VNLA Newsletter Jul/Aug/Sep 2013 by Jeff Miller

DISTINCTIVE PLANTS FOR YOUR LANDSCAPE 2013

SELECTIONS

Bright, Bold and Beautiful Inject a Dose of Sunshine into Your Garden

Hakonochloa macra ‘All Gold’

Sedum nokoense

Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Little Honey’

Juniperus horizontalis ‘Mother Lode’

Ilex crenata ‘Drops of Gold’

Spirea thunbergii ‘Ogon’

Hypericum calycinum ‘Brigadoon’

Liriope muscari ‘Pee Dee Ingot’

Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’

VIRGINIA PLANT INTRODUCTION PROGRAM www.beautifulgardens.org

2013 VNLA Officers & Directors OFFICERS

1 YR DIRECTORS

2 YR DIRECTORS

President MATT SAWYER - Research Bennett’s Creek Nursery ‘07 5635 Shoulders Hill Rd Suffolk, VA 23435-1807 757-483-1425 Matt@bcnursery.com

CHERYL LAJOIE Certification ‘09 Lancaster Farms 5800 Knotts Neck Rd Suffolk VA 23435-1353 757-484-4421 Fax: 7575-686-8637 Cheryl@lancasterfarms.com

TOM THOMPSON, Environmental Affairs ‘10 Natural Art Landscaping 3540 S Belmont Rd Richmond VA 23234-2912 (804) 674-5703 Naturalartlandscaping@yahoo.com

Vice President MATT SHRECKHISE Communications ‘08 Shreckhise Nurseries PO Box 428 Grottoes, VA 24441-0428 540-249-5761 Matthew@shreckhise.com Secretary/ Treasurer SONYA L. WESTERVELT Public Relations ‘10 Saunders Brothers Inc 2717 Tye Brook Highway Piney River, VA 22964 (434) 277-5455 sonya@saundersbrothers.com Past President STEVE GRIGG - Education Grigg Design Inc ‘09 8193 Euclid Ct #A Manassas Park, VA 20111-4810 703-368-7539 sgrigg@gdiva.com Ex-Officio Past President MARK MASLOW Resource Development Southern Landscape Group PO Box 397 Evington VA 24550-0397 434-821-6004 mark@soscapes.com Executive Director JEFFREY B. MILLER Horticulture Management Associates LLC 383 Coal Hollow Road Christiansburg, VA 24073-6721 1-800-476-0055 Fax: 540-382-2716 info@vnla.org VNLA Newsletter

VNLA Newsletter

DOUG HENSEL Beautiful Gardens ‘08 Great Big Greenhouse & Nrsy 2051 Huguenot Rd Richmond, VA 23235-4305 Christopher@lancasterfarms.com 804-320-1317 doug@greatbiggreenhouse.com VIRGINIA ROCKWELL Legislation ‘12 CRAIG ATTKISSON ‘13 Gentle Gardener Green Design Green Side Up Landscaping PO Box 418 PO Box 2026 Gordonsville, VA 22942-0418 Glen Allen, VA 23058-2026 540-832-7031 804-514-4610 (cell) 434-531-0467 craig@gsulandscaping.com CHRISTOPHER BROWN ‘13

Lancaster Farms 5800 Knotts Neck Rd Suffolk VA 23435-1353 757-484-4421

Virginia@GentleGardener.com

Educational Advisors DR. ROGER HARRIS VA Tech Horticulture Dept. Head Saunders Hall (0327) Blacksburg, VA 24061-0001 540-231-5451 rharris@vt.edu DR. JIM OWEN HARAREC 1444 Diamond Springs Rd Virginia Beach, VA 23455 (757) 363-3804 jim.owen@vt.edu Beautiful Gardens® Plant Introduction Program LISA LIPSEY Program Coordinator VA Tech Dept. of Horticulture (0327) Blacksburg, VA 24061 540-231- 6961 llipsey@vt.edu

MANTS’ DIRECTORS JOHN LANCASTER‘02 Bennett’s Creek Nursery 3613 Bridge Road Suffolk, VA 23435-1807 757-483-1425 john@bcnursery.com TOM SAUNDERS ’96 Saunders’ Brothers Inc. 2508 Tye Brook Hwy Piney River, VA 22964-2301 804-277-5455 Tom@saundersbrothers.com DANNY SHRECKHISE Shreckhise Nurseries ‘12 PO Box 428 Grottoes, VA 24441-0428 540-249-5761 Danny@shreckhise.com

REGIONAL ASSOCIATIONS Central Virginia Nursery & Landscape Assoc. Greta Bjorkquist Hoyt 804-339-3661 gbjorkquist@jrgm.com Eastern Shore Nurserymen’s Association Stuart Burnley 757-442-3548 hermfarm@verizon.net Hampton Roads Nursery & Landscape Assoc Wes Bray (757) 422-2117 wemows@aol.com Northern Virginia Nursery & Landscape Assoc Amanda Caldwell ajcdenali@hotmail.com Piedmont Landscape Assoc Jessica Primm 434-882-0520 info@piedmontlandscape.org Shenandoah Valley Nursery & Greenhouse Assoc Matt Shreckhise 540-249-5761 matthew@shreckhise.com Directors at Large Mike Hildebrand ‘12 James River Nurseries 13244 Ashland Rd Ashland VA 23005-7504 804-798-2020

mchildebrand@ jamesrivernurseries.com Dawn Lerch ‘12 Associate 1701 Ducatus Dr Midlothian VA 23113-4067 804-690-1374 (cell) Dawn50Lerch@verizon.net Bill Gouldin ‘12 Strange’s Florist/Garden Ctrs 3313 Mechanicsville Pike Richmond VA 23223 804-321-2200x331 wjg@stranges.com

July / August / September 2013

July/August/September 2013

Table of Contents Ad - Bennett’s Creek Nursery ...................................... 38 Ad - Bremo Trees......................................................... 68 Ad - BuyNCPlants.com ............................................... 57 Ad - Carolina Bark Products ........................................ 62 Ad - Colonial Farm Credit ........................................... 68 Ad - CW Reeson Nursery ............................................ 5 Ad - Eastern Shore Nursery of Virginia....................... 41 Ad - Fair View Nursery ............................................... 62 Ad - Goodson and Associates ...................................... 49 Ad - Gossett’s Landscape Nursery............................... 51 Ad - Guthrie Nursery ................................................... 47 Ad - Hanover Farms..................................................... 9 Ad - Hardwood Mulch ................................................. 64 Ad - Hawksridge Farms ............................................... 37 Ad - John Deere Landscapes ........................................ 63 Ad - John Stanley Associates ....................................... 43 Ad - Johnston County Nursery Marketing Assoc ........ 62 Ad - Lancaster Farms ................................................... 19 Ad - Lilley Farms and Nursery .................................... 40 Ad - Mid-Atlantic Solutions ........................................ 29 Ad - OHP: Marengo ..................................................... 53 Ad - Pender Nurseries .................................................. 67 Ad - Plant Source NC .................................................. 59 Ad - Plantworks Nursery.............................................. 43 Ad - Shreckhise Nurseries............................................ 55 Ad - SiteLight Id .......................................................... 17 Ad - TD Watkins .......................................................... 5 Ad - Turtle Creek Nursery ........................................... 13 Ad - Waynesboro Nurseries ......................................... 11 Ad - Willow Springs Tree Farms ................................. 60 Ad - Winfall Nurseries ................................................. 60 Book Review - Gardening for Geeks .......................... 48 Events - Calendar ......................................................... 66 Events - MAHSC 2014 ................................................ 43 Events - IGC Show Launches East Coast Edition ....... 61 Events - Webinars: Irrigation Water ........................... 50 Legislation - How to Contact Congress ...................... 6 Legislation - Delay in Affordable Care....................... 40 Legislation - Immigration Reform: Progress, But….... 42 Letter - Hahn Garden ................................................... 8 Letter - Research Grant ................................................ 7 Letter - VAC ................................................................ 8 News - MANTS to Switch Show Dates with Green & Growin’ Show For 2015 Events ................. 66 News - ‘VT Spirit’ Daylily Arrives ............................ 8 News - ANLA Launches Rose Rosette Disease Website ..................................................................................... 35 News - EPA Chesapeake Bay Program - Report 2013 18 News - Extension E-books .......................................... 51 News - Immigrant Labor has Contributed more than $100 billion to Medicare ....................... 36 News - MANTS on YouTube ..................................... 60 4

News - MANTS & NC Green & Growin’ Swap 2015 Show Dates .................................................................. 17 News - Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS) & Maroon PR Announce Partnership ............. 16 News - PLANET Launches New Consumer Website . 36 News - Saunders Brothers Receives SNA Environmental Award ........................... 39 News - Two New State Records for Boxwood Blight . 11 News - VA Tech Turfgrass: New Job Duties for Dr. Erik Ervin............................................ 13 News - Virginia Leads the Way on Bay Conservation ..................................................................................... 36 News - Westervelt Honored in ‘Under 40’ Hort Pros 9 Research - Fundamentals of Fungicide Trialing ........ 48 Research - DNA Testing Employed To Protect Virginia from Boxwood Blight ....................... 52 Research - HRAREC 2012 Annual Flower Trials Highlights ....................................................... 58 Research - Ornamental fungicide efficacy table available online ..................................... 51 Research - SCRI Project Update Series I: Recycled Water Quality ................................. 55 Research - The Most Effective Products for Preventing Boxwood Blight ..................... 54 Tips - Are Negotiation Skills a Lost Art? .................... 44 Tips - Just looking... .................................................... 45 Tips - Landscapes: the Ups & Downs of Elevations .. 46 Tips - Principles of Stormwater Management for Reducing Nutrients From Urban Areas ........... 21 Tips - READ THE PESTICIDE LABEL ................... 43 VA Tech - Youth Safety in the Green Industry ........... 41 VNLA - “Name the Daylily” for Beautiful Gardens® 61 VNLA - Certification Quiz #65 ................................... 35 VNLA - Login to Your VNLA Account ..................... 7 VNLA - Member Profile - Kevin Sullivan .................. 12 VNLA - Member, Business News ............................... 58 VNLA - Photo Contest Rules ...................................... 15 VNLA - Plants of Distinction for 2014 ....................... 10 VNLA - Summer Board Meeting Minutes .................. 63 VNLA Website ............................................................ 7 VNLA - Photo Contest ................................................ 15

Support VNLA Members Do Business with Members

July / August / September 2013 July/August/September 2013

Newsletter VNLAVNLA Newsletter

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VNLA VNLAMission, Mission, Vision Vision and and Objectives Objectives for for 2006 2006 Mission: To Enhance and promote Virginiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 0LVVLRQ 7R (QKDQFH DQG SURPRWH 9LUJLQLDÂˇV VNLA Mission, nursery and landscape industry. QXUVHU\ DQG ODQGVFDSH LQGXVWU\

Vision and Objectives for 2013

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VIBURNUM ROOTED CUTTINGS $0.85 each FOR SALE VIBURNUM ROOTED CUTTINGS WANTED: Nursery Manager Vision: The vision is to become the leader 9LVLRQ 7KH YLVLRQ LV WR EHFRPH WKH OHDGHU each FOR SALE Mission Statement: To Enhance and promote VirBremo a wholesale ball$0.85 and burlap ForTrees, Current Availability and resource for Virginia's nursery and giniaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nursery and landscape industry. DQG UHVRXUFH IRU 9LUJLQLD V QXUVHU\ DQG nursery Ad -inChapmanLumber.tif $G &KDSPDQ/XPEHU WLI Bremo Bluff, HighPeak@cstone.net VA is seeking a manEmail: For Current Availability Vision: to become the leader and resource for the landscape industry. ODQGVFDSH LQGXVWU\ ager for Bremo Trees. 434/263-4793 The chosen manager Phone: Email: HighPeak@cstone.net Virginia nursery and landscape industry. www.highpeakfarm.com will be able to Website: lead a team; interact positively Phone: 434/263-4793 Objectives with people; manage all aspects of the nursery, Website: www.highpeakfarm.com Objectives 2EMHFWLYHV especially the business and marketing operaEducated, Available Skilled Labor Force - Goal: VNLA will continue to promote programs that will 1. To Virginia green 7R expand H[SDQG the WKH market PDUNHW for IRU 9LUJLQLD JUHHQ industry LQGXVWU\ tions; make a long-term commitment to the education, train and provide an available skilled labusiness; and desire to live in a rural communiproducts SURGXFWV DQG VHUYLFHV bor force. and services. ty. Additionally, knowledge of farm or nursery 2. To have aCommunication positive influence the legislature 7R KDYH D SRVLWLYH LQIOXHQFH RQ WKH OHJLVODWXUH DQG Effective and on Advocacy GOAL: and operations is desirable. other regulatory agencies impacting the industry VNLA effectively communication among staff, RWKHU will UHJXODWRU\ DJHQFLHV LPSDFWLQJ WKH LQGXVWU\ To apply, please submit a cover letter and board, members, and the community. inLQ 9LUJLQLD DQG WKH QDWLRQ Virginia and partners the nation. resume with salary requirements to: Allocation Resources - GOAL: and 3. To quality professional development Maximizing 7R provide SURYLGH and TXDOLW\ SURIHVVLRQDO GHYHORSPHQW DQG AdWoody - TD Watkins Cumbo VNLA will secure increased funding from diverse certification programs for association members. FHUWLILFDWLRQ SURJUDPV IRU DVVRFLDWLRQ PHPEHUV sources and secure the necessary staff, board and PO Box 128 members to run astimulating, dynamic organization. 4. To catalyst for and committee 7R be EH the WKH FDWDO\VW IRU VWLPXODWLQJ DQG advancing DGYDQFLQJ Bremo Bluff, VA 23022 the education, technology WKH HGXFDWLRQ UHVHDUFK DQG WHFKQRORJ\ QHHGV RI Membership andresearch, Outreach and - GOAL: Expandneeds and of Or bremotrees2@gmail.com T. D. Watkins Horticultural Sales communicate the value of membership. the industry. WKH LQGXVWU\ GOAL: VNLAinformation will promote adoption 5. To responsive management Stewardship 7R provide SURYLGH -aD UHVSRQVLYH LQIRUPDWLRQ PDQDJHPHQW ofsystem Best Management Practices. for association members that V\VWHP IRU DVVRFLDWLRQ PHPEHUV WKDW isLV aD viable YLDEOH Strategic Marketing GOAL: VNLA will promote clearing house for educational, legislative, FOHDULQJ KRXVH IRU HGXFDWLRQDO OHJLVODWLYH marPDU itself as the leader andand resource ofimportant the green industry. keting, research, other information NHWLQJ UHVHDUFK DQG RWKHU LPSRUWDQW LQIRUPDWLRQ What are members problems? concerning the industry. FRQFHUQLQJ WKH LQGXVWU\

Representing Red Oak, Shreckhise, Bremo Tree, Crookhorn, Willow Springs, Rockcreek and Proctor Brothers Nurseries.

Tscharnerwatkins@comcast.net

2260 Chalkwell Drive, Midlothian, Virginia 23113 How are we going to help them become 6. To remain the leading horticulture organization 7R UHPDLQ WKH more OHDGLQJ KRUWLFXOWXUH RUJDQL]DWLRQ Cell 804-929-1982 Fax (call first) 804-378-0813 successful? within the agriculture community of Virginia. ZLWKLQ WKH DJULFXOWXUH FRPPXQLW\ RI 9LUJLQLD 7. To maintain an association organizational structure 7R PDLQWDLQ DQ DVVRFLDWLRQ RUJDQL]DWLRQDO VWUXFWXUH that will be fully responsive to its mission. WKDW ZLOO EH IXOO\ UHVSRQVLYH WR LWV PLVVLRQ

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COLORADO COLORADO BUFFALO BUFFALO

FORINFORMATION, INFORMATION, CONTACT: FOR CONTACT: VNLA Newsletter

VNLA Newsletter VNLA VNLANewsletter Newsletter

DAVID LAIRD DAVID â&#x20AC;&#x153;DEEâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;DEEâ&#x20AC;? LAIRD dee2@sangresundance.net www.sangresundance.net dee2@sangresundance.net â&#x20AC;˘ www.sangresundance.net PO Box 81402â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘970-240-0743 970-240-0743 July / August / September 2013 5 PO Box1895 1895â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘Montrose, Montrose, CO CO 81402

July/August/September 2013

July/August 2006 2006 January/February

Vol. 82, No.1; Vol. 83, January/February/March No.3; Jul/Aug/Sept 2013 2012 Editor: Jeff Miller Miller Editor: Jeff

Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association, Inc. 383 Coal Hollow Road; Christiansburg, VA 24073-6721 383 Coal Hollow Road; Christiansburg, VA 24073-6721 Internet E-mail E-mail Address: Address: info@vnla.org info@vnla.org Internet www.vnla.org (Association (Association Info) Info) www.vnla.org www.VirginiaGardening.com (Consumer Info) www.VirginiaGardening.com (Consumer Info) Telephone: 540-382-0943 or 1-800-476-0055 Fax: 540-382-2716 Telephone: 540-382-0943 or 1-800-476-0055 Fax: 540-382-2716 Disclaimer: Published Published for for your your information, information, this this newsletter newsletter is is not not an an Disclaimer: endorsement for individual products or editorial comments. endorsement for individual products or editorial comments.

VNLA President’s Presidents Message Message Over the summer the VNLA board

worked to improve our association and its effectiveness. There are plans October 8-11, 2013, IPPS - EASTERN As wethe get ready to take on a new to get Virginia Certified HorticulREGION ANNUAL CONFERyear, IENCE, look Chicago forward to working turist training setup Marriott, online with the members of theWeVNLA 631-765-9638, throughNaperville, Virginia ILTech. ippser@gmail.com and members the envision improved of accessibility www.ippseastern.org VNLA Board. training We have to certification across the state. There are also disadded Octoberadditional 24-25, 2013,experiPLANET GIEcussions onthe updating EXPO ence to Boardthetoplant Kentucky ID photo database. If you Center have compliment theExposition impres800-558-8786 www.gie-expo.com any ideas or input on certificasive talent we already info@gie-expo.com tion, please let us hear from you.

have serving.

October 25-27, 2013, MIDDLE The VNLA continues to focus ATon legLike most of us CHAPTER have done OF THE LANTIC islative issues in the state on behalf of recentlyAMERICAN in business, the RHODODENour membership. Virginia Rockwell DRON SOCIETY, VNLA Board has taken Virginia a has been involved with noxious weed Beach, www.macars.org/ hard look at who we are discussions, nutrient management, and how we it. We met in LynchNovember 2-6,do2013, INTERNATIONand upcoming legislation related to burg for days to PROPAGATORS’ establish a StrateAL2 PLANT the Chesapeake Bay. I attended a gic Plan. We discussed how to have SOCIETY Southern Region, NA planning session the groundwater 38th Annualfor the most impact onConference all areas that afsubgroup of Mission H2O, a waterGAThis www.ipps-srna.org fect ourAthens, Industry. is a tall order. use watchdog group of which VNLA It is not(803)743-4284 a job for just one person. It is is a member. I would like to encouraNovember job that 14-16, will take and 2013, the TCItalents age you to be engaged withEXPO Congress commitment of many people. It also 2013 TREE CARE INDUSTRY this fallASSOCIATION as they start back and continCharlotte, NC will not happen overnight. Plus, 90% ue discussing immigration. Rememwww.tcia.org of success is showing up, so we will ber that the squeaky wheel gets the have to participate to achieve the reNovember , 2013,representatives VIRGINIA AGRIoil. Let your know sults we hope to COUNCIL have and stay the BUSINESS STATE what this issue means to your busicourse.AFFAIRS POLICY & ANNUness. Be sure to pay attention to the AL MEETING LUNCHEON VNLA http://www.va-agribusiness.org/ email updates on legislative issues. Even if you don't know what's Januaryon, 8-10, going you2014, canMANTS rest assured that Baltimore Convention Center we are on top of it. 66

800-431-0066 info@mants.com www.mants.com

6January 8, 2014, VNLA RESEARCH

GALA/AUCTION, The Center Club, Baltimore, www.vnla.org

The We research plan on committee focusing is onfinalizing 3 main plans the 2014Advocacy; research gala. areas:for Industry Publi-I would like to emphasize GALA. cations and Communications and This event and will be a return toWe the will upResearch Education. scale events of the past. It will be at alsoMid-Atlantic prioritize issues inNursery each area. the exclusive Center Club overlookSwitch ingShow Baltimore's innerthat har-I OneTrade constant themeto though bor and includes a steak have felt, is to make sure Showand Dates withdinner, Green crab cakewhat live we are doing is best & Growin’ Show For music, and both silent anda for the Industry. This is live auctions. Plan on atJanuary moving2015 targetEvents and will tending and dressing your vary over time. All people best. purchase Baltimore, Md. You - Thecan Mid-Atlantic will agree on what the is tickets through MANTS registration. Nursery Tradenot Show (MANTS), best. However, as raiser long as This event is our only fund to premier green industry marketplace we as an Industry and increase our44th investment thatannounced annually now in its year, today Trade are funds horticultural research. a change of dateAssociation for their Contact January viewed as theinDue professional me if you areshow interested donating to 2015 trade event. to schedthe auction. uling concerns, MANTS will swap and experts by the public, show dates with North Carolinaall of us will be doing our jobs. Ibased wish you a busy and successful Green & Growin’ Show for fall season. IJanuary wish you a healthy and pros2015allonly.

Upcoming Events

How to to Contact Contact How Congress Congress To contact your congressman and To contact your congressman and senator, go the www.vnla.org and senator, go the www.vnla.org and click in the legislation tab/button, click in the legislation tab/button, and then click on the “Legislative and then click on the “Legislative Update” or go directly to: Update” or go directly to: http://capwiz.com/anla/va/home/

Here, you can find Here,congressman you can find your yoursenators’ congressman and conand senators’ contact tact info and can info and can directly email email them them directly from this link. There from this link. There are also are also summaries of current issues summaries of current issues and and sample letters. sample letters. ““The Thesqueaky squeakywheel wheel gets oil!” gets thethe oil!” Horticulture Research Gala and Charity Auction and turf maintenance professionals. Wednesday, January 8th The Center “MANTS 2014 is Club scheduled for The evening will a four-course seated dinner with January 8-10 at the Baltimore Confilet mignon and crab cakes vention Center. For the latest inforEntertainment by the Jim Steward Jazz Trio mation visit www.mants.com or call Dress to Impress – Black tie Optional us at (410)See 296-6959. details on page 59

Matt Sawyer perous year.

In 2015, MANTS will be held from January 14-16 at their home venue, By Matt Sawyer, President VNLACenter. 2013 the Baltimore SteveConvention Grigg, MANTS, widely known as The MasVNLA President 2012 terpiece of Trade Shows™, is sponsored by the state Nursery and Landscape Associations of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia and brings together 1,000 vendors of top industry products from across the United States and internationally. As one of the largest trade shows serving the Horticulture Industry, MANTS means business and is the premier event to buy, shop, meet, see and be seen every January. July / August / September 2013 January/February/March 2012 July/August/September 2013 The Green & Growin’ Show will be held January 5 - 9, 2015, in Greensboro, NC. Educational sessions will

Support VNLA Member Growers! Online at www.vnla.org For a print copy, contact the VNLA Office at 1-800-476-0055 info@vnla.org Newsletter VNLA Newsletter VNLAVNLA Newsletter

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VNLA Website  Login L  Update Your U You ur Contactt Info  Pay P Your Dues D  ReCertification R ReCertifica ation now on o line. l  See S Your CEU’s C  Read Previous R Previious Newsletters Newsleetters The VNLA website weebsite has had a complete overhau ul with a new design, compplete overhaul re-organized re-orrganized info o tabs and updated u information. inforrmation. You can now log in, activate yo your our account accouunt and set up p your user name naame and password. p Access contact Acceess and updatee your contac ct information inforrmation See the t CEU’s that thaat are recorded recorded for you Virginia Certified Horticulturist V Certiified Horticul lturist VNLA Newsletter

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orderr Use U the online store to orde supplies Certification C su upplies Renew R your membership m capabilities Additional A cap pabilities will be added on n an ongoing basis

How w to Log in n www.vnla.org/ Go G to www.vn nla.org/

“login” Click C on “log gin” top rightt “Activate” Click C on “Act tivate” in thee left column co olumn

Enter email En nter your em ail address. Iff you have address an n email addr ress in the ddatabase, it your will w email you ur login info aand let you setup name password. se etup a user na ame and passw word. Return R to the main screen and login password. with w your user name and pa assword. VNLA” you Go G to “My VN NLA” and yo ou can see your information, yo our contactt informatio on, sales history, hi istory, CEU’ss etc. email Iff you do not have h an ema ail in the database, contact VNLA da atabase, con ntact the VNL LA Office for Member Number at fo or your Memb ber Account N info@vnla.org 1-800-476-0055 in nfo@vnla.org or 1-800-476 6-0055 July / August / September 2013 July/August/September 2013 April//May/June 20 13

Letter Letterss- -Research Thankk You Grant for archtoGift ft, you Kelly It is Resea my privilege thank for your support of the Ivors College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. In my time here, the

College hasofrevealed itself as hubAg of On behalf the North Carolina gdiscovery with a talented group of facricultural R Research Serrvice, the NC C ulty, staff al andand students to meet Agricultura Life eager Sciences Reethe grand challenges of our search Foun ndation and tthe world. CollegeThe of o future is bright for our College. Agriculturee and Life Scciences,Today, thank k as we Virginia maintain Nursery our commityoualways, and tthe and d ment to academics, researchfor and extenLandscape you ur Associate sion while also standing poised to meet $12,500 giift to suppoort Dr. Kelly y the demands of tomorrow. Ivors' boxw wood blight reesearch. Your recent $12,500 gift toward Dr. Your invesstment in thee College and d Kelly Ivors' boxwood blight research the North Carolina by Aggricultural Reemakes a difference inspiring stusearch Serv vice helps ena able the futur dents, enhancing teaching, spurringe breakthrougghs adva ances in agrii-I innovation and and fueling the economy. culture, bio otechnology and life sciilook forward to continuing this partnerences that w will benefit c citizens in ou ur ship with you and other dedicated leadstate, nation n and world. ers to make our home and world a betterDavid place.W. M Monks, PhD, In Interim Associate Deanyou, anndagain, Director; C Catherine MaxThank for your continued well Executi iveCollege Director, NC Agricultura support of the of N Agriculture andl & Life Scie ences Research h Foundation Life Sciences. Best regards, Richard H. Linton, Dean, NCSU

Letter - Hahn Garden On behalf of the Hahn Horticulture Garden and the Department of Horticulture, I would sincerely like to thank the VNLA for your 2013 Garden Gala sponsorship. Our 9th annual gala - "Wine & Roses" - was a great success; our guests had wonderful time while sponsorships and auction proceeds added over $15,000 to our budget. These funds help pay our marvelous student workers throughout the year. It will also help us continue with renovations and maintenance necessary to make the garden the campus and community resource that it is. The VNLA's continued generous financial contributions and moral support has played a key role in the garden's growth as well as success in meeting our mission. There are so many worthy organizations out there...know that the Association's commitment to the garden is very, very much appreciated. Thank you again on behalf of all who work at and benefit from the garden. The Gala would not be a success without sponsor support. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, comments, or suggestions. Best regards, Elizabeth A. Flanagan, Holly Scoggins

Letter - VAC Our 2013 Annual Legislative Golf Tournament held on Wednesday, May 15, was an outstanding success due to the tremendous support of you and many others. Our participants enjoyed a beautiful spring day and their experience at The Club at Viniterra in New Kent County.

hole and contest sponsors, eight food and beverage sponsors, and numerous sponsors of gifts and prizes. Thank you so much for your contribution to this annual effort that supports the Virginia Agribusiness Council's work to represent the agribusiness industry with a unified voice. We look forward to your continued participation in the future. Katie K. Frazier President

News - ‘VT Spirit’ Daylily Arrives

After several months of waiting and hoping for the first blooms to appear, the VT Spirit daylily has graced us with nothing but perfection! The long awaited full release of the first new plant introduction of the Beautiful Gardens program can now take place. A cool wet spring that slowed development and the need to verify bloom accuracy necessitated the ‘wait and see’ requirement before the first plants could be released to the public. Garden centers across the state have been contacted for summer and fall deliveries of the daylily that sports the colors of Virginia Tech and the name that commemorates the schools ‘spirit’ in meeting all its challenges. Plants are available from Growing Virginia and Lancaster Farms. Other growers include Brent and Becky’s Bulbs and Poplar Ridge Nursery.

We had a great response from players with a full field, including a number of our elected and appointed state officials, our Title Sponsors - Farm Credit & JTI Leaf Services, eighteen 8

July / August / September 2013 July/August/September 2013

‘VT Spirit’ has been propagated primarily by the tissue culture lab at the Institute for Applied Learning and Research in Danville, VA. Recently this work has been taken over by the Dan River Plant Propagation Company (DRPPC). Tissue culture plants initiated in April and May of 2012 are now in one gallon containers, adding fans and putting up the first scapes. Thousands of plants are available for summer and fall sales and planting at the residential and commercial levels. Staff of the Beautiful Gardens committee will be preparing releases and making numerous contacts to ensure that everyone knows that the ‘VT Spirit’ is ready to go! Questions can be directed to Rick Baker with VDACS at rick.baker@vdacs.virginia.gov . The 2nd new plant release for Beautiful Gardens scheduled for 2015 is the ‘Raulston Remembered’ Hellebore. Developed by Dick and Judith Tyler of Pine Knot Farm in Clarksville, VA, this plant is a beautiful representation of the Helleborus (sp) family. Tissue culture propagation for this plant is being conducted by DRPPC. Fall delivery 2013 should provide plants that are just starting to bloom in 2015 - our release year. Any growers interested in growing this Beautiful Gardens plant should contact Rick Baker. Beautiful Gardens has been working in recent years with the horticulture program at J Sargeant Reynolds CC in Goochland, VA to divide and propagate plants for the Beautiful Gardens ‘plants of distinction’ promotion. This fall we will have 500 (+/-) Ilex ‘Virginia’ liners in 4” deep Newsletter VNLAVNLA Newsletter

pots rooted and for sale (SeptemberLetters October) - price to be determined. th Contact Rick Baker or Dave Thank you for supporting our 7Seward Anat JSRCC. nual Legislative Golf Tournament on June 12 at Rick Mattaponi Golf Contact BakerSprings rick.baker Club. We had a terrific response with @vdacs.virginia.gov to talk about 112 players including a number of growing plants for Beautiful Gardens elected and appointed state officials, and to review our plants of distinction 18-hole threeParticipating food and bev-in line upsponsors, for 2014. erage sponsors and numerous Beautiful Gardens can expandsponyour sors of giftstoand prizes.buyers This is and a subvisibility potential instantial increase crease your sales. from past years thanks to your efforts. Rick Baker

This event is not only a very enjoyable way to promote agribusiness to News - Westervelt all participants, but it also contributes ‘Under 40’ to Honored the Council’sin ability to represent our industry’s interest throughout Hort Professionals the year with the General Assembly, Governor’s office manager state agencies, Saunders Brothers listed as congressional delegation the gen-is leader in industry. Paul and Westervelt eral public. about Our plants. significant accompassionate But they are plishments to hobby the supmore than are justattributable an enjoyable — port youbeen provide. Thank you. he has recognized as one of the leaders of the horticulture industry. We look forward to your joining us

again nest year out 8th Annual Westervelt, the for 38-year-old annual Legislative goldproduction Tournament. and perennial manager of Saunders Virginia Brothers, has been selected Sincerely, Agribusiness Council for Greenhouse Product News' Class Note: The VNLA was a team ofEditor’s 2013: 40 Under 40 List. sponsor, prize and give away contributor 40 Underand40a hole is asponsor. selective list of

young horticulture professionals who Arbor Day Thanks are making outstanding contributions to the industry. GPN says folks Many thanks for the these wonderful "will help determine which direction Swamp White Oak that was donated theLorton horticulture is headed in to Libraryindustry for Arbor Day this and then help blaze the trail. These year. It’s doing well and sprouting individuals are being recognized for new growth even as I write. their creativity, leadership, wisdom, An article about ceremony with was benevolence and the involvement featured on the library website others both inside and outside of our www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/ industry." lo/oaktreeplanting.htm. It was a lovely "It'sand the only thingour I've neighbors ever really been day I know will spectacular at," Westervelt enjoy the tree for many years.said. He was among the 15 women and 25 men Sincerely, Lorton County from across the country thatLibrary were recognized in the list. These people Editor’s Note: Vice-Presiden,, "will help Lou deter-mine which direction Kobus, provided the tree the horticultureonindustry is headed in and behalf of VNLA. then help blaze the trail," GPN magazine article states. "These individuals

are being recognized for their creativi–Summer Board ty,VNLA leader-ship, wisdom, benevolence and involvement others both inMeetingwith Minutes side and outside of our industry"

Friday, June 23, 2006;

Westervelt, who lived inpm the county 9:00 amhas to 12:30 and worked at the Piney River compaVirginia Room, Hampton Inn, ny for eight and a half years, said he Front Royal, VA always has been fascinated by plants but really into them when, 9:00 a.m.began Call totoget Order – Richard as a child,President he visitedcalled his grandparents' Johnson, the meeting home in Weyers that was surto order with theCave following people rounded by woods andLesley field. Pine, Jeff present: Lizzy Pine,

Miller, Bonnie Appleton, Duane It was a long time before he figured out Shumaker, Gaddy, Billy a career in Butch horticulture wasand possible. Crigler. Once he did, he obtained a bachelor's degree in horticulture and a master's

Guest Introductions – Bill Dutcher, degree in horticulture science from President of the CVNLA, was introVirginia Tech. Now he oversees all of duced and welcomed to the the production Saunders doesmeeting. in annu-

als and perennials. His favorite if Secretary’s Report, Butch plant, Gaddy he had to pick just one, is the Eupatorireported that the minutes had been um LittleinJoe, is Newsletter a dwarf cultivar printed the which VNLA and that blossoms three seasons out `ofwas the emailed to the Board. A motion year and is good for the birds and bees. made to accept the minutes, seconded and passed. [Continued on page 11]

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Sales Manager Robert Saunders described Westervelt as "a complete plant geek." His responsibilities include going to shows and trial gardens all over the company to see new plants and make selections to bring back to management. "I think the biggest thing [is] he brings new suggestions and ideas to the table," Saunders said, adding that Westervelt "carries a whole lot of weight in deciding what we're going to grow in annuals and perennials." Westervelt's job is very detail-oriented as he has to hit market dates at the right time and with the right products. He has been a speaker at the one of the nation's top horticulture shows, the Ohio Florist Association Short Course in Columbus, Ohio, for five years. At Saunders Brothers, he adapted the "company's annual and perennial production to weather the changes in a down economy and did it profitably," the GPN articles states. "He is highly regarded by his peers in

the industry," Saunders said. He said they are lucky to have Westervelt, who is sought after by other companies. As for Westervelt, plants provide a sort of anchor. "When I need a pick-up, because I'm funky, they make me feel better," he said. "Or when I'm so worked up, a walk in the woods can calm me down." "Horticulture is my passion." By katherine lacaze, klacaze@newsadvance.com, (434) 385-5482

News - Two New State Records for Boxwood Blight In recent weeks boxwood blight has been confirmed from Delaware and New Jersey. These findings mark the first new state reports since March 2012. Many growers and landscapers have voluntarily implemented the

ANLA best management practices (see at www.boxwoodblight.org) and some states have directed growers to use them as part of state-recognized compliance agreements. It is likely that these measures have played a role in slowing the spread of the pathogen and maintaining boxwood as an important landscape plant in the eye of consumers. However, especially wet weather continues to cause flare-ups. This June was the wettest on record for Delaware and New Jerseyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wettest since 1895. The new reports bring the total number of states with confirmed findings to twelve (CT, DE, MA, MD, NC, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, VA). Research scientists continue to pursue new identification and treatment tools while the Agriculture Research Service of the USDA has begun evaluating varieties for boxwood blight resistant genes. Go to www.boxwoodblight.org for updated information. by: Joe Bischoff

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Member Profile - Kevin Sullivan Professional Landscapes of Virginia

Kevin Sullivan lives in Virginia Beach, Va. And is president of Professional Landscapes of Virginia Inc. Kevin attended Hargrave Military Academy and graduated from Virginia Tech in Horticulture in 1978.

His business philosophy is “Do what you say and do it on time.” Hi other business interest is growing wetlands plants. Kevin’s Hero is his wife and his most significant mentor is his father for his strong work ethic.

Has been a VNLA Board member 1996-1997, VNLA member 1980 to present, and is a Virginia Certified Horticulturist.

In 1981 they started with a pickup truck and a lawnmower cutting yards and installing minor landscape projects, after graduating from Virginia Tech in Horticulture. In 1989 he bought 25 acres in the Pungo area of Virginia Beach and began growing trees, as the installation business had increased dramatically. Commercial installation was the target as the volume pushed up margins. He acquired another 18 acres adjacent to the existing property in 2005. Currently we have 12-17 employees depending on the season. Their business consists of 70% Landscape installation and 30% wholesale nursery sales. His market niche is Landscape Nursery commercial installation.

His best habit is: work and exercise. His worst habit is wine. His aspirations are to identify his own cultivar. The hardest part of his day is ungrateful people. Best part of his workday is being outside. The best advice he ever received; “If you own your own business be prepared to work your fingers to the bone and hire a good accountant.” He finds that his biggest challenge is people and people with work skills. His helpful hint when working with employees is to “Establish Trust”. His future plans: Would like to grow more and install less.”

He finds the hottest trend to be more green space, wetlands planting, and onsite drainage.

Other interesting information about Kevin His hobbies are: family, friends fishing, and hunting. His favorite plant is: Oak, His favorite color: white. Kevin’s best idea he ever stole was: growing trees. Kevin’s favorite quote is “Gratitude is not only the greatest of all virtues, but the parent of all others” -Cicero

Kevin feels that the industry has changed since he started because there have been better Landscape Architects who understand the realities of living systems.

What I know now that I would have like to known when I stated: “That ‘punch lists’ can go on a long time, as can retainage. The green industry in the next 10 years is “full speed ahead, an integral part of everyone’s life.” Edited by Sandy Miller

His dream vacation would be an internship in the Amazon.

July / August / September 2013 July/August/September 2013

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News - VA Tech Turfgrass: New Job Duties for Dr. Erik Ervin After 13 years as Professor of Turfgrass Culture and Physiology at Virginia Tech, I have been promoted to Assistant Dean of Academic Programs (50% time) in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). What does that mean? Let me tell you by giving you some of my Virginia tech work background. Upon arriving in 2001, I was an Assistant Professor whose job duties were split at 70% research and 30%

teaching. This meant that I taught 1 turf class each semester, advised the turf undergraduates, mentored 3 or 4 graduate students in their research, ran the Turfgrass Research Center, conducted $200,000+ a year in research trials, published research articles, and gave talks around the state and country. By the time of my first promotion to Associate Professor (2005), my “split” had been adjusted to 60% research and 40% teaching as I had expanded turf-specific class offerings from 1.5 to 4.5 classes per year. By 2010, I was promoted to full Professor. While my teaching and research loads remained the same, I took on “administrative” duties serving as Undergraduate Programs Director for all students in the Crop and Soil Sciences major (Turf is just 1 of 4 concentrations), and Chair of department committees on Curriculum (what classes we should teach) and Scholarships.

Such “administrative” practice built my resume and allowed me to consider applying for the open Assistant Dean position in April. My job interview was successful and I begin my new duties August 1. As you see above, these new duties are to only take up 50% of my time, so I will continue teaching about 3 turf classes each year, advising all turf students, and moderating my research and graduate student advising efforts. So what are some of my Assistant Dean duties? First, some background on whom the “bosses” are in CALS. There are 8 College units at Virginia Tech ($1.2 billion budget; 30,000 students), with each College consisting of 4 to 20 subject-specific departments that confer degrees: College of Agriculture and Life Sciences ($200 million budget), Architecture and Urban Studies, Pamplin College of Business, Engineering, Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, [continued on page 16]

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Go ahead …. shoot! Go ahead... shoot! Go …. shoot! Go ahead ahead …. shoot! aa Plant Plant Go ahead aa aNursery Plant…. shoot! a Plant

Nursery aaLandscape or installation installation LandscapeaDesign Design a Nursery a you Plantthink aIndustry Landscape Design or installation any Green object would make a great any Green Industry object you think would make a great photo a Landscape Design or installation a Nursery any Green Industry objectphoto you think would make a great any Green Industry object you think would make a great a Landscape Design or installation photo VNLA – Photo Contest any Green Industry objectphoto you think would make a great photo

August 2011 - Jennifer Seay

Insert previous photo winner from Mar/Apr issue, page 13 “Iris sibirica”

June 2013 - Diane Smith

Photo folder: IrisDSCF8271_edited1.jpg

January 2013 - Katie Klages

October 2011 - Dwayne Jones

VNLA Photo Contest VNLA Photo Contest A winner and prize for each bi-monthly VNLA newsletter VNLA Photo Contest A winner and prize for – 6each totalbi-monthly per year. VNLA newsletter A winner and prize for each bi-monthly VNLA newsletter VNLA Photo Contest Contest 6Photo total per year. One VNLA Grand Prize –winner chosen at the end of the year.

December 2012 - John Wessel

December 2011 - Michele Fletcher

September 2012 - Lisa Lipsey

–for 6each total per year. A winner winner and prize bi-monthly VNLA newsletter One Grand Prizefor winner chosen at the end of theNewsletter year. A and prize each Quarterly VNLA One Grand Prize – winner chosen at the end of the year. total peryear. year. Details at: www.vnla.org/AboutVNLA/photography_contest.htm -46total per DetailsGrand at: www.vnla.org/AboutVNLA/photography_contest.htm Prizewinner winner chosen chosen atatthe end of the year.year. OneOne Grand Prize the end of the Details at: www.vnla.org/AboutVNLA/photography_contest.htm Details at: www.vnla.org/AboutVNLA/photography_contest.htm

Winner of the July/August/September 2013 Photo Contest

VNLA - Photo Contest Rules 1. The contest is open to any photographer (amateur and professional) except members of Board of Directors of VNLA and their families. Entries are limited to VNLA members and their staff. 2. Each photographer may enter up to three (3) digital images per Newsletter deadline (see #6). Email images to info@vnla.org. Include your name, phone number and occupation. . One winning entry per photographer per year. You may re-enter non-winning entries. 3. Please e-mail images separately. Feel free to elaborate on any story surrounding the photograph. Photos should be 300 dpi high resolution.

Photo Winner: Didem Agilonu Landscape Architect, Chesapeake, VA

A scene from my backyard along the patio. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The colors of summer:â&#x20AC;? .

Win $50, submit your photos!

Good Luck and Happy Photographing! VNLA Summer Tour Pam Harper (center): nationally recognized author, photographer, garden writer; with George McLellan and Becky Heath and other VNLA members

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July / August / September July/August/September 2013 2013

4. All photographs submitted must have been taken within the past five years. 5. All photographs must be related to the Green Industry. The subject can be located in a nursery, back yard, or in a landscape--just so it is obviously related to the green industry profession. 6. Deadline for submission is 5:00 p.m. on the Newsletter Copy Deadline, which is the 15th of January, March, May, July, September and November. All submissions become the property of the VNLA. 7. Model Release forms are required with each photograph which contains a clearly identifiable person. Release forms are available from the VNLA office, on request, and are also available for download from the VNLA website at Model release in MS Word format or Adobe PDF format. Judging done by the VNLA Communication Committee. All decisions are final.

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[Dr. Ervin Continued from page 13] Natural Resources, Science, and Veterinary Medicine. Each Department has a Head with Professors underneath. Each College has a Dean with Associate Deans for the 3 Missions: Academic Programs (Teaching), Research, and Extension. Each Associate Dean has an Assistant Dean under them. My new Assistant Dean duties involve oversight for curriculum issues: what and how we teach the 3000 CALS students across the 13 departments offering undergraduate and graduate degrees. Student advising: summer orientation for incoming students (and parents); main contact for students on academic probation and suspension; academic advising for Life Science undecided majors; recruiting and training of student ambassadors; and oversight of student internship programs. I will continue to conduct applied research on water quality, biostimulants, plant health products, fertilizers, new cultivars, and PGRs, but with 5 to 10 trials a year rather than 25. I also plan on continuing to give research talks in Virginia, nationally, and internationally as my schedule allows. See you “in the field” or at a winter conference soon. VT CALS eerwin@vt.edu

If you don’t see your ad here, neither does anyone else! Call 800-476-0055 or email info@vnla.org for advertising information, today! 16

News - Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS) & Maroon PR Announce Partnership Agency to Assist Premier Green Industry Marketplace with Media Relations Management, Social Media Development and Event Support Columbia, Md. - Maroon PR, a nationally respected full-service public relations and marketing agency, has partnered with the Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS) to assist with media relations management, social media development and event support for its January 2014 show. Now in its 44th year, MANTS is the premier green industry marketplace bringing together 1,000 vendors of top industry products from across the United States and internationally. The Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show, widely known as “The Masterpiece of Trade Shows,” is sponsored by the State Nursery and Landscape Associations of Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. In its fourth decade, the show is the premier, green industry marketplace for finding plants, nursery stock, landscape and garden equipment, tools, furniture and hundreds of other allied industry products. Maroon PR will assist with the overall public relations and event management surrounding MANTS 2014, which is scheduled for January 810 at the Baltimore Convention Center. The firm will also be developing all of MANTS’ social media platforms to increase its visibility and continuing to establish the show as a leader within the industry.

July / August / September 2013 July/August/September 2013

We are truly honored and privileged to work with such a prestigious trade show,” said John Maroon, founder and president of Maroon PR said, “We look forward to partnering with MANTS to maximize its media exposure in trade publications, developing social media strategies, and assisting with their great event in January. This is a valuable partnership that will help expand our expertise in the horticulture and trade show world.” MANTS is one of the largest Green Industry Trade Shows on the east coast with over 300,000 square feet of exhibit space. Close to 11,000 Green Industry Companies and Professionals from 46 states, 5 Canadian Provinces and 8 additional countries exhibited or attended MANTS 2013. MANTS means business, and we are absolutely thrilled to work with Maroon PR to take MANTS to the next level,” said Vanessa Finney, MANTS Executive Vice President. “We look forward to partnering with Maroon PR to educate and expose more nurseries and ‘green’ exhibitors on MANTS and what it offers.” In 2013, the Baltimore Business Journal named MANTS one of the top 10 meetings and conventions held in downtown Baltimore, ranked by total estimated economic impact. Additional events Maroon PR works with in the Baltimore-area include the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation Aspire Gala, Cal Ripken World Series, GBMC Foundation Legacy Chase and the LPGA’s International Crown coming to Caves Valley Golf Club in 2014.

About Maroon PR: Established in April 2006, Maroon PR is a full-service public relations and marketing firm whose many offerings include media relations, branding, event planning, in-house creative design, strategic partnership development, social media marketing and more. Clients in Maroon PR’s portfolio include Ripken Baseball/Cal Newsletter VNLAVNLA Newsletter

Ripken, The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, University of Maryland Athletics; Babe Ruth Birthplace Foundation; Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation; Sagamore Racing; TriColumbia and many others. For more information, visit MaroonPR.com, follow us on Facebook (Facebook.com/MaroonPR) or stay connected with us on Twitter (@MaroonPR).

throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Japan and Asia. MANTS 2014 is scheduled for January 8-10 at the Baltimore Convention Center. For the latest information visit www.mants.com or call us at (410) 296-6959

Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS): The Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show, MANTS, is known as the Masterpiece of Trade ShowsTM and is sponsored by the State Nursery and Landscape Associations of Maryland, 2014 Green & Growin’ Show Virginia and West Virginia. MANTS Jannuary 13 - 17, 2014 is the place industry leaders gather MANTS 2014 every January because MANTS January 8-10, 2014 means business. The show covers at the Baltimore Convention Center. over 300,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space at the Baltimore Convention Center and draws exhibSiteLight .5 pg bw 3ads 10-04.qxd 10/20/2004 12:24 PM Page 3 iting companies and attendees from

News - MANTS & NC Green & Growin’ Swap 2015 Show Dates Baltimore-based Green Industry Trade Show to be held in MidJanuary for 2015. - The MidAtlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS), the premier green industry marketplace now in its 44th year, today announced a change of date for their January 2015 trade show event. Due to scheduling concerns, MANTS will swap show dates with North Carolina-based Green & Growin’ Show for January 2015 only. In 2015, MANTS will be held from January 14-16 at their home venue, the Baltimore Convention Center. MANTS, widely known as The Masterpiece of Trade Shows™, is sponsored by the state Nursery and Landscape Associations of Maryland, Vir-

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ginia, and West Virginia and brings together 1,000 vendors of top industry products from across the United States and internationally. As one of the largest trade shows serving the Horticulture Industry, MANTS means business and is the premier event to buy, shop, meet, see and be seen every January. “These shows collectively support our industry and the fact that the Green & Growin’ Show and MANTS are able to work together is good for our exhibitors, good for our attendees and good for the industry,” said MANTS Executive Vice President Vanessa Finney. The Green & Growin’ Show will be held January 5 - 9, 2015, in Greensboro, NC. Educational sessions will be January 5-7, 2015 at the Sheraton Four Seasons Hotel and the trade show January 8-9, 2015 at the Greensboro Coliseum. Hosted by the North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association (NCNLA), Green & Growin’ is the leading green industry show in the southeast, providing an important marketplace for the nursery and landscape industry and educational seminars for landscape, nursery, garden center, irrigation, arborist, and turf maintenance professionals. “As show managers, we communicate and work hard to be respectful of each other’s dates,” said NCNLA Executive Director Ross Williams. “The most challenging part is the logistics and we are fortunate to have supportive regional partners with whom we can work”. - Contact: Kim Strazisar, NCNLA Green & Growin’ Show, 919-816-9119, kstrazisar@ncnla.com

News - EPA Chesapeake Bay Program - Report 2013 CONCLUSION - "A dense vegetative cover of turfgrass on a lawn reduces pollution and runoff."

According to a recent report released by the Chesapeake Stormwater Network, more than 3.5 million acres of urban pervious lands exist in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, comprising nearly 10% of its total area and a good part of that land cover is comprised of both fertilized and unfertilized turfgrass. The question is were the original approved definitions of Urban Nutrient Management proposed by the Chesapeake Bay Program ambiguous and justified? Let’s begin by turning back the clock to March 2011 when a report by Environmental Maryland titled, “Urban Fertilizers and the Chesapeake Bay: An Opportunity for Major Pollution Reduction”, detailed the harmful effects of lawn fertilizer on the Chesapeake Bay and concluded that to reduce pollution for lawn fertilizer, lawmakers needed to take two broad steps: limit the amount and type of nutrients in the fertilizer itself, and ensure that homeowners and lawn care companies apply less fertilizer to the ground. Prior to, and well after the report was released, concerned citizens, local law makers, environmentalists, community activists, etc., all with the best of intentions expressed their concern

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July / August / September2013 2013 July/August/September

and the need for stronger restrictions or the discontinued use of lawn fertilizers all together. But wait! More than a few heads turned last winter when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program pulled together a “panel of experts” to look at lawns, lawn care and the impact lawns have on water quality in the Chesapeake Bay. Their approved final report, “Recommendations of the Expert Panel to Define Removal Rates for Urban Management”, that was prepared by Tom Schueler and Cecilia Lan of the Chesapeake Stormwater Network revealed some interesting conclusions including - Lawn fertilization is actually good for water quality. The “panel of experts” was comprised of a diversified group including: Jonathan Champion, District Department of the Environment Stormwater, Watershed Protection Division, District of Columbia Karl Berger - Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Dr. Stu Schwartz - a senior scientist with the Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education, University of Maryland, Baltimore County William Keeling - Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation Dr. Gary Felton, Associate Professor & Extension Specialist, Bioenvironmental Engineering/ Water Quality, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Maryland, College Park Dr. Neely Law - Center for Watershed Protection Marc Aveni Prince William County Department of Public Works Dr. Mike Goatley, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Department of Crop & Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech Tom Schueler - Chesapeake Stormwater Network (panel facilitator) Technical support providers included: Jeremy Hanson (CRC), Molly Harrington (CRC), Gary Shenk (EPA CBPO), Jeff Sweeney (EPA CBPO) and Mark Sievers (TetraTech).

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The panel reviewed over 150 research studies and additional reports to understand turfgrass nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) dynamics, homeowner fertilization behaviors, the effects of P fertilizer restrictions in watershed outside of the Bay and the effect of various outreach campaigns to change those behaviors. The panel‟s conclusion, based upon a review of all the science and research done on the topic “ . . . a dense vegetative cover [of turfgrass] helps to reduce surface runoff which can be responsible for significant nutrient export from the lawn, regardless of whether it is fertilized or not. Dense cover has been shown to reduce surface runoff volumes in a wide range of geographic settings and soil conditions.” (Easton and Petrovic, 2004, 2008a,b, Garn, 2002, Bierman et al 2010, Ohno et al, 2007, Raciti et al, 2008, Shuman, 2004, Vlach et al, 2008, Legg et al, 1996 and Spence et al, 2012.)

The experts concluded that the healthier a lawn, the better it is at controlling pollutants that can affect water quality in streams and rivers, and eventually the Chesapeake Bay. Gregg Robertson, a government relations consultant for the Pennsylvania Landscape & Nursery Association offered these comments: “Those of us who have been following this issue knew this was the case from the research. But the industry saying it was one thing, the EPA saying it quite another matter. “The conventional „wisdom‟ up to this point and the attitude around EPA was that fertilizing your lawn was bad for water quality. In fact, the opposite is true. The research shows that a responsible program of lawn fertilization will actually improve water quality in the Bay. “The report’s data show that, on the whole, lawns in the Chesapeake Bay watershed are under fertilized, with

50 percent receiving no fertilizer at all. Do-it-yourself homeowners fertilize only an average of 1.7 times per season, while the report recommends three to four applications per year. Ninety-one percent of those who apply any fertilizer are do-ityourselfers.” Robertson went on to add, “... the good news for our industry is the report’s first recommendation for Bayfriendly lawn care practices is for homeowners to “Consult with the local extension service office, certified plan writer or applicator to get technical assistance to develop an effective urban nutrient management plan for the property, based on soil test analysis. “Let me translate that: EPA is recommending that homeowners consult our industry to develop a plan to care for their lawns. Its second recommendation is what I believe is the summation of all the research on the topic of lawn care and water quality:

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Maintain a dense vegetative cover of turfgrass to reduce runoff, prevent erosion and retain nutrients. “The research demonstrates that dense vegetative cover helps to reduce surface runoff, which can be responsible for significant nutrient export from the lawn, regardless of whether it is fertilized or not. If a lawn does not have a dense cover, it has an elevated risk for nutrient export, especially if soils are compacted or slopes are steep. In these situations, the primary nutrient management practice is to identify the factors responsible for the poor turf cover, and implement practices to improve it (e.g., tilling, soil amendments, fertilization or conservation landscaping).”

Robertson when on to add, “To put this in clearer language, healthier lawns mean a healthier Chesapeake Bay. And if this isn’t enough, the report recommends that fertilizer be applied in small doses over the season in three to four applications. The report then cites research that confirms that it’s the practice of lawn care companies to apply fertilizer in four to five smaller applications over the course of the season.” The report contains several commonsense recommendations under the title of Core Urban Nutrient Management Practices for the Chesapeake Bay. They include the following: Consult with the local extension service, master gardener or certified applicator to get technical assistance to develop an effective urban nutrient management plan for the property. Maintain a dense vegetative cover of turf grass to reduce runoff, prevent 20

erosion, and retain nutrients. Choose not to fertilize, OR adopt a reduce rate/monitor approach OR the small fertilizer dose approach. Retain clippings and mulched leaves on the yard and keep them out of streets and storm drains. Do not apply fertilizers before spring green up or after grass becomes dormant. Maximize use of slow release N fertilizer during the active growing season. Set mower height at 3 inches or taller. Immediately sweep off any fertilizer that lands on a paved surface. Do not apply fertilizer within 15 to 20 feet of a water feature (depending on applicable state regulations) and manage this zone as a perennial planting, meadow, grass buffer or a forested buffer. Employ lawn practices to increase soil porosity and infiltration capability, especially along portions of the lawn that convey or treat stormwater runoff. If everyone associated in any way with the green industry, (i.e., landscapers, landscape architects, sports field managers, golf course superintendents, green industry associations, turfgrass producers, etc.) helped to communicate these best management practices to homeowners, lawn care providers and fellow green industry professionals, the benefit to our environment would be immense, and it would have a positive impact on protecting the water quality of our rivers, lakes and streams worldwide. Media Contact: Jim Novak Public Relations Manager Turfgrass Producers International, Dundee, IL, USA 60118, Phone: 847-649-5555 or 800-405-8873 Fax: 847-649-5678 jnovak@TurfGrassSod.org www.TurfGrassSod.org

July / August / September 2013 July/August/September 2013

Events - IGC Show Launches East Coast Edition for 2014 The folks who have brought you the very successful IGC Show at Navy Pier in Chicago for the last seven years have announced the addition of a new IGC Show based on the East Coast beginning in 2014. The venue for this additional show will be the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, just a few minutes from Washington, D.C. The dates for this new show will be August 5-7, 2014. IGC East, as it'll be known, is in addition to the original IGC Showwhich will now be known as IGC Chicago. That show will go on as usual during the same week and same fun location-Navy Pier. The 2014 dates are August 18-21. Why two shows just a few weeks apart? In a few words, to ensure easy access for buyers from across the U.S. Retailers can attend the show that best fits their schedule and travel preferences. "It's about choice and convenience," says Jeff Morey, co-founder with his wife Cheryl of the IGC Show. "IGC East gives garden centers who were accustomed to doing their buying at the now defunct East Coast Commerce distributor show a new, centrally located resource with even more order-writing opportunities, plus the industry's biggest educational conference, keynotes, concert, networking opportunities and more-all at a time of year that makes the best sense for their businesses."

Newsletter VNLAVNLA Newsletter

Chapter 12. Principles of Stormwater Management for Reducing Nutrients From Urban Landscaped Areas

Chapter 12. Principles of Stormwater Management for Reducing Nutrients From Urban Landscaped Areas David Sample, Assistant Professor, Biological Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech Laurie Fox, Research Associate, Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Virginia Tech

Introduction The objective of this chapter is to provide a summary of current urban stormwater management issues and practices relevant to the mid-Atlantic region. One of the goals of a nutrient management plan is to reduce nutrient loads in stormwater runoff from urban landscaped areas. Nutrient management efforts have typically addressed agricultural, industrial, and commercial sites and impervious or paved surfaces. There appeared to be very little, if any, overlap with urban stormwater management. However, Virginia’s regulatory approach to stormwater management now includes urban stormwater runoff from both pervious and impervious areas, so many of the newer, “greener” stormwater management practices may become part of the landscape of an average urban site. Thus, a background in stormwater quantity and quality may be beneficial for the nutrient management planner. This chapter provides an introduction to stormwater and discusses aspects related to stormwater quality, with an emphasis on nutrient loading to downstream receiving waters. The current regulatory approach and available practices for managing urban stormwater runoff are summarized. A list of practices and an assessment tool to examine the risk of urban water quality problems from a single site are provided in appendix B of this chapter.

Introduction to Stormwater Management

• Type and condition of soil: Water infiltrates clay soils slower than sandy soils. • Soil saturation level at the time of the precipitation: More runoff from pervious areas can occur if soil is already saturated before precipitation. • Vegetative canopy layers and coverage: Runoff is reduced on sites with a higher percentage of vegetative coverage and multiple canopy layers. • Extent and steepness of slopes. Figure 12.1 describes a simplified hydrologic cycle for a residential lot. Precipitation, usually in the form of rainfall, falls on the land. On pervious areas, infiltration occurs until soil saturation has been reached. Runoff occurs almost immediately from impervious surfaces and after saturation from pervious land. Living vegetation creates water vapor that is released to the atmosphere; this is known as evapotranspiration (ET). Evapotranspiration Precipitation

Runoff

Soil

Infiltration

What Is Stormwater? Stormwater is a hybrid term used to describe runoff (usually from urban areas) caused by precipitation in the form of rain, snow, or ice. In urban areas, runoff can occur from both impervious and pervious areas, although much more runoff comes from impervious areas. Factors that affect stormwater runoff: • Quantity and intensity of precipitation. • Amount of impervious surface on the site (rooftops, driveways, patios and decks, roadways, parking lots, etc.). VNLA Newsletter

Water Table Rock Figure 12.1. Simplified hydrologic cycle of a residential lot.

Where Does Stormwater Go? Figure 12.2 illustrates the water pathways in a typical urban system. Potable water is shown entering homes (blue water system) while wastewater is shown leaving homes. Wastewater from laundry, bathroom sinks,

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Chapter 12. Principles of Stormwater Management for Reducing Nutrients From Urban Landscaped Areas and showers is often classified as “gray water” and can be recycled; however, in most homes, gray water is discharged to the wastewater or “black water” system. Typical stormwater from streets and impervious areas enters a catch basin and is transported to a storm sewer. In some cases, stormwater is also classified as a gray water system.

WATER (Blue water) Household Gray water

Household Black water

SEWER STORM SEWER (Gray water)

as a “combined sewer overflow.” The more common type of system is a “separate storm sewer system.” Here, one pipeline conveys stormwater from storm drains directly into receiving waters, which are usually smaller streams and/or lakes, wetlands, bays, estuaries, or reservoirs. A separate pipeline conveys sanitary wastewater — household water and waste from toilets, sinks, and showers — to a wastewater treatment facility. Wastewater receives treatment and is discharged to receiving waters as authorized with permit conditions in the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). Stormwater discharges from urbanized areas are also regulated via an NPDES permit; a system of this type is known as a “municipally separate storm sewer system,” or MS4.

Figure 12.2. Definitions of urban water systems.

Watersheds

Many people who live in urban areas believe that stormwater flows through storm drains to a treatment facility. This is only the case in a “combined sewer system” (CSS), where one pipeline is used to convey both stormwater and wastewater (gray and black water). This type of system is often found in older urban areas. A major problem of a CSS is overflows of partially treated wastewater that occur when peak runoff exceeds storage capacity in the system. This discharge is known

Figure 12.3 illustrates a typical watershed. All upstream land uses and practices contribute to downstream water quality. Parks, open spaces, “low-impact development”

A key concept necessary for understanding how water flows to receiving waters is a watershed. A watershed is a contiguous portion of land that sheds water into a single lowest point called an outlet or pour point. Ridgelines or areas of higher elevation separate one watershed from another.

Figure 12.3. Watershed model. Green = positive factors; red = negative factors. 22

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Source: Potomac Conservancy 2007. VNLA Newsletter

Chapter 12. Principles of Stormwater Management for Reducing Nutrients From Urban Landscaped Areas (LID) areas, riparian buffers, streams, and wetlands connect aquatic and forested ecosystems within the watershed. This connected natural system is also known as “green” infrastructure. In essence, urban nutrient planners are stewards of the green infrastructure system. For more information on watersheds, see What is a Watershed? (Gilland et al. 2009), Virginia Cooperative Extension publication 426-041, in appendix 12-A of this chapter or at http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426-041/426-041. pdf.

Stormwater Quantity and Quality Issues In undisturbed areas, stormwater runoff is generally not an issue because rainwater is quickly absorbed into the soils or utilized by vegetation. Water that infiltrates the soil is either released into the atmosphere by plants through the evapotranspiration process or percolated down through the soil profile to recharge the groundwater aquifers. During urban development, the land is impacted in two ways: 1. During site preparation, when vegetation is stripped away leaving exposed soils that easily erode during rainfall events, causing an increase in sediment loading and downstream deposition. Sediment- and ero. practices and products are used at this sion-control stage of development. 2. During construction, as impervious surfaces are created (roofs and paved surfaces), infiltration is reduced and runoff is increased. Best management practices (BMPs) are used at this stage of development to offset the increased runoff. Because runoff is the primary transport mechanism for pollutants including sediment and nutrients, these pollutants will increase with the runoff increase if nothing is done to prevent it. Both point and nonpoint source pollution are regulated under the federal Clean Water Act (CWA).

nature of these sources, they have not previously been regulated. In order to achieve the goals of the CWA, pollution from urban runoff is now becoming more strictly regulated through the municipally separate storm sewer system NPDES stormwater permits. Other nonpoint source pollution problems have also been addressed through a variety of incentive programs.

Stormwater Quantity Issues Figure 12.4 illustrates one of the most fundamental concepts in urban stormwater — a hydrograph — which is a plot of stream discharge over time during a rainfall event. Urban development causes multiple impacts on the stormwater hydrograph. 1. The peak runoff rate increases due to lack of infiltration. 2. Water travel time decreases, resulting in a shortening of the hydrograph when compared to predevelopment hydrology. 3. After the storm event is over, base flow does not recover when comparing postdevelopment with predevelopment curves. This is due to the lack of infiltration and recharge from impervious areas. Traditional stormwater management functions by providing a facility with additional storage volume that slowly releases water at the predevelopment rate of discharge. However, the volume of this discharge is greater than before development. This is shown as the dotted green line in figure 12.4. The increased stormwater volume causes an increase in sheer stress as it reaches a stream, which then causes erosion and increased transport capacity for pollutants. Low-impact development attempts to replicate the predevelopment hydrograph by increasing infiltration volume. A perfect LID system would therefore be very close to the blue line on figure 12.4 or the predevelopment hydrograph.

• “Point sources” may be classified as publicly owned treatment works, privately owned treatment facilities, industrial discharges, and sometimes, agricultural operations. Point sources are regulated through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permitting program. • “Nonpoint sources” consist primarily of runoff from urban, suburban, and developing areas and some agriculture sites. Because of the numerous and diffuse VNLA Newsletter

Figure 12.4. A typical urban hydrograph.

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Chapter 12. Principles of Stormwater Management for Reducing Nutrients From Urban Landscaped Areas Figure 12.5 illustrates the net impact of these changes across an annual hydrologic cycle in Virginia. The horizontal portion shows the continuum of urbanization from left to right, with natural groundcover on the left, moving through suburban, then urban development to 75 to 100 percent imperviousness on the right. The top part of the figure shows the annual change in the typical year’s water budget. Significant changes occur with recharge decreasing from 11 to 2 inches and runoff increasing from 4 to 23 inches. A moderate decrease in ET from 17 to 13 inches occurs. Figure 12.6 illustrates the subsequent geomorphic effects of urbanization on a receiving stream. A continuum of urbanization is shown from left to right. As development increases, significant changes occur in stormwater runoff peak flows and frequencies. The resultant stream shape changes are also shown. Urban streams are subjected to more frequent and increased peak flows and have much higher sheer stresses during bankfull events. This results in increased erosion of the channel. Also, urban streams tend to dry out due to the lack of recharge, resulting in a loss of stream length. The urban stream widens, deepens, and dries out, seriously impacting or destroying aquatic ecosystems and associated green infrastructure.

Stormwater Quality Issues Higher stream flows cause increased stream erosion and higher loads of sediment, nutrients, and other pollutants in downstream receiving waters. The pollutants are present due to practices on the land but are carried by storm runoff and adversely impact downstream receiving waters. When receiving waters deteriorate to the point of not meeting their designated use, they are listed as “impaired.” A current map of impaired streams for Virginia is provided in figure 12.7. For each of these impacted streams, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) has or is establishing a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) of the identified pollutant to the receiving stream. Once a TMDL has been established, the VDEQ develops an allocation amount for each of the identified sources for the pollutant in the upstream watershed. VDEQ then revises the surface water discharge permits from identified point sources at the time of permit renewal. Then, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (VDCR) develops an implementation plan for how these allocations will be achieved for nonpoint sources, including stormwater discharges.

Figure 12.5. Virginia average annual water budget with urbanization. 24

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Source: Potomac Conservancy 2008. VNLA Newsletter

Chapter 12. Principles of Stormwater Management for Reducing Nutrients From Urban Landscaped Areas

Figure 12.6. Urbanization and its effect on stream geomorphology.

Figure 12.7. Currently impaired water bodies, Virginia. VNLA Newsletter

Source: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality 2008. July / August / September 2013

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Chapter 12. Principles of Stormwater Management for Reducing Nutrients From Urban Landscaped Areas Regional water quality issues can also significantly affect local water quality programs. The Chesapeake Bay receives runoff from most of Virginia, including the watersheds associated with the Shenandoah, Potomac, Rappahannock, James, and York rivers. These watersheds are shown in figure 12.7. The bay also receives runoff from the states of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New York, creating a watershed of 64,000 square miles. An assessment of the health of tributary streams to the bay is provided in figure 12.8. Once a rich and productive estuary, the Chesapeake Bay has declined due to pollution generated from urban and industrial development and agricultural practices. Within the bay, sediment, nutrients, and other pollutants cause a variety of problems such as excess algae growth, reduced dissolved oxygen levels, and decreased water clarity. These conditions cause changes in aquatic organisms, often decimating desirable species and creating dead zones in the bay (figure 12.9). A recent assessment of water quality and ecosystem health of the bay estuary is provided in figure 12.10.

Figure 12.9. Chesapeake Bay dead zones, August 2005. Source: Chesapeake Bay Program 2005. 26

Nitrogen and phosphorus are the primary nutrients of concern. As a benchmark, for illustrative purposes, existing loadings from various land uses were computed from the Chesapeake Bay Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Tributary Strategies (Commonwealth of Virginia 2005) and disaggregated for Virginia. Figures 12.11 and 12.12 depict nitrogen and phosphorus loadings, respectively, from different land uses, with urban areas separated into impervious and pervious (or landscaped) areas. These figures show that while urban impervious areas are the source of increased flows, urban pervious areas may be a source for excess nutrients, on par with loadings from agricultural areas. Thus, nutrient management in the landscape should reduce loadings from urban areas and eventual pollution to receiving waters and the Chesapeake Bay.

Figure 12.10. Chesapeake Bay Report Card 2008: Bay Health Index. Source: University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) and EcoCheck 2008.

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Figure 12.8. Chesapeake Bay Report Card 2008: Tributary Streams and Watershed Health. Source: University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) and EcoCheck 2008. VNLA Newsletter

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Chapter 12. Principles of Stormwater Management for Reducing Nutrients From Urban Landscaped Areas

Managing Urban Stormwater The Virginia Stormwater Management Program (VSMP) is the regulatory program by which the state and local governments control nonpoint source pollution stemming from urban development. In 2009, in response to the issue of adverse impacts to receiving waters from urban runoff, the VDCR revised the VSMP regulatory program. The program focus shifted from mitigating peak runoff during urban development to managing stormwater volume and water quality. A new process known as the Virginia Runoff Reduction Method (VRRM) was developed by the Center for Watershed Protection (2009) in collaboration with VDCR. The intent of the VRRM is to fundamentally alter the land design process used in urban development through a three-tiered strategy that includes:

Figure 12.11. Average annual nitrogen washoff loadings for Virginia land uses. Source: Commonwealth of Virginia 2005.

Environmental site design (ESD) practices. These are intended to minimize impervious surface area and maximize conservation practices. ESD practices can be employed to reduce runoff by restoring soil infiltrative capacities, restoring and/or preserving riparian buffers, and providing conservation subdivisions to protect critical habitats. The net impact from a stormwater perspective is that impervious surfaces and urban runoff are minimized. Runoff reduction (RR) or volume control. This consists of implementing a variety of low-impact, density-based source controls on a site. Runoff reduction practices seek to reduce runoff prior to flowing offsite through a variety of mechanisms, predominately infiltration. Pollutant removal (PR). This means using traditional, larger-scale best management practices to treat the reduced amount of runoff to remove nutrients and sediments. Figure 12.13 illustrates the use of Virginia Runoff Reduction Method strategies in urban design, with the goal of increasing nutrient removal performance of a site after development.

Figure 12.12. Average annual phosphorus washoff loadings for Virginia land uses. Source: Commonwealth of Virginia 2005.

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Table 12.1 in appendix B lists the VDCR-approved BMPs. Each practice includes a brief description, diagram, photograph, and performance data, as well as their characterization as an ESD, RR, and/or PR device. The BMPs listed in this table are compiled from several sources, predominately the VDCR specifications from the Virginia Stormwater BMP Clearinghouse website (VDCR 2011), and are for public use. Most of these BMPs are intended for use in landscaped areas, so some familiarity with their functions may be beneficial.

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Source: Center for Watershed Protection 2008.

Figure 12.13. Virginiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s runoff reduction methodology.

Proprietary BMPs consist of systems developed by specific manufacturers that utilize a variety of treatment technologies to remove pollutants from urban runoff, usually at a smaller scale than public-use BMPs. Proprietary BMPs should be examined individually because limited unbiased information is available.

Source Control or Reducing Pollutants in Runoff

Managing Stormwater on a Residential Lot Until recently, stormwater management focused exclusively on management of impervious areas. As the understanding of nonpoint source pollution from urban areas has improved, it has become apparent that a substantial portion of the pollutants may come from pervious or landscaped areas. So, programs have shifted toward management of both pervious and impervious urban areas at both watershed and single-lot scales. Many practices are available to reduce nonpoint source pollution at the residential level. Water and nutrient use in both turf and ornamental bed areas should be addressed. These practices require participation from the homeowner, which can sometimes be challenging. The following sections provide an overview of the steps to characterize and reduce runoff and pollutants at a residential scale, identify landscape management 30

practices that can be beneficial, and present a risk-based assessment tool for an owner or contractor to evaluate practices at a single lot scale. This information is based on Shelton and Feehan (2008), Thacker (2009), and the Washington Environmental Council (2009).

One of the most effective means of reducing pollutants in runoff is source control. Addressing the following questions and issues may assist in the characterization of the relative risk a single site poses on downstream urban water quality issues.

Where Does Stormwater Go? In order to assess a site, develop a site plan using the following steps: 1. Measure lot boundaries and buildings or obtain a copy of a recent survey of the site. An example of a simple site plan without topography is provided in figure 12.14. 2. Include topographical information if it is available, but a visual survey of the high and low spots on the site can suffice.

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Chapter 12. Principles of Stormwater Management for Reducing Nutrients From Urban Landscaped Areas

Keeping Yard and Garden Wastes Disposing of leaves, grass, branches, and other yard debris in ditches and storm drains is a common practice that clogs drainage systems, causes flooding, and increases organic loading downstream. Previously, it was explained that for the most part, urban runoff is discharged untreated to receiving waters. As the organic matter from yard debris decomposes in streams, lakes, and estuaries, it depletes oxygen in water that can cause fish kills. Excess nutrients cause algal blooms and aquatic weed growth that lead to an imbalance in the ecosystem. To avoid these problems: • Sweep/collect yard debris off streets, sidewalks, and driveways. • Dispose of debris in a compost pile or through a curbside pickup service. • Use a mulching mower to return grass clippings and their nutrients to the lawn. • Use compost instead of fertilizer.

Handling Pesticides Safely Figure 12.14. Site planning.

Source: Shelton and Feehan 2008.

A wide variety of pesticides are available for use in landscapes.

3. Identify impervious areas such as buildings, parking areas, sidewalks, patios, pools, decks, and driveways and how they drain (or if a drain is present).

• Keep an updated inventory list of the products stored on site.

4. Show areas of steep slopes.

• Always follow the label instructions. The label is the law!

5. Identify soil types based on soil test information or local soil maps. 6. Mark and characterize landscaped and vegetated areas. 7. Identify sensitive areas such as creeks, ditches, lakes, wetlands, storm drains, buffers, etc. Usually these would receive runoff from the site. 8. Mark stormwater runoff paths and flow directions. 9. Identify where the runoff leaves the site to adjacent receiving waters, storm drains, and neighboring sites. It is always a good practice to reduce runoff, but it can also be a good social practice when water flows onto neighboring sites.

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• Store products in a dry, locked place.

• Hire certified pesticide applicators when necessary, especially when applying products near bodies of water. • Avoid applications before a rain or irrigation cycle to prevent runoff contamination. • Immediately clean up any spills or residues on impervious surfaces and dispose of them properly. • Purchase only what is needed to avoid storing large amounts. • Treat only when necessary with the least-toxic product. • Consider alternative management practices to pesticides. • Promote beneficial insects and natural predators in the landscape to minimize pesticide applications.

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Fertilizers

Animal Waste Disposal

An example of nutrient contamination can sometimes be seen in properties adjacent to stormwater ponds. Excess or misapplied fertilizer runs off before plants can absorb it and causes algae blooms and aquatic weed growth. These plants typically have short life cycles, and when they die and decay, they deplete oxygen needed for aquatic organisms and sometimes release substances that are toxic to aquatic organisms. Responsible fertilizer use can avoid many of these problems.

Domestic animals and pets provide companionship and recreation. However, animals produce waste that can contain high concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, and harmful pathogens. When this waste is exposed to rainfall, it can easily contaminate runoff and potentially cause human health hazards for recreational and drinking waters downstream. The economic impact on a community is significant when drinking water resources are compromised or recreational activities involving water are banned and beaches closed. Fortunately, this issue is easily resolved through good housekeeping practices.

• See pesticide list above. • Test soil to determine the fertilizer need (every three years is recommended). • Use a slow-release fertilizer instead of multiple applications of a quick-release product. • Apply the total amount recommended in a split application. • Apply at the correct time for the plants to use it most efficiently. • Don’t use a complete fertilizer if it isn’t necessary. • Consider an organic product instead of a synthetic product. • Remove fertilizer from impervious surfaces such as driveways and sidewalks. • Contact the local cooperative Extension office for information on plants, environmental conditions, and educational programs.

Are Car and Truck Wastes Being Carried Away by Stormwater? Fluids and residues from our vehicles can be significant pollutants. Used oil from a single oil change can contaminate a large quantity of runoff. Antifreeze is toxic to aquatic organisms and can shut down the kidneys of mammals. Brake dust and tire bits contain toxic metals. Soaps used in car washing contain surfactants that threaten aquatic habitat. These issues are easily addressed.

• Compost animal waste. Compost systems are good for treating waste from many animals or from larger animals such as horses.

Salt or Other De-Icing Products In order to cope with winter weather, salt and de-icing products are often used. These can be toxic to aquatic organisms and plants. Salts can be corrosive to water pumps and pipes and build up in receiving waters. Because most salts are untreated except for dilution, they can cause issues in drinking water supplies downstream. Simple practices can be used to minimize these impacts. • Manually clear snow from impervious surfaces and drains. • Use alternative products such as sand or kitty litter.

Landscape Site Management for Control of Runoff There are many practices that can be used in residential landscapes to reduce pollutants in runoff. The following questions are designed to assist in assessing their need and the relative risk of a site for urban water quality issues from erosion and other pollutants.

• Maintain vehicles to prevent leaks.

Are There Areas of Bare Soil?

• Immediately and thoroughly clean up spills.

Soil left exposed without vegetation easily erodes. When erosion occurs, sediment is transported downstream through runoff. Excess sediment clogs storm drains and reduces channel conveyance capacity, causing flooding. It also buries and destroys downstream underwater habitats, depriving fish of their food sources and living areas. These issues can be easily avoided.

• Wash vehicles on the lawn or at a car wash with environmentally friendly products. • Collect spent fluids, waste oils, solvents, etc., and dispose of properly. Many communities have household hazardous waste collection days for these materials. 32

• Pick up pet waste and dispose of it properly. Many communities have “scoop the poop” programs.

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Chapter 12. Principles of Stormwater Management for Reducing Nutrients From Urban Landscaped Areas • Overseed bare spots. Aeration may be necessary on compacted areas.

flows increase, along with the potential for downstream degradation.

• Use groundcovers if turf will not grow.

• Disconnect gutters and drain them onto a vegetated area or into a rain barrel or rain garden (appendix B, table 12.1, BMP Nos. 1, 6, and 9). The rain barrel can provide a supplemental irrigation source during dry periods.

• Use mulch if vegetation will not grow or is not desired. • Vegetative buffers can be used along sloped or downhill portions of the site (appendix 12-B, table 12.1, BMP No. 2).

Can the Landscape Layout Be Changed to Reduce Runoff? Reference the site analysis (figure 12.14). Determine if there are problem areas where the runoff is too concentrated (i.e., many arrows coming together). There are many practices that can be used to slow down and spread out the runoff. • Improve the soil to improve water infiltration (appendix 12-B, table 12.1, BMP No. 4). • Terrace slopes and/or add swales (appendix 12-B, table 12.1, BMP Nos. 3, 10, and 11). • Increase vegetation and/or canopy layers. Add buffers. • Incorporate a rain garden (appendix 12-B, table 12.1, BMP No. 9). Adding a rain garden is an excellent BMP that can reduce runoff flows, treat contaminants in runoff, and encourage infiltration. Rain garden resources include: • Rain Gardens Technical Guide: A Landscape Tool to Improve Water Quality, Virginia Department of Forestry. www.dof.virginia.gov/mgt/resources/pub-RainGarden-Tech-Guide_2008-05.pdf. • Rain garden design templates, The Low Impact Development Center. www.lowimpactdevelopment. org/raingarden_design/templates.htm. • Urban Water Quality Management: Rain Garden Plants, Virginia Cooperative Extension publication 426-043. www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426-043/426-043.pdf.

Does Roof Water Flow Onto Pavement or Landscaped Areas? The impact of a roof on the drainage of a site cannot be overstated. In many cases, roofs provide the majority of impervious areas. When roofs are directly connected via gutters and downspouts to pavement, runoff peak VNLA Newsletter

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• Install a green roof (appendix B, table 12.1, BMP No. 5). Most buildings cannot be retrofitted for a green roof without structural improvements, so this practice applies mainly to additions or new buildings.

Can Paved Surfaces Be Reduced? On most sites, the controllable impervious areas include walks, porches, patios, decks, and driveways. • Reduce the total square footage of the impervious area. • Consider a driveway that uses pavement for the tire tracks only, with turf or gravel in between. • Use permeable pavement and/or paver systems (appendix B, table 12.1, BMP No. 7). There are many new products available that allow water infiltration through the pavement or joints. • Consider using steppingstones or mulched or vegetated paths or walks. Some groundcovers can tolerate foot traffic. • Use wider seams or joints on decks and patios for better water infiltration.

Self-Assessment Tool Appendix 12-B, table 12.2 is a self-assessment tool constructed by Shelton and Feehan (2008) that is designed to evaluate a single site and identify water quality concerns for that site. The tool analyzes the relative safety of stormwater and landscape management practices using risk scoring and assists the user in determining which practices are safe and which need modification. Choose the description that best characterizes the site. Each choice has an associated risk level and corresponding score according to the following formula: • Low risk (1): Ideal, but might not always be practical. • Moderate-low risk (2): Provides reasonable water quality protection. • High-moderate risk (3): Does not provide adequate water quality protection. • High risk (4): Poses a serious danger to water quality.

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Chapter 12. Principles of Stormwater Management for Reducing Nutrients From Urban Landscaped Areas The lower the individual and total scores, the better. Higher individual scores and a higher total score suggest that the site could be improved relative to stormwater management and the risk the site poses to downstream contamination. Page 13 of 13 Chapter 12 Principles….

Sample, D. 2009. Stormwater Management Research: Assessing Improvements in Design and Operation on Performance. Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Approved Hatch Proposal 200-2015. Shelton, D. P., and K. A. Feehan. 2008. Stormwater Management on Residential Lots. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Publication EC707.

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Smith, D. R. 2006. Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement: Selection, Design, Construction, Maintenance. 3rd ed. Herndon, Va.: Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute.

Breathtaking panoramic vies of the Inner Harbor, stadiums and Thacker, P. 2009. Stormwater Management. Training city skyline

Complete the Quiz on Literature page 35 and getCited 1 CEU Center for Watershed Protection. 2008. The Runoff for your Virginia CertiReduction Method. Technical Memorandum. www. fied Horticulturist vwrrc.vt.edu/swc/documents/pdf/TechnicalMemo. re-certification! pdf.

Chesapeake Bay Program. 2005. Map: Chesapeake Bay Record Dead Zone, August 2005. www.chesapeakebay.net

session for Prince William County, Va.

University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES), Integration and Application Network, and EcoCheck. 2008. Chesapeake Bay Report Card 2008. (EcoCheck is a partnership between UMCES and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.) http://ian.umces. edu/pdfs/ecocheck_newsletter_209.pdf.

Christian, A. H., and G. K. Evanylo. 2009. Compost: Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation What Is It and What’s It to You. Virginia Coopera(VDCR) and Virginia Water Resources Research tive Extension Publication 452-231. http://pubs. Center (VWRRC). 2011. Virginia Approved StormAd - Plantworks Nursery water BMP Standards and Specifications. Available ext.vt.edu/452/452-231/452-231.html. at the Virginia Stormwater BMP Clearinghouse Commonwealth of Virginia. Department of ConservaWebsite. www.vwrrc.vt.edu/swc. tion and Recreation. 2005. Chesapeake Bay Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Tributary Strategy for Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation the Shenandoah and Potomac River Basins. www. (VDCR). 2010. Stormwater Design Specifications. dcr.virginia.gov/soil_and_water/documents/tsshVersion 1.9. enpoall032805.pdf. Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ). Gilland, T., L. Fox, M. Andruczyk, S. French, and L. 2008. Final 2008 305(b)/303(d) Water Quality Swanson. 2009. What Is a Watershed? Virginia Assessment Integrated Report. Cooperative Extension Publication 426-141. Washington Environmental Council. 2009. Stormwahttp://pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426-041/426-041.pdf. ter Management: One Backyard at a Time. Video Potomac Conservancy. 2007. State of the Nation’s Workshop, Sept. 15, 2009. www.wecprotects.org. River: Potomac Watershed 2007. From U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds. Adapted from: Pollution Probe. 2004. The Source Water Protection Primer. www.potomac.org/site/state-of-the-nations-river/. 34

Potomac Conservancy. 2008. State of the Nation’s River 2008: Potomac Stormwater Runoff. From: July/August/September 2013 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds. www.potomac. org/site/state-of-the-nations-river-2008. July / August / September 2013

VNLA Newsletter

Urban Nutrient Management Handbook

VNLA Newsletter

12-13

VNLA - Certification Quiz #65 If you are a Virginia Certified Horticulturist, answer the following questions from the previous article, mark your answers on the card insert to the left and mail or fax back to the VNLA office towards your recertification CEU’s for your Virginia Certified Horticulturist.

Principles of Stormwater Management for Reducing Nutrients From Urban Landscaped Areas 1. What is Stormwater?

A. Down pour of water B. Water collected in buckets C. Runoff from rain, snow or ice

2. Virginia’s regulatory approach to stormwater management now includes: A. Runoff from both pervious and impervious areas. B. Dry areas 3. What is a watershed? A. contiguous portion of land B. sheds water into single lowest point C. Both A & B 4. Stormwater in urban and developed areas is usually not an issue. A. True B. False 5. Runoff is the primary transport mechanism for pollutants. A. True B. False 6. Peak runoff rate increase due to an abundance of infiltration. A. True B. False

VNLA Newsletter

7. Primary nutrients of concern for the health of tributary streams are: A. Iron B. Nitrogen C. Manganese D. Phosphorus E. Both B and D

8. Managing Urban Stormwater includes: A. Environmental Site Design B. Runoff reduction or volume control C. Pollutant removal D. All of above 9. Both point and nonpoint source pollution are regulated under the federal Clean Water Act. A. True B. False 10. Higher stream flows cause increased stream erosion and: A. higher loads of sediments, nutrients, and other pollutants. B. Prettier water C. More Fish 11. What is TMDL? A. Time Management Daily List B. Total Maximum Daily Load 12. Urban streams tend to dry out due to lack of recharge. A. True B. False 13. Animals produce waste that can contain high concentrations of: A. Potassium B. Nitrogen & Phosphorous 14. Salt or other de-icing products are not harmful to aquatic organisms. A. True B. False 15. Soil that is left exposed without vegetation easily erodes. A. True B. False

July / August / September 2013 July/August/September 2013

News - ANLA Launches Rose Rosette Disease Website Responding to the industry’s growing concerns about Rose Rosette Disease, ANLA has launched the website www.roserosettedisease.com. The website will act as a one-stop resource for growers, landscapers, extension agents, and researchers to find the most up-to-date information about the disease, including how to identify and prevent it, and the collaborative steps underway between our industry and researchers to tackle the issue head on. A visitor to the website will be able to view video content, fact sheets, and the latest news and reports on Rose Rosette Disease. “Rose Rosette Disease is an industry wide issue with the potential to negatively impact a crop representing more than $200 million in annual sales,” said Joe Bischoff, ANLA’s Director of Government Relations. Tom Demaline, a member of the ANLA Board of Directors and owner of Willoway Nurseries in Ohio, stressed his concern, adding, “without real attention and coordinated effort to managing this disease we risk losing a cornerstone crop in a similar fashion to what has happened with Emerald Ash Borer and its impact on ash trees.” Rose Rosette Disease is a virus that is vectored by an eriophyid mite (Phyllocoptes fructiphylus) and frequently leads to the eventual death of infected plants. Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora) is particularly susceptible to Rose Rosette Disease and the plant’s decades long march, as an invasive species, across much of the Eastern U.S. has likely been the source of inoculum and responsible for spreading the disease. The industry, along with university and federal scientists, is working to develop methods to control, suppress, and eradicate the effects of the pathogen. 3535

Please visit www.roserosettedisease.com for the information you need to know about this disease. Tackling a technical challenge like Rose Rosette Disease requires an industry coming together to make their needs and concerns clearly known to the research community. ANLA is working with shrub rose growers to develop that agenda and identify researchers who can effectively and efficiently address the issue. If you grow roses please join the conversation. Be a part of developing a solution to Rose Rosette Disease by becoming a member of ANLA. www.anla.org If you have questions, contact Dr. Joe Bischoff at jbischoff@anla.org

News - Immigrant Labor has Contributed more Than $100 billion to Medicare Washington, D.C.— A new study released by Harvard University researchers found that immigrant laborers have contributed significantly more to Medicare than then have taken out. According to a report on Bloomberg.com, "Immigrants to the U.S. contributed $115.2 billion more to the Medicare Trust Fund during the past decade than they withdrew, casting doubt on criticism they overburden the health plan, Harvard University researchers said." ANLA Vice President for Government Relations, Craig Regelbrugge, reacted to the study stating, "The national dialogue on immigration has for too long been fueled more by emotion more than fact. But facts are good and useful! With regard to Medicare, this helpful study turns on its head the conventional wisdom that immigrants are a burden on our entitlement programs."

News - PLANET Launches New Consumer-Focused Website www.loveyourlandscape.com HERNDON, Va., March 18, 2013 — PLANET recently unveiled a new consumer-focused website— www.loveyourlandscape.com. The website provides helpful information for homeowners and clients about caring for lawns and landscapes. It offers design tips and ideas, highlights the benefits of indoor plants, discusses sustainable landscape practices, and includes information about how to choose a professional company, and about Landscape Industry Certified professionals. Landscape industry companies are encouraged to link to the site and to include it in blogs, social media, or in client communications. The website reinforces the importance of healthy plants and green spaces and the need to hire an educated professional. Each month, the site will include a new spotlight story that will demonstrate how people benefit from their lawns and landscapes. The new website is part of a larger public relations campaign to raise awareness of the value, expertise, and knowledge of professional lawn and landscape companies, and to foster a deeper appreciation for our green spaces and the desire in the public to improve their landscapes. Contact: Heather Finney, 703-456-4204, heatherfinney@landcarenetwork.org

The full text of the study results, reported in the journal Health Affairs, is available here. http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/ early/2013/05/20/hlthaff.2012.1223

The FY 2012 Activities Report for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative (CBWI) has now hit the streets and NRCS has really finished strong. In just one year, we have protected more than 109,000 acres, 50 percent of which were right here in the Commonwealth. From 2009 - 2012, NRCS helped farmers in the six states install conservation on nearly 620,000 acres through CBWI at a cost of $188 million. This translates to somewhere around $303 an acre to keep thousands of tons of sediment and nutrients out of the Chesapeake Bay. It's also important to remember that farmers have voluntarily contributed out of their own pockets because they want to be good stewards. Looking beyond CBWI, our strong commitment to innovation and adoption through our showcase watersheds and Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) programs is yielding positive results as well. In Virginia, the rate of adoption of conservation practices in the Smith Creek Watershed increased 436 percent this past year. Meanwhile, CIG is promoting new technologies like manure injection, variable rate fertilizer applications, and multi-species cover crops http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FS E_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb1144033.p df From Ag Bytes, Jack Bricker, State Conservationist, Virginia Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Jonathan Bardzik, jbardzik@anla.org

News - Virginia Leads the Way on Bay Conservation

July / August / September 2013 July/August/September 2013

Newsletter VNLAVNLA Newsletter

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News - Saunders Brothers Receives SNA Environmental Award Established by the SNA Board in 1999, the SNA Environmental Award recognizes individuals and businesses that have demonstrated exceptional leadership and through their voluntary efforts exemplified inspiration, vision, innovation, leadership and action to preserve and protect the environment. This award is not limited to SNA members or to the horticulture industry. Nominations for this prestigious award are made by the SNA Participating State Associations and SNA Members with final selection by the SNA Board of Directors. This year's recipients of the SNA Environmental Award are Saunders Brothers, Inc., Piney River, VA, and Dr. John Lea-Cox, University of Maryland. In awarding two Environmental Awards this year, the SNA Board acknowledges not only Saunders Brothers for water conservation efforts in the implementation of using the Evapotranspiration (ET) based irrigation in their nursery, but also Dr. John Lea-Cox and his work in the development of advanced sensor-based wireless networks for decision-based irrigation and nutrient management which has been implemented at Saunders Brothers nursery. Saunders Brothers began as a partnership between five brothers in 1915. Today, third generation brothers, Tom, Bennett, Jim and Robert, with their dad, Paul, operate the wholesale nursery, orchard, and farm market. The wholesale nursery operation now consists of approximately 75 acres of container production and 75 acres of field production. They ship over 1,000 products to garden centers, landscapers, and rewholesalers throughout the midVNLA Newsletter

VNLA Newsletter

Atlantic region. Their 125-acre orchard provides fresh fruit for their farm market as well as other wholesale and retail markets.

Saunders Brothers, the 2013 Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association's Environmental Stewardship Award recipient was recognized for their water conservation efforts utilizing technology that was developed in row crop production. They began using the ET-based irrigation during the summers of 2011. The goal of the ET-based irrigation is to determine the amount of water lost from a containerized plant during one day and to replace exactly that amount through irrigation. Base numbers for irrigation were determined through testing that was coordinated by two University of Florida's researchers, Tom Yeager and Jeff Million. Using these figures as a guideline. irrigation in 2012 was monitored using Leachate Fraction (LF) testing. Through testing in 2011, Saunders Brothers Inc. determined that equal or better quality plants could be grown using less water and less fertilizer. It was determined that fertility levels could be dropped on some crops from 30-40%. In 2012 when local rainfall levels were 25% below average, overall water use dropped by over 50% when compared to the previous 5-year average. Starting in the fall of2012, S8I installed their first wireless irrigation controllers on a third of the nursery. Designed by Fralo Control Systems, irJuly / August / September 2013 July/August/September 2013

rigation run times are entered on PC's and wirelessly transmitted to irrigation control panels. Sensors monitor pump pressure and flow to maximize the efficiency of the irrigation system. Through the new system crops can be grouped based on their individual needs to water at any time of the night or day. Part of the wireless system in 2013 will be controlled by a computer program that automatically adjusts irrigation amounts dependent upon crop stage, container size, plant spacing and daily weather data from a weather station on-site. Continued trialing of plants using lower rates of fertilizer will take place. By the fall of 2013 the company intends to irrigate all of its woody plants using the wireless system while continuing to monitor the LF of the crops. LF testing will expand in 2013 to include herbaceous crops as well. John Lea-Cox is a Professor and Nursery Research and Extension Specialist at the University of Maryland, College Park. He teaches courses in Principles of Water and Nutrient Management, Greenhouse Crop Production and co-teaches Senior Capstone and Sustainable Seminar courses. His research and extension programs are focused primarily on increasing the efficiency of water and nutrient applications in the nursery and greenhouse industries. John leads the water and nutrient management extension program for ornamental production in Maryland, with one other colleague. To date, this program has trained over 130 professionals and growers who have written over 350 water and nutrient management plans for nursery and greenhouse operations. He currently leads a national $5.16M USDA-NIFA specialty crops project, which is developing advanced sensor-based networks for decision-based irrigation and nutrient 3939

management in nursery and greenhouse systems. More information on the project, the participants and project impacts can be accessed at http://smart·farms.net During his career, John has established or coestablished five major research and extension programs, co-authored one book and five book chapters, published 24 peer-reviewed journal articles, 32 national and international conference papers, and more than 60 society, trade or extension articles. He has been invited to speak at more than 50 International and national conferences, and has given more than 300 other national, regional presentations and workshops. By Karen Summers, SNA, 678.809.9992, mail@sna.org, www.sna.org

Legislation - Delay in Affordable Care Act penalties for large employers!

Not said in this announcement is whether or how the individual mandate and associated penalties will be affected. Experts believe that the Administration will ultimately be left with little choice but to delay those too. However, that has not happened yet.

The Obama Administration has made a major announcement regarding the imposition of penalties on “large employers” that do not provide health care to their employees in 2014 or do not provide adequate coverage - the penalties will not be imposed until 2015. (Large employers have more than 50 full time or full-timeequivalent employees.)

In the political arena, the announcement is being met with claims that it is the latest proof that the law is flawed. And, some are calling the decision politically convenient, since it will delay the financial pain and tumult associated with the employer mandate until after the 2014 midterm elections. Posted by: Craig Regelbrugge, ANLA

While the official regulatory documents are not yet published, the Department of Treasury has posted the announcement on their website, so large employers can plan accordingly. The announcement can be viewed here.

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VA Tech - Youth Safety in the Green Industry

8/30/04

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Page 1

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Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) and Virginia Tech (VT) have jointly conducted a research/extension project supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of USDA. The overall objective of this project is to protect the youth working in the green industry through appropriate educational programs. A pre-project survey of green industry professionals identified five areas of equipment operation (hand tools, powered hand tools, mowers, utility-type vehicles (UTVs), and tractors) as those of most importance to a youth work force. Our team now requires input from green industry professionals by way of a review of the curriculum and educational programs we have developed for youth workers.

Can you please share a few moments of your time in providing us some valuable feedback on our educational outreach efforts? The first step is to complete a few preliminary survey questions that you can access on-line at https://vce.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_ ahPWamLniSsyRud. After submitting your preliminary survey question responses, you will receive an automatic e-mail notification providing the links to a specific set of materials to review on their content, training, and testing effectiveness (the subject area you will be asked to review is based on the first letter of your last name), and a final link to a post-review survey. We ask that all reviews be completed by September 30, 2013. All information that you provide is confidential Please contact Mike Goatley at goatley@vt.edu with any specific questions or comments. Thank you very much for your time and support of VCE and VT outreach efforts!

WH O C A R E S T H AT W E ’ V E KEPT OUR NAME GROWING FOR OVER 45 YEARS? Maybe you should care. Chances are, you can think of many businesses that have come and gone over the past four decades. We’ve been here through it all—putting down strong roots and branching out to provide our customers with quality plants year after year. And cultivating the expertise that can help Eastern your bottom line grow today and tomorrow. Shore Call Eastern Shore Nursery of Virginia Nursery Of and order plants from a company with a Virginia long history of excellence. Keller, Virginia • 1-800-323-3008 • www.esnursery.com

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July / August / September 2013 July/August/September 2013

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Legislation Immigration Reform: Progress, But Long, Hot Summer

For the many green industry professionals monitoring the immigration reform debate, here is the upshot: the Senate has passed a bipartisan comprehensive bill, and the House as decided to “go slow”. The Senate, on June 27, passed S.744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, by a bipartisan vote of 68 to 32. Fourteen Republicans joined a unified Democratic caucus to approve the measure, which would achieve the most sweeping overhaul and modernization of America’s immigration system since the days of President Ronald Reagan. There were some pleasant surprises and some disappointments in the vote. On the bright side, both of Tennessee’s Republican Senators supported the measure, as did Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, and Mark Kirk of Illinois. The four Republican Senators in the socalled Gang of 8 - McCain, Graham, Flake, and Rubio - as well as Sen. Hatch (R-UT), who had helped negotiate the agricultural portion, supported the negotiated compromise through the Senate’s legislative debate. 42

Disappointing “nay” votes included Republican Senators Rob Portman (OH), Coats (IN), Johnson (WI), Moran (KS) and Johanns (NE), as well as Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, and Georgia Senators Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss. Georgia’s agricultural sector, in particular, was dealt a blow when that state’s legislature passed a get-tough immigration law that wreaked economic havoc. Reform would be a blessing to Peach State growers. Several Senators who voted against final passage of the bill had sought to offer amendments but were blocked from doing so. They may have supported final passage had they had the chance to do so. Ironically, Republican Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa blocked an agreement to allow more than a dozen amendments to receive a vote; his actions may have reduced final Republican support for the bill. One notable dynamic was the unified support of Democrats, including those from more conservative states who are up for reelection in 2014. Party strategists have convinced these Senators that they can lean into the issue, stand for solutions, strengthen their appeal among younger voters, Hispanics, and other new American voters, and overcome any political blowback. Of special interest to the green industry, the Senate-passed bill includes a new and much more market-oriented agricultural visa program coupled with an earned legal status program for experienced farm workers. It extends the H-2B program’s “returning worker exemption” from the unrealistically low visa cap of 66,000 and clarifies how program wages are to be determined. The bill also establishes a new “lesser skilled” visa program, and a general earned legalization program.

tural guest workers. However, most of these measures are so conservative that they are not likely to attract much Democratic support. It is not clear which ones can pass. There are 435 seats in the House of Representatives, and it takes a simple majority of 218 to pass legislation. Republicans hold 234 seats, so the GOP can technically pass bills without Democrat votes, but only if the Republicans are unified. Just 17 Republican defections jeopardize the Party’s ability to unilaterally move legislation. Immigration has not been a unifying issue. In theory, the House could pass just one or two limited measures and still agree to go to a conference with the Senate. If House Republicans would actually live up to their claim of being “the Party of legal immigration,” they could even offer market-friendly improvements to the Senate bill. They could move a few measures forward even before the end of July, though progress in the fall seems more plausible. In a July 10 closed door meeting, Republicans committed to a “go slow” approach that will likely begin with smaller bills touching on specific issues like border security and interior enforcement. The closer we get to the end of the year, the more the politics of the 2014 elections will chill the prospects for progress. Hopefully they do act, and get to a conference committee to work through their differences. To do otherwise is to retain a badly broken system where illegal immigration is easier than legal, and under which America is falling behind economically. Posted by: Craig Regelbrugge, ANLA

The long and winding road to reform faces steep grades and hairpin turns in the House of Representatives. The House has little interest in taking up the Senate bill, and instead may consider one or more smaller bills dealing with border security, E-Verify and interior enforcement, high-tech and skilled worker visas, and agriculJuly / August / September 2013 July/August/September 2013

Newsletter VNLAVNLA Newsletter

Tips - READ THE PESTICIDE LABEL It’s Serious Business, and it’s The Law Recently, an estimated 50,000 bumblebees were killed in Wilsonville, Oregon after a commercial pesticide applicator treated blooming linden trees with a powerful insecticide in an effort to control aphids. Although the incident is still under investigation, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service (VDACS) reminds everyone who uses pesticides, either individual homeowners or professional applicators, of the importance of reading and following the instructions for use on the pesticide label. Pesticides include a broad group of chemicals and substances that are used to manage undesirable insects,

weeds, fungi, bacteria and viruses. Regardless of their mode of action, before pesticides can be sold, they must undergo a registration process with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA reviews scientific data to determine the potential effects a pesticide may have on humans, animals and the environment. The instructions and related precautions that appear on the pesticide label are intended to protect the user, other people, animals and the surrounding environment by minimizing the potential risk of exposure to the pesticide. The likelihood of an incident like the bumblebee kill in Oregon is minimized when users follow the directions on the label. Every pesticide reviewed and registered by the EPA contains the following statement: “It is a violation of federal law to use a pesticide in a manner inconsistent with its labeling.” That federal law is the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). In addition to vio-

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lating FIFRA, failure to use a pesticide according to its label could also constitute a violation of the Virginia Pesticide Control Act. Both the federal and the Virginia pesticide laws provide for civil or criminal penalties for violations.

What are the risks of not reading and following the label? 

Human Injury, Disease or Death - One of the greatest concerns with the application of pesticides in a manner that is inconsistent with label directions is the potential for human injury, disease or even death to those making the pesticide application and to bystanders as well. The exposure could occur as a result of uncontrolled drift, equipment leakage, overapplication of product, applications during adverse weather, uses on target pests other than those for which the product is intended or when allowing access to treated areas while the pesticide is still wet.

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Environmental Contamination and Pollution - Environmental contamination is another potential concern when applicators do not follow the pesticide label directions. Pesticides intended for outdoor use typically have an environmental hazards section that provides information about how to prevent damage to the environment and wildlife, including bees. Economic Loss and Property Damage - Economic loss and property damage can occur by either over-application of a pesticide or, in some cases, underapplication. Pesticide misuse could also lead to legal action if personal, property or environmental damage occurs. Economic loss and property damage also may occur when applicators apply pesticides to sites not listed on the label or if the applicators allow the pesticide to drift. Applicators must heed label precautions to keep pesticides away from desirable plants, food crops and non-target sites such as neighboring properties.

To learn more about the proper use of pesticides, visit the Virginia Pesticide Safety website at vapesticidesafety.com. This site is maintained by VDACS’ Office of Pesticide Services. In addition to information regarding the proper use of pesticides, the website also contains information about common and seasonal home, lawn, and garden pests, as well as options for managing those pests. Elaine Lidholm, Director of Communications, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Richmond VA 23219, 804.786.7686

TIPS - Are Negotiation Skills a Lost Art?

9 Effective Negotiating Skills That Are Still Around If you ever trained a puppy, you learned how to negotiate. "SIT!" "Good boy." "Here's a treat." That's negotiation. We negotiate with our KIDS every day. "If /when you finish your veggies, you can have the ice cream." That's negotiation. And what about our spouses? "Honey, if I go out to the paint store and pick up the paint, will you paint the kitchen?" That's negotiation. Point being while negotiation is thought of as a SALES SKILL, it really is an everyday life skill we use a lot more than we realize. There are some areas that are nonnegotiable. For example, try getting a discount at a department store. Unless it's on sale, the price is the price. In some industries, negotiation is the norm - real estate for example.

What about a car? It's a known fact there's a window sticker price and the price that you pay; a negotiated price. That's an 'up front' negotiation. It's expected. And sometimes it doesn't go well. One side won't budge or won't negotiate to your satisfaction, so someone loses. Usually both parties. For negotiation to be successful, both parties need to feel good at the conclusion.

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But if you're in sales, price cutting is normally a daily negotiation. Tips to make you better at negotiating: 1. Never, ever discount the price right off the bat. Often a price cut will get the salesperson more excited than the prospect. You may think going in with a lower price will make the prospect grateful and give you an easy 'go' right away. It usually won't. If they take your offer of the lower price, that indicates they might have taken it at the rate card price which is where you SHOULD be quoting from to start with. 2. When you talk price be strong and confident. A weak or hesitant delivery makes the salesperson sound soft. Then the price sounds soft and thereby invites a lower offer. 3. Delay giving concessions until the end of the conversation. A concession given too early is just a 'giveaway.' Save it for closing the sale by saying, "That's an interesting idea. Let's come back to that a bit later." 4. When there is a request for a price concession, have a nice way to reject it. Just because they have dealt with other weak salespeople doesn't mean you need to be that way. We can use a very effective, "I wish we could; however, that's not an option we have" technique. Or you can say, "Since you only have $4,000 and the project is $5,500, we can work to remove a few parts of the package. 5. Never underestimate your strength in a negotiating situation. Some prospects assume a salesperson is in the position of weakness. If you fall for that, that will weaken your resolve and soften your backbone. Understand this: If the prospect is bargaining with you or even discussing the VNLAVNLA Newsletter Newsletter

proposal with you, that's an indicator of interest; a buying sign. Their actions are telling you without saying it outright you have something they need or want. 6. When do negotiations begin? When you say hello. Negotiations, in general, are ongoing all day long at work and at home. And it's often a subtle thing. Recognizing you're constantly involved in negotiation gives you an advantage. Be aware that life itself is a series of negotiating situations. You often are negotiating without realizing it. 7. Avoid goodwill conceding. (Thank you Gavin Kennedy Everything is Negotiable for this concept.) The principle of "goodwill conceding" is this: The salesperson thinks that if they are nice and give a price concession to the other side, the other side will reciprocate with a concession back to you. In other words, they'll buy. Nice idea. Only it backfires with a professional buyer. What they do is take what you offer and try to get more. (After all you're giving things away.) 8. When you give - GET. When you do give a price concession, use the 'if/then' technique so that you get something in return. "Mr. Jones, if I can get you the widgets at that price, are you able to give me the go-ahead today (or can we do business today)?" or "Mr. Jones, if I can give you that price, can I get a referral from you?" There are dozens of other "gets" when you give. Salespeople don't mind giving when they are getting something in return. But perhaps the most important reason to take something back when you give a concession is this: It puts a 'price' on your concession. No longer are concession requests free. By asking for something in return, it keeps VNLA Newsletter

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you from getting additional requests for concessions. 9. Why is it important to be a good negotiator? Because a bad negotiator leaks dollars and reduces the all-important profit to the company. Profit is what's needed to run a company. No profit, no company. Now, one closing suggestion: Whenever you can, substitute the word 'investment' for the word price. In most cases, the prospect is making an investment, and a good one at that. by Nancy Friedman, The Telephone Doctor, 314.291.1012

Tips - Just looking... This is probably the most common word that retailer is likely to hear from consumers. Why do customers say "Just looking" and what can we do about it? I believe that "Just looking" consumers split into three groups: Group one - looking so they can buy online Group two - responding to sales staff who have not read the situation Group three - browse shoppers The challenge is what can you do about it?

One Brisbane specialty food retailer this year announced to consumers on its front door that they were going to charge $5 to every customer that walked in the store and then deduct the $5 when they made a purchase...try managing that one.

The Solution Group one: this is the growth zone. More consumers will look and then buy online. This is one reason you need an

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online presence and you need to promote it in-store. If they go online they should still come to you. Group two: make sure all customers cannot say â&#x20AC;&#x153;just lookingâ&#x20AC;?. They are responding to a closed question. Team members should vary rarely be asking a closed question. Train all the team to ask open questions and sales will go up. Group three: they are genuine browsers and if you do your job right they will eventually come back to you and buy.

Community retailing Retailing is changing and community based retailing with the right vision is a growth area. Being local in business means being part of, and engaged with, the community. But, the challenge is does your local consumers know you are local and what is your strategy to develop local community engagement. I am often told by local retailers "Everyone knows I am local". This comment was said to me by a retailer last week, luckily he followed that up with "well those that come in my door know. The rest have no idea." We often assume too much as business people. According to research in the UK by the Today's Group, 80% of local businesses say they are involved in local initiatives. And 15% of consumers say they are prepared to pay more for product purchased at a local store, if the business is professional in their offer to the consumer and engaged in the community. Community involvement is one of the most effective marketing tools a local retail business can develop to fight outside competition. 26 minutes...that is all you get Research carried out by Quindco.com

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and reported in the International Express in early July shows that when men go shopping with their female partners it takes the average man 26 minutes before they get irritable. The real breaking points are they are getting hungry, they are missing a TV sports program or they are dragged back into a shop they have already been into. This has a major effect on the average sale per customer and retailers need to think of ways to keep men entertained while partners shop. Regards, john@johnstanley.com.au

Tips - Landscapes: the Ups and Downs of Elevations

Astute landscape designers observe and carefully measure the topographical characteristics — that is the relief features or surface configuration — of the project area within a homeowner-customers property because it will almost certainly dictate the courses of action to be considered when plotting the plan. This article focuses of some of the many hardscape solutions to conditions where elevations are present in lieu of simply leveling the grades. The use of hardscape products to create an elevated area for no other reason than pure aesthetics will be covered as well. “Concrete pavers and wall units are a great choice where ascents and descents exist because they are installed

as an integrated system,” says Charles H. Gamarekian, Chairman/CEO of Cambridge Pavers Inc. “This makes the problem solving process in more complex situations a whole lot more manageable from start to finish.” Straight, curved or serpentine shaped retaining walls can provide attractive solutions for sloping grade conditions in the front of the house while increasing curb appeal with their natural looking rock faces. The retaining wall can also border one or both sides of a driveway as it climbs from curbside to the home or garage. For visual interest and functionality, one or more wallstone columns can be placed at predetermined intervals, wall termination points, corners, as well as at the sides of steps and staircase landings. The height of the columns should be in a pleasing ratio to the tallness of the connecting wall. For instance, the column height can be taller at the entry to a path, staircase or driveway to accommodate a gate and still maintain a balanced design. For walls over 36” high, an engineer may be required. Contractors should check with local officials to obtain requirements covering the wall being built. Proper installation procedures such as base preparation, backfill and use of geogrid - a polyester woven fabric used to reinforce the soil behind a retaining wall — are specific to each type of wall and can assure that the integrity of the wall will not fail. A drainpipe, often overlooked, is also required for any reinforced wall over 4-feet tall. The drainpipe should be placed at the lowest possible point toward the back of the trench and be vented to daylight every 50 feet. Although we usually think of elevations as rising up from sidewalk level, there are conditions where the opposite occurs. For example, an entrance

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to a basement quarters, or a family room may be partly below ground. In this situation, wallstones can be set vertically or with a setback for additional strength to contain an inlaid staircase between two walls. For entrances above ground, steps or a staircase with a large landing are usually the answer. Here again the long-term durability factor and maintenance free benefits of concrete pavers and wallstones make them a far better choice than alternative materials such as cinder block, poured concrete, clay brick and a cinder block foundation. A set of steps made of decorative wall blocks can be built without leveling and compacting the center of each layer. Clean up time, costs to transport bulk stone as well as the compaction of aggregate can be saved by using a product like Cambridge Staircase Filler Block, which is manufactured at the perfect height (6” high x 8” deep x 12” wide) to be used with MaytRx® 6-inch Wall or Stretcher Stone from Cambridge — manufacturers of a full line of paving stones with ArmorTec® and Wallstones.

A dramatic circle or fan pattern of pavers will work well at the base of a sloping driveway as will other variations in patterns including border and banding treatments. Both wall and paver pattern designs can be accented by interspersing lighting that is available from quality manufacturers such as Cambridge— that are specially designed for pavers, walls and columns.

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Turn Backyard Elevations into Multi-level Hardscape Designs Many of the same strategies and techniques can be applied to backyard projects wherein elevations can be addressed in many ways. Raised patios with surface patterns of pavers and wall systems around their perimeters continue to provide both visual appeal and functionality. However, the arrival of the multi-use patio with elaborate outdoor cooking areas, refreshment bars, fireplaces and fire pits, water features and other outdoor lifestyle amenities has changed the dynamic of the basic raised patio forever. What we are now seeing more of is the “tiered patio”, which comprises segmented areas allocated for various outdoor experiences. Remember to pitch the pavement for efficient water runoff. Given the fact that the backyard terrain is conducive to a tiered design, a plan with several elevations (levels) can begin at the back entrance with a

large stoop landing at the highest plane; stepping down to a food prep and cooking area; then to a dining and relaxation patio, and end up poolside. Dramatic vertical rises can be added at points with an outdoor fireplace or pizza oven and even a pergola or grand open-air pavilion. If planning, estimating and correctly installing all this seems all too daunting, there is a viable, single source for assistance. Cambridge is one manufacturer who practices partner relationships with their contractor-customers. It starts with Contractor Clinic Programs, round-table discussion groups and site visits, and continues with a very comprehensive, informational website (www.cambridgepavers.com). The company also makes available helpful publications such as the Cambridge DesignScaping Handbook that contains information on over forty products and topics complete with project solutions and step-by-step instructions.

The contractor-oriented connection doesn’t stop there. Cambridge offers pre-cut/pre-packaged wallstone and outdoor living product installation kits, pavingstone design kits and shapes and colors that have rightfully earned the attention of the professional community. Many new kits were introduced last season to cut installation time and assure quality installations. You can promote your expertise in patio design and outdoor living products by entering your Cambridge projects in the company’s photo contest for contractors. You can win a prize, receive some well-deserved recogni-

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tion and wind up with a powerful sales aid. For contest rules, an entry form and prize details, go online to www.cambridgepavers.com/photocon test. Contact: Charles H. Gamarekian, Chairman / CEO, Cambridge Pavers Inc., Lyndhurst, NJ 07071, 201.933.5000 Fx 201.933.5532, cgamarekian@cambridgepavers.com

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Book Review Gardening for Geeks As a beginning gardener, I was asked to review the book "Gardening for Geeks" by Christy Wilhelmi, the founder of “www.gardenerd.com”. She has also served on the Board of Directors since 1998 of Ocean View Farms Organic Community Garden in Mar Vista, California. The ISBN-13 for the book is: 978-1-4405-5779-8. My initial reaction was that this book would be great for the beginning gardener who had questions about all the things they had heard about informally. Gardening for Geeks demystifies many of the whys and how’s of techniques from raised beds to irrigation and common garden crop profiles. This book takes you from the basic understanding of how plants need sunlight and water to grow to the more intermediate knowledge behind nutrients, site selection, plant placement, and techniques to improve yields. If you read "Make" magazine and expect that level of geekiness for projects, you might be disappointed. There are many projects, techniques and a few gadgets here and there that will keep the reader interested, but it is mostly aimed at the beginning gardener. The things I found most valuable were the TechTip side bars and sections within the chapters containing some great side notes. Wilhelmi presents a wide range of methods for gardening even if your goal isn't organic certification, though I personally believe organic is where the majority of gardeners are going anyway. While Gardening for Geeks is a great start, I encourage readers to research July / August / September 2013 July/August/September 2013

beyond the scope of this book for a deeper understanding of the content. Wilhelmi does a good job referencing the sources of techniques when she presents them so further research isn't very difficult. If you are looking for specifics on crop rotation, solar aspects, or even the nitty gritty of mycorrhizal fungi you'd be better of with another book more geared to those subjects. If you simply wish to have a better general understanding of those topics, this book is worth reading. In all, I would certainly recommend this book with its Hi-Resolution photos of plants and subject enhancers that help bring understanding to some of the not so well known geeky facts of gardening. http://gardenerd.com/gardening-forgeeks/ Review by Jason B. Miller, Goochland, VA Jmillermp@gmail.com

Research Fundamentals of Fungicide Trialing Fungicides are an essential part of production ornamentals; however, with everything a grower does with the crop it’s just one component in growing. An untreated fungal disease can literally wipe out an entire crop in a matter of days. While most growers have thankfully never experienced this catastrophe, many have had to battle fungal outbreaks at some time. Growers generally turn to researchers and university partners for information about proven fungicide solutions. But while scientific trials provide evidence about how well a fungicide or other treatment performs in the field, every greenhouse or nursery has its own unique growing conditions. To find out whether the latest fungicides will work well in their individual environments, growers should consider a do-it-yourself fungicide trial. The process isn’t as complicated Newsletter VNLAVNLA Newsletter

as many believe - especially when growers take advantage of available outside resources. New products such as BASF Professional Turf & Ornamentals Pageant® IntrinsicTM brand fungicide have been scientifically proven to offer broad spectrum disease control and plant health benefits, including better tolerance in extreme temperatures and improved ability to withstand drought conditions. By conducting their own trials, growers can see the results for themselves.

Starting a trial Depending on your situation, your procedure may vary slightly. But here are the basic steps: Determine what to trial Before beginning the trial, establish the issue you want to resolve. Need to control a specific disease? Looking for a broader control method? Want to produce better plants? Know your

goal before you start to test a new product or application approach.

ing the plants, and compiling or evaluating the data.

Talk to a trusted partner

Define a plan

Manufacturer, industry consultants and distributor sales representatives can provide expertise in setting up a trial. They understand product capabilities and are versed on the newest chemistries on the market. These local experts can offer potential solutions that you can put to the test.

Decide where the trial will take place on site, how long it will last, and how often the fungicide will be applied to the test plants. Be as thorough as possible in outlining these details so you get the most reliable - and potentially repeatable - results.

Work with a consultant Partnering with a consultant to trial fungicides within your own operation is a sensible step to consider. Growers often lack the time and effort needed to take a product sample and conduct the trial themselves. A consultant can provide the amount of expertise that’s right for you. Perhaps you want a partner who can simply help monitor the trial, or conduct it from beginning to end and then share the completed results. Consultants can also do hands-on work, like treat-

For example, if the crop consistently experiences disease during a specific growing phase, such as in the finish house, that’s probably the best place and time to begin the trial. When partnering with your manufacturing rep, consultant, or distributor, he or she can help decide essential details for the trial. Begin the trial Ideally, you should begin the trial when you’re free from looming deadlines or the pressure of getting a crop out (and revenue in). Typically, the

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group of plants to be tested with should be placed on a bench that’s set apart from the “control” plants, but close enough that both groups grow under the same conditions. The only variable within your trial should be the fungicide regimen; watering, soil, fertilizers and other factors should remain the same. Also, communicate with staff, especially spray technicians, that you’re conducting a trial so they clearly understand that the test plants should not be treated like the rest. Collect data Throughout the trial, regularly collect data or have a consultant help you. Critical data-collection times, depending on the goals of the trial, need to be made; otherwise, you will not know the value the new product brings to your production

Webinars: Irrigation Water To attend the Irrigation Water Webinars: 1. Open a web browser and go to: https://connect.extension.iastate.e du/irrigation-water/ 2. Select “Enter as a guest” 3. Type in your name 4. Dial the conference phone number: 1-888-619-1583 5. Enter this participant code: 491981 For those who have never attended an Adobe Connect meeting before, it is recommended that prior to the webinars you click the link http://admin.adobeconnect.com/com mon/help/en/support/meeting_test.ht m to run the Adobe Connect Connection Test.

Analyze results and determine next steps

This diagnostic test will ensure your computer and network connections are properly configured to provide you with the best possible Adobe Connect meeting experience. The diagnostic test checks for the following: 1. Clear connection to Adobe Connect 2. Updated Flash Player 3. Bandwidth availability 4. Latest Adobe Connect Add-in If all tests pass successfully, you are ready to log in to your meeting. However, if you continue to experience problems, please refer to troubleshooting tips at http://admin.adobeconnect.com/com mon/help/en/support/meeting_test.ht m#Troubleshoot Dr. Chuan Hong, Virginia Tech Hampton Roads Agriculture and Research Center, VA Beach, chhong2@vt.edu

Once the trial is complete, review the data to see if the initial issue has been resolved using the new product and/or appliThe Specialty Crop Research Initiative Project (#2010-51181-21140) Webinar Series cation regiment. If the Irrigation Pathogens and Water Quality Meeting space: https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/irrigation-water/ results are favorable, Time: Noon to 1:00 pm (Eastern time) you’ll probably want Date Title to incorporate the new product or approach 10/8/2013 A path to plant biosecurity, water and environmental sustainability: SCRI project overview into your disease11/6/2013 Disease management and irrigation practices of Mid-Atlantic ornamental nurseries control rotation. For more information about BASF Professional Turf & Ornamentals, or Pageant Intrinsic brand fungicide, visit www.betterplants.basf. us By Kyle Miller, Senior Market Development Specialist, BASF Professional Turf & Ornamentals

Presenter Project Team James Pease

12/3/2013 What plant pathogens could be in my irrigation water?

Gary Moorman

1/7/2014 How do plant pathogens enter and move around irrigation systems?

Gary Moorman

2/4/2014 How do I determine whether water is clean or contaminated?

Gary Moorman

3/4/2014 Chlorination of recycled water in nursery production

Chuan Hong

4/8/2014 Alternative disinfectant water treatment

Warren Copes

5/6/2014 Substrate management practices vital for pathogen risk mitigation

Andrew Ristvey

6/3/2014 Irrigation management practices to reduce pathogen movement and survival

John Lea-Cox

7/1/2014 Locating a new production facility

Chuan Hong

8/5/2014 How may layout of a recycling irrigation system affect pathogen risk?

Chuan Hong

9/2/2014 How may water quality change in my irrigation reservoir?

Chuan Hong

10/7/2014 What are my options to deal with water pH issues in nursery production?

Chuan Hong

11/4/2014 Consumer willingness to pay for certified disease-free and water-conserving ornamental James Pease plants

July / August / September 2013 July/August/September 2013

Newsletter VNLAVNLA Newsletter

Research - Ornamental fungicide efficacy table available online Jean Williams-Woodward, UGA Extension Plant Pathologist I’ve been asked on numerous occasions for an efficacy table for fungicides labeled for ornamental plants. Well, myself, Alan Windham (University of Tennessee) and Kelly Ivors (North Carolina State University) put one together that lists products and their relative effectiveness for managing 10 diseases as part of a Southern Region IPM project. Diseases include:  

black root rot (Thielaviopsis basicola) cedar rusts (Gymnosporangium rusts)

    

  

News - Extension E-books

downy mildew fire blight fungal cankers fungal leaf spots Passalora (syn. Cercosporidium, Cercospora) needle blight on Leyland cypress and other needled evergreens Phytophthora root rot Pythium root rot powdery mildew

The table is not all inclusive, but it’s a start that we hope to expand upon and update. You can find the table here: http://tinyurl.com/m93b4gv Editor’s note - You can save the file as a pdf file to your computer. If you print it, do so in landscape format. I find the file to be more easily read as a pdf file on the computer since you can enlarge the size of the page. This is a great resource!

E-books on groundcovers, boxwoods, and food storage guidelines are the newest releases by Virginia Cooperative Extension.

BLACKSBURG, Va., April 18, 2013 - Virginia Cooperative Extension (http://ext.vt.edu) has released three new titles in its ongoing series of free e-book publications. The publications now available for

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download (http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/ebooks/index.h tml ) are: 



Selecting Landscape Plants: Groundcovers (http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426609/426-609.html ) Extension publication 426-609 Selecting Landscape Plants: Boxwoods (http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426603/426-603.html ) Extension publication 426-603 Food Storage Guidelines For Consumers (http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/348/348960/348-960.html ) Extension publication 348-960

The e-book format is an easy, convenient, and environmentally friendly way to disseminate valuable and practical information. Extension’s publications are available for iPads, iPhones, and the iPod touch. They can be viewed on non-Apple e-reader devices as well. Extension publications posted on the Web received close to 4 million page views in 2012 - a number that is expected to increase. Since they were first released in May 2012, Extension e-books have been downloaded more than 1,380 times. Extension will continue to release e-books that reflect popular topics relevant to the respective season. “The e-books reflect our commitment to reach larger and more diverse audiences,” said Ed Jones, director of Virginia Cooperative Extension. “These e-books provide another valuable tool for putting knowledge into the hands of the people.” Extension specialists write numerous publications every year that address key issues in agriculture; finance; animals; home and family; community development; lawn and garden; the environment; and foods, nutrition, and health. E-books have many advantages, including their portability and small 52

size. Readers can flip the pages of an e-book book as easily as they turn the pages of a hardcover or paperback book. Readers can search for keywords, copy and email content, add notes or highlight text, adjust font size, and back up their e-book libraries. Learn how to download the e-books (http://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/ebooks/ ) Virginia Cooperative Extension publications will continue to be available in PDF format for desktop and laptop users. Virginia Cooperative Extension (http://www.ext.vt.edu/ ) brings the resources of Virginia's land-grant universities, Virginia Tech and Virginia State University, to the people of the commonwealth. Through a system of on-campus specialists and locally based educators, it delivers education in the areas of agriculture and natural resources, family and consumer sciences, community viability, and 4-H youth development. With a network of faculty at two universities, 107 county and city offices, 11 agricultural research and Extension centers, and six 4-H educational centers, Virginia Cooperative Extension provides solutions to the problems facing Virginians today. Related Links * Extension e-books on widow spiders, curing hams, and renter’s rights are now available (http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/articles/20 13/01/010713-vce-ebooks.html )

Research - DNA Testing Employed To Protect Virginia from Boxwood Blight Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) was a popular ornamental in Colonial Virginia and remains a major component of historical gardens throughout the state (e.g. Mount Vernon, Monticello, Colonial Williamsburg). In the July / August / September 2013 July/August/September 2013

fall of 2011 a new disease of boxwood called boxwood blight, caused by Calonectria pseudonaviculata (Cylindrocladium pseudonaviculatum) was detected for the first time in field stock being grown in Virginia (as well as several other U.S. states and Canada). Boxwood blight is a serious disease that results in defoliation and dieback. The disease renders infected plants unsalable and has the potential to damage historic plantings. The disease was first reported in the United Kingdom in the mid1990’s and by 2002 had spread to several other European countries and New Zealand. The recent introduction of boxwood blight to North America is of concern to the U.S. and Canadian nursery and tourist industries. This disease is especially troubling for Virginia because boxwood is so common in our contemporary landscapes and historic gardens. Currently boxwood blight has only been found in one Virginia nursery and has not been found in the landscape. However, it has been introduced more widely in several other states where the disease continues to spread and damage boxwood. At risk of sounding too obvious, the best way to protect your nursery from boxwood blight is to avoid introducing infected plant material; this is always the case for any plant disease. Another important component of protecting your plants is to monitor and detect any potential introductions as early as possible to increase the effectiveness of mitigating a potential outbreak. Over the past few years plant pathologists have been limited to diagnosing boxwood blight by stimulating sporulation in a moist chamber and visualizing the spores using a microscope. This works but requires the disease to be at a relatively advanced stage and can take up to 2 weeks for sporulation of the fungus to occur, delaying diagnosis.

Newsletter VNLAVNLA Newsletter

Recently however, the Virginia Deroles; M: multi-site activity. Research - The Most partment of Agriculture (VDACS) 2 Product labeled for use in G = Plant Pathology Lab has validated Effective Products greenhouse; N = nursery; L = landand begun using a real-time PCR scape. for Preventing technique developed by researchers in The superscripts below are comments Belgium. This technique allows for Boxwood Blight written within the labels that may be diagnosis of boxwood blight on samcaused by Cylindrocladium buxof importance: ples showing very early symptoms of disease by testing for DNA of the icola (= Calonectria pseudonaa = Do NOT apply with mist blowers boxwood blight pathogen. This new viculata ) or high pressure spray equipment in DNA testing service can give results greenhouses. Kelly Ivors, Extension Plant Pathologist, within two days rather than two and Miranda Ganci, Graduate Student. b = Do NOT apply to landscapes asweeks. Registered nurseries should Dept. of Plant Pathology, NC State Unisociated with apartment buildings, work directly with their local nursery versity The products listed below were daycare centers, playgrounds, inspector to have samples tested for the most effective chemistries for preventschools, athletic fields, etcâ&#x20AC;Ś boxwood blight. Nurseries may also ing boxwood blight during 2012 and 2013 field trials conducted at NC State c contact the VDACS Plant Pathology = Do NOT combine in the spray University, MHCREC in Mills River, NC Lab by emailing (nortank with other pesticides or fertilizman.dart@vdacs.virginia.gov). Im1 ers unless tested first. Key to Fungicide Groups: 1: methyl plementing this new testing proced benzimidazole carbamates; 3: de= Do NOT use with mistblowers or dure is just a part of a multifaceted methylation inhibitors; 11: quinone high pressure spray equipment. approach that includes diagnostic, outside inhibitors; 12: phenylpyroutreach and research efforts by VDACS and rate Application Virginia Can this be per interval based Trade ComActive ingreTech to help 2 1 Sites used on boxFRAC 100 on label recname pany dient(s) protect Virwood in NC? gallons ommendations ginia from boxwood Daconil blight. Ga, N, 1.375 Every 7-14 Weath- Syngenta Chlorothalonil Yes M5 b L pints daysc Norm Dart, erstik State Plant Pathologist, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Norman.Dart@vd acs.virginia.g ov

Spectro 90WDG

Nufarm

Chlorothalonil + Thiophanate methyl

Yes

M5 + 1

G, N, L

1.5 lb

Every 7-14 days not to exceed 50.6 lb per acre per season

Concert II

Syngenta

Chlorothalonil + Propiconazole

Cylindrocladium nor boxwood on label

M5 + 3

N, Lb

35.0 fl oz

Every 14 daysd

Torque

Nufarm

Tebuconazole

Yes

N, L

10.0 fl oz

Every 14 days; 3 applications maximum

Tourney 50WDG

Valent

Metconazole

Cylindrocladium nor boxwood on label

N, L

4.0 oz

Every 14-28 days; not to exceed 4.0 lb per acre per season

Medallion WDG

Syngenta

Fludioxonil

Yes

G, N, L

4.0 oz

Every 7-14 days

July / August / September 2013 July/August/September 2013

Newsletter VNLAVNLA Newsletter

Research - SCRI Project Update Series I: Recycled Water Quality Figure above: The Spectro treatment (center block of 6 plants) was one of the most effective chemistries during our May/June 2013 trial.

Note: Recommendations for the use of agricultural chemicals are included here as a convenience to the reader. The use of brand names and mention or listing of commercial products does not imply endorsement nor discrimination against similar products or services not mentioned. Individuals who use agricultural chemicals are responsible for ensuring that the intended use complies with current STATE regulations and conforms to the product label. Examine a current product label before applying any chemical. For assistance, contact your county Cooperative Extension agent.

Recycled Water Quality and Management Implications In light of growing global water scarcity and climate change, capture and reuse of runoff for irrigation is of vital importance to the sustainability and growth of the ornamental horticulture industry. Without water, no plant can be grown, nor can existing plants survive. The prolonged severe drought across the mid-Atlantic region in 2007 was a wake-up call to all horticultural operations that capturing and reusing every drop of runoff is self-serving while conserving and protecting the precious natural water resource for the human well-being. This practice has brought up a number of important new questions.

These include (i) whether, what and how much may water quality in these retention ponds differ from that in natural lakes, streams or wells and what are their general implications for irrigation managers and the industry? (ii) How may these changes affect the performance of chlorination and pesticides? And how may they impact the dynamics of plant pathogens in runoff retention ponds? These are the major topics of this series and in this issue we will focus on the first questions. A. Recycled water quality fluctuates dramatically over time and is mostly alkaline We have been continuously monitoring water quality in several retention ponds in comparison with that in an adjacent stream or relatively clean water resources 24 hours a day and 7 days a week since 2006. The water quality parameters discussed here are pH, a measurement of acidity, electrical conductivity (EC), amount of total

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dissolved salts, and dissolved oxygen (DO), amount of gaseous oxygen in water. The extent of water quality fluctuation in retention ponds was dramatic and beyond imagination (Table 1). For example, water pH ranged from 6.4 to 10.3, averaging at 8.4. In contrast, the water pH in an adjacent stream was constantly below 7.0 (data not shown). In a 3-pond recycling system with a stepwise runoff water flow, the pond that received runoff directly from production areas had the most frequent and greatest rate of fluctuation, followed by the ones in the middle and at the lowest elevation. These observations were confirmed by more recent monitoring data at multiple nurseries.

depends upon the parameter, nursery location, nutrient load, and the time of year. The greatest diurnal fluctuation range for water pH across all ponds monitored so far was 3.5 with the lowest pH reading at 6.5 in the morning and the highest at 10.0 in the afternoon.

performance. How water quality may affect plant pathogens such as Phytophthora and Pythium species in recycling irrigation systems is another major research focus of the ongoing SCRI project. These topics will be covered in detail in the following issues.

C. Water quality impacts

D. Management implications

Water pH is of primary concern in recycled water quality management. Compared to natural water, recycled water in retention ponds is much more basic, actually it is alkaline for the most time of year, especially during the growing season. Recycled water pH also fluctuates much more frequently over time and at greater extent diurnally. These differences Table 1. Summary of hourly water suggest that irrigation managers need quality readings in a runoff water to test recycled water pH more freretention pond over a 1.5-year period quently and more likely they will from November 2006 to April 2008 have to Water quality readings Degree of problem* acidify water for crop Parameter Mean Minimum Maximum None Increasing Severe quality and productivipH 8.4 6.4 10.3 6.5‐7.0 >7.0 ty as well Electrical conductivity (microsiemens/cm) 287.4 47.9 614.0 <750 750‐1400 >1400 as the optimum perDissolved oxygen (mg/L) 10.4 0.3 26.5 formance tion. Considering the diversity of or*Source: Guide for Producing of chlorination and pesticide applicanamental plants and limited reContainer‐Grown Plants (Southern tions. As a note of caution, pH must sources, it is very important for Nurserymen’s Association, 1997) be taken at the time of water use as it growers and scientists to work tocould change substantially even withB. Water quality changes diurnally gether in identifying the most pHin a few hours. This is particularly As expected, water temperature rises sensitive crops. true between 10 o’clock in the mornwith increasing air temperature. The ing and 2 o’clock in the afternoon. It The greatest electrical conductivity levels of pH and dissolved oxygen in is recommended to use a handheld (EC) of recycled water observed in water are closely related to photosyndigital pH meter instead of those colthis pond was well below the threshthesis activity in ponds. When the sun orimetric ones for better reading acold level. Similar EC ranges were rises, algae and other photo syntheticuracy and precision. A number of observed in other nursery retention cally active agents remove carbon digital pH meters on the markets in ponds. However, EC could go up to dioxide, a weak acid, from water to the $100-200 range should serve the 1400 microsiemens/cm or even highmake carbohydrate while releasing purposes. er thus it could be a concern in greenoxygen. Consequently, water pH and house settings. There is no research Chuan Hong, Virginia Tech dissolved oxygen goes up. This prodata regarding how dissolved oxygen cess is expedited with rising temperaand other parameters such as oxidature. Thus, temperature, pH and distion-reduction potential may affect solved oxygen fluctuate almost simcrop health and productivity. ultaneously. They all typically bottom around 6 o’clock in the morning and peak between 4 and 5 o’clock in the afternoon. The range of fluctuation

Among the three major water quality parameters discussed above, water pH is of major concern. According to the current BMPs, the ideal water pH range for ornamental crops is from 6.5 to 7.0 (Table 1). Water pH above 7.0 could negatively affect crop quality or productivity. However, there is very limited data regarding what crops are most prone to pH stress, at what degree and by what mechanisms they may be impacted. These are areas that urgently need research atten-

Water pH is known to affect the performance of chlorination, a commonly-used water treatment, and pesticide July / August / September 2013 July/August/September 2013

Newsletter VNLAVNLA Newsletter

VNLA - Member, Business News VNLA Member Lesley E. Sewell has accepted a teaching position at J Sargent Reynolds Community College as an Adjunct Professor of Horticulture, Goochland Campus. If you are not familiar with the program it is a thriving, hands-on program designed to prepare students for a wide range of horticulture careers. Students can individually plan their program focusing on one of the following areas: Sustainable Agriculture, Landscape Design, Plant Production, Floral Design, or Landscape & Turf Management. Training is available for those who seek to begin a career track, as well as those who are changing careers. Individuals already in the green industry are invited to improve or upgrade their skills and knowledge with appropriate courses. The campus is a virtual Botanical Garden with beautiful display gardens, four growing houses, an organic vegetable garden, Arboretum, and the newest addition being a small vineyard area. She will also continue to teach the VNLA Horticulture Certification Review classes in the Charlottesville area each year. Lesley has 17 years teaching experience and most recently was as Adjunct Professor of Horticulture at PVCC for 11 years. She is a VSLD Certified Landscape Designer and an ISA Certified Arborist, who is also owner of Sewell Horticulture. Besides offering services related to her certifications, she represents three Wholesale Nurseries and supplies woody landscape plant material to municipalities and businesses in the trade: Brick House Nursery (Luray, VA), Waverly Farm (Adamstown, MD), and Raemelton Farm (Adamstown, MD). Contact: sewellhorticulture@gmail.com

Research - HRAREC 2012 Annual Flower Trials Highlights

New Guinea ‘SunPatiens’ - Suntolerant, bushy, and full of 3” wide flowers all season long, this Sakata product is perfect for hanging baskets. Specific varieties to consider include ‘Blush Pink,’ ‘Carmine Red,’ ‘Electric Orange,’ and ‘Double White Improved.’

Portulaca

The 2012 growing season proved to be just as bountiful as in years past in the Annual Flower Trials at the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center. Plants were grown, maintained, and evaluated by Virginia Beach Master Gardeners. Thanks to donated seeds or cuttings from Grimes Seed Company, Sakata Seed America, Inc., Ball Horticultural Company, Burpee HG, and The All American Selections Winners, the 9,000 square foot gardens were filled with excellent plant material. There were over 130 varieties of flowers grown this year, and were evaluated from May through August. Many of these varieties demonstrate great resilience to high temperatures and significant humidity. Of the varieties planted, a few stand out from the rest exhibiting increased blooming periods and an overall beautiful appearance. The following plants are the top picks. Celosia ‘Colours Dark Red’ This offers deep red to burgundy cockscomb blooms on top of large dark green leaves with red veins that complement the bloom. This is a variety from Grimes Seed Company. July / August / September 2013 July/August/September 2013

‘SunDance Cherry Red’ - Heat tolerant and with longlasting blooms, Sakata’s ‘Sundance Cherry Red’ fills in nicely and mounds up to 12”. The ‘SunDance Lemon Yellow’ is very nice too. Zinnia ‘Bridesmaid’ - With bright yellow double blooms this Zinnia is an eye-catcher from Burpee HG. It is perfect for containers growing up to 18” tall and 12” wide. Zinnia ‘Double Knee High Red’ As the name would suggest this Ball Horticultural Zinnia is tall, up to 20”. Its tall size and 2” wide red flowers definitely get your attention! Vinca ‘Jams ‘N Jellies Blackberry’ - This is a stunning flower! Its deep dark purple petals and white-eye are beautiful and very unique. This All American Selection variety is an asset in any garden. [Continued on page 60]

Newsletter VNLAVNLA Newsletter

VNLA Newsletter

July / August / September 2013

Coleus ‘Honey Crisp’ - This Ball FloraPlant variety is creamy-gold with green specks scattered about the tops of the leaves.

abundantly clear in your own words.Target

News - MANTS News - Shorts now second most-shopp It is no secret that the Horticulture Garden supplyTrade dealers on YouTube Target Show industry hasis now beensecond hit only t

post record June according Retail Forwa verygains hard over the past severaltoyears. The red margins and undersides offer a ShopperScape report. One MANTS has been very fortunate, and The latest report from the National Repleasant contrast. It is hardy and tolerall U.S. primary househo for that we are exceptionally grateful, tail Federation shows building material ant of full sun to shade. visit a Target, Target too have encountered some of the Great and garden supply not dealers posted perTarget challenges showsstore havemonthly. steady growth last month, up 8.4% that un- other Angelonia ‘Dark Rose’ - From Selecta also found the retailer rack adjusted from the previous June.Why? How- I think each of you faced. Seed Company this variety is loaded visitors. Two-thirds ever, seasonally adjusted comparisons helps us tell that story. We would of Targ with flowers and grows up to 18” tall monthbutcustomer Below is a link to the final version of from the previous month a 1% making a great statement. It is a butterloveshow to take the credit, we alsobase ret stores on a regular basis. the video which wasdecline. shot atThis MANTS is in line know with the overall fly attracting plant, as well as being that would be disingenuous. apparel, decorative home during the 2013 show. You retail sales for may June, which able to withstand a range of tough enviWe show knowstrong that it is the outstanding small housewares and app have forgotten that year-over-year you or your com-increases ronmental conditions. qualitybut of theflat exhibitors and attendees toys generate the most inte month-to-month Sales return rose 6.7% pany participated, but have no fear,gains. I who to MANTS year-afterOrnamental Pepper ‘Black Olive’ shoppers. Target and Wal over When last year, but increased onlymakes 0.2% the show so successam here to remind you. all was year that One of our best performers this Allcally share customers, the re seasonally adjusted over May. “After said and done there were many, many ful. American Selection variety is fantastic! months of speculation, consumers are Weekly Dirt, Carol M hours of film which included over Late season bright red fruits strike a The goal of the show is to provide a beginning to pull back,” said NRF chief cmiller@branchsmith two dozen interviews and a lot of brilliant contrast to the plant’s dark setting where people can do business economist Roasalind Wells. “Retailers background action (or “b roll” for you purple foliage and lighter purple flowNew England sum can expect the second half of the year with no distractions. We have no film aficionados). In the end, the final ers. At 20” tall, this pepper can be used retail sales slide to show moderate gains due to the speakers, education, professional cervideo is 2:07. in many landscape applications. slowdown in the housing marketdemonstrations, and tification, After a mimes strong or April, ga The purpose of the other video,economic as you will factors.” Adam M. Sleeper, Agricultural Research jugglers. MANTS means business sales across new…England h see, is to reinforce and tell current Supervisor, Virginia Tech HRAREC, your business! due to a stretch of rainy we Virginia Beach, asleeper@vt.edu and future exhibitors and attendees Bob Heffernan, Conn. Nurs [YouTube continued on page 66] that MANTS means business. And, scape Association Executiv we thank all of you for making this so Soggy conditi Ad - Willow Springs Tree Farms Ad Winfall Nurseries Ad – Winfall Nurseries enough Boston run an the s June. particu north

July / August / September 2013 July/August/September 2013

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VNLA Newsletter

July / August / September 2013

Submit your names to: BG@BeautifulGardens.org

 Blooms & reblooms for 10 weeks or more, starting in late spring  Good Landscape daylily with sturdy stems 34” tall  Vibrant color seen from a great distance on 6” flower  Does not set seed pods; 4 way branching/21 bud count  Blooms well above foliage

Submit your names to: BG@BeautifulGardens.org

 Beautiful 6.6” velvety bloom; deep purple  Strong & sturdy scapes; 40” tall  Does not set seed pods; 3-4 way branching; 24 bud count  Blooms well above foliage  Bud builder; vigorous; makes many proliferations

BEAUTIFUL GARDENS ® Desirable Features:

Name this daylily for

Triploid #349

BEAUTIFUL GARDENS ® Desirable Features:

Name this daylily for

Triploid #421a

P.O. Box 395 Seaboard, NC 27876 Phone: (252) 589-1324 Fax: (252) 589-1642 •

Suppliers of bulk aged pine bark fines.

•

Custom mixes available containing lime, sand and/or minors.

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Fast, dependable service Memberships: North Carolina Association of Nurserymen Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association

July / August / September 2013

VNLA Newsletter

Westervelt - A motion was made to approve the February 27, 2013 Board Meeting Minutes, seconded and passed.

VNLA - Summer Board Meeting Minutes Saturday, June 8, 2013 - 9 am- 4 pm; Virginia Tech Peace Center, Norris Hall 2nd Floor, Blacksburg, VA

VNLA Dashboard Metrics Current Membership Membership 1 year ago 5/12 9-9:15 a.m. - Welcome, intros and Peak Membership (2008)

518 565 632

Current VCH Count VCH Count 1 Year ago 5/12

549 542

Total Income YTD May’13 Budget Year 2013 Total Income YTD May’12

114,234 392,225 131,840

hopes for the day

SunTrust Investment Review Oscarlyn Elder reviewed the investment portfolio and current economic issues. All board members received a portfolio binder with investment details and allocations. It was the consensus of the board to keep the current investment allocations in each of the funds.

Total Expenses YTD May’13 126,396 Budget Year 2013 392,100 Total Expenses YTD May’12 137,125

Financial Reports - Sonya Westervelt/Jeff Miller reviewed the financial reports which were emailed before the meeting and attached to the agenda.

Secretary’s Report - Sonya

Executive Director’s Report - Jeff Miller briefly reviewed the report which had been emailed prior to the meeting and attached to the minutes. He also noted that the Roanoke Times

history review of 75 years ago, noted that the VA Tech Horticulture Department was celebrating its 50th Anniversary and that it was the second oldest Horticulture Department in the South, which makes this year its 125th Anniversary. Licensed fertilizer applicator certification training (FACT) modules online - VT SCHOLAR - Dr. Mike Goatley, VA Tech Department of Soil & Environmental Science reviewed the new online training module for applicators applying commercial fertilizer to over 100 acres per year. It is available online at www.ext.vt.edu/fact Virginia Agribusiness Update Katie Frazier noted that the green industry support of the new fertilizer regulations and licensing was very good to show legislators that the industry is being pro-active. She also review issues from this past legislative session: noxious weeds, stormwater management, immigration, new

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health care insurance and impact on ag and seasonal workers, and program transitions from DCR to DEQ (effective July 1). She noted that the next administration will review and ramp up attention on Chesapeake Bay issues with the Commonwealth facing a deadline in 2017 to reach EPA requirements. Katie invited everyone to join other industry members for the 2013 Gubernatorial Candidates forum on August 2 in Wytheville. The forum, cosponsored by the Virginia Agribusiness Council, the Farm Bureau, Virginia Forestry Association, and Virginia Forest Products Association is an exclusive opportunity for our industry to hear directly from the candidates for Governor as they answer questions about agribusiness from agribusiness. Regional satellite locations will be set up and several community colleges.

Committee Reports Certification - Cheryl Lajoie gave an update on the status of online manual and review classes and introduced Dave Close, Consumer Horticulture and Master Gardener Specialist, who now has the capability to use the SCHOLAR program to develop online study tools, online reviews and test. The Horticulture Department has an IT person who has time available to work on this project. It was the consensus of the board to proceed in partnership with the Horticulture department and Dave will develop a proposal in July for the VNLA participation.

Legislative/Regulatory Review Virginia Rockwell reviewed the following issues:    

Noxious weed Regulations FACT and VT Scholar program Immigration Soil and water conservation board meeting

  

Stormwater DPOR licensing Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council Board/member travel to DC June 12 and/or other dates to support immigration legislation

Education - Steve Grigg: gave an update on the VA Tech CALS Strategic Plan which listed the Green Industry as one of the main Priority areas in their plan. It was the consensus of the board that Steve should write a letter to Dean Grant to offer support for their plan, ask how we can help, offer suggestions of areas of concern and request a meeting with him to see how we can help move things forward. Roger Harris, Horticulture Department Head, announced that the VA Tech CALS was bringing back the Ag Career Day event on campus in October.

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Hardy,

Newsletter VNLAVNLA Newsletter

Founded over a century ago, Sherman Nursery continues to offer the finest selection of



Scholarships - Sonya announced that the Shoosmith Scholarships had been awarded to three $1,500 scholarships and two $750 scholarships. Recipients will be announced in the next Newsletter.

Public Relations - Sonya Westervelt (written report) 



Field Day and Summer Tour Sonya reported that everything was set for the VNLA Field Day at Brent & Becky’s Bulbs on Thursday, August 8 and Summer Tour on Friday, August 9. VNLA booth/representation at SNA August 5-7 - The VNLA has been offered a free exhibit space and the re-instituted Southern Nursery Association Trade Show in Atlanta, but the consensus was that we will pass on the offer this year since it’s immediately prior to the VNLA Field Day. Plant Something Campaign for Spring 2014 - Sonya reported that we will start implementing this marketing program this fall for a full rollout in the spring of 2014.

Communications - Matt Shreckhise asked for suggestions for members to profile in the Newsletter. 

Publications - Grower Guide changes for 2014 issue - Craig Attkisson will review any changes needed for the 2014 Guide to Virginia Growers.

Environmental Affairs - Tom Thompson reported that he had been attending the State Invasive Working Group for four years, and the meeting this past Wednesday was the most productive. Chairman David Johnson, DCR Head, and the Nature Conversancy agreed that there needed to be scientific basis for the determination for additions to the invasives list and this was included in their minutes. Research - 2014 Research Gala/Auction - Matt Sawyer reported VNLA Newsletter

VNLA Newsletter

that the committee would be finalizing the venue and theme for the 2014 Auction in the next several weeks.

to remain on the board for 2014 and to suggest nominations for new directors.

Beautiful Gardens (written report was emailed and attached to the agenda) Membership - Mike Hildebrand reported that he had been in contact with several members to be on the committee to contact members who have dropped their membership or not renewed. He suggested that we develop a new membership brochure to provide to local associations and for re-wholesalers to have in their businesses. There was also a discussion on providing free student memberships, the option for automatic membership renewal and providing VNLA member exhibitors signage for their booth at MANTS that they were a VNLA member. Christopher Brown will help work on this.

Fall Meeting Dates - Jeff will send out a Doodle for date options for the fall Budget Committee Conference Call date and a date for the Fall Board Meeting in October in Charlottesville.



Strategic Planning - Mark Maslow (absent)

Old Business  



Partnership with the Virginia Green Industry Council (VGIC) tabled from February meeting Woodrow Wilson Foundation fund request - Matt Shreckhise reported that the SVNGA and agreed to contribute $250 and the VNLA would provide matching funds. EAGL program - Information about was emailed and attached to the agenda. EAGL is an executive ‘mini-MBA’ curriculum tailored to the nursery and greenhouse industry. EAGL is collaborative in nature and designed to address the challenges of contemporary wholesale growing business. It was the consensus of the board to not pursue this program.

Being no other business the meeting was adjourned at 3:30 p.m.

Respectively submitted, Jeff Miller, Exec. Dir.

"Strategy gets you on the playing field, but execution pays the bills." - Gordon Eubanks What are our members’ problems? How is the VNLA going to make them more successful?

[YouTube continued from page 60] Finally, in addition to each of you, I would like to thank videographer David Morley of Zinnia Films, our photographer Larry Canner of LC Photo, and our organizer extraordinaire, Katie Dubow and her staff from the Garden Media Group. This production would not have been possible without them and if you are need of the services they provide either at or outside of MANTS, I heartily endorse each of them. And they are copied on this message should you wish to reach out to them directly. Thanks again for your participation and I hope you enjoy the show! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv H8NFZXsdU Kelly Finney, MANTS (410) 296-6959 -

www.mants.com

New Business Nominating Committee for 2014 officers/directors - Jeff Miller will send out an email to the officers and directors to determine their intentions July / August / September 2013 July/August/September 2013

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Upcoming Events October 8-11, 2013, IPPS - EASTERN REGION ANNUAL CONFERENCE, Chicago Marriott, Naperville, IL 631-765-9638, ippser@gmail.com www.ippseastern.org October 24-25, 2013, PLANET GIEEXPO Kentucky Exposition Center 800-558-8786 www.gie-expo.com info@gie-expo.com October 25-27, 2013, MIDDLE ATLANTIC CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN RHODODENDRON SOCIETY, Virginia Beach, www.macars.org/ November 2-6, 2013, INTERNATIONAL PLANT PROPAGATORS’ SOCIETY Southern Region, NA 38th Annual Conference Athens, GA www.ipps-srna.org (803)743-4284 November 14-16, 2013, TCI EXPO 2013 TREE CARE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION Charlotte, NC www.tcia.org November , 2013, VIRGINIA AGRIBUSINESS COUNCIL STATE AFFAIRS POLICY & ANNUAL MEETING LUNCHEON http://www.va-agribusiness.org/ January 8-10, 2014, MANTS Baltimore Convention Center 800-431-0066 info@mants.com www.mants.com January 8, 2014, VNLA RESEARCH GALA/AUCTION, The Center Club, Baltimore, www.vnla.org January 9, 2014, VNLA ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP BREAKFAST MEETING, Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel, Baltimore, www.vnla.org January 13-17, 2014, MID-ATLANTIC HORTICULTURE SHORT COURSE (MAHSC), Newport News, VA http://www.mahsc.org/

For a Current Calendar of all Green Industry Events, go: http://virginiagreen.org/events.htm 66

Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show to Switch Show Dates with Green & Growin’ Show For January 2015 Events

and turf maintenance professionals. “MANTS 2014 is scheduled for January 8-10 at the Baltimore Convention Center. For the latest information visit www.mants.com or call us at (410) 296-6959.

Baltimore, Md. - The Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS), the premier green industry marketplace now in its 44th year, today announced a change of date for their January 2015 trade show event. Due to scheduling concerns, MANTS will swap show dates with North Carolinabased Green & Growin’ Show for January 2015 only. In 2015, MANTS will be held from January 14-16 at their home venue, the Baltimore Convention Center. MANTS, widely known as The Masterpiece of Trade Shows™, is sponsored by the state Nursery and Landscape Associations of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia and brings together 1,000 vendors of top industry products from across the United States and internationally. As one of the largest trade shows serving the Horticulture Industry, MANTS means business and is the premier event to buy, shop, meet, see and be seen every January. The Green & Growin’ Show will be held January 5 - 9, 2015, in Greensboro, NC. Educational sessions will be January 5-7, 2015 at the Sheraton Four Seasons Hotel and the trade show January 8-9, 2015 at the Greensboro Coliseum. Hosted by the North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association (NCNLA), Green & Growin’ is the leading green industry show in the southeast, providing an important marketplace for the nursery and landscape industry and educational seminars for landscape, nursery, garden center, irrigation, arborist, July / August / September 2013 July/August/September 2013

Support VNLA Member Growers! Online at www.vnla.org For a print copy, contact the VNLA Office at 1-800-476-0055 info@vnla.org

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