Summer 2019 Vol. XLVI No. 2
Trees and Shrubs for Pollinators Part 2 Page 46
MNLGA Scholarship Winners Page 22
Root Mealybug – What You Don’t See is Hurting Your Plants
Coping with Boxwood Blight Page 14
Field Day 2019 Wrap-up Page 28
P.O. Box 726 Brooklandville, MD 21022
N URSERY, L ANDSCAPE AND G REENHOUSE A S S O C I AT I O N , I N C .
MARYLAND
Presorted Standard U.S. Postage PAID Baltimore, MD Permit No. 269
Fortress Herbicide
President’s Message Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association Officers 2019 President Jessica Todd Clear Ridge Nursery, Inc. 888-226-9226 1st Vice President Larry Hemming Eastern Shore Nurseries 410-822-1320 2nd Vice President John Murphy Murphy John’s, Inc. 410-928-3029
Secretary Patrick Waldt Griffin Greenhouse Supplies 443-417-3983 Treasurer Carrie Engel Valley View Farms 410-527-0700 Director-at-Large Steve Black Raemelton Farm 240-416-0714 Executive Director Vanessa Akehurst Finney Quercus Management MNLGA Contact Info: P.O. Box 726 Brooklandville, Maryland 21022 Phone: 410-823-8684 Fax: 410-296-8288 E-mail: office@mnlga.org Free State E-mail: freestate@mnlga.org Website: mnlga.org
MARYLAND N URSERY, L ANDSCAPE AND G REENHOUSE A S S O C I A T I O N , I N C.
In previous letters I talked about succession planning and partnerships that relate to the future health of a business and our industry. As a business owner looking to the future health of your business, these are important items to keep in mind. Another topic I would like to talk about is growth. Growth is defined as a stage or condition that is increasing, developing or maturing. Growth can be viewed in different ways, personal, spiritual, Jessica Todd and physical. As a business owner our company thrives on how I view all three interacting together, for my staff and me. But I would like to focus on the physical aspects of growth. One way to physically grow your business is to purchase more land and physically expand your footprint. Depending on where you are located in the state that may have many challenges. We at Clear Ridge Nursery, Inc. have been what I call “landlocked” since we started. We are surrounded by beautiful farms on all sides that are under land preservation and are being managed for conventional farming (wheat, corn, soybeans, hay). All of these farms are being run by families that pass down control from generation to generation. Agriculture in this country has been changing and the average age of a farmer is 65. It is great to know that families can keep farms going and pass them down to the next generation. It is happening here at Clear Ridge Nursery. In our case, purchasing land would be a strategic move for the future. We knew that land connected to our farm wasn’t available, and we also knew we did not want to have to travel long distances between each location. This past year a property on our road came up for sale and we acted fast to purchase it. We are at full capacity where we are, and the new farm provides us the opportunity to double our size in the future. Now we can expand what we already do, diversify to something new or both. Our decision to physically expand was strongly influenced by the close proximity of the land. However, other companies take a different approach. They may see the benefit in having satellite locations. Their locations could cross county or state lines. Having multiple locations across a wider range of territory increases a company’s ability to service more customers and move more product. The amount of growth all depends on how much you can and want to manage. Diversification is another method for growth. A few years ago, when we weren’t thinking to purchase more land, we looked at other ways we could grow. We looked how we could diversify our product or services. We chose to offer larger container trees to our customers and started re-wholesaling goods. We now grow and sell specialty cut flowers to florists in the region. This meant we didn’t have to physically get bigger in size but would have the ability to expand and fill more of our customers’ needs. If you had the chance to attend the MNLGA Field Day on June 25th then you were able to see how another Maryland company has diversified their product line. Manor View Farm of Monkton, Maryland provides a wide range of products in plant material. They produce liners for many growers in their greenhouses as well as B&B material grown in their fields. They also have some of the best selection in re-wholesaled material, from small to large container sized material, to more B&B (continued on page 13)
2 • Summer 2019
Contents
7
Features
Departments
7 This Business of Ours Keeping it all in the Family – Mike Hemming
2 President’s Message
14 It’s Time for Sharing Coping with Boxwood Blight – Jerry Faulring
2 Association Officers 4 Director’s Message
19 Growing Forward Growing Relationships with the ` Broader Horticultural Community – Leslie Hunter Cario 26 AmericanHort H-2b and Appropriations Update – Craig Regelbrugge Agricultural Trucking Relief Act Introduced In Senate Trucking Agency Seeks Input On Loading/ Unloading Times – Tal Coley
4 MNLGA Board of Directors 6 Directory of Advertisers 22 Scholarsips 34 Affinity Programs 55 Garden Comm 40 Industry Calendar 51 CPH 52 New Members 58 MNLGA Chairs and Committees 59 MNLGA Mission Statement
19
28 Field Day Wrap-up 30 Featured Member Catoctin Mtn. Growers 35 Total Plant Management Root Mealybug – What You Don’t See is Hurting Your Plants – Stanton Gill 46 Growing with Education-Part 2 Trees and Shrubs for Pollinators – Ginny Rosenkranz
28 30 Executive Director: Vanessa A. Finney Quercus Management Staff: E. Kelly Finney, Michelle Mount, and Chelsea Bailey Phone: 410-823-8684 | Fax: 410-296-8288 E-mail: office@mnlga.org | Web: mnlga.org Free State e-mail: freestate@mnlga.org Design: Gregory J. Cannizzaro Graphic Design (contact information page 43) Cover photo: Gregory J. Cannizzaro © 2019 Maryland Nursery, Landscape, and Greenhouse Association, Inc.
46 Free State • 3
Director’s Message
MARYLAND N URSERY, L ANDSCAPE AND G REENHOUSE A S S O C I A T I O N , I N C.
Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association Board of Directors Terms Expiring 2020 Richard Buller Patuxent Nursery/ Complete Landscaping Service 240-691-3438 Brent Cassell Leyland Landscaping, Inc. 410-526-4449 Ronda Roemmelt Ruppert Nurseries 301-482-2009 Tiffany Shorten Waverly Farm 301-874-8300 Terms Expiring 2021 Alex Betz Kurt Bluemel, Inc. 410-557-7229 Cindy King Kingstown Home and Farm Garden Center 410-778-1551 Brian Mitchell Manor View Farm 410-771-4700 Tyler Van Wingerden Catoctin Mountain Growers 410-775-7833
The Free State News is published for the membership of the Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association (MNLGA.org). For more information, e-mail: freestate@mnlga.org
4 • Summer 2019
My daughter, Eva, and I recently traveled to San Francisco. We’ve traveled a lot this summer, all for her passion, squash. It’s like being the proverbial “soccer mom” and dad, as Kelly often travels with her, too, except the sport is squash. Wherever I travel, I try to visit the local public gardens, conservatories, parks, zoos, arboreta, etc. I like picking up a bit of the city or state’s culture and find the connection to outdoors Vanessa Finney and natures calms me and has a restorative effect on my soul. I suspect many working in the horticulture world, either as a professional or a hobbyist, experience like feelings, a benefit of their chosen work. During this visit to the “City by the Bay”, Eva and I explored Golden Gate Park and the San Francisco Zoo, which boasts some of the prettiest and well-planned gardens in the City. I don’t know size-wise how Golden Gate Park stacks up to New York’s Central Park, but it is pretty big, beautiful, and widely used by San Franciscans and tourists, alike. The park has all kinds of nooks and crannies with specialty gardens, recreation spaces, and educational displays. With limited time, Eva and I headed straight to the Conservatory of Flowers, the oldest structure in the Park. This gem boasts a plethora of foliage, plants, and flowers, many of them rare, from around the world. The foliage and plantings within are simply breathtaking and colors vibrant. I was particularly drawn to the stained-glass windows, it’s rainbow of colors reflected in the plant material offering an unexpected pop to some otherwise sheer green material. Across the walking path from the Conservatory is a rhododendron dell, which looked to be a promising work in process. And just a bit further down the walking path we found the Japanese Tea Garden. This garden originated in the late 1890s as a one-acre showcase for an international exposition. When the exposition ended, value was seen in keeping the garden and expanding its footprint to the five acres of it is today. Further travels this summer (not all To see more photos from the Conservatory of Flowers turn to page 11
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Directory of Advertisers Firm Name
Page
Firm Name
Page
Affinity Program – MNLGA
34
Foxborough Nursery
American Landscape Institute
42
Gregory J. Cannizzaro Design
AmericanHort Impact Washington
25
Hortica 5
Angelica Nurseries, Inc.
Outside Back Cover
Manor View Farm
Inside Back Cover 43 13
Babikow Greenhouses
Inside Front Cover
Blu Drop / Bloom Soil
18
MD Ag Ed Foundation
24
Cam Too Camelia
25
MD Ag Ed Golf Tournament
52
Cavano’s Perennials
12
MNLGA.org 39
Chesapeake Green Symposium
39
Office Depot
MANTS
53, 60
44
CPH 45
OHP 1
Fairview Evergreen Nursery
Perennial Farm
17
Walnut Springs
54
10
G R E G O R Y J.
cannizzaro
Graphic Design
MARYLAND AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION FOUNDATION
6 • Summer 2019
This Business of Ours
Keeping it all in the Family Mike Hemming
W
ell, I’m still here. Last time I said, “If I don’t find a new potting scoop, I’m outta here!” Well, I’m saved from total retirement. I found a used scoop of the size and weight I like. It looks like it will last the years needed. We had a situation here that reminded me that junior family members need to be reminded that we remember and understand how they can be caught between family and employees. I learned that when I came back to work full time. You can get it from above and below. Employees will try to use you as a conduit to family above you. Bringing up safety concerns in this way are certainly legitimate. However, it is better to raise concerns by going direct to the foreperson or supervisor. But trying to get a junior family member to say they need raises is not fair to them. One the other hand the junior family members should be reminded that certain information about the business, discipline for instance, is not to be discussed outside the family. Larry, grandson Robert, and I went to the recent MNLGA Field day at The Perennial Farm and
Manor View Farm. It was well done and well attended with over 300 registered attendees; nice crowd. Sometimes I can’t get over how nurseries have to grow on hillsides; give me Eastern Shore flatland to grow on. Robert, growing up in the computer generation, was interested in their uses for inventory and irrigation control. We got a nice update on irrigation control. Such systems are needed to not overuse our water resources, I can’t seem to figure out a way to install the needed controls and wiring economically in our older nursery. The money bucket never
seems to get full enough to go ahead on such a project. Inventory control by reading of bar codes could certainly be phased in, in a place like ours. Yes, the initial getting-the-stickers-onpots would take some time but could be done in winter and other off times. However, RDiF chips in pot labels look to have more pluses than minuses. They would be quicker than stickers to install. Stickers don’t want to stick on pots being reused for a second crop. The labels would be updatable as plants would be moved up in larger containers. They could be (continued on next page
New “old” job saving scoop
Free State • 7
(continued from page 5)
Talbot Japanese Holly original and June 17, 2017 cutting
8 • Summer 2019
cleared and used on the next crop until I suppose the plastic deteriorated or until the chip dies of old age? I hope the readers could read all the tags in a retail cart pulled up to the retail sales location. I see that as a better and faster way than passing each item past a bar code reader. I’m going to get Robert to research all these questions and more, and of course, the costs. The man at Manor View admitted that the costs were slowly getting close to feasible if you ordered enough tags. We smaller nurseries might have to band together to get the same quantity price breaks. Maybe the MNLGA could work on that sort of deal for us. For the first time in a long time I think this is a possible advancement that can be phased in at a reasonable cost and effort. That will increase inventory control, plus reduces time and labor at check out. So far, the only downside Flo and I quickly saw was dishonest tag switching. Employees will be trained to look at the cart and think “Ok why isn’t there a $90 Jap maple on the list?” The guide at Manor View, while talking about the new plants they are testing, brought up something that caused murmurs of agreement when he said, “there are too many PG Hydrangeas being introduced.” Yes; I agree. Actually, there are too many of some plants being introduced and tooted up. Hollies for instance. We now have a bunch of hollies that range from 8’ to 15’ tall and 5’ to 8’ wide with shiny leaves and red berries. Patented, given a weird trade name and grown in an expensive colored pot does not make it stand out enough to be worth the extra money wanted. It seems that as the 20-year patent comes to an end another “new” one with much the same characteristics magically appears. Plus, now and then the new plant is worse, not better than its predecessor. We tried 2 times to have Blue Angel Holly here. Each time spider mites attacked them with great gusto while ignoring other Blue Hollies near if not next to them. They weren’t worth the horticultural oil needed to spray them. At the Perennial Farm a super dwarf Buddleia introduction just looked weird with two 10-inch flowers on a 15-inch plant. It reminded me of a bonsai Crabapple I once saw. It was a lovely gnarled 12-inch tree that had 3 normal sized fruit on it about 1 inch in diameter. The proportions just looked wrong to me but if customers want it, I’ll sell it. In any case, new Buddleia introductions should be sterile no matter the size.
Because it won’t be long before the plant is evaluated for invasiveness and if it doesn’t go on Tier 2, I will be very surprised. Larry and I had to smile at the evaluation of an upright Japanese Holly. The sample looked almost exactly like one we have grown for 6 years now. I selected it to fit as a screening plant between Sky Pencil and Steeds Japanese Holly. It grows 8 to 10’ and 4’ to 5’ wide. It is a little loose but fits the category. We named it Talbot after our county. However, 5 years ago I found another that grows more pyramidal and tighter and is a darker green again in the same size category. I was going to drop Talbot, but we had sold enough that it had a following. Oops, so the new one became Caroline after the county next to us. I have often chided growers that add another Japanese Holly to the list, but they do fit in a needed size and shape. Years ago, my father germinated over a 1000 Japanese Hollies which were planted out and dug for landscaping as screens and specimen plants. I remember digging a lot of them, what I remember most were that they were all so similar in size and form. Most ran 6’ to 8’ tall and 5’ to 6’ wide. There were no Helleri’s or Sky Pencil’s anywhere in that field. Strange that I have found 2 as seedlings growing in pots - one of Compacta and one of Sky Pencil. I guess the only disservice to these 2 Japanese Hollies is that when this nursery closes someday those 2 will disappear, but for a while they will be used. The Perennial Farm has developed a tagging system for their perennials to describe deer resistance. That is a very good idea. Based on research and experience from many sources it looks thorough and well thought out. Basically, plants are tagged with #1, # 2, or # 3 to indicate resistance to deer eating the plant. The tags come in 2 colors indicating whether it’s a sun or shade plant. You could use the list as it is common knowledge, but not the tags themselves, or the catch phrases used to describe resistance. It is called Deer-Leerious and logo is trademarked. This is a proper use of trade marking and should not be violated. I always feel better after going to MANTS Trade Show or an MNGLA Field Day. It reminds me what a great industry we are and that it’s filled with hard working, innovative, and just flat out nice people. ❦ Mike Hemming Eastern Shore Nurseries
Caroline Japanese Holly from 2013 3 gallon cutting from June, 2016
Free State • 9
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with Eva) will take us to Cincinnati, Seattle, Alaska, Ithaca, and Nova Scotia. I hope to have the time to visit area gardens in these destinations. I’d like to share some of our member travels with the rest of the MNLGA. If you have an interesting story and or pictures to share, please send them to me at Vanessa@MNLGA.org. ❦ Vanessa A. Finney
Free State • 11
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material. In some cases, they end up repurchasing stock that started out as their liners from customers who originally purchased the liners from them. Talk about circle of life. Having this kind of symbiotic relationship with your customers is a wonderful thing. Manor View displayed from start to finish how plant material can move in this industry and how relationships are another key to growth. In the morning at Field Day we visited The Perennial Farm of Glen Arm, Maryland. They have expanded over the years to become one of the largest perennial growers on the east coast. They continue to diversify their business by adding internet sales with Amazon. The Perennial Farm was already selling online with their own website but decided to go a step further. Now if you haven’t shopped online with Amazon then I would be surprised. It is fast and easy and is a consumer’s dream in most cases. As a supplier though it isn’t as easy as one-click and the product will ship out the door. From what I learned at Field Day it takes algorithms, special packaging, quick turnaround times, lots of organization and strong marketing. It is working for The Perennial Farm and is getting their product out and across the country. It was wonderful to see how a strong Maryland company was expanding their reach. Consider expanding your services to grow your business. Here at Clear Ridge Nursery we have been asked several times to add landscaping to our services. This is not a venture we intend on pursuing; instead we choose to focus on growing plants and providing MBE/DBE services. This is a good fit for us. Questions that need to be asked are many. How much more can you take on? Do you have the capital for growth? Do you have a reliable labor source to grow? Whatever it may be, you must weigh the pros and cons of growth. Growth is good if planned and executed properly. I for one, hope to see the green industry continue to grow and thrive here in Maryland and in the United States. And I hope all those reading this continue to grow personally, spiritually and physically in your future endeavors. ❦ Jessica Todd Clear Ridge Nursery, Inc. 410-775-7700
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Free State • 13
It’s Time for Sharing
Coping with Boxwood Blight Jerry Faulring
B
oxwood have been a staple of the landscape in this country since colonial times due to their wonderful esthetic, ease of care (used to be), deer resistance, and the many ways they can be used and shaped. Blight has changed all that. Although frustrating, time consuming, and costly, if we want to continue to plant boxwood, we have to treat it like any other pest. We implement many methods of plant care to assure nurseries and landscapes remain healthy, and of great benefit to the property owner. We know all the reasons great landscapes provide financial, environmental, esthetic, and creative benefit. The Europeans have been experiencing blight since initially the early nineties and then more widespread by the late nineties. Their response is to learn to live with it. And they have. They are not giving up on boxwood
Healthy boxwood with no sign of blight
14 • Summer 2019
and have become creative in the blight’s management. I believe we should follow their lead. One day there may be a cure but for now we should implement a robust management protocol much the same as how we deal with other pests. A good read from Europe can be found at: https://www.ebts.org/2015/10/five-methodsof-defence-an-ebts-round-up The Maryland Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) approach to dealing with the problem has been ‘exclusion’; make every effort to keep it out of the state or prevent blight’s movement from place to place if found in the state. MDA chose not to implement a quarantine such as is now in place for Pennsylvania and Tennessee. A quarantine requires shipments into these states to be inspected prior to shipping and declared ‘apparently free of boxwood blight’. Growers, in some states can implement a Boxwood Blight Compliance Agreement with their state agricultural department that requires rigid protocols in an attempt to prevent blight from coming from the grower. In many states the compliance agreement is voluntary which is pretty useless. ‘Regular’ inspections intend to assure a buyer’s plants are blight free. The quarantine requirements and compliance agreements in no way guarantee blight free plants, but they are the
only firewalls available. guarantee blight free plants but is the best you can do. From a practical perspective, exclusion and quarantine There are growers who now treat their plants very often programs only work if they are well supported by with fungicides to prevent the appearance of blight at adequate staff with time to do the work. Further, over their nursery; this has never been a BMP for growers. It time, the programs will usually fail. The State invested is strongly advised to not buy treated plants as they may significant resources, both staff and money to exclude have blight that will evolve in the absence of fungicides, the Emerald Ash Borer. Most exotic pests will succeed; unless you plan to provide a program of fungicide care not anyone’s fault. Nature is just better at everything after installation, which may be seen as an opportunity. than we can hope to be. Growers should follow the Compliance Agreement When blight first appeared in the United States with protocols established by MDA. Connecticut and North Carolina making the first reports As a landscape manager, you have probably been in October 2011, everyone seemed shocked. In the advised of the many protocols to follow in an effort next twelve months it was identified in 10 other states. to prevent blight movement from site to site. Having What happened? One thought is blight was creeping in talked with several landscape managers, the task is without our knowing because we didn’t know what to daunting and close to impossible if mowing equipment look for. The consensus belief is it was disseminated via is involved. It is important to note that what appears blighted plants. to be blight is not always blight. Treatment programs I thought, what if the potential for the disease was should be implemented with caution until blight is always here and just needed something to change to confirmed. evolve? I voiced this thought to others and there were Long term we can hope a cure will become available. at least some thoughtful responses in support. After There are few pests we are at a dead loss to cope with. all, how did blight come to appear initially in one spot Even with BMP’s, IPM and hundreds of pesticides, we in England? When I need answers, I begin reading are not always successful, but for the most part we everything tied to the subject. I found one scholarly can produce healthy plants. When pests arrive, we article with the same hypothesis but with no proof. can become creative for our own benefit, and press (Nicholas LeBlanc; et. al., Applied Microbiology and pesticide manufacturers to join the fight. Biotechnology, May 2018, Volume 102, Issue 10, pp In the near term, it’s the creative thought that can get 4371-4380.) us through. Box Blight should now be considered just If you are reading this, you are likely involved with (continued on next page) boxwood through construction, as a landscape manager or a grower. As a contractor, the first thing you need to know as a boxwood buyer is you must make every effort to procure boxwood that are blight free. We propagate our own but if I were to outsource plants I would insist on a phytosanitary certificate or buy from a grower who has an enforced Compliance Blandy research farm. Boyce, VA. Site of national boxwood trials. Agreement. This will not
Free State • 15
(continued from page 14)
another pest we must deal with. The installed base of box in this country is priceless. Boxwood is reported by USDA to be the number one selling woody shrub in this country; sales may decline in the near term. Installed boxwood can be managed with fungicides. Recommendations vary greatly. An evolving website that predicts when spore development is most likely can be found at https://uspest.org/risk/ boxwood_app. It is easy to use and well explained in a few paragraphs. If one engages a fungicide treatment program the risk model would be the first place to start. As we know, blight is very sensitive to temperature and moisture. In 2017, there were very few reports of blight in Maryland when rainfall was well below average from July through December. 2018 was the exact opposite with many records broken for rainfall. It was persistently frequent except for 6 weeks in June and July. Blight reports went through the roof. Fungicides are an effective management tool in the landscape and are being widely implemented in Europe. The hope is we can preserve existing plantings until such time as a cure becomes available. A fungicide program is not a casual approach and must be implemented with discipline. For a list of fungicides and general discussion for their use: https://ext.vt.edu/agriculture/commercial-horticulture/ boxwood-blight. html. It is generally thought a contact fungicide should be used regularly and a systemic fungicide be combined with every other treatment. Alternate to fungicides, a German company has developed a product called TOPBUXUS Health-Mix that is apparently being widely used in Europe. I bought a sample on Amazon just to see what it is all about. It is a dry material Didier Hermans of Herplants combined with water to 16 • Summer 2019
be sprayed several times per year in place of fungicides. The product is actually promoted by European Boxwood and Topiary Society https://www.ebts.org/ebts-uk-shop/. Larger quantities can be imported. TOPBUXUS does not have a typical EPA label or registration. It may not be considered a pesticide in Europe but if it proclaims to manage blight, a fungus, it must be a fungicide. Reportedly resistant plants have been developed in Belgium by Didier Hermans of Herplants (phot below), a boxwood nursery, in cooperation with the Flemish Institute of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Research. It was a ten-year project that started with hybridization producing 10,000 new and genetically different plants. Approximately 200 new plants showed resistance in controlled laboratory research. Three of these plants are now in production due to their growth habit being suitable for landscape use. It will be many years before they become available to the U.S. market. Researchers believe the box blight fungus will not evolve to become resistant to fungicides. Some wonder if the newly developed resistant plants will lose their resistance over time. â?Ś Jerry Faulring Waverly Farm 1931 Greenfield Road Adamstown, MD 21710 310-874-8300
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Growing Forward
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Growing Relationships with the Broader Horticultural Community
H
ow much of your time do you spend with people who are focused on the same day-to-day goals? Perhaps co-workers, employees, a supervisor, or others with whom you help run a business. Or perhaps your days are spent in a retail setting interacting with customers who are frequently looking to you for information. How often do you have the chance to interact, learn, and converse with people in fields related to commercial landscaping and horticultural operations, but just different enough to gain an alternate view? (continued on next page)
Hillwood Estate in Washington, DC Free State • 19
(continued from last page)
Recently I had the occasion to spend a few days in Washington, DC at the national conference of the American Public Gardens Association (APGA), a group that widely serves botanic gardens, arboreta, zoos, and museums, among other types of public gardens. There I found myself reflecting on the common ground shared between public garden professionals and those working in the landscape/nursery/greenhouse industry. Examples of some areas many of us are working towards collectively include plant introductions, horticultural education, getting more young people involved, promoting horticulture to a broader audience, and other shared goals. A grower or landscaper visiting a public garden will see all kinds of plants being showcased that people might be interested in and could make those species or introductions available to their customers. Some gardens, such as the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, will build an active grower network to grow out particular plants and
Cuttings Garden at Hillwood.
expand their reach getting these to market. Conversely, what might your operation be growing that a local public garden doesn’t have and should consider because it is a great plant? While many gardens have facilities to grow their own plants for garden installations, not all do, and even those that do will often supplement from commercial growers. Those working within our industry are relatively cooperative and helpful to one another, as you might have experienced while Cuttings Garden at Hillwood.
20 • Summer 2019
attending events like Field Day or Chesapeake Green. Expanding that circle to include public garden professionals, where you are simply acting as a resource to one another without concern for competition, just might help you tweak your IPM program or solve a particular growing dilemma that you weren’t comfortable discussing elsewhere. Related industry events provide invaluable training opportunities as well, including topics like employee development and diversity inclusion, in addition to more mainstream horticultural topics like pruning or emerging plant diseases. A similar concern within both industry groups includes seeing fewer young people interested in this direction as a career choice. Early involvement through the student CPH certification program or scholarship opportunities such as those offered by the MNLGA help students stay on target for this field of study. Similarly, the APGA’s Garden Scholars Fund and MentorConnection program provide
learn together and work toward common goals. Take the time to see where the common bonds are, and you will be rewarded richly through knowledge sharing and relationships! ❦ Leslie Hunter Cario Chesapeake Horticultural Services lesliecario@cheshort.com www.chesapeakehort.com
Fun DC Garden Near Conference Site
opportunities for those new to the field. Groups like the American Landscape Institute (ALI) work hard to incentivize horticultural education by providing on-the-job training and academic study, while Seed Your Future is a movement to promote horticulture and inspire careers in horticulture, with online resources valuable to many. Our industry and the public garden community, each in our own ways, work towards getting the public more interested in gardens and greenspaces. These places are proven to have so many critical benefits that go far beyond a healthy bottom line. Public gardens and growers are leading the way with the National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture (NICH), an organization that promotes horticulture and the importance of plants to the public. A plethora of other movements, trends, and common goals link our two groups. Whether it is edible gardens, efforts like the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge, horticultural therapy,
reducing the spread of plant pests, or sustainable landscaping, there is much to be gained by joining forces. Networking with people in related fields- not only public gardens, but also groups like International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), Maryland Farm Bureau, Plant Conservation Alliance (PCA), Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council (CCLC), and Entomological Society of America (ESA) to name a few – provide even greater opportunities to
Leslie Hunter Cario is a Certified Professional Horticulturist and IPAC board advisor to the MNLGA, also licensed as a Nutrient Management Consultant and a Pest/Disease Consultant through the Maryland Department of Agriculture. She runs Chesapeake Horticultural Services, consulting with nurseries, landscape operations, and non-profits on planning, production, research, and botanical projects. Leslie participated along with staff from Adkins Arboretum at the APGA’s National Conference in June, where she had the opportunity to learn from individuals representing public gardens all across the United States and abroad.
Photo Credits: Kellen McCluskey, Adkins Arboretum Page 19, page, top right and bottm left, Hillwood Estate in Washington, DC, as part of the APGA Annual Conference Leslie Hunter Cario, page 21 top right and bottom left
Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., site of the APGA 2019 National Conference
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Scholarships
Congratulations to the
Maryland Nursery, Landscape, and Greenhouse Association
2019 Scholarship Recipients In keeping with its mission to promote and provide for the future success of Maryland’s ornamental horticulture industry, the Maryland Nursery, Landscape, and Greenhouse Association shall sponsor academic scholarships to students pursuing an education in the field of landscape/ornamental horticulture. The 2019 applicant pool all shared their passion for horticulture; either in design/architecture, plant science, or greenhouse specialization, and their excitement to enter a career in the horticulture industry was abundantly expressed in their applications. We congratulate our 2019 scholarship recipients: Brittney Baltimore, Zachary Jones, and Mia Manning. We would also like to congratulate 2019 Link Shanks award winner Billy Phillips. The MNLGA chose to name one scholarship after Dr. Frank Gouin, a distinguished professional and professor at the University of Maryland. Dr. Gouin passed away in August of 2018, but the impact that he had on UMD and it’s students and staff will live on forever. “To many working in the Green Industry, Frank Gouin was the Department of Horticulture. Frank was a human dynamo…” Even after he left the University, he continued to raise money and endowed the Francis R. Gouin Undergraduate Research Award to give students the ability to fully participate in various research opportunities. His contributions to UMD as well as the Green Industry speak volumes, and we hope to keep his memory alive through this scholarship award each year. Brittney Baltimore Brittney is currently a Graduate Student at Morgan Statue University working towards her Master of Landscape Architecture. Her pursuit of a career in landscape architecture is driven by her desire to provide access to safe green spaces for those living in urban environments. Brittney’s enthusiasm for landscape architecture started with her love of connecting people and communities through green spaces. Brittney served in the AmeriCorps at Little Gunpowder Farm in Monkton where she discovered a passion for cultivating plants and sustainably managing the natural environment. Through her service she learned how to grow healthy food to nourish local communities, and how to build connections while growing cut flowers on formerly vacant lots in the Baltimore area. Brittney has seen firsthand some of Baltimore’s disinvested and underserved communities which has only fueled her passion to continue to work for the equitable design and development of Baltimore’s outdoor spaces. A professor wrote of Brittney, “I find Brittney to be
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extremely personable, engaging, inquisitive, attentive, focused, organized and self-motivated.” This is evident through her broad range of academic courses, while also maintaining a full-time job. She has excelled in classes ranging from environmental design to botany to principles of site planning and much more. Brittney’s future plans are to graduate with her Master of Landscape Architecture degree and dive into the profession of Landscape Architecture where we are sure she will thrive. Mia Manning Mia is currently a senior at the University of Maryland College Park pursuing a degree in Landscape Architecture. She was initially drawn to the Landscape Architecture profession by the fact that it touches on almost every discipline in the public realm focused on the environment and people. Mia has taken a range of classes during her time at UMD from design fundamentals to digital design tools to woody plants in the landscape to planting design
and everything in between. Her classes have given her access to urban agriculture, sustainability, ecology, planting design and the incorporation of technology into designed landscapes. During her internship with the Druid Heights Community along with a summer course she was learning about plants that are best served in MidAtlantic landscapes while also getting first-hand experience in interpreting raw data to develop maps and mock-up murals for communities in Baltimore. She also had experience in managing a greenhouse while assisting customers in selecting plants, exploring database management, and visiting sites for field measurements for grading and stormwater management calculations. Mia plans to use her scholarship award in continuing her curiosity with everything that is landscape architecture: rich histories of place, people, and plants. After graduation she plans to transition to international work within the landscape architecture profession. Her main interest is in establishing infrastructure in developing nations, specifically stormwater management and green infrastructure.
President for Philanthropy for his fraternity, and Secretary for the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Student Council. Zach also was a member of the Future Business Leaders of America where he won 2nd place in the Entrepreneurship Competition at the state tournament. Zach’s academic courses have included topics such as horticulture, irrigation and drainage, chemistry, soil, accounting, human resources, and many more. Zach has been able to gain not only academic experience but hands-on experience in the field as well, understanding the business side of the industry which has given him the tools to ultimately be successful in owning his own landscape company one day. A professor wrote of Zach, “Zach is exactly the type of individual landscape firms seek to hire. He has extensive experience in working with the Green Industry, yet remains hungry to learn more about how landscape firms successfully run their businesses.” Zach’s plans after graduation are to work for a landscape firm for a few years to continue to learn the ins-and-outs of the business and then to open his own full service landscape company.
Zachary Jones – Dr. Frank Gouin Scholarship Award
Link Shanks Scholarship Award Winner – Billy Phillips
Zachary Jones is currently a senior at the University of Maryland College Park pursuing a degree in Plant Science: Landscape Management. Zach has not only excelled in his studies at UMD, but has also earned the rank of Eagle Scout from the Boy Scouts of America. Through this program Zach was taught to be a leader, and how to be dependable and accountable in his personal and professional life. Zach’s leadership skills have shined brightly at the University of Maryland where he holds various leadership positions including the Director of Planning for Green Roots Hydroponics Club, as well as Vice
Excerpts of this write up are courtesy of Terp Magazine (Winter 2019) Billy Phillips is currently a sophomore at the University of Maryland College Park and plays on the UMD Baseball team. Billy was born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware and attended high school at St. Mark’s. The Link-Shanks award is given to a student who has demonstrated an increased interest in horticulture through improved academic performance. Billy Phillips has not only excelled academically, but personally as well facing hurdles and battles that we can’t imagine. During his senior year of high school in 2015, Phillips (continued on next page) Free State • 23
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was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. After weeks in the hospital and a more than yearlong intensive recovery—and with support from his UMD teammates— he made his collegiate debut last season, and he’s ready to keep the Ks coming. After committing to UMD, though, Phillips didn’t get to play as a senior. He woke up one morning with a terrible pain in his hip, one that never subsided. He became anemic and pale, his lymph nodes swelled up, and he lost more than 20 pounds. Blood tests revealed he had developed leukemia. He “kicked butt” on the introductory round of chemotherapy, and was optimistic that he might get to return for the second half of the season at St. Mark’s. But after a bone marrow transplant, he developed graftversus-host disease, in which donated stem cells attack the patient’s healthy tissues and organs.
The Terps made his extended hospital stays a little bit easier. Head coach Rob Vaughn, an assistant at the time, drove to Delaware with other coaches to visit Phillips. The players’ caps that spring had “#BP15”—Phillips’ initials and high school graduation year—stitched on the back. In November 2015, the team participated in the Light the Night Walk for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Phillips healed enough to arrive at UMD in August 2016. He didn’t play that season, but by last year, he had gained enough weight to be reinstated. We are proud to support Billy in his academic career at the University of Maryland and hope to see him on the mound many more times in his collegiate career. The MNGLA is pleased to endorse our 2019 scholarship recipients’ goals and we applaud them for their hard work and dedication. We extend our best wishes to Brittney, Mia, Zachary, and Billy for their future success.
You may find more information on the Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association Ornamental Horticulture Scholarship, as well as additional horticulture education scholarships at: http://www.mnlga.org.
Get Your Ag Tag Today! www.agtagmd.com
Enriching Lives Through Education in Agriculture 24 • Summer 2019
TAKE ACTION. BE HEARD. IMPACT WASHINGTON September 16-19, 2019 | Washington D.C. Register today for the Impact Washington Summit and make a difference for both your business and the horticulture industry. •
Hear from senators, congressmen, and others influencing the horticulture industry
•
Lobby directly for issues effecting your business
•
Develop personal relationships with key lawmakers from your state
•
Influence issues impacting the horticulture industry
•
Network with other industry leaders and executives
Register Today at www.AmericanHort.org/Impact 2019_IW_MNLGA_May_Ad.indd 1
4/12/19 11:23 AM
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American Hort
H-2b and Appropriations Update Craig J. Regelbrugge
W
ith Congress returning from its July 4 recess, the House is expected to continue to focus on passing the annual spending bills that fund the federal government. While it may seem a bit like “groundhog day,” this process may determine how many seasonal H-2B visas are available next year. On June 19, the House of Representatives passed an FY 2020 spending package that includes funding for the Department of Labor (DOL). The spending bill would allow for H-2B visas to be allocated proportionally on a quarterly basis. House leaders have not yet decided if or when they will bring the Department of Homeland Security funding bill to the floor due to controversial issues such as border wall funding and migrant detention. That bill, which was passed the by the House Appropriations Committee during June, modifies the current H-2B cap discretionary language to limit the Homeland Security secretary’s discretion for releasing additional visas. The fiscal 2017, 2018, and 2019 DHS appropriations bills said that DHS “may” release up to 69,320 visas if it determines that the needs of seasonal businesses cannot be met with American workers. The bill just passed by the House states that DHS “shall” release up to 69,320 visas if it determines that the needs of
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seasonal businesses cannot be met with American workers. The Senate has not yet acted on any spending bills, but we are advocating for the same language to be included in the Senate DOL and DHS funding bills. We are also advocating for legislation to permanently address the cap. As with the past several years, the federal appropriations process is expected to be contentious and could drag out past the start of Fiscal 2020 on October. We will keep you updated as the process continues to move forward. To see the FY 2020 spending package referenced above, use this link: https://www.congress.gov/ bill/116th-congress/house-bill/2740 ❦ Craig Regelbrugge
Agricultural Trucking Relief Act Introduced In Senate Tal Coley
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enators David Perdue (R-GA) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced the Senate companion bill to the Agricultural Trucking Relief Act (S. 2025) at the end of June. The legislation specifically adds horticulture and floriculture to the definition of “agricultural commodity” as it pertains to transportation policy. Confusion has persisted as to what is considered an “agricultural commodity” since the implementation of the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate at the beginning of 2018. The bill, which is identical to the House version introduced by Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA) in March, would fix that confusion by defining explicitly what is considered an agricultural commodity. Other senators joining as original cosponsors include Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Johnny
Isakson (R-GA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and James Inhofe (R-OK). AmericanHort has issued a formal press statement and will be mobilizing grassroots support for the bill during July aimed at increasing Senate cosponsors. Related links: Senate Bill 2025: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senatebill/2025 House Bill 1673: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/housebill/1673/ AmericanHort Formal Press Statement: https://www.americanhort.org/news/458647/ AmericanHort-Comments-on-Senate-AgriculturalTrucking-Relief-Act.htm ❦
Trucking Agency Seeks Input On Loading/ Unloading Times The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued a request for information last month to better understand driver detention times during the loading and unloading of commercial vehicles along with their impact on safety. The request contains seven areas where FMCSA is looking for feedback, including topics such as what they should consider an estimate of reasonable loading and unloading times, as well as what potential actions they could take to help reduce loading, unloading, and delay times.
AmericanHort is in the process of gathering information to submit comments. Public comments on the notice may be submitted through September 9 using this link: https://www.regulations.gov/ document?D=FMCSA-2019-0054-0001 ❦ Tal Coley Tal is AmericanHort’s Director of Government Affairs and is a veteran of the United States Air Force where he served as a Russian Cryptologic Linguist at Ft. Meade, Md.
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E
very year around February or March, one of our members opens up their conference room and operation to Kelly and me. You might consider them lucky; they might consider themselves unlucky, but we get down to business to talk about the upcoming year’s Field Day. A talk that starts in the conference room, ends up out in the field, and winds down back at our office. This year was no different, however there were a lot more folks around the conference table at Manor View. Looking around the room we had folks from Manor View and The Perennial Farm. How are those two related? If you were at Field Day this year you would know. It was an incredible opportunity to not only get to work with one fantastic host, but to get to work with two! Planning started with times, locations, tour stops, program development, and much more. I think it was
Special thanks to our hosts:
28 • Summer 2019
safe to say we all left that conference room feeling like we were going to need some luck on our side. Truth be told, we didn’t need luck this year at all – we had a fantastic team at The Perennial Farm and Manor View Farm. The luck came in the form of the weather – so thank you Mother Nature, and the food always helps make happy attendees! We would like to thank our hosts and the entire staff at Manor View Farm and The Perennial Farm. Special thanks to Rick Watson, Ed Kiley, and Katie Watson at The Perenial Farm and Alan Jones, Colin Jones, and Brian Mitchell at Manor View Farm. I think that they are now all considering themselves in the “lucky” category having pulled off an incredible Field Day, and no longer having to hear from Kelly and me as often. We would also like to thank our morning speakers who came out to share their knowledge and expertise
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with our attendees: MDA Deputy Secretary Julie Oberg, Kim Rice, George Mayo, Jay Plummer, Craig Regelbrugge, Mark Schlossberg, and Andrew Bray. Our industry wouldn’t be what it is without participation and support from all sectors – and we thank them all for coming out and supporting our association. This year’s Field Day held on June 25th was one for the books. We had two venues, multiple speakers, program updates, fantastic tours, a gorgeous happy hour, and networking of all shapes and sizes. Attendees were able to re-connect with one another as well as those with tables and displays including UMD Extension, American Landscape Institute, Autrusa, ArbreTech, Alban Equipment and LandscapeHub. This year’s program pulled in more than 300 attendees from over 120 different companies – to say that it was wellrounded wouldn’t do it justice. We would finally like
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to thank all of our attendees. These events, especially Field Day wouldn’t be what they are without all of you. Attendee participation creates a great dialogue and helps strengthen all of our association ties. In wrapping up, I was talking with MNLGA President Jessica Todd about hosting Field Day, and we reminisced about how it was held at Clear Ridge a few years ago. We talked that if you ever want your operation in the best shape possible, volunteer to host Field Day. I think our past hosts would smile and agree with this notion. That being said – is anyone brave enough to volunteer for 2020? In all seriousness, thank you all – and I look forward to next year’s Field Day! ❦ Chelsea Bailey MNLGA 410-823-8684
Photos page 38 clockwise: Alan Jones leads an afternoon tour at Manor View Farm; Allan Armitage, Rick Watson, and Alan Jones take a minute from networking to strike a pose; Dr. Andrew Ristvey addresses attendees at Manor View Farm about sensor irrigation research they are working on; Attendees dive into the plant material at The Perennial Farm; The day wrapped up with a beautiful happy hour at Manor View Farm. Photos page 39 clockwise: Attendees take a break at Manor View Farm on their wagon moving to the next tour stop; Rick Watson and his trusty sidekick Daisy; One tour group listens intently to Dr. Armitage at The Perennial Farm; Attendees make their way from station to station at Manor View Farm; Colin Jones leads an oustanding afternoon tour at Manor View Farm. Free State • 29
Featured Member
C
atoctin Mountain Growers was started in 1985 by Bob and Denise Van Wingerden in Keymar, Md. In the beginning, the young couple did everything themselves, from planting to delivering plants. Nearly 35 years later, the company employs 60 to 70 helpers in peak season. Catoctin Mountain Growers has 25 acres of growing space, including a 15-acre, state-of-the art glass greenhouse. All four of the Van Wingerden children, now grown, are involved, or plan to be, in the business. Tyler is vice president of sales, responsible for all sales and business development, new customers and new products. Bill is in charge of dispatching deliveries and logistics. Christina is greenhouse manager. She manages crews and sees to it that products are where they need to be. Blake is a senior at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., and plans to come back to the family business after graduation. Walmart is the company’s biggest customer, and under terms of its merchandising program, Catoctin Mountain Growers employs 110 to 115 additional people in spring and fall to water plants in 50 Walmart stores in Maryland. Tyler Van Wingerden said they like to be in the stores to help keep the plants healthy. The family is dedicated to growing top quality annuals, perennials, mums and poinsettias, 175 varieties of plants in all. Annuals make up 80 percent of production. A small number of perennials is grown for specific customers. The 15-acre greenhouse has had 2 more acres added to it. The greenhouse is a single structure, all under one roof with lots of entrances. “We like going from one area to another without getting wet,” Van Wingerden explained. The greenhouse is divided into bays with poles for support. Every bay has an overhead boom and all but the oldest section have ebb and flow flooring. All of
the floors are concrete. “We drain, filter and reuse the water,” Van Wingerden said. “Depending on the type of plant and where it is in its life cycle, we use either the overhead boom or flood to get water all around the roots. Not using overhead watering means less disease, and when plants are in flower, they don’t want to wilt the flowers, he added. Catoctin Mountain Growers has a unique slow sand filtration system that Bob Van Wingerden has been pioneering. All irrigation is done from their own pond, Van Wingerden said. All the gutters and drainage are directed to the pond. Water is pumped through a sand filter slowly, not under pressure, in a large concrete rectangle 40 feet by 60 feet and 4 feet deep. In addition to sand, the filter contains 2 feet of gravel. Water trickles through, then is stored and pumped to the greenhouse as needed. Van Wingerden said they are figuring out different and better ways to clean the sand filter. For now, they drain the filter, leaving a half inch of water above New shipping dock which the sand, then use a heavyis part of the 2 new acres built last year. duty shop vacuum to take off the top part. “We’ve also learned ways (continued on next page)
30 • Summer 2019
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The 15-acre greenhouse has had 2 more acres added to it. The greenhouse is a single structure, all under one roof with lots of entrances. “We like going from one area to another without getting wet,” Van Wingerden explained.
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down. “We do some, especially if a customer wants extra product or the destination changes,” he said. An ERP (enterprise resource planning) system specifically for greenhouses “lets us marry all production, shipping and invoicing. It keeps everything in one place. We use SBI Software, based in Oregon,” Van Wingerden said. Recent innovations include putting wireless internet in the whole
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to keep dirt out after a heavy rain event, to keep sediment out in the first place.” Catoctin Mountain Growers has four production lines, all of which are busy in spring. One line has an automatic transplanter with “fingers” that put plugs into packs. “We do as much of plug and young production as we can,” Van Wingerden said. “That helps control quality and cuts cost. We do quite a bit of our own, but we still buy in rooted plugs. Mums and poinsettias have an expanded market, including 60 stores in New Jersey, Sam’s Clubs, and local churches. The greenhouse produces 400,000 of each. Labels, as much as possible, are applied at production. “We label each unit, using different ways for different customers,” Van Wingerden said. If labeling is done just before shipping, it slows things
32 • Summer 2018
Outdoor boom for watering our mums and hardy spring annuals.
facility. “We use wireless radio apps on smart phones, and managers can get email on their phones,” he continued. The phones allow managers to share photos and communicate directly. With SBI’s inventory system, team members can update inventory with their smart phones. “As we find equipment that works via the Internet, we are putting them in,” he added. Remote controlled equipment is an example.
Pictured from left to right: Bill Van Wingerden, Laurie Mann, John Murphy, Kim Chaney, Bob Van Wingerden, Christina Van Wingerden, Blake Van Wingerden, Amy Bechtel, Julie Iferd, Tracey Crabtree, Tammy Strine, Henry Thorpe, Tyler Van Wingerden
“We recently installed five booms that connect remotely. A grower can log in and turn water on or off or set a watering protocol. “We also get alarms,” Van Wingerden said. “When rooting a whole bay of plugs worth lots of money, if a boom stops at night, that’s a big deal.” A graduate of Grove City College in Pennsylvania, Van Wingerden concluded, “For me, business is just fun — making decisions and running a company. “I love how we get to make yards beautiful. When we are busy in the spring and I see five to 10 loaded racks, like a ship, bright and colorful… I really enjoy that our customers are excited to see our plants.” ❦ Carol Kinsley
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Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association
AFFINITY PROGRAMS Get More Out of Your Membership SHIPPING PartnerShip • Discount shipping program through AmericanHort partnership • Small Package Discounts using FedEx • FedEx Express Discounts including Overnight, 2 Day, International Services, and Saver programs as much as 27% • Save on Truckload and Tradeshow Shipments • FedEx Ground and Home Delivery discounts starting at 5% • PartnerShip LTL freight discounts
FUEL Shell – Fleet Plus Fuel Program • 15 cents off per gallon on fuel purchases from Shell for 12 months • After 12 months, tier structure rebate program • No minimum gallons required • Built in security and purchase controls • Online account management • Comprehensive reporting • No transaction fees, no card fees, and no report fees
VEHICLES Commercial Friends and Family Program • Invoice pricing on all vehicles in stock. Pricing for locates are on a case by case basis. • Brands include Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Ford and Ram. Expanding to other brands soon. • All incentives that are being offered will be deducted from invoice pricing • Up-fits offered at employee cost • $500 off any negotiated price for used vehicles • Honor all Fleet accounts and if needed can be established with Ford or Chrysler • Discount delivery vehicle program or if qualified, courtesy delivery to local dealer
OFFICE SUPPLIES Office Depot • See new Office Depot Program details on page 17 • Better rewards • More ways to save
PLANT LOCATOR Plant and Supply Locator • All MNLGA members receive 6 months of free unlimited online Plant Booth listings • Free subscription to Plant Locator magazine • After free 6 month period, members will receive: – Ability to keep 5 listings online free for an additional two years – MNLGA members already listing in print will receive equivalent online plant listings – Discounted packages for listings in print and online
TIRES TireBuyer.com • 5-10% discount on tire purchase • Free shipping on many products • Over 110 warehouses in the US, over 8,500 nationwide installation partners • All other purchases qualify for either free shipping or discounted shipping • Lower shipping rates than industry averages when shipping to a home or business
For full program description, discounts offered, and access to program contact information, log into the MNLGA membership portal on the MNLGA website. Portal access is located on the upper right hand corner of all pages of the website. If you do not recall your access credentials, simply select the link, “Forgot Your Password,” and you will be given instructions on how to proceed. 34 • Summer 2019
Total Plant Management
Stanton Gill
Root Mealybug – What You Don’t See is Hurting Your Plants
It is human nature to ignore what you don’t see? Why worry about something if you cannot see it? The subterrain feeding of root mealybug, found feeding on plant roots goes unnoticed by many growers. As growers, you may notice the plant is stunted and not growing well. Not until you take the plant out of the pot and look at the root system does the wax associated with root mealybug become noticeable. If the population builds up, your customer will definitely notice a problem when they go to take the pot off and plant the infested plant. The wax is very noticeable on the roots on the outside perimeter of the root ball. Three major insects groups can be problems on roots of nursery and greenhouse plants: fungus gnat larvae, root aphids, and root mealybugs. We decided to concentrate on one of these pests in our trials and selected root mealybug. We selected this pest because it is tough to control and mainly because we had a good population of the pest to work with in a nursery setting. There are two major root mealy bugs found on nursery and landscape plants in North America. One is called ground mealybug, Rhizoecus falcifera Kunckel d’Hercularis. The second is called Pritchard’s mealybug, Rhizoecus pritchardi McKenzie. Both are in the order Hemiptera, family Psuedococcidae. The ground mealybug is white and 2.4 to 3.9 millimeters long and has slender waxy filaments that form a sort of netting over some individuals. The ground mealybug also secretes a small amount of wax, which can give the soil a somewhat bluish appearance when the mealybugs are abundant. Pritchard’s mealybug is smaller than the ground mealybug and is snow white and 1.6 to 2.1 millimeters long and oval with very small eyes. The wax from Pritchard’s mealybug tends to be snow white in color. In our study
the Pritchard mealybug was present on sedum roots. The ground mealybug is reported to feed on the roots of anemone, chrysanthemum, gladiolus, iris, and numerous other flowers, shrubs, and ornamental grasses. Pritchard’s mealybug is a pest of Achillea, Arctostaphylos, Asters, Geum, Polygala, and Sedums. Dr. Arnold H. Hara of University of Hawaii-Manoa reported in 2010 Pest management Guidelines that currently the Hawaiian Islands have seven species of root or hypogaeic mealybugs. The most pestiferous species have been the coffee root mealybug, Geococcus coffeae and Rhizoecus hibisci. These root mealybugs infest grasses, palms, citrus, cyperus, pineapple, coffee, mango and syngonium. In pots, root mealybugs occur throughout the root mass; however, they are concentrated between the root-ball and the pot. Infestation of root mealybugs is noticeable only if the root ball is removed from the pot. Greenroofs got their early start in Europe, mainly in Germany as way to reduce water runoff from roof surfaces. We saw our first green roof in 2002 while visiting Morton Arboretum to speak on the newly emerging invasive emerald ash borer. The ash borer was the topic of the day at Morton’s arboretum but while speaking there they gave us an opportunity to visit some of the green roofs that had been installed in Chicago. The Mayor then was very supportive of the green roof use in city roofs. Being our first time seeing this we were very wonderstruck with this whole concept. It looked like a perfect opportunity for the horticulture industry to expand its scope. Since then a number of cities have encouraged installation of green roofs to reduce energy use and clean up roof runoff water in city environment. Of course, there is the ascetic aspect that goes along with (continued on next page) Free State • 35
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green roofs. Now people are adding the benefits to pollinators and birds with green roof installation. The number of nurseries growing plants to be installed in these green roofs is growing. Whenever anything is grown in large quantities in concentrated areas you can guarantee that insects and disease will make their way into the system. This has happened with green plant production. Sedum plants have become the predominate group of plants that thrive on green roof plantings. So, the nursery industry has concentrated on propagating large numbers of these succulent plants. At first, they appeared pest free. Very little is published on the lifecycle of either root mealybug species. Arnold Hara reports female mealybugs lay eggs or give birth to live young call crawlers. If eggs are laid, they usually hatch in less than 24 hours. Crawlers are the dispersal stage and are highly mobile. Once the crawlers find a suitable site, they settle down and begin to feed on roots with their sucking mouth parts. The entire life cycle ranges from two to four months depending on the species. Adults live form 27-57 days, also depending on the species. Pritchard’s mealybugs has been noted to crawl out of the drainage holes and spread throughout the nursery or greenhouse. In nurseries we have found Pritchard’s mealybug moving between pots of Asters that were sitting on spun-down polypropylene weed barrier. The mealybugs existing through the drainage holes of the pot and moving from pot to pot that were growing close together. In green roof plant nurseries we noted the Pritchard’s mealybug moving from plug trays sitting on weed barriers on the ground to previously uninfested plant trays close to infested plants. Table 1.0. List of insecticides applied curatively against root mealybugs feeding on Sedum sp.
Non-Chemical Control Research conducted by the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources has demonstrated that hot water dips are effective in dealing with root mealybug in Hawaii. Submerging potted Rhapis palms in 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius) water until the internal root ball temperature reaches 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius) is 100 percent effective in killing root mealybugs and does not significantly affect the potted plants. In 2014, Stanton Gill of the University of Maryland Extension conducted trials on sedum. He found that submersing the roots in 120 F water (49 degrees Celius) for 15 minutes gave 100% control of root mealybugs. After the hot water treatments, the plants were cooled down to 60-70 F for 10 minutes and returned to the growing area. The plants were examined at 14- and 28-days DAT and found to be undamaged by the hot water treatment. The method was effective but slow and cumbersome to treat large number of plug trays of sedum. For small number of plants this may be a practical methodically. Trials We worked with a green roof plant nursery that had sedums that were infested with both root aphid and root mealybugs. For this study we concentrated on the root mealybug, Pritchard’s mealybug, in evaluating several new classes of systemic chemicals applied as soil drenches. Applications were made to clean plants with infested plug trays placed close to see if we could protect uninfested plants from becoming infested. In the second trial we used sedum plants in plug Table 2.0. List of insecticides applied preventatively against root mealybugs on Sedum sp. Product
Rate
Spray
Aria
3.0 oz./ 100 gallons
Spray
3.0 oz./ 100 gallons
Spray
Altus
2.8 oz./ 100 gallons
Drench/Dip
Altus
2.8 oz./ 100 gallons
Drench
Altus
3.7 oz./ 100 gallons
Drench/Dip
Altus
3.7 oz./ 100 gallons
Water
Untreated Control
Spray
Acelepryn
8.0 oz./ 100 gallons
Mainspring
8.0 oz./ 100 gallons
Endeavor
5.0 oz./ 100 gallons
Product
Rate
Water
Untreated Control
Aria
36 • Summer 2019
Application
Spray
Application
Figure 1.0.
Ave. Insects found/plug
8 7 6
■ Altus 2.8
■ Atus 3.7
■ Water
■ Acelepryn
■ Mainspring
■ Endeavor
5
a
4
a
■ Aria
a
3
b
2
a
a
a b
b
1
c
0
0 Treatment F-statistic=11.3; df=6,616 P-value<0.0001
DAT
c
c
c
c
33 Treatment F-statistic=325.2;df=6,611 P-value<0.0001
Ave. Insects found/plug
Figure 2.0.
0.6 0.5 0.4
■ Aria
■ Water
■ Altus 2.8
■ Atus 3.7
a
0.3 0.2 0.1
a
0
a
a
b
b
a
0
b
33
DAT
Treatment F-statistic=46.4; df=3,347 P-value<0.0001
Ave. Number Mealybugs/plants
Figure 3.0. 4.5 4
■ Bench
■ Ground
3.5
a a
3 2.5
a
2 1.5
a
1
c
0.5 0
Trial I Treatment F-statistic=2.3 P-value=0.1600
DAT
trays that were moderately to heavily infested with Pritchard’s mealybug to measure the control of infested plants. In each trial we had eight completely randomized blocks. (see Table 1 on page 34) Treatments were made on 5 April or 1 May 2018 with each application being made as a soil drench. (see
Trial II Treatment F-statistic=1.6 P-value=0.6970
Table 2 on page 34) Our third trial against root mealybugs focused on cultural practices. Our treatments were growing Sedum in flats on weed mats in contact with the soil (served as the industry standard) and plants grown in flats on greenhouse benches placed in a hoop house next to the other plants. Populations were similar prior to beginning the experiment. Two population counts were made on plants grown in the hoop-house as described previously after six and 11 weeks after starting the trial. Figure 1.0. Effects of insecticides applied curatively on root mealybugs feeding on Sedum sp. 33 days after application (DAT; ANOVA a = 0.05). Treatments with different letters are significantly different (Tukey HSD, a = 0.05). Figure 2.0. Effects of insecticides applied preventatively on root mealybugs feeding on Sedum sp. 33 days after application (DAT; ANOVA a = 0.05). Treatments with different letters are significantly different (Tukey HSD, a = 0.05).
Figure 3.0. Population level of root mealybugs feeding on Sedum sp. six weeks (Trial I) or two weeks (Trial II) after placement on weed mat on the ground (ground) or on Sedum in trays on greenhouse benches (bench; ANOVA a = 0.05). Treatments with different letters are significantly different (Tukey HSD, a = 0.05). (continued on next page) Free State • 37
(continued from last page)
Summary All of the treatments were effective in keeping root mealybug from spreading from infested flats to uninfested flats. In the first trial involving treating already infested sedum that had established root mealybug we found Aria, Altus, Acelepryn, Endeavor, and Mainspring provided effective control, although populations were slightly higher on Mainspring treated plants (Fig. 1). Altus and Aria were effective preventative treatments (Fig. 2). Plants grown on the ground may have greater populations of root mealybugs compared to plants grown on benches. Our data (Fig. 3) shows this trend; however, the treatments were not significantly different for the length of our trial (6 or 2 weeks). Additionally, evaluating populations on a greater number of plants (11 in each treatment both trials) may reduce variation that could influence detection of significant differences. We noted during our trials that when we took flats from a nursery growing the flats on black weed barrier and moved them into a greenhouse on wire bench the root mealybugs population tend to decline rather dramatically. It may be the growing method of placing plastic flats on the ground that allow root mealybug and root aphids to easily travel from infested flats to
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previously uninfested flats. We plan to investigate this further with future trials. Hot water treatments of 102 F for 15 minutes appear to control root mealybug but the method is slow, slightly cumbersome, time consuming and good for treating already infested plants. Preventative insecticide treatments appear to keep plant free of infestation of root mealybug. ❦ Stanton Gill, Extension Specialist in IPM for Greenhouses and Nursery, Central Maryland Research and Education center, University of Maryland Extension and Professor – Montgomery College, Landscape Technology Sgill@umd.edu, 410-868-9400 http://Extension.umd.edu/ipm Brian Kunkel, Extension Ornamental IPM Specialist, University of Delaware Cooperative Extension bakunkel@udel.edu, (302) 893-6077 Chuck Schuster, Extension Educator University of Maryland Extension CFS@umd.edu Suzanne Klick, Lead Technician Central Maryland Research and Education Center, University of Maryland And Rachel Ross, Student Intern, University of Maryland
PUBLICATION NOTICE: The deadline for submissions for the summer issue of Free State Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse News is November 1, 2019. We welcome your company news and updates or columns with your professional insight. E-mail anysubmissions to Free State News at freestate@mnlga.org or mail to: Maryland Nursery, Landscape, and Greenhouse Association P.O. Box 726, Brooklandville, MD 21022
Summer Vol. XLVI 2019 No. 2
Trees an d for Polli Shrubs nators Part 2 Pag e XX
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g – Wh at You Do n’t See is Hurtin g
Your Pla nts
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2020 Chesapeake Green
AN ANNUAL HORTICULTURE SYMPOSIUM
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2019-2020 Industry AUGUST
August 1, 2019 VNLA Field Day Location: Eastern Shore Nursery of Virginia Contact: VNLA Office, 804-256-2700 info@vnla.org, www.vnla.org
August 11-14, 2019 ISA Annual International Conference and Trade Show Location: Knoxville Convention Center in Tennessee Contact: ISA Office, 1-888-472-8733 isa@isa-arbor.com
SEPTEMBER
September 5, 2019 Invasive Plant ID for Professionals Location: UMD Extension – Calvert Co. Office Contact: UMD Ext Office Calvert Co., 410-535-3662, go.umd.edu/invasive-prof
September 11, 2019 MAEF/ MNLGA Scholarship Golf Tournament Location: Hampstead, MD Contact: MAEF Office, 410-939-9030, www.maefonline.com
September 16-18, 2019 Impact Washington Summit Location: Washington DC Contact: American Hort Office, 614-487-1117 hello@americanhort.org www.AmericanHort.org/Impact
THE MARYLAND STATE FAIR August 22 – September 2, 2019
Location: MD State Fairgrounds in Lutherville-Timonium Contact: MD State Fair Office, 410-252-0200 msfair@msn.com www.marylandstatefair.com/state-fair/state-fair-info
40 • Summer 2019
EVENTS Calendar OCTOBER
October 1, 2019 CPH – Basic Exam Location: MDA in Annapolis Contact: MNLGA Office, 410-823-8684 office@mnlga.org www.mnlga.org
DECEMBER
December 17, 2019 Biological Control Conference Location: Maritime Institute Contact: MNLGA Office, 410-823-8684 office@mnlga.org www.mnlga.org
October 1, 2019 CPH – Specialist Exam – Plant ID Location: MDA in Annapolis Contact: MNLGA Office, 410-823-8684 office@mnlga.org www.mnlga.org
JANUARY
January 8-10, 2020 MANTS - Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show Location: Baltimore Convention Center Contact: MANTS Office, 410-296-6959 info@mants.com www.mants.com
NOVEMBER November 7, 2019 MAEF Banquet
Location: Michael’s Eighth Avenue Contact: MAEF Office, 410-939-9030 www.maefonline.com
FEBRUARY
February 19-20, 2020 Chesapeake Green Location: Maritime Institute Contact: MNLGA Office, 410-823-8684 office@mnlga.org www.mnlga.org
Free State • 41
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Free State • 43
I’m Certified... Are You?
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I feel CPH certification is important for all people working in the nursery industry. It gives you recognition as a professional in your field and distinguishes you from the questionably skilled segment working in our industry.
”
Bernie Kohl, Jr. Angelica Nurseries, Inc.
Certified Professional Horticulturists (CPH) provide either “do-it-yourself” or professional landscape installation and maintenance advice. For more information contact the Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association 410-823-8684 or visit mnlga.org
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You only grow the best. Why not offer your customers the best in advice, too! Free State • 45
Growing with Education
Ginny Rosenkranz
Trees and Shrubs for Pollinators Part 2
When most landscape contractors, nursery growers, greenhouse growers and homeowners look at a landscape they view the colors and textures of the trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials and annuals. They often look at the plants for their health and vigor, the size and color of the foliage or the buds and blooms that color the gardens in the various seasons. What we might not see are the almost 4,000 different species of our native bees that with the European honeybees are responsible for pollinating 75% of our food crops. The various native bees, butterflies, bats, beetles and even some species of mosquitoes are responsible for pollinating an estimated 78% of all flowering plants which helps in maintaining our native plant diversity. That is so important for our native flowering plants, but there are a lot of non-native trees and shrubs that are not invasive and provide early and late season flowers that perfume and color the landscape. These non-native plants can fill a void that our native plants cannot, by providing nectar and pollen for the European honey bees as they emerge from their winter homes in the springtime and providing the same in the late
46 • Summer 2019
summer into the fall so that the bee colonies can go into the long cold winter healthy and with a store of food supplies. The research done by Dr. Bernadette Mach and Dr. Daniel Potter of the University of Kentucky have provided wonderful lists of both trees and shrubs, native and non-native, that are favored by the many species of bees. The spring and early summer trees were discussed in the last edition of Free State magazine, and this will be a continuation of those trees and shrubs. As before, the plants will be described by both the rating of the plants by the numbers of bees that visited the blooms and the time of the year that the plants bloom. The non-native Golden Raintree, Koelreuteria reticulate, has earned an impressive rating of 4 stars which indicates that the largest number of bees visit the trees while in bloom from May to July depending on where the plants grow. The trees grow 30-40 feet tall and wide with an upright rounded crown and an open airy branching. The pinnately compound leaves emerge with a pink- purple color that matures to a medium to dark green for the summer. The leaves grow up to 18
inches long with 7 to 17 leaflets. The fall color can be a golden yellow or merely a chartreuse green depending on the plants and the weather conditions. The bright ½ inch wide yellow flowers area arranged on a 12-15-inchlong panicle that cascades down and will bloom for up to 2 weeks. The spent flower petals carpet the ground while the flowers mature into 3-sided lime green pods that resemble Chinese lanterns. These pods turn brown and decorate the trees from late summer through the winter. There are few pests of the Golden Raintree and the size and colorful foliage makes it an ideal street tree or for small courtyard gardens. Another non-native is the Beebee tree, Tetradium daniellii, which has also earned the coveted rating of 4 stars and blooms in June – July. Although the Bee bee tree grows only 25-30 feet tall and wide, when it blooms it becomes covered with tiny fragrant white flowers that are tinged with yellow or light pink. The flowers are clustered together in a flattened bouquet called a corymb, looking a bit like Queen Anne’s Lace on the tree. The common name of Bee-bee tree is due to the love of the bees to the flowers when the
tree is in bloom. The flowers mature into bright red to purple seed pods that split open when ripe and native birds fest on them. The 18-inch leaves of the Bee-bee tree are pinnately compound with the 7-11 dark green leaflets up to 2-5 inches long. The underside of the leaves are a light green, giving the plants a soft 2 tone color when breezes ruffle the leaves. Crape myrtle, Lagerstroemia spp., is another non-native tree that blooms later in the summer season and although it rates only 2 stars, the length of time of bloom from July through September provides the various bees with needed food supplies when very few other woody plants are in bloom. Crape myrtles come in a rainbow of colors and a large variety of sizes from ‘Pocomoke’ dwarf shrubs 3-4 feet tall to the 20-foottall trees like ‘Natchez’. Pure white flowers, soft pink to the brightest pinks, pale reds to vibrant bright reds, quite lavenders to dark rich purples with a few bi-color flowers spice up and decorate the various varieties of Crape myrtles. Each flower is composed of 6 petals that are 1 to 1 ½ inches wide with some petals more ruffled than others. Buds are often just as colorful as the flowers and they are arranged on panicles 6-8 inches long and 3-5 inches wide. Some of the plants like Red Rocket® are sterile and the flowers never need to stop to produce seeds; these plants continue flowering to form panicles up to 24 (continued on next page)
Golden St. Johnswort, Hypericum frondosum Free State • 47
(continued from last page)
False Indigo, Amorpha fruticose
Bottlebrush Buckeye, Aesculus parvifora
Golden Raintree, Koelreuteria 48 â&#x20AC;˘ Summer 2019
inches long. There are a large number of varieties that have been bred to be resistant to both powdery mildew and Cercospora and are worth looking for. The exfoliating bark of many of the Crape myrtles make them a 4-season plant for the landscape. The Seven-Son Flower, Heptacodium miconiodes, is a small multi stemmed tree, growing only 15-20 feet tall and 8-10 feet
wide, but has earned 4 stars due to the large number of bees that visit the flowers from August to October when it is in bloom. Tiny, creamy white sweetly fragrant flowers are arranged in whorled clusters with 7 flowers to each cluster, giving the plant its unusual name. The flowers persist on the plants for several weeks, providing nectar to bees, butterflies and hummingbirds in late summer through the fall. The flowers mature into tiny fruits that are surrounded by petal like calyx which turn a bright cherry red, lending even more color into the autumn landscape. The leaves are narrow and shiny dark green in color and the exfoliating bark adds to the 4 seasons of interest. There is a new cultivar, Temple of BloomÂŽ Seven-Son Flower with bright green leaves with dark green veins. As the foliage matures the leaves twist up at the tips. The calyx are said to be a brighter red than the species, adding even more color into the autumn landscape. Dwarf Fothergillia, Fothergilla gardenia, a lovely native shrub
earned only 2 stars, but as it blooms in March it is one of the first to provide nectar and pollen for the bees. The Dwarf Fothergilla, also known as the Coastal Fothergillia, is a slow grower with very tiny aromatic flowers arranged on a spike that looks like a bottlebrush and grows mostly in moist, well drained shady areas. There are a number of native and non-native shrubs that also earned their 2 stars including Winter Honeysuckle, Lonicera fragantissima, Buckwood viburnum, Viburnum burkwoodii, Cherry Laurel, Prunus laurocerasus, Ninebark, Physocarpus opulifolius, Fuzzy deutzia, Deutzia scobra, Pyracantha, Pyrancantha spp., Mock Orange, Philadelphus spp., Virginia spiraea, Spiraea virginiana, Buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis, and Sweetspire, Itea virginica, and they all have wonderful qualities that allow them to fit into many diverse landscapes. The shrubs that have earned 3 stars include False Indigo, Amorpha fruticose, a native shrub
that fits into many areas including sun or shade, growing 4- 12 feet in good or very poor soils and drought tolerant. The 12-inch-long pinnate leaves are formed with 11 to 35 spine tipped leaflets 2 inches long and a dull gray green color. The fragrant purple tubular flowers are arranged in 8-inch-long spikes and bloom from April to June. Tubular flowers are loved by some bees and especially by butterflies and hummingbirds. Like a lot of
Glossy abelia, Abelia x grandifolora
(continued on next page)
Dwarf Fothergillia, Fothergilla
Seven-Son Flower, Heptacodium miconiodes
Free State â&#x20AC;˘ 49
(continued from last page)
native shrubs, False Indigo can spread into colonies and should be pruned to keep it under control. Another native shrub is the Climbing rose, Rosa setigera, also called the Prairie Rose. The Rose can grow as a shrub up to 4 feet tall or as a climber up to 12 feet tall. It prefers to grow in full sun with moist well drained soils. The fragrant deep pink 5 petal flowers spread up to 2 ½ inches across and surround the center button of bright yellow stamens. The flowers that bloom in June grow in clusters which mature into bright red rose hips high in vitamin C and are prized by many native birds. The Bottlebrush Buckeye, Aesculus parvifora, is another native shrub that grows best in part to full sun. When it blooms from June – July it is covered with tubular white flowers which have red anthers and pink filaments arranged on a 12-inch-long cylindrical panicle to look like a bottle brush. The flowers are held upright above the bright green palmate leaves that have 5-7 leaflets. This plant is known for sprouting sucker growth, but it is also known for the edible Buckeye fruit that forms from the flowers in the autumn. The native Saint John’s Wort, Hypericum frondosum, has 4 stars which provides many flowers for the various bees and pollinators from June to July. Growing only 3-4 feet tall, the St. John’s Wort forms a dense upright mound with blue green foliage. The bright golden yellow flowers have 5 petals that spread almost 2 inches across with a dense central button of yellow stamens. The plant flowers on new 50 • Summer 2019
growth and should be pruned in the early spring to encourage best flowering. Only one other shrub earned 4 stars, the non-native Pee Gee Hydrangea, Hydrangea paniculata, which blooms profusely from July to September on new growth. Selective pruning can create a shrub with a lot of smaller flowers or a few branches with huge flowers that cause the branches to arch downwards with their weight. One of the best winter hardy hydrangea, the Pee Gee hydrangea grows best in full sun with moist well drained soils, reaching heights of 8–15 feet tall and 6-12 feet wide. The flowers are arranged in a cone shaped panicle, up to 8 inches across and up to 12 inches long with a combination of large 4 petal sterile flowers to temp the pollinators to visit the tiny 4 petal fertile flowers that are packed alongside. Most of the flowers begin pure white in color and mature to pink, rose or muted reds, often giving the panicle of flowers a 2-tone effect. The flowers persist on the plants late in the summer into the autumn. There are a lot of new cultivars that bloom early summer like Quick Fire®, Bobo®, and Firelight®. Pinky Winky® blooms a bit later in mid-
Rosa setigera, Climbing rose
summer while Limelight begins to bloom last with huge football shaped panicles. The last 2 shrubs, Clethra, Clethra alnifolia and Glossy abelia, Abelia x grandifolora, both have 3 stars and bloom in the late summer into fall. Cllethra alnifolia is a native shrub also known as Summersweet 3-6 feet tall and wide in a dense mound. This shrub needs moist acidic soils and can tolerate some shade. The fragrant white flowers are arranged on a long thin panicle that can be up to 6 inches and blooms from July to September. The flowers attract many pollinators including hummingbirds and butterflies, and the seeds that form later are enjoyed by many native birds. Although the Glossy abelia is not native to American, its blooming habit of flowering from May to September has earned its place in the landscapes. Growing 3-6 feet tall and wide, the Glossy Abelia can be pruned down to a third of its size to keep it looking neat. Fragrant white tinged with pink bell-shaped flowers are formed in clusters at the tips of each branch, providing easy access to all pollinators who care to dine. Plants grow best in full sun and moist but well drained soils. The research continues by both Drs. Mach and Potter and they will be providing more plants to add to the landscapes that will sustain the pollinators and the many varieties of bees. ❦ Ginny Rosenkranz Extension Educator, Commercial Horticulture, University of Maryland Extension, Dorchester, Sommerset, Wicomico and Worchester County
CONGRATULATIONS to our newly-minted Certified Professional Horticulturists after passing the Basic Exam on May 9, 2019. Vera Egorova Montgomery College
Yingyan Lu Montgomery College
Ellina Sorokina Montgomery College
Thomas Gipe Frederick Career & Tech Center – Student Certification
Emma Morris Montgomery College
Catherine Stragar Maryland Department of Agriculture
Caroline Hooks Montgomery College
Michaelle Scanlon Montgomery College
The upcoming date for the Basic Exam is October 1, 2019. The next Specialist – Plant ID exam will be held on the same date.
Free State • 51
New Members We welcome the following into membership in the MNLGA. Full contact information may be found within the member portal of the MNLGA website, www.mnlga.org. We encourage you to reach out to your peer members – they may be a valuable business connection for you. Montgomery College – Student Christina Wright Gaithersburg, MD 20882
Maryland Orchid Society Dr. Clark Riley Baltimore, MD 21211
Didlake, Inc. Aysar Barbari Manassas, VA 20110
Green Landing Nursery George Sliker Upper Marlboro, MD 20772
CCBC Sustainable Horticulture – Student Ryan Mera Evans Baltimore, MD 21222
Community College of Baltimore County – Student Katy Cordes Baltimore, MD 21230
Greenwood Creek Nursery Bruce Langford Queenstown, MD 21658 Colonial Gardens Helen Hecht Westminster, MD 21157
52 • Summer 2019
Ahrweiler Horticulture Services Jessica Ahrweiler Frederick, MD 21701 J. M. Tawes Technology & Career Center Theresa Maggio Westover, MD 21871
2012 2009
2003
2007
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We are looking for old photos, videos, Exhibitor Guides, Programs, Orange Jackets and other memorabilia for our 50th Anniversary in 2020. If you want to share wirtten stories or memories, please contact Kelly Finney at 410-269-6959 or kelly@mants.com
2010
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Free State â&#x20AC;˘ 53 Free State â&#x20AC;˘ 53
54 â&#x20AC;¢ Summer 2019
GardenComm’s Sliver Media Awards Announced GardenComm recently announced the winners of the 2019 Media Awards Silver Medals, a special designation recognizing the top talent in more than 50 competition communication categories, including writing, photography, speaking, digital media, broadcast media, publisher/producer and trade media. These winners will now be entered for judging in the Gold Medal round, where awards will be given for the best of each award class. Gold Medal winners will be announced during the 2019 Awards & Honors Dinner at the GardenComm Annual Conference & Expo in Salt Lake City on September 7. The GardenComm Media Awards is the only national online media awards program for the gardening communications industry. Held annually for more than 20 years, the program recognizes the top professional horticultural communicators. For more information, visit www.gardencomm.org. WRITING
Magazine Article (Circulation > 20K)
Book: General Readership
Magazine Column (Circulation < 20K)
“Harvesting Hope”, Teresa Woodard
“The Garden in Every Sense and Season”, Tovah Martin
Retail Revival, C.L. Fornari
“Best in Show”, Marty Ross
Foraged: Edible New Mexico, Ellen Zachos
Newspaper Column (Circulation < 20K)
“Vegetables Love Flowers”, Lisa Mason Ziegler
Vive New Landscape Ideas, Scott Beuerlein
It’s just a matter of time, A new garden can raise more questions than plants at first, Of oil lamps and seaweed, Lynette Walther
Magazine Article (Circulation < 20K) “The End of an Era? The state of citrus in the citrus state”, Lynette Walther “Horticulture is Weird - Plantology is Cool”, Susan E. Yoder “Floral Industry Gets the GMO Blues”, Brenda Silva
Gardening in the Poconos, Pamela Hubbard Newspaper Column (Circulation > 20K) Bountiful harvests come from small city lot, Susan Mulvihill
“The Less is More Garden: Big Ideas for Designing Your Small Yard”, Susan Morrison Book: Technical/Reference “Marin Municipal Water District: Watershed Approach to Landscaping”, Pamela Berstler E-Book “Gardening with Native Grasses in Cold Climates”, Diane Narem and Mary H. Meyer
When Gardeners Get Growing in Shared Gardens, Mark & Ben Cullen Star Tribune Home and Garden gardening, Rhonda Fleming Hayes Jeff Lowenfels Garden Columns, Jeff Lowenfels Century-old landscape emerges at Marian University, Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp Newspaper Article (Circulation < 20K) “Discover the magic of the winter garden”, Theresa Forte Newspaper Article (Circulation > 20K)
Gold Winner, Best Overall Digital Media, Summer Rayne Oakes
“These 5 trees take you on a biblical journey of grace and growth”. Shelley Cramm
Gold Winner, Best Overall Book, Carol Michel (continued on next page) Free State • 55
Website: Individual (Overall Site)
PUBLISHING
Newsletter, Bulletin or Brochure
mrplantgeek.com, Michael Perry
Magazine (Circulation < 20K)
A New Vision for Hardy Hydrangeas, Shannon Downey
Website: Commercial (Overall Site)
Pacific Horticulture - Spring 2018: Volume 79, Number 02, Lorene Edwards Forkner
(continued on next page)
Everybody Gardens Seed of the Month Newsletter, Doug Oster
springmeadownursery.com, Spring Meadow Nursery - Stacey Hirvela, Cull Group
Blog
seedyourfuture.org, Susan E. Yoder
Magazine (Circulation > 20K)
Gardening for Health!, Scott Beuerlein
Special Project
GROW Summer 2018, Blue Root Media/Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
The New Perennialist, Tony Spencer The Impatient Gardener, Erin Schanen Encores to the Rescue, Mary-Kate Mackey
Designing Abundant Containers, Karen Chapman Have you Checked your Trees Lately? A Routine Check-up of Trees Saves Lives & Property, Bob Polomski
GROW Fall 2018, Blue Root Media/Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
BROADCAST MEDIA
Book (General Readership)
PHOTOGRAPHY
Television Program (Overall)
Magazine (Circulation > 20K)
“Southern Gardening Television”, Gary R. Bachman, Tim Allison & Jonathan Parrish
Niki Jabbour’s Veggie Garden Remix, Niki Jabbour
A Not-So-Secret Garden, Joseph De Sciose Book (General Readership)
Radio Program (Talent)
Design-Your-Garden Toolkit, Michelle Gervais Book (Technical/Reference)
The Organic Gardeners, Doug Oster and Jessica Walliser
The History of Landscape Design in 100 Gardens, Timber Press
Bob Tanem in The Garden radio show, Bob Tanem
Catalog
Cover
Podcast Series (Talent)
2019 Program Guide, Bailey Nurseries
“The Gardens of Bunny Mellon”, Roger Foley
On the Ledge, Jane Perrone
Bailey Nurseries 2019 New Varieties, Bailey Nurseries
“Gardens of Corfu”, Rachel Weaving and Marianne Majerus “The Gardens of Bunny Mellon”, Roger Foley
Plantrama, C.L. Fornari & Ellen Zachos
“Summer Crush on Grower Talks Magazine”, Tracy Walsh
Hothouse Podcast, Leah Churner
Portfolio
Plantrama, C.L. Fornari & Ellen Zachos
Photographs from “The Gardens of Bunny Mellon”, Roger Foley “Vertical Vegetables”, Tracy Walsh
Podcast Series (Overall) The Native Plant Podcast, John Magee
TRADE
Endless Summer® Hydrangeas Trade Catalog, Bailey Nurseries Magazine Bloom, Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden
DIGITAL MEDIA Blog (Overall Site) savvygardening.com, Jessica Walliser, Tara Nolan & Niki Jabbour homegardenandhomestead.com, Randy Schultz hereshegrows.com, Heather Blackmore Video (Single Video) Summer Lawn Maintenance, Mark and Ben Cullen How to Buy Plants at the Garden Centre, Mark and Ben Cullen Little Jobs in the Garden: DeerProofing Watermelons & Pulling Garlic, Donna Balzer and Ian Robert Jones 56 • Summer 2019
Wilfred J.Jung Distinguished Service Medal, Corona
10 Reasons to Attend GardenComm’s Annual Conference and Expo GardenComm’s biggest event of the year is quickly approaching. On September 4-7 hundreds of horticulturalists, gardeners, and communicators will gather in Salt Lake City for four days of education and networking. If you’re still on the fence about attending, below are 10 exciting reasons you should join GardenComm in Salt Lake City. 1. Keynote Speaker – Discover the art of language and how it’s used to craft stories, evoke emotions and relate to audiences. The conference will kick off with a keynote presentation from Martha Barnette, co-host of the public-radio show A Way with Words and author of three books on word origins: A Garden of Words, Ladyfingers & Nun’s Tummies: A Lighthearted Look at How Foods Got Their Names, and Dog Days & Dandelions. Her presentation will explore language and how to best apply it as garden communicators. 2. Meet Top Editors – Are you looking for new job opportunities? Now is your chance to meet with a diverse group of magazine editors and book agents who are ready to hear your ideas. Confirmed editors and agents include representatives from The American Gardener magazine, Timber Press, Nursery Management magazine, and many more. Sign up today for a one-on-one pitch session – spaces are limited. 3. New Products – Make sure to mark your calendar for the What’s New Preview session on the first day of the conference to see all of the new plants and products debuting at this year’s expo. After the session, head into the show to follow up with our vendors and sponsors to learn more about the latest horticultural and gardening trends. 4. Story Tours – The #GardenComm2019 tour line-up will feature dozens of gardens, highlighting the best of Salt Lake City’s unique horticultural scene. You’ll enjoy special access to amazing public gardens as well as exclusive tours of beautiful private gardens. Visit our website for a sneak peek at some of the story tour stops we’ll be making.
5. Networking – You’ll have the chance to meet your horticultural heroes, favorite authors and social media friends in person. There will be multiple networking opportunities spanning across the four-day conference including the first-timer event, sponsor & exhibitor reception and a wonderful dinner to celebrate all our honorees and media award winners. 6. Resources for Work and Inspiration – Through new conversations and the garden tours, you’re bound to generate photos and story ideas that can be used throughout the year. 7. Job Opportunities – GardenComm’s Conference and Expo opens the door for attendees to meet influential garden industry communicators, publishers and sponsors, which can lead to job opportunities. That face-to-face contact can be the first step to getting new work. 8. Exhibits – Head to the #GardenComm2019 Expo to see plants, products and people that inspire new ideas. Confirmed exhibitors include All-American Selections & National Garden Bureau, American Meadows/High Country Gardens, Baily Nurseries, Ball Horticultural, DRAMM, Proven Winners, Wild Farms Valley, and many more. 9. Education Sessions – Whether you are looking for advice on building your business or honing your communication skills, we have a terrific line up of speakers and sessions for you including tips on blogging, starting a podcast, building an online audience, and taking professional photos. 10. The Location – Salt Lake City is filled with more gardens, photo opportunities, networking, story ideas and learning than can fit into our four-day conference. Consider coming early or staying late!
For more information about the conference and to register, visit www.gardencomm.org/gardencomm19. Free State • 57
Chairs and Committees Education Ronda Roemmelt – Chair Angela Burke Dave Clement Hank Doong Stanton Gill Brett Karp Mary Kay Malinoski Brian Mitchell John Murphy Karen Rane Andrew Ristvey Ginny Rosenkranz Chuck Schuster Heather Zindash Nominating Mark Dougherty – Chair Richard J. Watson Finance and Planning Carrie Engel – Chair Jessica Todd Larry Hemming John Murphy Link/Shanks Scholarship Mark Dougherty – Chair MANTS Jan S. Carter Bernard E Kohl, Jr. William A. M. Verbrugge Membership Committee Rich Poulin Greg Stacho Awards - Professional Achievement, Carville M. Akehurst Michael Marshall– Co-Chair Kevin Clark - Co-Chair
James R. McWilliams– Chair Mark Schlossberg All Officers and Directors Alan Jones Bernie Kohl
University of Maryland Kimberly Rice
CPH George Mayo - Chair Steve Black Cindy King Andrew Ristvey Martha Simon-Pindale Bob Trumbule Jamie Tsambikos Gaye Williams Jon Vander Vliet
ADVISORS TO OTHERS CCLC – Ches. Bay Professional Landscape Certification (CBPL) Kody Cario
Scholarship Bernie Kohl, Jr. – Chair Hank Doong Leslie Hunter-Cario Jessica Todd George Mayo Mary Claire Walker Economic Survey Steve Black Larry Hemming Bernie Kohl George Mayo John Murphy Jessica Todd Dr. John Lea-Cox Kimberly Rice Dr. Andrew Ristvey Historian George Mayo – Chair ADVISORS TO THE BOARD
MD Department of Agriculture Dr. John Lea-Cox
Invasive Plant Advisory Committee Brent Cassell Leslie Hunter Cario Kelli McGaw LEAD Maryland Vanessa Finney Maryland Agriculture Commission Ray Greenstreet Vanessa Finney (at-large) Maryland Farm Bureau Larry Hemming
MAEF George Mayo Maryland Invasive Species Council (MISC) Vacant MDA Nutrient Management Advisory Committee Signe Hanson University of Maryland – Dean’s Global Leadership Council Vanessa Finney Young Farmers Advisory Council Jessica Todd
Legislative/MaGIC
Every member of every committee listed above is an individual who volunteers their time in support for the MNLGA and it is with the utmost gratitude and appreciation that we thank you for your selfless endeavors. If your name is not listed above, please consider following the example of those who are. Contact Vanessa at 410-823-8684 with your interest. 58• •Summer Summer2019 2019 58
MARYLAND
N URSERY, L ANDSCAPE AND G REENHOUSE A S S O C I AT I O N , I N C .
Mission Statement The purpose of the Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association is to promote the use of ornamental plants, products, and services. The association supports all constituent groups of the horticulture industry including landscape, garden centers, interiorscape, grounds maintenance, nursery, greenhouse, and arboriculture. The association communicates the role of the horticulture industry in improving people’s quality of life.
Specific Goals Promote professionalism through education programs for members and the public and by encouraging enrollment in educational institutions. Monitor state and local laws relating to horticulture industry. Participate actively in legislative and regulatory processes. Promote the use of environmentally sound practices in the horticulture industry. Monitor and communicate to members developments in allied industries including agritechnology. Support donations of plant products and services to state and community programs. Support research relevant to the horticulture industry. Participate in Maryland agricultural organizations.
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good reasons your company should advertise in the MNLGA’s Free State Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse News Free State News is seen by members of Maryland’s Nursery, Landscaping, Greenhouse, Garden Center and Allied Industries and is the leading publication for members of the MNLGA
Free State News enhances your ad with important industry specific content that is educational and informative. And, the digital version gives readers direct access to your website
Free State News helps promote your company and product while providing direct access to readers in Maryland’s Green Industries
Articles are contributed by highly regarded members of the industry, many of whom have a lifetime of knowledge and are frequently published
Free State News is a cost-effective way to help keep your name out in front of the membership and your potential customers
Free State News helps support the association in its endeavors on behalf of the green industry in the state of Maryland
For more information on advertising in the Free State Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse News contact Kelly Finney at MNLGA at 410-823-8684 or e-mail office@mnlga.org
Free State • 59
MANTS
THE MASTERPIECE OF TR ADE SHOWS™ ®
JANUARY 8-10 BALTIMORE CONVENTION CENTER We are proud to celebrate our 50th Anniversary at the 2020 Show! In the past half century, MANTS began as a small show, grew steadily, and became the horticultural industry’s premier must-attend trade show. It is now the vital place to do business for more than 11,000 attendees, representing over 3,600 buying companies and nearly 1,000 exhibiting companies. Join the celebration – at MANTS 2020.
Remember, MANTS Means Business!
www.mants.com P.O. Box 818 • Brooklandville, MD 21022 410-296-6959 • fax 410-296-8288 @mantsbaltimore #mants2020
@mantsbaltimore
On-line Registration is available 24/7 beginning October 1.
WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE
GROWING FOR YOU
Foxborough Nursery, Inc. 3611 Miller Rd. / Street, MD 21154 phone 410.836.7023 / fax 410.452.5131
View Photos & Plant Information at www.foxboroughnursery.com