Landscape Trades - March 2023

TRADES LANDSCAPE

Reliability that counts

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8

Landscape

14 PLANT-TECH

Montreal Botanical Garden uses phytotechnology to preserve biodiversity and improve air, water and soil quality.

BY KARINA SINCLAIR

20

Technological

BY KARINA SINCLAIR

26

Michael Muraz is an award-winning architectural photographer who creates emotionally stirring images that celebrate the most engaging details of the spaces he shoots.

ABOUT THE COVER

Michael Muraz Photography

Landscape Architecture: Janet Rosenberg & Studio

EYE IN THE SKY

professionals blow clients away with stunning drone photos and videos.

BY JORDAN WHITEHOUSE

SMARTER SNOW REMOVAL

innovations provide greener and more efficient ways to tackle winter storms.

PHOTOGRAPHER SPOTLIGHT

LANDSCAPE TRADES

EDITOR & PUBLISHER

Scott Barber

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Mike Wasilewski

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Robert Ellidge

MULTIMEDIA JOURNALIST

Karina Sinclair

ACCOUNT MANAGER

Greg Sumsion

ACCOUNT MANAGER

Liz Lant

COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR

Angela Lindsay

DIGITAL MARKETING SPECIALIST

Charlotte Guena

ACCOUNTANT

Joe Sabatino

STAFF CONTACT INFO AT LANDSCAPETRADES.COM/CONTACT

ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Gerald Boot CLM, Lindsay Drake Nightingale, Jeremy Feenstra, Mark Fisher, Hank Gelderman CHT, Bob Tubby CLM, Nick Winkelmolen

Landscape Trades is published by Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association 7856 Fifth Line South, Milton, ON L9T 2X8 comments@landscapetrades.com www.landscapetrades.com

Landscape Trades is published six times a year: February, March, May, August, October and December. SUBSCRIPTION RATES:

6 GREEN PENCIL

Canada’s horticultural supplier directory is better than ever. Check out the new site at: LTSourcebook.com.

BY SCOTT BARBER

30 GROWING YOUR BUSINESS

Push through the short term pains of implementing new technologies to reap the long term gains.

BY GRANT HARRISON

34 INTERNET OF NATURE

Meet the plant influencers – that are actually plants. BY DR. NADINA

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In other words, Driving Range 2.0 comes with healthier, better-looking turf

ARE YOU READY?

New and improved LTSourceBook.com

BY SCOTT BARBER

IT’S FITTING, the issue replacing our annual Source Book is themed “Technology.” Landscape Trades has published a printed Source Book, Canada’s horticulture supplier directory, for more than four decades.

Back when Landscape Trades was launched in 1979, finding new suppliers usually involved word of mouth or flipping through the LT Source Book, which essentially served as a Yellow Pages for landscape professionals.

The Internet has made seeking out new suppliers a lot easier. However, we believe there remains a place for our online Source Book that is accurate, comprehensive, and

curated specifically for you. Not instead of an internet search, but a resource you can use in addition to Google and the like. That’s why we’ve implemented enhancements to our online Source Book at LTsourcebook.com to coincide with the discontinuation of the printed version.

The goal remains the same: to make it easy to find the landscape supplies and services you need to do business. To be listed, a company must operate in Canada, offering products or services for one or more horticultural sector.

Bookmark LTsourcebook.com on your phone and computer for easy access to the directory — whether you’re at the office, in your truck, or on a job site. It is continuously reviewed to ensure it’s always up to date. With over 1,600 green industry suppliers listed, the Source Book is the most convenient way to find the equipment, products and services to grow your business.

As for our new Technology Issue, we’re

excited about the wide range of stories we’ll be able to share with readers. Technology can mean a lot of things. In this issue, for example, we’ve got features on the impact drone photography is making on the landscape industry; the phytotechnology initiative at Montreal Botanical Garden; and the ways cities and snow contractors are utilizing the latest innovations to make winter maintenance more efficient and environmentally friendly. We also have a column by Dr. Nadina Galle about a tweeting tree. Seriously, look up @awitnesstree on Twitter.

We’ll be on the lookout for more interesting stories related to technological innovations. Have an idea you’d like us to explore? Let us know by email at comments@landscapetrades.com. LT

Scott Barber is the publisher and editor of Landscape Trades. He can be reached at sbarber@landscapetrades.com.

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EYE IN THE SKY

BY JORDAN WHITEHOUSE

Jeremy Kiers has been a professional photographer for about 12 years, but he can still clearly remember the first time he made an aerial video for a landscaping client. It was a few years back during a shoot for a newly redesigned backyard in the Niagara area. After taking his typical stationary shots, Kiers decided to pull out his small drone and launch it into the air. It was a relatively simple circular shot of the backyard that flew over a pool to a water feature on the other side.

After a few minutes of flight, Kiers landed the drone, packed it away, and returned to his studio to prepare the photos and video. He sent the shots to the client and immediately heard back from her. She was blown away by the video.

“She didn’t even text me back; she called,” Kiers recalled. “She was losing her mind. She thought it was the best thing ever.” Right then, Kiers thought: “If I can bring that kind of joy or value to someone’s project that they already know looks fantastic, I can’t help myself; I want to do it all the time.”

The excellent news for Kiers and other photographers who shoot aerial photos and videos is that many can do it full-time. According to the photographers interviewed for this story, landscape architects, designers, contractors, and even homeowners are increasingly interested in sky-view imagery. This follows a similar trend across industries that have seen drone imagery take off over the past decade. According to Allied Market Research, the aerial imaging industry was valued at $2.26 billion USD in 2020. By 2030, that number is expected to hit $8.52 billion.

The reasons for aerial’s rise in the landscaping industry, in particular, are many, including the wow factor these shots bring to portfolios, social media accounts, and awards submissions. But there are practical reasons, too, like helping clients visualize a final result. It also hasn’t hurt that drone regulations have loosened, and the technology has become more affordable.

This isn’t to say there aren’t challenges. Weather, lighting, visual obstructions, and privacy concerns can sometimes be more significant issues when compared with typical on-the-ground shoots. But as most of the landscaping companies I spoke with told me, the good far outweighs the bad. And now, as aerial video starts taking off, one thing is for sure: birds-eye imagery is here to stay.

Classic Landscapes | Photo by: Jeremy Kiers, Jeremy James Visuals

Distinctive Landscapes in Waterdown, Ont., is a prime example. The residential landscaping company hires photographer Effie Siamalekas to capture images of its most distinct jobs every year — and each shoot includes aerial. Owner Richard ThorneBotham said that Siamalekas’ aerial photos do a great job of professionally showing off Distinctive’s work. They also help clients visualize a design before shovels hit the ground.

“[Visualizing a design] can be really tough for clients,” Thorne-Botham said. “If I can take an old design and the aerial photography and show them side by side and say, ‘Okay, for you, this is where the pool should go, and then the lawn space is here,’ that can really do it justice versus just using ground photography.”

For Picton, Ont.’s Wentworth Landscapes, ground and aerial shots can be complementary. The company’s marketing director, Paige Parker, said that while aerial photos don’t necessarily allow you to immerse yourself in a space, they enable you to understand the broad scope of work in a

satisfying and easy-to-digest way.

“I relate it somewhat to looking through photos of real estate,” she said. “You browse through all the photos of each room, exploring

There is also a utility that can come from showing before and after aerial photos not only to clients and social media followers, but also to awards committees. Take Beamsville, Ont.’s Niagara Outdoor Landscaping. In January, the company picked up several pieces of hardware at Landscape Ontario’s Awards of Excellence, including the Casey van Maris Award. It’s given to the project with the highest marks for execution of unique and innovative design in landscaping. Niagara Outdoor won it for its “Distillery District” project, which features a shipping container pool and a miniamphitheatre.

“That was a completely blank canvas,” company president Greg Brunet explained. “With before and after aerial footage, you can show that you’ve created this incredible outdoor living space. It really shows the scope of the job.”

all the details, and imagine how you would live in that space, but then you look at the floor plan to help you put all those pieces together and make sense of the layout.”

Sometimes aerial photography is the only option for capturing that scope. For example, the first time Niagara Outdoor used it was on a job where they had built a deck on a hillside overlooking a harbour. Getting on-the-ground

With before and after aerial footage, you can show that you’ve created this incredible outdoor living space.

Solda Pools | Photo by: Effie Siamalekas — Effie Edits

shots that properly showed the final result was impossible, so the photographer had to use a drone.

These practical considerations are why Vancouver photographer Brett Hitchens begins his process well before the shoot day. He starts with a client meeting to learn details about the project and what they want to achieve with photography. From there, he’ll scout the project location online to see if it’s feasible, legal, and safe to fly his drone — a DJI Mavic Pro 3.

Next, Hitchens will use an online sun calculation tool to see how the sun will move across the property on the day of the shoot.

“That’ll inform when it makes sense to go out,” he said. “But typically, you want to capture during those golden light hours towards dusk or dawn.”

Jeremy Kiers does similar pre-shoot scouting, and then when he is on-site, he puts a plan together of what to shoot with the drone — a DJI Air 2S — and how he wants to shoot it.

“You’re going to be able to see what you want before you put the drone up,” he said. “You’re going to see those theatrical jaw-droppers, so you just go for them right away. There’s no point in putting it up and wasting your time because these things only have 20 to 30 minutes of battery life.”

It’s normal for photographers to do two or three drone flights during a single shoot. Effie Siamalekas typically does two flights with her DJI Mini 3 — one for still photos and another for video. But she takes test shots beforehand while waiting for the lighting to be just right. Sometimes, that only gives her a window of 10 minutes for the actual shoot.

“I’ll usually start with a very wide circle around and get five to 10 shots of the entire

property,” she said. “Then I’ll do a bunch of straight top-down shots. And then I’ll go in closer and get more details on a diagonal.”

All of this might sound straightforward, but there are challenges. The major ones are what you might expect: obstructions like trees and overhanging roofs that block overhead shots; next-door neighbours with messy properties that show up in aerial pics; and scheduling shoots around the weather.

Privacy concerns from neighbours can also be a hurdle, said Kiers. He remembers a time when he was flying his drone in a backyard,

he hasn’t spoken with ahead of time.

However, most photographers and landscapers interviewed said these privacy concerns are rare. They said this could be because seeing drones — and the footage they provide — has become so common.

Brett Hitchens said aerial photography requests have been the norm for him from landscaping clients for the past several years. Now the trend is toward aerial video.

“Especially with Instagram Reels and TikTok and other social media, I think people are getting their marketing portfolios up to speed with video,” Hitchens said. “Especially with awards submissions now requiring video to be included.”

Distinctive Landscapes gets Effie Siamalekas to produce minutelong videos on most shoots, and each one includes aerial footage.

and the client received a knock at the front door. Someone from the neighbourhood was out for a walk and noticed the drone. They wanted to know why they were being spied on.

“Even though what I’m doing is completely legal, and as much as you can get the okay from the customer, the next-door neighbour, and the backyard neighbour, you’re never going to get 100 per cent agreement that it’s okay,” Kiers said.

Kiers said he tries to deal with concerns like these by being as courteous as possible. Usually, that means just taking the drone down because he already has the needed shots. But he will also try to be proactive by not flying if he sees neighbours outside who

“It’s just a fun way to view [a project] versus looking at 60 pictures,” Richard Thorne-Botham said. “I don’t have any proof of this, but I think the average person is going to watch a video, and I think they are going to click through three pictures and click away.”

So, what is it, exactly, that draws people to aerial photos and videos?

Kiers has put a lot of thought into this question since he received that call from the blown-away client. He can’t quite put his finger on it, but he thinks the appeal is related to the feeling of wonder you get from looking out a plane window at the world below.

“You’re getting these shots of your backyard from 20 or 30 feet up or even higher, and there’s a satisfaction there that can’t be itched or scratched or explained until you see them. We’re used to seeing everything from four to six feet up, and now you’re way up, and it just looks so good.” LT

Wentworth Landscapes | Photo by: Jeff McNeill, McNeill Photography

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Plant—Tech

MONTREAL BOTANICAL GARDEN PROTECTS BIODIVERSITY WITH PHYTOTECHNOLOGY

BY KARINA SINCLAIR

Beauty and brawn. Can plants have both? When used to solve heavy-duty environmental problems, like controlling invasive species, decontaminating soil or preventing erosion, plants truly are ecological powerhouses. This application of plants is called phytotechnology, and it’s being used across the country with a high success rate while providing multiple ecosystem benefits.

You might already be familiar with how well trees and turf help filter the air, but there’s a lot to be done from the ground down. These techniques are being tested and implemented — in place of or alongside traditional engineering methods — to improve soil and water conditions in different environments.

Controlling invasive species

The Pathway to Phytotechnologies project at the Montreal Botanical Garden (MBG) in Montreal, Que., showcases three phytotechnology stations (three more are to be completed by 2026). These stations, built in partnership with scientists from Space for Life, aim to solve specific environmental problems, such as removing surplus phosphorus and nitrogen from wetlands,

limiting nutrient run-off of rainwater, and degrading contaminants from excavated soil.

“The Botanical Garden is one of the jewels of Space for Life and of Montreal. We are happy to be able to count on its experts and researchers, who find adapted and creative solutions to the challenges of biodiversity,” Jocelyn Pauzé, associate advisor at Space for Life, said in a press release. “It is clear that phytotechnology is a promising approach that will contribute to concretely combating environmental problems.”

The MBG station for controlling invasive plants recently earned a Living Green for Water award from the International

Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH). The AIPH World Green City Awards celebrate ambitious nature-based solutions to city design and operation. To win means to have successfully incorporated plants and nature to improve a city’s economic, social, and environmental resilience.

To address the surge of undesirable aquatic and semiaquatic plants, a buffer of diverse native grasses, perennials and shrubs was installed on the banks of the pond in 2021. This helped block competition from invasive species and secured the shoreline from wave erosion with minimum maintenance. Floating rafts of plants, anchored near the south and southwest

Phytofiltration

Phytotechnology can also clean toxins from groundwater or aqueous waste; this process is called phytofiltration. Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) have been successfully used in shallow lakes, such as Pelican Lake in Manitoba. Woven from large emergent plants like cattails, these floating islands absorb excess nitrogen and phosphorus in water and sediment caused by stormwater run-off and municipal wastewater. The cattails thrive from consuming the extra nutrients while

banks, shift with the wind and cast shade, limiting the growth of sun-dependent algae.

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INTRODUCING

limiting the growth of microscopic algae. In addition, the floating islands serve as habitat for fish and wildlife.

Researchers estimated it was possible to reduce phosphorus levels by half by covering only five per cent of the lake with floating islands. Combining this method with traditional remediation helped create a healthy environment more quickly.

Similarly, Olds College in Alberta launched a project to determine if floating islands of native wetland plants could absorb contaminants in farm feedlot ponds muddied with manure. The goal is to clean the water back to irrigation or livestock drinking water standards.

Phytoremediation

Another promising form of phytotechnology is phytoremediation. As plant roots explore through the soil, not only do they aerate, moderate moisture levels, and support microbial activity, but they can also absorb toxic compounds and heavy metals. This is an alternative to mechanical or physio-chemical techniques to remediate soil, such as soil incineration, excavation and landfill, or solidification. However, those techniques are expensive and may even introduce secondary pollutants while making irreversible changes to the biological properties of the soil.

Heavy metals are mostly insoluble, but plants can change the rhizosphere pH and increase that solubility. The metal ions eventually become absorbed and distributed throughout the plant cells, where chemical changes lessen the toxicity. Deeprooted native grasses are proving particularly good at this, as are poplar trees. Phytoremediation can be applied on a large scale — fields at a time — to not only remove contaminants from the soil but improve soil fertility by enriching the organic nature of the soil.

A future station at the Montreal Botanical Garden will use this method to extract contaminants from soil excavated during construction. If proven here, the City of Montreal can apply the process to four hectares of polluted brownfield in the city’s east end. It would be the largest phytoremediation project in Canada to date.

“We therefore have a duty to find sustainable solutions in harmony with nature,” said Julie Jodoin, acting director of Space for Life. “As part of Space for Life’s commitment to protecting biodiversity, and thanks to the support of the Space for Life Foundation, phytotechnologies represent concrete solutions that are in line with the vision of the Montreal 2030 strategic plan.”

Wide application possibilities

At the botanical gardens, more experiments are planned to tackle challenges such as reducing the heat island effect from the parking lot and lessening the impact of city noise. The potential power of phytotechnologies has yet to be fully realized, but shows much promise for strengthening the green infrastructure of the future. LT

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For Hard Surfaces

BY KARINA SINCLAIR

While most people are snug in their beds on blustery winter nights, snow removal professionals are hard at work to make streets, parking lots, and walkways safe. In the past, this would have been accomplished with brute force and a heavy scattering of road salt. Now, technology presents a variety of solutions to help operators clear the way more quickly, safely, and with a higher degree of precision than ever before.

International inspiration

In Sweden and Norway, autonomous snow plows are being used to clear airport landing strips. Digital patterns can be designed and downloaded for clearing intricate areas, such

as around runway landing lights. “One of the problems with clearing snow around runway edge lights is that a great deal of precision is required on surfaces that are not always smooth. This is time-consuming work that can be streamlined by means of our autonomous solution,” said Anne Piegsa, technical project manager at Semcon, the company that makes the Yeti Move autonomous snow plows for airports. “This will also free up staff capacity, allowing them to work on other safety-related tasks that are not suitable for automation.”

Walk this way

Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, takes advantage of the thermal energy from local hot springs by embedding tubing in streets

Yeti Move autonomous snow plows.

and sidewalks to warm the surface and melt the snow. Eirikur Hjalmarsson, head of sustainability at Reykjavik Energy, said the city has been saving money on snow clearing since it began installing heated sidewalks and streets in downtown Reykjavik in the early 2000s.

Sapporo, Japan, has been doing something similar since the 1960s. The city has an annual average snowfall of well over four metres. That’s about the height of a one-storey house. Residents aren’t held hostage by the white stuff, though. Geothermal elements installed below the surface help keep pathways clear, as do ground-level sprinklers that spray warm water on the surface of the road.

Cities in Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Michigan have also applied this geothermal technology by diverting excess heat from power plants and manufacturing mills. While large-area application hasn’t caught on in Canada yet, snow melting mats are commercially available. When installed under pavers, concrete or asphalt walkways, the heated elements could result in less icerelated slip-and-fall accidents, something insurers are keen to address. In Canada, there were over 10,755 hospitalizations due to falls on ice between 2018 and 2019. This makes them the number-one cause of sport or winter injuries, according to the latest stats from the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

Reduce environmental impact

There is also a growing call by property owners, conservationists, and municipalities to reduce excess salt use. According to the Ontario-based Smart About Salt Council, an organization that offers accredited training to improve winter maintenance practices, reliance on salt needs to be reduced. They aim to help snow removal professionals balance winter safety and environmental protection, and reduce the damage caused to footwear, cars, buildings, plants, wildlife and freshwater from winter salt applied on facilities and roadways.

In a 2013/14 survey of Canadian municipal parking lot and sidewalk winter maintenance practitioners, 45 per cent said they did not calculate how much salt they applied after plowing. Since then, guidelines for best practices have been published by the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association (CNLA) in collaboration with Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association (LO), as well as Environment Canada, the Snow and Ice Management Association (SIMA), and various Canadian and American conservation authorities. These guidelines attempt to address, in part, environmental considerations and property risk reduction due to excess salt application.

Viaesys, a software company in Ontario’s Kitchener-Waterloo region, has a few

solutions. Their system, MTS Pro, shows salt truck operators real-time data on an in-cab display. Viaesys says their web portal can be used to allocate salt usage to different properties based on GPS location and property boundaries. The appropriate amount of salt is pre-calculated based on square footage and event type, meaning snow and ice contractors can avoid using even a grain more of salt than necessary. This works for granular or liquid applications.

Another component from Viaesys is their Mini RWIS. The solar-powered time lapse cameras, paired with integrated pavement and air temperature sensors, send upto-date data to a dashboard, allowing contractors to monitor local site conditions, evaluate the efficacy of equipment and operators, and reduce patrolling costs.

Tracking results

Based just west of Toronto, Ont., International Landscaping Inc (ILI) has seven Mini RWIS units in their portfolio. They first started using them in 2018 and have been adding more each season. Using ArcGIS software, ILI can create highly detailed maps that identify priority areas, emergency exits, garden beds, walkways, and surface types. Pairing these technologies allows their team to gather precise data about their sites, such as how much salt they need to clear the over 12 million square feet of parking lots and walkways they service.

Michael Gucciardi, sales and sustainability manager at ILI, said data has become an integral part of growing and strengthening their business. “Data takes the emotion out of decision making. With inflation, you have to know what your numbers are, otherwise you could make a poor business decision.”

“It’s one more tool in our toolbox,” said Gucciardi, who has a bachelor’s

Michael Gucciardi

Sapporo, Japan

in environmental science from the University of Waterloo. “By comparing historical data of our sites, we can compare the rate and speed of salt application, along with weather event type, and determine the most successful results with the least amount of salt.” The company is devoted to sustainability. They switched to fully-electric landscape maintenance equipment years ago and have partnered with other organizations, such as the Credit Valley Conservation Authority and Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) to research the impact of chloride alternatives, like beet-juice extract.

According to Gucciardi, analyzing data helps set industry standards and serves as a training tool. It can create records that are critical for insurance claims and disputes. Gucciardi also mentioned that interpreting data is an interesting job for someone who wants to work in landscaping, but not necessarily in the typical design or construction roles: “It’s the way of the future.”

James Mitchell agrees that technology helps make better decisions and hopes it will also help minimize risk and liability. “I don’t believe salt use will be reduced until contractors are guided by professionally set standards that limit liability for reasonable efforts and not fear,” said Mitchell. “We are totally guided by fear and the default action is to ‘throw more salt’ to protect everyone from complaint and liability.”

Having been in the snow management business for 30 years, Mitchell has observed that when temperatures bounce around the freezing point, icy conditions can be dangerous but short lived, making salt application useless. “So much salt is applied to prevent exposure for a couple hours in the a.m. when temperatures are at zero or below, or for freezing rain that comes as rain to directly wash efforts down the drain,” said Mitchell. “We’ve had record freezing rain events in 2022-23 by early February (more than the past two seasons combined) and in the last week in Kitchener-Waterloo, we had risk of weather causing action by contractors that was totally not required by the resulting weather but fully justifiable by the forecast.”

To get better insights, his company is also incorporating solutions from Viaesys, including rate-adjusting devices, and he will be monitoring weather stations with air and surface temperature

sensors. The goal is to continue providing a high level of service while reducing salt usage by up to 50 per cent.

To monitor snow removal progress, some municipalities offer a plow tracker to give residents an idea of what roads have been cleared. The City of Mississauga employs GPS fleet tracker technology from Geotab, a telematics company based in Oakville, Ont. Residents can visit a website to identify which streets and sidewalks have been plowed or salted, and how long ago. The region is also looking to reduce the use of rock salt. “The region has a salt management plan in place that focuses on best practices and techniques to ensure the safety of our residents while minimizing the impacts of salt to the environment.” said Mark Crawford, manager of road operations and maintenance, transportation and public works for Peel.

So while snow plows and salt trucks are still a primary means of clearing snow from roads and properties in Canada, technology is helping contractors, property owners, and municipalities make better decisions. From smart sensors that avoid delicate obstacles to software-driven dashboards metering out precise amounts of de-icer, to cameras reporting localized weather events to the harvesting of geothermal resources, each new tool is a step towards efficiency and sustainability. LT

Rocco Spalvieri, grounds maintenance manager at ICI, demonstrates the portal used to share maps with crew.

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MICHAELMURAZ.COM

Michael Muraz is a Toronto, Ont.-based, award-winning architectural photographer, bringing technical precision and creative passion to his fine art and commercial work. He creates emotionally stirring images that celebrate the most engaging details of the spaces he shoots. His work has been featured in prestigious publications such as: Azure, Architectural Record, the Globe and Mail, and the LA Times.

Janet Rosenberg & Studio

Janet Rosenberg & Studio

Claude Cormier + Associés

How did you get into landscape/ garden photography?

A couple of landscape architects reached out to license images from photo shoots for architectural firms. It opened the door to start working with the landscape architects directly, creating images tailored to their needs, where the landscaping shines and the building is there to provide context.

What catches your eye when you are photographing a garden?

The context of the garden is a key element to guide my photography. For example, is it an intimate private garden or a public space encouraging social interactions? What are the distinctive features of the space (sculptures, plants, lighting, etc.)? I’m also attracted to the geometry of the design (often created by the hardscape) and its relationship to the organic shapes.

Do you have any tips or tricks you can share?

It’s important to have good communication before the photo shoot. I work with the client to make sure the space is ready to be photographed and that their client understands what’s involved (length of the photo shoot, time of day, clean-up and staging, etc). We tend to shoot when the landscaping is at its peak season, but it’s sometimes interesting to showcase the garden at a different time of year (e.g. in winter). It’s also very rewarding to photograph a garden several years later to showcase its growth. My images are frozen in time but the gardens are in constant evolution.

What are some of your favourite gardens you have photographed?

With architectural photography, and landscape photography in particular, I love the variety of spaces I have the opportunity to photograph. From photographing a public garden in a snowstorm to capturing an amenity terrace from the roof of the building — there’s always something interesting! I particularly enjoy public spaces and capturing people’s candid interactions with the design. Gardens are designed to be enjoyed by people and it’s important to show it.

What is your favourite camera gear for shooting gardens?

It’s important to capture a range of images, from wide angles to detail images of key features. I’ve particularly enjoyed adding drone photography for landscape architecture, as it allows me to capture very different perspectives. It helps convey the context of the garden and orthographic views can be a useful tool to illustrate the site plan. LT

Janet Rosenberg & Studio

No pain, no gain

BY GRANT HARRISON

“HEY, GOOGLE, turn on Christmas tree lights.”

If I ever needed proof that technology has changed our lives, that was it. We were visiting friends over Christmas, and that’s how they switched on their tree’s lights. Later that evening, I felt so old and inefficient as I reached down to plug my lights into the wall outlet. Technology is changing our lives in both small and significant ways.

In the landscape industry, people have adopted technology to varying degrees. Virtually every company has a website to attract prospects and email to communicate with clients and staff. Some have digital time sheets. Most will use a weather app on a daily basis. Technology has provided a vast array of tools to help business owners and their staff operate more efficiently.

The benefits of using technology are numerous. You can probably think of many examples from your own life. But for business owners, the benefits are significant and measurable.

SAVE TIME AND MONEY

• My business uses a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system

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that syncs with Quickbooks Online, reducing the number of times we have to enter contact information for clients.

• Using digital timesheets dramatically reduces the amount of administrative time required for processing payroll.

• Several snow contractors we work with use cameras to monitor the conditions of sites they manage. What a difference this makes. I can still remember driving around, burning gas and time, to check sites.

WORK REMOTELY

• Cloud-based apps provide teams access to information from anywhere. This has become especially valuable since COVID and the need to work from home. It’s also another way to retain employees. Remote access allows employees to work from anywhere, which provides owners with the ability to offer flexible working conditions.

SCALE YOUR BUSINESS

• Technology allows you to scale your business more easily. It provides you with a better and more accurate live picture of

your business, making it easier to make informed decisions. Technology provides the infrastructure to scale quickly, and allows you to job cost efficiently and accurately, which results in increased margins.

IMPLEMENTING TECHNOLOGY

Now that you’ve seen ways to implement some new technology, how do you best introduce it?

1. Get input from your staff about what software is needed. Ask each division to create a list of what technology would make them more effective and efficient. Review these lists, going back for additional information until you have a clear picture of what is needed.

2. Set up an implementation team that meets regularly to work on the implementation plan and to set clear goals and expectations. The owner and leadership team must commit to the implementation process. If not everyone is committed, then when something else is vying for your attention, the process will get stalled. And be assured, something will go wrong along the way. Have the implementation team assign

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specific tasks to people during the rollout process. Use a Gantt chart or Microsoft Planner to lay out the process for everyone to see. Include a time budget in the planning, as implementation takes time. Don’t forget to track the downtime or shop time of your staff to get an accurate sense of the hours being put into the implementation.

3. Implement accountability for the staff to follow the documented process and steps. For example, your sales teams may not want to put their leads into the CRM system as it takes too long. They may feel it’s easier to just keep things as they were. In this case, the sales team is lacking an understanding of why their adoption of the software is essential to the rest of the process and how it affects the company as a whole.

Learning new technology takes time; be patient with yourself and your staff. Too many owners get frustrated and impatient and go back to doing things the way they’ve always done them. This

Meet the plant influencers –that are actually plants

BY DR. NADINA GALLE

EVEN WHILE MORE CITIES come to grips with the importance of building resilient natural habitats, another challenge threatens to derail our progress. Changes in our climate are giving rise to deadly natural disasters that threaten the solutions themselves. As blistering stretches of weather become normal, the changing climate can suffocate trees.

With so much of the climate change discourse focused on Antarctic ice sheets and the plight of threatened species like polar bears, most people do not appreciate its most immediate impacts on our lives, which will take place in the habitat around our homes. In this column, I want to introduce you to Dr. Tim Rademacher, a scholar of trees who aims to make us feel the effects of climate change the way the plants that sustain us do.

Realizing how little most understand of this problem, Tim sought to bring it to the surface while at the Harvard Forest — an ecological research station of 3,000 acres owned and managed by Harvard University and located in Petersham, Mass. Rademacher and Clarisse Hart, who oversee outreach and education for the forest, were inspired by a popular book about climate change they believed held the secret to effectively educating the public about the threat of our changing climate to the very tools with which we seek to address it. Witness Tree by award-winning journalist Lynda Mapes chronicles the impacts of climate change on a 100-year-old oak tree in Harvard Forest over the course of one year.

Now, under Tim’s purview, that oak tree is continuing its storytelling on Twitter, live-tweeting climate change via the Twitter account @awitnesstree. The oak, which

followers have taken to calling “Whitney,” is equipped with sensors and cameras that continuously monitor its sap flow and growth. It also receives input from Harvard’s data archive, which stores more than 55 years of climate data. Using a custom computer program that Tim built, the tree translates sensor information and climate data into tweets.

For a young researcher, Tim speaks with a kind of clarity and determination most people spend years perfecting, acknowledging that even though most people understand trees are really important, few actually know how they work. He views Whitney, the oldest living organism on social media, as an ambassador for life in a changing environment — a communications guru with the capacity to teach us about the inner functions of these majestic plants.

“Trees are strange, alien creatures,” he explained. “Despite our fascination with them, we need something to demystify them.”

A lifelong tree lover himself, Tim describes only beginning to truly understand them after spending years in Harvard Forest equipping trees with enormous numbers of sensors and collecting data. He used sapflow sensors like a heart monitor to measure their vascular health, as well as moisturemeasuring devices to watch how they kept the right balance of nutrients.

“I realized then that I was in a very privileged position,” Tim said. “So I started to tell my friends, family, and colleagues about what I was learning, and they told me to share it online.”

In just two years, Whitney has racked up nearly 10,000 followers and inspired other

enthusiasts to bring their local tree online.

“I want to build on the network that inspired me to program Whitney,” Tim said, whisking a stray hair from his forehead. He had jokingly told me over the phone he was a, “long-haired treehugger.” I see now he wasn’t lying, on either account. Tim tells me about Whitney’s inspiration and sister project, TreeWatch.net. Led by Ghent University, the website set up its first tweeting tree in 2016. It now disseminates sensor data from 21 trees across Belgium, Germany, India, the Netherlands, and the UK.

Analyzing data from Whitney and TreeWatch.net has already paid off. Sensor logs from those trees have revealed droughts can block water uptake, disrupting growth, which leads to less carbon uptake.

Postdoctoral researcher, Dr. Tim Rademacher, and Harvard Forest Outreach Director, Clarisse Hart, posing with @awitnesstree.

In previous decades, you could only diagnose this once it was too late to save the tree. Sensor data instead now facilitates preventive tree care.

But Tim’s larger aim — inspiring empathy for the trees that help us survive in our world — also shows great promise. By giving trees a voice and a platform to share their experience of climate change, he hopes to show, rather than tell, how all organisms on this planet are locked in a common struggle. The computer program explains the hardships Whitney is up against in a language we humans understand. If you ask her how she’s doing, Whitney will tell you — and will even send you a selfie.

Tim’s analytics that measure how Whitney’s followers are responding to her content demonstrate that tweets about her struggles in the face of her changing climate attract the most attention. If we can relate to something that speaks our language, he reasons, we’re more likely to show empathy for that thing, and perhaps even care for it more — a theory supported by vast, persuasive research. “Ultimately,” Tim said, “I’d like every city to have a tweeting tree.”

I call it a digital Lorax, speaking — or rather tweeting — for the trees.

Tim’s tweeting trees would, in a sense, be the heirs to the last movement that inspired a mass return to the land: Romanticism. These digital poets build from the values of the nineteeth century artists and philosophers

Emerson and his disciple Henry David Thoreau sought isolation and proximity to nature, using the popular forms of their time — poetry and the novel — to inspire the public to see what it had lost. The work inspired Fredrick Law Olmstead to design America’s first urban parks, a radical notion in 1850, reconnecting urbanites with the restorative power of nature which had been broken by the hustle and bustle of city life.

In contrast to the Romantics, today’s poets are Instagrammers and TikTokers, facing an even greater crisis, one that threatens to unravel our way of life. Having seen the impact of Olmstead’s legacy, which brings joy nearly three centuries later to anyone who strolls through New York’s Central Park, the Washington Mall, or any of the dozens of urban oases he designed, these internet-savvy scions demand that we recentre nature. What if a tweeting tree could someday have more followers than Christiano Ronaldo, they ask — or Justin Bieber, or the Kardashians? What if someday the most popular social media influencers were the very plants we depended on to survive?

Though Tim understands his project anthropomorphizes the tree in ways that might seem problematic (giving it a personality and sense of humour that are entirely human), the strategy has proved effective. Research has shown if you can relate to something, you’re more likely to

One of Whitney’s more popular tweets supported that observation when she described how hot she was. A heat wave had caused her to transpire more than usual and she said she was desperate for a sip of water. As cities across the world continued to shatter heat records, the parched throat her message called to mind was a feeling that most everyone understood all too well.

Last year, renowned tree biologist Dr. Andrew Hirons and I were tremendously inspired by Tim’s live-tweeting brainchild. We felt, however, that more could be done to raise awareness on the plight of city trees and the underground world of soil health, which in large part determines the health of the tree. Thus, with the developmental support of Mersey Forest and Soilmania, our own tweeting tree — @bowiethebirch — was born. In the next column, I’ll introduce you to Bowie — until then, why don’t you give both Whitney and Bowie a follow? LT

Nadina spotlights

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Never stop growing

BY ART VANDEN ENDEN

AS A BUSINESS OWNER or operator, you probably spend the winter months reflecting on the previous year while planning for the coming season. In my experience, horticulture professionals are optimists when planning for the busy season. As they say, hope springs eternal.

I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard colleagues say, “This is going to be the best year ever!” Or, “The weather will be on our side, and things will run smoothly.” I’ve made those sunny predictions myself. I believe having a positive attitude is essential to run a successful business. But it’s just as important to be a realist.

I remember hearing an industry leader’s comment that a warm, sunny spring trumps a recession, while a cold, rainy spring can wreak havoc in even the strongest economies. While we can’t control the weather, we can control how we prepare. And my advice, from experience in the good

times and the tough, is to set your business up for success if ideal conditions come to fruition and to put plans in place to handle the worst-case scenarios.

Build a winning team

With spring approaching, horticulture businesses across Canada are staffing up. Many are also looking at their existing team members, wondering if any will jump ship and leave them for perceived greener pastures.

Every returning employee should get a wrap-up discussion before they finish their term the previous year. This two-way conversation covers results, performance and opportunities for the following year.

How well did they meet the last year’s expectations? How did the employee enjoy the work? Was it rewarding? How can it be improved? Employers must invest in staff development. Employees should also play a significant role in their development. There

needs to be ownership and accountability from both parties to support each other.

Hold yourself accountable

As a business leader, you play the biggest role in determining the culture, productivity and results of your company. This includes team morale and prospects for the upcoming year. Perhaps you were unhappy with how you felt about the previous years’ results or the business overall. Maybe exhaustion, life balance and stress all contributed to a less-than-ideal work year. Before you start pointing fingers, I would suggest some honest self-reflection should happen first.

Are you brave enough to have a 360-degree peer review done on yourself? I bet you have staff and colleagues who can provide feedback on how you can be an even better leader. Depending on how big your business is and how many people report to you, there may be a need for unbiased,

third-party help. Be honest with this feedback — never take it personally or obsess about where it came from. That’s not the point of the exercise. If you are lucky enough to have a life or a business mentor, I’m sure they can help you focus on opportunities for improvement.

How do you spend your time?

The time analysis exercise below is beneficial for understanding where you spend your

time and energy. Complete one column, then ask your manager or mentor for their insights. Also, consider asking someone who reports to you.

Start by inputting your ideal time breakdown during for the business season (in a figure that represents a percentage of your time in the week). Each column needs to add up to 100 per cent of your available time.

Once completed, score your results at the end of a busy week. It should only take a few

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minutes to do. I liked to do this at a quieter time of day. Just reflect and assign what you believe you spent your time doing. Continue this exercise for several weeks, and you will start to see patterns emerge. It will expose where your greatest opportunities are for self-improvement.

Having your mentor or trusted advisor complete the chart is important to see how they feel you should spend your time. I do not doubt that providing honest input will

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help you to see where your improvements should come from. This chart will look significantly different in the slow and off seasons, as each has different demands on how you focus your time. Let’s review each section to understand my reasons and descriptions better.

DRIVING SALES : Ensure your business’s products and services get enough attention. It includes analyzing whether your team is achieving the presentation, maintenance and desired levels of service. This is a balance between on-the-floor and back office roles — heavily leaning toward on-the-floor at peak selling times. You are setting the

service culture for your team members by example.

PROCESSES: This means that inventory replenishment systems are working. Timely measured orders are being placed and received. Staff schedules are meeting anticipated demand. All equipment is functioning, and the right amount is in use. Through active observations, improvements should be made and implemented.

PLANNING: This is time spent looking down the road. This could be two or four weeks, six months, or longer, depending on the lead time required for specific projects. There are times of the year when this could consist of ‘note-taking’ or having an idea shoebox to visit later. Planning also includes observations of what is happening on the sales floor. A few minutes at the start of the day will ensure all timely, urgent things that need your attention are done and scheduled for completion. It also means your organizational tools are working and up to date. This could be as basic as your ‘to-do’ list.

COACHING: Effective managers lead by example, encourage staff, provide timely feedback, and ensure product training is comprehensive and timely. Your team’s success and level of engagement are directly tied to how well you coach, lead and inspire.

FOLLOW UP: Always follow up after assigning tasks. This ensures the job is completed on time and correctly. Issues often arise when directions are not communicated clearly, and employees are not aware of the authority they are given to implement or adapt. Be timely and use a coaching and supportive tone.

FIREFIGHTING: Stuff happens! Far too often, managers and supervisors pride themselves as great firefighters. They can solve any problem. A far better way of thinking of your job is to be a fire preventer, like Smokey Bear. Paying attention to planning, coaching, and training will reduce the time spent putting out fires.

MEETINGS: Every meeting should have a defined purpose and objective. Meetings for the sake of meetings are a waste of time. In peak seasons, meetings should be brief and not held during the busiest time of day. They can be a quick huddle, forward-looking for the upcoming day or week, and should be generally positive in tone. Meetings must start on time, have an agenda and be followed.

OTHER: This includes the miscellaneous stuff that can take up your valuable time, such as getting lost in catching up on emails. Idle chat and distractions happen, but wasting time should be avoided. Falling behind on your day and week can leave you scrambling.

The bottom line

When the spring sun is shining, spend as much time as possible driving sales, watching processes, coaching your team and keeping your ear open for planning opportunities. Avoid falling into typical time traps caused by frequent firefighting, follow-ups, meetings and other distractions.

Never stop improving as a leader. Be confident enough in yourself to ask for feedback and to truly listen. I am a firm believer in owning self-improvement. Feel free to contact me by email for more details at: artvan@rogers.com.

LT

Art loved every minute of his 44year garden centre career with Weall and Cullen and Sheridan Nurseries. In retirement, Art enjoys giving back to the profession with Landscape Ontario’s Garden Centre Sector Group, and sharing his experience with Landscape Trades readers.

ART VANDEN ENDEN

NATIONAL GARDEN BUREAU ANNOUNCES 2023 GREEN THUMB WINNERS

The National Garden Bureau (NGB), a 102-year-old non-profit organization that promotes gardening on behalf of the horticulture industry, announced six live goods and two hard goods as winners of the 2023 Green Thumb Award. Winners were chosen based on these four criteria: uniqueness, technological innovation, ability to solve a gardening problem or provide a gardening opportunity, and appeal to gardeners. The program was created in 1998 to recognize the most innovative new plants and gardening products available each year. 2023 winners included:

Astilbe Dark Side of the Moon

This rose series delivers big, delightfully fragrant blooms with a high petal count that provide the classic romance of roses with the added benefit of disease resistance brought to you by modern breeding. Bubbly features a champagnecoloured bloom that forms a lovely bud, then slowly unfurls to its full glory. The lush foliage makes these excellent shrubs in the garden. Blooms repeatedly from early spring until the first frost. This rose series is hardy to zone five, grows to three to four feet tall and is from Monrovia Nursery.

Colocasia esculenta Royal Hawaiian Waikiki

Veteran plant pros and new gardeners alike are talking about the exciting new colours on this colocasia.

Royal Hawaiian Waikiki offers glossy green foliage with flamboyant white and flamingo pink veining and is bred to be happy in full sun. Disease resistance and a compact, clumping habit — three feet tall and wide — is ideal for patio containers, poolside plantings and colour-packed garden beds. This plant was entered by Plant Haven International and is available from several sources. This colocasia is also a 2023 All-America Selections National Winner making it a dual-award winner.

A new instant classic for the landscape, Dark Side of the Moon astilbe is the only dark-leafed astilbe with purple flowers currently on the market. Rich, deep chocolate-burgundy leaves form an incredibly attractive 18 to 24-inch mound of foliage. Emerging leaves are yellow with a dark margin and a glossy sheen that becomes completely dark as they age. Dark stems hold raspberry buds that burst forth with rosy, purple flowers. This astilbe is hardy in zones four to nine and is from Walters Gardens.

TruDrop Flex

This self-watering planter from Crescent Garden provides phenomenal results, helping to make successful gardening accessible to everyone. The innovative insert can be removed from its shell easily, so you can change the style, change the plants, and maintain your plants.

The outer shell serves as a great water reservoir that allows it to go weeks without watering, delivering phenomenal results by watering through the roots, while at the same time, saving water and fertilizer usage for a truly sustainable container garden. It can be used indoors or out.

Rose Eau De Parfum Bubbly

Tradescantia Pistachio White

A breeding breakthrough allows this allnew tradescantia to maintain heavy white variegation while still supporting vigorous growth. An excellent selection for small pots through hanging baskets, as well as an eyepopping combination item. This house plant from PanAmerican Seed maintains fantastic performance as a house plant in winter months.

Dibby XL gardening tool

The Dibby XL helps any gardener of any skill level consistently plant vegetable and flower seeds at the correct depth for good germination. This means more plants with less time and effort. Also, thinning and transplanting seedlings just got easier. Other tools are hard to manoeuvre around tender seedlings, and none of them gently cup a seedling by its roots. The Dibby XL helps easily transplant and thin seedlings giving them more room to develop.

Starflower Paper Moon

The novelty of this annual is what makes it a winner in the 2023 Green Thumb Award. Small, pale blue blossoms on wiry stems transform into highly decorative, bronzecoloured geometric and globe-shaped seed heads. Plants are grown primarily for the papery seed pods, which are useful for both fresh and dried bouquets. This variety is from Sahin/Takii EU. Plants grow two to three feet tall and attract beneficial insects.

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FARWEST SHOW CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY

The biggest nursery industry trade show in the West, the Farwest Show, will celebrate its 50th anniversary this coming August.

The trade show and conference is produced by the Oregon Association of Nurseries (OAN) and will take place August 23–25, 2023 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon. It will include special festivities celebrating five decades of making nursery industry connections. Booths are available now, registration will open on April 10, and organizers have planned a full slate of seminars and social events.

Highlights of the 50th anniversary celebration will include a band, food carts, expanded educational opportunities, and creative ways of

recognizing the history of the show and the industry it represents.

“Not many nursery trade shows have lasted five decades, through all the changes in the industry and all the transformations in how sales happen,” said Allan Niemi, OAN director of events, who has served as director of the show since 2008. “Farwest has done it, so we’re going to have a party to celebrate! We are immensely proud of what the show has done for our growers and nursery professionals from all over the country. It has brought people to Oregon where they can see the difference that Nursery Country growers are able to offer.”

Learn more at farwestshow.com.

GARDEN CENTRE SUMMIT HEADS TO VANCOUVER

Garden Centres Canada’s (GCC) annual national retail Summit is a networking and educational opportunity for independent garden centre owners and managers to come together and discuss the latest trends and patterns, and share innovative ideas. The 2023 event held will be held in Vancouver, B.C. July 9-12 and feature new speakers, locations, and great places to eat.

Part of the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association, GCC supports independent garden retailers across Canada through education, training, advocacy, and marketing.

“Together, we will discuss the latest trends and patterns, and share innovative ideas,” Anne Kadwell, CNLA’s Landscape and Retail Sector Specialist, said. “Attendees will spend two days touring local garden centres and participating in a full day of industry expert speakers. This is the ultimate networking and educational opportunity for independent garden retail owners, entrepreneurs, and senior influencers within the ornamental horticulture industry. Be part of our “Inspiring Growth” summit.” Learn more at cnla.com/events/gcc-summit-2023.

DEVELON REPLACES DOOSAN BRAND

Doosan will now be called DEVELON throughout the world. Work began to identify a new brand name to replace Doosan following the August 2021 sale of Doosan Infracore to HD Hyundai (formerly Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings Co. HHIH).

“Develon will continue to focus on manufacturing construction equipment to build critical infrastructure for the betterment of communities and societies in North America and beyond,” the company wrote in a media release. “Develon products and services will help customers and partners become industry leaders in construction, logging, recycling, mining, rental and agriculture. Efforts will also be placed on advancing sustainable development through alternative energy sources of power for construction equipment…. In North America, Develon will continue supporting its more than 180 dealer locations in the United States and Canada. Develon North American operations will remain headquartered near Atlanta, in Suwanee, Ga., where the company continues to offer a training center for dealership service technicians.”

ELECTRIC EXCAVATOR

John Deere’s new electric excavator, powered by a Kreisel battery, results in fewer moving parts, less noise pollution and fewer emissions. Deere acquired a majority stake in Kreisel in 2021. It says the company’s patented immersion cooling architecture provides unsurpassed lifetime, enhanced safety and improved performance.

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CHIPPING HAMMER

Designed for heavy duty demolition, concrete, and masonry work, the Dewalt 60V Max 27-lb. Cordless SDS Max Chipping Hammer quickly breaks down dense concrete with up to 27 Joules of impact energy. The hammer tackles horizontal and downward chipping for highperformance in mid-to-lower wall and flooring tasks and is ideal for wall breaching, channel creation as well as bushing and scarifying.

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ACCENT LIGHT

Dauer Manufacturing’s 8-15V Bodacious brass integrated accent light allows for uplight/ downlight use and is fully dimmable using Dauer’s Sunset dimmer. The Bodacious is fully-potted and sealed to avoid water intrusion.

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PORTABLE POWERSTATION

The Kress 8-Minute CyberSystem DC-DC portable power station can fully charge Kress CyberPack batteries in as little as eight minutes — all day long. The CyberTank Portable Powerstation features air cooling technology, is IP67 rated and has a six-year warranty.

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HYDRAULIC HAMMER ATTACHMENTS

Seven sound-suppressed hydraulic hammer models have been added to the Takeuchi Attachment Program. The compact and medium hammer range feature fewer internal parts and no tie rods, as well as a threein-one lower tool bushing for enhanced durability and simpler maintenance.

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PAVER

The Napa 60-mm paver from Best Way Stone is a great addition to any landscape design. Offered in Carrara and Ultra Black colouring, this signature paver can be paired up with the Lyra or Riverton product lines.

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SINTERED STONE

Lapitec sintered stone is an innovative, full-body and silica-free material that boasts many attractive features for long-lasting outdoor surfaces. Available in large format slabs, and cut-to-size options, it unites aesthetic design appeal and physical properties of porcelain with the elegance, workability, and typical finishes of natural stone.

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COPING

Unilock’s new Endura Coping is available in: Fossil, Almond Grove Fusion, Granite Mist and Opal Blend, in bullnose or chamfered.

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QUICK-SWAP ATTACHMENTS

The ABI Force’s Quick-Swap Attachments enable the machine to be configured for both dirt and turf management work. New attachments for 2023 include a snow plow mount system, the Vibraflex 3500-R, silt aerator, and a seed and fertilizer spreader.

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The HF1 wood noise barrier from Ramo meets the highest acoustics standards and can be vegetated by adding vines at the wall’s base. Installation is quick and easy: simply slide the panel between two H-posts. It is covered by a metal cap and set on a concrete panel to extend its lifespan.

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ROTO RAKE - POWER BOX RAKE

The RotoRake features a floating rotor design with roadgrade mini carbide teeth, side shields, and optional side cutters. The RotoRake features 25° angle and 28° tilt making it simply the best power box rake on the market.

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LIMESTONE WALL AND STEP CAP

The ethically sourced, straight-edged Limestone wall and step cap is a great choice for lovers of modern style. Part of Techo-Bloc’s new Natural Stone collection, the Limestone cap is available in black, adding just the right amount of contrast to any landscape design.

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EVENTS

JULY 9-12, 2023

GARDEN CENTRES CANADA SUMMIT Vancouver, B.C. cnla.ca/events/gcc-summit-2023

JULY 15-18, 2023

AMERICANHORT PRESENTS CULTIVATE

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SEPT. 10-13, 2023

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Game changer

AS THE VICE PRESIDENT and general manager for Positec Canada, Philip Fitzpatrick played a key role in launching the Kress brand in North America this winter.

Fitzpatrick believes the landscape industry has reached a tipping point for the electrification of outdoor power equipment. Landscape Trades editor Scott Barber recently connected with Fitzpatrick to find out why.

Why is the development of new technologies key for equipment manufacturers?

The demands of the landscaping business are continually changing and evolving to accommodate many different elements such as weather, political and environmental issues, available time, overhead shortages and return on investment. Manufacturers continually invest resources in developing equipment that will deliver solutions to any one or all of those issues.

What are the biggest challenges in research and development?

Research and development work in harmony with the changing demands of the market. It can be challenging to identify the problem that needs to be solved and knowing what research to invest in. It is also challenging to establish a pace of development that allows a manufacturer to remain relevant and not launch new technologies that are already obsolete. Furthermore, a big challenge we all face is staying in harmony with the rate of change happening in the market. The manufacturer who can be first with gamechanging technology can have a very large impact on their brand and the industry itself.

What recent technological advancements are you most excited about?

I am most excited about battery technologies that will enable professionals in our industry to eliminate the heavily polluting effects of small engines. Another innovation that will have a major impact on our industry and that I am looking forward to is robotics.

How difficult is it to educate and inform professionals on new product advancements?

Bringing innovation to the market is exceptionally challenging for a few reasons:

commercial consumers are not always openly ready to accept change because the new technologies not only need to work but they also need to deliver on the ROI equation. Commercial consumers use these products to generate a revenue and make a living. Communicating the benefits of new technologies needs to answer the ROI question. Commercial consumers can also be averse to change, since it can mean taking a chance on a technology they may feel is unproven. New technologies often also mean greater up-front investments which can be challenging to overcome.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with landscape professionals across Canada?

Kress, part of the Positec family of brands, is a company who has worked in battery technologies for its entire existence. We are experts in the field. As many other industries have already begun the journey toward electrification, Kress has invested in researching, developing, manufacturing and bringing to market a battery solution for the professional landscaper that will enable them to also get on the electrification super highway. We are excited to continue to work with and grow our dealer network and provide real solutions in the industry. LT

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