Horticulture Review - October 2011

2 HORTICULTURE REVIEW - OCTOBER 15, 2011

HORTICULTURE REVIEW - OCTOBER 15, 2011 3

Landscape Ontario and industry eventsFor more Landscape Ontario and industry event listings, visit www.horttrades.com.

Chapter eventsFor more chapter event listings, visit www.horttrades.com.

October 16Durham Chapter meetingParkwood National Historic Site, 270 Simcoe Street N., OshawaFamilies are welcome to attend the after-noon tour of Parkwood, former home of R.S. McLaughlin, founder of General Motors of Canada. Parkwood is considered the last grand estate in Canada. For more information, contact Helen Hassard at [email protected].

October 18Ottawa Chapter meetingRoyal Canadian Legion, Branch 641, 3500 Fallowfield Road, Unit #3, OttawaOttawa Chapter meetings are moving to a new location this year. If you pre-register, lunch is on us. Come out and join us at our new loca-tion. For more information, contact [email protected].

October 20Georgian Lakelands Chapter meetingMeaford Golf and Country Club, 408 Ridge Road, Meaford Learn about the fundamentals of branding your company, when Georgian Lakelands Chapter holds its October meeting in Meaford. The Chapter will serve a light dinner with a guest speaker from Sideroad Communications, a strategic branding, design and marketing com-munications firm. Ridge Road runs just west of Meaford, off Highway 26. The evening begins at 6 p.m. For more information call Chapter coordinator Lexi Dearborn at 1-519-538-1400, or [email protected].

October 27Windsor Chapter Awards of DistinctionTop Grade Landscape and Garden Solutions, 8211 North Townline Rd., McGregorThis year’s Windsor Chapter Awards of Distinction will be the highlight at the Chapter’s Fall Social. The evening begins at 5 p.m. and runs to 8 p.m. For more information, contact Helen Hassard at hhassard@ landscapeontario.com.

November 2Waterloo Chapter meetingKnights of Columbus, 145 Dearborn Place, in WaterlooThe topic at the November Waterloo Chapter meeting involves the issue of snow mainte-nance and the Ministry of Transportation. Always a popular subject, this meeting begins at 7 p.m. Contact Helen Hassard at [email protected].

November 3Toronto Chapter meetingLatvian Centre, 4 Credit Union Drive, TorontoA round table-discussion concerning industry issues will take place at the November chapter meeting, at the Latvian Centre. The evening begins at 6:30 and will go to 9. For more infor-mation, contact Helen Hassard at [email protected].

October 19 - 20Expo 2011Toronto Congress Centre, North Building Lots of great changes are happening at Expo 2011. This year the show will move 100 yards to the new North Building at the Toronto Congress Centre. Visit www.loexpo.ca for more information.

October 24 - 25Landscape Industry Certified test Landscape Ontario, 7856 Fifth Line South, MiltonBy successfully completing Landscape Industry Certified designations, you prove your competence in the industry to your-self, your employer and customers. For more information, go to www.horttrades.com/landscape-industry-certified.

October 24 - 25Tree risk assessment courseCawthra Estate, 1507 Cawthra Rd., MississaugaUrban Forest Innovative Solutions is hosting a tree risk assessment course again this fall. Instructor Dr. Julian

November 3Golden Horseshoe Chapter meetingAppleby Ice Centre, 1201 Appleby Line, BurlingtonJoin the Golden Horseshoe Chapter for an informative lunch time presentation by Rory Sheehan on Sales. There is no cost to attend this event, just RSVP by contacting Helen Hassard at 1-800-265-5656, ext. 354, or [email protected].

Dunster will lead a two-day event. Course attendance and successful completion of the written exam earns participating certi-fied arborists and registered professional foresters the PNW-ISA Certified Tree Risk Assessor qualification. This is a limited course with room for 17 attendees. For more info, go to www.ufis.ca/trace.php.

November 3 - 5Spreading Roots, an urban forestry symposiumToronto Botanical Garden, 777 Lawrence Ave., East, TorontoThe Ontario Urban Forest Council pres-ents Spreading Roots: working together to protect our urban trees. Call 416-397-1355 for details.

November 5Landscape Industry Certified Written TestFanshawe CollegeProve your competence by challenging the Landscape Industry Certification test. For more information contact Rachel Cerelli [email protected]


ISSN 0823-8472Publications Mail Agreement No. PM40013519Return UndeliverableCanadian Addresses To:Circulation DepartmentHorticulture Review 7856 Fifth Line SouthMilton, ON L9T 2X8

Horticulture Review The Voice of Landscape OntarioOctober 15, 2011 • Volume 29, No. 10Views expressed in Horticulture Review are those of the writer concerned. Horticulture Review and Landscape Ontario assume no responsibility for the validity or correctness of any opinions or references made by the author. Copyright 2011, reproduction or the use of whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited. Published 12x per year. Rates and deadlines are available on request. Subscription price: $43.51 per year (HST included). For subscription and address changes, please e-mail [email protected]

Executive Board PresidentTom Intven, tintven@ Past presidentRobert Adams, robertadams@ First vice-presidentTim Kearney CLP, tkearney@Second vice-presidentPhil Charal, pcharal@Secretary/treasurerDave Braun

Provincial BoardDurham Chapter President: Greg Scarlett CLT Board rep: Mark Humphries, mhumphries@

Georgian Lakelands Chapter President: Jeffrey LeeBoard rep: Warren Patterson

Golden Horseshoe Chapter President: Fiore ZenoneBoard rep: Brian Cocks CLT London Chapter President: Grant Harrison CLT Board rep: Peter Vanderley CLP

Ottawa Chapter President: Chris Burns CLT Board rep: Bruce Morton CLP, CIT

Toronto Chapter President: Lindsay Drake Nightingale Board rep: Ryan Heath CLP, CLT

Upper Canada Chapter President: Terry Childs Board rep: Paul Doornbos CLT, CLP

Waterloo Chapter President: Rob Tester Board rep: David Wright CLP

LO staff members are committed to member ser-vice. Please call with your questions or concerns.

Tel: (905) 875-1805 or 1-800-265-5656 Fax: (905) 875-3942Web: www.horttrades.com E-mail suffix for all staff members: @landscapeontario.com

Landscape Ontario’s mandate is to be the leader in representing, promoting and fostering a favourable environment for the advancement of the horticultural industry in Ontario. Suffix for all e-mail addresses below: @landscapeontario.com

Executive director Tony DiGiovanni CHTR, ext. 304, tonydigiovanni@

Executive assistant Kathleen Pugliese, ext. 309, kpugliese@

Controller Joe Sabatino, ext. 310, jsabatino@

Manager, information technology Ian Service, 416-848-7555, iservice@

Manager, Pesticide Industry Council Tom Somerville, tsomerville@

Manager, education and labour development Sally Harvey CLT, CLP, ext. 315, sharvey@

Education, labour, and certification project coordinator Rachel Cerelli, ext. 326, rachelc@

Seminar and safety group coordinator Kathy McLean, ext. 306, kathym@

Conference and events coordinator, Kristen McIntyre CLT, ext. 321, kristen@

Membership manager and director of public relations Denis Flanagan CLD, ext. 303, dflanagan@

Administrative assistant Jane Leworthy, ext. 301, jleworthy@

Membership and chapter coordinator, Helen Hassard, ext. 354, hhassard@

Georgian Lakelands Chapter coordinator Lexi Dearborn, ext. 317, ldearborn@

London Chapter coordinator Carla Bailey, ext. 356, cbailey@

Ottawa Chapter coordinator Martha Walsh, ext. 368, mwalsh@

Executive director Ontario Parks Association Paul Ronan, ext. 349, pronan@

Trade show manager Paul Day CDE, ext. 339, paulday@

Trade show manager Lorraine Ivanoff, ext. 366, lpi@

Trade show coordinator Linda Nodello, ext. 353, lnodello@

Publisher Lee Ann Knudsen CLP, ext. 314, lak@

Editorial director Sarah Willis, ext. 313, sarahw@

Editor Allan Dennis, ext. 320, aldennis@

Web editor Robert Ellidge, ext. 312, rob@

Art director Melissa Steep, 647-723-5447, msteep@

Graphic designer Mike Wasilewski, ext. 343, mikew@

Sales manager, publications Steve Moyer, ext. 316, stevemoyer@

Communications assistant Shawna Barrett, ext. 305, skbarrett@

Windsor Chapter President: Nino Papa Board rep: Garry Moore/Don Tellier

Garden Centre Chair: Michael Van Dongen Board rep: Bob McCannell, bmccannell@

Grounds Management Chair: John Hewson CLP Board rep: Brian Marsh

Growers Chairs: Mark OstrowskiBoard rep: Gerwin Bouman

Interior Plantscapes Chair and board rep: Stephen Schell CLT

Irrigation Chair: John Lamberink CIT Board rep: Steve Macartney CIT, CIC, CLIA

Landscape Contractors Chair and board rep: Peter Guinane

Lawn Care Chair: Steve Tschanz Board rep: Alan White, awhite@

Landscape Design Chair: Tony Lombardi CLD CLPBoard rep: Paul Brydges

Lighting Chair and Board rep: John Higo

Snow and Ice Management Chair: John Fulford Board rep: Gerald Boot CLP, geraldboot@

Members at LargeGregg Salivan Bruce Warren

CNLA Board RepGerald Boot CLP, geraldboot@

Landscape Ontario staff


By Tom IntvenLO president

In my October, 2010, President’s Message, I touched on the challenge of relevance of gar-dening to Gen X and Y. I suggested that there

seemed to be renewed interest in gardening after the great recession of 2008, especially with the grow-your-own trend. The latest survey on gardening trends in the U.S. suggests otherwise, presenting some disturb-ing statistics on the chal-lenges our industry faces in the coming years.

Disturbing statisticsThe 2011 National Gardening Survey in the U.S. reports on America’s gardening activities, spending trends and attitudes, many of which are reflected in Canada. It is one of the basic tools for manufacturers, growers and marketers to make decisions on business strategies going forward.

Industry consultant Ian Baldwin recently presented an interpretive report on the statistical survey at the FarWest show in Portland.

He said that between 1999 and 2010, the average spending per household on do-it-your-self (DIY) lawn and garden fell from $532 to $355. This precipitous plummet was not just a result of the recession. Even in the boom year of 2007, the 1999 figure dropped more than $100, to $428 per household each year.

This trend means that since 2005, the U.S. has experienced an average drop in DIY garden-ing spending of 4.2 per cent each year. Earlier national gardening surveys showed that a lot of this business went to design-build landscapers and maintenance companies, in the do-it-for-me surge which was fuelled by the home equity loan boom (home improvement tax credit in Canada), but which has not returned. I believe a similar trend has occurred in Canada. The survey also measures the rate of participation in gardening, as well as spending, and it tells a similar story – 11 million fewer U.S. households participated in gardening in 2010, than in 2005.

The growth trends in the 16 gardening activities are also enlightening. Only two activi-ties, vegetable gardening (hence my sense of renewed gardening interest) and water garden-ing, show any growth in participation, but they are small portions of a household budget.

The demographics and relevance of gardeningPRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Tom Intven

Money spent on big-ticket categories in any gardening household — lawn care, DIY landscaping and flower gardening — actually declined by 1.7 per cent, 8 per cent and 2.3 per cent, respectively, between 2005 and 2010.

Demographics are against usThe slide in gardening interest is exacerbated by the demographics of our aging population. Participation in gardening activities, among those under 45 years old, has been in decline for some years. Consequently, the share of the nation’s gardening time and budget spent by those over 55 (baby boomers) is actually increasing. In other words, more garden business is from a group of people who will be retiring, downsizing and liv-ing on a fixed income.

In 2010, 40 per cent of the entire gardening industry’s sales were to people over 55 years of age, despite them making up only 32 per cent of the U.S. households. Further, it is the rich who support gardening now, more than ever. A total of 41 per cent of the industry’s sales were spent by households earning $75,000 or more, despite the group comprising only 27 per cent of the total.

Not only are the older, more affluent consumers participating more often in garden-ing, they are also spending more per year than younger groups. In other words, our industry is dependent, to a worrisome degree, on the afflu-ent, older consumers.

The challenge of relevanceThe current model of gardening is clearly not working for householders under 45 (who outnum-ber the baby boomers), and neither is it working for people of any age with kids, as 70 per cent of the U.S. gardening was spent by homes without children. People who study demographics have warned of these changes for years. This survey should be a wake-up. Baldwin notes, “Gardening is not relevant to under-45-year-olds, nor is it to families with children and in turn, to children.”

Our challenge is to keep our industry and our businesses healthy and growing in an era when the demographics and statistics are work-ing against us.

Let’s work together on the solutionWhile each of us must answer this question for our own business in our own market, there are some things that we can do together that may help buck the trend.

At the risk of repetition, some of the ideas

put forth in the Oct. 2010 issue are more relevant than ever: • Weneedtotellourstory:Growersespecially

are keen to support projects that demonstrate the environmental, social and economic benefitsofplants.SupportingNationalTreeDay is a start, but we need more programs like this to keep our industry top of mind.

• Weshouldgetinvolvedwithschoolsandencourage gardening activities, projects and curricula. This is our long-term future.

• WeshouldwholeheartedlysupportCommunities in Bloom. This grassroots program is one of the most effective ways to bring recognition and relevance of gardening to communities. Keep up the great work!

• ThesinglemostimportanteventinOntariofor stimulating demand for our industry is Canada Blooms. With the partnership forged with the National Home Show, we can only hope that more members of the public will be turned on to gardening. Let’s all support Blooms in any way that we can during this pivotal year.

• Weneedtodemonstratetonewhomeownersthat gardening can be easy. Karl Stensson says we must make gardening easy for younger shoppers. The more we can simplify gardening and demonstrate the ease factor, the more readily young homeowners will invest in our goods and services.

• Weshouldembracethetrendstowardoutdoor decorating, container gardening and outdoor living that have emerged in the last few years. Our product lines may well have tosignificantlychange.

• Innovativemarketingisneededmorethanever. In a world of declining print importance and increasing social media, we need to invest time and resources in re-tooling our marketing programs.

Our five to ten year plan should be to improve our appeal to the retiring baby boom-ers. The long-term plan, however, must include building relevance with those under 45. We need to work extra hard to encourage these people who have never gotten their hands dirty. Developing long-term relevance for our industry is our big-gest challenge, and we need to work together, more than ever, to achieve it.

Tom Intven may be reached at 519-631-1008, or [email protected].


EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Prosperity Partners concept creates an ideal relationshipTony DiGiovanni CHTRLO executive director

During his presidency at Landscape Ontario, Bob Tubby came up with the term Prosperity Partners. The concept

described the ideal relationship between you and your association. The Prosperity Partners concept has evolved to include a business development program focused on five pillars.

To me these simple two words have inspired a way of thinking that is uplifting, nurturing and positive, no matter what

specific situation you may find yourself in. For example, when I think about the ideal relation-ship between an LO member and his or her association, Prosperity Partners says it all.

LO is here to help you prosper from finan-cial, social, knowledge enhancement and legacy perspectives. In his books and lectures, Stephen Covey often used a mnemonic to define pros-perity. Prosperity exists when individuals are increasing in their ability to “live, learn, love and leave a legacy.” In providing an environ-ment focused on your prosperity, the associa-tion also prospers.

I believe the Prosperity Partners concept should continue to be integrated with every-thing we do. It could be used to describe the

ideal relationship between you and your asso-ciation, you and your customers, you and your employees, you and your suppliers and of course you and your family. Everything we do in our personal and business roles fits under the Prosperity Partners concept.

Here is the summary of the Prosperity Partners concept:

Prosperity Partners is a communication

tool to describe the relationship between

the association and the member. It also describes

the ideal relationship between member companies, employees, customers and suppliers. The two words (Prosperity Partners) are powerful as a vision, mission, value statement and operational guide.

Prosperity Partners is also a business enhancementtool.Thefive-pillarlanguageof the Prosperity Partners’ concept is useful, becauseithelpsmembersclarifythefiveessential areas of business competency. Every business needs to constantly improve its knowledge, skill and experience in the fivepillars.Allofus,nomatterwhatsizeorganization we are in, need continued development in: leadership abilities, salesskill,financialacumen,customerrelationshipsandoperationalefficiencies.

The language of Prosperity Partners is meant to be a common language for LO mem-

Tony DiGiovanni

bers. A common language between members unlocks huge potential to collaborate, commu-nicate and stimulate understanding.

Everything else we do as an association, including mentorship (formal and otherwise) aligns with the common language of Prosperity Partners. The Prosperity Partners concept can be understood at different levels. Going for-ward, Landscape Ontario will continue to reinforce the pillar language of the Prosperity Partners concept as a business development tool and the vision/ethic/value of becoming a pros-perity partner in all relationships as a personal development tool.

We thank the “Prosperity King” Bob Tubby for his inspiration.

Tony DiGiovanni may be reached at [email protected].

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Attention IndependentGarden CentresYou have battled:The Worst Spring and Summer Weather in Ontario History!The coldest, wettest spring in memory kept customers away till late May. The hottest July in history did the same.

Shrinking Margins!Skyrocketing energy costs, higher minimum wages, HST on all our energy costs, a more value conscious shopper - all result in shrinking margins.

Increased Competition from Mass Merchants!Independents are faced with ever increasing competition from home improvement centres, grocery chains and mass merchants who have invaded our neighbourhoods.

Challenging and Changing Demographics!The National Garden Survey proved that your customer base is primarily the aging baby boomers. Gen X and Gen Y don’t feel connected to our products. New immigrants don’t always value ornamental horticulture.

An Increasingly More Value Conscious Customer!A challenging economy and new technology has given rise to a new breed of customer who is increasingly more value conscious. The internet and social media has made them more aware of competitive pricing on everything they buy.

Did I mention the Worst Spring Gardening Weather in History!

At Canadale Nurseries,we are on your side!Here’s how we can help!More Sale Plants from Canadale!Again we are pleased to offer an extended list of sale plants with our ‘Great Sale Plants’ and other sale offerings. Canadale Sale Plants allow you to offer great pricing on many plants and still make your margin! Plan your success by booking your yearly sale plant needs now, while supply lasts.

Set Yourself Apart with Unique Plant Materialfrom Canadale!Check out our Specialty Plant Listing, Unique and Rare Flyer, Magnolia and Dogwood Flyers – small trees for today’s small yards, and other plant listings that can help you to Set Yourself Apart from your competition, create excitement, and make it more difficult for shoppers to compare pricing.

Keep Your Inventory Fresh All Season Longwith Regular Deliveries from Canadale!We offer weekly availability lists and ‘Looking Good Lists’,Weekly Delivery to the Windsor-Toronto corridor.

Make it Easy for Your Customers with POP from Canadale!We have great signage and posters to act as your ‘silentsalespeople’. We also offer tagging and pre-pricing to help cut your labour costs and make display and merchandising easier.

269 Sunset Drive, St.Thomas, ON N5R 3C4Phone: 519-631-1008 Fax: 519-631-0818

Email: [email protected] easy access to our inventory, come view our new website at:

www.canadale.com


Denis Flanagan CLDDirector of public relations

Following instructions from your provin-cial board of directors, we will focus on a new concept to serve members from

a public relations per-spective. As we move into 2012, we will now focus our public rela-tions efforts on local stories, chapter proj-ects, individual mem-bers, award-winning gardens, Green for Life community pro-jects, etc. We want to

showcase members and connect local media with local experts.

The goal is to develop a network of media for each individual chapter. Since launching our Green for Life branding campaign in 2009, we have developed some strong relation-

A new directionPUBLIC RELATIONS

Denis Flanagan

ships with both local and national media. On a monthly basis, the Landscape Ontario name

and the Green for Life brand are mentioned by several radio stations, community newspa-pers, website bloggers and even some national media. We are now expanding on this success with our members and chapters in mind.

We have already kick-started the pro-cess of local public relations relevance — the Waterloo Chapter ran a series of “be safe back to school” campaigns and the Ottawa Chapter will have a regular expert guest appearance on RogersTV. We also connected CHCH TV in Hamilton with a local expert, which resulted in a past-president of the Toronto Chapter doing a television demo.

If you have any community projects, charity work, etc., that you would like fea-tured, please let us know. Your wonderfully generous contributions to your local communi-ties deserve to be recognized. We look forward to making that happen.

Denis Flanagan may be contacted at [email protected].


with profitability and includes life balance that allows time for the achievement of professional and personal goals. Our conference coordinator Kristen McIntyre has developed an excellent program that will increase your expertise in the five pillars of prosperity: Leadership Excellence, Sales Success, Financial Health, Customers for Life and Professional Operations.

We know that these pillars are critical to the health and success of every business regard-less of size. Therefore, your attendance at the seminars will put you ahead of the competition. Again, we value your feedback, thus this con-ference program will offer you a new profes-sional development format with new topics and many new speakers each morning, and also will allow plenty of time to visit the trade show each afternoon from Jan. 10-12. We look forward to sharing the details with you in the November issue of Landscape Trades.

Certification Are you Landscape Industry Certified? The last chance for testing and to gain recertifica-tion points for 2011 is Oct. 24 and 25 at the Milton home office and Nov. 5 at Fanshawe College. For more information go to: www.horttrades.com/clt.

Sally Harvey may be contacted at [email protected].

PROFESSIONAL AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENTIntroducing Prosperity Partners journey to opportunitiesBy Sally Harvey CLT, CLPEducation and Labour Development

The fall season at Landscape Ontario is always busy with numerous activities, including the beginning of our trade

show season, the chapter meetings starting up, and of course the launch of our Prosperity Partners education pro-gramming in the coming winter months.

For some clarifica-tion about the program, please read this month’s executive director’s col-umn on page 6 of this issue.

The Prosperity Partners journey is truly integrated into all professional development products and services that we offer to our indus-try members, whether it is a winter seminar, symposium, a conference seminar, engaging a chapter meeting, magazine content, trade show opportunity, the Landscape Ontario Resource booth at the shows, certification and much, much more. Your Landscape Ontario staff is working hard to partner with you to help with all that we offer so you may achieve a new level of prosperity in your businesses and your per-sonal lives.

After months of planning, based on your feedback, committee input, direction and an environmental scan, we are excited to launch our Prosperity Partners Professional Development Guide, outlining well over 100 seminars that have been developed and coordinated for our industry members. You stated clearly that you want more professional development to help better manage your staff.

You were united in the request to continue to provide technical training opportunities. We understand that safety and compliance is impor-tant to every successful business in Ontario, and thus we are increasing the number of topics and frequency to increase our level of safety com-pliance across the sectors.

Emerging businesses spoke up too with a request for programs that serve their needs as well; mature businesses requested content that is aimed at their needs.

We also heard that we need to spruce up our sales training, as many found the need to produce sales this past season in order to keep crews busy. This extra sales effort is an activity

that is foreign to most, as we have been chal-lenged more with keeping up with demand in the past than creating demand.

I am please to share with you that the guide will bring back the noted favourites, expand to meet your needs as per your feedback and ven-ture into new ground to ensure that we are up-to-date on innovation and new technologies. I congratulate our seminar and safety group coor-dinator Kathy McLean for her efforts in deliver-ing this amazing document to the industry for the 2011/2012 season.

The Prosperity Partners Professional Development Guide is polybagged in this issue of Horticulture Review. It will also be avail-able in the Landscape Ontario Resource booth (# 744) at Expo 2011 with online registration opening at the same time. And, the guide will be available again at Congress 2012 at our LO resource booth # 41. Please make sure that you pick up a copy or two for your staff and your office at the show to ensure everyone is well trained this winter, and ready and prepared for an excellent season in 2012.

Congress conferencesWe are pleased to provide an exceptional con-ference program for Congress 2012. Running a successful horticulture business becomes easy when you take advantage of Landscape Ontario’s Prosperity Partners programs. Prosperity starts

Sally Harvey


THE UNDERGROUND WORLD

Time to raise awareness to bring in One Call legislationBy Terry Murphy CLP

This column has a special message from the Ontario Regional Common Ground Alliance (ORCGA) in a press release

to media across Ontario. LO members need to pay special atten-tion to the message, as it greatly affects our industry. The press release follows:

Ontario Regional Common Ground Alliance launches digsafenow.caORCGA is launching a

new advocacy website to help raise awareness among Ontarians and Ontario provincial elec-tion candidates of the urgent need for manda-tory One Call legislation in Ontario.

Digsafenow.ca allows Ontarians who are concerned about the current inefficient under-ground locate system in the province — cost-

ing Ontario businesses time and money, and posing a threat to worker and public safety — to easily communicate with their local election candidates about the critical need for manda-tory One Call legislation in Ontario.

“Mandatory One Call legislation will help reduce costly red tape and will protect Ontario workers and families through a single, reliable number that they can call to get information on the critical underground infrastructure that lies beneath their feet before they dig,” said ORCGA president Jim Douglas. “Digsafenow.ca will help Ontarians send a message to their local candidates that mandatory One Call leg-islation is an important issue to them and that a candidate’s position on the issue will impact on how they vote in this important provincial election.”

The fragmented voluntary system that is currently in use in Ontario has led to a rate of incidents which is double that of New York State, which has mandatory One Call legisla-tion. With its mandatory One Call model in place, New York State has 2.33 damages per

1,000 locates. Ontario, without a mandatory system, has more than double the rate of inci-dents, 4.77 damages per 1,000 locates. In the United States, mandatory One Call systems are in place in all 50 States.

ORCGA is a member-driven, not-for-profit association of more than 400 member organizations dedicated to ensuring public safety, environmental protection, and the integ-rity of underground infrastructure by promot-ing effective damage prevention practices.

Digsafenow.ca is available to all Ontarians who wish to communicate with their local election candidates about the need for mandatory One Call legislation and it is an initiative of the ORCGA. Jim Douglas may be contacted at 1-866-446-4493.

Contact Terry Murphy at [email protected] with your comments or questions.

Terry Murphy


SYSTEMS FOR SUCCESS

Fall is the time for super profitsBy Mark Bradley

Fall was setting in, and Dan and his crews were well on their way to the best year ever — both in sales and profits.

As the weather grew colder, and a little more rainy, Dan’s crews started to show signs of burnout. They moved a little slower, seemed to go home a little earlier, and motivation was tail-ing off. Dan noticed, but he wasn’t overly worried. Everyone had definitely worked harder this year than before.

Dan was driving out to meet a customer to whom he hoped to sell a big job for next spring. If he sold the job, there was a chance he could even get a start on it this year before the snow fell; that is, if they could finish up their current projects.

Just around the corner from Dan’s pros-pect was one of Bill’s jobs. Dan was early, so he stopped by Bill’s site with the hope that he’d run into Bill for some last minute advice on this big job. Bill was nowhere to be found, but as Dan scanned the site, he watched in amaze-ment at Bill’s guys working away. There was no burnout visible on this site. The pace was fast and efficient.

“Unbelievable,” thought Dan. “It’s October, and his guys are still going 110 per cent.” When he next saw Bill, Dan compli-mented his crew’s efforts, and asked Bill what he’d done to get such a determined effort out of a crew this late in the season.

Bill explained, “I didn’t say anything. They are motivated because their wallets are going to get fatter. It’s fall and time for super profit and bonus.”

Dan raised an eyebrow, “Super-profits and bonuses? What are you talking about?”

“It’s quite simple. Look back on the budget you built this year. What were your sales goals?”

“$2-million in sales,” replied Dan.“And what was your overhead budget?”“We budgeted $400,000 for overhead.”“And you’re on track to hit your sales goal

and keep your overhead spending on budget?” asked Bill.

“Yes, we’re going to hit our goals,” smiled Dan.

Bill continued, “Good. But can you tell me what would happen to your profits if you managed to sell and complete another $100,000 worth of work before the end of the year? What if you beat your sales goals by five per cent?”

“More profit,” said Dan. “With our stan-dard 10 per cent net profit, and assuming all goes well with the job, I could probably bank another $10,000.”

“Probably more,” said Bill. “In fact, it’s very likely a lot more. Think about just that extra $100,000. Will you have to spend more on over-head? Is your rent going to go up because of the extra work? Is your accountant going to charge you more because you did an extra $100k?”

Dan nodded in agreement. “No, our over-head would stay at $400,000. Other than some paper in the office, I don’t see how we’ll spend any more on overhead.”

Bill kept going, “And other than fuel, would your equipment costs change much? Your lease payments would stay the same, yes? You’re not going to need to buy another truck to get that extra $100,000 of work done are you?

Overhead costs“The overhead recovery system that you built in to your budget was calculated on $400,000 of overhead and $2-million in sales. For every sales dollar that comes in, you are spending 20 per cent on overhead. But your overhead costs are fixed. If you beat your sales budget, your overhead is probably still $400,000. So, if you sell and invoice another $100,000 worth of work over your sales goals, the 20 per cent that normally goes to paying overhead is now super profit.”

Bill said, “Twenty per cent of $100,000 in sales is $20,000 in potential bonus money. By working efficiently, productively, and really knuckling down at the end of the year to com-plete that extra bit of work, there’s a $20,000 bonus pool to be had.

Bill continued, “It’s building a company of entrepreneurs, but they’re employees within my company. The difference is that each one has some direct influence and control over their earnings. Just like when you run your own busi-ness; the better you do, the better your rewards. An hourly wage is simply not enough incentive to inspire anyone to work more efficiently and more productively – especially by the end of the year. In fact, by doing their work faster, they might even assume their pay will go down if their hours decrease.”

“Oh, I’d have no trouble filling their sched-ule if they were working faster,” argued Dan.

“You might know that, but your crews don’t see it the way you do. And, even if you did fill the schedule, what real incentive is there for them to work harder for the same pay? They’re not going to work harder to put more money in your pocket. That’s the way they see it. But, if you can show them — not just hypothetically, but with an actual system — how they’ll be able to put more money in their pockets, you can change the culture of your company. Instead of me pushing them to get it done faster, better, cheaper, they’re motivated to do it for them-selves. Not needing to be on top of every crew on every job means I have less stress, and more time to work on things I want.”

Dan described the big job he’d lined up for next year, and the possibility of starting one of the phases this fall. “With the bonus system you described, my guys would see this opportunity like I do. Whatever work we can complete before the end of this year, boosts our rewards now, and opens up a few weeks next year to sell another job or two.”

Better rewards“That’s exactly it. You don’t have to run an open-book company to build a company of entre-preneurs. But you do need a system, and some training, that shows employees that their rewards are directly related to their productivity. The more work we get through, the better the rewards.”

Dan nodded, but wasn’t convinced. “But what about quality? How do you make sure they’re not taking shortcuts?”

“Quality can’t suffer for the sake of speed. And if you’ve explained your system right, it won’t. Anytime you are working on re-work or warranty issues, your sales aren’t moving. You’re working for free. Every hour spent on warranty work, is an hour not getting any closer to your sales goals, which also means your crews aren’t getting any closer to bonus time. While they’re working on warranty work, they’re losing oppor-tunity to get to or beat their sales goals.”

“I like it!” said Dan“So will your people and your profits.” said

Bill. “Let me know how you make out with that big job.”

Mark Bradley is the president of The Beach Gardener and the Landscape Management Network.

Mark Bradley


potential members,” says Garlatti. “I also get caught up on all the gossip about our local landscape scene. Many of our events benefit charities, which is what makes me feel good about LO.”

A member of LO since 1996, Garlatti believes that the association needs to become more relevant to the chapters that are geographically located in the boundary areas of the province.

He feels there needs to be decentralizing from the Toronto area. “We need a smaller head office with more satellite offices. However, I realize this is easier said than done, and may not be entirely feasible in the near future.”

Garlatti also carries out some volunteer service in the community from time to time. “With two young daughters, I don’t have a lot of spare time.”

VOLUNTEER PROFILE

Dan GarlattiOwner Garlatti Landscaping, LaSalle, and past Windsor Chapter president

Dan Garlatti joined LO because he saw that the finest companies in the industry were members. “I wanted to be a part of that expe-rience, he says.

A past president of the Windsor Chapter, Garlatti looks after all the social events (golf tournament, baseball, etc.) that the group runs over the year.

His favourite memory with the Chapter was when all the member companies got together and created a display garden at Devonshire Mall to promote LO to the general public. “That was a very suc-cessful event,” says Garlatti.

“The benefits I receive from volunteer-ing are numerous. I get to meet with a great group of people every month (our board). We have great social outings, where I get to talk to fellow company owners who are members, or

Landmark Landscaping advises Weather NetworkDean Schofield, owner of Landmark Landscaping of Oakville, and member of LO’s Grounds Management Sector Group, is featured on The Weather Network website article under the heading, ‘Preparing your garden for colder months.’

Scholfield is quoted, “Around the time when temperatures are starting to dip, gardeners should also be mindful of how much water is being given to gardens. Experts say that if your garden is comprised of heavy clay soil or if it’s in a low-lying area, be careful to not overwater it.

“In the fall months, people should water their gardens as late as possible in the season,” advises Schofield. “That’s because if we have a dry fall, it really affects the plant material in the winter.”

The complete article can be found at http://bit.ly/p7C9LD.

MEMBERS IN THE NEWS

BP Landscaping named 2011 top achieverA feature article in Brampton Business Times highlights BP Landscaping of Caledon and owner Brian Perras. The story on page 10, is featured under a banner that reads, ‘2011 Top Performers Award Winners.’ The article’s heading is ‘BP Landscaping: raising the bar.’ Perras discusses business, the green industry and politics in the article. The story points out that that BP Landscaping cuts 35-million square feet of lawns per year. To access the story go to http://bit.ly/pkA6N5.

Flynn Canada’s roof expertise expands Flynn Canada of Mississauga is featured in a Sept. 1 article in The Financial Post. The story cites that the company as a founding member of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. It also reports on Flynn’s acquisition of RESCo, with its expertise in solar energy. The companies are enjoying the rewards of increased work and opportunities through expertise in solar and green roofs. To access the story, go to http://natpo.st/nQRr5f.


Clarifying the differences between sectors and chapters

NEW MEMBERS

MEMBERSHIP

By Helen HassardMembership coordinator

The fall is upon us and with that events for chapter and sector groups are in full swing. With that comes a range of

opportunities for you to grow professionally; these events have all been designed by your peers in the industry to discuss specific issues relevant to your com-munity or sector.

There seems to be some confusion about chapters and sector groups, so I thought this month’s article

would be a great opportunity to make us all a little better informed. I say us, because just last week I learned exactly how much I don’t know about the sector groups.

Landscape Ontario is made up of nine chapters (Durham, Georgian Lakelands, Golden Horseshoe, London, Ottawa, Toronto, Upper Canada, Waterloo and Windsor). Each chapter is run by a group of passionate volunteers who

make up the board of directors. They work to create opportunities for the members of their chapter, as well as recruit new members at the local level. These opportunities can be in the form of a social event, educational event, or as many prefer, a combination of the two.

Each spring board members are voted into office. By the way, anyone looking to get involved with one of these events may contact the board, or become a part of the board during the annual spring elections.

One of the most important things I need to tell you about chapters is that they are here to assist you, not restrict you. The chapter sys-tem makes it possible to connect local mem-bers, but in no way does this mean you are excluded from other chapters. If you are in Durham, but would like to attend a Georgian Lakelands event, you are welcome. Or, if you would like to receive the e-news from another chapter besides the one we have placed you in, all you need do is ask.

The sector groups are to help companies in the same business type to tackle issues of relevance to that specific group. There are ten sector groups in Landscape Ontario (Garden Centres, Grounds Management, Growers,

Interior Plantscapes, Irrigation, Landscape Contractors, Landscape Designers, Lawn Care, Lighting and Snow and Ice Management).

The sector groups work to develop events help those working to improve their knowledge base or skill set, and address relevant issues. The sector groups are also run by volunteers, who take part in annual elections.

Many companies in LO fall under several sector categories. If your company started to take on snow and ice projects in the winter, you can have this added to your listing on www.landscapeontario.com, or if you’re debating about entering a new sector, but want to learn more about it, attend a sector group meeting.

The idea behind all of this is there are numerous ways to become involved if you are interested. If this all seems too much for you, you can simply start by offering to help at the next event that catches your eye, and see where it takes you.

Helen Hassard may be contacted at [email protected].

GeORGIAN LAkeLANDSJoe Johnson Equipment IncJeff Johnson2521 Bowman St, Innisfil, ON L9S 3V6Tel: 705-733-7700 x2385Membership Type: Associate

GOLDeN HORSeSHOeValley Green Grounds Care IncRyan Kucharew794 Colborne St EPO Box 22037, Brantford, ON N3S 7V1Tel: 519-756-1152Membership Type: Active

TORONTODevelpro IncThomas Muller21 Kilbarry Rd, Toronto, ON M5P 1K4Tel: 416-482-0225Membership Type: AssociateGreenblock Property ServicesSal Ditta26 Dickson Hill Rd, Markham, ON L3P 3J3Tel: 905-202-5743Membership Type: ActiveHarper Truck Centres IncMichael Donnelly7035 Pacific Circ, Mississauga, ON L5T 2A8Tel: 905-564-8270Membership Type: Associate

J. Lockwood ChryslerFrances MacKenzie175 Wyecroft Rd, Oakville, ON L6J 5A2Tel: 905-845-6653Membership Type: AssociateMountainhill Landscaping IncThomas Finucane2065 Barnboard Hollow, Oakville, ON L6M 0C9 Tel: 905-301-7503Membership Type: InterimPalmac Truck BodiesTony Palma55 Crock Ford Blvd B3, Scarborough, ON M1R 3B7Tel: 416-757-8901Membership Type: AssociateQuest Automotive Leasing ServicesPaul Selby4960 Sheppard Ave E, Toronto, ON M1S 4A7Tel: 416-609-2125 x267Membership Type: Associate

WATeRLOOFieldworks Construction EquipmentGlen Keam48 Ardelt Ave, Kitchener, ON N2C 2C8Tel: 519-578-0810Membership Type: Associate

Helen Hassard


Chapter News

Durham Chapter members welcomed over 225 guests to their fourth annual supplier night bar-becue on Aug. 25, at T Arnts Loam Supply in Pickering.

Suppliers that helped make the event a tremendous success for the Chapter included, Agrium Advanced Technologies, Atlas Block, Banas Stones, Battlefield Equipment Rentals,

Over 225 enjoy Durham barbecue

By Dan Clost CHTPast president, Upper Canada Chapter

Members of the Upper Canada Chapter are excited to present their latest com-munity project. This is our opportunity to help out a cash-strapped, non-profit organization that does good work for our families, friends and neighbours.

Community Living Quinte West’s (CLQW) instructional facility, at 11 Canal Street in Trenton, is in need of landscaping. The project includes design-

Upper Canada Chapter creates garden at community facility

ing and installing a sensory garden, along with four raised teaching beds. Design propos-als included new pathways, gardens, and the teaching beds, surrounded by a patio. All of the surfaces must be mobility friendly.

Construction material may include pav-ers, which don’t need to be the same — they can be different shapes and colours, as long as they fit together. The raised beds will be con-structed of four different materials, or each bed a combination of many.

CLQW envisions a community where persons with disabilities are accepted as full and active citizens, and where individualized

Members of Durham Chapter were pleased to see a great turnout at the fourth annual supplier night barbecue.

Best Way Stone, Bobcat of Durham, BOT Aggregates, Direct Landscape Supply, Durham Truck, Envirobond, Evergreen Farm and Garden, Grobark, Hanson Hardscapes, In-Lite, Kobes Nurseries, Oaks Concrete, Ontario Truck Training Academy, Permacon, Sheridan Nurseries, Snap-edge, Techo-Bloc, Turbo Technologies, Turf Revolution,

Unilock and Wajax.The Chapter’s executive members served

up beef-on-a-bun and corn on the cob to an appreciative audience. The Chapter thanks all the members and suppliers for making this a successful event.

support is available to assist all persons to live, work and play in a community where diversity is respected and embraced. To find out more go to www.clqw.ca.

Russ Loney agreed to be the site supervisor, while Janine Treanor and Dee Rix drew a design in conjunction with the executive director, Starr Olsen. Others lending a hand are Loney Landscaping of Frankford, Nature’s Way Landscaping of Gananoque and Connon Nurseries/CBV Holdings, Trenton.


Landscape Ontario, in partnership with the Municipal Equipment Operators Association and Ontario Parks Association, staged the fall equipment show on Sept. 15.

The annual event, formerly known as the snow and ice symposium, was held at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. While there wasn’t any snow, it was a brisk and chilly day for those exhibitors outside the arena. Several live demon-strations were on the show floor, hosted by Ontario Parks Association.

Landscape Ontario hosted two ses-sions in conjunction with the trade show: Paul Johnson from County of Wellington presented ‘Snow Operations’ and reviewed many anti-icing methods, and Rob Kuhn from Environment Canada talked about our wacky weather this year, and what to expect for this winter. According to him, we are apparently due for a lot of snow in 2012!

Equipment show was a team effort

Estimates show that within the next three to five years, huge stands of ash trees will be dead from the emerald ash borer (EAB) infestation.

The devastating effect of EAB is well documented, and a number of people in the industry foresee an arborist shortage over the next decade.

Some are asking where trained, compe-tent staff and resources are to be found as EAB spreads into highly populated areas. The task will require skilled workers to deal with the dying and dead trees in a safe manner.

The peak of the devastation is expected within four years. As an example, the City of Toronto has 860,000 trees (600,000 on private property) that are expected to be cut down within the next seven years. Estimates determine about 700 trees a day destroyed by EAB will need to be taken down in Toronto.

Peter Wynnyczuk, urban forestry supervi-sor in the Town of Richmond Hill, says capital spending is required on additional licensing and training for the injection program, as well as hir-ing and expenditures for additional trucks, chip-pers and equipment for a minimum 10 year blip in tree activity.

“There will be significant impacts for properties with ash trees and their management, whether injection program or removal,” says Wynnyczuk. He also suggested that the indepen-dent tree services receive contracts from munici-palities and private landowners to remove the ash trees. Wynnyczuk said that the existing customer base could be left without service .

Alice Power, program coordinator with the Ontario College of Trades, says some have sug-gested that possibly logging workers could be retrained for this short-term labour shortage in central and southern Ontario.

Toronto’s manager of urban forest renewal,

Arborist shortage predictedas ash removal demand grows

Some LO members are reporting that in their many years of business, they have never seen impatiens in such a poor state as this past summer.

No clear explanation was found among those dealing with the problem in the field, but one contributor blames the large amount of rain early in the season, which caused fungus in the soil. This was followed by extreme heat and drought.

Andy DeGroot, of Hensbergen and DeGroot in Markham, says that impatiens did not develop and spread as they have in past years, and there were areas where the plants simply disintegrated into nothing, leaving large bare patches. “We continue to be at a loss in providing our custom-ers with a clear explanation.”

Even the scientists contacted by Horticulture Review are unsure of an answer.

Shannon Shan at the University of Guelph’s Pest Diagnostic Clinic, has had just two or three impatiens samples submitted this year, with a couple of root and crown rot pathogens showing up after culturing them.

Shan's thoughts are that perhaps the cool wet spring provided the perfect growing con-ditions for Rhizoctonia, a crown rot, and that members should be using crop rotation with ornamentals — just like growers do.

Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) specialist Wayne Brown, who works out of Vineland Centre for Research and Innovation, looked at photos of dead impatiens sent by Horticuture Review. He said, “It is very difficult from the photos to say with any degree of certainty the cause of the defo-liation. In the one instance, it looks like it might have been caused by Rhizoctonia, because the basal stems looked blackened, but Rhizoctonia does not typically cause defoliation. The defo-liation is more consistent with either Alternaria Leaf Spot or downy mildew, but I can’t confirm based on these photos which of the two disease pathogens it might be.”

Brown added that watering the plants during the night, or very early morning would promote development of either disease, and also recom-mended planting something other than impatiens next year to allow over-wintering inoculum to diminish.

Michael Celetti, a plant pathologist with OMAFRA, thought the problem might be Pythium, a water mold, causing root rot. Celetti notes that Pythium can be managed in the green-house, but once the plants are installed in the landscape it is difficult to control as it is spread by water. To help control Pythium, landscape

Ailing impatiens have scientists and landscapers puzzled managers are better off to water lightly and frequently – which goes against the usual rec-ommended practice of irrigating infrequently and deeply.

For some, it was puzzling that their custom-er’s impatiens had huge bare patches, while the garden next door had lush and beautiful plants. “We also planted early in the season on a prop-erty with just white impatiens. After a short time, those plants were simply not looking good, so we

removed them. I planted another batch, but again the second planting still didn’t develop the way regular impatiens normally do,” said DeGroot.

It is highly recommended that mem-bers, who have questions with possible dis-eases in plants, should contact the scientists to find out answers to those questions. Plant samples may be sent to the University of Guelph Pest Diagnostic Clinic, 519-767-6299, www.guelphlabservices.com.

Beth McEwen, is quoted, “We want the general public to maintain trees on their property and to recognize that it is their responsibility.” Private tree maintenance is mandated under the city’s property standards bylaw. In a Toronto Star arti-cle, McEwen is quoted, “We want them (public) to replant trees if their trees die.”


Botanical Name Qty. 1 Gal Qty. 2 Gal Qty. 3 Gal Avail. Price Avail. Price Avail. Price

VINESAmpelopsis glandulosa Elegans 432 8.00 Campsis radicans Balboa Sunset 462 8.00 Celastrus orbiculatus Diana 210 8.00 Celastrus orbiculatus Hercules 260 8.00 Celastrus scandens 560 8.00 Hedera helix Baltica 504 6.00 Hydrangea anomala petiolaris 157 6.00 209 11.00Lonicera brownii Dropmore Scarlet 205 8.00 Lonicera heckrottii Goldflame 200 8.00 Lonicera japonica Halls Prolific 320 6.00 270 8.00 Lonicera per. Serotina 190 8.00 Parthenocissus quinq. Engelmannii 242 6.00 844 8.00 Parthenocissus quinquefolia 1,000 6.00 Parthenocissus tricus. Veitchii 1,000 6.00 Polygonum aubertii 1,000 6.00 Vitis riparia 365 8.00

EVERGREENS Azalea Golden Lights 266 13.50Azalea Mandarin Lights 251 13.50Azalea Northern Lights 195 13.50Azalea Orchid Lights 474 13.50Buxus Faulkner 246 5.00 944 11.00Buxus microphylla 156 5.00 82 11.00Buxus X Green Gem 844 5.20 1,000 11.20Buxus X Green Mound 1,000 5.00 1,000 11.00Buxus X Green Mountain 572 5.00 1,000 11.00Buxus X Green Velvet 1,000 5.20 1,000 11.20Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Pygmaea’ 200 15.00Chamaecyparis pisifera Aurea Sungold 16 5.00 311 11.00Chamaecyparis pisifera Filifera 172 5.00 284 11.00Chamaecyparis pisifera Filifera Aurea 225 11.00Cotoneaster dammeri Coral Beauty 1,000 5.00 866 7.00 Cotoneaster dammeri Major 750 7.00 Cotoneaster salicifolius Repens 716 7.00 Euonymus fortunei Canadale Gold 725 7.00 Euonymus fortunei Coloratus 1,000 5.00 Euonymus fortunei Emerald Gaiety 1,000 5.00 1,000 7.00 Euonymus fortunei Goldtip 333 7.00 Euonymus fortunei Sarcoxie 243 7.00 Ilex X meserveae Blue Prince 500 5.00 278 11.00Ilex X meserveae Blue Princess 840 5.00 633 11.00Juniperus chinensis Gold Coast 160 5.00 527 11.00Juniperus chinensis Gold Star 310 5.00 360 11.00Juniperus chinensis Mint Julep 400 5.00 401 11.00Juniperus chinensis Pfitz. Compacta 215 5.00 133 11.00Juniperus chinensis San Jose 41 5.00 312 11.00Juniperus communis Repanda 386 5.00 223 11.00Juniperus conferta Blue Pacific 550 5.00 180 11.00Juniperus horizontalis Andorra Compacta 297 5.00 482 11.00Juniperus horizontalis Bar Harbor 39 5.00 358 11.00Juniperus horizontalis Icee Blue 989 6.00 861 13.00Juniperus horizontalis Lime Glow 205 6.50 107 11.50Juniperus horizontalis Prince of Wales 419 5.00 136 11.00Juniperus horizontalis Wiltonii 445 5.00 668 11.00Juniperus horizontalis Yukon Belle 355 5.00 300 11.00Juniperus media Armstrongii 122 5.00 308 11.00Juniperus procumbens nana 63 5.00 393 11.00Juniperus sabina 276 5.00 143 11.00Juniperus sabina Calgary Carpet 131 5.00 161 11.00Juniperus sabina Skandia 150 5.00 191 11.00Juniperus sabina ‘Tamariscifolia’ 271 11.00Juniperus squamata Blue Carpet 96 5.00 288 11.00Juniperus squamata Blue Star 360 11.00


Microbiota decussata 55 5.00 350 11.00Myrica pensylvanica 1,000 7.00 Picea abies 279 7.00 135 11.00Picea glauca Conica 593 11.00Picea omorika 201 7.00 Picea pungens glauca StJuan 200 7.00 Picea pungens Globosa 40 5.00 267 22.00Pinus mugo var. mugo 1,000 11.00Taxus cuspidata nana 56 5.00 245 11.00Taxus X media Densiformis 1,000 5.00 986 11.00Taxus X media Hicksii 1,000 5.00 1,000 11.00Taxus X media Hillii 630 5.00 212 11.00Taxus X media Wardii 648 5.00 921 11.00Thuja occidentalis 634 11.00Thuja occidentalis Nigra 288 5.00 907 11.00Thuja occidentalis Smaragd 151 5.00 1,000 11.00Thuja occidentalis Wintergreen 1,000 5.00 732 11.00Thuja plicata Spring Grove 480 11.00Tsuga canadensis 206 5.00 230 11.00Tsuga canadensis Jeddeloh 400 13.50Tsuga canadensis Pendula 250 13.50

DECIDUOUS SHRUBS Acanthopanax sieboldianus 392 7.00 Acer ginnala 292 7.00 30 8.00Acer rubrum 925 7.00 Alnus glutinosa 265 7.00 Amelanchier alnifolia 208 7.00 Amelanchier canadensis 634 7.00 200 8.00Amelanchier humilis 442 7.00 Aronia mel. Autumn Magic 394 7.00 Aronia X prunifolia Viking 266 7.00 Berberis thunbergii Aurea nana 140 6.00 300 13.50Berberis thunbergii Concorde 75 6.00 99 9.50 267 13.50Berberis thunbergii Rose Glow 270 6.00 299 9.50 473 13.50Berberis thunbergii Royal Cloak 601 6.00 82 9.50 70 13.50Berberis x Emerald Carousel 287 9.50 Betula alleghaniensis 200 7.00 Betula nigra 465 7.00 Buddleia davidii Black Knight 275 7.00 Buddleia davidii Ellens Blue 450 7.00 Buddleia davidii Ile de France 704 7.00 Buddleia davidii Nanho Purple 337 7.00 Buddleia davidii Petite Plum 400 7.00 Buddleia davidii Pink Delight 460 7.00 Buddleia davidii Purple Prince 773 7.00 Buddleia davidii Royal Red 336 7.00 Caryopteris clandonensis Dark Knight 246 7.00 Caryopteris clandonensis Grand Blue 417 7.35 Caryopteris clandonensis Worchester Gold 344 7.00 Cercis canadensis 460 7.00 Chaenomeles speciosa Nivalis 412 7.00 Chaenomeles speciosa Rubra 956 7.00 Chaenomeles speciosa Texas Scarlet 498 7.00 Chaenomeles sup.Crimson and Gold 243 7.00 Clethra alnifolia Hummingbird 234 7.00 Clethra alnifolia Pink Spire 640 7.00 Cornus alba Elegantissima 372 7.00 Cornus alba Red Gnome 460 7.00 Cornus alternifolia 926 7.00 Cornus amomum 891 7.00 Cornus racemosa 1,000 7.00 Cornus sanguinea Midwinter Fire 504 7.00 Cornus stolonifera (sericea) 884 7.00 Cornus stolonifera Kelseyi 714 7.00

RR 2, Mount Brydges, ON N0L 1W0 • Tel: 519-264-9057 • Fax: 519-264-1337




Cotinus coggygria Royal Purple 371 8.00Cotoneaster apiculatus 292 7.00 Cotoneaster horizontalis 343 7.00 Cotoneaster preacox Boer 1,000 7.00 Deutzia crenata Nikko 823 7.00 Deutzia gracilis 910 7.00 Diervilla lonicera 1,000 7.00 Euonymus alatus 255 5.00 784 8.00 Euonymus alatus Compactus 1,000 5.00 1,000 9.00Fagus sylvatica Purpurea 533 7.00 Forsythia Kumson 477 7.00 Forsythia ovata Ottawa 930 7.00 Forsythia X inter. Northern Gold 1,000 7.00 Forsythia X intermedia Goldtide 443 7.00 Forsythia X intermedia Lynwood 420 7.00 Genista tinctoria Royal Gold 314 7.00 Gymnocladus dioica 169 7.00 180 8.00Hibiscus syriacus Aphrodite 319 5.00 Hibiscus syriacus Diana 450 5.00 332 8.00Hibiscus syriacus Minerva 144 5.00 Hibiscus syriacus Woodbridge 390 5.00 Hydrangea arborescens Annabelle 1,904 7.00 Hydrangea macr. Nikko Blue 211 7.00 Hydrangea paniculata Pink Diamond 399 7.00 Hydrangea paniculata Pinky Winky 376 7.60 Hydrangea paniculata Tardiva 345 7.00 Hydrangea serrata Bluebird 440 7.00 Ilex verticillata 465 7.00 Ilex verticillata Afterglow 1,000 7.00 Ilex verticillata Southern Gentleman 507 7.00 Itea virginica Henrys Garnet 791 7.00 Kolkwitzia amabilis Pink Cloud 821 7.00 Ligustrum ovalufolium 278 7.00 Ligustrum vulgaris 733 7.00 Lindera benzoin 400 7.00 Liriodendron tulipefera 335 8.50 Lonicera tatarica 231 7.00 Lonicera tatarica Arnold Red 1,000 7.00 Lonicera xylosteum Claveys Dwarf 548 7.00 Lonicera xylosteum Emerald Mound 1,000 7.00 Lonicera xylosteum Miniglobe 555 7.00 Magnolia stellata Royal Star 307 11.00Magnolia X Butterfly 238 11.00Magnolia X loebneri Leonard Messel 331 11.00Nyssa sylvatica 240 7.00 Philadelphus coronarius Aureus 647 7.00 Philadelphus Innocence 866 7.00 Philadelphus Minnesota Snowflake 541 7.00 Philadelphus Natchez 238 7.00 Philadelphus X virginalis 295 7.00 Physocarpus opulifolius 1,000 7.00 Physocarpus opulifolius Dart’s Gold 1,000 7.00 Physocarpus opulifolius Diabolo 1,000 7.60 600 8.60Physocarpus opulifolius Seward 657 7.85 Populus deltoides 450 7.00 Potentilla fruticosa Abbottswood 300 7.00 Potentilla fruticosa Dakota Sunrise 793 7.00 Potentilla fruticosa Gold Drop 934 7.00 Potentilla fruticosa Goldstar 268 7.00 Potentilla fruticosa Mango Tango 503 7.00 Prunus cistena 399 5.00 1,000 7.00 23 8.00Prunus virginiana 626 7.00 Quercus macrocarpa 393 7.00 41 8.00Quercus robur Fastigiata 633 9.00 Quercus rubrum 770 7.00 Rhus aromatica Low Grow 539 7.00

Rhus typhina 1,000 7.00 Rhus typhina Tiger Eyes 15 10.50 239 12.50Ribes alpinum 1,000 7.00 Rosa Bonica 465 7.00 Rosa John Cabot 335 7.00 Rosa rubrifolia 460 7.00 Rosa rugosa 1,000 7.00 Rosa rugosa Alba 853 7.00 Rosa William Baffin 210 7.00 Rosa x Champlain 430 7.00 Rosa x George Vancouver 265 7.00 Rosa x Royal Edward 314 7.00 Salix bebbiana 810 7.00 Salix caprea 1,000 7.00 Salix discolor 413 7.00 Salix eriocephala 212 7.00 Salix exigua 1,000 7.00 Salix gracilis Purpurea Nana 880 7.00 Salix nigra 370 7.00 Salix repens 263 7.00 Sambucus canadensis 1,000 7.00 72 8.00Sambucus canadensis Aurea 1,000 7.00 Sorbaria aitchisonii 495 7.00 Sorbaria sorbifolia 1,000 7.00 Sorbaria sorbifolia Sem 1,000 7.00 298 8.00Spiraea alba 1,000 7.00 Spiraea arguta 276 7.00 Spiraea betulifolia Tor 255 7.00 Spiraea bumalda Gold Mound 1,000 7.00 Spiraea japonica Anthony Waterer 1,000 7.00 Spiraea japonica Crispa 933 7.00 Spiraea japonica Dakota Goldcharm 511 7.00 Spiraea japonica Froebelii 1,000 7.00 Spiraea japonica Golden Princess 693 7.00 Spiraea japonica Goldflame 1,000 7.00 Spiraea japonica Magic Carpet 1,000 7.25 Spiraea japonica Shirobana (Genpei) 402 7.00 211 8.00Spiraea japonica White Gold 478 7.00 Spiraea nipponica Snowmound 346 7.00 Spiraea vanhouttei 406 7.00 Stephanandra incisa Crispa 1,000 7.00 Symphoricarpos albus 1,000 7.00 Symphoricarpos chenaultii Hancock 351 7.00 Syringa meyeri Palibin 1,000 7.00 Syringa patula Miss Kim 1,000 7.00 261 8.00Syringa vulgaris 583 7.00 Tilia americana 328 7.00 Viburnum dentatum 489 7.00 Viburnum dentatum Chicago Lustre 642 7.00 Viburnum lentago 1,000 7.00 60 8.00Viburnum nudum Winterthur 359 7.00 Viburnum opulus Nanum 402 7.00 Viburnum plic. Summer Snowflake 447 7.00 Viburnum plicatum Mariesii 408 10.00 Viburnum plicatum Shasta 376 10.00 Viburnum prunifolium 280 7.00 Viburnum trilobum 1,000 7.00 Viburnum trilobum Bailey Compact 685 7.00 Weigela florida Bristol Ruby 265 7.00 Weigela florida Bristol Snowflake 337 7.00 Weigela florida Elvira 205 7.60 Weigela florida French Lace 345 7.60 Weigela florida Minuet 299 7.00 Weigela florida Nana Variegata 937 7.00 Weigela florida Rumba 546 7.00 Weigela florida Victoria 212 7.00

Many More Cultivars and sizes available

RR 2, Mount Brydges, ON N0L 1W0 • Tel: 519-264-9057 • Fax: 519-264-1337


Contracts require Smart about Salt certificationBy Bob HodginsSmart about Salt executive director

Those who work in the snow and ice busi-ness think about it throughout the year. As the 2011-2012 snowfighting season

approaches, much is now being done to get ready for a new season. Most of us are looking for-ward to — well maybe dreading is a better word — closing our pools, putting away the lawn furniture and golf clubs, digging up the gardens, getting winter clothes and equipment out of mothballs and finding

our snow tires. But not the winter guys! They are excited about winter.

Good planning and preparation are essen-tial to making the best of the season. Now is the time to bid on contracts, get snow clearing equip-ment ready, hire and train snow fighter crews and secure a reliable supply of de-icing materials.

With respect to the latter point, it will be interesting to see how the tornado damage to the Sifto Salt plant in Goderich will affect this year’s supplies. The company’s Kansas-based parent said they “fully intend to meet 100 per cent of our highway de-icing salt commitments.” Time will tell (see story below).

SMART ABOUT SALT

Bob Hodgins

Go Transit comes aboardWe at the Smart about Salt (SAS) Council are busy most of the year, but things have been particularly busy in August and September. GO Transit began the first steps to becoming Smart about Salt. Earlier this month the latest contracts for snow and ice control services were tendered. The tender requires bidders to register their intent to become Smart about Salt Certified.

This can be done through our website www.smartaboutsalt.com. The second requirement by GO Transit is for the successful contractors to become Smart about Salt Certified by next spring. The registration process has become pretty active.

Woodstock requires certificationAt the same time, the City of Woodstock now requires its contractors to be Smart about Salt certified and to take the SAS training pro-gram. The City of Ottawa is also getting Smart about Salt. On September 7, the Transportation Committee of the City of Ottawa approved the following motion:

“That the Transportation Committee rec-ommend to Council that the City of Ottawa con-tinues to illustrate environmental leadership and stewardship by:a. working closely with the provincial Smart

about Salt Council;b. adopting staff training programs to

encourage smart salt practices for city

parking lots and public facilities;c. phasing in a requirement for city contractors

to be certified in smart salt usage;d. hosting a public-private smart salt summit

in the Fall of 2011 to share best practices in salt management with BOMA and other local public institutions;

e. providing information for residents on the city website for smart salt usage for residents and private property.

All of this interest has triggered train-ing courses in Milton (August), Kitchener (September) and Ottawa (October), with more to come. People can check the available training through the events page of the Smart about Salt website and register online for one of the training courses.

Keep an eye on this spot for future com-mentary on salt management. If there are specific topics you would like covered, email [email protected].

Enjoy the lead-up to winter!

Bob Hodgins may be contacted at [email protected].

Sheridan Nurseries wins for best bathroomsThe Sheridan Nurseries Mississauga store won the Garden Centers of America Gold Bathroom Award.

The award was presented at the Independent Garden Centre Show in Chicago on Aug. 18. Thirty-two garden cen-tres entered the inaugural contest.

According to David Williams, Garden Centers of America president, one of the most important elements in the operation of a garden centre is the restrooms. He stated that the customer base for independent gar-den centres is estimated to be 80 per cent women, who appreciate a clean, fresh and well-designed restroom.

The award was designed as a snapshot into a garden centre’s most often overlooked asset. There were four awards of merit given on topics like best signage outside the bath-rooms, and best use of decor items.

It was noted in the announcement of Sheridan’s win that “the Parisian elegance theme, use of excellent cross-merchandised displays that echo and emphasize their gift department, and small touches like little pots of lavender in each stall, were all highlighted. Great clean design, very fashion-forward. Bright, cheerful, and well merchandised.”

Sifto Canada has resumed production and ship-ping of rock salt to highway de-icing and chemi-cal customers from its Goderich rock salt mine.

Operations were suspended after the facil-ity sustained severe damage from a tornado on Aug. 21. The mine’s extensive underground infrastructure was untouched by the tornado, but above-ground equipment and buildings were heavily damaged.

A second facility in Goderich, the mechani-cal evaporation salt plant, is undergoing repairs, and the company plans to restart limited packag-ing operations in about three weeks.

The company has stated that it fully intends to meet 100 per cent of its highway de-icing salt commitments.

The Goderich mine is the largest rock salt mine in the world with an annual production capacity of approximately nine million tons.

Sifto resumes salt production after tornado


LO meeting motivates garden centre ownersGarden centre operators were faced with more than one challenge in their bid for success this year. Buyer loyalty is at an all-time low. The Internet has created demanding, data-driven, con-nected customers. Competition from box stores and grocery stores is still an issue, and 2011 saw the wettest spring on record, fol-lowed by one of the driest summers in most parts of Ontario.

In response to the challenges of the year, LO’s garden centre sector group invited business growth spe-cialist Judith Guido to host a special meeting on Sept. 21, for garden cen-tre owners and managers.

Guido is founder and principal of Guido and Associates, a business management company, consulting with many green industry businesses. With over 60 owners and operators at the LO home office, she discussed the importance of branding, trends in retail and what today’s con-sumers are looking for at garden centres.

Despite the rocky year, Guido is firm in her belief that there has never been a better time to be involved in the green industry. She says garden-ing is ranked as the number one hobby among homeowners, and outdoor living is an epic trend that will continue to grow. “Homeowners are staying home and gardening, meaning the green industry is projected to grow by 17 per cent over the next three years, and overall between 18-30 per cent during the next decade,” said Guido. Sustainability, or eco-living, is another trend the green industry can tie into.

Guido explained that branding is a misun-derstood science, and that your company’s brand is the biggest asset you can have. The value of a company’s brand is now recognized on balance sheets, and represents up to 20 per cent of a com-pany’s value. A brand is the sum of experiences and a promise to perform. Every single thing a company does has an impact on brand image, and she reiterated the importance of communi-cating your brand to employees so they can live and deliver your brand every day.

A strong brand will break through the clut-ter of the 38,000 messages we receive daily, and it is worth the investment in time to build an effective brand. Guido noted it wasn’t neces-sary to have a big budget to build a great brand, but that PR is a terrific way to build reputation and your brand. She explained that companies with the strongest brands actually spend 29 per cent less on marketing than those with a weaker message. “Garden centres can build their brand by aligning with like-minded partners for local

events, giving back to the community and creat-ing experiences for customers,” said Guido.

After the lunch break, Guido dove into the current state of retail in North America, saying, “There is no business as usual — nothing is usual about business anymore. Leaders who can facili-

tate change will grow; those who stay in their comfort zone will stagnate.”

While the growth of data centres and warehouses fuel online shopping, buying from bricks and mortar locations will continue. Guido says that for many, shopping is a hobby, and an activity that satisfies the need for human contact. People may research their planned purchase online and then visit a

store to experience and buy it.Increased competition in the marketplace

is a fact, and there is no room for complacency. Retailers need to offer a compelling reason for shoppers to remain loyal to your brand. Guido noted it no longer matters if you are an estab-

lished third-generation company, or if you’ve been established in the same location for 35 years. What matters is what you are doing for customers now.

Customers are demanding a multi-channel experience; they want e-commerce, m- or mobile commerce from their smart phone and a connec-tion through social media. Guido quoted statis-tics that said businesses who offer multi-channel messaging engage with customers who buy 82 per cent more than at stores who don’t have mul-tiple touch points with their customers, and, even more telling, 89 per cent of all shopping now starts online.

Creating an experience at your store is one of the top drivers when it comes to getting people to your store.

To make it easy for employees to keep the brand top of their minds throughout the day, Guido recommended taking some time with them to boil the essence of your brand statement down to one single word. Simplifying your brand to one word that can be applied in every situation and trans-action, will help maintain great customer experi-ences, and, in turn, grow your business.

Judith Guido


By Jacki Hart CLPProsperity Partners program manager

In the 20-plus years I’ve been running my business, with various staff coming and leav-ing every year, I’ve learned that without a

doubt, leadership is a huge component of both productivity and morale.

In the past, I wrote an article in this space about making sure to ‘never let ‘em see you sweat.’ Hindsight is 20/20. I can tell you that this past season was a chance for me to take my own advice — and really stretch my resolve to keep my staff on track

when the heat was really on.With only a couple of hours’ notice that

my sales design manager was leaving in the first week of June, due to unexpected challenges in her pregnancy, it was all hands on deck — including mine. Because of the time of year, I decided to take on the role myself (something I hadn’t done in several years) and wait for the winter to recruit a new designer for next year. This left me swamped. The biggest challenge was to keep everyone on task, and willing to step up and focus more on thinking ahead.

By keeping myself focused, tactical and supportive of my team, we flew through the summer as a more cohesive team than ever before. And our sales were up by 15 per cent, and the profit margin right along with it.

They all knew how much pressure I was under to add the full-time sales and design role

PROSPERITY PARTNERS

Leadership is a daily requirement for successto my operations and management role, and they all stepped up in a way they never have before. In this sense, I believe leadership breeds leadership. When the owner of a business demonstrates a calm resolve in the middle of a storm, others follow suit. Alternatively, if a business owner or person in a leadership role starts to come unglued, so do the processes, systems and commitment across the board.

In the Prosperity Partners’ Build Your Prosperity seminar, the owner/supervisor’s role in leadership is put into perspective. In this seminar, we use some really cool self-evaluation tools to help you figure out where you are strong in your business, where you aren’t, and the resulting gap between what your business needs, and what you bring to the table. We also check in with current reality, and a three to five year projection of what’s coming down the road. This helps to map and plan to create a more prosperous business, and a better work/life balance.

This winter, I will be stepping back into the classroom to instruct the Prosperity seminars in Milton. The team at Landscape Ontario extends our heartfelt thanks to Ryan Heath CLP, CLT for his commitment to the program, and years of seminar delivery. We wish Ryan the best of luck. We’re grateful also to Mark Fisher for his help and support in delivering countless seminars in the past couple of years.

Coming seminars You can check out all the seminars at www.horttrades.com/seminars/. In order to ensure

great networking and participant contribution, there is a minimum of 12 participants are

required to run a seminar. Please register early, so that we can ensure each one will

run, and keep the next date available should one seminar not meet

the minimum registration criteria. This seminar is free

to new members of Landscape Ontario.

Jacki Hart may be reached at [email protected].

Jacki HartRead Horticulture Review ONLINE!

www.horttrades.com/horticulturereview


The three major concerns of companies that conduct winter maintenance services are costs, effective levels of salt application and liability exposure.

There’s now reason for optimism to resolve all three of these situations. Research is currently underway to determine a standard for winter maintenance on parking lot applications.

Robert Roszell has extensive experience in winter maintenance, particularly direct liquid application. A member of the Snow and Ice Management Sector Group at Landscape Ontario, Roszell was instrumental in initiating a research project through the association with the University of Waterloo.

“There has long been a concern with the environmental effects of road salts and the lack of standards in the application process,” says Roszell.

The research project is focusing on four specific objectives. These include: determining conditions that affect the performance of rock salts, brines and alternative chemicals; optimum application rates; creating standard application forms and rates for treatments on parking lots and sidewalks; creating models that will forecast pavement surface conditions, including residual salts, snow and ice cover and friction levels under specific weather and treatment schedules; and developing guidelines for material selection, application rates and treatment strategies.

New guidelines on the way to help snow operators

Previous tests on application rates and methods have mostly focused on highway applications. As well, many of those research efforts took place in laboratories, offering few defendable guidelines for parking lots and sidewalks, resulting in negative exposure for operators slip-and-fall law suits. The result has forced many operators to apply excessive amounts of salt to avoid expensive legal problems.

The project is divided into three phases over a period of three years.

At the conclusion of the study, expected sometime in 2013, it is anticipated that the uniform data will provide operators with a document that will not only reduce the environmental side-effects of heavy salt applications, but minimize the dangers of legal exposure and business risk.

The field tests under the guidance of the association will involve designated sites maintained by volunteer contractors using their own equipment, and committed to keeping detailed records. The project will also employ monitoring technologies such as web cams, friction measurement devices and salinity meters.

Another goal of the project, once the results are adopted, is the development of training workshops through Landscape Ontario that will focus on winter road maintenance. “This will have a profound long lasting impact on our industry,” says Roszell.

By Jeff GreggGrowers’ Sector Group

In the coming months, promotional material specifically aimed at growers will be available for a newly developed safety training seminar.

Over the past year, through the joint efforts of your growers’ sector group, Landscape Ontario and the people at WSPS, a project has evolved that will establish a health and safety program for nurseries. This program should meet the needs of growers, as they themselves put it in place.

At the outset we faced a degree of skepticism. We all have participated in similar training and education, so why would it really be worthwhile to go down that road again? The general reaction was that the process of implementing comprehensive workplace safety policies was time consuming and burdensome. It required company resources, namely the time of key people who were already taxed with keeping our businesses flourishing in difficult times. With the present economic environment, the idea of training and education did not set off any celebration bells within the industry.

So, our focus was to give the growers specific tools and resources that can eliminate the generalities and streamline the process. Although we may have had unrealistic visions of a turnkey plan, by keeping the goal clear, with straightforward instructions.

Effective toolOne of the key themes that I was able to bring away from this process was one of “safe practices as an effective management tool.” In the past, workplace health and safety existed as a separate entity that we would address begrudgingly, when time allowed. The truth is that health and safety is completely interwoven in all operations. By developing safe practices, we are actually developing efficiencies as well as satisfying our responsibilities to our workers.

We are perpetually faced with decisions regarding time priorities. We apply our time where it will benefit our companies the most. It’s an important factor in training programs. This latest seminar designed by growers, for growers, prepares for the specific demands of building and implementing policies and actions. It provides a roadmap to your goal and will continue to build and provide support

Safety program designed by growers, for growers

in the future.In the growers’ group, we never really

know what type of task or project we might be faced with each day. When presented with the challenge of developing a program for safety training in nurseries, we had little idea where that would lead. We took on the challenge for the chance to learn from some exceptional people in the industry who really listened to us and worked to give us solutions.

In addition to the growers, who gave so much of their time to work on this project, the real professionals at Landscape Ontario and WSPS deserve our gratitude for providing knowledge, experience and passion.

This training will be available in the

coming months. It is a specific and practical solution to a real and pressing need. You will have a clear understanding of your responsibilities and how to go about meeting them. Your role now is to attend the workshop and to offer feedback so that it can continue to grow and develop into the future.

To find out about the seminars go to the growers’ sector group page on www.horttrades.com. Starting in January, 2012, seminars are planned in Durham, London and Ottawa.

Jeff Gregg is a manager at V. Kraus Nurseries. His email address is [email protected].

Read Horticulture Review ONLINE!


LO STAFF PROFILE

Melissa SteepArt director

What is your job description at LO?

I am the art director, working within the communications department. I spend my time helping LO staff and members achieve their visual communication goals through print and web initiatives.

What is your background before coming to LO, and when did you begin work at LO?

While going to Mohawk College in Hamilton for advertising and communications media, I worked for the college in various roles, which ranged from advertising sales to event promotions. After graduation, I stayed on in the student life department as anofficemanager.Ienjoyedmytimethere,which allowed me to learn and develop new skills that serve me well today.

After that, I spent some time working for

Standardbred Canada, the Canadian harness horse racing association. I learned a lot about horses and how to bet (don’t ask how to win, because it never got me more than $2.10). The people there were very friendly and helpful in teaching me about horses and the love of the Standardbred breed. During this time, I also began my own design and marketing company, Break Left Media. I still continue consulting and developing communication/design strategy for small businessesandnot-for-profitorganizations. I have met a

lot of nice people — the entrepreneurial energy is very inspirational.

I have worked at LO for three years. Don’t worry if you haven’t met me, I am mostly behind the scenes, hiding upstairs in a cube.

When not at work, where can you be found?

Watchingcomedieswithmysignificant

other,inmyhomeofficeworkingonBreakLeft projects, playing with my Pomeranian puppy, taking pictures of nature, reading oneofthemanynon-fictionbooksI’vebeen meaning to get to, and spending time with friends and family.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

To be a part of Sharon, Lois and Bram. Skinnamarink.

What inspires you during your time at LO?

Interacting with the many personalities of our staff and members, and seeing the excitement around a meeting table when we have hit an insight about our communications. That is what motivates me each year to come up with new and better ideas.

Name your all-time favourite movie, musical group and TV show.

This is a hard one, because it keeps changing. Since I am usually strictly all about comedies — I can’t pick one, it would be unfair. I would say my favourite true story movie would be Into the Wild. The book was good too; Jon Krakauer never disappoints.

My favourite musician would have to be Neil Young. Mostly, because I couldn’t stand his voice up until about six years ago, when I learned to appreciate it and dig his original sound. Yeah Canada!

I am sad that it went off the air before I was able to be a die-hard fan, but Arrested Development is the most witty, ingenious and unexpected comedy show I have ever seen.ThankstoNetflix,Iamnowcaughtup on all three seasons.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

New Zealand. I’ve heard they have mountains like the Rockies and tropics like the Caribbean.

Tell us one thing about you that few of your colleagues know about you.

I have a snow globe collection. People have brought back globes from all over the world for me. Among the 26 watery wonders, Sweden, Norway, Bulgaria and Cleveland are my favourites!


“The show provides an important platform for networking and the exchange of ideas. ” — Beth Edney, Designs by the Yard Inc. Toronto, Ont.

Possibilities start with

Canada’s 39th International Horticultural Lawn & Garden Trade Show & Conference

January 10 - 12th, 2012Toronto Congress CentreToronto ON, Canada

To exhibit or attend Call: 1-800-265-5656 ext. 339 Email: [email protected]

locongress.com

connections

AN INITIATIVE OF FEATURING SUPPORTED BY Scan this code with yourmobile device to visitlocongress.com


By Kristen McIntyre CHTConference and event coordinator

The spring was miserable, the summer was too hot, and you’ll have to work overtime this fall just to catch up. So do something to create a renewed sense of spirit — re-energize your staff and celebrate the great world of retailing — plan to attend Expo 2011, Canada’s premier fall show for the floral and garden industry.

Following a decade of success, Expo is launching a host of initiatives, including the move to the stylish new North Building of the Toronto Congress Centre, new show hours and dates (10-6, Wed., Oct. 19, 10-4, Thurs., Oct. 20), and a new format for the conference, which promises to be an outstanding event.

When you walk through the doors, your attention will be drawn to the plants and prod-ucts. Your senses will be treated to all the delights of a healthy horticultural showcase, and the new enhanced lighting throughout the show will create a unique ambience.

Take away useable ideasWe have spent months ensuring our conference program is relevant and will help you and your staff take away usable ideas to implement in your business after the show.

A popular event, the Garden Centre Symposium is traditionally held the Monday prior to the show. This year it is being revamped to become the opening morning breakfast event for Expo 2011 on Oct. 19, starting at 7:30 a.m. Hosted by Landscape Ontario’s Garden Centre Sector Group, the event will feature a keynote address by Karl Stensson, president of Sheridan Nurseries, entitled Taking a Good Garden Centre and Making it Great.

Stensson will share what he has learned, using pictures to showcase great entrances and

Reward yourself: Events and opportunities at Expothe importance of making a good first impres-sion on your guests. He’ll explore how to dis-play plants and products and how to improve traffic flow through your store, ensuring guests get the most out of a visit. The secrets of excep-tional guest services and the benefits of employ-ing environmental practices will be discussed. Through it all, garden centre owners will learn how to sell more products and increase their average sales.

Awards presentationsThe ticket price includes breakfast, admission to Expo 2011 and the Awards of Excellence cer-emony. Denis Flanagan, Landscape Ontario’s public relations director, will present the awards to the winners in the garden centre and grower categories. Ticket prices start at $65 for Landscape Ontario members and $85 for non-members.

Join us Oct. 19 at 1 p.m. for the Coffee and Cookies Conference. Besides the delicious treats, delegates will be enthralled with food for thought as acclaimed horticulturists Dr. Casey Sclar and Lorrie Baird, from Pennsylvania’s renowned Longwood Gardens, present Living Walls at Longwood Gardens.

“Planting walls are the newest, latest inno-vation for indoor planting and interior landscap-ing,” says Stephen Schell CLT, chair of LO’s Interior Plantscapes Sector Group and owner of The Plant Lady, a Kitchener-based company. “They have a big advantage in that they make an immediate impact. It is natural for people, from a historical point of view, to live with plants. Today we live in artificial rectangular boxes that we have to humanize with plants. We spend a great deal of our time indoors. That makes it even more important that as we spend less time outdoors, we bring nature indoors with us.”

A successful business relies on closing

the sale, overcoming objections and building value instead of dropping prices. For breakfast on Oct. 20, at 8 a.m., delegates are invited to attend an interactive presentation that will show how to best achieve that successful recipe in award-winning business coach and author Rory Sheehan’s interactive presentation. The break-fast and networking event will feature Rory Sheehan, of Positive Strategies, as he shares tac-tics to achieve results in ‘Close More Business and Have Happy Clients,’ hosted by Landscape Designers Group.

“Many designers can have difficulties fin-ishing a sale, and this seminar will help teach how to properly communicate with clients, potential clients and even people who aren’t potential clients,” says Tony Lombardi CLD, CLP, chair of the designers’ sector group and owner of Dr. Landscape. “This will give them additional tools to help them out and get land-scape designers the sales they want.”

Principals of salesSheehan touches thousands of people every year through his presentations and books. His unique and successful approach to achieving results has been featured on television and radio, and he has had several articles published in newspa-pers and magazines. “All the principles of sales are the same, whether you are selling heads of lettuce, BMWs or landscape design services,” says Lombardi.

Florists and business owners are invited to join Flowers Canada for a technology seminar entitled Are you Hooked-Up? This session is not for the faint of heart. Ryan Freeman, a fifth generation florist with Martin’s and president of Strider Search Marketing, will lead you through the practicalities of how to maximize website content, e-marketing and how to use Twitter and Facebook to build your business, make connections and enhance sales. Entry for this seminar is included with trade show admission. The session will take place on Oct. 19 at 4 p.m. at the main stage.

Industry professionals in the garden, flo-ral and outdoor living sectors will benefit from the educational programming and the 250-plus vendors spotlighting the latest products and services.

Our exhibitors and sponsors are excited to share the experience at Expo with you. Look for your VIP Pass to the show in the mail. You can also visit www.loexpo.ca and contact one of the exhibitors from the show for your complimen-tary admission with your VIP Pass, or to regis-ter for any of the events mentioned above.


By Robert EllidgeWeb editor

Landscape Ontario’s provincial board of directors had the rare opportunity to meet with Canada’s federal Minister of Finance, Jim Flaherty at a special event on Sept. 14, held at the of Parkwood Estate national historic site in Oshawa.

To commemorate the inaugural National Tree Day (Sept. 21), Minister Flaherty partici-pated in the ceremonial planting of a sugar maple tree, donated by the Maple Leaves Forever Foundation. Many special guests and media were on hand to mark the occasion, hosted by Parkwood board chair, Dr. Richard Marceau. Dignitaries also included Kew Jewett, founder of Maple Leaves Forever, and Chuck Geale, past president of Tree Canada, who spoke briefly about the many benefits of trees.

After the tree planting, LO president Tom Intven, executive director Tony DiGiovanni and Durham Chapter representative on the LO board Mark Humphries of Humphries Landscape Services, Oshawa, took the opportunity over lunch to educate the finance minister on the ben-efits, issues and challenges facing the landscape industry.

Flaherty spoke for about 20 minutes, noting the many contributions of the landscape industry to the Canadian economy, as well as the environ-mental and social benefits of the sector.

Finance minister Flaherty addresses Landscape Ontario board

“This is the original green industry in Canada,” Flaherty said. “This is an industry with definitely quantifiable environmental and eco-nomic benefits.” The minister recognized and applauded the hard work and dedication of the many entrepreneurs around the room, who have successfully built their passion of horticulture into profitable companies that provide jobs and wages to many Canadian families.

Flaherty’s words resonated with LO presi-dent Tom Intven, who reflected, “It was fantastic to have the Finance Minister bring recognition to ‘the original green industry,’ and to hear Mr. Flaherty speak at length about the importance of our industry, our ability to create jobs, and the significance of the economic impact our industry has right across Canada, as well as our impor-tance in greening our planet. The whole day was a highlight for our industry!”

In his address to the audience, Flaherty later said he was interested to learn about the benefits of trees on lowering home energy costs during his lunchtime conversation with the LO execu-tive — something he was unaware of before the event.

Flaherty continued to speak about some of the government’s recent environmental projects, including waterfront beautification and park-land developments that are just as important to Canadians as health care, education and social services.

Landscape Ontario thanks Mark Humphries for his coup in making the arrangements for the federal finance minister to attend the event, bringing much recognition to Landscape Ontario and National Tree Day. LO also extends thanks to the staff at Parkwood Estate, including execu-tive director Brian Malcolm, for the incredible generosity and graciousness in hosting the entire LO board.

“Durham chapter was pleased to host the provincial board at Parkwood Estates. This 12-acre site is a treasure to be preserved,” stated Humphries. The spectacular gardens date back to 1917, and are some of the last formal gardens designed by Howard Dunington-Grubb.

“This site made a most fitting backdrop to the ceremonial planting of an indigenous maple by the Honorable Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty to recognize the first annual National Tree Day. Minister Flaherty graciously provided a keynote talk to the LO board at lunch. We would like to thank the board members and staff for taking extra time out of their busy schedules (in some cases two days) to visit Oshawa and tour the mansion. Parkwood board of directors is hopeful that LO, as an association, also appreci-ates the value of the gardens enough, to agree to an ongoing support and participation to the resto-ration, preservation and continued maintenance of them,” Humphries noted.

LO executive director Tony DiGiovanni and members of the LO board greet Canada’s Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty.


Landscape Ontario Chapter Golf Tournaments 2011

Attendees at the Windsor Golf Tournament enjoy an early dinner and a great networking event

John Bos tries the TiCat chipping challenge at the

Golden Horseshoe Golf

Escapes Outdoor Living catches a ride on a sponsor vehicle at the London Golf Tournament Chapter president, Terry Childs, tees off at the

Upper Canada Golf Tournament

Jason Dietrich of Ace Lawn Care at the Waterloo Chapter’s Golf Tournament

Hummer Golf Cart winners Team Lafleur de la

Capitale show support for the food bank at the

Ottawa Chapter Golf Tournament

Oriole Landscaping and York Region Equipment

Centre at the Toronto Chapter Golf Tournament

John Bos tries the TiCat chipping challenge at the

Golden Horseshoe Golf Tournament


Dutchmaster demonstrated the ease of handling a 40-ft. tree with equipment designed, developed and manufactured by the family-owned company.

Growers’ tour visits Durham nurseriesThe 2011 Growers’ Summer Tour visited four nursery operations in Durham: Dutchmaster Nurseries in Brougham, Uxbridge Nurseries in Brooklin, Ground Covers Unlimited in Bethany and Kobes Nursery in Bowmanville.

Approximately 80 people took part in

this year’s tour, boarding two buses on Sept. 15 at the LO home office in Milton, and later at Dutchmaster

The 2011 tour organizers included mem-bers of the Growers Sector Group, Mark Ostrowski, Dave Braun, Gerwin Bouman,

The tour took to the hay wagons at Kobes, where Ben Kobes discussed new additions, techniques and issues facing the industry.

Ted Spearing led members of the tour through his wholesale nursery operation at Ground Covers Unlimited in Bethany.

Harry Worsley greeted the tour at one of the six farms owned by Uxbridge Nurseries.

Jen Llewellyn, and Kathleen Pugliese. They thanked Engage Agro of Guelph for helping to sponsor this year’s event.

The photographs on this page reflect some of the impressive nurseries visited by the growers this year.


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This year let us remind ourselves that our earth is the source and root of all life, including our own. We care for the environment by growing shrubs, evergreens and trees. Please take a moment to consider how our actions

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COMPANy PAGE PHONE WEBSITE

ACO Systems Ltd.. .............................................24 .........877-226-4255.................................... www.acocan.ca

Agrium. .................................................................2 ..........855-228-2828.................................... www.prohort.ca

Braun Nursery Limited. ......................................13 .........800-246-6984......................... www.braungroup.com

Canadale Nurseries ............................................7 ..........519-631-1008............................. www.canadale.com

Connon Nurseries/NVK Holdings Inc ................31 ......... 905-628-0112 ................. www.connonnurseries.com

Draglam Salt (G&L Group) ...............................22 .........416-798-7050......................... www.draglamsalt.com

Dutchmaster Nurseries Ltd ................................32 ......... 905-683-8211 ........ www.dutchmasternurseries.com

Gro-Bark (ONT) Ltd ............................................29 .........905-846-1515................................www.gro-bark.com

Hillen Nursery Inc ............................................16-17 ......519-264-9057

Landscape Safety .............................................10 .........877-482-2323...................www.landscapesafety.com

Legends Landscape Supply Inc .........................8 ..........905-336-3369....................... www.landscapestore.ca

Limestone Trail Company Ltd ............................29 .........905-563-8133........................www.limestonetrail.com

M Putzer Nursery ...............................................28 [email protected]

Newroads National Leasing ...............................12 .........416-587-1021................. www.newroadsleasing.com

Nisco National Leasing .......................................6 ..........888-634-9559........................ www.niscocanada.com

Potters Road Nursery Inc ..................................12 .........519-688-0437.............. www.pottersroadnursery.com

Riverbend Farms (Ontario) Ltd ...........................9 ..........519-765-2130......... [email protected]

Sipkens Nurseries Ltd ........................................20 .........866-843-0438................. www.sipkensnurseries.com

Stam Nurseries ...................................................10 .........519-424-3350....................www.stamsnurseries.com

Uxbridge Nurseries Ltd .......................................3 ..........905-655-3379................www.uxbridgenurseries.com

Winkelmolen Nursery Ltd ...................................19 .........519-647-3912.........................www.winkelmolen.com

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Nearly 1,600 square feet of wall is now home to more than 1,100 individual plants at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pa.

Nedlaw Living Walls of Breslau completed the installation which is considered the largest known living wall in the United States.

According to Dr. Alan Darlington, presi-dent of Nedlaw, over 20 plant types were used to fill the wall. “The active living wall at Drexel University is some 70 feet tall and over 22 feet wide,” says Darlington.

He explained that the wall has a bio-filter system patented by Nedlaw, and is capable of generating between 16,000 and 30,000 cubic feet of ‘virtual’ outside air per minute. Darlington and his team developed a system that cleans inside air with the same method nature uses outside.

The Drexel University wall was designed by Nedlaw in collaboration with Toronto-based Diamond and Schmitt Architects. The six-story, 150,000 square-foot building will house 44 research and teaching laboratories for biomedi-cal engineering, biology and organic chemistry, and a fossil preparation lab. Principal architect, Donald Schmitt, says the goal of incorporating the five-storey active living wall is to, “set a new standard of architectural and sustainable design excellence.”

Darlington notes that the benefits of an active living wall extend well beyond its aes-thetic contribution. “Traditionally, air quality systems in buildings replace used, ‘dirty’ indoor air with new outside air. In the summer, this new air must be cooled and in the winter it must be heated before being distributed. This represents a substantial portion of the energy costs of a building. An active living wall supplies the same quality air as what you would get outside, at a fraction of the energy cost.”

The patented bio-filter system, which appears as a plant wall, is also effective at remov-ing a number of airborne gaseous pollutants that negatively impact indoor air quality. It does this by connecting to the building’s air handling sys-tem that is used to draw ‘dirty’ indoor air over the root zone of the plants. As part of this pro-cess, the beneficial micro-organisms that make their home in the root zone of the plants, use the airborne pollutants as food and break them down into water and carbon dioxide.

The official opening of the living wall took place on Sept. 20.

Dr. Darlington is a past chair (2006 and 2007) of the LO interiorscape commodity group.

Nedlaw installs largest living wall

Canada’s landscape horticulture industry enthusiastically embraced National Tree Day on Sept. 21.

With over 90 Canadian companies planting over 150 trees, LO members made up over one-third of that total.

The day became official when parliament passed a private member’s bill introduced by MP Royal Gallipeau. Following the federal government’s proclamation of National Tree Day, Landscape Ontario and Canadian Nursery Landscape Association (CNLA) began work to help members celebrate the day on Sept. 21. A partnership was formed with Tree Canada to co-promote events.

In many cases, members had the opportu-nity to teach students how to plant and care for a tree and help them understand the environmental benefits that trees offer.

“For many students, it was their first expo-sure to seeing a tree being planted,” said Joe Salemi, CNLA member services manager, who coordinated the national program. “This was especially the case at Bennetto Public School in Hamilton. The school is located in the city’s north end and considered a high risk school. Clintar Landscape Management Hamilton chose this school specifically because they knew that

Over 150 trees planted on the first National Tree Day

very few community groups have reached out to the school to help out. Rod Pring of Clintar Landscape Management Hamilton brought a very enthusiastic crew who took time explaining the steps of plant-ing the ornamental pear tree. They explained that it needs special care and that it would grow as they grow and that the students present would be the special caretakers for the tree. For the majority of the students present, it was indeed their first exposure to the landscape horticul-ture industry with many asking very interesting questions.”

Organizers say that next year it is expected that over 1,000 trees will be donated and planted on National Tree Day. “It was the cohesive partnership between Landscape Ontario, the other pro-vincial landscape horticulture industry associations, and CNLA that kept the momentum going for this initiative. Thank you to every-one involved from the planning and

development stages to the dedicated members who took time out of their day to give back to the community. This is the embodiment of being Green for Life,” said Salemi.

Participating Landscape Ontario members include: Arcadia Landscaping, Toronto; Baseline Nurseries and Garden Centre, London; Beyond Landscaping, Toronto; Clintar Landscape Management – Barrie, Brampton, Hamilton, London, Mississauga, Oakville, Ottawa, Toronto, Vaughan; Degroot’s Nursery, Sarnia; Down to Earth Landscaping, Dundas; Enviroscape, Glencairn; Fast Forest, Kitchener; Garlatti Landscaping, LaSalle; Ground Guys – Orangeville and Aurora; Hank Deenen Landscaping, Toronto; Islington Nursery, Toronto; Kingston Nurseries and Garden Centre, Harrowsmith; Lee’s Landscaping, Minesing; Lisa Purves Garden Design and Consultation, Brighton; Neighbourhood Landscaping, Etobicoke; Nisco National Leasing, Burlington; OGS Landscape Services, Brooklin; Sheridan Nurseries – Unionville, Georgetown, Kitchener, Markham, Mississauga, North York; Taylor Nursery, Milton; TNT Property Maintenance, Kitchener and Vanderley Landscape Services, Denfield.

Barry Benjamin, a past president of LO, helps plant a tree at LO home office in Milton to mark National Tree Day.


1155 Dundas St. W. (Hwy. #5), West Flamborough, Ontario

www.connonnurseries.comemail: [email protected]

File Size: 8.125x10.875


DutchmasterN U R S E R I E S L T D .

Vast selection of container plants.Specialists in caliper trees.

40 years of industry experience.Various nursery supplies for sale.

Growing with our customers in mind.

T : 905 683 8211F : 905 683 3734E : [email protected]

3735 Sideline 16,Brougham, ON, CanadaL0H 1A0

We make your day easier

All of your nursery needs in one place.

www.dutchmasternurseries.com

DutchmasterN U R S E R I E S L T D .

Vast selection of container plants.Specialists in caliper trees.

40 years of industry experience.Various nursery supplies for sale.

Growing with our customers in mind.

T : 905 683 8211F : 905 683 3734E : [email protected]

3735 Sideline 16,Brougham, ON, CanadaL0H 1A0

We make your day easier

All of your nursery needs in one place.

www.dutchmasternurseries.com

Documents

Horticulture Review - October 2011