Landscape Ontario - April 2018

April 2018 HortTrades.com

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Corporal Nick Kerr helps to promote the Highway of Heroes Living Tribute at Canada Blooms.

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Attracting more applicants to our profession n the first three months of my presidency I have received many calls, emails and been engaged in conversations with members on the labour shortage we all are facing. Is it a shortage or is our profession simply not attractive enough for people to want to enter or remain a part of?

I believe there are five factors impacting the supply of labour to any profession: 1. Type of work performed.

2. Career opportunities.

3. Earnings.

4. Work/life balance.

5. Education and experience requirements to enter.

site, lists the following professions that are in need of a larger workforce: 1. H ighly-skilled medical jobs, such as nurses, doctors and specialists.

2. Scientists and mathematicians.

3. S killed trades, such as electricians, carpenters, machinists, mechanics, welders and plumbers.

4. Engineering and architecture.

5. I nformation Technology, such as computer specialists, IT analysts, software developers, programmers and database administrators.

6. Executives.

7. H ighly-skilled technicians, such as health, telecommunications and environmental technicians.

8. Transportation, such as drivers.

9. C onstruction and extraction workers in mining.

10. C ommunity and social service workers, such as counselors, therapists and social workers.

Each of these factors must be in equilibrium, otherwise a shortage of available labour will result.

Monster.ca, a popular online jobs web-

In each one of these professions you can imagine what the challenges are. It is interesting that some of the professions on the list you would think wouldn’t have

By Warren Patterson LO President

I

April, 2018 • Volume 36, No. 4 HortTrades.com Landscape Ontario’s mandate is to be the leader in representing, promoting and fostering a favourable environment for the advancement of the horticultural profession in Ontario.

ISSN 1928-9553 Publications Mail Agreement No. PM40013519

Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Circulation Department Landscape Ontario 7856 Fifth Line South, Milton, ON L9T 2X8 Canada Phone: 905-875-1805

Editor Robert Ellidge rellidge@landscapeontario.com, 647-722-5645 Assistant editor Scott Barber sbarber@landscapeontario.com, 647-478-3171 Multimedia designer/IT coordinator Mike Wasilewski mikew@landscapeontario.com, 647-723-5343 Sales manager Steve Moyer stevemoyer@landscapeontario.com, 416-848-0708 Integrated solutions representative Greg Sumsion gsumsion@landscapeontario.com, 647-722-6977 Communications coordinator Angela Lindsay alindsay@landscapeontario.com, 647-723-5305 Accountant Joe Sabatino jsabatino@landscapeontario.com, 647-724-8585 Publisher Lee Ann Knudsen CLM lak@landscapeontario.com, 416-848-7557 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO STAFF Darryl Bond, Amy Buchanan, Kim Burton, Tony DiGiovanni CHT, Denis Flanagan CLD, J. Alex Gibson, Meghan Greaves, Sally Harvey CLT CLM, Heather MacRae, Kristen McIntyre CHT CEM, Kathy McLean, Linda Nodello, Kathleen Pugliese, John Russell, Ian Service, Myscha Stafford, Tom Somerville, David Turnbull, Martha Walsh, Cassandra Wiesner

difficulties attracting candidates with the high earning potential and career opportunities.

But the barriers to enter, namely education requirements and long work hours, steer people away from these professions.

For others, the amount of manual labour involved and low pay may be unattractive to those looking to enter those professions.

For a couple of years, there has been a shortage of school bus drivers for the Toronto District School Board. I recently heard of a Toronto school bus company putting out-of-town drivers up in a hotel during the week just so they would have enough drivers. You can understand the measures they have taken to find a possible solution.

Who could afford to live in Toronto and work as a school bus driver based on the earnings that are provided?

I believe the landscape profession is experiencing an applicant shortage primarily due to the nature of the work involved and the earnings potential. On the plus side, we do provide a good work/life balance, and great career opportunities.

Our education requirements are not onerous, especially since most learning takes place on-the-job.

As a profession, we must start looking at solving each of the limiting factors together, otherwise we will never alleviate the problem of a shortage of applicants. In upcoming articles I will discuss the opportunities and challenges we have within our grasp that can work towards attracting more applicants to our profession.

Warren Patterson may be reached at warrenpatterson@barriegardencentre.com

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Views expressed are those of the writer concerned. Landscape Ontario assumes no responsibility for the validity or correctness of any opinions or references made by the author. Copyright 2018, reproduction or the use of whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited. Published 11x per year. Rates and deadlines are available on request. Subscription price: $43.51 per year (HST included).

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Canada Blooms began with an event in the Highway of Heroes Living Tribute garden where Ontario Premier, Kathleen Wynne (centre) announced the province will contribute $1 million to the HOHLT campaign. Wynne is pictured with garden builder, Joe Genovese (left), volunteer fundraiser, Cpl. Nick Kerr, and founder, Mark Cullen.

Canada Blooms 2018

By Robert Ellidge The 22nd edition of Canada Blooms, the Toronto Flower and Garden Festival, took place at the Enercare Centre at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ont., March 9-18, 2018.

Co-located with the National Home Show, this year’s festival offered some 200,000 visitors a chance to see the new plants and trends in gardening, as well as spectacular feature gardens built by professional members of Landscape Ontario to the festival theme, “Let’s go to the Movies.”

Terry Caddo, Canada Blooms General Manager said, ”I’m blown away by the quality of the work that our feature garden builders produce. They plan for six months and build for six days, and it’s amazing what they can get done and how hard they work.”

Having recently visited the worldrenowed Philadelphia Flower Show, Caddo added, “Professional members of Landscape Ontario are on par with any builders anywhere in the world, and their work is reflected in Canada Blooms.”

Media attention

The 10-day festival was recently named one of the top five festivals in the world for the month of March by American Express travel, something Caddo and festival stakeholders are very proud of.

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The festival hosted about 100 garden writers on the first Saturday and has garnered a lot of media attention for many years.

Caddo says he is seeing a trend towards more and more social media, blogging and YouTube channels talking about the festival, rather than traditional newspaper or TV coverage.

“We’ve got more garden communicators with probably a smaller audience individually, but as a collective, they speak to more people with more voices sharing their opinions,” he said.

and Gardenspaces in Mississauga, Ont., created one of the five balcony gardens, in addition to having a regular exhibit space in the home show section.

Mustapha’s balcony garden featured various plants and vegetables growing in new, unique products his company is distributing and selling.

“Building lots are getting smaller and smaller and we want to show people you can grow vegetables on a wall” Mustapha said. With pots size up to 8-inch, and a built in channel for easy irrigation, Mustapha says it’s possible to even grow tomatoes and cucumbers in the vertical planter.”

Carole Stevens, a gardening enthusiast from Burlington, Ont., visits the festival each spring with her sister. This year, Stevens says she was most interested in the balcony garden displays. “My husband and I downsized to a condo a few years ago, and it was really hard to give up my backyard garden,” she says. “We do have a balcony space, which we use for gardening, and seeing all the balcony gardens here today, I now have some great ideas for how we can get the most out of our space.”

A participant in the very first Canada Blooms, Mustapha says meeting a lot of

Keeping up with trends

New to Canada Blooms this year were five balcony gardens. Caddo says the trend of smaller space gardens over the last few years has strengthened with the booming condo market and greater flexibility in the rules for tenants of those spaces.

“Two years ago we had ‘Do up the Backsteps’ and last year we added ‘Do Up the Frontsteps’ and this year we have five brand new balcony gardens as we are seeing a trend in small space gardening,” Caddo explained.

“It’s really interesting how people are looking at vertical opportunities as well as horizontal opportunities as they garden.

We are seeing more and more of that,” Caddo said.

Imtiaz Mustapha, owner of Sid’s Ponds

‘Living Off the Wall,” by Sid’s Ponds and Gardenscapes featured a new product that can be used to grow plants and vegetables in small spaces.

Ontario government pledges $1 million to tree planting campaign

This year’s festival took inspiration from the silver screen with the theme, “Let’s Go to the Movies.”

new customers, both retail and wholesale, is the reason he will continue to participate going forward.

Everyone in one place

Mark Hyland, owner of Maynooth Natural Granite exhibited in Canada Blooms for the first time this year.

Hyland said being at the festival allows him to reach both end-users who can request his particular product be used in their projects and the contractors who build those spaces.

“We’re meeting builders and designers and they are the trend leaders who are incorporating our product into their work,”Hyland says.

Getting to know the community and making connections at the festival is key to building and strengthening relationships for Hyland and his company.

Adding to that community, Caddo says the floral component to the festival creates a unique gathering like no where else in the world.

“Not only do we have the Ontario growers with a significant display, we now have Professional Florist Day and the Ontario Flowers Growers Co-Operative representing over 40 Ontario growers retailing product. I think we’ve captured the entire industry at Blooms,” Caddo said.

Ajax resident and avid gardener Susan Welling says she attends the festival each spring to spark her imagination.

“It’s a great way to get in the gardening mindset and to see the latest trends and styles,” she explained. “I enjoy talking to the garden builders to learn about new plants. I find it very inspiring.”

New plants are a perennial favourite

New plants are always a huge reason why garden lovers flock to Canada Blooms. The festival’s director of Horticulture, David Turnbull, has been developing relationships with plant breeders for a number of years. This year, Proven Winners created a new display at the festival showcasing over 30 of their brand new products. Other breeders represented included a display by Star Roses, part of Ball Horticulture.

Eco-friendly ideas

The Fusion Landscaping feature garden, built by Parklane Landscapes and Landscape Ontario offered visitors ideas to incorporate into their own garden to manage water run off to reduce flooding and lessen the impact on municipal infrastructure.

Featuring permeable pavers, pollinator plants and several examples of unique and artistic ways to collect rain water, the garden showed how elegant a landscape with purpose can be.

For more details on the festival, visit CanadaBlooms.com.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne held a press conference in the Highway of Heroes Living Tribute garden at Canada Blooms the morning of March 9, just prior to the official opening of the 10-day flower and garden festival.

Many special guests were in attendance, include HOHLT founders Mark Cullen and Michael de Pencier, and Chris Ballard, Ontario Minister of the Environment and Climate Change.

Cullen welcomed those in attendance and spoke of the swift progress the HOHLT campaign has made in both fundraising and tree planting efforts thanks to the generous donations of the public, Landscape Ontario member companies and key organizations and partners.

Wynne then announced, “We are honoured at the province to be able to support Highway of Heroes tree campaign with a million dollar contribution from the province of Ontario,” adding “I know it is not the end and they will be coming back to us.”

Following the announcement, the premier and guests were given a tour of the garden built by Genoscape in partnership with HOHLT and Landscape Ontario.

The group then participated in the official ribbon cutting ceremony to open the 22nd edition of Canada Blooms to the general public.

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Awards were then presented to the following companies:

Greer Design Group for Alice • The Unilock Award for Outstanding Garden, Small Size • The Do-Up-The-Doorsteps Awards.

Presented by Oaks By Brampton Brick Modern Landscape Designers and Trimatrix Construction for Midnight in Paris • The S.G. Ulbright Award for Outstanding Garden, Medium Size • The Tony DiGiovanni Award, Judges Choice Garden of the Year 2018 Genoscape for Never Forgotten, Highway of Heroes Living Tribute • The Gordon A. MacEachern Award for Outstanding Garden, Large Size • Best Use of Bulbs. Presented by Pioneer Flower Farm • The PremierTech Award for Best Overall Use of Plant Material

Modern Landscape Designers and Trimatrix Construction receive the Garden of the Year award on stage at Canada Blooms..

Canada Blooms recognizes feature garden builders There is no doubt the feature gardens built at Canada Blooms each year are worthy of many awards. Sporting cutting-edge designs, colourful plants, quality materials and superior craftsmanship, the outdoor oases are inspiring to all those who attend the 10-day festival each March.

On March 15, the hardworking men and women who created the gardens were recognized in front of an audience of peer and family members at Canada Blooms Professional Awards Night.

Judging of the gardens took place at the Enercare Centre at Exhibition Place in Toronto a week prior on March 8 — the day before the 22nd edition of Canada Blooms opened to the general public. The volunteer judging panel of well-respected landscape professionals scored each garden on criteria such as: overall visual impact, quality of materials, outstanding creativity, innovation, imagination, aesthetic appeal, technical hardscape/ constructed aspects, harmony of design elements and detailing, unique use of plant material, organization and completeness and environment (ie: cleanliness, safety, etc.).

At the conclusion of judging, each

6 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO APRIL 2018

judge then voted on their favourite feature garden by secret ballot, to be included in the tally for the Tony DiGiovanni Award, Judges Choice Garden of the Year 2018.

On awards night, Terry Caddo, Canada Blooms Festival Manager, welcomed garden builders and guests to the Unilock Celebrity Stage. “Our 2018 theme of “Let’s Go to the Movies” has provided a great opportunity for fun aspects to be incorporated into our gardens and floral displays,” Caddo said. “I am more impressed every year how the garden builders express their creativity and interpret our festival theme; they truly have taken us to the movies this week” Tony DiGiovanni, LO Executive Director, commented, “Each builder in this room deserves credit for their commitment, industry leadership and beautiful final results… not to mention sponsors who supported materials and supplies.

On behalf of the association, I would like to thank all contributors for their tireless passion and commitment to volunteerism that made these gardens possible. Thank you all for your awe inspiring and amazing contributions.”

Aquaspa Pools and Landscape Design, and Royal Stone Landscaping & Design for Movies by the Pool • Outstanding Interpretation of Show Theme “Let’s Go to the Movies” Presented by Isuzu Commercial Truck of Canada • The Landscape Ontario Award for Best Overall Quality of Workmanship • Dig Safe Builders Award. Presented by ORCGA Land-Con for Hollywood After Party • Outstanding Outdoor Entertainment Area • The W.E. Bridgeman Award for Best Overall Use of Hard Landscape Elements Landscape Ontario and Parklane Landscapes for Fusion Oasis Under the Stars • Most Imaginative Garden Design.

Presented by Niagara Escarpment Views Mountainhill Landscaping for An Inconvenient Garden • Outstanding Use of Artistic Elements in a Garden LO Growers Group, Double Tree Landscaping, and Duralock Interlocking and Landscaping for Ontario Growers Grove • Outstanding Use of Trees. Presented by Gro-Bark Ontario J. Garfield Thompson Landscape for The Samurai Garden • Outstanding Use of Lighting. Presented by Landscape Ontario’s Lighting Group • Outstanding Use of Natural Stone.

Presented by Beaver Valley Stone • The Leslie L. Solty Memorial Award for Best Overall Creativity in Garden Design

AKA Designs for Champagne and Caviar • Outstanding Use of Interior Plants.

Presented by Jill Jensen Botanicals • Outstanding Balcony Garden City of Toronto for The Pollinator • Outstanding Use of Annuals and/or Perennials. Presented by Ontario Flower Growers Cooperative • The Garden Club of Toronto Award for Best Overall Use of Colour Jackson Pond for This is Our Movie • Perry Molema Award for Outstanding Use of Water. Presented by Aquascape Stanley Roszak for Welcome to the Front Yard • Outstanding Use of Walkways

Bancheri Bros. Interlocking and Paving for Oscars After Party • Outstanding Outdoor Living Space Skai Leja Landscape Design, and Ecoman for Found Treasure Island • The Do-Up-The-Backsteps Award.

Presented by Oaks By Brampton Brick AKA Designs for Champagne & Caviar • Outstanding Balcony Garden Maynooth Granite • Hard Landscape Supplier of the Year Rodger Tschanz and the University of Guelph • Soft Landscape Supplier of the Year Organizers would like to thank feature garden judges: Christine Gracey OALA, CSLA, DA Gracey & Associates; Ben Cullen, Mark’s Choice; Jeff McMann NPD,

ISA, CHT, TRAQ, Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries; Heather Cullen BA, BLA, PMA Landscape Architects; Alistair Johnston ISA, Strybos Barron King Landscape Architects; convenors: Ron Koudys BLA, MED, OALA, CSLA, ASLA, RLA (MI), CLD, Kristen McIntyre CHT, CEM, Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association; Haig Seferian, ceremony emcee; Canada Blooms co-chairs Janet Ennamorato and Celia Roberts, LO President Warren Patterson for presenting winners with awards. Canada Blooms wishes to thank HUB International and the many sponsors who support the festival.

At the conclusion of the festival, the People’s Choice Award, presented by The Toronto Star, was awarded to Genoscape for Never Forgotten, Highway of Heroes Living Tribute.

Canada Blooms 2018 volunteers Landscape Ontario would like to recognize the following individuals who contributed their time to plan, create, staff or remove the various feature gardens at this year’s festival: Fusion Landscaping garden Ron Sikkema, B.P. Enterprises Janet Ennamorato, Creative Garden Design Margaret Abernethy, Cypress Hill Design & Build Richard Portelance, Cypress Hill Design & Build Mike Prong, Fern Ridge Eco Landscaping Connie Cadotte, Garden Retreats Siamak Bay, GreenBay Northern Jodie Munshaw, Landscape Designs by Jodie Munshaw Anna van Maris, Parklane Landscapes Joanne Mohan, Parklane Landscapes Sean James, Sean James Consulting & Design Jane Davey, Seneca College Highway of Heroes Living Tribute feature garden Santo Gucciardi, Sharon Carlson, Kevin Mahoney, International Landscaping Rohan Harrison, James Brydges, Carlos Gomes, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Avery White, Reuben Bonvanie, Justin Benjamins, John Harsevoort, Maple Ridge Landscapes John Larsen and staff, Garden City Grounds Steve, Taylor and Gerald Boot, Boots Landscaping TJ Bryk and staff, Grounds Guys Cpl. Nick Kerr Carol Collier Samieh Walden Ontario Growers Grove John Vandenberg, Kobes Nurseries Thomas Mansfield, Kobes Nurseries Richard Worsley, Uxbridge Nurseries Jonathan Verbinnen and staff, Verbinnen’s Nursery

Rob Albrecht, John’s Nursery Chris Robb and Chris, Connon NVK John Moons Gerwin Bouman, Stam Nurseries Jennifer Llewellyn, OMAFRA Sabrina Goettler, Site Collective Andrew Barbour, Connon CBV Joel Schraven, Pickering Nurseries Mark Ostrowski, Laurel Forest Farms Jan Winkelmolen, Winkelmolen Nursery Ans Winkelmolen, Winkelmolen Nursery Nick Winkelmolen, Winkelmolen Nursery

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Genoscape specializes in environmentally responsible landscapes and often incorporate ponds and water features in their designs.

Drawn to water

By Scott Barber There’s just something about water that resonates with Joe Genovese. The soothing sounds of a waterfall, the way a pond attracts wildlife, and most importantly, how natural water features draw families and friends together.

“I have found that what we’re providing is not just the landscape, but a spot where families spend a lot of time together because everyone is drawn to water, instinctively,” Genovese explains. “People tell us that they spend more time together as a family, and their kids aren’t on their iPad as much and they are playing outside, sticking their hands in the water, and I love being able to do that.”

Genovese launched Genoscape, a design-build landscape company that specializes in natural landscapes and water features, in 2002. The company is based in Markham, Ont. Despite years of experience working for prominent landscape companies already under his belt, Genovese says the early years were challenging.

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“At first it was harder, because you have all these ideas and you’ve got to kind of convince people to do them,” Genovese says. “That’s not always easy when you don’t have a portfolio of work that you can use to show them what you’re capable of.”

However, Genovese’s passion for his work shined through, and the business grew steadily through word of mouth. As the portfolio grew, it “exponentially got easier” to sell, Genovese says. Now, customers often give the company carte blanche, trusting Genoscape’s experience and expertise.

“Now, my customers basically just say ‘whatever you think,’” Genovese says.

However, the design process he employs involves collaboration amongst the client and the whole Genoscape team.

“Personally, I start designing from the inside of the house,” Genovese explains.

“The client has already decided that they want some kind of water. ‘We’ve seen what you do and we think it’s beautiful,’ they say. I’ll go meet with them and we’ll sit down inside, because that’s where you are most of the time. The first thing we try

to do is make a water feature that is able to be enjoyed from inside, usually from the kitchen, because that’s where most people spend a lot of their day. So we’ll look out the window and say, well how about there?

That’s where we start, looking at where the

Canada Blooms visitors has voted Genoscape gardens as the “People’s Choice” for each of the last three festivals. Pictured here are owner, Joe Genovese and project supervisor, Colin Nasmith.

water fall is going to be.”

Next, Genovese and the client go outside and talk about their lifestyle. Does the client have a big family? Do they enjoy entertaining friends? How old are their kids? Those questions lead to a set of criteria that gets Genovese’s creativity flowing.

And it always comes back to a natural style with natural elements, because that’s what the company is all about.

“A lot of the time, we’ll go at the project with sketches rather than a plan set in stone because it’s hard to do drawings for water features because they always change along the way,” Genovese explains.

As the build progresses, he likes to empower his team members to contribute their ideas and to really take pride in the creative process.

“When you’re passionate about something, it’s nice to be able to share that with other people,” Genovese says. “My staff members love it as well and they’re right into it. It’s kind of like a bug, you catch it and you want to do nicer things and different techniques.”

When it comes to hiring, Genovese says he doesn’t look for people with experience with water features.

“I don’t look for experienced people because usually they do things differently than the way we do when it comes to the water aspect,” he says. “There are a lot of different theories and techniques when it comes to this stuff. We have a particular way of doing it, and I’m not saying anyone else is wrong, but there are different ways of building.”

Instead, Genovese hires “team players who are willing to work hard and are passionate about what we do. I don’t want them just showing up and pushing wheel barrows, I want them to care and I actually give them a lot of creative power now to try their own things and I ask for their input, and I want people who want to do that. I want them to take pride in what they do. Be punctual, be ready to work hard and love what you’re doing, and if you don’t like it, I think you should do something else. And that’s okay, just be happy with what you’re doing.”

Landscaping can be a challenging job, Genovese acknowledges. The hours are long and the work is physically demanding, however, it’s also rewarding.

“The guys feel good when we finish a project and they see how happy the clients are with our work,” Genovese says. “Everyone wants a sense of purpose. It doesn’t matter if you’re a foreman or you just started. Everyone wants to feel like they’re doing something that’s worth it and their efforts are going to be acknowledged. Our

A certified Aquascape Contractor, Genoscape builds ecosystem ponds, pondless waterfalls, fountain scapes, rain harvesting systems and custom water features.

customers are usually so happy with the outcome that the guys can sense that, and they feel good at the end of the day. They feel good about putting in sometimes 12- or 14-hour days.”

In recent years Genoscape has become involved with a number of social and charitable causes. For Canada Blooms in 2017, the company partnered with the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund to creative “The Secret Path” garden. The garden highlighted the story of Wenjack, an indigenous boy who died after fleeing a Northern Ontario residential school in 1966.

The garden was a massive success, garnering media attention as well as the People’s Choice Award for best overall garden at the festival.

“We really tried to stay true to the story

and we actually reached out to different indigenous communities and asked for their input,” Genovese says. “We asked, what would you like to highlight in this garden?

Because who am I? It was quite amazing how it all came together. It gave us that feeling, of ‘look how amazing this can be on so many different levels.’”

For Canada Blooms 2018, Genoscape took on the Highway of Heroes Living Tribute campaign.

“Mark Cullen approached us and said he really liked what we had done with the Secret Path garden, could we do something for Highway of Heroes,” Genovese says. “I thought it was perfect. It’s a great cause that hits a lot of different issues, obviously planting trees and honouring the heroes. It’s a really great idea.”

Genoscape’s “Secret Path” garden at Canada Blooms in 2017 brought attention to the story of Chanie Wenjack, an indigenous boy who died in 1966.

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ASSOCIATION NEWS In Memoriam — Paul Olsen Paul Henning Olsen, founder of Brookdale Treeland Nurseries in Schomberg, Ont., passed away suddenly on March 3, 2018.

Beloved husband of Linda, muchloved father of Peter (Jennifer), Jeffrey (Carol) and Diane (Roddy) and Papa to Mitchell, Dean, Evelyn, Cedric, Ava, Mia, Andrea and Nathan. Paul will now be reunited with his father Ejnar, mother Sofie and sisters Elsie and Inger in Eternal life.

Born March 8, 1944, Paul’s favourite childhood memories were the times spent on his sister’s farm in Egypt, Ont., where he fell in love with agriculture. Summers were often spent feeding livestock and tending to crops. During school months, Paul worked part-time at his local pharmacy, delivering order on his bike and worked in the kitchen at a fish and chip restaurant. These experiences provided

e

Paul with a strong work ethic he carried for his entire life.

In Grade 8, Paul met the love of his life, Linda, and they dated throughout high school until marrying at the tender age of 20. True partners in everything, they built a wonderful, adventurous life together, travelling the world, growing their family and building their business.

Their love was one of deep passion and mutual respect for one another.

Paul founded Brookdale Treeland Nurseries in 1977, humbly starting his dream with a pick-up truck, a shovel and a heart full of determination. Through many years of hard work and smart moves, he built the company to be one of the largest growers in Canada, with locations throughout the country. He inspired many young entrepreneurs within the industry to take risks and bet on themselves. Paul became a founding member

Paul Olsen.

and president of both Landscape Ontario and the Canadian Nursery Trades Association, and was on the Steering Committee that established Canada Blooms.

Community service was a critical part

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of his DNA and he served as a member of the Nobleton Lions Club for 50 years and as president for several terms. Many lifelong friendships were built through this organization and everyone knew Paul could be counted on to run events and volunteer until his final day. He and Linda were also members of the Nobleton United Church for many years and spent much of their free time helping out around the church and mentoring young people and serving those who needed help.

A man of principle, with unshakable values, Paul was also a very proud Canadian and would tell everyone who would listen that we live in the greatest county in the world.

A funeral service officiated by Reverend Carol Ann Chapman was held at Holy Family Church in Bolton, Ont., on March 8, followed by cremation.

Memorial donations may be made to the Nobleton Lions Club or Nobleton United Church.

Condolences for the family may be offered at EganFuneralHome.com.

For more on Paul Olsen and his contributions to the landscape and horticulture profession, read the Executive Desk column by Tony DiGiovanni on page 21 of this issue.

CANADA BLOOMS DONATES FLOWERS

At a March 21, 2018 celebration, residents and staff of Bendale Acres joined celebrity gardener Ben Cullen to accept more than 600 plants donated by Canada Blooms and transported by Procter’s Cartage.

This is the 11th year that Canada Blooms has donated plants to a long-term care home owned and operated by the City of Toronto. It allows the many plants and flowers from the festival to continue to bring enjoyment to Torontonians. Each of the 302 residents at Bendale Acres and seniors from the Adult Day Program and Brimley Acres Supportive Housing received a plant. Meals on Wheels volunteers from TransCare will also deliver plants to seniors in the neighbourhood.

“This is a wonderful annual event for all involved,” said Mayor John Tory.

“This donation is a gift that keeps on giving and I thank Canada Blooms for their continued commitment to the City and its seniors.” “I am so pleased that we have been able to carry on this tradition for over a decade,” said Terry Caddo, General Manager of Canada Blooms.

“Receiving these plants and flowers delights the residents and clients in longterm care homes. It brings me great

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It is a festive day at Bendale Acres when Canada Blooms flowers arrive.

pleasure to witness the positive effects of these donations.”

Canada Blooms is an annual world-class festival that connects people to the joys and benefits of nature through experiences with gardens and flowers by promoting, educating, inspiring and celebrating all aspects of horticulture. Co-locating with the National Home show to create North America’s Largest Home and Garden event, Canada Blooms is a not-for-profit organization that gives back throughout the year by funding community garden projects around Ontario. Canada Blooms is also dedicated to providing the community with horticulture expertise, education and resources on an ongoing basis.

IN MEMORIAM — STEVEN REBELO

Call Today To Receive Your Free Copy 7314 Sixth Line, Milton, Ontario, L9E 0Y1 Phone: 905-878-7226, Fax: 905-878-8737 Email: yard@putzernursery.com

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Steven David Rebelo, proud owner of S. Rebelo Landscapes in Burlington, Ont., passed suddenly on Feb. 27, 2018 at the age of 43.

Steven was well-respected for his work in the community and his willingness and generosity to support numerous fundraising organizations. He was recognized for his outstanding talents and passion for landscape design, winning numerous awards for his work. He will forever be remembered for his heart of gold, love for family and his humbleness.

He played hockey throughout his life, coached, mentored others, and was a proud hockey dad. He loved cheering for the Portugal national soccer team and was a big fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Blue Jays.

He will be sadly missed by many extended family, close friends and all those who were fortunate to know him. His kindness, generosity and caring ways will live on. He touched so many lives with his kindness and gentle heart.

Devoted husband of Mary Rebelo (nee Scalia) for 18 years; adored father of Serena and Adrian; much-loved son of Manny and Eleanor Rebelo; son-in-law to Joe and Sara Scalia; dear brother of Karen (Leo) Filice, Christine (Daniel) Vukovic and Kevin Rebelo (Stefani Giftopoulos). Steven will be sadly missed by his brother and sister in laws, Domenic (Patricia) Scalia, Carm (Peter) Douliou.

He will be forever remembered by his nieces and nephews, Chiara, Xavier, Scarlett, Isaac, Joseph, Julia, Adrianna and Anthony. Cherished grandson of the late Manuel and Maria Rebelo, David and Florentina Bettencourt.

A Funeral Mass was celebrated at Regina Mundi Parish Church, West Hamilton, Ont., on March 6 followed by entombment at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery.

Donations may be made to Hamilton Mental Health Outreach.

Online condolences may be made at baygardens.ca.

MANDERLEY NAMED ONE OF CANADA’S BEST

Congratulations to Landscape Ontario member, Manderley Turf Products on being recognized for overall business performance and sustained growth with the prestigious Canada’s Best Managed Companies Platinum Club designation. The Ottawa based company is very active in many chapter events, including the annual golf tournament that benefits the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), GreenTrade Expo, and recently participated in the Green Streets Challenge on July 1, 2017 as part of Canada’s 150th Birthday celebrations.

“We’re proud to have achieved Platinum Club status with the Canada’s Best Managed Companies program, in this our

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seventh consecutive year being recognized,” says Wayne Moloughney, President, Manderley Turf Products. “This award highlights our commitment to innovation and dedication to industry leading levels of service, as well as challenges us as an organization to continue to live up to this standard.”

For over 55 years, Manderley has been a leader in the landscape industry, helping to grow greener communities by providing high quality, innovative lawn and garden products. Manderley is Canada’s largest sod producer, with over 60 million square feet sold annually. Manderley sod is grown and sold in the areas surrounding Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Calgary, Edmonton and Northern Alberta. Manderley is committed to making lawns more efficient by offering more sustainable choices, including their Less Water Sod, which consumes as little as half the water of a conventional lawn, and providing products such as seed, fertilizer and soil, along with the know-how to keep a lawn healthy and looking great.

The 2018 Best Managed program award winners are amongst the best-inclass of Canadian owned and managed companies with revenues over $15 million demonstrating strategy, capability and commitment to achieve sustainable growth.

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ASSOCIATION NEWS

of Lianne Krane, Shirley Novak and Denis Flanagan.

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The second annual Seedy Saturday took place at LO’s home office on Feb. 24.

MILTON CELEBRATES SEEDY SATURDAY

Seedy Saturday is a series of events held across Canada to promote seed exchanges. On Feb. 24, the Milton and District Horticultural Society (MDHS) held its third annual Seedy Saturday at Landscape

Ontario’s home office in Milton, Ont., where over 200 members of the public were able to attend free gardening seminars and seek specific advice from Master Gardeners. The event included various vendors, and of course, seed swapping. The event was a huge success this year due to the hard work

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Lionhead Golf and Conference Centre was home to the LO Lecture Series on Feb. 22.

The day began with the Grounds Management Lecture, providing participants with information on a range of important industry topics. The event included educational sessions led by green industry professionals, punctuated by networking opportunities during breaks and lunch.

Brad Paton, owner of Shades of Summer Landscaping in the Hamilton Ont.area, chaired the Grounds Management portion of the day. With a strong line up of guest speakers, the event was well attended. The program began with Bob Reeves, Root Rescue Environmental Products, who provided a practical guide to understanding the dynamics and importance of plant/microbe interactions in soil, described by an attendee as “wonderful and informative and thorough, balanced and visionary.”

Nutrite-sponsored speaker, Rich Hawkes, Sustane Natural Fertilizer, followed with his presentation on Improving

Soils through Organics.

To conclude the Grounds Management lecture, Rodger Tschanz, University of Guelph Trial Garden Manager, reported on highlights from Ontario’s 2017 trial garden season. For the second part of this session, Paul Zammit shared his passion for container gardening. His lively discussion included choice top performing plants and combinations for container gardens.

The Grounds Management event was generously supported by WPE Landscape Equipment, Eloquip, and Greenius.

The Contractors Group hosted a great pair of industry veterans at this year’s event. Each year, the lecture provides interesting lessons and tips from fellow contractors and architects, with no two presenters alike. This year was an interesting journey through the life and experiences of Chris Mace from Gelderman Landscape Services. His unique path has provided a perspective and skill that has served him well.

Mark Hartley provided insight into his early work as a young landscape architect and how he developed into an international success, highlighting his skill to solve problems for clients, always with consideration for how the contractor will need to build it.

The Contractors Event was made

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ASSOCIATION NEWS possible through generous support from sponsors: Beaver Valley Stone, Eloquip, LMN, Sheridan Nurseries, Gro-Bark, Greenius, York Region Equipment Centre, and Unilock.

PLAN NOW FOR WINNING AWARDS PHOTOGRAPHY

Make 2018 the year your company gets serious about capturing your work with photos. While competent photos are required to enter LO’s Awards of Excellence, they are also essential for sales.

In LO’s Awards program, the unmistakable trend is toward hiring professional photographers. Part of their expertise is understanding the importance of light.

Next time you look at good landscape photography, notice how many photos are taken early or late in the day, when the sun defines contours and adds an emotional element.

LO Awards manager Kristen McIntyre says hiring a pro is not required for entering the Awards, and photos of winning projects can actually be taken on smartphones. She says it is critical to take the same pains a pro would take in removing unsightly elements, before snapping shots.

One more tip is to be sure to take “before” shots, to dramatize the full extent of your company’s landscape transformations.

Groomed slopes, happy members at Georgian Lakelands Chapter event LO’s Georgian Lakelands Chapter hosted its annual Ski and Spa Day on Feb. 22. Despite excessive rain and warm temperatures prior to the event, the staff at Craigleith Ski Club in The Blue Mountains, Ont., made sure the slopes were in excellent condition for the event. This event would not be possible without the support of some very generous sponsors. Special thanks to event sponsor, Draglam Salt; breakfast sponsor, Synlawn; lunch sponsors, Garden Holistics and Pro-Power Canada, après ski sponsor, Clearview Nursery and transportation sponsor, Mike Jackson GM. Thanks also goes to everyone who supported this event. Organizers look forward to next year’s event on February 7, 2019.

Pictured (l-r) are Margot Byers, Teresa Matamoros and John Larsen.

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NEW MEMBERS DURHAM AW Landscaping (2498170 ON Inc)

Ash Walker 1349 Nassau Rd, Peterborough, ON K9J 6Y1 Tel: 705-875-1011 Membership Type: Interim

Boulder Design Inc

Austin Campion Smith 69 Vail Meadows Cres, Bowmanville, ON L1C 4T2 Tel: 905-439-8354 Membership Type: Active

Natures Hands

Alan Shields 3500 Greenwood Rd, Pickering, ON L0H 1H0 Tel: 905-427-5441 Membership Type: Active

Total Equipment Sales Inc

John King 869 Grenoble Blvd, Pickering, ON L1W 1T7 Tel: 416-717-0516 Membership Type: Associate

GEORGIAN LAKELANDS Ace Fuels Inc

Leon Strong 4645 Muley Point Rd, Orillia, ON L3V 8C3 Tel: 705-325-6905 Membership Type: Chapter Associate

D&A Services Inc

Drew Foulds 9 Adrian Ave, Mulmur, ON L9V 3H7 Tel: 705-434-8666 Membership Type: Active

Jim Lamoureux Contracting Jim Lamoureux 814 Honey Harbour Rd Port Severn, ON L0K 1S0 Tel: 705-756-2584 Membership Type: Active

Northshore Sports & Auto Inc Jordan Rocchetta 647 MacDonald Ave, Sault Ste Marie, ON P6B 1J4 Tel: 705-942-9006 Membership Type: Associate

Siteline Photography

Lexi Dearborn 381 Little Ave, Barrie, ON L4N 2Z8 Tel: 705-623-2970 Membership Type: Chapter Associate

The Cutting Crew

John Jokinen 1766 Hwy 69 N, Val Caron, ON P3N 1M3 Tel: 705-691-2337 Membership Type: Active

Yuri Lawryshyn

Yuri Lawryshyn 56 Doran Rd, Midhurst, ON L9T 0L5 Tel: 416-951-9679 Membership Type: Chapter Associate

Mitch Guy

Baysville, ON Membership Type: Horticultural

GOLDEN HORSESHOE Target Specialty Products

Mark Scenna 887 Tanager Ave, Burlington, ON L7T 2Y1 Tel: 416-458-2396 Membership Type: Associate

Gayle Opitz

Burlington, ON Membership Type: Horticultural

James Woloszanski

Waterdown, ON Membership Type: Horticultural

LONDON Copper Beech Custom Landscapes Hijlke Van Til 4210 Perth Line 20 St. Paul’s Station, ON N0K 1V0 Tel: 519-801-8134 Membership Type: Active

Midtown Landscaping (1060038 ONT Ltd) Paul Anthony 125 Bell St, Ingersoll, ON N5C 2N9 Tel: 519-670-0893 Membership Type: Interim

OTTAWA Toll Small Engines Inc

Brady Toll 1 - 5389 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K1X 1H1 Tel: 613-822-0695 Membership Type: Chapter Associate

Serenity Scapes Inc

TORONTO Aluminum Pergola

Rostyslov Geriavenko 55 - 450 Matheson Blvd E Mississauga, ON L4Z 1P1 Tel: 647-993-3314 Membership Type: Associate

Belvedere Landscaping Ltd

Patrick Harley 31 McCarty Cres, Markham, ON L3P 4R4 Tel: 416-436-2260 Membership Type: Active

Comm-Struction Inc

Bernie Tan 10388 Hwy 48 Ave, Markham, ON L3P 3J3 Tel: 416-410-6001 Membership Type: Chapter Associate

Georgetown Chevrolet Buick GMC Bianca Wilson 33 Mountainview Rd N Georgetown, ON L7G 4J7 Tel: 905-877-6944 Membership Type: Associate

IHL Canada (Investments Hardware Ltd) Domenic DeGiorgio 250 Rowntree Dairy Rd Woodbridge, ON L4L 9J7 Tel: 416-748-0204, ext. 164 Membership Type: Associate

Lennox Pave-All Limited

Salvatore Inserra 17 Mockingbird Dr, Richmond Hill, ON L4E 4L8 Tel: 647-208-0145 Membership Type: Active

Graham Wasielewitsch 24 Willow St, Holland Landing, ON L9N 1J4 Tel: 905-716-2739 Membership Type: Active

Sunset Decks Inc

Chris Falbo 8060 Lawson Rd, Milton, ON L9T 5C5 Tel: 416-936-7616 Membership Type: Chapter Associate

Tucker’s Land Services Inc

David Tucker 94 Pappain Cres, Brampton, ON L7A 3J7 Tel: 647-405-1143 Membership Type: Active

Vivax Metrotech Canada Inc

Jeremy Long 6 - 41 Courtland Ave, Concord, ON L4K 3T3 Tel: 289-846-3010 Membership Type: Associate

Woodbridge Fireplace Inc

Tony James 1305 Meyerside Dr, Mississauga, ON L5T 1C9 Tel: 905-564-3001 Membership Type: Associate

Ariel Stagni

Toronto, ON Membership Type: Horticultural

John McLinden

Thornhill, ON Membership Type: Horticultural

UPPER CANADA

Peel Landscaping Ltd

Brickworks Landscape & Design Corp

QLD Communications Inc

WATERLOO

John Howcroft 19002 Hurontario St, Caledon, ON L7K 1W6 Tel: 519-927-9404 Membership Type: Active April Pena 31 - 19 Kenview Blvd, Brampton, ON L6T 5G6 Tel: 905-791-5466 Membership Type: Associate

RQS Landscaping Inc

Alberto Rossi 12 Marysfield Dr, Brampton, ON L6P 0J3 Tel: 416-347-3649 Membership Type: Interim

Seasonal Outside Services Gary Van Haastrecht 576 Vanessa Cres Mississauga, ON L5H 2N3 Tel: 833-767-4968 Membership Type: Active

Andrew Letersky 98 Blessington Rd, Corbyville, ON K0K 1V0 Tel: 613-922-6562 Membership Type: Active

Exterior Renovations Inc

Justin Hardie 13 Ninth River Crt, Ayr, ON N0B 1E0 Tel: 519-581-8267 Membership Type: Active

WINDSOR George Kroeker Lawn & Landscape

George Kroeker 128 Mersea Rd 3, Leamington, ON N8H 3V5 Tel: 519-791-3311 Membership Type: Active

Turner Landscaping & Property Maintenance Inc

Miriam Palmer 1360 Askin Ave, Windsor, ON N9B 2Y3 Tel: 519-255-1874 Membership Type: Active

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EVENTS

Full details and registration information for all events can be found online at HortTrades.com/events or at specific chapter or sector pages.

April 21

May 15-16

June 16-24

St. James Park, Toronto Join Landscape Ontario’s Lawn Care Sector Group, in partnership with the St. Lawrence Market BIA and Project Evergreen to share your passion and expertise with the local community at the annual spring maintenance of St. James Park. Help is needed for about three hours, starting at 7:30 a.m. Includes free breakfast coffee.

Contact Kyle Tobin, kyle@lawnsavers.com or Alan White, alan.white@turfsystems.ca.

Downtown Toronto The annual conference for architects, landscape architects, policy makers, manufacturers, growers, landscapers and green infrastructure professionals features a trade show, networking, workshops and tours of projects in the GTA. Details and registration online at greytogreenconference.org.

Organize an event in your community and participate in Canada’s annual coast to coast to coast celebration of gardens and gardening. See a full listing of events, register your own event or download a proclamation template at GardenDays. ca to take to local government to have your town declare an ‘Official Garden Day.’

Green Up Day in the Park

May 1-2

Shifting Landscapes in Health and Safety

International Centre, Mississauga This two-day conference and trade show by Workplace Safety and Prevention Services features workshops, keynote speakers and interactive displays that will update you on the constant changes to health and safety in Ontario. For details, visit app.wsps.ca/pip/pip_home.php.

18 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO APRIL 2018

Grey to Green Conference

May 29

TBG Blossom Party

Tickets and patron tables are now available at TorontoBotanicalGarden.ca for TBG’s annual garden party and fundraising event. Highlights include the announcement of the Monica van Maris Green Professionals Woman of Influence Award supported by LO and the TBG. June 9-10

Through The Garden Gate

The Toronto Botanical Garden’s 31st annual selfguided garden tour will highlight 20 private gardens in the neighbourhood of Windfields Estate.

Visit TorontoBotanicalGarden.ca/mcttgg for details and to purchase tickets.

Garden Days

August 23

2nd Annual Highway of Heroes Living Tribute Golf Tournament

Port Hope Golf & Country Club, Port Hope Golfers of all levels can join hosts Mark Cullen and Dr. James Cubine for this fun day of golf to raise money for the HOHLT. To register or sponsor the event, visit hohtribute.ca/ 2018-golf-tournament.

INDUSTRY NEWS Tulip Festival welcomes festivals from around the world The Canadian Tulip Festival officially launched its 66th edition with “A World of Tulips” theme on March 22 at Ottawa’s EY Centre with host Landscape Ontario. In the midst of blooming tulips and spring gardens, Henry Storgaard, Chairman, together with the Festival’s new Board of Directors, and local dignitaries, partners and sponsors unveiled plans for 2018.

“A World of Tulips” theme celebrates “A World of Friendship” with a profusion of yellow World Friendship tulips underscoring the significance of the Festival’s global connection to 27 Tulip Friendship countries mutually involved in promoting friendship and peace through the tulip flower.

The Festival’s four key venues offer distinctive experiences for visitors: • Commissioners Park/Dow’s Lake will showcase Tulip Reflections from New Zealand, a unique mirror installation in the tulips; Dows Lake Pavilion Tulip Boardwalk featuring fun Tulip Chairs from Holland; and Japan’s Tonami Tulip Fair inspired Floating Tulip Gardens.

• Lansdowne Park will include a Turkish Tulip Carpet display created with over 50,000 tulips – a first outside Turkey; the Children’s World of Tulips Art Wall created with artworks submitted by over 5,000 local and international school children will adorn the walls of Aberdeen Pavilion. Visitors can also stroll through a tulip garden comprised of over 100 five-foot tulips, hand-painted by artists representing various countries.

• ByWard Market will feature a “Tiptoe Through a World of Tulips” installation curated by the World Tulip Society’s artist and Festival’s 2018 featured artist Monique Martin, who also created this year’s theme visual. Markets will offer culinary tours by C’est Bon and special menus by participating restaurants.

• Garden Promenade boasts partners like Escape Bicycle Tours and Rentals, Ottawa Walking Tours, Lady Dive-Hop-On-HopOff Bus tours and others to make it easy for Festival visitors to enjoy tulip-centric activities across the Capital including the Lord Elgin Hotel Malak Exhibition, “Yoga in the Tulips” at Major Hills Park, and Parliament Hill.

Festival favourites returning include Victoria Day fireworks now at Dow’s Lake and guided tours through the tulips at Commissioners Park. The Friendship Stage, an enhanced Family Tulip Activity Centre, Homage to Malak photo exhibit and Tulip Art Gallery, as well as the third annual Tulip Festival Swing Dance, and Mother’s Day Brunch for Bruyère once again take place at Lansdowne Park.

Tickets for gated events and highlights of the festival can be found online at tulipfestival.ca.

GREY TO GREEN CONFERENCE COMING IN MAY

This year’s Grey to Green Conference in downtown Toronto, May 15-16, will highlight new policy, design practices, and innovative products in the green infrastructure sector.

The annual gathering provides a venue for landscape architects, designers, engineers, policy makers, contractors, developers and architects to network, share and learn about the

latest research, industry developments, and importance of green infrastructure to our cities.

Held within Green Infrastructure Week, May 13-19, 2018, the event offers many concurrent training sessions and workshops, networking events with industry leaders, tours of several unique projects across the GTA, keynote speakers and a trade show.

Across Ontario, the sector employs more than 150,000 designers, manufacturers, conservation officers, engineers, contractors and maintenance professionals who work on urban forests, bioswales, green roofs and walls, wetlands and more.

For more information on the events, visit greytogreenconference.org.

REGISTER YOUR GARDEN DAYS ACTIVITIES ONLINE

Garden Days, Canada’s annual nine-day celebration of gardens and gardening, will take place June 16-24, 2018.

From coast to coast to coast, gardens, garden centres, schools, garden clubs, hort societies, communities and private citizens will participate in fun-filled celebrations of the vital role that gardens and gardening play in our communities and our lives.

This year, wineries, farmers’ markets, community gardens, BIAs, newcomers clubs and libraries will be joining the party, making Garden Days 2018 the best ever.

Be part of this national celebration

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Garden Days events bring many groups and cultures together through a shared love of gardening.

by planning and registering a garden or gardening-related activity between June 16 and 24, 2018. Simply visit the Garden Days website and choose the Register

Your Activity button.

Create a special Garden Days activity or register an already-planned event. The intent is simply to profile your celebration

of gardens and gardening and your contribution to Canada’s garden experiences of all types.

If you’re looking for inspiration, scroll through activities from previous years on the website’s archives. From educational to wacky, heartwarming to downright fun, you’ll get tons of great ideas for kids, seniors, seasoned gardeners and newbies alike!

Many cities, towns and municipalities have participated by asking their Mayor to declare their town or city’s own ‘Official Garden Day.’ The GardenDays.ca website also includes a downloadable proclamation template that you can take to your local government office. It’s a great way to let your city officials know how important gardens and gardening are to your community.

Garden Days is supported by vibrant national public relations, social and digital media campaigns, as well as a Network of Champions, and national and provincial spokespeople. Connect with your provincial spokesperson by visiting GardenDays.ca where you can also find social media tags for promoting your event.

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EXECUTIVE DESK Memories of Paul Olsen Tony DiGiovanni CHT LO Executive Director

P

aul Olsen, founder of Brookdale Treeland Nurseries in Schomberg, Ont., passed away suddenly on March 3. Paul was a truly special pioneer and lifelong contributor to the landscape/ nursery profession.

He was a man of integrity and honesty. He was passionate about the industry and cared deeply about the people working in it.

He was a mentor to many, including me.

His energy and actions have positively enhanced the entire horticultural profession across Canada and beyond.

I first met Paul in 1989 when I became Executive Director of Landscape Ontario.

There was a recession at the time and Paul, along with a number of visionaries, started an organization called the Garden Council of Canada. Its mission was to stimulate demand by promoting the joys and benefits of gardening to the public. That experience led to another project where through his leadership, energy and collaborative nature, he convinced a number of competing growers to create an “Ontario Grown” brand to collectively market the benefits of using home grown plant material. Paul was never content with being passive. He was proactive. He worked to change things for the benefit of the entire profession.

Paul served on various committees and task forces of the association and in 1995 he was voted on to the Provincial Board of Directors as “Member at Large.”

Not long afterwards, he was voted in as president. Very few individuals in the history of Landscape Ontario have gone from board member to president in such a short time. His energy, wisdom, and natural leadership ability were instantly recognized.

He was an amazing president to work with. He was always very supportive of staff. He was kind, engaged and cared deeply. He was easy to trust. Everyone wanted to work with him and for him. He

was visionary and aspirational, but also conservative and practical. During his presidency in 1996-1997 the association experienced excellent membership and financial growth. We started the Georgian Lakelands Chapter during his tenure.

Paul also insisted the mortgage be paid down on the LO property in Milton so the association would be in a better position to serve the membership in the future.

When an LO president completes their term they traditionally receive a ceremonial gavel and a president’s ring. Paul received this with grace, but he also did something different. He gifted the association with a large granite sign in celebration of our 25th anniversary. It still adorns the entrance of our home office and will always be a reminder of his legacy. It’s Paul’s rock.

The end of his presidency was not the end of Paul’s service to the profession. He joined our Building Committee and the Steering Committee of Canada Blooms. He never said no to service. He also made very sizable donations of plant material to the home office and to Canada Blooms.

Paul was instrumental in the founding of Canada Blooms and he supported the show with his wisdom, business acumen, relationship-building talent and with hundreds of plants. I still remember Paul with his sons Peter and Jeff unloading trucks late at night.

In 2001, Landscape Ontario asked Paul to be our representative on the Canadian Nursery and Landscape Association.

Nationally, he was quickly recognized for his natural leadership abilities and was again fast tracked to become CNLA president, serving from 2005 to 2007. As president, Paul focused on the alignment of vision and goals between the provincial and national associations. He insisted on collaboration instead of competition. At the time CNLA was struggling financially and Paul did the impossible. He convinced the provinces it was their duty to fund the national association to a level where it would be free to focus on integrated work that would benefit everyone.

Here is an excerpt from an email he wrote to all the Provincial Executive Directors: “I trust that everyone will keep this

“top of mind” no matter what the issue.

Everything we do must have a win/win side to it. It is critical that the executive directors continue their efforts to mesh and harmonize agendas creating efficiencies where ever and whenever possible.

“A legacy that we could leave would be a restructured CNLA that is truly the hub of the wheel being what it was originally intended to be, to wit: Advancing our industry nationally and internationally.”

In 2007, Paul received the highest honour Landscape Ontario bestows, becoming an “Honourary Life Member.” I still remember the very touching ceremony where his son Jeff made the presentation.

Also in 2007 Paul was asked to lead a delegation to China. Paul was the natural choice. He always represented the entire profession very well.

Paul was also asked to be our representative on the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. He worked his collaborative magic with that organization as well. It grew from a few scientists and support staff to an extremely effective organization of over 50 scientists and many more support staff. Vineland benefited from his wisdom, energy, business acumen and service oriented nature.

It is quite remarkable that Paul grew his own business into one of the largest and most well-respected nurseries in Canada and still had time to help grow many other organizations as a volunteer.

Paul continued to serve the association and the profession until his passing.

He will be sorely missed, but his legacy of service will live on in the people he has inspired. On the LO website there is an article that talks a little more about his life.

I encourage you to read it.

As much as he contributed to the advancement of the landscape/nursery industry and as big as his legacy as an industry pioneer, visionary and champion is, I will always remember Paul for his genuine care, his wonderful support, his wisdom, his time and his friendship.

These are the intangible attributes that inspire growth and positive change. Paul was a mentor to many people. Many of the comments about Paul on social media feeds are very similar. Words such as wisdom, mentorship, inspirational, friendship and care, are a common theme. He influenced and inspired many of us because of his character. He will be missed, but he will live on in our memories and our actions every time we care, mentor or serve others.

Tony DiGiovanni may be reached at tony@landscapeontario.com.

WWW.HORTTRADES.COM 21

PUBLIC RELATIONS Tips for success at home and garden shows

By Denis Flanagan CLD LO Manager of Membership and Public Relations

O

nce again, the Canada Blooms festival featured many spectacular gardens, displays and stunning flower arrangements — and once again we had very few visitors complaining! For those few people who just love to complain about everything, I would really like to organize a week-long tour of the event to show them what really happens behind the scenes in preparation for the festival.

The Canada Blooms staff and hundreds of volunteers make this event happen every year. They organize the timing and delivery of over 20,000 plants, design and create unique props, organize the floor plan, oversee design and installation of over 20 display gardens and organize a line-up of expert speakers. And there’s a whole marketplace area to sell, organize, move-in and move-out.

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stamnurseries.com 22 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO APRIL 2018

The support and hard work of dozens of folks from the green profession allows the public to see fantastic examples of quality workmanship, creative designs and ideas to experiment with in their own gardens. Some plants are already at the facility for a week before the 10-day festival event gets started. An army of volunteers work after hours to replenish the plant material during the week and all plants are repurposed for community projects and donated to long-term care facilities.

As the buds turned to blooms at the festival, new buds were just starting to open up across Ontario. Landscape Ontario members participate in many local home and garden shows across the province each spring. I spent the last weekend in March at the Kitchener/Waterloo Home and Garden Show, supporting the Waterloo Chapter. Over the years the chapter has tried various approaches at the show and for the last couple of years the chapter have created a colourful garden space where volunteers engage with visitors and hand out white pine seedlings, packets of wildflower seeds, and copies of LO’s Garden Inspiration magazine. These pros make sure to point out the pages that explain the types of questions homeowners should be asking of a contractor before signing on the dotted line. The chapter seems to have developed a formula that works very well.

Speaking of formulas, LO members Rob and Linda Tester of TNT Property Services have had a booth in the same home show for over seven years and were generous enough to share some tips on how to make the most of your time at a show.

Tester’s top five tips for show success 1. By developing a relationship with show management, the Testers have negotiated a special rate for LO members in the show.

And by supplying some colourful planters to dress up the show entrance and stage area, Landscape Ontario is recognized as an official sponsor, appearing on signage and in the show guide.

2. Partner with a local charity and hold a raffle for a planter or piece of furniture in your display. This adds some excitement to the booth, helps to collect information for leads, but most importantly shows that your company supports the community.

3. Do not clutter the design. Allow space in the centre so visitors can stand inside the garden, allowing you to have a conversation with potential clients. Have a giveaway so people can take something home as a reminder of your interaction (ie: water bottle, fridge magnet, etc.).

4. Create movement in the garden with a water feature, lights, fire, TV, etc. This helps to attract attention and act as a great conversation topic. This year’s display featured a gazebo with a retractable shade roof which the staff were constantly demonstrating to visitors.

5. Stay upbeat and positive. Have fun! Home show visitors want advice and ideas, but also want to be entertained. Include something for all ages.

Thanks to the Tester family for sharing their tips and tricks.

Please contact me for advice or support if you are interested in being involved in Canada Blooms or any other show across the province.

Denis Flanagan can be reached at dflanagan@landscapeontario.com or at 905-875-1805, ext. 2303.

MEMBERSHIP

or idea, and is always seeking opportunities for continuous improvement. The real challenge he says, is getting staff to buy into new ideas. When asked what his favourite product is that his garden centre sells, his answer was “the last one.”

TRADE MEMBERS’ LOGO

Getting to know your LO president

By Myscha Stafford LO Membership and Chapter Coordinator

TRADE MEMBERS’ LOGO

I

n January 2018, Warren Patterson began his term as president of Landscape Ontario, continuing his longstanding participation with the association. He has volunteered on numerous committees, the GeorgianCONSUMERS’ Lakeand TRADE MEMBERS’ LOGO lands Chapter (i.e. Garden Centres, Website Board and Can-etc.)

Print/Media, ada Blooms. You have likely seen him at an LO event and by now you may have read at least a couple of his monthly columns in Landscape Ontario magazine. I had the opportunity to chat with Warren at Canada Blooms last month in order to get to know our president a little better.

Did you know that owning a garden centre is Warren’s second career?

You’d be hard pressed to find a more stark contrast between Warren’s work day in 2018 compared to 16 years ago. A graduate of Brock University’s Bachelor of Business Administration program, Warren is aASSOCIATION Chartered TRADE LOGO Professional Accountant (CPA) and entered the world of finance as a Senior Strategic Consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers.

CONSUMERS’ and TRADE MEMBERS’ LOGO (i.e. Garden Centres, Website Print/Media, etc.)

TRADE ASSOCIATION LOGO

Family life

Learn from the best

Before diving into his new venture, Warren sought the advice of Paul Olsen, founder of Brookdale Treeland Nurseries in Schomberg, Ont. — a pioneer and leader in Landscape Ontario. When Warren told Olsen about his idea to open a garden centre, the latter advised, “War-

January 2018

HortTrades.com

IMPROVE AND ADAPT

When he’s not working, Warren can be found with his family — either driving kids to hockey or watching a game or practice. He has two sons and a daughter who are committed to playing the sport.

He also likes to take time off the grid, enjoying fishing expeditions and camping trips. He doesn’t have a favourite food and has a tough time making it to the end of a movie, let alone picking a favourite one. Our LO president is also an avid traveller, having been to various spots around the globe for work such as South Africa, Bali and Greece.

Warren’s favourite places to go are the ones with the most contrast, so that we appreciate what we have. He also isn’t the type to book with a travel agent. He’s a free traveller who would much prefer to book a plane ticket and figure the rest out along the way. Warren’s list of future travel destinations includes: Iceland, Central Africa and Machu Picchu in Peru.

Presidential mandate

As president, Warren’s mandate is to help the association and its members to grow and adapt to impending Page 6 changes, including government regulations, a changing workforce and new technologies. By preparing for and adapting to these changes, Patterson believes LO will remain relevant and LO president, Warren Patterson began his career in important to its members by delivering business finance. key services to help their businesses ren, just do it!” Olsen would later prove to to thrive. be a key mentor and friend in Warren’s I admit, before chatting with Warren I A life-changing moment career as the owner/operator of Barrie did not know much about him other than On Halloween in 2000, Warren was away Garden Centre and co-founder of Linkthe fact he was an incredibly savvy busiGreen, a software development company nessman and one you definitely want to from his family in New York City on business while his wife Heather was getting offering online order management to talk numbers with. We are very fortunate their six-month-old son ready for his first retailers, wholesalers, suppliers and disto have a leader who is very family-oritributors. ented, witty, adventurous and extremely trick-or-treating. Having a father who also Having been in business since 2002, passionate about what he does everyday. travelled a lot for business, Warren was Warren’s favourite thing about operatWe are in excellent hands. The next time hit with the realization that his work life ing a garden centre is his customers. you see Warren, be sure to chat with him. was taking a toll on his ability to spend “Everyone who comes in is so happy,” he He is a great resource for mentorship and time with his family. It was time for a explains. “People want to talk, smell and can tell you firsthand how being a part of change. Warren already owned a parcel feel the plants and they’re not in a rush.” the Landscape Ontario family is going to of land in Barrie, Ont., and had the idea While the customers are one of the benefit you, your company and help to of opening a garden centre which would biggest joys (and key ingredients) of a ensure a very prosperous future. give him the opportunity to be closer to successful garden centre, running the home and spend more time with his family, and travel in the winter (some of Patbusiness is not without its challenges. In Myscha Stafford can be reached at myscha@landscapeontario.com or tersons’ favourite things). fact, Warren is continuously on the look1-800-265-5656 ext.2333. out for new challenges, be that a product PM 40013519

New Landscape Ontario president Warren Patterson takes direction from the past, present and future.

WWW.HORTTRADES.COM 23

UNDERGROUND WORLD Canada Blooms does it again

By Terry Murphy CLM

F

or the third year in a row, the Ontario Regional Common Ground Alliance (ORCGA) built an exhibit at Canada Blooms. Sponsored by Ontario One Call, the display was well-positioned within the feature gardens built by other landscape contractors. The purpose of the exhibit was to remind the public that the law requires them to call ON1Call for locates before digging to plant trees or shrubs on their property. Our goal is to educate the public as well as landscape and fence contractors on this important issue. Canada Blooms allows us to reach both audiences at the same time. The public has to realize that under their front, side or backyard lawn, there may be any variety of utility line, wire or pipe and that it could be live. Striking such a live wire or line can not only cause damage to the utility line, it could alos cause loss of life or permanent injury.

Facts and statistics

This was the 22nd annual Canada Blooms. The 10-day festival at the Enercare Centre in Toronto, features the National Home Show and Canada Blooms which attracts close to 200,000 visitors.

While you will find many home renovators and interior home products in the National Home Show, it also provides an opportunity for garden lovers to see the latest trends, designs and newest plants just before spring. It features retail garden centres who have many spring products on display for purchase. There are more than 100 seminars in the 10 days and most are one-hour in length. Speakers such as Mark and Ben Cullen, Denis Flanagan, Frankie Flowers, Sean James and many other industry experts lead these free seminars.

The volume of business from horticulture in Canada is approximately $15 billion annually with 50 per cent of that coming from Ontario. The industry employs more than 100,000 people in Canada, in various sectors such as landscaping, garden centres, nurseries, irrigation contractors, lawn care firms and garden maintenance companies, golf

courses and municipalities. It is estimated that there are more than 12,000 firms in Ontario and the total number of utility strikes annually are over 5,000 incidences. All these businesses will create 17 per cent of the total utility strikes in Ontario while the public will do another 13 per cent. This is the reason why the ORCGA is at Canada Blooms. Where else can you reach almost 200,000 members of the public in just 10 days? The social economic cost of underground damages across Canada is estimated to be close to $1 billion annually. These costs are usually buried in your utility bills and we all pay.

The law

Five years ago, the ORCGA lobbied Queen’s Park to have Bill 8 read in the Ontario legislature. It was passed and as a result, all companies or individuals must first call ON1CALL for locates before they break the soil. We understand the public may not know the law, but I am very surprised so many contractors do not first call for locates. Over 90 per cent of industry utility strikes are due to the fact that companies do not call for locates. Everybody, without exception, MUST call for locates before they dig. It is a free service and the locate markings are generally on the ground within five days of the initial call.

Coverage at Canada Blooms

The ORCGA team that staffed the booth at Blooms consisted of Doug Lapp, Jennifer Parent and Kim Sheppard. They are all dedicated professionals who manage the damage prevention office in Vaughan.

Great job folks! I was to spend time in the display on a Saturday and over 100 people inquired about locates and the underground damage prevention business.

People seemed very interested in the free service for obtaining locates.

Conclusion

It was very beneficial to our mandate to participate in Canada Blooms again this year. On behalf of the damage prevention industry, I would like to thank the following people for making our display such a success: Sean James, ORCGA exhibit designer and coordinator; Charlie Wilson and Jim Mcliesh from Bruce Wilson Landscaping; David Turnbull, Canada Blooms coordinator; Terry Caddo, Canada Blooms General Manager, and the ORCGA staff.

Terry Murphy can be reached at tvmurphy@ca.inter.net.

24  LANDSCAPE ONTARIO APRIL 2018

PROSPERITY PARTNERS How to stop babysitting

By Jacki Hart CLM Prosperity Partners Program Manager

I

was speaking at a conference in Calgary, Alta., last fall and had a lively discussion in one of my seminars about falling into the role of ‘babysitter.’ The topic of the seminar was about effective delegating. The vast majority of the 60+ contractors and supervisors in the room unanimously agreed that much of their time was spent ‘minding’ the actions and attitudes of their staff or team.

So here’s how I responded to that all-too-familiar lament: What a waste of energy, and value to the business. Last time I checked, babysitters are paid around $15/hr. They’re responsible to work unsupervised, make decisions for the safety of others, ensure things go smoothly, that everyone is busy, and nothing gets broken. So help me to understand why the owner of the company or the highest paid team members are distracted from achieving their best every day, at their rate of pay, by the choices and behaviours of the marginally-interested and lesser-engaged, who are likely in that $15/hr. range?

Defining the standard

I believe the ‘babysitting syndrome’ is as much a cultural issue as it is an issue of accountability and leadership. We stepped back a bit in our seminar discussion. Back to when employees apply for work with your company: “They do it of their own free will. They choose to come to you. They choose to ask for a job. They choose to accept the one you give them. You chose to offer them the job. It’s up to you from there to ensure they understand clearly what is expected of them, what’s acceptable, what isn’t, and what happens when the line gets crossed. It’s up to them to align with the company standard, NOT the other way around.” My audience fell silent.

So, why does babysitting happen? I suggest it’s because you’ve managed

to unintentionally build a culture that expects leniency, and that allows poor accountability. Your team can only rise to its lowest common denominator. The person who needs to be baby sat is the one who undermines the concept of selfaccountability, and accountability to team mates. And is also the person who proves they won’t get fired if they misbehave.

‘YourCo 101’

Let me share a statistic with you: of our industry-based businesses that I coach, zero per cent who come to me for help with managing people, behaviour and retention have either a structured hiring process, or onboarding program or clearly defined company culture. Zero.

Do you agree there’s a ‘cause and effect’ here? To me, it’s clear that in order to shift the company culture from one that requires babysitting to one that has no time for it, there are processes and consistent messaging to put in place: a clearly defined company culture, credo and vision. Processes that outline the steps from first interview to first day, to second day, week, month, etc. And it requires the ever-evil ‘Job Description’ and its parallel ‘Performance Review template’ to be a part of the company dictionary.

Job descriptions should have four components: a short list of qualifications, required skills, accountabilities and physical demands, preferably on one page. They shouldn’t list tasks. The relevant job description should be in the hands of every foreman/supervisor, and be referred to often. My famous account-

ability question always starts the conversations in the right direction: “Help me to understand how the choice you just made reflects what you committed to deliver? (i.e. coming in late, not showing up, mouthing off, being careless, working unsafely, or some other breach of policy).

No exceptions, no kidding

If you frequently complain about your staffs’ attitudes, effectiveness, compliance to rules – then you might be a big part of the problem. Bad behaviour becomes toxic quickly, failing to reprimand or act on it is worse.

If the babysitter lets the kids get away with bad behaviour, it’s going to be a long night. That means it’s going to be a long summer once again in the babysitting department if you don’t improve your culture of self-accountability and clearly communicated standards of behaviour.

My advice is to take a step back and think about the experiences your employees have from the first time you shake their hand. Do you show that you care about them? Are you interested in ensuring they succeed? Can you be their best boss by teaching them the importance of teamwork, alignment and stepping up?

How well are you managing their experience of your company, your brand, your expectations and of working for you?

A great place to start is to ask the staff whom you intend to hire back what their experience was last year, and how they can contribute to improving the onboarding and communication of expectations.

Engage your team to build your team.

They are a valuable resource, and will be able to help you to understand what you should be doing to improve onboarding and setting the standard.

Jacki Hart may be reached at info.peertopeer@landscapeontario.com.

NETWORK Business owners and upper management of LO member companies can participate in LO’s Peer to Peer Network discussion groups online via LinkedIn and/or Facebook.

To join, simply email signup.peer2peer@landscapeontario.com and ask to be added to the online group(s).

WWW.HORTTRADES.COM 25

CLASSIFIEDS Rates: $50.85 (HST included) per column inch Deadline: 20th day of the month prior to issue date. Space is limited. To advertise: E-mail name, phone number and ad to classifieds@landscapeontario.com. Online advertising: Website only ads are available.

Website ads are posted for 31 days. Visit horttrades.com/classifieds. Post employment ads for free online at landscape.jobs.

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28  LANDSCAPE ONTARIO APRIL 2018