click here for an informative […]

Excellent resource for helpful hiring tips

Several years ago we attended an event hosted by Bayer Environmental Science (“Healthy Lawns, Healthy Business”). One of the presenters at the event was Mel Kleiman, CSP. His suggestions (do’s and don’ts) about interviewing and hiring only the best employees impressed us. We look forward to Kleiman’s periodic “Helpful Hiring Tips.” Here’s tip #49, which […]

What would it mean to lose our native plants?

Sometimes you have to travel 300 miles to appreciate what you have at your doorstep. That’s what I rediscovered as I attended and spoke at the Midwest Ecological Landscape Association (MELA) at the Chicago Botanic Garden Feb. 25. Eager to tour the 385-acre garden located in Glencoe, an established, well-to-do suburb just north of Chicago, […]

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