September 2013
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Sheridan Nurseries’ CEO Bill Stensson welcomes bidders to the Industry Auction Page 6
CH AP T H G ER
HISTORY
O O of t RS LD he ES EN MO HO NTH E
HORTICULTURAL
For over 25 years, Hillen Nursery Inc. has remained dedicated and passionate about the nursery industry.
2  LANDSCAPE ONTARIO SEPTEMBER 2013
Mark Endicott General Manager
23078 Adelaide Rd. Mount Brydges, ON N0L 1W0
Cell: 647.923.5182 • Fax: 519.264.1337 mark@hillennursery.com
hillennursery.com
Our featured spreads have been seen in the issues of Landscape Ontario magazine. Now we invite you to visit our website with easy access to our complete up-to-date listings of hundreds of varieties and more.....
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SUMERS’ RS’ LOGO , Website edia, etc.)
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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Flora Niagara is dead...for now By Phil Charal LO president
I
am sorry to report that Flora Niagara 2017, the international horticultural exhibition will not take place. Quite simply, the reason is that we have not been successful in raising the funds to stage this major event. Michel Gauthier began planning for Flora Niagara about six years ago. He has a long history of promoting and establishing international and national events. Some of these events include the Tulip Festival, International Flora Montreal and Rideau Canal Festival. He sits on several boards, including Canada Blooms. Flora Niagara was going to be a AIPHsanctioned event. It was to run from May 10 to Oct. 9, 2017, and be located right next to the Horseshoe Falls. The idea was to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday, with plans to engage all provinces and territories. The event would have attracted visitors from the U.S. and throughout the world.
Formerly Horticulture Review
September, 2013 • Volume 31, No. 9 www.horttrades.com Landscape Ontario’s mandate is to be the leader in representing, promoting and fostering a favourable environment for the advancement of the horticultural industry in Ontario. ISSN 1928-9553 Publications Mail Agreement No. PM40013519
Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Circulation Department Landscape Ontario 7856 Fifth Line South, Milton, ON L9T 2X8 Canada
Satellite sites were to be established within Niagara Parks, Royal Botanical Gardens and Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. The primary site was to measure 34 hectares and attract over three-million visitors, create 4,800 jobs and have an economic impact of over $600-million. Flora Niagara was to be the Olympics of the world’s horticulture, while showcasing and promoting all the great things about Niagara, Golden Horseshoe, Ontario and Canada. After the event, the site would become a world class garden tourism destination. It was expected that 50 countries would participate in Flora Niagara. After attending Floriade 2012 in The Netherlands with the Canadian delegation, where we received our sanction to operate Flora Niagara, I developed a new perspective on how vital and important these world horticultural exhibitions are to the region hosting them. Flora Niagara would have left a legacy and a lasting tourist attraction. Having said all that, the event was a perfect fit for Landscape Ontario and the horticulture industry. It was a great opportunity to advance our industry in stature and professionalism. Besides economic growth and the creation of green jobs, it would
Publisher Lee Ann Knudsen CLP lak@landscapeontario.com, 416-848-7557 Editorial director Sarah Willis sarahw@landscapeontario.com, 647-723-5424 Editor Allan Dennis adennis@landscapeontario.com, 647-723-5345 Graphic designer Mike Wasilewski mikew@landscapeontario.com, 647-723-5343 Sales manager Steve Moyer stevemoyer@landscapeontario.com, 416-848-0708 Integrated solutions representative Gregg Sumsion gsumsion@landscapeontario.com, 647-722-6977 Communications coordinator Angela Lindsay alindsay@landscapeontario.com, 647-723-5305 Accountant Joe Sabatino jsabatino@landscapeontario.com, 647-724-8585
have encouraged young people to see landscape/horticulture as a career choice. As disappointed as we were with the failure of Flora to take place, I have to echo what our executive director Tony DiGiovanni said to me throughout this process. “The reality is that this has been the most inexpensive government and public relations exercise that this association has ever done.” This is so true. What our industry so vitally needs is public and government awareness of how beneficial and important our industry is to this country’s people and environment. It would be impossible to put a dollar value on the promotional value we achieved while trying to make Flora a reality. Our quest put us in front of many MPPs, MPs, mayors, councillors and the media. It gave us an opportunity to tell the story of our wonderful industry to people who would never have heard about Landscape Ontario, what we do and how passionate we are about what we do for a living. I have a feeling that Flora Niagara will take place some day. We got very close, and everyone we met supported the idea. Had this not been a period of provincial government mismanagement, we may have been successful in obtaining provincial and federal government financial support. The good news is that a seed has been planted, which will grow opportunities in the future. Phil Charal may be reached at pcharal@landscapeontario.com.
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FEATURES ASSOCIATION NEWS EVENTS VOLUNTEER PROFILE CHAPTER OF THE MONTH Industry NEWS COLUMNS Classifieds Ad Index
LANDSCAPE ONTARIO STAFF Shawna Barrett, Darryl Bond, Kim Burton, Rachel Cerelli, Tony DiGiovanni CHT, Rob Ellidge, 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
Views expressed are those of the writer concerned. Landscape Ontario assumes no responsibility for the validity or correctness of any opinions or references made by the author. Copyright 2013, reproduction or the use of whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited. Published 12x per year. Rates and deadlines are available on request. Subscription price: $43.51 per year (HST included). For subscription and address changes, please e-mail subscriptions@landscapeontario.com
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Bob Wilton poses with his classic 1973 Ford 150 dressed in Clintar colours that marks the year Wilton began his company.
In its 40th year, Clintar Landscape Management continues to grow In the late 1960s,Bob Wilton was a busy student at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in business administration. To help pay his way, he sprayed lawns for a company named Weed and Grub Spray Service. It turns out that it was time well spent. Following his graduation from college in 1968, Wilton worked full time for the spraying business before starting his own company, Clintar Landscape Management. Today, Wilton is president of one of the largest landscape management companies in North America. Clintar boasts 24 franchises from New Brunswick to British Columbia, and down into the U.S. in New Jersey and Florida. Asked how he came up with the name Clintar, Wilton laughs and relates how his partner at the time had a young son he named Clint, and newborn daughter named Tara. “So Clintar it was,” says Wilton. “I see young Clint every now and then, who recently celebrated his 43rd birthday.” This year marks the 40th anniversary of Wilton’s company that began spraying weeds and, soon added grass cutting and landscaping. This was shortly followed with snow removal operations. “I began the snow removal service so I could eat throughout the winter,” says
4 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO SEPTEMBER 2013
Wilton. He relates how with the seasonality of the spraying business, he had to figure a way to keep the company bringing in income during the off-season. With very little money, Wilton added the required equipment, and soon he was in the snow maintenance business. In 2013, Clintar is one of the major players in the industry. The company services many major commercial and residential estate accounts, employing between 500 to 600 people at a time. The first franchise began in 1984. “I decided I could grow the business through franchising. It was an unconventional move, using franchise marketing to build a landscape management business,” Wilton says he knew at the time that there were entrepreneurs who would see the value of being a part of a professional organization that offered a great deal of experience and a top-end reputation. This year Clintar opened franchises in Calgary and Vancouver, and is also looking towards the U.S. to provide excellent opportunities for franchises. Unlike Canada, Wilton says the expansion into the U.S. requires careful consideration. “The Americans have very strict laws in place to regulate franchising,” says Wilton. “Not that
Canada doesn’t have laws, but the U.S. is more restrictive.” He also notes that the physical requirements in some areas of the U.S. can create problems with labour costs. As an example, Wilton says in Florida most of his franchises work in gated communities, which require a crew of six, compared to what would be three crew members in Canada. “Each gated community has so many hedges that it’s a full-time job just for a couple of crew members to handle.”
Proud supporter of Certification
Bob Wilton is also known as one of the major proponents of industry certification. “It’s the right thing to do.” From manpower to equipment to administrative support, Clintar is a major supporter of the Landscape Certified program. Referring to the certification program, Landscape Ontario education and labour development manager Sally Harvey CLP says, “We would not be where we are today, without Bob Wilton and Clintar’s support. “That includes from committee involvement to judging to providing vehicles and equipment; it’s truly amazing.” Wilton believes in the certification system so much, that he encourages a system of raises for those employees who achieve their certification. Clintar also offers bonuses up to $2,000 to employees who achieve certification on the first try. “I find that by embracing certification,
the company says to its employees that we care,” says Wilton. Clintar’s president feels that when an employee is added to Clintar wall of certification, there is a real sense of pride for themselves and the company they work for. “The system proves that the person who achieves certification has reached a professional standard in the industry, unlike the guy with a truck and a shovel,” states Wilton. “Unfortunately the public doesn’t fully understand the system yet.” Bob Wilton says that after 40 years, he still loves his job. He is just as excited about the future, as he is proud of the past. And, he has much to be proud of. Clintar has been cutting edge for many years. It was one of the first companies to embrace computers. “We were also one of the first companies to use GPS systems on our vehicles to manage costs,” says Wilton. Looking ahead, he is excited about the paperless time sheets system that Clintar is developing. All work hours are recorded on mobile devices; no more paper. Out on the street, Clintar has long been recognized for its distinctive green coloured vehicles and uniforms. As part of the 40th anniversary celebrations, Clintar adopted the motto, ‘Green since 1973.’ Wilton looks back over the years, and readily admits that being green has sometimes been slow to embrace, and yet at times there has been an immediate acceptance. He acknowledges the pesticide ban dramatically impacted the industry. “No doubt property owners found chemicals better than pulling weeds,” says Wilton. He says many property owners abandoned ‘weed-free lawns,’ but there were many who were willing to pay more to have their property maintained weed-free. “Now instead of chemicals, we use aeration, overseeding, better irrigation and more to maintain healthy lawns.” Clintar’s dedication to being green is more than just colour branding. The company is constantly updating its fleet with vehicles that use new technologies to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily apply to Wilton’s 1973 customized high-performance Ford 150, which is a tribute to the year he began his lawn spraying company. Today that lawn spraying company sees more than $50-million in sales, thanks to the work, dedication and far-sightedness of its team leader Bob Wilton.
We welcome all Commercial and Residential Landscape Contractors
• Great Location • Easy Pick-up • Huge Selection • Fair Prices
M. PUTZER HORNBY NURSERY LTD We are located only minutes from Toronto and Hamilton You will find product listings, map, phone and fax numbers as well as email addresses on our website. Clintar’s vice president of operations John O’Leary CLT plugs the electric charger into the company’s latest addition to its fleet.
www.putzernursery.com WWW.HORTTRADES.COM 5
Auction 2013 celebrates history, while helping industry The 2013 Industry Auction was as much about celebration and history, as it was raising funds and plant material, when Sheridan Nurseries hosted the Aug. 14 event. As part of Sheridan’s 100th anniversary celebrations, the company arranged tours of its Georgetown operation, which attracted a large number of industry members. As well, a barn was filled with historical items, with Sheridan’s Larry Sherk providing commentary. Lunch provided by Sheridan was from local suppliers, with the big hit being assorted pies provided by the local church ladies. The annual auction helps raise money for horticultural research and scholarships. An exact total was unknown at press time.
The Growers’ Awards of Excellence entries were judged in the morning and the winners announced at the end of the auction. An Awards of Excellence certificate went to each of the 12 winning lots, which were then auctioned. The winners will be recognized during the garden centre event held at the Toronto Congress Centre on Oct. 23, in conjunction with Expo. Special appreciation goes to the dedicated members of the awards judging panel, who offered their time and expertise: Jen Llewellyn, OMAF; Michael Pascoe, Fanshawe College; Glen Lumis of the University of Guelph; Len Mancini of Holland Park Garden Gallery; Rita Weerdenburg, CNLA; Sean Fox, University of Guelph Arboretum; and Perry Grobe,
Grobe Nursery. See the complete list of winners below. On hand to welcome visitors to the event were 1st vice president of Landscape Ontario Dave Braun, who represented LO and the Growers Sector Group. He was joined by Karl and Bill Stensson of Sheridan Nurseries. “I would like to thank our generous host and lunch sponsor, Sheridan Nurseries. We appreciate all of the effort from their outstanding staff, and would like to take a moment to celebrate with them 100 years in this business. Outstanding!” said Braun. “On behalf of Landscape Ontario, I would like to thank Sheridan Nurseries, Karl, Valerie, Bill, Bart, Brenda and all of the staff here for an outstanding event today,” stated Braun, when he presented a special plaque which was accepted by Karl Stensson. In honour of Sheridan’s 100th, organizers went back to past auctions that had the auctioneer remain inside the building, while skids for bidding were presented
2013 GROWERS’ AWARD WINNERS
Category
Plants
Company
Judges’ comments
Category 1 Evergreens - Field Grown Upright and Spreading
Picea pungens ‘Neon Blue’
Mori Nurseries
These striking neon blue spruce had great uniformity in product, and correct and proper labeling, and would be excellent additions to a retail line-up of top-notch product.
Category 2 Evergreens - Container Grown Upright and Spreading
Assorted evergreens
Willowbrook Nurseries
This entry displayed a good variety of colour and texture and the overall quality was excellent. A superior combination of retail-ready plants.
Category 3 Broadleaf Evergreens
Assorted evergreens
Canadale Nurseries
The judges were impressed with the obvious consistency of the colour, form and overall quality of these perfect broadleaf specimens.
Category 4 Deciduous Shrubs
Assorted shrubs
Mori Nurseries
Unusual selection of plants; great quality, well labeled, artistic presentation. Well done.
Category 5 Deciduous Ornamental Trees 300 Cm Or Less
Liriodendron
Willowbrook Nurseries
Excellent colour for Liriodendron! Good colour is a reflection of their well-developed root system with lots of fibre to ease transplant stress.
Category 6 Deciduous Ornamental Trees Top Grafted/Worked
Hydrangea paniculata ‘Phantom’ TF
Connon Nurseries NVK Holdings
Above and beyond the obvious impact of the spectacular blooms, these Phantom tree form hydrangeas had superior characteristics and qualities in all other criteria. For a garden centre these would be easy money.
Category 7 Caliper Trees
Pyrus calleryana ‘Chanticleer’
Braun Nursery
The only ones in the lot labeled, but lacked zone and size. Uniform, pruned well, great visual appearance.
Category 8 Vines and Groundcovers JUDGES’ CHOICE
Assorted groundcovers
Willowbrook Nurseries
Overall impact is tremendous. This skid is retail ready! Colour is outstanding and diversity of colour and texture is very striking. The judges wanted to take this lot home!
Category 9 Perennials
Assorted perennials
Mori Nurseries
This lot is an instant perennial garden for the small yard. A perfect complement to any new home and is sure to increase property value.
Category 10 Unusual and Rare Plants
Thuja occidentalis ‘Filiformis’
Mori Nurseries
Many years of effort put into growing these ornamental plants. Gorgeous texture; rarely seen in displayed size – well labeled.
Category 11 Design on a Skid
Assorted plant material
Sheridan Nurseries - Georgetown
This is a random collection of ornamentals that reminded the judges how natural landscapes sometimes can form. This collection of plants brings elements of nutritional, recreational and medicinal elements in the garden.
6 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO SEPTEMBER 2013
one pallet at a time. Sheridan drivers were kept busy removing and dropping the next skid throughout the auction. Jeanine West from Phytoserve was on-hand to discuss the Canadian Nursery Certification Institute’s Clean Plants program. Hard working volunteers included Christine Stein, Direct Solutions; Gerwin Bouman, Stam Nurseries; Dave Braun, Braun Nurseries; Harry DeVries, John Mantel, Connon/AVK Holdings; Bill Putzer, M. Putzer Hornby Nursery; Darby McGrath, Vineland Research and Innovation Centre; Jeanine West and Glen Lumis. Special thanks go to John Moons, Connon/NVK Holdings, for again looking after operations at the auction. “The event would not be the same without him,” said Kristen McIntyre, auction coordinator. “Jim McCartney again provided his always humourous addition and a sense of fun to the event.” Along with some great prices on highend plant material, those taking part in the bidding process also had a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy Note, donated by Plant Products. The winner was John Albrecht, John’s Nursery.
Auction donors
Products for the auction were generously donated by the following companies: Agrium Advanced Technologies, Braun Nursery, Cameron’s Brewing, Canadale Nurseries, Coivic Specimen Trees, Connon Nurseries/NVK Holdings, Direct Solutions (AAT), Downham Nurseries, Dutchmaster Nurseries, Eagle Ridge Golf Course, Eloquip, Everris, Hillen Nursery, JM Peeters Nursery, Kam’s Growers Supply, Langendoen Nurseries, Mori Nurseries, Plant Products, Proven Winners, Sheridan Nurseries, Somerville Nurseries, Terra Cotta Inn, The Cellar Steak and Seafood Restaurant, Timm Enterprises, Vineland Estates, Willowbrook Nurseries and Winkelmolen Nursery.
Judges Glen Lumis and Jennifer Llewellyn were kept busy judging plants at the annual Industry Auction. A display by Willowbrook Nurseries received the Judges’ Choice Award.
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
Those attending the annual trial gardens open house had lots to see, from new annual introductions to perennial beds and roses.
LO and University of Guelph host tours of trial gardens Landscape Ontario and the University of Guelph held consecutive open houses at their trial gardens on Aug. 16 and 17. For the sixth year in a row, industry
members were invited to the LO home office in Milton for a morning of educational presentations, and to see how some of the most recent plant introduc-
More Selection. More Service.
tions perform in a garden setting. LO’s executive director Tony DiGiovanni introduced trial gardens manager, Rodger Tschanz of the University of Guelph, noting, “Roger with his quiet passion, is the entire energy behind the success of the gardens.” Wayne Brown, greenhouse floriculture specialist with OMAF-Vineland, provided an update on the status of impatiens downy mildew (IDM). Impatiens is, or rather, was one of the greatest success stories of the greenhouse sector because strong breeding programs resulted in enhanced garden performance and colour at a reasonable price. IDM has wiped out that success in North America in less than five years. Regional outbreaks of IDM were reported in the U.S. and Canada in 2011, and now the disease is widespread across the continent. Early symptoms are light green to yellowing or stippling of the leaves and a characteristic downward curling of the infected leaves. Spores will show as a velvetywhite growth on the undersides of the leaf. Eventually all the leaves drop off. Brown explained that initially the symptoms can be misleading as they can look like spider mite damage or a nutritional problem. Downy mildews are all crop-specific water moulds, and IDM affects Impatiens wallerana and interspecific hybrids including Fusion and Fiesta, balsam and jewelweed. New Guinea impatiens has a high tolerance to IDM. Growers may be able to control IDM during production, but in the landscape there are no products registered that
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Harmony is
GREEN, COLOUR is Expression.
1155 Dundas St. W. (Hwy. #5), West Flamborough, Ontario Tel.: 905-628-0112 • 905-523-0442 Fax: 905-628-3155 email: mail@connonnurseries.com www.connonnurseries.com WWW.HORTTRADES.COM 9
ASSOCIATION NEWS will knock down this disease. Currently, the recommendation is to avoid planting Impatiens wallerana, and chose other shade-tolerant plants including begonia, New Guinea impatiens, browallia, coleus, nemesia, lobelia, fuchsia or ivy geraniums. Brown noted that none of these crops are as cost effective as impatiens and suggested that impatiens breeders are searching for tolerance or resistance to this disease, but we won’t see results from that research quickly. Growers and retailers can sterilize benches and sales areas with a strong bleach solution, but Brown cautioned that the solution should be rinsed off with clean water after a day or two, to get rid of any chemical residue. Next, Paul Zammit, director of horticulture at the Toronto Botanical Garden, provided an enthusiastic, entertaining and educational session on container gardening. Zammit illustrated his talk with some great slides, saying containers are an easy way to add colour to
the hardscape. He gave some terrific tips and left the audience with a new appreciation of the versatility plants and accessories can offer in container plantings. Rodger Tschanz led the group outside to the trial beds, and offered information on some highlights of the annual, vegetable, perennial and rose trials. The trial beds at Landscape Ontario are situated in an open field exposed to full sun and sweeping winds, so provide a good test of durability in the landscape. Visitors were invited to continue their observations at the University of Guelph Trial Garden at the Guelph Turfgrass Institute in the afternoon. The following day, the gardens were opened to the public, where they were invited to tour the gardens, choose their favourite plants and have their gardening questions answered by some of Halton’s Master Gardeners. The most popular plants chosen by members of the public were: Annual,
Toronto baseball tournament champs
Superbena Royale Chambray verbena; perennial, Milkshake echinacea; and Campfire rose was the overwhelming favourite among the rose trials. Green industry members touring the trials chose completely differently, Petunia Flash Mob Bluerific tied with Gomphrena Pin Ball Purple for best annual and Echinacea Sombrero Salsa Red was chosen as the industry’s favourite perennial. Landscape Ontario and the University of Guelph give thanks to the suppliers of the plant material for the trials: All-America Plant Selections, American Takii, Ball Horticulture, Ball Ingenuity, Blooms of Bressingham, Burpee Home Gardens, Dummen USA, Fides Oro, Genesis Seeds, Goldsmith Seeds, Jelitto Seeds, Johnny’s Selected Seed, Kieft Seeds, PanAmerican Seed, Proven Winners, Sakata Seeds, Selecta North America, Thompson and Morgan, Syngenta Flowers, Van Hemert and Co. Seeds, Vanhof and Blokker, and William Dam Seeds. Thanks go also, to SunGro, Plant Products, Gro-Bark - Ontario and Myers Industries for support of the trial gardens. Appreciation is extended to the summer students for their help with weeding, as well as the crew membersfrom Boots Landscaping and Maintenance who blitzed the gardens just before the open house. Wayne Brown, of OMAF, helped with the production of the vegetative plants trialed in the gardens.
Nine named Landscape Industry Certified
Arbordale Landscaping/Moonstruck Landscape Lighting of Concord won the top title at this year’s Toronto Chapter Baseball Tournament on Aug. 18. Members of the team proudly display the trophy they won in the competition that featured eight teams. The event at Richmond Greens Sports Centre and Park in Richmond Hill, also provided a barbecue lunch and prize giveaways.
10 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO SEPTEMBER 2013
Nine new members achieved Landscape Industry Certified status following the test days on July 19. The event attracted 47 candidates and volunteer judges to the Landscape Ontario home office in Milton, where they participated in a one-day Landscape Industry Certified practical test. “Our dedicated volunteers/judges and candidates endured the soaring 45 degree weather,” said Rachel Cerelli, LO certification and apprenticeship coordinator. Landscape Industry Certified volunteers serving as judges accumulated Continuing Education Units towards maintaining their Certification(s). Congratulations to those members who now have CLT following their names: Michael Boag, Burlington; Adam Braun, Gelderman Landscape Services, Waterdown; Ben Broughton, Wilfred Laurier University; Rob Gelineau, Clintar Landscape Management, Kitchener; Reta Horan, City of Woodstock Parks
Department; Irfan Motala, Mr. Lawnmower Landscaping Services, Toronto; Brian Partridge, Partridge Landscaping, Lucan; Ken Pavely, Lawn Life, Mono; and Marc Thiebaud Jr., OGS Grounds Maintenance Specialists, Brooklin. The remaining 2013 test dates are Sept. 27, eastern Ontario, CLT handson and re-write tests; Oct. 23, Garden EXPO, all written tests; Oct. 31, central Ontario, all written tests; Nov. 1, central Ontario, CLT hands-on and re-write tests; Nov. 22, south-western Ontario, all written tests; Dec. 4, south-western Ontario, all written tests; and Dec. 6, central Ontario, all written tests.
Expo ready to help retailers move ahead
As a retailer, your goal is to grow your business. One of the best methods to achieve that goal is through face-to-face conversations. Garden and Floral Expo 2013 is the place for unmatched networking, professional development, idea sharing and the inspiration needed to compete in the new world of retail. If you have inventory needs that need to be filled, you’re looking for unique
Expo provides lots of opportunities for attendees to have face-to-face conversations with suppliers, industry experts and peers.
WWW.HORTTRADES.COM  11
ASSOCIATION NEWS This horticulture and floriculture event is where year after year Canada’s savviest retailers gather to compare products, make inventory choices, and learn about trends from topnotch international retailers. It offers the best opportunity to meet with hundreds of suppliers in two action-packed days. This year Expo will feature close to 200 illuminated vendor displays showcasing innovative plants and products. Some of Jim Hole speaks at a lunch time session at Expo on Oct. 23. the highlights include the New Product Showcase that will offer products to differentiate your stores from an inspiring display of innovative prodcompetitors or big box stores, or see uct; Aisle 500 that will demonstrate crewhat retail trends are in the future, then ative design concepts to try in-store; the you need to attend Landscape Ontario’s very-popular Plant ID Challenge; and Garden and Floral Expo at the Toronto Destination Inspiration Theatre. Congress Centre, North Building on Oct. It’s a great opportunity to learn from 23 and 24. some of the industry’s best designers,
retailers and florists who are on hand to share ideas, trends and advice that will help grow your business. This year, Expo opens its doors at 9 a.m. to an exciting line-up of speakers, workshops, awards presentations and, of course, the trade show featuring top industry suppliers. The Garden Centre Group is excited to announce that one of Canada’s most articulate and knowledgeable horticulturists Jim Hole, from Hole’s Greenhouses and Gardens in Alberta, is the keynote speaker. Well-known for his business savvy, he is ardent about plants, conservation, the environment and business. A workshop on Green Plants for Green Buildings (GPGB) will be hosted by the Interior Plantscape Sector Group. Those attending this session will be eligible for GPGB CEUs. It is the only opportunity in 2013 within Canada. An illustrious panel of retail industry leaders and innovators will headline Top Ten Tips. Karl Stensson, president of Sheridan Nurseries, will lead the panel. Garden writers will return to Expo for their annual Connect Event. The meeting concludes with a visit to the trade show
Certification dedication
Terry Nicholson CLT of Clintar Landscape Management in Markham received special recognition from CNLA for his “dedication and leadership to the CNLA Certification Committee.” In photo, on left, presenting the award to Nicholson is CNLA’s Joel Beatson CLP, manager of industry human resources and professional development. Nicholson has been involved in the program since 2004.
12 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO SEPTEMBER 2013
floor. Vendors, showcasing their latest products and services, have the opportunity to have their products spotted by the writers for coverage in publications, blogs and other communication media. A full day Connecting Educators Summit is aimed at horticultural educators and affiliated professionals. The event will take place Oct. 22. Terry Childs, chair of Landscape Ontario’s Show Committee, promises that attending Garden and Floral Expo will help retailers attain business goals and prosperity. “Networking is the best way for our members to grow their business. But Expo is much more than that. We add the extras, such as seminars, workshops, suppliers and social events.” says Childs. “It’s a great opportunity to meet many suppliers under one roof to discuss upcoming needs.” To register for Garden and Floral Expo or one of its associated events, visit www.loexpo.ca.
Green for Life continues to build business
Thanks to the visionaries who created LO’s Green for Life branding initiative in 2007, a modest promotional investment continues to yield amazing results. The heart of the program is the Find a Company database on www.landscapeontario. com — where homeowners can find members by specialty or community. Members consistently report getting new business from the site. Besides connecting with professionals, homeowners are finding inspiration from the site’s extensive plant, gardening and landscaping information. Traffic on the site this spring has been especially gratifying. The unique visitor count for May was up 45 per cent from May 2012, and June traffic was up 50 per cent. A stunning 53,161 unique visitors logged on in May; a huge public relations achievement for Ontario’s green industry. Members wanting to take advantage of the traffic should ensure their profile is on the site, go to www.horttrades.com/ how-to-update-your-member-profile.
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR It’s time for regulation
I am responding to Tony DiGiovanni’s request in his column in the June 2013 issue of Landscape Ontario magazine for opinions about whether or not to regulate the landscaping industry. I started on my own in 1983, after three years at Humber College in landWWW.HORTTRADES.COM 13
ASSOCIATION NEWS survive through the winter. In the past ten years, I have lost six people to the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) industry. The main reason was money. They were willing to take an initial pay cut, knowing that in five years they would have the potential to almost double their wage from what they made landscaping. I was recently on a job site in Toronto, when a 20-something individual came up to me. He said he wanted to be a landscaper, but he got a union job with a masonry company and he earns $42 per hour. Without regulation, we cannot compete with this. As owners, we all know the feeling when asked by property owners what our hourly rate is and the look of astonishment from customers if they hear anything over $30 to $40 per hour. Yet an electrician, plumber or A/C contractor can tell them $70 to-$80 per hour and that’s
Tr Sp La ee ec rg s A im e va en ila bl e
scape technology. When the industry first talked about regulating, being naïve, I was against it. I thought it would be like shooting ourselves in the foot. Property owners would not pay higher prices for something that was for the most part a cosmetic enhancement of their property. It is not like plumbing or electrical, where serious damage could occur if they improperly perform their own work. Many owners opt to take care of their own landscaping. Of course, we have all seen what can happen when property owners do their own landscaping. Years later, this topic comes up again and I now realize why it is so important to regulate. All of us in the industry work too many hours for the return on investment. We have high overheads, expensive equipment and good people who should be able to live better and not have to work 60 hours per week during the season in order to earn enough to
OK. The local garage/dealer can get $80 to $90 per hour and the customer says go ahead, fix the car, but landscapers ask for $40 or more and we are crazy, even though we have high overhead many times higher than that of other trades. We roll up to our sites with a $90,000 truck, a $10,000 trailer, a $50,000 skidsteer or mini-excavator, numerous other power tools and employees earning $20 to $35 per hour, and we are thieves for asking for $40 to $50 per hour. Yet an HVAC contractor with a $35,000 van and $15,000 worth of tools can show up and get $80 to $90 per hour, plus travel time. I know that they have more specific trade education, but somehow we need to get better returns. If regulation will help this, then count me in. We need to somehow get it through the heads of our customers that we have an important role in constructing and maintaining properties. We are on the right track with the Green for Life campaign. Now we need to better educate the consumer, so they will value our services. We have all seen bad landscaping projects, bad drainage issues, collapsed retaining walls, overgrown gardens and
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ugly patios. Now we need to use these examples and show consumers how, when done right, our services will add to their property value. This is what they will pay attention to. Consumers are bombarded with renovation ideas. New kitchen, bathroom and basement renovations; this is our competition, not each other. We have to go after this market and stop (as Mark Bradley puts it) the race to the bottom by competing with each other where none of us are winning. If regulation can weed out (pun intended) some of the unscrupulous contractors and level the playing field, then let’s go for it. Remember the gas wars? People would travel 10 to 20 minutes out of their way when gas was cheaper somewhere else. Now the price is the same everywhere. I am not saying everyone deserves the same price for their service, as some companies have earned the right to charge more. I am, however, suggesting a base rate at the very least. We all hear of how prices are all over the map and maybe with regulation we can have a base rate that can be monitored. We have to
Ottawa Chapter golf tournament
Laurie Irvine, left, and Trish Ferguson from Go Mobile Communications spent their time at the Ottawa Chapter Golf Tournament in style.The pair won the draw to use the charity hummer golf cart for the day. The event which helped raise money for Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Foundation, saw nearly 90 golfers take part.
WWW.HORTTRADES.COM 15
ASSOCIATION NEWS look out for the underground economy. A lot of “companies” like to operate this way. They are short sighted though, and where are they in five to 10 years? We may need to establish a consumer protection program that we all pay into to protect against bad work. We could use a demerit point system or similar to suspend companies that have negative reports against them. With better rates, we can do a lot of things to help this great industry. After 30-plus years, I am starting to spend a little less time in the field. I realize how nice it would have been to not have had to work so much for so long for so little, just to keep afloat. If we regulate now, future generations can gain so much from our decision. It’s time to spend more time on the business, not just in it. Brad Ware, Ware-With-All Contracting, Georgetown
Last call for Awards of Excellence entries
The kids are back to school (phew!) and you have wrapped up last season’s unfinished projects, while diving into a few smaller ones. Until Oct. 1 at 4 p.m. landscape contractors, designers, grounds maintenance, irrigation and interior plantscape contractors may enter into the 41st Awards of Excellence program. The Construction, Maintenance and Design program offers 41 categories for entry. If you missed the brochure in the August edition, www.loawards.com lists them all. Did you know that most landscape photography experts say that an overcast day is prime for taking vivid landscape shots? A bright sunny day does not capture the hues and deeper shades in a landscape, often resulting in a washedout looking photo. Also recommended is keeping shadows in mind. They detract from your picture. And, remember to take
more shots than you need — that way you have more to choose from. Before shots really help to sell your work. Taking great photographs that showcase the true depths of your landscape takes time and practice. Photographs from projects that have won in the past are available for viewing at www.loawards.com. This industry is thriving with resourceful, innovative and creative professionals; the awards allow us to showcase your accomplishments and artistry. It’s important to recognize projects that stand out in quality, workmanship and design, but also as examples to promote our industry’s high level of skill and professionalism to the public. “Award-winning projects showcase outstanding design sophistication and horticultural knowledge, says Denis Flanagan, Landscape Ontario’s director of membership and public relations. “Our members continually reach new levels of craftsmanship and the winners consistently raise the bar for the rest of the industry.” So while you’re out working this month and wonder if anyone will notice the extra hours you put into the driveway or the perennial border, if you submit your project to LO’s Awards of Excel-
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lence program, the judges will. For more information on the Landscape Ontario Awards of Excellence programs please contact Kristen at kristen@ landscapeontario.com, 416-848-4144, or visit www.loawards.com.
Hermanns wins landscape award
Hermanns Contracting of Schomberg received the City of Brampton Urban Design Award for its work on the Mount Pleasant Village project. The event is held to recognize the accomplishments of industry professionals and select winning projects in various categories. Mount Pleasant Village is a transitfriendly community designed around a central square that resembles a traditional Italian piazza. Its balanced mix of residential, commercial, urban, green and livable spaces makes Mount Pleasant Village a unique urban setting. While Mount Pleasant Village won numerous awards including best overall project, it was the award for Mount Pleasant Village Square — Best Small Landscape Project that Landscape Ontario members Hermanns was proud to accept.
Work continues to build on success of GreenTrade Expo Plans are already underway for the Ottawa Chapter’s GreenTrade Expo 2014, Eastern Ontario’s must-attend industry trade show. Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2013, proved to be Greentrade Expo’s most successful to date. Moving once again to a larger exhibit space at the Ernst and Young Centre in Ottawa, the trade show floor was sold out. There were more exhibitors, as well as information booths from Landscape Ontario, Ottawa Canadensis Botanical Gardens, Communities in Bloom, and a Landscape Industry Certified Plant Identification challenge. To celebrate the anniversary, it was decided to hold a Tailgate Party, similar to the one held at LO Congress. This event raised over $2,000 for the Ottawa Food Bank. Trade show chair Bruce Morton CLP, CIT, of Greenscape.ca, has been involved since GreenTrade Expo began. President of Ottawa Chapter Ed Hansen, of Hansen Lawn and Gardens, Ottawa, expressed the chapter’s appreciation saying, “GreenTrade Expo is a direct
result of the support and guidance of Bruce Morton, whose knowledge, expertise and passion for the green industry has led to Ottawa Chapter’s success.” GreenTrade Expo 2014 will return on Feb. 12, 2014 to the Ernst and Young Centre, Uplands Drive, Ottawa, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Opportunities to book exhibit space are now available. Work is currently underway to make next year’s event even more of a success than 2013. For more information on GreenTrade Expo, contact Martha Walsh at mwalsh@ landscapeontario.com, or 613-796-5156. The show’s website is www.greentrade.ca
Safety Group MEMBERS REAP great reWARDS
Statistics from WSIB show that for the third consecutive year, members of the Landscape Ontario Safety Group have demonstrated a major decline in lost days. The LO report card shows that since 2010, Safety Group member companies went from 105.35 lost days, to 20.42 in 2012. The Safety Groups Program promotes health and safety in the workplace through mentoring, pooling of resources and shar-
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
Durham Supplier Showcase
The 2013 Durham Supplier Showcase Barbecue was held at Sheridan Nurseries in Whitby in conjunction with the company’s 100th anniversary celebrations. The event featured dinner provided by the Chapter as well as product displays and give-aways from LO supplier members. Almost 100 people came out to participate in this event, that is unique to the Durham Chapter. April and Greg Scarlett of Urban Landscape Solutions were kept busy manning the food table, but took time out from their duties to pose with Grout, LO’s social media mascot.
18 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO SEPTEMBER 2013
ing of best practices between member firms, their sponsor and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). Member firms can receive, along with improved safety records, financial benefits in the form of rebates from the WSIB. Landscape Ontario 2012 Safety Group consisted of 27 firms from many sectors of the industry. LO manager of education and labour development Sally Harvey, CLP, CLT, says, “The benefits of belonging to the LO Safety Group are obvious as the statistics show. The awareness that is developed and the creation of compliant internal systems due to participation in the LO safety group in 2012 have definitely paid off with reduced incidents and accidents, as compared to industry members who don’t belong to the Safety Group.” The 2012 report card shows the most common injuries were sprains, strains and tears, followed by cuts and lacerations. Other work place injuries on the list were inflammation and irritation of joints, tendons, muscles, and punctures. The most common body parts injured were feet and ankles, followed by knees, lower back and fingers. The WSIB report listed the most common cause of injuries among Safety Group members was bodily reaction and exertion. Other causes were non-collision accidents, struck by objects and falls. To find out more about the Safety Groups program, or to register, go to www.horttrades.com/safety-groups-2.
Connect Grow and prosper from the connections made at our events
• Increase brand recognition • Discover new customers • Capitalize on new markets • Source new suppliers
Canada’s fall show for the floral and garden industry RETAIL TRADE EVENT October 23-24, 2013 Toronto Congress Centre North Building, Toronto, Ontario loexpo.ca
2013
Canada’s International Horticultural Lawn and Garden Trade Show and Conference INDUSTRY TRADE EVENT January 7-9, 2014 Toronto Congress Centre Toronto, Ontario locongress.com
SNOWPOSIUM LANDSCAPE ONTARIO
SNOW AND ICE MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE AND EXPO
Co-located with the National Home Show CANADA’S GARDEN FESTIVAL March 14-23, 2014 Direct Energy Centre Toronto, Ontario canadablooms.com
Conference and Expo September 19, 2013 Landscape Ontario site Milton, Ontario horttrades.com/ snow-ice-conference-and-expo-2013
GreenTrade Expo Eastern Ontario’s Green Trade Show INDUSTRY TRADE EVENT February 12, 2014 Capital Exhibition Centre Ottawa, Ontario greentrade.ca
For exhibitor or visitor information please call: 1-800-265-5656 x353 WWW.HORTTRADES.COM 19
VOLUNTEER PROFILE Alan White takes a front row seat as a participant and observer Alan White began his volunteer efforts in Landscape Ontario because he wanted to learn and be part of something bigger. “The primary reason for joining LO was to associate our new business at the time with a group of like-minded professionals where I could learn and be part of something bigger,” recalls White. The owner of Turf Systems in Burlington, says, “I remember my first meeting being with Tony (DiGiovanni), who suggested early in the pesticide debate that I attend one of the Lawn Care Sector Group meetings to learn what was going on and share my ideas with my peers.” Since those days, White has been involved with almost every aspect of the association from branding, to trade shows, to government relations, training, sector groups, Chapters, board of directors and most recently representing LO on the CNLA
board of directors. He says that he doesn’t have just one favourite, but many memories of his time spent volunteering in the association. “There are so many people I have met along the way,” says White, “while representing the lawn care sector not only here at home, but nationally and internationally. I really enjoy having the opportunity to demonstrate to the public the incredible contributions that turfgrass plays in our day-to-day life right beneath our feet.” For White the number one benefit that he receives from volunteering is the opportunity to learn from others. “By volunteering, you have an opportunity to have a front row seat with some of the best minds in the industry,” says White. “These are people who genu-
EVENTS
September 26 - 27
Landscape Industry Certified Testing
Bookmark www.horttrades.com/comingevents for up-to-date event information. September 19
September 25
Landscape Ontario home office, 7856 Fifth Line South, Milton Landscape Ontario’s Snow and Ice Conference and Expo will offer professional development sessions in the morning followed by an outdoor lunch, exhibits and live product demonstrations in the afternoon. For more information, or to register, go to www.horttrades.com/snow--ice-conference-and-expo-2013 webpage.
The Huron Club, 94 Pine St, Collingwood Come out and meet the new 2013-2014 Georgian Lakelands Board of Directors for a social evening starting at 5:30 and light dinner at 6 p.m.
Snowposium 2013
September 21
Windsor Chapter Golf Tournament
Roseland Golf & Curling Club, 455 Kennedy Drive West, Windsor Come enjoy the last of summer at the Windsor chapter’s annual golf tournament. The event includes 18 holes of golf on an excellent course, golf cart, chicken and rib dinner and great door prizes. Cost is $125 per golfer.
inely not only care about the success of their own businesses but also that of the collective group.” White advises those interested in volunteering with Landscape Ontario to remain focused on the fact that we are businesses representing business success through professionalism, mentoring and a collective effort to make this one of the healthiest industries in Ontario. The hard work and leadership that Alan White has provided over the years was verified when he received the IPM Leadership Award during Congress 2013. The award recognizes leadership and contribution towards the healthy growth of the industry. The recipient is decided by a vote among peers. Having represented Landscape Ontario, a lot of White’s volunteer time will now be directed towards the CNLA’s Board of directors. Yet, it’s not a big leap for him. He has represented Canada during the development of an international foundation Project EverGreen to protect and enhance urban green spaces in the U.S. and in Canada. The most recent project was the St. James Park in partnership with Landscape Ontario and the Sod Growers of Ontario. Over the years that are too many committees to name them all, but even still, White maintains his enthusiasm for volunteering. “It is this work that has allowed me the ability to participate at the early stages of change and/or innovation.”
Kemptville College, Kemptville All designations written test is on Sept 26, technician hands-on test is held Sept 27. Go to www.horttrades.com/landscape-industry-certified
Georgian Lakelands Chapter social
October 10 - 11
September 25
Landscape Ontario home office, 7856 Fifth Line South, Milton The written portion of the tests for all designations is Oct. 10, and hands-on test is Oct. 11. For more information, contact certification@landscapeontario.com, or 1-800-265-5656, ext. 326.
National Tree Day
Canada Members of Landscape Ontario will once again have the opportunity to become involved in National Tree Day on Sept. 25. CNLA is taking the lead role in the program, notifying national media about participating members, as well as posting a map of planting events on its website. Members are asked to notify CNLA by registering at www.cnla-acpp.ca/nationaltreeday.
20 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO SEPTEMBER 2013
Landscape Industry Certified Testing
October 16
Smart About Salt Essentials training RA Centre - Courtside B, 2451 Riverside Drive, Ottawa The Smart about Salt Essentials training and accreditation program is available in Ottawa from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, or to register go to Smart About Salt, www. smartaboutsalt.com/training.
CHAPTER OF THE MONTH Golden Horseshoe Chapter helps students and communities Each year the Golden Horseshoe Chapter hosts a barbecue for its members, their employees and families. The Chicken Roast has become the largest social event on the Chapter’s calendar. It’s a great opportunity to come together and celebrate the end of a busy summer. Each year the event is hosted by a different supplier. This year’s Chicken Roast took place at Windmill Power Equipment in Dundas. Including member companies as the event host is a great way for suppliers to promote their company to Landscape Ontario members, and it helps the Golden Horseshoe Chapter to offer a high quality networking event.
Niagara College bursary
The Golden Horseshoe Chapter has always supported local horticultural partners, such as the Royal Botanical Gardens. Last year, the Chapter board decided to extend additional support to local education institutions within the Golden Horseshoe. On Oct. 23, 2012, representatives of the Golden Horseshoe Chapter presented a cheque to Niagara College for $3,000. The money was to go towards students in financial need who were enrolled in the landscape and horticultural programs. The Chapter has raised the funds to make this donation possible through its annual golf tournament and social events. Going forward, the Chapter would like to continue to support the education of horticulture students with additional funds when available.
Public School in Burlington. The Chapter made a donation towards the trees that were planted on the site, along with providing each child with a package of tree seed nuts to plant at home (in partnership with the Stewardship Council). See Landscape Ontario magazine, June 2013.
Waterdown Blooms
The Golden Horseshoe Chapter is involved in an initiative of the Waterdown Business Improvement Area (BIA). Known as Waterdown Blooms, this is a competitive planting program, with the goal of beautifying the BIA member business sections, the community of Waterdown and the surrounding area. The program includes seven (with space for one more) area landscapers who have each created a 15- x 25-ft. planting bed on two public boulevards within the BIA area. The two boulevards, along Hamilton St. N., and Dundas St. E., are the two primary arteries within the community. Participants in the Blooms’ program were encouraged to showcase their creative
and landscape design skills in their planting beds. Waterdown Blooms encouraged participants to design their planting areas with follow-up years in mind. Any hardscaping could then be utilized in following years. The beds will compete for two separate awards. One is a People’s Choice Award, judged by the greater Waterdown community and the other is a Judges’ Award, from peers within the landscaping community. Gold, silver and bronze honours in both categories will be presented to the participants at the annual Flamborough Chamber of Commerce business awards gala. Landscape Ontario members taking part include: Garden Grove Landscaping, Lynden Lawn Care, The Gardener Landscape Maintenance and Snow Removal, CR Lawns, Gelderman Landscaping Services and Meadowbrook Landscaping. Carruthers Landscaping is also taking part.
Golden Horseshoe Chapter snapshot
Number of Members: 344 Number of Active Members: 234 Chapter Board F iore Zenon, President Jeff Smith, Vice President Bruce Wilson, Treasurer Tim Cruickshanks, Past President/Board Rep Fran MacKenzie, Secretary Andrew Barz, Director John Bos CLT, Director Paul DeGroot, Director Dan Grieve CLP, Director Dan MacLean, Director Rob Mendonca, Director David Pearce, Director
Arbor Day
The Golden Horseshoe Chapter is always looking to build stronger ties to the community. One such project that the group has supported year after year is the annual Arbor Day tree planting. This year the Golden Horseshoe members were present at King’s Road
The Golden Horseshoe Chapter’s move to build community relationships was popular with the students at King’s Road Elementary School in Burlington. The Chapter organized a tree planting day as part of Arbor Day. In photo Chapter board members Fiore Zenone and Tim Cruickshanks are joined by the students and staff of the school along with Burlington mayor Rick Goldring and councillor Rick Craven.
WWW.HORTTRADES.COM 21
INDUSTRY NEWS Avoid risking life and limb in managing the emerald ash borer By Ruurd van de Ven, Arborvalley Urban Forestry
Ontario is in a war against the invasive emerald ash borer, which is laying waste to ash trees across the continent, and posing a health and safety hazard to the people who cut them down — including arborists, landscape contractors, farmers, golf course workers, and homeowners. Discovered in 2002, having arrived from Asia on wood-packing materials in cargo ships and airplanes, the emerald ash borer continues to spread, assisted by people who move infested material like firewood without following regulatory measures imposed by government to contain the damage. The pest has killed millions of ash trees, has few predators, and can withstand Canadian winters. The Ministry of Natural Resources says that the cost for Canadian municipalities to treat, remove and replace trees affected by the emerald ash borer may reach $2 billion over 30 years. It’s a big problem. But the size of the problem becomes incalculable when you consider the human costs associated with the beetle. What many people don’t realize about trees infested by the emerald ash borer is that when it comes to removal of the trees, they behave differently than noninfested trees. The underlying science of these differences is not yet completely understood, however, we do know that the inconsistencies increase the risk of injury and death for those who hold the wood-cutting saw blade.
Deadly unpredictability
Diagnosing the structural strength or defects of a tree in preparation to cut it down in the safest way possible, is an inexact science. Professional arborists rely on knowledge and experience gained through formal training programs and related field experience. They know what to look for, and to identify potential hazards before making the cut. That diagnosis process becomes inexact with infested ash trees. Arborists
know how ash trees that have died from natural causes will respond; for example, limbs generally break about three feet away from where they join the trunk. However, the only thing they can count on with infested ash trees is unpredictability. One example is when infested limbs break close to the trunk. It is not possible to know exactly where the break will occur once mechanical forces are applied. Another danger area is that a tree attacked by EAB will fail at the base much more quickly than if the tree had died from natural causes. Also, ash trees that have died from beetle infestation can fail in two to four years, unlike dead oak or elm trees, which can remain standing for as many as 15 or 20 years. This unpredictability can have deadly consequences for the safety of workers and the public, and can cause significant material damage.
Detailed inspection needed
Experienced arborists undertake a detailed inspection process before making a decision on the next steps. If you suspect you have an unhealthy ash tree on your client’s property, here’s a glimpse of what you need to know. Don’t automatically blame the beetle. Some of the signs and symptoms of emerald ash borer damage can be attributed to other causes, so residents are urged to call a professional arborist to confirm that the damage is actually caused by the beetle. Know what the beetle looks like and understand its ways. The adult is dark metallic green in colour, a half-inch long and 1/8 inch wide. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has published A Visual Guide to Detecting Emerald Ash Borer Damage at www.toronto.ca/trees/ pdfs/eabvisualguide_e.pdf. Keep an eye on the canopy. The beetle works by destroying tissues under the bark that conduct water and nutrients, resulting in yellowing leaves, a thinning
22 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO SEPTEMBER 2013
canopy, dead branches and cracks in the bark. Adult beetles leave notches on the edges of an ash tree’s leaves and D-shaped holes in the trunk, about 1/8 inch in diameter when they exit the tree in June. Under the bark, you will see S-shaped tunnels, known as galleries, made by larva feeding on the wood. Professional assessments of the stem require special training and may include trunk sounding and the use of special tools of devices used by a trained arborist.
What if tree is infested?
• Don’t cut until you know for sure. If the tree is lightly infested, it may be possible to treat and save it using pesticides. Heavily infested trees must come down and the wood disposed of according to federal regulations. Visit the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website for updates on regulated areas. In some cases, trees on private property are protected and regulated under the provisions of municipal by-laws, in which case you should contact your municipal office before treating or cutting the tree. • Help prevent further infestation by observing Canada’s regulations restricting the movement of infested material.
Ash borer confirmed in Orangeville and Lanark
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed on Aug. 19, the presence of emerald ash borer in Orangeville in Dufferin County and Pakenham and Carleton Place in Lanark County. The presence of EAB has now been confirmed in 34 Ontario counties, and in eight areas in the province of Quebec. The highly destructive beetle has already killed millions of ash trees in Ontario, Quebec and the U. S. and poses a major economic and environmental threat to urban and forested areas of North America. On Apr. 1, 2014, CFIA will consolidate most of the regulated areas into one large area in Ontario and Quebec. This large area will include Highways 400, 401, 416 and 417 in Ontario and Highways 15, 20, 40 and 50 in Quebec. This pest management approach takes into account the CFIA’s current understanding of the distribution of EAB and will more effectively slow the spread of this pest to other parts of these provinces and to the rest of Canada. A map of Ontario regulated area may
be found at www.horttrades.com/ ontario-regulated-area The Agency will continue its surveillance, regulatory, enforcement and communications activities across Canada, and the focus will now be placed on preventing EAB from moving out of the large consolidated area to areas where it is not currently known to be present. The remainder of 2013 will be a transition to this new approach. The CFIA is now reporting EAB confirmed finds in Ontario and Quebec on a monthly basis.
Clean Farms encourages farmers to follow ‘three easy’ steps in order to ensure the containers they return can be properly recycled. Farmers are asked to triple or pressure rinse containers to remove all product, remove the cap and label, and return the containers to the nearest collection sites. A full list of collection sites can be found at www.cleanfarms.ca.
Fertilizer container recycling program available
Mississauga is studying a proposal to have owners whose property has a high percentage of hard surface pay a higher levy than those whose property has more soft landscaping. The rationale is that charges would be based on how much of a burden the property puts on the city’s storm-water management system. Martin Powell, the city’s transportation and works commissioner, says, “If your property is completely paved and built over, you would pay a higher rate than someone who’s got 90 per cent grass.” Mississauga council has given initial approval to move storm-water infrastructure and maintenance costs off the property tax bill to something like a user-fee system, where the more of the storm-water system you use, the more a property owner pays. The levy would be charged on top of regular property taxes. It is expected the proposal will receive final council approval by the end of the year.
A popular pesticide container recycling program for farmers is being expanded to include empty and clean fertilizer containers. Clean Farms is accepting plastic fertilizer jugs and pails under 23 litres as part of its annual recycling program. “Over the years we have seen farmers bring fertilizer containers into collection sites so we knew there was a need to expand our program. It’s great to see members of the fertilizer industry step up and support this initiative,” says Barry Friesen, general manager of Clean Farms, the industry stewardship organization that operates the program. “The empty pesticide container recycling program has had a huge impact in terms of keeping waste out of landfills and protecting the environment. The empty fertilizer container collection program will build on this,” says Friesen. Every year, approximately 4.5 million empty, triple-rinsed plastic pesticide containers are safely recycled into items that can be used back on the farm, such as farm drainage tile.
Mississauga may charge more taxes for properties with no lawns
Online courses help reduce accidents
Landscape Ontario’s insurance provider Marsh Canada is now offering members four online courses aimed at reducing accidents. These great programs can be taken any time online, at home or in the office. The summer course includes Safe Driving and Lifting and Ladder Safety. The two winter programs are Winter Driving and Snow and Ice Risk Control. Cost to Landscape Ontario members is $49, and for LO members who have their insurance through Marsh, the cost is $39. For more information or to access the courses go to www.carriersedge.com/ce/ signup-cnla.htm or www.horttrades.com/reducing-accidents-in-the-workplace
Stats show older skilled workers far outnumber young
Some Stats Canada figures show what many in the industry have known for some time: there’s is a shortage of skilled-trades workers. The really bad news, according to new data from Statistics Canada, is that it will likely get worse as the number of qualified older workers approaching retirement outnumbers the younger ones who will take their place. The stats show that young people are studying less traditional topics such as cosmetology and grooming, food services and even funeral services. There is a lower proportion of adults ages 25 to 34 holding a trades certificate, compared with older adults ages 55 to 64. Across Canada, approximately 2.2 million Canadians ages 25 to 64 — about 12.1 per cent of the total population in that age bracket — hold some form of trades’ certificate (including a certificate or diploma, or a registered
WWW.HORTTRADES.COM 23
INDUSTRY NEWS apprenticeship certificate) as their highest level of education. Landscape/horticulture is among them. The most common certificates are in mechanic and repair fields, construction trades, and personal and culinary services. Alberta and Saskatchewan have the highest proportions of people holding registered apprenticeship certificates, with Ontario the lowest. In 2011, 10.7 per cent of adults ages 25 to 34 had a trades certificate, compared with 12.8 per cent among adults aged 55 to 64. The problems were particularly acute for mechanics, machinists and welders, and construction workers, according to the Statistics Canada data. There were 67,680 young Canadians with a trades certificate in “mechanic and repair technologies/technicians,” compared with 104,200 older adults. In construction trades, there were 5,600 (or 6.3 per cent) fewer young peo-
How much money does that tree in your yard save you?
ple with a trades certificate compared to their older counterparts. Sarah Watts-Rynard, executive director of the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum, said the skilled trades workforce is facing “a demographic crunch” in the coming years, which signals Canada has not done a very good job attracting young Canadians to the trades over the past few generations. Skilled trades workers are critically important for the Canadian economy, she said, because they’re the people building new, and maintaining older, infrastructure. “We have this desperate need for people who have the skills to do this work in place. It’s not something you can send off to China to get it done — it happens here,” she said.
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P: 905.655.3379 1.877.655.3379 F: 905.655.8544 8080 BALDWIN ST., BROOKLIN, ONTARIO L1M 1Y6
sales@uxbridgenurseries.com
www.uxbridgenurseries.com 24 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO SEPTEMBER 2013
www.newroadsleasing.com Your Vehicle and Equipment Leasing Source
A Ryerson professor has developed an online device to calculate the energy savings of specific trees. Andrew Millward and his team created the Ontario Residential Tree Benefits Estimator for 27 cities around Ontario. The study involved 577 trees. “A tree will save between 435 and 483 kWh per household — equal to running a dishwasher once every day for an entire year,” says Millward. He says that is a saving of over $40 over a year. “Trees provide many social, economic and environmental benefits in addition to the energy conservation ones we highlight in our study,” he says. “Because large trees deliver the lion’s share of benefits, cities require a collective contribution, will and action to ensure we have large healthy trees in our cities.” Each user of the estimator may choose the city, tree species and location on the property to calculate his or her own real or potential savings. To see the tree calculator go to www. yourleaf.org/estimator.
You get what You paY for. fit design qualitY wire value. Braun’s continuous wire baskets
are designed for exceptional strength and durability, and are tailor made to fit every tree spade angle and dimension in the industry. Visit www.braungroup.com to request a product brochure. Discover why we are consistently rated #1 in the industry. For specifications or distributor please call (800) 246-6984 • FAX (905) 648-8441
EXECUTIVE DESK Leadership Tony DiGiovanni CHT LO executive director
A
lthough it is difficult to define exactly what leadership is, I can spot it a mile away. I expect you can, too. The strength of Landscape Ontario is its ability to attract hundreds of leaders and leading organizations that continually inspire others to care and accept responsibility for advancing and improving the industry and each others lives. Thankfully, leadership is infectious. One of my favourite sayings from Stephen Covey is, “Leadership is a choice — not a position.” We are blessed with many members who make the choice to work together in a common effort to grow a prosperous, professional, ethical, recognized, valued and contribution-oriented horticultural community. Recently, I read a book entitled C.A.R.E. Leadership by one of our members Peter Van Stralen (The Grounds Guys). Peter has done an excellent job at defining transformational leadership principles. It is a mustread for members in our industry. You can pick up the book from Amazon, or go to http://petervanstralen.com/.
Leaders for 100 years
Another excellent book is Sheridan Nurseries: One Hundred Years of People, Plans and Plants by Ed Butts and Karl E. Stensson. It is the story of one of Canada’s leading organizations that not only shaped Canada’s horticulture industry, but was instrumental in forming CNLA and Landscape Ontario. You can pick up a copy of the book from http://www.sheridannurseries. com/sheridan_nurseries_book. I had the good fortune to attend (along with over 1,000 other guests) the Sheridan Nurseries Gala to celebrate the company’s 100th anniversary. What a night! It was a fitting tribute to the longevity and legacy of Sheridan Nurseries as a Canadian horticultural icon, with the evening’s entertainment for the event Canadian music icon Gordon Lightfoot. There was also an archive display that highlighted the rich history of the company
and the industry. I could have spent hours looking at photographs, old catalogues, tools, medals, plans, awards and other items that chronicled Sheridan’s important leadership role. Hopefully Sheridan will find a way to make the historical items available online, so many more people can learn and be inspired by our history. And speaking of horticultural leaders, Debbie Whitehouse retired from Niagara Parks Commission this month. Debbie always reflected Niagara Parks in a competent, professional, dignified, diplomatic and enthusiastic manner. Debbie is one of those unique and inspiring leaders motivated by a service-oriented contribution ethic. In her long career, she left behind a legacy in those she has influenced simply by being a wonderful role model. We wish Debbie well in her retirement.
Trial gardens
I would also like to recognize a few other industry leaders. Rodger Tschanz from the University of Guelph is instrumental in coordinating the annual trial garden event at the Landscape Ontario home office. Rodger is passionate about plants, but more than that he is passionate about people. Landscape Ontario is very fortunate to be the recipient of Rodger’s deep knowledge and exceptional character. I am also pleased to acknowledge the contributions of Paul Zammit, horticultural director from the Toronto Botanical Garden, who spoke at the trial garden open house on container gardening. I have never heard such an energetic and enthusiastic speaker. Wayne Brown from OMAFA delivered a talk called Downy Mildew on Impatiens —
Industry Slayer. What was once a staple of shade gardens is having a tough time surviving the disease. A week before the open house event, the gardens were full of weeds. One telephone call to Gerald Boot resulted in a visit from a team of professionals from Boots Landscaping. The gardens never looked better. Thank you Gerald — another wonderful industry leader! Recently Canada’s premiers met at Niagara-on-the-Lake. It afforded an excellent opportunity to raise awareness about our industry. A simple telephone call to Tim Miotto of Mori Nurseries and Tonie Mori from Mori Gardens resulted in an amazing garden display at the conference. In the middle of the garden display, we placed a sign that read, “Compliments of the Nursery/Floriculture and Landscape Industry — Did you know that Ontario’s green industry employs 70,000 people, generates 7 billion dollars of economic benefit and is responsible for 1 billion dollars of farm gate value. In addition it enhances lives through economic, environmental, social, recreational, therapeutic and legacy benefits of gardens, plants and green space.” Leadership is a choice! We are fortunate to have so many members who choose to work together on behalf of our industry. Now a word on another topic — Flora Niagara… We are sorry to report we have not been successful at raising funds to stage this international event. However, the pursuit of the event has proven to be a very successful government relations activity. Flora Niagara put us in front of many MPPs, MPs, mayors, councillors and media. It gave us the opportunity to tell the story of our wonderful industry to people who would have never heard about us. We were able to plant many seeds, which will grow opportunities in the future. Tony DiGiovanni may be contacted at tony@landscapeontario.com, or at 1-800265-5656, ext. 304.
Sheridan Nurseries held a gala event on Aug. 16 to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Guests were entertained by Canadian music legend Gordon Lightfoot.
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SAFETY AND TRAINING Working to improve human resources development By Sally Harvey CLT, CLP Manager Education and Labour Development
I
had the privilege of attending the CNLA national meetings in Montreal in August. I can assure you that our industry’s challenges in regards to human resources development are shared across the country. Your LO and CNLA staff and leaders are working hard to create opportunities and solutions for the industry as a whole. The conversations from all provinces at the CNLA meetings had a common thread surrounding the need to provide HR best practices and development tools, industry standards and other financial management intelligence that will help our members become more agile and competitive in our changing environment. LO takes this seriously and thus has had a busy summer preparing for your professional development season. We understand that training is a huge gap for most business owners who have been spending more time in the field due to demand. This is a good news story, but I am also hearing frustration from many owners who are buried in work and are delaying projects because they lack the skilled labour required to best serve their clients. LO is here to help you to develop your staff through best practices that lead to improved productivity, a stable workforce and profit. For more information on the Expo 2013 Schedule and Conference events go to www.loexpo.com/ Seminars, Sector events and Congress 2014 information will follow in the coming months via the Landscape Ontario magazine, e-news and at Expo. If you are not presently receiving our weekly e-news, or would like to receive the electronic version of the magazine, then please e-mail Angela Lindsay at
alindsay@landscapeontario.com to start receiving up-to-date information on training and networking opportunities that will help you and your team.
Connecting Educators
I am very excited to announce that on Oct. 22 (the day before Expo 2013), Landscape Ontario is pleased to present our first Connecting Educators Conference 2013, entitled, Enabling Educators ... Connecting Youth with Green Industry Careers. For more information, go to www.horttrades.com/savethedate2013 The intent of this event is to connect leaders from the education community, industry and government to work towards building skilled capacity that results in our industry attracting the brightest and the best talent to fill our critical skilled labour gap. After the Algonquin College program was threatened with cancellation a few years ago, it became very obvious that there was and remains a gap in connectivity between us all. In order to ensure that our industry is able to attract, recruit and retain skilled and competent workers, we must put effort into building relationships and providing support to ensure that our youth possess the knowledge, skills and abilities that we need. We must reach out to our local secondary schools that are offering Specialist High Skills Major in horticulture and landscape, forestry, environment, business and agriculture programs to grade 11 and 12 students. We must also do so for our post-secondary apprenticeship, college and university programs. We can impact curriculum development and provide on-the-job learning that creates a strong workforce for the future. How wonderful would it be to be able to post an advertisement for a project supervisor, and receive five amazing resumes from individuals who could actually do the work due to training, certification, experience and education? Think about it. That is our goal. The education community is supporting this event and looks forward to connecting dots, as Tim Kearney CLP
26 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO SEPTEMBER 2013
has been known to say. We thank the Ministry of Education for its sponsorship of this event. Without them, we would be challenged to offer it. Please register. We hope to see leaders from industry and the education community there, as we initiate first steps to build relationships. Please contact me if you require additional information.
College of Trades
Many of you have recently received letters from the College of Trades requesting that you become a member of its organization. I have received numerous inquiries from members who think that they are being forced to join. Please know that this is not the case. It is up to you, as we are considered a voluntary trade, so it is not compulsory for you to join. Here is an excerpt from the letter: “I am writing today to let you know that your company, as an employer of tradespersons, is now eligible for membership in the Ontario College of Trades. I also want to outline some of the benefits of membership. Certificate of Qualification holders (or journeypersons) working in Ontario’s 22 compulsory trades are required by the law of this province to be members of the College. Registered apprentices in all trades are also required to be members of the College… “Membership in the College is optional for employers of skilled tradespersons, as well as for individuals who hold a Certificate of Qualification in a voluntary trade.” If you did not receive this letter, but would like more information on membership, visit www.collegeoftrades.ca/ membership. I also invite your feedback on activities related to the College of Trades. I am a member of the Horticulture Technician Trade Board as an employer representative. It is my job as a Trade Board member to bring your comments and direction to the table. We meet three times per year. I would like to draw your attention to the bottom of these letters from the College. The following words, “STANDARDS. SKILLS. SUCCESS,” takes us right back to the top of this article. We have much to do and so much opportunity for us all. Have a great September. I welcome your comments. Contact Sally Harvey at sharvey@landscapeontario.com.
PUBLIC RELATIONS Public awareness By Denis Flanagan CLD Director of public relations and membership services
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y now you should have received your membership renewal package in the mail. It outlines the benefits of belonging to Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association. One of the goals set out by the provincial board is to make LO more relevant to the public. Every month we strive to reach that goal. Over the last few weeks we have achieved many touch points with the consumer. One such event was the open house for the plant introductions trial gardens. It was a success with over 100 consumers (potential clients for our members) visiting your site in Milton. This included a bus-load of
keen gardening enthusiasts from the Peterborough Horticultural Society. In our survey of the visitors to the trial garden open house, we found that they had heard about the event either through our website, the Canada Blooms newsletter, or by listening to The Garden Show on am 640 with Charlie Dobbin. I will host the show in September, when Charlie is away. Of course I will be promoting LO members. Speaking of the radio, Kyle Tobin from your Lawn Care Sector Group is doing an interview on the Real Estate Show at Corus Entertainment. Thanks go to Kyle for volunteering his time to promote the benefits of lawns and green spaces. We will be continuing with a series of interviews on the same channel over the next couple of months. Our friend Mark Cullen continues to promote the good work of Landscape Ontario. A good example is the recent article in the Toronto Star that showcases the dry stone walling projects by Paul Brydges and Dean McLellan. Mark’s articles and
public relations work reach over one-million readers across Canada. It’s fabulous to have him as an advocate for our members’ good work. Our monthly press release in September will focus on the benefits of planting in the fall. We hope this will be picked up by media outlets and help generate sales for garden centres and contractors. At the beginning of my article, I mentioned that you should have received your annual membership package. Included in the package is a reminder of how you can take advantage of the public relations work we do on your behalf. Some of the suggestions include getting involved in Chapter projects, update your profile on our LO consumer website www.landscapeontario.com, use any of our press releases or articles and customize them with your own company name, enter the Awards of Excellence program, continue to order and display Green for Life stickers/decals, and finally, visit us at your membership booth at Garden Expo and chat with your staff about community projects that you are involved in. We are always here to listen and help promote the fine work of our members. Have a great fall season. Denis Flanagan may be contacted at dflanagan@landscapeontario.com.
Members of the Peterborough Horticultural Society stopped in to see LO’s trial gardens
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CONTRACTORS COLUMN Dealing with new arrivals to Canada requires patient understanding By Arthur Skolnik
O
ur industry is full of smart and experienced people, suppliers, contractors and designers. I’m always amazed at the end of the season by how much I’ve learned and how much learning I’ve imparted. Did you know more than half of all immigrants to Canada settle in our most multi-cultural province Ontario? Our new growth today is almost entirely fuelled by the yearly in-flow of approximately 150,000 people. These new Canadians come from 200 countries and speak 130 different languages. Along with the skills our new neighbours bring, are the habits and mores they’ve grown up with. Many new Ontarians come from countries where contracts aren’t typically signed, and where labour rates are a tiny percentage of what they are here.
We add value
As contractors, we begin the process of adding value to a potential client’s home by listening to needs and wishes, and then proposing functional and artistic solutions. After this process, we provide a design and cost. In recent years, a whole new field of learning is required by contractors. One of those includes explaining to immigrants the how and why we create landscapes the way we do in Ontario and Canada, and why things cost what they do. It’s been my experience that the best way to navigate through a potential minefield of miscommunication (and a possible disastrous ending) starts with more hand-holding. Although this is typically not required with clients who are familiar with the wood, stone, plants and designs we use, it is important with clients who have recently arrived in Canada. One important area is providing daily updates on what aspects of the job have been completed and which ones are about to be started.
Ask if they are happy
Keep good notes, and continually ask if the client is happy. If alterations or adjust-
MEMBERSHIP
T
his summer the membership team took a few road trips across the province. The purpose of the tours was to connect with members on their job sites, or in their showrooms.
28 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO SEPTEMBER 2013
How do you keep clients happy
What has your experience been with the changing market of the landscaping world here in Ontario? What have you recognized as key elements to keep clients happy? What tools do you use to make sure everyone is on the same page? Have you had difficulty explaining something you’ve done, or why you’ve done it? Have you not been paid for work you did according to plan, but your client disagrees? Drop me a line and I may include your comments in an upcoming newsletter. I’m at arthur@shibui.ca
are probably many more out there who are wondering about the same thing.
What can we do for you? By Helen Hassard Membership coordinator
ments are needed, or products or materials require exchange, record it. Also, many people like to feel they’re getting something for nothing, even if it’s small. We are not from a culture of bargaining. For newcomers that aspect of life doesn’t get left behind at the airport. If a small item needs to be given away, be prepared to do it if you feel that’s what it takes to keep the road smooth. And, always make sure both parties are on the same page throughout the job. It’s been my experience that if one plays the game to keep the road smooth, some clients will become very loyal and an excellent source of references and referrals. It has not been my intention to insult anyone who wasn’t born or raised in Canada (both sets of my grandparents emigrated here), but with so many people moving here, the face of business, advertising and merchandising is changing, and landscape contractors and designers need to recognize that fact and adjust accordingly.
You’ve probably already read Denis’ article, so I won’t get into details about the visits. But, I would like to share a few things. When on a site, we always ask members if they have questions for us. I want to share some of the questions, because odds are if one person is asking the question, there
What can LO do to help members get ready for snow and ice season? You can get in touch with our endorsed supplier, Marsh Canada, to discuss snow and ice insurance; LO members get to take advantage of insurance that has been reviewed and negotiated by many members with extensive industry experience. Also, don’t miss the Snow and Ice Conference and Expo (aka Snowposium). The event is Sept. 19 at Landscape Ontario home office in Milton. Go to www.horttrades.com/ snowposium2013 for more information. There are also courses for snow and ice training. Go to www.horttrades.com/ reduce-accidents
How can my membership set me apart from my competitors? Some members are not comfortable about extolling the great benefits for consumers in hiring a LO member. For those with great modesty in bragging about their qualifications in being a member, take advantage of our How to Hire a Contractor rating system. Go to http://landscapeontario.com/contractor/ rating for the online form (there is a downloadable PDF at the bottom) or you can order the pamphlets to hand out with the forms available here www. horttrades.com/lo-promotional-materials-2. The pamphlet asks consumers to consider factors like insurance, WSIB, education, references and more to help them decide which contractor to hire. How can I apply for the Awards of Excellence? The Awards online submission will be open until October 1 at 4 p.m. Go to www.loawards.com/ for more information, or to apply. During our visits, we also had a few great questions from LO members’ employees. I have listed a few questions that they wanted answered. What membership benefits can employees take advantage of? Employees at member companies are automatically members of LO. This entitles them to access cost savings on seminars, certification, conferences and the discounts with our endorsed suppliers. One of the more popular benefits for employees is the Marks Work Warehouse discount cards. The discount cards are available electronically for easy distribution to employees, just get in touch with CNLA at 1-888-446-3499 to have one sent today. Go to www.horttrades.com and look in the Membership Benefits menu for more information about the financial discounts. How can I get my Pesticide Industry Certification? Go to www.horttrades.com/pesticidetechnician or contact Tom Somerville at pic@landscapeontario.ca to learn more about taking this certification. Call at 1-800-265-5656, ext. 354, or by email helen@landscapeontario.com, or tweet me about it at @LOMembership. I would like to hear your thoughts and feedback.
PROSPERITY PARTNERS Sign of the times By Jacki Hart CLP Prosperity Partners program manager
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y plan for the column this year was to interview various Prosperity Partners business owners who are involved and engaged in LO governance. I was hoping they could share their experience with our readers. The plan worked for the first half of the year, until those who procrastinated answering my questionnaire became too busy to take time out to reply. I decided to follow up (actually beg) on the phone. From seven different owners, I got the same excuse: “We have so many projects on the go, each smaller — so it drastically increases logistics, moving parts, set-up and site detailing,” so they are running faster than ever. I can honestly say that in my business, this too has become the norm. We’ve had to change the way information and scope details flow through from sales and customer interactions, contract details, etc., in order to adapt to the new reality of multi-phased and smaller projects. It’s really important when you look at the Professional Operations and Sales Success systems in your business to realize that you constantly have to adapt to market conditions and the purchasing style of your clientele. Even on large projects, the market is more price competitive than perhaps five years ago. Now those projects must be managed on the fly and more closely monitored for job costs, especially production rates. I was talking to one of my growers the other day, and asked him the same question, “How has the change in buying patterns affected your business?” Essentially it’s the same answer — a more discerning buyer, looking for more competitive pricing, perhaps shipping smaller orders direct to site, etc. My curiosity piqued, I called a couple more growers I deal with, and their
answers were essentially the same. The moving parts in their business have increased, overhead has to stay in check, focus must remain on the quality of the product going out the gate, and downward pressure on shipping costs is crippling. I thought about other sectors, so called my irrigation, lighting and arborist specialists. Same answer essentially — a need for more effectiveness, higher efficiency, better production rates, while paying close attention to quality. While it’s nice to know we’re essentially in the same boat, this leaves all of us somewhat adrift with a fix for what’s not working any more in our business, and how to adapt to something we can’t see. All of this comes into laser focus for me right now, while I’m in the midst of planning the next steps for the Effective Management Short Course this winter. When thinking about the challenges many are having in navigating a path to adapt to what is the new business reality, I reviewed the short course content. I’m happy to say, it is absolutely bang-on with providing next level tools for Prosperity Partners trained business owners. We will be offering the Effective Management Short Course again on Warm Up Monday at the start of Congress 2014. In addition, at Garden Expo next month, we are inviting the Short Course participants from last January for their much-anticipated follow-up session and provide them info for the new LO Leaders Peer Group opportunity. Watch for more details on the Effective Management Short Course in my upcoming columns, and your inbox. Keep up with the times, and keep moving forward on your journey to Prosperity with us. Jacki Hart may be contacted at prosperity@landscapeontario.com.
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CLASSIFIEDS
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES ESTABLISHED MUSKOKA LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE COMPANY FOR SALE Successful, respected company, locally owned and operated, is looking for a professional and dedicated purchaser. Well-maintained fleet of trucks and equipment. Dependable staff, loyal customer base. Year-round operation. For serious inquiries only, please reply in confidence by email to: MuskokaOpportunity@gmail.com
All classified ads must be pre-paid by credit card. Rates: $50.85 (HST included) per column inch Min. order $50.85. 15% discount on ads run for entire calendar year. Box Numbers: Additional $10. Confidentiality ensured. Deadlines: 20th day of the month prior to issue date. (eg: June issue deadline is May 20th). January deadline is Dec. 10. Space is limited to a first come, first served basis. To advertise: E-mail your name, phone number and ad to Robert at classifieds@landscapeontario. com or fax to (905) 875-0183. Online advertising: Website only ads are available for $67.80 (HST included). Min. order $67.80 for up to 325 words. Website ads are posted for 30 days. View ads online at www.horttrades.com/classifieds
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
HALL TREE FARMS INC is hiring NURSERY MANAGER To oversee operations of our Nursery/Tree Farm. Must have horticulture experience. Email resumes to: halltreefarms@sympatico.ca or contact Mirela 905-727-1996
Sales Representatives HALL TREE FARMS INC. If you have… * Top Performance * Direct Sales Experience * Self Motivation We are a rapidly growing industry seeking aggressive individuals. Email resumes to: halltreefarms@sympatico.ca or contact Mirela 905-727-1996
Landscape Ontario’s Green for Life brand is designed to promote Get INSPIRED your professional business Get CONNECTED
Sipkens Nurseries (Palace Perennials) Is hiring a Customer Sales Representative. Sales experience preferred. Perennial plant knowledge an asset. Full-time, part-time, seasonal position. Starting immediately. Email resumes to: sipkensnurseries@on.aibn.com or contact Jennifer 519-542-8353
GREENHOUSE AND LANDSCAPING BUSINESS FOR SALE Owner is considering retiring. Good customer access to the Kitchener/Waterloo Area. Annual sales of approximately $1.2 million. 2 large Westbrook gutter connect houses totaling 18,720 sq ft and 4 Westbrook Apex poly houses with roll up sides totaling 9,216 sq ft. Located on 50 acre property including 35 workable and 6-8 acres of trees used in business. Also includes 2002 built 1,800 sq. ft brick bungalow beautifully landscaped with 8,000 sq ft pond with waterfall. Asking price $3,450,000. Phone Helen at 519-846-5315 or email horok@cbelora.com
www.horttrades.com/ classifieds
ADVERTISERS 404 Stone Ltd.
www.404stone.com
905-887-3404
Page 7
www.braungroup.com
800-246-6984
Page 24
www.caledonhillsperennials.com
905-473-1145
Page 15
Connon Nurseries/CBV Holdings Inc.
www.connon.ca
888-775-2687
Page 13
Connon Nurseries/NVK Holdings Inc.
www.connonnurseries.com
905-628-0112
Page 9
www.dutchmasternurseries.com
905-683-8211
Page 32
www.greenlifenursery.ca
613-692-3047
Page 14
Braun Nursery Ltd.
AND
Don’t miss out!
Construction, Maintenance Design PROGRAM DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES IS:
October 1, 2013Ontario’s Landscape ENTER YOUR AWARD-WINNING Green for Life brand PROJECT AT is www.loawards.com designed to promote your professional business AN INITIATIVE OF
Caledon Hills Perennials
Dutchmaster Nurseries Ltd. Greenlife - Ottawa Wholesale Nursery Gro-Bark (Ontario) Ltd.
www.gro-bark.com
905-846-1515
Page 17
Hillen Nursery Inc. www.hillennursery.com
519-264-9057
Page 2
J. Lockwood Chrysler Ltd.
www.lockwoodchrysler.com
289-644-2250
Page 15
www.kobesnurseries.com
905-623-8814
Page 16
Kobes Nursery Legends Landscape Supply Inc.
www.landscapestore.ca
905-336-3369
Page 18
Limestone Trail Company Ltd.
www.limestonetrail.com
905-563-8133
Page 17
M Putzer Nursery
www.putzernursery.com
905-878-7226
Page 5
Newroads National Leasing Potters Road Nursery Inc. Select Stone Supply Sipkens Nurseries Ltd. Stam Nurseries The Investment Guild Uxbridge Nurseries Ltd.
30 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO SEPTEMBER 2013
www.newroadsleasing.com 416-587-1021 Page 24 www.pottersroadnursery.com
519-688-0437
Page 16
www.selectstonesupply.com
905-335-4900
Page 8
www.sipkensnurseries.com
866-843-0438
Page 23
www.stamnurseries.com 519-424-3350 Page 14 www.hortprotect.com
800-459-8990
Page 11
www.uxbridgenurseries.com
877-655-3379
Page 24
www.loexpo.ca
Plan to attend!
Inspired New Retail Canada’s fall show for the garden and f loral industry
Wednesday, October 23 and Thursday, October 24, 2013 Toronto Congress Centre, North Building, Toronto, Ont., Canada Call 1-800-265-5656 x323
Building the future: They don’t make gardeners like they used to
Presented by Jim Hole, Hole’s Greenhouses Wednesday, October 23, 2013 - 12:30 p.m. Destination Inspiration Theatre Sponsored by
Supporting Sponsor
LIVING WALLS and GREEN ROOFS: Green Plants for Green Buildings (GPGB) Presented by Chris Raimondi, CLP, Raimondi Horticultural Group Thursday, October 24, 2013 - 12:30 p.m. Destination Inspiration Theatre
Produced by
In partnership with
Endorsed by
Sponsored by
Media Partner
COMPOST ONTARIO
YOUTUBE LOGO SPECS
PRINT main red
gradient bottom
C0 M96 Y90 K2
C13 M96 Y81 K54
PMS 1795C
on light backgrounds standard
WHITE
standard
PMS 1815C
FIND US ON: white
on dark backgrounds
black
BLACK
C100 M100 Y100 K100
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no gradients
32 LANDSCAPE ONTARIO SEPTEMBER 2013