September 2012 Landscape Trades by Landscape Ontario

September 2012 VOL. 34, NO. 7

landscapetrades.com

Are your snow prices competitive? Non-competes: Limited protection better than none Cutting corners risks cutting profits

New perspectives on

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INSIDE: Special Expo Preview section

contents SEPTEMBER 2012 VOL. 34, NO. 7

PUBLISHER Lee Ann Knudsen CLP | lak@landscapeontario.com Editorial Director Sarah Willis | sarahw@landscapeontario.com Editor Allan Dennis | adennis@landscapeontario.com Web editor Robert Ellidge | rob@landscapeontario.com Art Director Kim Burton | kburton@landscapeontario.com Graphic Designer Mike Wasilewski | mikew@landscapeontario.com Accountant Joe Sabatino | joesabatino@landscapeontario.com Sales Manager, PUBLICATIONS Steve Moyer | stevemoyer@landscapeontario.com COMMUNICATIONS assistant Shawna Barrett | skbarrett@landscapeontario.com Advisory Committee Gerald Boot CLP, Laura Catalano, Hank Gelderman CHT, Marty Lamers, Jan Laurin, Warren Patterson, Bob Tubby CLP

Landscape Trades is published by Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association 7856 Fifth Line South, Milton, ON L9T 2X8 Phone: (905)875-1805 Email: comments@landscapetrades.com Fax: (905)875-0183 Web site: www.landscapetrades.com LANDSCAPE ONTARIO STAFF Darryl Bond, Laura Brinton, Tony DiGiovanni CHT, Denis Flanagan CLD, Sally Harvey CLT CLP, Helen Hassard, Jane Leworthy, Heather MacRae, Kristen McIntyre CHT, Kathy McLean, Linda Nodello, Kathleen Pugliese, Paul Ronan, Ian Service, Tom Somerville, Martha Walsh

Landscape Trades is published nine times a year: January, March, April, May, June, July/August, September, October and November/December.

This month Landscape Trades focuses on ideas to help build a better business for your retail garden centre.

Focus on RETAIL

FEATURES

6 Diamonds in the rough A retail portfolio: Repurposing great business ideas BY DAVID DOMONEY

8 Technology boosts business performance Investing in a POS system is a wise management move BY JOHN STANLEY

12 Idea exchange Lay the groundwork for next spring at Expo 2012

14 Reach your target market Build business by telling a great story through social media BY DOUG GREEN

growing green SHOW PREVIEW

18 Tips on marketing to millennials

Moving your business forward Canada’s fall show for the Garden and Floral Industry

OFA short course gives attendees a competitive edge

OCTOBER 17 & 18, 2012 TORONTO CONGRESS CENTRE, NORTH BUILDING, TORONTO, ONTARIO CANADA

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BY SARAH WILLIS

An initiative of

In partnership with

Subscription rates: One year – $46.89, two years – $84.73; three years – $118.63, HST included. U.S. and international please add $20.00 per year for postage and handling. Please make cheque payable to Landscape Trades. All rights are reserved. Material may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Landscape Trades assumes no responsibility for, and does not endorse the contents of, any advertisements herein. All representations or warranties made are those of the advertiser and not the publication. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the association or its members, but are those of the writer concerned.

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LANDSCAPE TRADES: EXPO 2012 SPECIAL | 1

Expo 2012 Show Guide preview final for LT.indd 1

34 SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPING Underused fall foliage stars BY SEAN JAMES

8/17/2012 3:04:56 PM

In this issue: EXPO SHOW PREVIEW Pages 25-31

38 MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS Find the sweet spot in snow bids BY MARK BRADLEY

36 LEGAL MATTERS Enforcing a non-compete clause BY ROBERT KENNALEY

40 ROAD TO SUCCESS Shortcuts don’t pay dividends BY ROD McDONALD ISSN 0225-6398 PUBLICATIONS MAIL SALES AGREEMENT 40013519 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT LANDSCAPE TRADES MAGAZINE 7856 FIFTH LINE SOUTH, MILTON, ON L9T 2X8, CANADA

DEPARTMENTS GREEN PENCIL INDUSTRY NEWS NEW PRODUCTS PROVINCIAL NEWS

4 22 32 43

CNLA NEWS COMING EVENTS CLASSIFIEDS WHERE TO FIND IT

24 44 44 46

SEPTEMBER 2012 | LANDSCAPE TRADES |

greenpencil Canadian industry stays one step ahead of the curve

New thinking for 2013

I’ve sat in on enough meetings to know the horticulture industry is made up of small business owners who are independent thinkers. Gather a group of business owners, and you will rarely get a consensus on anything. However, everyone agrees that our markets are changing. The service industry is operating in a new paradigm, and many entrepreneurs are unsure where to go. An afternoon-long summit at the OFA Short Course in July, featured four eloquent and influential industry speakers, trying to corral the ideas of over 100 entrepreneurs. The session was moderated by green industry economist Charlie Hall of Texas A&M University. As the afternoon progressed, it struck By Sarah Willis me how much work Canadian By Sarah Willis green industry leaders have already done, and how much they are getting right. Brian Minter, of Minter Country Garden, in Chilliwack, B.C., is an outspoken critic of the industry, yet has a wealth of ideas and suggestions for success. He said, “Every business in the country is changing and looking for new growth opportunities.” Not limiting his examples to green industry companies, he cited McDonalds as daring to change up its offerings and creating McCafes to appeal to a different audience, and increase market share. Minter says our job is to make plants matter to people, adding the opportunity is there, it’s ours to lose. He thinks the best recession-proofing any of us can do is to position plants as necessities in people’s lives, not luxuries. To that end, Minter asked his U.S.-based audience, “What is the green industry doing in terms of consistent messaging?” His answer, “Nothing, we are a bunch of

4 | SEPTEMBER 2012 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

independents too stubborn to work together.” However, in Canada nine provincial horticultural trade associations have worked together to adopt the Green for Life brand, and their members now collectively promote the same message across Canada in everything they do. Another panellist, retail consultant Stan Pohmer, suggested we need to connect within our own communities. Important takeaways were getting to know customers personally, keeping a record of their past sales and capturing contact information, so it can be used to reach out personally, efficiently and electronically. A POS system is the best way to capture all that information, and is a great business management tool as well. If you are one of the 49 per cent of Canadian garden centres currently not using POS, read John Stanley’s article on page eight, and take the plunge. An audience member suggested working with local schools to connect with your community. We’re one step ahead of you in Canada. The CNLA’s National Tree Day initiative matches up schools with a local member willing to donate and plant a tree on September 26, 2012. Marvin Miller, market researcher with the Ball Horticultural Company, spoke about providing customers with an authentic experience. Make plants matter to people and tell your story, he said. Doug Green offers a lesson on presenting your authentic story with social media on page 12. Miller wrapped up his thoughtful presentation by noting we’ve forgotten about customer service. His advice was to share our passion for this industry. “Passion is infectious,” he noted. “Passion can be quiet or loud. Quiet passion can be inside, exude from every pore. Passion can influence and inspire customers. If captured, quiet passion would make for an authentic place LT of business.” And that, we can all agree on.

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Stage a retail U.K. retail expert presents a wealth of new ideas for your store By David Domoney U.K. garden designer, television presenter and garden retail expert David Domoney looks for effective, inspirational ideas from his travels, that can be adapted as clever marketing or sales initiatives in garden centres. With an extensive background in garden centre management, Domoney believes that answers to business conundrums, sales drives and marketing are out there, just waiting to be stolen or adapted from retailers, businesses and leisure organisations in other sectors. All you need is the vision to spot these diamonds in the rough. To help bring this fresh new outlook to garden retailers, Landscape Trades is sponsoring Domoney’s keynote presentation, Diamonds in the Rough, at Landscape Ontario’s Expo 2012. To give readers an idea of what to expect, Landscape Trades asked Domoney for a preview of some inspirational retail initiatives he’s spotted on recent trips in and around the U.K. David Domoney’s keynote presentation at Expo 2012, features varieties of retail ideas from America, Italy, Dubai, Egypt, India, Russia and a whole host of other countries, packed with anecdotes and clever ideas for you to be able to adapt and take back into your own business. It’s an immensely amusing, energetic presentation. His TV show Love Your Garden attracts an estimated 4.5 million viewers as it creates stunning gardens for deserving people. Don’t miss David’s presentation at Expo 2012, at 7:30 a.m. on October 17. Registration is open at www.loexpo.ca.

6 | SEPTEMBER 2012 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

A simple stand selling birdhouses and birdfeeders. What really brings the idea to life is a recorder playing birdsongs hidden behind the merchandising rack. Whilst you’re walking around the shop, you hear this birdsong, you are naturally drawn towards it and when you arrive, it is selling the products to attract them into your own garden, which is a very clever idea. At the front there is also a little video square that shows the different birds you’re hearing, and also recommends the ideal bird house to attract them into your own garden.

The next idea is seating. Inside this stylish café, serving juices and milkshakes, they’ve actually got the back end of a motorised scooter to act as a seat. It’s funky; it’s energetic, its eye catching and always draws the crowd. It’s innovative thinking to create something chic and inspirational.

Bringing entertainers into retail has often been identified as great fun. It turns the retail unit itself into some form of theatre. This guy here is a juggler and comedian, and he travels around the centre balancing various vegetables on his nose, filling his mouth with water and acting as his own water feature. He is full of other tricks packed into the basket to entertain both adults and children, effectively bringing an element of fun to a day out. It’s about enjoying the whole experience of retail, also creating a noticeable splash of marketing without spending too much money.

This is a garden shed pharmacy. Instead of having normal sterile racks for garden chemicals, the garden retailer has a plant advice centre inside a cupboard. When somebody brings in a plant problem, be it a pest or a disease, the retailer identifies the problem, and then with a touch of theatre opens up the pharmacy cabinet, revealing a whole host of cures. Check out this water butt, in the shape of a butt. It’s all about bringing energy to your store and looking at new innovative ideas, and this particularly caught my attention. A water butt in the shape of a butt, equipped with its own tattoo saying ‘butt’ with a few Celtic bands at the top and the clever positioning of the tap makes it a great deal of fun. It’s all about the attitude and amusement into the garden, and I felt that this one certainly caught the attention of passers by.

This retailer called Hot Topic is selling a variety of collectables. The whole front of the store is decorated as an Alice in Wonderland entrance. Before you even step inside, you have enhanced the customer’s expectation and it’s all about effectively using the front door as the draw into your business.

Toilets are perhaps some of the most unimaginative sections of any form of retail or business. We think ourselves, if the facilities in a restaurant are clean and tidy, the restaurant feels fresh. If it’s not, we get the reverse effect. This picture was taken in Schiphol Airport Amsterdam, where they have created these beautiful warm walls of tulips to, shall we say, give an element of chic and style even in the most discreet places.

There are many noticeable examples of this around the world, where eye catching displays, merchandising and sales signage has been highlighted by a bit of imagination. An example here in a shop where the autumn range has been highlighted by a series of four umbrellas and the word ‘sale’ painted on the top. It’s fun, innovative and inexpensive and adds a touch of daring designer to highlight LT the retail activity. SEPTEMBER 2012 | LANDSCAPE TRADES |

SOLD on

POS systems Technology investments will boost business performance BY JOHN STANLEY

Retailing is one of the oldest trades known to mankind. I remember the days when some retailers used to collect money, place it in a shoe box, and then count it up at the end of the day. As long as the business stayed small, they kept in touch with the transactions and had an understanding of the business.

8 | SEPTEMBER 2012 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

I went to a shop recently where the sales assistant made the sale, and then wrote down the article she had sold before she handed it to the consumer. The consumer stood there and got frustrated while she managed her stock control system by hand. I, for one, would avoid that retailer in the future. The irony is that in 1879, when Dayton, Ohio, inventor James Ritty invented the cash register, he was not intending to improve the customer experience. He invented it to stop staff stealing the money. We have come a long way since then, and now my local hardware store has a self-scanning system. If you cannot measure, you cannot manage Every retailer is aware that retail is detail. Detailed information that can be measured, and provides information to run the business, is valuable in these more difficult trading periods. Modern retailing is a combination of the art of

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display and the science of retail management. The Point Of Sale system (POS) is vital to running a business. It has long moved on from a piece of equipment solely used for taking money. Like the smart phone, many people will argue that the thing they do least on it, is to phone somebody. The POS is exactly the same. The right point of sale system is not a cost to the business, it is a saver of money. No point of sale system should be looked as a cost. If it is, it is the wrong system, or is being used in the wrong way. Before you purchase a system you need to list the things you want it to do. Only then can you talk to an agent and get the advice you need to ensure you are getting the system best suited to your business. Maximising stock turn How many products have you got in stock, how many have you sold, and how many do you need to buy? This is one of the real challenges of a retailer. In the old days, the only

way of getting a real picture of what was going on was to go out and physically count items in inventory. This was laborious, time wasting and rarely accurate. This is one task that can be made a lot easier. The key is to make sure you are inputting accurate information, and then you can get accurate information out. I have clients who tell me that they reduced their stockholding by at least 20 per cent, once they had introduced a POS system that could monitor nursery or garden centre stock management. This is a substantial saving, and means that product also looks fresher, as the slower movers are identified and managed accordingly. Managing One of the easiest ways of improving performance in your business is to know how you are performing. Once team members can work out the average sale per customer and the average sale per square metre, they can put actions into place to increase those performance

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indicators. I remember working with a garden centre where the owner did not believe that the staff should be provided with performance figures. His concern was that they might tell his competition. After convincing him that it was essential to let the team know the figures, he told the team and planned to introduce a training program. Once the team knew the figures, and even before he introduced the training program, the average sale went up 15 per cent. The team had a measuring stick they could use, and started wanting to help customers more, and watched the customer count and average sale increase. Benchmarking Retailing today is tougher that it has ever been. Retailers need to be able to share ideas and information to judge how they are performing in comparison to the overall industry. This is where benchmarking is such a valuable tool. Once you can measure yourself against the rest of the industry, you have reassurance of how you are performing. If you are underperforming, you can instantly do something about it. Benchmarking is one of the most valuable tools that you can have as a business. It helps and reassures you that you are performing at peak performance. To the retailers who have not developed a point of sale system for their own business, there is good news and there is bad news: The good news is that you must have a system to move your business forward, and the system is an investment that will save you a lot of money over the years. The bad news is, that for the first year, it takes a lot of time and effort to get to where you want to be. “Do not give up” is the only advice I can offer. The longer you leave it before you jump into a POS system, the more difficult it becomes. If you have not jumped, my advice is, LT “jump now.”

John Stanley is a consultant, author, trainer and speaker specializing in perishable retailing. Many of his clients have gone on to win industry awards after his coaching.

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The ambience at EXPO is unique, with overhead lights turned off, and over 250 exhibitors in the spotlight.

Answers at Expo 2012 Thought leaders and new products on tap Spring of 2012 is over; it’s time to revitalize your retail strategy at Expo. Depending on what part of the country you are in, the weather was a boon or bane to business. However, weather is only one factor affecting who shops at your store, when, and what they buy. On Oct. 17 and 18, Landscape Ontario’s Expo 2012 provides two days of total business immersion for garden retailers, florists and interior landscapers. “Every year brings something new to Ontario’s vibrant horticulture and floriculture industry,” says Heather MacRae, Landscape Ontario’s director of events and trade shows. “For those in the industry, Expo is the ideal opportunity to begin marketing efforts for 2013 and discover the emerging trends that will be in demand at garden centres, florist and mass merchants next spring.” The show takes place in the North Building of the Toronto Congress Centre. The schedule for this year’s show is jam-packed with informative seminars and special events beneficial to garden, floral and nursery businesses. It kicks off at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 17, with a powerhouse presentation by U.K. gardening guru David Domoney, who will use ideas gleaned from his travels to illustrate how you can set your retail operation apart by giving it personality. See his article on page 6, for a sneak peek of some great ideas you can repurpose within your own company. Accompanying Domoney’s presentation will be the Garden Centre and Grower Awards of Excellence ceremony, honouring successful marketing initiatives, merchandising and expertise in growing. The following day will feature an intense yet entertaining session on Planning for Profits presented by two dynamic 12 | SEPTEMBER 2012 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

women, Jill Jensen founder of Jill Jensen Botanical Specialties, and Sue Blaney of Lechuza Canada, a lifetime entrepreneur and international traveler. Garden centre retailers and florists, as well as interior, floral and landscape designers will find this session inspiring. Jensen and Blaney plan to sow the seeds of future profitability within their audience, noting that difficult challenges face many in the floriculture and interior landscaping industry. “The goal of achieving and sustaining enhanced profitability in a diverse and competitive marketplace can be helped by improving how we address some of these challenges internally within our companies.” explains Jensen. “For example, adapting to, and incorporating into sales, new and cutting-edge gardening and interior design trends, effectively communicating to customers and staff about the range of products, services, industry standards and best practices available, and the ongoing application of such resources, knowledge and skills to improve the consumer’s experience provides opportunities open to all industry professionals to improve company performance and competitiveness.” Throughout both days, dynamic half-hour demonstrations run at Destination Inspiration Theatre, including sessions on Urn your profits, Contain-er your tropicals and Marketing musts. Expo 2012 is an ideal venue for people from every segment of the floriculture/horticulture industry to gather to find inspiration, creative merchandising concepts, and participate in professional development programs to enhance their knowledge and career opportunities. Take the opportunity to meet and get advice from leading industry experts and vendors who offer innovative ideas, fresh approaches, new products, tools and connections that will help grow your business. To register for Expo or one of its associated events, visit LT www.loexpo.ca.

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Crafting a good tale Cut through the chatter surrounding success in social media: truth and colour will actually get you there. The right strategy is as old as the craft of storytelling. Eighteen months ago I gave a failure of a talk to a group of nursery and garden centre people; in my opinion, it bombed spectacularly. I was asked to talk about social media, and led them through a process for success, but it was only when I got to the last step they perked up. This was the step that was the actual activity; the Facebooks, YouTube, etc., and what they wanted were the tips to succeed with activities. The point I couldn’t get across properly, and I want to make clear here, is that unless you’re using social media in the right way, with some understanding and method, then the “how” you use it won’t work as well as you’d like. My first seminar point was and is the most important, “It’s all about the story.” What story you tell and how you tell it, is the single most-critical aspect of your social marketing activity. Pictures with words Let me give you an example. When I had a nursery, my story was that, “if another garden centre had it, it was too common for us.” We were the place to go for the new, the rare and the unusual. We were also the place to go if you wanted incredible quality, as we grew it all ourselves — charging accordingly. And, if you wanted colour coordinated baskets to match the Color Council, we were 14 | SEPTEMBER 2012 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

BY DOUG GREEN

the place. My story was about being unusual and helping gardeners to grow it, being new, with plants nobody had, and exclusive colour combinations and sizes you couldn’t get elsewhere. And most importantly, we lived our story — we helped, we demonstrated our plants and how they grew in trial and test gardens, we taught gardeners the basics and the advanced skills. Note pricing wasn’t part of our story, as we charged more 20 years ago than many garden centres are charging now. We filled a church hall every year with a seminar that sold out within 24 hours of being announced, and everybody brought their own lunch and extra cookies to share with the leading plant experts I brought in. The cookie table along an entire wall of the church hall was a groaning board delight, and that, too, was part of the story. We were real people who liked cookies and my kids (who ran the door and helped out) were let loose with the leftovers (again part of the story of the day). We told our story in our advertising and print newsletter that was sent out to customers who signed in during the spring. The spring edition would have a coupon in it for returning customers for a free “new plant” introduction (I bought cartons of cuttings of one of the new varieties and customers left clutching a plant that nobody in their neighborhood had) but that was the ex-

Exclusive plants and colour combinations were part of our story.

tent of the “selling.” It was about the story we told and the story we presented when customers came to our family nursery: 20,000 square feet of greenhouses and an equal-sized outdoor retail area, stuffed with 1,600-1,800 varieties of perennials and 600-800 varieties of annuals, together with the newest and rarest (and yes, the bread and butter) plants you could get within 200 miles. Content is king If I were still in the nursery business today, that’s the story I would be telling in social media. I’d be telling how to grow things,

how to do things, how to solve gardening problems. I’d be adding a ton of value to my customer base. It’s the kinds of things I try to do as a writer as well. My story is different now — a bit of a curmudgeonly, plant-expert, sharing 35 years of in-the-trenches type of gardening. Somebody who’s been there, grown and killed that, sharing the vast resources gathered over a lifetime of professional gardening, presenting it all with a sense of humour. The fun thing — both stories are true. Both ring with authenticity. I don’t have to “market” and promote in the advertising manner because my stories to my readers are true and represent my brand as a writer. My only challenge is presenting the “me” honestly and openly without compromising my need for privacy in this day of instant access, as well as trying to respond to the demands for information from the large audience of readers that has resulted. When it comes to the practical, I took a leap of faith dropping the prepared video (and associated editing) while substituting my cell phone for in-garden quick videos

Total experience Finally, if you think advertising tells a story, you aren’t paying attention. The story is started the instant the customer sees your sign, the lead sentence is your parking lot and everything she does between then and the final period as she pulls back out into traffic is your story. Your challenge is to both tell an authentic story, one that will be true in your garden centre, and one that will want to make her hear more. To be authentic, your advertising has to reflect your story. If there’s a disconnect between the two, again your customer will write your story for you. I understand this isn’t traditional advertising and marketing, but this is the essence of what the new social media is about. If you intend to use social media as part of your marketing mix, then you have to get your story and your in-store customer experience LT to line up.

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of specific plants and things I’m doing. For something I need two hands for, I use my iPad on a tripod, and if I’m being formal, I use the Teleprompter App with my iPad. But the amount of editing I do is next to nothing. I show weeds, I show mistakes, I show great plants and what’s going on without the benefit of fixing it all up or taking angled shots to make things look great. What you see is what you get — indeed it’s cinema verite in the garden. But I get away with this because of my brand — my story is about being a plantsman and sharing real gardening information. It’s not about the studio, it is about me being me and sharing real information. Some viewers comment they want more polish and more professionalism. Okay, some readers don’t like my writing either. Move on, they’re not going to be my fans. Here’s the most important part. Unless you create a story, indeed a unique story different from your competitors, and live that authentic story, your customers will decide what your story is (there’s always a story). And, if they decide your story is the same as your competition or the same as the big box store … well, then you have a problem.

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Doug Green is an award-winning garden writer who ran his own nursery in Athens, Ont., for over 20 years. He now operates an online gardening publishing company at www.simplegiftsfarm.com. 16 | SEPTEMBER 2012 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

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The Ohio Florist Association Short Course is held every July in Ohio. The event is produced for nursery and greenhouse growers, florists and garden retailers. It features more than 200 seminars and workshops, a sevenacre trade show floor, as well as tours of local businesses.

Vignettes, created by talented merchandisers at the OFA Short Course, show off new trends and fresh display techniques to garden retailers.

18 | SEPTEMBER 2012 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

Marketing to Millennials This year’s keynote speaker was Joe Lamp’l, a U.S. garden media personality. Lamp’l spoke about his quest to draw the Millennial demographic, those between the ages of 17 and 34, to gardening. After hosting several network garden shows, Lamp’l decided to produce and write his own television show that would appeal to this younger generation. Growing a Greener World is now in its third season, and Lamp’l shared some of the lessons he’s learned. First of all, he let the Baby Boomers in the room (himself included) know that they are “has beens.” The Millennials, also known as Generation Y, are now the movers and shakers of society, and as they are a large cohort and our future customers, all sectors of the industry need to learn how to market to this group. “We are all in this together,” he said urging cooperation within the sector groups. First we have to understand the Millennials, which Lamp’l says operate differently than any other generation. Lamp’l cited a study by the Pew Research Center which shows that, as a group, the Millennials are marrying later in life, are well-educated, community oriented and self-expressive. They use art, decorating, cooking, and piercing and tattooing as methods of self expression. They have a positive outlook on life; however, they have

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more debt and therefore less disposable income. This is concerning because they are our future customers. Lamp’l explained that his research showed he needed to use a different approach to reach the Millennial cohort. They aren’t really interested in gardening, but are passionate about cooking and sustainability, so he realized he had to “come in through the back door with his message.” The gardening industry needs to learn from the food industry, which Lamp’l says has studied and embraced its customers. “It has created rock stars out of chefs and made cooking sexy and hip. Research shows Millennials want to slow down and experience life, and cooking creates a total sensory integration that appeals, and is marketed, to them. “We need to make plants and gardens cool, sexy and hip,” says Lamp’l. “The media is not helping, so we need to do it ourselves. We need to create the ‘foodie’ of gardening.” Lamp’l admits to having a difficult time coming up with the perfect, simple descriptive word that will embrace a love of gardening just like ‘foodie’ describes an appreciation for food. Any suggestions?

The Millennials love a good story. They like to build local connections and we need to capitalize on that – to create community, tell our stories, and make our names known. Lamp’l says people buy a difference, not a similarity, so reach out and demonstrate how you are different from the mass merchandisers. Millennials have embraced the expression, “the joy is in the journey,” and want to slow down – rejecting their parents’ workaholic lifestyle. They are looking for projects and causes. We need to remind them that gardening is an ideal outlet for self-expression. They can grow their own fresh local food, prepare, share and enjoy it. Millennials can be reached primarily through mobile technology. They are always online through their smart phones, which are rarely used for talking. Lamp’l suggested that all sectors need to create mobile messaging to draw this group to the garden. Beyond basic containers Another presenter at the OFA Short Course was Christina Salwitz, known for the fabulous containers she builds at garden centres

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on the west coast of the U.S. In addition to being a container designer, Salwitz is a personal garden coach and teaches retailers how to create and sell stunning containers. Salwitz shared some of her tips for increasing container sales, accompanied with a pictorial presentation of her work that wowed her audience. At the garden centres she works with, Salwitz suggests three levels of containers: small, simple, but effective grab-and-go containers for under $20 that someone might pick up for a hostess gift or a centrepiece; mid-range containers for $25-$80; and, high-end containers that start at $100. For fabulous containers, Salwitz says you must start with a great pot — chose something with style. She tends to work with black, dark green and teal pots. She recognizes that west coast designers can take advantage of better container pricing, as they don’t have to incur the costs of transporting heavy shipping crates across the country. She explained her teal pot theory, saying it is a “happy marriage colour,” as it goes with everything. “I dare you to find a plant colour that doesn’t go with teal.” Good container design follows the rule of threes: three textures, three colours and three heights in each container. As many pot collections come in various sizes, Salwitz will often design three different sized containers and sell them as a poppa, momma and baby. She also designs groups of containers with specific demographics in mind. Containers for young families will incorporate edibles, while containers for singles in a condominium will be more architectural and low maintenance. Salwitz has yet to meet a plant she can’t use in a container. Annuals, perennials, tropicals, evergreens, edibles and shrubs are all creative fodder. She uses one-gallon nursery stock in many of her pots, and notes it can increase larger shrub sales, since customers often want to plant the same shrub in their garden as they have in their patio containers. For the do-it-yourselfer, she creates a huge display dummy pot and makes sure the plants used in the design are all merchandised around it. If a customer wants the container planted up, she adds 15 per cent to the retail cost of the plants as a rule of thumb. To see some of Christina Salwitz’s favourite designs, find her on Pinterest, pinterest. com/growcoach/container-gardening-ideas/.LT

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20 | SEPTEMBER 2012 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

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Available from these fine growers: Greenleaf Nursery, Co. Monrovia Prides Corner Farms Sheridan Nurseries, LTD. Spring Meadow Nursery, Inc. (liners) Willoway Nurseries, Inc. Bailey Nurseries Bylands Nurseries, LTD. Canadale Nurseries, LTD. Clinton Nurseries Euro American Fisher Farms LLC Four Star Greenhouse, Inc. Hopewell Nursery Hackney Nursery Imperial Nurseries, Inc.

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industrynews New products, networking and professional development opportunities on tap at CanWest Hort Show BC Landscape & Nursery Association warmly welcomes you to Western Canada’s premier horticulture trade show, CanWest, to be held September 19 and 20 at the Vancouver Convention Centre. New show hours this year run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. A stellar lineup of speakers tackling the issues, challenges, and newest opportunities today will help build your business and boost your professional development. Source new suppliers at more than 350 booths, and spend valuable networking time with colleagues. Check out the latest products and take advantage of show specials and a chance to win a $3,000 dream vacation! Enjoy a post-show tour of Vancouver’s Landscape Awards of Excellence winning projects or the Edible Garden Project, or unwind having fun on the Fraser Valley Wine Tour. CanWest has made every effort to help make travelling to and staying in Vancouver affordable for exhibitors and delegates. West Jet is offering a 10 per cent discount on flights. Call 1-888-4937853 and quote CC7454. Reasonable rates have been secured with a number of hotels. Check out the CanWest website at www.canwesthortshow. com for a list of hotels offering preferred rates.

The WCTA mandate includes the promotion of further education, turfgrass research, and the exchange of information related to turfgrass management, and recognizes within its membership a Sports Turf Managers Group. By partnering with the STA, these members will now have greater access to specialized education, professional development and resources in this sector niche. The Sports Turf Managers Group will be able to complement the benefits offered by their regional association by enjoying reduced membership rates in the Sports Turf Association, the non-profit professional association dedicated solely to the promotion of better, safer sports turf. Moving forward, the WCTA will be the conduit for STA membership originating in the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. The associations will explore joint educational and professional development opportunities.

Plan to profit in 2013 by attending HNA

Hardscape North America, to be held October 25 and 26 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Ky., is the tradeshow for hardscape contractors and distributors. Its format allows you to build a show schedule around your specific business needs. Again this year, the co-location with GIE+EXPO will create one immense marketplace for this growing industry. WCTA and STA announce With more than 750 exhibits to see, HNA allows strategic partnership you to research products that will add productivity The Western Canada Turfgrass Association (WCTA) and profits to your business. Looking for the latest and Sports Turf Association (STA) are pleased innovations that the industry will be buzzing about to announce the formalization of a partnership in 2013? The New Products Showcase features agreement between the two organizations. products from some of the industry’s leading suppliers with tested brands, as well as new companies looking to make a big splash. A 19-acre outdoor demo park is located just steps away from the indoor exhibits and will give you the chance to kick the tires and “test drive” the products of more than 100 suppliers for two full days. Your HNA trade show regStrategic Partnership Meeting of WCTA and STA representatives, in Victoria, B.C., istration includes access to in January, 2012. two days of hardscape-speBack row (L-R): Tennessee Propedo, STA Vice President; Paul Gillen, cific installation demonstraSTA President; Tab Buckner, WCTA President; Jerry Rousseau, tions, where you’ll learn the WCTA Executive Director; Brian Holl, WCTA Director Front row: Lee Huether, STA Executive Manager; Scott Mitchell, latest best-practice secrets WCTA Past President and techniques shared by Absent from photo: Trevor Smith, WCTA Director

22 | SEPTEMBER 2012 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

experts in the field. Visit www.hardscapena.com for more information or to register.

European Union campaigns for better soil protection Soil sealing, covering the ground with an impermeable material, is one of the main causes of soil degradation in the European Union (EU). Soil sealing affects fertile agricultural land, puts biodiversity at risk, increases the risk of flooding and water scarcity, and could contribute to global warming. According to the European Environment Agency, since the mid 1950s the total surface area of cities in the EU has increased by 78 per cent, whereas the population has grown by only 33 per cent. The European Commission proposes that by 2020, EU policies take into account their impacts on land use, with the aim to achieve no net land take by 2050. A study of land take and soil sealing trends resulted in guidelines on best practice to limit, mitigate or compensate soil sealing. The guidelines collect examples of policies, legislation, funding schemes, local planning tools, information campaigns, and many other best practices implemented throughout the EU. The best practice examples collected in the report’s guidelines show that smarter spatial planning can limit urban sprawl. Making use of the development potential inside urban areas, such as the regeneration of abandoned industrial regions (brownfields), is one way to do so. And, the practice of limiting soil sealing should take priority over mitigation or compensation measures, since soil sealing is an almost irreversible process. Mitigating measures include using permeable materials, supporting green infrastructure, and making wider use of natural water harvesting systems. An English language version of the guidelines can be found at http://ec.europa.eu/environment/soil/ pdf/sealing/publication.pdf.

Boxwood blight confirmed on pachysandra in U.S. In June, plant pathologists from the Connecticut Agriculture Experiment Station (CAES) confirmed a natural infection of pachysandra in the landscape by Cylindrocladium pseudonaviculatum, the boxwood blight fungus. A CAES inspector collected the pachysandra sample while making a follow-up visit to a property containing newly planted boxwood plants. The CAES confirmed the boxwoods were infected with the blight one week prior to the visit. The foliage of an established bed of pach-

ysandra adjacent to the infected boxwood had unusual symptoms. A sample was collected and taken back to the lab where the C. buxicola infestation was confirmed.

Garden centres recycle more than 90,000 pounds of horticultural plastic

Customers visiting their local independent garden centre between June 22 and July 1 quite likely saw piles of old garden pots stacked high. This year an estimated 91,229 pounds of plastic was collected during the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association’s (CNLA) National Plastics Recycling Event. Fiftysix garden centres in eight provinces participated by acting as drop-off points for their community’s used garden pots and trays. With a 40 per cent increase in participation and plastics collected, this year’s event was a resounding success. This was the third year for the program, which was launched in 2010 when just six garden centres collected more than 53,000 pounds of plastic. Last year more than 40 garden centres participated, collecting 63,150 pounds. The National Plastics Recycling Event is scheduled to return in 2013. Recyclers who can offer free pick-up of unsorted garden and agricultural plastics, and garden retailers who wish to participate, are asked to contact the CNLA.

STA publishes Second Edition of the Athletic Field Construction Manual The Sports Turf Association has released the second edition of its popular Athletic Field Construction Manual, a staple reference for those in the sports turf industry. The manual, written by Dr. R.W. Sheard in conjunction with an editorial committee of professionals, brings uniformity to the construction of grass athletic fields. “The reputation of the first edition published in 2008 has led to its approaching out-of-print status,” says Dr. Sheard. “Rather than simply reprinting, we took advantage of the opportunity to make subtle revisions to this edition.” The opening pages have been restructured to improve readability. Classifications based on the root zone material for categories three and four have been more adequately defined, as have the tolerances for grade control, and depth of the stone layer and root zone material. Additional changes are of only a clarifying nature. The second edition of the Athletic Field Construction Manual is now available for purchase, in both print and electronic PDF format. Visit www. sportsturfassociation.com for all the details. LT SEPTEMBER 2012 | LANDSCAPE TRADES |

The Best Fleet Program just got Bigger & Better. The newly updated Fleet Advantage® Program rewards your commitment to ECHO and Shindaiwa quality with product discounts and “no-hassle” financing. This flexible program allows you to combine equipment, attachments and accessories. With two levels of discount you will save more as you bundle your purchases - including BOTH ECHO and Shindaiwa products.

• Discounts start at 16%!

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products, attachment and accessories. Once qualified the savings get even bigger. Enjoy Fleet discounts on all ECHO Bear Cat units and accessories. • Low qualifying purchase – only $2,500 – higher discounts apply at $5,000. • Fleet discounts apply up to 12 months.

Visit your local ECHO® or Shindaiwa® Dealer to get started. For more information, visit our websites: www.echo.ca www.shindaiwa.ca SEPTEMBER 2012 | LANDSCAPE TRADES |

cnlanews National Tree Day September 26 is National Tree Day. Join with fellow Canadians to celebrate the benefits that trees provide. CNLA has teamed up with Tree Canada to help join schools with industry members. This is a great opportunity to become involved and help teach the next generation the values of the green industry. Signing up for National Tree Day means that your company will be matched with a school in your area, and you will lead the students in a planting demonstration. By donating a tree, and an hour or two or your time, you will not only help the environment, but will also demonstrate your involvement in your community. Over 200 schools across the country have already signed up. What are you waiting for? Register at www.cnlaacpp.ca/nationaltreeday today!

Garden centre inspections and consultancy Garden Centres Canada has been offering retail inspections and consultancy, through Eve Tigwell, to its members since 2009. A wide range of centres of all sizes Participants in National Tree Day demonstrate their stewardship by improving the environment and educating others in most provinces have taken up this ofon steps they can take to help. fer. Some garden centres have developed an ongoing relationship with Eve to benefit their business. has a more unified vision with several detailed Inspections include an on-site discussion and ideas on how to keep our garden centre vibrant report, and provide garden centre and retail nurs- and profitable. With each inspection, we ‘set the ery owners and managers with practical informa- bar’ a little higher and try to maintain that level tion on how to improve and grow their businesses. throughout the year.” There is usually a wide range of improvements that Where do centres that have improved go next? can be made, from small details to major projects. Clearly they need to maintain and continue to Pauline Intven-Casier, owner of Canadale Nurs- improve their standards in the inspections. They eries, St. Thomas, Ont., said, “The Garden Centre should also consider starting the more detailed Inspection program is a great exercise for any work of managing their centre such that profitgarden centre to go through. In our case, it was ability can be maximized, ideally with minimum a motivator to get all the staff — including the capital investment. This is not part of the inspecfront-end workers, team leaders, office staff and tion program, it involves working in detail with Eve managers — focused on one goal. The timing is Tigwell and your centre’s figures, your inventory perfect, right after the busy spring gardening sea- and methods of retailing. This service is also availson. It helped us to look hard at ourselves from able through Garden Centres Canada, so please different perspectives to maximize sales and profit contact CNLA if you would like further details. for the softer summer season. It was encouraging to improve our outcome every year. Now we Get the recognition you deserve have a clearer vision of where we want to be We all know it to be true — Canada has some of and future improvements to work toward. The staff the finest growers of nursery stock in the world. 24 | SEPTEMBER 2012 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

The good news is that there’s no longer any need to hide these talents under a bushel. In fact, thanks to the CNLA’s Grower of the Year Award, Canada’s nursery growers have the opportunity to promote their products and especially their expertise, to their peers not just within Canada but also around the world. Bylands Nurseries of Kelowna, B.C., winners of the first-ever RBC Grower of the Year Award, went on to claim international fame as the first place entrants of the International Horticultural Producers Association grower of the year program. Sheridan Nurseries, of Georgetown, Ont., is now entered in this prestigious international competition, as winners of CNLA’s second annual Grower of the Year Award. The deadline for the 2012 program is Fri., Nov. 30, but the time to get out your camera and start taking pictures is now, while your plants and your nursery are at their best! Entry criteria can be found on the CNLA website (www.cnla-acpp.ca) under the Growers Canada tab.

Landscape OnSites Being a good instructor isn’t restricted to the classroom. In fact, your crew will learn the most from you on the job. Taking time each week to re-instill good safety and work habits will prepare your business for a better future. CNLA’s Landscape OnSites provide the framework for short, basic training sessions with your staff, designed to fit into your busy schedule. We believe this booklet is such an important tool, that we have provided it for free on our website. The topics in this book are designed to give a quick overview of a skill, technique or safety practice that will be useful for both the new and seasoned crew member. Some of the 58 topics are: aeration, circle checks, grading and drainage, pruning, WHMIS, and interlocking paving stones. Download your free copy today at www.cnlaLT acpp.ca/onsites The Canadian Nursery Landscape Association is the federation of Canada’s provincial horticultural trade associations. Visit www.cnla-acpp.ca for more information.

growing green SHOW PREVIEW Moving your business forward Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fall show for the Garden and Floral Industry OCTOBER 17 & 18, 2012 TORONTO CONGRESS CENTRE, NORTH BUILDING, TORONTO, ONTARIO CANADA

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LANDSCAPE TRADES: EXPO 2012 SPECIAL | 5

Exhibitor List

as of July 27, 2012

ALL TREAT FARMS LTD ....................................422 AMAIZEINGLY GREEN VALUE PRODUCTS ULC .............................................262 APEX ELEGANCE INC .......................................508 AQUASCAPE DESIGNS INC .............................252 ASB GREENWORLD LTD ..................................539 ATLAS POLAR COMPANY LTD .........................249 AVK NURSERY HOLDINGS INC .......................440 BAYVIEW FLOWERS .........................................362 BIG BEAR TOOLS INC ......................................419 BLUE SKY NURSERY LTD ................................209 BONADEA GARDENS .......................................234 BOREAL AGROMINERALS INC ........................506 BOTANICO LTD..................................................353 BRAUN NURSERY LTD .....................................406 BROOKDALE TREELAND NURSERIES LTD.....401 BROWNRIDGE GREENHOUSES ......................361 BURPEE CANADA .............................................314 BUSINESS CENTRE ..........................................742 CANADA POWER TECHNOLOGY - CPT .........256 CANADALE NURSERIES LTD ...........................568 CANADIAN GARDEN CENTRE/ CANADIAN FLORIST .......................................320 CANADIAN HYDROGARDENS LTD ..................709 CANADIAN SUNLIGHT ENTERPRISES LTD .....200 CANADIAN WOODENWARE MANUFACTURERS (THE).................................................................418 CJ MARKETING LTD .........................................114 CMC WHOLESALE WAREHOUSE....................357 COMPOST COUNCIL OF CANADA (THE) ........738 CONNON NURSERIES/NVK HOLDINGS INC ..608 COPPER EWE COMPANY ..............................1105 COSMIC PLANTS INC .......................................663 CRABTREE & EVELYN.......................................274 DERCO HORTICULTURE INC ...........................214 DIRECT SOLUTIONS FORMERLY AGRIUM ADVANCE TECHNOLOGIES ............136 DON MARJAMA NURSERY CO, INC................341 DOWNHAM NURSERIES INC ...........................472 DRAMM CORP ..................................................307 DSD INTERNATIONAL INC................................245 DUTCH WEST INDIA COMPANY ......................457 ECO WOOD PRODUCTS LTD ...........................365 ED'S CONCRETE PRODUCTS LTD ..................563 ENDERLEIN NURSERIES LTD...........................142 ENVIREM ORGANICS INC ................................640 ESERRO INC......................................................257 EUROPA LANDSCAPING PRODUCTS .............641 FAFARD ET FRERES LTEE ................................230 FAIRFIELD TREE NURSERIES INC ...................449 FERNLEA FLOWERS LTD .................................240 FIRST CONCRETE LTD .....................................414 FLORAL DIMENSIONS ......................................309 FLORAL EXPRESS INC .....................................268 FLORIDUS DESIGN IMAGES ............................623 FLOWERS CANADA RETAIL - TECHNOLOGY SEMINAR SPONSOR ......................................769 FOLIERA.............................................................753 FORPOST TRADE INC ......................................354 FOX HOLLOW FARMS ......................................507 FREEMAN HERBS INC......................................549

Look for these signs on the show floor to quickly locate:

FRENSCH (C) LTD .............................................515 GARDEN CITY GROWERS................................518 GARDEN MAKING MAGAZINE .......................1115 GARDENA CANADA LTD...................................144 GARDENLINK INC .............................................416 GARDENS CENTRAL MAGAZINE (CORNWALL PUBLISHING CO) ......................421 GLOBAL ARCH INC...........................................564 GOLD HILL NURSERY SALES ..........................635 GORMWOOD INC .............................................337 GREEN PLUS NURSERIES ...............................548 GREENFIELD GARDENS INC .........................1109 GREEN'S YOUR COLOUR ................................719 GREENSTAR PLANT PRODUCTS ....................222 HANEY POTTERY SALES LTD ..........................120 HG SPECIALTIES INC........................................434 HIGHLAND EVERGREEN SUPPLY LTD ............358 HILLEN NURSERY INC......................................264 HORTA-CRAFT LTD ...........................................514 HORTICOLOR CANADA INC.............................318 HORTICULTURAL MARKETING AND PRINTING ................................................352 HORTPROTECT - THE INVESTMENT GUILD...761 HOWE PRODUCTS ...........................................519 IDEL SRL ............................................................269 INLINE NURSERIES (2010) INC ........................372 INVADING SPECIES ........................................1111 JC BAKKER & SONS LTD..................................622 JILL JENSEN BOTANICAL SPECIALTIES .........500 JRT NURSERIES INC ........................................348 JUST DIRECT PROMOTIONS .........................1125 JVK LTD..............................................................450 KAM'S GROWERS SUPPLY..............................260 KATO'S NURSERY (2007) LTD ..........................741 KIRK CO / CINCO PLASTICS / TEUFEL ...........714 LAGUNA (A DIVISION OF ROLF C HAGEN INC) ............237 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO RESOURCE CENTRE.648 LANGENDOEN NURSERIES INC ......................319 LECHUZA CANADA INC ...................................662 LEO GENTRY WHOLESALE NURSERY INC ....208 LES ENTERPRISES ANISSTONE ......................469 LIVINGSTON SEED INC ....................................534 MAPLE LEAF NURSERIES LTD.........................342 MAPLE LEAVES FOREVER ...............................642 MAR-CO CLAY PRODUCTS INC ......................462 MARSOLAIS ENTERPRISES INC......................236 MARTIN FARMS LTD .........................................540 MASSARELLI'S..................................................652 MELDAN ............................................................453 MEX Y CAN TRADING .......................................771 MORI NURSERIES LTD .....................................468 MULTIPOST RETAIL SYSTEMS ........................552 NATURAL INSECT CONTROL...........................430 NORTH SHORE IMPORTS ................................456 NUTRITE ............................................................335 ONTARIO FLOWER GROWERS CO-OPERATIVE LTD ........................................743 ONTARIO SEED CO LTD ...................................619 ORCHARD PARK GROWERS LTD ....................375 ORCHID GREENS..............................................618

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6 | LANDSCAPE TRADES: EXPO 2012 SPECIAL

OUTFRONT PORTABLE SOLUTIONS - A DIV OF ALL COVER PORTABLE SYSTEMS ................556 PACIFIC NORTHWEST PROPAGATORS ..........503 PACIFIC RIM BRACKETS LTD ..........................509 PALACE PERENNIALS ......................................343 PAN AMERICAN NURSERY PRODUCTS INC ..415 PARIDON HORTICULTURAL (1979) LTD...........501 PARIS GLOVE GROUP OF COMPANIES ..........455 PEETERS (JM) NURSERIES LTD.......................542 PEFFERLAW PEAT PRODUCTS INC ................148 PICKSEED CANADA INC ..................................140 PIEPER NURSERIES INC ..................................438 PINEBUSH HOME & GARDEN ..........................521 POTERIES BARRO INC ...................................1024 POTTERS ROAD NURSERY INC ......................553 PREMIER TECH HOME & GARDEN - IGC........322 PRIME NUTRIENTS ...........................................520 PRINS GROW INC .............................................668 QUALITREE PROPAGATORS INC.....................669 QUALITY FERTILIZERS INC ..............................241 R2B XTREME INC..............................................660 RAVENSBERGEN (P) & SONS LTD ...................715 ROCKART NURSERY INC .................................675 RTF WATER SAVER CANADA ...........................621 SCOTTS CANADA .............................................631 SECOND NATURE DESIGNS LTD.....................604 SESTER FARMS INC .........................................537 SHERIDAN NURSERIES....................................330 SLAPPENDEL GREENHOUSES......................1131 SOMERVILLE NURSERIES INC ........................644 SOURCE ID ........................................................535 SPEARE SEEDS.................................................420 SPECIMEN TREES WHOLESALE NURSERIES LTD ......................614 STAM NURSERIES (2009) INC ..........................369 STAR ROSES AND PLANTS/ THE CONARD-PYLE CO .................................436 SUN GRO HORTICULTURE CANADA LTD .......448 SUSTA: THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES TRADE ASSOCIATION.....................................306 SYLVITE AGRI-SERVICES LTD..........................152 TANDESKI ASSOCIATES INC............................538 TAPIS WAVES CARPETS INC ...........................315 THOMAS ALLEN & SON....................................259 TRISTAR POTTERY............................................261 TROPICAL EXPRESSIONS................................452 TSC - COUNTRY PRO SERVICES ....................336 UNITED FLORAL DISTRIBUTORS INC .............253 VALFEI PRODUCTS...........................................368 VALLEYBROOK GARDENS (ONTARIO) LTD.....248 VAN BELLE NURSERY INC ...............................543 VAN NOORT BULB CO LTD ..............................531 VANHOF AND BLOKKER LTD ...........................615 VASERIE PLP CANADA LTD..............................649 VRE GREENHOUSE SYSTEMS ........................630 WESTLAND GREENHOUSES ...........................638 WILLOWBROOK NURSERIES INC ...................130 WINKELMOLEN NURSERY LTD .......................522 WIRECRAFT INTERNATIONAL..........................108 ZWART SYSTEMS .............................................643

I’M A

SHOW SPECIAL ASK ABOUT ME

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I’M A

RECENT INTRODUCTION

Scan this code with your mobile device to get a listing of all show specials.

ASK ABOUT ME Scan this code with your mobile device to get a listing of all recent introductions.

Your badge will be mailed to you if your registration is received prior to 5:00 p.m. on October 1, 2012. Otherwise, your badge will be available for pickup on-site. CODE: DMEXPO12

Three ways to register ONLINE:

www.loexpo.ca MAIL: Please make cheques payable to Landscape Ontario and mail to: Expo 2012 c/o CONEXSYS, 7050B Bramalea Rd, Unit 34, Mississauga, ON, L5S 1S9 or FAX: Toll free (855) 329-5656 or (800) 628-8838 LOCATION INFORMATION: Toronto Congress Centre, North Building 650 Dixon Road, Toronto ON, M9W 1J1 Canada

2012 Registration Form

Octo Register b for yober 1, 2012y ur ch to W ance Apple IN an iPad

COMPANY NAME: ____________________________________________________________________________ FIRST NAME: __________________________ LAST NAME: _________________________________________ ADDRESS: ___________________________________________________________________________________ TITLE: ________________________________________________________________________________________ CITY: _______________________________ PROV./STATE: ______________ POSTAL/ZIP: ______________ BUSINESS PHONE: _____________________________ BUSINESS FAX: _____________________________ EMAIL: _______________________________________________________________________________________ I am a member of:

m Landscape Ontario m Flowers Canada Retail m Canadian Nursery Landscape Association m Send information on membership with Landscape Ontario

PRIMARY AREA OF BUSINESS: m 1. Event/meeting planner m 2. Gift store or boutique m 3. Greenhouse grower/operator m 4. Hardware department, mass merchandiser, convenience or discount store m 5. Interior designer m 6. Interior plantscaper m 7. Landscape contractor m 8. Media m 9. Others allied to the trade m 10. Retail florist m 11. Retail garden centre m 12. Supplier to the trade m 13. Wholesale nursery grower/distributor m 14. Other: _____________________

PRIMARY JOB RESPONSIBILITY: m 1. Owner/Partner/Senior Manager m 2. Supervisor/Manager/Foreman m 3. Sales/Marketing m 4. Administration m 5. Purchasing m 6. Field Technician m 7. Government Official m 8. Teacher m 9. Student m 10. Other : _________________

TICKETED EVENTS INCLUDE TRADE SHOW ADMISSION All fees listed include HST (#R119005049)

Hotel Accommodation Make direct reservations, by September

27, 2012, with your preferred hotel. Quote “Expo 2012” to receive special rates. You may cancel your reservation until 6:00 p.m. on your scheduled arrival day with no penalty. Reservations cancelled after 6:00 p.m. on the scheduled day of arrival or no-shows will be billed one night’s room and tax charges. Doubletree by Hilton Toronto Airport Rate: $138 Single or Double Reservations: 416-244-1711 655 Dixon Road, Toronto, ON M9W 1J4 Group Code: EXP Group Name: EXPO 2012 Crowne Plaza Toronto Airport Rate: $125 Single or Double Reservations: 416-675-1234 33 Carlson Court, Toronto, ON M9W 6H5 Group Code: EXPO2012 Radisson Suite Hotel Toronto Airport $141 Deluxe or $161 Executive Deluxe Suite Reservations: 416-242-7400 640 Dixon Road, Toronto, ON M9W 1J1 Group Code: EXPO

EARLY-BIRD RATES Before October 1

AFTER DEADLINE & ON-SITE After October 1

Member Fee

Non-Member Fee

TRADE SHOW OCTOBER 17 & 18 m $10.00 m $15.00 m $15.00 m $20.00 EXPO EXHIBITS ONLY (NO TICKETED EVENTS) Trade Show Purchase includes Daily Stage Presentations and Welcome Reception Admission BREAKFAST EVENT OCTOBER 17 m $55.00 m $75.00 m $65.00 m $85.00 DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH Purchase includes Awards Of Excellence Ceremony and Daily Stage Presentations and Welcome Reception Admission BREAKFAST EVENT OCTOBER 18 m $55.00 m $75.00 m $65.00 m $85.00 PLANNING FOR PROFIT Purchase includes Daily Stage Presentations and Welcome Reception Admission TOTAL PAYMENT OPTIONS m Cheque m Master Card

m VISA

m AMEX

CARD #: ___________________________________________________________________ EXP. DATE: _______/_______ CARDHOLDER NAME: ________________________________________________________________________________ AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE: __________________________________________________ DATE: _________________ CHEQUE – Please make cheques payable to ‘Landscape Ontario’ and mail to: EXPO 2012, c/o CONEXSYS, 7050B Bramalea Rd, Unit 34, Mississauga, ON L5S 1S9 or FAX: Toll free (855) 329-5656 or (800) 628-8838 Your badge will be mailed to you if your registration is received prior to 5:00 p.m. EST on October 1, 2012. Otherwise, your badge will be available for pickup on-site. REFUND POLICY: No refunds will be issued unless event is cancelled by Landscape Ontario Show Management. EARLY BIRD DEADLINE POLICY: No extensions to the deadline will be granted.

Tra

www.loexpo.ca

FREE

Availa de Show ble P Listing from Expo ass s at w E ww.lo xhibitors expo.c a

LANDSCAPE TRADES: EXPO 2012 SPECIAL | 7

newproducts

Liquid spreaders The Epoke Virtus AST liquid spreader is designed to distribute liquids at the optimal height and angle to ensure broad and even coverage at speeds from 1 km/h to 90 km/h. It is capable of following the traffic flow everywhere, including main roads, parking lots and highways. Coupled with the Spraytronic nozzles that allows coverage up to 11 metres wide, the Epoke Virtus AST Liquid Spreader ensures an even spread of brine solution on all surfaces. The maneuverable Epoke City Sprayer handles quick and efficient spreading of salt solutions on bike paths, footpaths, pedestrian streets, and town squares. Width-step adjustment of the nozzles provides variable spreading widths, ranging from one to six metres. It has a liquid tank capacity range from 700 to 2,100 litres. Joe Johnson Equipment www.jjei.com

Homeopathic mosquito repellant Mozi-Q is an all-natural homeopathic mosquito repellent. Since the developer cannot guarantee a bug will never bite you, it has designed this formula to reduce the frequency of bites, as well as the reactions people have. No more itching and big red bumps! Mozi-Q works within 30 minutes. There are no side effects and it work on other bugs, not only mosquitoes. It can be taken every three to five hours, starting before you go outside.

Garden mum netting Garden mum netting from GroLink keeps fragile mum stems from bending or snapping. Installed when the plant is 70 per cent of its final size, the branches grow up through the netting and create a more stable structure. Available in two sizes, 17-inches for 8- and 10-inch pots and 23-inches for 12-inch pots and larger. An automated netting cutter is also available. It is powered by a variable speed drill that allows up to 5,000 pieces to be cut in an hour. GroLink www.grolink.com

Xerion

www.mozi-q

Interlocking paving stone Trevia’s beautiful appearance was inspired by natural flagstone, but its advantage lies in its strength, and consistency, which is unique to Unilock’s EnduraColor’s manufacturing technology. Outstanding colour-wear performance results from exclusive manufacturing techniques using proprietary formulations. Trevia is available in three colours. With only two unit sizes in the bundle, installation is quick and uncomplicated. Unilock

www.unilock.com 32 | SEPTEMBER 2012 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

32 | SEPTEMBER 2012 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

Light duty pusher for skid steer The SSET-XX light duty pusher is perfect for use with smaller skid steers or where a heavy-duty pusher is not required. The steel blade is driven by powerful extension springs to provide a superior cleaning performance. Floating shoes allow the operator to plow without worrying as much about holding the box level. A steel trip edge scrapes even hard-packed snow to the pavement, while riding back fully to clear solid obstacles. Height: 30 inches; fits sizes 6 to 12 feet.

De-Ice Backpack Sprayer The Chapin backpack sprayer features a fourgallon capacity, comfortable straps, waist belt, and lumbar support. A four-stage filtering system helps reduce nozzle clogging and speed up productivity. Excellent for applying de-icer to sidewalks or other hard-to-get-to areas.

Avalanche

www.avalancheplow.com

Rittenhouse

www.rittenhouse.ca Current

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sustainablelandscaping

Better than a burning bush;

Amazing fall interest with native shrubs

BY SEAN JAMES

34 | SEPTEMBER 2012 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

ROB LIEVESLEY

I can never get over how half of the customers I meet with ask for burning bush in their landscapes. It’s not that they’re not impressive in October and November. It’s simply that they only offer a few weeks of ‘kaboom,’ and nothing else. Better plants do exist — plants which offer multiple seasons of interest. In my garden, red chokeberry, Aronia arbutifolia ‘Brilliantissima’, is brilliant red in November, then reveals bright red berries in the winter and has many white flowers in the spring. The locally native black chokeberry, Aronia melanocarpa, has a similar white flower then complex orange/yellow/red fall colour and black berries which also attract birds. Many seasons of interest beats a few weeks. Another beautiful native is fringe tree, Chionanthus virginicus, which has beautiful white flowers in the spring and large, yellow leaves in the fall. One of my surprise and rare treats is a special cultivar of moosewood maple, Acer pensylvanicum ‘Erythrocladum’. It offers its traditional striped bark in the summer, and large leaves which turn soft yellow in the fall. In October the bark turns pink and by November and through winter, the bark is bright red. The white flowered, white berried, grey-twigged dogwood, Cornus racemosa, has a rich glossy purple fall colour and then, when the leaves fall, the peduncles form a red haze over the bush lasting for another month. If you can plant it in masses, it’s subtly, incredibly powerful. In addition, this, like many natives, feeds pollinators and a huge variety of wildlife, sheltering them and even helping them survive throughout the winter. Outside my office window is a larch which I never noticed until it was in fall show and it looked like a Forsythia tree! (OK, it’s actually a Larix.) I have a trembling aspen which also lights up gold. My Fothergilla is a riot of different reds, yellows and oranges. It’s always best, even with traditional burning bush, to choose these plants when they’re in their fall glory so you be sure you have the best. Even with cultivars, there are differences between specimens. If I were able, I’d visit a nursery in October and November, buy a bunch of beautifully fall-coloured shrubs and trees and keep them in a hoop house over the winter so I’d be sure I’d have plants with great interest just before they drop their leaves. The point is that variety is desirable. Whenever we use lots of one plant (ash, euonymus, daylily, hosta, juniper, black pine, paper birch), some insect or disease is going to come along and knock

Fothergilla major in fall lit up in reds, oranges and yellows.

things down. The more different types of plants that we use, the less that’s likely to happen, and the more interesting our landscapes will be. It’s called biodiversity and it’s very good! At our company, we try and use at least one type of plant outside our regular palette in every design. Your customers will appreciate the diversity, the longevity of their landscapes and the increased number of birds and butterflies visiting their landscape. Incidentally, many of the plants discussed are, honestly, coinciLT dentally, native. Sean James is owner of an Ontario-based environmentally-conscious landscape design/build/maintenance company. In addition, he is an eco-consultant and a popular speaker.

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legalmatters

Non-compete,

non-solicitation and confidentiality clauses in

employment contracts BY ROBERT KENNALEY

Employers who put time, effort and money into training their employees will understandably want to ensure that the knowledge and skills they pass on, at their expense, are not unreasonably used against the employer later on. There are generally three ways an employer will look to do this in an employment contract. First, confidential information clauses can be used to ensure that information that comes into the employee’s possession, and that he or she could not obtain elsewhere, must remain confidential. Second, employers will want to ensure that their employees do not solicit work from the employer’s past, current or prospective clients. Lastly, the employer may wish to take efforts to ensure that after they leave the employer’s employ, the employees do not start up their own businesses and compete with the employer. The employment contract can provide that the employee shall not, while employed or after, unreasonably or unnecessarily disclose confidential information, other than in the normal course of his or her duties while employed. The contract can further require the employee to acknowledge that disclosure of the information would cause damage to the employer and would be cause for termination if made while the employee was still employed. Employers may generically describe confidential information as any information or documents that come into an employee’s possession and which otherwise would not be available to the employee. For clarity, however, the employer may wish to define 36 | SEPTEMBER 2012 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

the confidential information to include documents and information that are particular to their business, which might include, for example, client lists, price lists, bidding or marketing strategies, construction methodologies, OHSA and other policies and, of course, financial information. Solicitation difficult to prove By reason of his or her employment, an employee may develop a close working relationship with his or her employer’s past, current and potential clients. Employers may accordingly wish to include non-solicitation clauses in their contracts. “Solicitation” is generally understood to be direct communications initiated by the former employer to the clients and prospective clients. General advertising to the public at large does not generally fit within the definition. Similarly, where the former client contacts the former employee, solicitation by the former employee does not occur. It can accordingly be difficult to prove that solicitation by a former employee has occurred. Often, evidence of solicitation will have to turn to an assessment of phone records or the testimony of clients, for example. Non-competition clauses are drafted to preclude a former employee from competing with his employer for a certain period of time following the end of employment. The non-competition, of course, is generally limited to the same type of business conducted by the employer. Also, the non-competition is generally limited to a specific geographic area where the employer had conducted its business.

The extent to which these clauses can be enforced will depend on a number of factors, including where the contract arose. First, in all of the Canadian provinces except Québec, employment contracts will be governed by employment standards legislation and by the ‘common-law’. The common-law comprises legal principles that have been established by the courts, going back to old kings in England. In Québec, the common-law has no application, as the province is governed by a civil system under which all laws are created by statute and none have their origin in judge-made law. While we understand the Québec civil legislation takes, for the most part, the same approach taken by the common law in relation to these clauses, we do not practice in Québec and cannot comment further in that regard. Readers in Québec would have to have reference to the Québec Civil Code to determine the clauses’ applicability in particular circumstances. In the provinces outside Québec (i.e. the common-law provinces), the provincial laws governing employment will govern, to the extent that they speak to the scope or enforceability of the clauses. In Ontario, the Employment Standards Act has no application in that regard and, accordingly, the contractual provisions will only be tempered by the judge-made, historical common-law. Although we are not aware of employment legislation that will temper the application of the clauses in the other common-law provinces, we don’t practice in those jurisdictions, and reference would have to be had to the provincial employment statutes for confirmation.

Non-solicitation provisions recommended Where, like in Ontario, the provincial statutes don’t speak to non-solicitation and noncompetition, the common-law will have an impact in that regard. First, employees will generally be under an obligation, at common law, to not solicit business from their former employer’s clients and prospective clients. In other words, there will generally be no need in a common-law province for a non-solicitation clause to be included in the contract. Rather, the employer is entitled to enforce the employee’s non-solicitation obligations, as of right. Employers should nonetheless consider including these provisions in the contract, as they will ensure that the employee is aware of the obligation and may otherwise provide additional incentive to the employee in that regard. The situation is different, and perhaps reversed, when it comes to the enforceability of non-competition clauses in the commonlaw provinces. Simply put, the common-law does not like to enforce non-competition. The courts have historically been very re-

luctant to take away an employee’s right to make a living, after the employee moves on. Accordingly, such a provision will only be enforced (if at all) where the competition would be very detrimental to the employer and where its scope, as to geographic location and duration, is no more than it would absolutely have to be. In the end, the reality is that such provisions are commonly, if not usually, struck out as being an unreasonable restriction on employee’s ability to make a living. This does not mean, of course, that employers in the common-law provinces should not include non-competition clauses in their contracts. This is because, notwithstanding what the common-law says, such a clause might provide incentive to the employee not to compete side-by-side with the employer. In the end, regardless of the rule of provincial legislation, it is usually a good idea to include non-competition, non-solicitation and confidential information clauses in employment contracts. However, the reality is that very few employers would choose to incur significant legal fees in an effort to

enforce such provisions. Accordingly, their utility probably lies in making the employee aware of the employer’s position on the issues and hopefully deterring a former employee from using or disclosing confidential information, soliciting clients or competing directly, side-by-side, with the employer. LT

Robert Kennaley has a background in construction and now practices construction law in Toronto and Simcoe, Ontario. He speaks and writes regularly on construction law issues and can be reached for comment at 416-368-2522 or at kennaley@mclauchlin.ca. This material is for information purposes and is not intended to provide legal advice in relation to any particular fact situation. Readers who have concerns about any particular circumstance are encouraged to seek independent legal advice in that regard.

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managementsolutions

Find the sweet spot in pricing snow

BY MARK BRADLEY

I could be wrong, but I believe we’re in for a buyer’s market when it comes to pricing snow and ice work. The economy is filled with questions, we’ve had a few light winters in a row (at least in the Toronto area) and snow companies by and large suffered last year, which means they’ll be hungrier this year. It’s likely we’ll see a very competitive market for snow this year, where customers will enjoy a stronger position during price negotiations. For your snow business, this means a few things: l You must absolutely know your costs and be confident on your costs, breakeven, and profit. This confidence will

TIMM ENTERPRISES LTD. Mail: P.O. Box 157, Oakville, Ont. L6K 0A4 Office & Warehouse: 5204 Trafalgar Rd., Milton, Ont. L0P 1E0 Phone (905) 878-4244 Fax (905) 878-7888 Sales 1-888-769-TIMM (8466) www.timmenterprises.com sales@timmenterprises.com

Special discounts on wire baskets purchased by the skid. We also have burlap liners, sisal rope and plastic twine. 38 | SEPTEMBER 2012 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

come across during negotiations and help you win more jobs. You must also ensure your prices are competitive, but that you can earn a profit at these prices. It’s the second point that I want to expand on, and for this you need to understand a very handy number and what it means for your business.

Gross Profit is the selling price of the work minus the costs to get the work done. That’s all. Overhead and profit are what’s left over, but they aren’t counted in gross profit. Gross profit, for snow work, is the price you want to sell the contract, minus the cost of the labour needed, minus the cost of equipment needed, minus the cost of salt/de-icing materials needed, and minus the cost of subcontractors needed. The Gross Profit Margin is gross profit divided by the selling price, then multiplied by 100 to get a percentage. Let’s look at a simple example. You have a snow contract that you want to sell for $10,000. The estimated costs (per season) are as follows: l Labour costs (plow operators, shovellers): $2,000 l Equipment costs (trucks, plows, salters): $2,000 l Material costs (rock salt): $2,000 l Total estimated costs: $6,000 To figure out the estimated gross profit on the job, you simply subtract the estimated costs of the job ($6,000) from the estimated Selling Price ($10,000). That would leave you with a gross profit of $4,000. That’s not your actual profit — you still have company overhead to cover, but that’s gross profit. Now to calculate gross profit margin, you simply divide gross profit ($4,000) by the estimated selling price ($10,000) to get a gross profit margin of 40 per cent. 38 | SEPTEMBER 2012 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

Meaningful number? You might be asking yourself, “What is so useful about this number? If it doesn’t tell me my overhead, and it’s not really my takehome profit, then why do I care?” It’s important because gross profit can be one of the best benchmarking numbers for your business and can help you ensure you’re competitively priced — especially on bids and tenders where you don’t get a second chance to revise your pricing. Look at it this way … let’s say 10 contractors priced the job we did in the example above. All 10 contractors are going to have different overhead and different profit expectations — sometimes very different. However, all 10 contractors will have similar, not exact, but similar, costs to do the work. There are differences in what we pay our people, but they’re not huge differences. Usually they range a few dollars per hour. The people who are paid more also work faster (more experience, more motivated) so even when there are differences in pay, the difference in productivity (time spent on the job) can often erase the difference in total labour costs. As contractors, we all pay similar prices for our trucks, plows, and snow equipment. Bigger companies might negotiate better pricing on new equipment, but smaller companies tend to get longer life out of used equipment. Fuel, insurance and parts and repair costs don’t differ significantly from company to company. Equipment costs only differ significantly based on utilization – the more hours we can bill for our equipment, the lower our cost per hour. Salt prices also have only minor differences. Bigger companies can negotiate better pricing (bulk discounts) and may be able to stage salt at the yard. You can’t ignore the cost difference — and it’s often why large companies can enjoy a cost advantage — but between contractors of similar size, this difference is negligible.

So costs to clear snow will be different from company to company, but rarely will they be very different. Assuming 10 contractors are pricing the job using similar equipment, and are paying a fair wage with proper government reporting, the costs to do the work will be quite similar. If we all estimate using similar (not exact, but similar) costs to do the job, then looking at the Gross Profit of your bids, and even your competitors’ (you’ll have to estimate their GPM using your costs, but you can look at their prices on winning bids) will show you where your market is pricing work, ignoring the differences in overhead and profit between companies. If you’re pricing work at a 40 per cent gross profit margin (as in the example above) and not winning any work, it’s likely that you aren’t pricing competitively. Perhaps your overhead and/or profit is too high to be competitive. Drop your next few bids down to 38 per cent or 35 per cent gross profit (assuming you can do this and still cover overhead and profit!) to get more competitive. Keep track of the gross profit margin on your winning and your losing bids. Look for a pattern, or a gross profit margin where your hit rate goes up. This is the gross profit that is competitive in your market. Since snow contractors have similar costs, knowing the average gross profit margin in your market at which losing bids turn to winning bids will help you identify the sweet spot in your market.

It’s about power. It’s about profit. It’s about time.

Value over time Gross profit margins will also help you see trends. When gross profit margins start to increase, contractors have the upper hand and prices in your market are rising. When gross profit margins decline, it’s the customers that have the advantage and price competition between contractors is getting tougher. Knowing which way the market is moving can keep you out in front of shifting economies, and selling work while others bang their heads against the wall wondering where their sales have gone. As valuable as gross profit margin is, it’s very important to remember all of this is useful if, and only if: l You know, accurately, the costs of doing the work. You need to know what it costs per hour for your staff, your equipment, and what your material and subcontractor costs are. l You know your company’s overhead and net profit.

Chatham • 519-352-8070

If you don’t know what it costs to run a pickup and a plow per hour, you can’t possibly calculate your gross profit accurately and therefore, gross profit won’t be a meaningful benchmark for you. Even worse, if you don’t know your company or your snow division’s overhead and net profit, your gross profit might be competitive, but you’re waking up at 2:00 a.m. and plowing snow just to lose money LT on the work you did win.

Visit your local dealer or learn more at masseyferguson.us C. L. Benninger Equip. Ltd. www.clbenninger.com

Connect Equipment Corp Mildmay • 519-367-2648 Chepstow • 519-366-2325 Kitchener • 519-696-2568 Stratford • 519-273-1740 Bradford • 905-775-6269 Innerkip • 519-469-3883 Rockwood • 519-856-9512 Lucknow • 519-528-3426

www.connectequipment.com

Hawley’s Garage

Belleville • 613-969-5525

McKeown Motor Sales

Springbrook • 613-395-3883

www.mckeownmotorsales.net

Redtrac International

Vineland • 905-562-4136

Shantz Farm Equipment Ltd. Alma • 519-638-3317 www.shantzequipment.com

Todd Equipment Ltd.

Millbrook • 705-944-3333

www.toddequipmentltd.com

Mark Bradley is president of The Beach Gardener and the Landscape Management Network (LMN), based in Ontario. Massey Ferguson is a worldwide brand of AGCO. © 2012 AGCO Corporation, 4205 River Green Parkway, Duluth, GA 30096 (877) 525-4384

SEPTEMBER 2012 | LANDSCAPE TRADES |

roadtosuccess

No shortcuts on the road to success Everyone wants to be on the fast track for the quickest route to success. I get that. I am as impatient as any of my readers. I also raised three sons and I am quite familiar with the question, “are we there yet?” This is perhaps the shortest intro I have ever written, as I am known for six-hundred-word starts. Don’t expect brevity every month, after all, I have an Irish grandfather. To be succinct or blunt, there is no shortcut to success. That is the bottom line. Success is an obtainable goal that can only be reached through layers of repetitive, ethical behavior. There must also be quality workmanship and products to support the ethical behavior, but the two are often linked, arm in arm. STORY TIME: I mentor a few young people within the trade and a couple of others call on me, now and again, for advice. One young man, just starting out, called me regarding a new lawn he was to install to replace an old one. The problem was that the old lawn was filled with couch grass, which is often incorrectly called quack grass in our area. It is an invasive perennial, wide-bladed grass that, once rooted, is difficult to control in a lawn. The only way to carry out the job, as a true professional, is to spray the existing lawn with Roundup or another non-selective herbicide. Then give it a week to ensure there is an effective kill. The prep work can begin for the new lawn only after it is certain the couch grass is dead. The young man did not want to wait the week. He had promised the customer he would have it finished by the weekend. “Can’t I just rototill it extra deep?” I

40 | SEPTEMBER 2012 | LANDSCAPE TRADES

explained to him that rototilling divides the roots of the couch grass, and that within six weeks he would have it growing through his new turf. “What should I do?” It was almost the bleating of a lamb. I explained to him what I am telling you. There are no shortcuts to success. “You have to tell your customer that in order to give her the best job possible, you will have to change her completion date by a week to ten days. Most people do not want a continuing problem with couch grass or any other weed, so you need to sell her on the benefits of slowing it down.” As young men and women, we are often in too much of a hurry to finish a job. I know. I qualified as one of those people in my twenties and thirties. I had a mentor a few years before I met my wife. One day when we were visiting him in Langham (northwest of Saskatoon), my wife asked my mentor what I was like before she had met me. Dieter said, “He was always in a hurry. He ran everywhere. When I would tell him to slow down and walk, he would walk quickly. He had to get everywhere right away.” Thirty-five years have passed. My desire to get everywhere quickly has sublimated itself due to maturity. Also, having a bum left knee has really helped to slow me down, as well. What I did not understand in my twenties was the importance of layering. Layering is my favorite word for landscaping, cooking and life itself. I have observed that the best gardens, friendships and soups are built by a layering process. Starting with good foundations in a landscaping project, which includes plenty of topsoil and the right granu-

BY ROD McDONALD

lar bases for the brick work, we then begin to add on. When we are approaching the finish of a project, I often use the word ‘polish’ with my staff. “We need to polish up the front yard and make it shine.” When we work in layers, and it is more time consuming, then the end result is always better than when we rush. Rushing a job is rarely the right answer. STORY TIME: When I was in my twen-

ties, there was a landscaper in my area who did really fine work. He would prep his beds, installing a close to final grade for the turf. Then he would turn on the sprinklers, giving the prepped soil a good soaking. He would wait four or five days for the bed to dry out and then, do one final raking and leveling before the sod was installed. I asked him why he did this extra step that no one else did. He explained that nothing showed your low and high spots quicker than water. He went on to tell me that by soaking the subsoil, the sod itself took off much quicker than if it were laid over a dry bed. From my perspective, being young and knowing everything, I thought he was just adding in an extra five to seven days to his jobs. As I got older, I saw the wisdom of his methodology. Today, and for many years now, that is how I prep for a sod bed. I always allow for an extra week to get some water down and it is amazing how he was ever so right. When your eye tells you that you have a perfect grade, the water lets you know that you have a slight rise over here and over there, there is a small dip. One of the young men who I mentor

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