Free state summer 2016 final web

Free State

Summer 2016 Vol. XLIII No. 2

NURSERY, LANDSCAPE AND GREENHOUSE NEWS

How do Field Growers Price Plants?

Native Plant Alternatives • Weather Impacts on the Nursery Not Your Father’s Goldenrod The Challenges of Our Industry Highlights from Hops & Drones and Field Day

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Free State • 1

President’s Message Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association Officers 2016 President Steve Black Raemelton Farm 240-416-0714 1st Vice President Jessica Todd Clear Ridge Nursery, Inc. 888-226-9226 2nd Vice President Larry Hemming Eastern Shore Nurseries 410-822-1320 Secretary Greg Stacho Akehurst Landscape Service, Inc. 410-538-4018 Treasurer Carrie Engel Valley View Farms 410-527-0700 Director-at-Large Brent Rutley Capitol City Contractors, LLC 301-854-5620 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.

Reputation. It’s a simple concept with wide-ranging impact. A good one is literally worth money; a bad one can end careers and close businesses. But for such an important thing, it is shockingly easy to wreck and disturbingly hard to change.

Reputation is not just a trait of people. The concept applies to every organization, company, and even products. When the high-priced consultants talk about ‘Brand Identity’ or ‘Brand Steve Black Management,’ what they really mean is the reputation of your product.

Whether you provide goods or services, what people think of when they recall your product or service is what defines your brand.

One of the toughest battles to fight can be when there is a popular misperception about your brand in the marketplace. We’ve all heard people repeat things that they are “sure” are true: • grower that’s too big to sell to small landscapers; • grower that’s too small ... They won’t have what we need; • landscaper that only does residential and isn’t interested in large contracts; • garden center that’s too expensive;or too small—they won’t have anybody who can help us.

Right or wrong, these ideas about your company comprise your Brand Identity. These are the things your customers and potential customers say about you behind your back. Notice I didn’t mention anything about ‘you’ in what defines your brand.

The reality is that other people decide what your reputation is.

A company can say that they provide a ‘high quality’ service all Photos of Helicopter Crushing Japanese Maple Scale they want, but saying it doesn’t at a Maryland Nursery make it so. (continued on page 5)

2 • Summer 2016

Contents

22 47 26

18 Features

Departments

2 From the President 7 This Business of Ours – Mike Hemming 2 Association Officers

11 Growing Forward – Lesile Hunter Cario

4 Director's Message

16 Total Plant Management – Stanton Gill

15 LEAD Maryland-Image of Agriculture Symposium

18 Hops & Drones

25 New Members

22 Growing with Education – Ginny Rosenkranz 26 Field Day

4 MNLA Board of Directors

30 Scholarship 35 Classified Ad 36 Calendar of Events 39 Garden Writers Association

32 Featured Member Akehurst Landscaping Service

40 Affinity Programs

42 Case Study Filtering Stormwater With Trees

53 CPH

47 It’s Time for Sharing – Jerry Faulring

Executive Director: Vanessa A. Finney Quercus Management Staff: E. Kelly Finney, Chelsea Bailey, and Mia Sakai Phone: 410-823-8684, Fax: 410-296-8288

32

52 LEAD Maryland Press Release 57 MNLA Mission Statement 57 Directory of Advertisers 58 MNLA Chairs and Committees E-mail: office@mnlga.org Web: mnlga.org Free State e-mail: freestate@mnlga.org

Design: Gregory J. Cannizzaro Graphic Design (contact information page 35) Cover photo: Greg Cannizzaro­ © 2016 Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhoue Association, Inc.

11 Free State • 3

Director’s Message Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association Board of Directors Terms Expiring 2017 Ted Carter Pinehurst Landscape Company 410-592-5030 John Murphy Murphy John’s, Inc. 410-928-3029 Andrew Thompson Foxborough Nursery, Inc. 410-836-7023 Mary Claire Walker Patuxent Nursery 301-218-4769 Terms Expiring 2018 Brent Cassell Leyland Landscaping, Inc. 410-526-4449 Peter Driscoll Dogwood Hill Farm 301-428-8175 Wm. Oliver Hardy Classic Lawn & Landscape Ltd. 410-335-6868 Ronda Roemmelt Ruppert Nurseries 301-482-2009

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

I decided for this issue of Free State to take a break from writing about an industry issue and instead focus on one of the pleasures the Green Industry offers—public gardens. I recently had the opportunity to visit two public gardens, one in Toronto and one right here in Maryland.

In April, I was in Toronto attending the Nursery and Landscape Association Executives (NLAE) annual meeting. Before the Vanessa Finney conference I had the opportunity to tour the Allan Gardens Conservatory. Remember, this is April. In Toronto. Winter was barely over and spring with its lush greenness had not really settled in. So, I was pleasantly taken aback by the vivid colors and warmth inside the conservatory.

Allan Gardens is a historic landmark dating back to 1858. It is not an extremely large conservatory, rather modest I think, with six greenhouses covering about 16,000 square feet. The interior plantings are spectacular. There are several different houses, including Palm, Cool Temperate, Tropical, Arid, and Child’s. Within, several different themes are expressed. In the current exhibit, the theme of music and performance is carried throughout the conservatory, expressed in exquisitely vivid colors and whimsy.

In June, I toured Ladew Gardens in Monkton (Baltimore County) with the Garden Writers Association. I should be embarrassed to admit this, but before this event, I had never fully toured these gardens, and I live just twenty minutes from this well known historical landmark.

Ladew, known for its topiary, was established in the 1930 by Harvey Ladew, a huntsman and socialite who chose to escape the hustle and bustle of city life for the country. In addition to the renowned topiaries, Ladew also features several color-themed gardens.

I found these—White, Pink, and Yellow to be really inspiring and creative. Other gardens include Victorian, Berry, Tivoli Tea, Sculpture, and Iris. Ladew has recently opened a butterfly garden, where visitors can observe all stages of the butterfly lifecycle. A meadow project promoting growth of pollinators and wildlife habitat is another prominent feature.

I could have spent hours at Ladew and still not taken in all of its features. Ladew truly offers a peaceful sanctuary away from our sometimes chaotic world. Entrance through its gates is like stepping back into a simpler time. The space I have for this column precludes me giving justice to either of these gardens. I hope you have time and opportunity to explore them for yourself. ❦ Vanessa A. Finney Executive Director “A garden isn’t meant to be useful. It’s for joy.”

—Rumer Godden

4 • Summer 2016

Presidents Message (continued from page 2)

Working to preserve and enhance the Maryland green industry brand is a core mission of the MNLGA. Through our educational events, involvement in the legislative process, and interaction with regulatory agencies, we manage—indirectly -- the public perception of our brand. You frequently hear about these efforts, but sometimes you don’t.

In the late spring I received a call from a good friend who is also a major green industry supporter.

He prefaced the conversation with “I’m calling you because you’re MNLGA President ‘ (which was fun because I’d never gotten a call like that.) He proceeded to tell me a story a colleague had passed to him, which went something like this: An arborist in another state was called in to look at some distressed trees. The trees were heavily infested with Japanese Maple Scale (If you don’t know what JMS is stop reading this and Google it. I’ve already heard too many sad tales of rejected trees.) It turned out that the trees had come from a Maryland nursery and were planted several years earlier.

“Yes, they have a big problem with Japanese Maple Scale in Maryland,” the arborist said to the customer.

Boom! Reputation takes a left hook. “But wait,” you say. “What about the details?” The harsh truth is that we’ll never know. Nobody really knows how much JMS was on the trees when they shipped. And yes, JMS is widespread in the Eastern US. And Maryland Extension has been educating us all on JMS for years. But none of those facts mattered when the arborist diagnosed those trees.

The tough part of brand management is that you almost never get to argue the fine points of somebody’s misperception. And even if you could, debating the facts is rarely effective. All you can do is try to find the root cause of the problem and fix it.

On hearing that JMS story, I made a couple of calls... as MNLGA President. Suffice it to say, you should expect to be educated about this pest, whether you want to or not. Regulatory personnel were equally worried by the story. Usually your reputation is yours to manage. But now, in this case, the JMS issue affects the reputation of all Maryland growers. So now it’s become an MNLGA issue. ❦ Steve Black Steve@Raemelton.com

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Free State • 5

This Business of Ours

The Challenges of Our Industry in These Changing Times Mike Hemming

“

In yet another example of government waste, bureaucratic bloat, and excessive regulation, Americans complete more than 23,000 forms for federal agencies each year. Just filling out these forms consumes 11.4 billion hours, which works out to 35 hours per person, almost a full work week.

”

Easton Star Democrat, May 13, 2016. (continued on next page)

Free State • 7

The leader in all this is the Health and Human Services with 5005 forms.

Think 943 for Obamacare alone! The second biggest offender is the Department of Agriculture with more than 3700; this includes 334 forms for fruit and vegetables and specialty crops, which is more than the total number of crops actually sold in the country, which amounts to 222. Lord only knows how much the Maryland Department of Agriculture adds to this burden.

If this isn’t bad enough, more than 1400 of the Ag forms cannot be done on line. That, of course, doesn’t matter much to us out in the country because we don’t have high speed internet anyway. I guess we haven’t filled out enough forms to get that yet.

The only Eastern Shore County working on getting high speed internet to all is Kent County, MD. Kudos to them, and a raspberry to the rest of the Shore’s counties. I mention this because more and more government forms have to be done on line. More forms and more problems getting them filled out and sent in.

On to a good thing - the recent MNLGA field day at Angelica Nurseries. I really like the field days and try not to miss any. You get to learn things and now and then pass on some of your knowledge. After a great tour of their propagation facilities, I mentioned to the guide Rene that I used the Rhizopan spray to drip 8 • Summer 2016

down method to treat cuttings. I find this method a great time and labor saver. While I was talking to Rene another person started listening and asked about it. I took their cards and emailed the link to the product.

Of course it may not fit their situations but that is their decision.

I admit the part of the tour about loading and shipping was not something I thought would be that interesting. But it was, considering Angelica is so far out of my league. I mean their shipping and loading area is bigger than my whole growing area. However, Bernie’s talk of the problems and challenges was interesting and showed much thought and innovation.

From the design and use of a tagging system to control where, when, and times plants are dug and loaded.

Much time and effort has been put into the system they use to save them time. Right now the system is based on paper but they are working on using an “iPad” type tablet system to reduce the paper trail. I did like that Bernie said that they keep part of the tags in a bag just in case a nursery calls and says “I didn’t get all of my Hicks Yews”. He can then go to the bag and say, “Yes we loaded them check your yard and see if they were put somewhere else after unloading”.

A stress reducer for him I’m sure. I would not want his job, I like being a hands-on plantsmen. I always remember something Norm Fisher (Wye Nursery) said years ago, I think with a touch of sadness. “You get in this business because you like working with plants and the bigger you get, you spend more time with people and less and less with plants”. To me the trick is to be big enough to make a living, work with enough customers and plants to balance the fun and stress.

During the field tour, an old-time technique was brought up when a guest asked, “Why do you cultivate when there are few weeds to be seen?” Right away I remembered asking Dad the same question at age 14. He had me the day after an August rain, cultivate a field. Dad showed me how what he called “dust mulch” helped keep the soil moist by breaking up the top few inches of top soil. Those tried and true “old” methods are still in use today.

Remember last time I talked about moving up plants to fill the warm greenhouses for an early start.

Yesterday I sold several of the Tuscarora Crape Myrtles now that are over 6 feet heavy with buds and rich green leaves. Their 7 gallon containers are full of roots. The only problem is that most of that variety is gone, so

there won’t be enough to last through July. Most of the other varieties treated the same way will ready for sale soon. This is good as we are running out of some items.

It’s time to shift up some more for some fall sales. In my copious “free time,” of course, which is an old joke here.

One of the items I moved up early was Gardenia “Frostproof.” I saw that five had been planted into containers that had no drain holes and were full of water. Well usually this is a death sentence for most species. Not so in this case while slightly stunted they are still alive after 4 months. So when I spaced them out yesterday I took a drill and made drain holes and left them with the others to see how they progress. The containers are a reddish plastic and so I will know which ones they are in the future.

As for the spring, it started kind of early and was progressing nicely; then we had like 18 days of rain out of 22 in May. That really slowed sales down. June has been a catch up month, but we really need a July with sufficient rain fall for a good first half of the year.

By the time you read this we will have to have the invasive species signs out on Euonymus alatus and several other plants in the trade. See http://mda. maryland.gov/plants-pests/Pages/maryland_invasive_ plants_prevention_and_control.aspx for the list. The

signs are easily printable. They print out to a size that allows them to be laminated with a rain proof overlap but still fits in one of our sign holders. That they wouldn’t fit concerned me until I measured the results.

If that was planned by someone, thank you. This sign will be an enough of an annoyance without having to replace them because they can’t be sealed against wet. I guess as more are needed someone will make them out of a sturdy plastic. But right now printing and laminating our own will suffice. Printing them is cheap but 50 sheets of laminate cost me 50 bucks at Staples.

Again I mention, we all need to keep an eye on big box stores and make sure they play by the same rules on this as we do.

On a bit of a sad note for the industry but a joyous one for her, Carol Holko is retiring as of June 30.

Working with her on the Invasive Species Council these last years has been a joy. I will miss her wise council and sense of humor. Let us hope her replacement is a good as she was for us.

Enjoy your well-deserved retirement Carol, all the best to you and your family. ❦ Mike Hemming Eastern Shore Nurseries 410-882-1520

Free State • 9

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Growing Forward

Leslie Hunter Cario

Native Plant Alternatives in Light of New Invasive Plant Regulations

I

n case you haven’t yet heard the rumblings, new Maryland Invasive Plant Regulations went into effect this past April 2016. Lists of invasive plant species and the processes for listing and delisting species have been established in the regulations. More information can be found on the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) website. http://mda.maryland.gov/plantspests/Pages/maryland_invasive_ plants_prevention_and_control.aspx For generations, many plant species now known to be invasive have been widely propagated, sold, Lonicera sempervirens/Leslie Cario and planted throughout Maryland’s ornamental horticulture industry.

Plants designated as Tier 1 Invasive Plants are Through the hard work of longtime those shown to be the worst offenders for invading MNLGA member Mike Hemming of Eastern Shore agricultural and natural areas. These plants may not be Nurseries and others on the Invasive Plant Advisory propagated or sold after April 12, 2017, and include Committee, the nursery industry has a voice throughout Ficaria verna (fig buttercup), Geranium lucidum (shining the invasive plant listing and assessment process. cranesbill), and Iris pseudacorus (yellow flag iris.)

Hemming has been involved with the invasive plant Further information about invasive species is available issue around ten years, and has recently retired from from the Maryland Invasive Species Council (MISC), the committee. which provides leadership on the subject of invasive The key species that are affected now are the ones species in our state. They maintain lists of invasive designated as Tier 2 Invasive Plants. After July 12, terrestrial and aquatic plants, among other organisms, 2016, they can only be sold with the prescribed MDA on their website, www.mdinvasivesp.org. The Invasive signage. The current Tier 2 plants include Euonymus Plants guide by Sylvan Kaufman and Wallace Kaufman alatus (burning bush), Ligustrum obtusifolium (bluntis also a great resource. leaved or border privet), Wisteria sinensis (Chinese Additional plant species under scrutiny now, wisteria), Wisteria floribunda (Japanese wisteria), and (continued on page 12) Wisteria x formosa (floribunda x sinensis hybrids.)

Free State • 11

Magnolia virginiana/Leslie Cario

including Nandina domestica (nandina or heavenly bamboo), are expected to be added to Tier 1 or Tier 2 lists late summer 2016. Hemming has advocated for having sterile clones of Nandina examined separately, but we’ll have to wait and see how that plays out. It is likely that more species will be added to the invasive plant list for assessment in the future.

While the Tier 1 plants will no longer be a part of Maryland’s horticulture industry by spring 2017, this may not be perceived as a big loss due to the plants’ clearly invasive nature and the fact that they are generally not widely grown at this point. However, growers are now in the challenging position of deciding whether to continue production of Tier 2 listed species and those likely to be listed. As long as the Tier 2 plants are available for sale, retailers may choose to continue selling the plants with MDA signage, or phase them out over time. While Hemming’s nursery currently grows and sells a few of the species to be listed as Tier 2, or others still undergoing assessment, the jury is still out as to whether he’ll continue to grow and sell those varieties. Those providing landscape design and installation services may elect to continue including these species in their designs, should the plants remain available (perhaps the plants will remain available so long as they are sought after), or they may elect to shift away from these species towards ones with greater benefits.

What is starting to emerge is how we, as Maryland’s nursery industry, can adapt and move forward more advantageously in light of the new invasive plant regulations. Adaptation in nature is what ensures a species’ ability to survive, and adaptation to the evolving horticulture industry is how companies come 12 • Summer 2015

out ahead. Ernst Conservation Seeds of northwestern Pennsylvania, for example, got its start over fifty years ago as Ernst Crownvetch Farms supplying crownvetch plants for highway projects, and has continuously developed over time to become the largest native seed supplier in the eastern U.S. If some plant species must come off the table, what will we add to the table?

Coming from groups such as the prominent Sustainable SITES Initiative, the Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council, and other ecologically-minded organizations, as well as demand from a growing segment of the public, we’re seeing the rise of the sustainable landscape movement. Not just in the Chesapeake Bay region, but rather throughout the country, this includes increased demand for locally adapted plant materials that also provide ecosystem benefits. As prominent University of Delaware scientist Doug Tallamy explains, the use of native species in our landscapes means that the sun’s energy is efficiently incorporated throughout the food web, as the plants will support insect life that in turn supports other insects that feed upon them, the birds that depend upon the insects, and other creatures. By incorporating at least a selection of native species into our landscape designs, the design and maintenance advantage becomes a place for beneficial insects/insect predators to live. This balanced system, rather than a more limited system resulting from using only non-natives, helps keep insect populations in check and reduces the need for pesticides.

Other factors driving the shift towards the inclusion of more native species in ornamental horticulture include regulations that specifically call for the use of these plants. The Sustainable Forestry Act of 2009 calls for no net loss of Maryland forests. Where reforestation or mitigation plantings are necessary, plant material specified may range from whips to over 2” caliper trees. Critical Area regulations also call for the use of native species when replacing vegetation within the critical area buffer adjacent to waterways.

Not only is this movement away from certain invasive species an opportunity to educate customers, but also it is a chance to demonstrate just how well we can work with them in other ways to meet their needs. Some non-invasive, non-native ornamentals may fit the need quite suitably. While some native plant species have been long-term staples in the ornamental trade, others are part of a more recent wave of popularity. Adkins

Cercis canadensis/Kody Cario

Arboretum, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, is currently evaluating a selection of underused native species for possible ornamental value. Some growers throughout the state have been ramping up production of native species, while others are simply emphasizing particular plants they’ve always produced that are native. What seems to be emerging is that the demand for many native species in landscape grade is sometimes exceeding availability, particularly in the 1-2” caliper range.

Native species as a whole have an increasingly important role to play in ornamental horticulture. Here is a sampling of several plants that may be considered as worthy alternatives for some of the invasive species on their way out, or simply for their own merits: A widely planted and escaped tree on the list to be assessed, the Pyrus calleryana (Callery pear) has become less popular over time due to its weak branching structure, but is still appreciated for its prolific spring white blooms. Amelanchier laevis (Allegheny serviceberry), A. arborea (downy serviceberry), or A. canadensis (shadbush or Canada serviceberry) offer the early spring white blooms in varying structural forms followed by edible fruits. Also prized for their white blooms in spring are Crataegus

crus-galli (cockspur hawthorne) and C. viridis (green hawthorne), both of which are larval hosts for a number of butterflies. Albizia julibrissin (mimosa or silktree), another tree under assessment, has several other smaller shade trees that will do well as replacements.

Betula nigra (river birch) with its unusual peeling bark and angular leaves is a tree that will tolerate a broad range of soil moisture and resists heat more than other birch species, and is most widely grown as the cultivar ‘Heritage’ rather than the straight species. Magnolia virginiana (sweet bay magnolia) is an elegant single or multi-stemmed tree with semi-evergreen leaves that are shiny above and pale below. The fragrant, creamy white blooms provide something to look forward to each year. Cercis canadensis (redbud) sends forth a long run of color with its pinkish-purple spring blooms. As sorry as you might be to see them start to fade, you will find consolation as they begin to leaf-out in perfectlyformed heart-shaped leaves. This small, fast-growing tree has sold well both in single and multi-stemmed forms, as well as distinct varieties such as ‘Forest Pansy’ with burgundy-tinted leaves.

The Euonymous alatus (winged burning bush), a (continued on page 14)

Liatris spicata/Leslie Cario Free State • 13

Amelanchier canadensis/Leslie Cario

shrub that has already been designated Tier 2, and Nandina domestica (nandina), soon to be designated, are both partly valued for their brilliant red fall color.

Other plants that can help fill this role include Itea virginica (Virginia sweetspire) with deep maroon fall color, Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry) with burgundy to crimson fall color (not to mention a tasty and edible crop), and Euonymous americanus (running strawberry bush or hearts-a-burstin’.) The latter, although less dense in form than the winged burning bush, can be encouraged into fullness with early pruning, and boasts showy fuchsia fruits with orange-red seeds bursting out.

The first vines to require the invasive signage include Wisteria sinensis (Chinese wisteria), Wisteria floribunda (Japanese wisteria), and Wisteria x formosa (floribunda x sinensis hybrids), all with fragrant violet blooms. The Wisteria frutescens (American wisteria) with comparable leaves and flowers is lacking in fragrance, but also lacking the overly-aggressiveness of the Asian counterparts. For the Lonicera maackii (Amur honeysuckle) and Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle) in the queue for assessment, consider the Lonicera sempervirens (coral honeysuckle) with its coral to red (and yellow in some cultivars) blooms that attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees, and red fruits that attract birds.

Among the herbaceous species to be phased out is Iris pseudacorus (yellow flag iris), which has excellent substitutions in the Iris versicolor (blue flag iris) and Acorus americanus (sweet flag.) While bloom color differs, both are similar in leaf shape and thrive in the wet conditions in which yellow flag is known to prosper. For the Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife) 14 • Summer 2016

currently under assessment, both Liatris spicata (blazing star) and Verbena hastata (blue vervain) have showy, purplish flower spikes, attract butterflies, are fairly easy to produce, and can grow in areas with similar soil moisture.

For more ideas and assistance with selecting native species to grow, sell, or plant within our region, you may wish to check out the newly re-vamped Chesapeake Bay Native Plant Center with interactive search features online at www.nativeplantcenter.net. â?Ś Leslie Hunter Cario Chesapeake Horticultural Services lesliecario@cheshort.com www.chesapeakehort.com Leslie Hunter Cario is a Certified Professional Horticulturist and former board member of the MNLGA. Also licensed as a Nutrient Management Consultant and a Pest/Diease Consultant through the Maryland Department of Agriculture, Leslie runs Chesapeake Horticultural Services, consulting with nurseries, landscape operations, and non-profits on planning, production, research and photography projects.

Betula nigra/Leslie Cario

LEAD MARYLAND CLASS IX PRESENTS

The Many Faces of Maryland Agriculture Agriculture is the largest commercial industry in Maryland, supporting more than 350,000 jobs that go way beyond the farm. Join LEAD Maryland Class IX for the third biennial Image of Agriculture Symposium where we explore: The Many Faces of Maryland Agriculture.

The event is Saturday, November 19, 2016 at the College Park Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in College Park, MD. For more information and to purchase tickets view the event website: http://www. imageofagriculture.com/tickets/ Keynote speakers include Troy and Sarah Hadrick, founders of Advocates for Agriculture, who have traveled the world helping people involved in agriculture find their voice and story. Their story is at: http://advocatesforag.com.

The Image of Agriculture Symposium features four tracks with engaging breakout sessions. Tracks run simultaneously. Attendees can focus on a single track or move between the various tracks to get a broad perspective.

• Track 1: Agricultural Challenges in the 21st Century Crystal Clear: Agriculture’s Role in Clean Water Animal Agriculture: Perception vs. Reality Building Bridges: Collaborating With the Environmental Community • Track 2: Traditional & Progressive Agriculture – Is one better?

Are GMO’s killing me?

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• Track 3: What is agriculture?

Going Green – Forestry, Nurseries & Vegetables Fields of Gold ¬ Grains Animal Planet – Livestock, Dairy, Poultry & Equine • Track 4:Opportunities in Agriculture Agritourism and Value Added Industries Support Industries – No Farm Required Getting Wet: Oyster Aquaculture

Free State • 15

Total Plant Management Winter and Spring 2016 –

Stanton Gill

M

Weather Impacts on the Nursery

ost everyone enjoyed the unusually warm period from late fall to early winter of 2015.

Thanks to El Niño hanging over the West Coast, the jet stream was modified. By Christmas of 2015, it was 78°F, and the entire East Coast was under this warm spell. Florida had a record warm December, resulting in the oranges ripening later than normal. They normally ripen as the fall cools down a little. It has been reported that 2015 was the warmest year on record, beating the 2014 record. The climate is getting warmer, and the weather extremes are swinging more violently.

The warm weather this fall/winter of 2015/2016 allowed a lot of nursery managers to apply dormant rate oils up until the end of December. Since overwintering insect and mite respiration was up, the oil was very effective at a 2 to 3% rate. This helped in the spring of 2016 when we had 10 straight weeks of rainfall and cloud cover and it was hard to find a time to spray.

One thing we saw with this warm period in November and December was that fall germinating weeds flourished. I don’t remember seeing so much chickweed, henbit, sorrel, and mustards in landscapes.

It looked like a green carpet this fall and winter. Some applicators were wisely choosing to hit these weeds with herbicides during this warm period. For those of you who missed it, you saw a sea of green weeds the spring of 2016. March was pretty nice and so was early April, but then the rains came and we had 10 weeks of either cloud cover and rain periods that went from the weekends with several heavy rain periods during the week. This made finding the time to plant or control weeds a real challenge.

This warm weather had to end, and it did like a giant dark curtain dropping on the area. On January 17, 2016 it was 12° F at night in Westminster, Maryland, and it stayed cold for the next seven days. All of those plants 16 • Summer 2016

“

flowering or starting to leaf got nailed, and the growth is now hanging on the plants like limp linguini.

One of our biggest snowstorms of the 2016 winter occurred on January 22, when we were dumped on by 30” of new snow. The depth varied from location to location with drifting from the winds. This snow basically shut business down for two days. This was a blessing for the landscape companies that had snow removal contracts. The extra money in winter always helps.

So, what impact did this have?

We saw winter damage on plant material this spring, as some plants did not sufficiently harden off before the plunging temperatures of mid-January. Japanese red maples had many branches damaged from the sudden drop in temperature in January. The wounded wood was invaded by Botryospaeria canker disease. We also see this Botryosparesia show up on other shrubs and trees, such as redbud. There’s not much you can do at this point other than prone out the dead wood.

Another plant impacted by the sudden drop in winter temperatures was crape myrtle. Several crape myrtle cultivars that were transplanted in the last year were killed completely by the winter drop in temperature.

We had many hydrangea plants that started to leaf out this spring and then we had a temperature drop in early May that killed the new growth back. Plants are just recovering in June and July but all of the new growth is coming from the base of the plants.

From mid-April to Mid-June we were blessed with rain at least 3 or 4 times a week. This created great conditions for growing nursery trees. I have not seen such lush growth on America holly as we saw this year.

One difficulty has been finding time to mow the grass between nursery rows this year. The second big challenge is keeping the weeds under control. The continual rain has been a boom situation for thistle, nut sedge, and mares tail.

What to expect next.

One thing I can predict is that cherry trees will develop leafspot disease that will show up in July and August. The rain period this spring was perfect for leaf infection. We may see a lot of leaf droppage on cherry trees as result.

Japanese beetle populations should do very well with this season and last summer’s high rainfall. Be prepared to protect Linden trees, ornamental plums, birch, cherry

My grandfather, who farmed in Pennsylvania, said that if farmers did not have weather to complain about they would have nothing to talk about. We can never have a perfect season.

”

and other trees that Japanese beetles love to feed on, particularly in July and August. In our 2015 field research we found foliar applications of Mainspring and Acelepyrn at 8 oz. per 100 gallon rate gave control of Japanese beetles for 10 -14 days.

My grandfather, who farmed in Pennsylvania, said that if farmers did not have weather to complain about they would have nothing to talk about. We can never have a perfect season but most of us would prefer a wet season over a drought. So, count your blessings. ❦ Stanton Gill, Extension Specialist in Nursery and Greenhouse IPM, Central Maryland Research and Education Center, University of Maryland Extension and Professor with the Landscape Technology Program, Montgomery College Free State • 17

HOPS & DRONES 2016 O

n June 29th MNLGA and UMD Extension jointly hosted “Hops and Drones” held at scenic Milkhouse Brewery in Mt. Airy.

Milkhouse Brewery, located on Stillpoint Farm, is the first farm brewery in Maryland. The weather was absolutely perfect for an evening full of networking with fellow peers, drone use education, demonstrations, and of, course a farm tour and sampling. Dinner entertainment was provided by the Mayo Family Band.

The evening began with an extensive brewery tour with Milkhouse owner, Tom Barse. Mr. Barse led the attendees through various spots on the Milkhouse property including the hops fields as well as the area where the hops are initially processed. The tour concluded at the brewery tasting room where attendees were given the opportunity to test the “farmgrown and hand-crafted” beers. One of the highlights of the evening was the ability to test the Milkhouse Brewery beers while eating dinner and enjoying the music of the Mayo Family Band.

After dinner, the real fun began! Past president, Brent Rutley along with his business partners, Greg Phelps and Toby Dilworth, discussed their recent experiences working with drones in their operations. Brent explained how he has been using drones to assess the quality of his nursery stock on Just This Side of Paradise Farm. Brent shared his findings and displayed his results to give attendees a first-hand look at the drone technology he has been experimenting with along with his future plans. Brent and Greg also discussed the possibility of using drones for inventory purposes in the future. Toby Dilworth, an upcoming undergraduate at the University of Maryland, discussed his trials and triumphs in working with drones, constructing drones and even starting his own company. Toby touched on the various

Attendees listen to speakers Brent Rutley, Greg Phelps and Toby Dilworth 18 • Summer 2016

regulations and rules that go along with operating drones, and how he has been using them in the real estate industry; he sees a lot of potential for the agriculture industry as a whole.

The second half of the evening was full of interactive drone demonstrations from Matt Scassero and Jacob Moschler of the University of Maryland Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site.

Matt, director at UMD UAS Test Site, took attendees up onto a beautiful hill at Milkhouse to address current drone laws and regulations. Matt answered many questions from attendees while Jacob flew drones to demonstrate. Jacob broke down the various aspects of the drone that they are using and how it physically works. He also showed attendees exactly how to draw their own flight path using the software that they have been using. Both Jacob and Matt walked attendees through how they operate the drones and exactly what goes into safely using this technology in various operations.

After the formal session concluded, attendees were able to stick around and ask personal questions of all of the speakers regarding using drone technology in their operations. Some attendees were able to get a hands-on view as well, as Toby Dilworth flew one of his drones and let a few attendees direct the camera, which was a real eye-opening experience!

The MNLGA would like to thank the UMD Extension for co-sponsoring this event as well as all of our great speakers that came out to engage attendees on this cutting-edge technology! ❦ Chelsea Bailey MNLGA 410-823-8684

Toby Dilworth, UMD, shares his knowledge on drones

Jacob Moschler demonstrates the drone technology to an employee of Milkhouse Brewery

Matt Scassero and Jacob Moschler address attendees atop a hill at Milkhouse Brewery

Owner of Milkhouse Brewery, Tom Barse, gathers addresses crowd

Greg Phelps presents his data and findings to the crowd

MORE PHOTOS ON PAGE 20 Free State • 19

Jacob Moschler gathers the crowd to demonstrate how to construct a flight path for the drones

The Mayo Family Band provided great musical entertainment

Jacob Moschler highlights the software used to control the drones he works with

On the brewery tour with owner, Tom Barse

Outside of the tasting room at Milkhouse Brewery

20 • Summer 2016

Milkhouse Brewery at Stillpoint Farm

Milkhouse Brewery owner, Tom Barse, addresses attendees

Milkhouse Brewery tasting room

Attendees gather in the Milkhouse Brewery tasting room

Tom Barse takes questions on the tour

Matt Scassero and Jacob Moschler explains the drone technology that they are working with Free State • 21

Growing

Ginny Rosenkranz

with

Education

Not Your

Grandfather’s

Goldenrod

22 • Summer 2016

“

Goldenrod is very attractive to many of the pollinators including many butterflies on their fall migrations, bees which use the nectar and pollen to winter over during the cold weather …the seeds are enjoyed by finches, juncos and other birds

A

ccording to Herbaceous Plants of Maryland by Brown and Brown, there are 31 different native herbaceous species of Goldenrod that can be found in Maryland. Most populate the sunny meadows while others dwell in partial shade; some live in boggy soils and some even thrive on the sand dunes of Ocean City and Assateague. They begin their bloom time in June and will continue according to species until the late fall, adding brilliant sulfur yellows, sunny yellow, pale yellow, and almost white flowers to the landscape.

Some are clump formers, non-invasive plants perfect for a tidy garden that needs to keep plants in their place. Some are self-seeding and others have rampant rhizomes that are perfect for naturalized areas. The heat and humidity of summer will often cause many herbaceous perennials to slow blooms or even go dormant, but it doesn’t slow the Goldenrod flowers at all.

Many of the species’ flowers bloom on one side of tall wiry spikes, others bloom in a zigzag pattern, and some bloom all around the stem creating a plume, while others bloom at the top of the stem in a wild mop head or in tidy bouquet of flowers.

The shortest Goldenrods include S. sphacelata, or dwarf goldenrod, which has produced an excellent cultivar, ‘Golden Fleece’ that grows only 2 feet tall. Another dwarf is S. nemoralis, or Old Field Goldenrod, but as it spreads by seed and rhizomes, it is probably not a good fit for most gardens. The tallest goldenrods include S. altissima, or tall goldenrod, that grows up to 4 feet tall, S. gigantean. or Giant Goldenrod that

”

tops off at 7 feet, and S. rigida or Rigid Goldenrod that grows up to 5 feet tall, all of which are spread by rhizomes and sometimes self-seeds. S. rugose or Wrinkle leafed goldenrod grows up to 4 feet tall, but it is a clump forming plant with an excellent cultivar, ’Fireworks’, which explodes into color September and continues to bloom into October.

Goldenrods that survive in the shade or part shade include S. flexicaulis or the Zigzag Goldenrod for its tendency of the stem to grow in a zig zag pattern and the flowers bloom along the stems, and S. caesia, or Bluestem, goldenrod that can reach 3 feet tall and creates small colonies of bright gold at the edges of the woods.

Sea side goldenrods brave the salt spray of the Atlantic Ocean, the sandy drought soils, the intense heat of the beaches in summer and still manage to bloom and look good. These include S. sempervirens or Seaside Goldenrod which has dark green leaves, bright yellow flowers and grows 3 feet tall and is used for dune restoration. S.ridgida and S. speciose or Showy Goldenrod are also somewhat salt tolerant and might be used along with the Seaside Goldenrod in a rain garden near a busy road that gets lots of salt for ice control in the winter.

For most gardens the clump forming cultivars or the very slow growing rhizomes, spreading cultivars will be the most desirable, and that list is still fairly long. Topping the list is S. rugose ‘Fireworks’ and S. sphacelata ‘Golden Fleece’ followed by S. canadensis ‘Crown of Rays’ , S. Canadensis ‘Golden Baby’ (sometime called ‘Baby Sun’), Solidago ‘Little Lemon’, a hybrid cultivar, S. shortii ‘Solar Cascade’, S. rugose ‘Lynn Lowrey’ and S. cutleri ‘Goldrush’. S. rugose ‘Firewooks’ grows 3 feet tall and wide in a compact clump which would fit into the back of a sunny garden and blooms with long arching stems full of electric (continued on page 24) Free State • 23

yellow flowers in September through October.

S. sphacelata ‘Golden Fleece’ was introduced by Mt. Cuba in Delaware as a compact semi evergreen herbaceous perennial suitable to use as a groundcover.

Like all the other Goldenrods, ‘Golden Fleece’ grows from a basal rosette, but this plant arching multi-stems only grow 18 inches tall and is covered with densely packed tiny bright yellow flowers on the top of the stems. Little Lemon is also small and compact, growing only 8-18 inches tall with dense pyramids of light lemon yellow flowers which bloom in mid-summer to fall.

All of these goldenrods will fit into a landscape and stay put, bringing bright golden color and texture to the sunny gardens. Because of the variety of height, Goldenrod can be planted as a background planting, within the herbaceous perennial bed as a ground cover or as a border planting. Some are also comfortable in containers, bringing color to patio gardens for city dwellers. Goldenrod is also very attractive to many of the pollinators including many butterflies on their fall migrations, bees which use the nectar and pollen to winter over during the cold weather and other insects that have to work hard to carry the heavy sticky pollen.

22 • Summer 2016

The seeds are enjoyed by finches, juncos and other birds and deer really don’t like them at all.

Goldenrod is often looked at as the ruffian who causes hay fever allergies to thousands of allergy sufferers, but the true bully is Ragweed with tiny green flowers no one even sees which toss out tiny wind born pollen that has been found 2 miles up in the sky and 400 miles out to sea! Goldenrod pollen is so sticky it adheres to the insects so a mild breeze or even a strong wind couldn’t blow the pollen around.

Goldenrod was often ignored in the garden centers as a spreading plant that would take over the world if left untended, but with all the newer cultivars that stay compact and provide such brilliant color and texture, the goldenrod plants are finding many new gardens to grow in. ❦ Ginny Rosenkranz Extension Educator, Commercial Horticulture University of Maryland Extension Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester County 410-749-6141 ext. 106

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.

Autrusa George Leidig Perkiomenville, PA Gowan USA Virginia Daly South Glastonbury, CT Native Forest Nursery Chad Casselman Chatsworth, GA OHP Dan Lovisone Vineland, NJ

Get your Ag Tag today!

www.agtagmd.com Educating Youth about Agriculture Free State • 25

MNLGA Field Day 2016 at

F

ield Day registration opened with a steady rain falling outside of the equipment barn at Angelica Nurseries, but Bernie Kohl, Jr. was undeterred as he announced that the rain that had been forecast for the whole day, was going to clear out by 10:30 am.

He was wrong. The rain cleared out by 10:10 and while the morning education session continued, we went to work setting up the University Extension’s outdoor education stations as planned. The morning rain gave way a welcome hot, sunny afternoon for the 140 + who attended.

The early morning program, emceed by MNLGA President Steve Black, consisted of Maryland Ag Industry updates from Kim Rice and Matthew Teffeau of MDA and a national legislative update from Craig Regelbrugge of America Hort. Bernie Kohl and Denise Bentley of Angelica and Craig Regelbrugge talked about Labor Issues including H2A, E-Verify and the complexities of housing and managing a temporary workforce. Next, Mike Gonder of MG Safer Services, a DOT Consultant, spoke about many of the issues surrounding interstate transportation of Nursery Cargo and the Nexus Tax.

26 • Summer 2016

The midmorning program consisted of 4 stations hosted by the University Extension: 1. Paula Shrewsbury, Ginny Rosenkranz and Rebecca Waterworth presented on the biological control of pest insects and the conservation of pollinators.

2. Karen Rane and Dave Clement presented on Tips for Diagnosing Plant Diseases.

3. Andrew Ristvey presented on his research regarding Irrigation and Nutrient Management.

4. Stanton Gill and Mary Kay Malinoski presented on Filthy, Disgusting Insects Invading the Nursery and What to Do about Them.

Following lunch provided by Sisters by Chance, who sourced 95% of the food locally including from Priappi Gardens and Sassafras River Beef, we moved onto the real highlight of any Field Day –the Tours of Angelica Nurseries. These included Field Tours led by Jim Kohl, a propagation tour led by Chief Propagator Rene Donastorg and an overview of order flow, including a tour of the loading area, with Bernie Kohl and Bernie Hammer.

For a far better description of the afternoon tours than I could write, make sure you read Mike Hemming’s article on pages 7 and 8.

Finally, a special thank you to everyone at Angelica Nurseries for hosting a great event and a special shout out to Bernie Kohl, Jr. and Kim Usilton, both of whom would be the first to credit anyone and everyone else, for making the job of the MNLGA Management Team so much easier. If you missed Field Day, you missed a lot.

Now go read Mike Hemming’s account of the afternoon tours. ❦

Bernie Kohl explains how orders are processed in the loading area at Angelica

Ditch Witch of VA representative Michelle Horton

Andrew Ristvey presented on his irrigation and nutrient management research Karen Rane and Dave Clement presented on tips for diagnosing plant diseases

Post Doc Rebecca Waterworth presented with Paula Shrewsbury and Ginny Rosenkranz Craig Regelbrugge of American Hort takes question on national legislative issues

More photos from the days event on page 28 Free State • 27

MNLGA Field Day 2016 at Mark Teffeau of MDA spoke on behalf of Secretary Bartenfelder

Stanton Gill and Mary Kay Molinowski presented on filthy, disgusting bugs in nurseries

Field Tours at Angelica requires a bus Ginny Rosenkranz talks about the conservation of pollinators

28 • Summer 2016

140+ gathered at Angelica

Stanton Gill explains what to do about filthy, disgusting bugs

Waiting for the Angelica Express Tour Bus

The barn provided welcome relief from the morning rain

George Leidig of Autrusa demonstrates an I-mants tillager Free State • 29

Scholarships

MNLGA 2016 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 2016 applicant pool all shared their passion for horticulture; either in design/architecture, plant science, or greenhouse specialization, their excitement to enter a career in the horticulture industry was abundantly expressed in their applications. We congratulate our 2016 scholarship recipients: Vincent Yi, Lillian Kahl, and Rachel Levitt.

Che-Wei (Vincent) Yi Thirteen years ago Vincent’s family immigrated to the United States with the hope that he and his sister would have a better education and career opportunities. They labored through 12-hour work days, always stressing the importance of higher education. Through their sacrifice Vincent discovered his passion for landscape architecture. His upbringing also influenced his approach as a designer and the importance of giving back to those in need.

Working in the Graduate Landscape Architecture Program at the University of Maryland revealed the urgent need in landscape design to aid in the revitalization of underserved communities. This area of design work is not as high profile as such projects as the High Line (a 1.45-mile-long linear park built in Manhattan) or Millennium Park (a public park located in the Loop community of Chicago) but is just as valuable and rewarding.

As a teaching assistant he worked with undergraduates at Baltimore’s Sandtown-Winchester community in a master planning effort. He was inspired by the community leaders’ enthusiasm and hard work to create an environment that will return the area to the once vibrant neighborhood. He also worked as a volunteer for other communities in West Baltimore to develop areas for gathering, play and relaxation. He 30 • Summer 2016

initiated a relationship with Druid Heights CDC and plans on continuing this connection as a professional.

His completion of the Master of Landscape Architecture at the University of Maryland will provide the basis of his personal master plan to be a part of the urban community revitalization.

Lillian Kahl Lillian’s current major is in sustainable Agriculture at the Institute of Applied Agriculture at the University of Maryland. Prior to her schooling, she worked as an arborist, a landscaper, a beekeeper, and a carpenter in the green-construction industry. As she notes, “My character is rooted in the earth, every aspect of my life is tied into its growth.”

She now focuses on the changes that need to occur in order to balance environmental protection with production, economic viability, and the social well-being of people. She has learned the life and structure of soil, the processes of plant growth, and the intricacies of business management.

Her academic advisor notes that Lillian is a critical thinker and a problem solver. “She can see connections between crop production, social justice issues, and climate change.”

Those that have employed, worked with her, or have taught her all agree that an investment in her education is an investment in the future of her pursuit to improve the state of agriculture, the environment and the habitats we develop going forward.

Rachel Levitt Rachel is currently a junior in the Landscape Architecture program at Penn State University. She takes a broad range of classes that included interactive design studio, introduction to soils, world landforms and plant biology as well as ecology and GIS. She participates in hands on field trip classes that link landforms and vegetation to human manipulation of

landscape through time.

Growing up in the Chesapeake Bay area has made her appreciate the unique eco-system and is more aware of the challenges that the watershed faces. It is her hope that her education will be used to focus on environmental work in Maryland.

One of Rachel’s teachers notes, “She is very passionate about the environment.” She spearheaded an environmental initiative, weaving sustainable practices into the operation of the project organization.

Another professor states, “Rachel is open to new ideas of sustainability and very conscientious regarding her work and her commitments to others.”

The MNGLA is pleased to endorse our 2016 scholarship recipients’ goals and we applaud them for their hard work and dedication. We extend our best wishes to Vincent, Lillian and Rachel on their future academic and career 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. ❦

Interested in a subscription to

Free State News?

Contact us with your request and we’ll add you to the mailing list.

Subscriptions are $35 annually; MNLGA will invoice you upon receipt of your subscription request. (members need not subscribe) Name_________________________________________________ Business_______________________________________________ Address_______________________________________________ City`___________________________________________________ State, Zip______________________________________________ E-Mail_________________________________________________ Mail/Fax or e-mail: Free State, MNLGA, P.O. Box 726, Brooklandville, MD 21022 or e-mail: freestate@mnlga.org

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Featured Member

A

fter a two-year term as president of MNLA from 2010 to 2012 and then a position on the board as past president, John Akehurst has kept busy at the helm of Akehurst Landscape Service, Inc. where he is a member of the fifth generation in a firm with deep roots. This fall marks the end of a yearlong celebration of being in business for 140 years.

Although the name has changed, Akehurst Landscape Service is Maryland’s oldest landscape company and the third oldest in the nation.

The company history reads like a family history.

Charles A. Akehurst and his son, C. Edward Akehurst, started a nursery business in 1876, growing vegetable plants, bedding plants and flowers in a modest 12 x 18foot greenhouse.

A few years later, the partners began growing rose bushes in the fields of their farm in Perry Hall to sell to the gardening trade. Edward bought out his father and began growing carnations to sell as a cut-flower crop. One new variety he developed to sell across the nation was ‘Mrs. Akehurst.’ When the carnation market weakened, Edward changed his focus to roses, and he

32 • Summer 2016

changed the company name to C. Edward Akehurst and Sons as his sons — Raymond E., Ernest H., D. Elmer and Carville G. — joined the business.

In 1927, the four sons helped their father build modernized greenhouses in a new location nearby.

Renaming the company Akehurst Brothers, they grew roses almost exclusively and won numerous awards, including one for a bunch of cut roses with 7-foot stems.

In 1930, Carville G. expanded the operation by adding azaleas and other nursery stock.

Surviving two world wars and the Great Depression, in the 1950s, the company added landscaping to a new focus of growing ornamental trees and shrubs and container production. Two family businesses — Carville G. Akehurst and Akehurst Nurseries — merged into Akehurst Nurseries as Carville G’s three sons, Carville M., William E. and Lauren D., joined the company.

Heavily into residential landscape services by 1972, the company incorporated in 1972.

After 100 years in business, the Akehursts had (continued on page 34)

Free State • 33

(continued from page 30)

learned how to adjust to market needs. They discontinued the rose operation and converted flowergrowing space to container nursery stock production space.

In 1985, Willam E. bought out his brothers and brought his older sons, William K. and Brian E., aboard. They discontinued the growing operation to concentrate on design, landscape construction/ installation and grounds maintenance. Changing the name to Akehurst Landscape Service Inc., they moved operations to White Marsh for a few years.

In 1992, when William E.’s youngest son, John C., joined the business, they relocated to Joppa, near the I-95/152 interchange. Jay F. Tarleton, William E.’s nephew, joined his cousins on the leadership team.

Brian E. stepped into his father’s former role as president in 2005 and the company opened a second location in Glen Burnie three years later. Upon Brian’s untimely death in 2014, younger brother John C. became president. William K. is vice president and Tarleton is chief financial officer. This fifth generation opened a third location in Pikesville in early 2015 and discontinued their residential landscape services to focus exclusively on the commercial market.

“Commercial maintenance is our mainstay,” John C. said. “We do installs and interiorscaping. Snow removal is a very big portion of our work as well.”

The commercial maintenance services include mowing, weeding, pruning and planting as well as watering.

Since the decision to refocus, and aggressively pursue the market with landscape management services, the company has experienced a very large growth spurt, confirming it made the right move. Late in 2015, the 34 • Summer 2016

Baltimore Business Journal rated Akehurst as one of the fastest growing businesses in Maryland with their one year growth rate of 51% based on revenue for 2015 compared to 2014.

And the growth continues again for 2016.

“Once we stepped out in faith to move forward, the blessings have flowed down from above,” said William K. The mission statement includes a goal to “create, enhance and maintain landscapes that are aesthetic, functional and environmentally friendly for the benefit of all. It is our special task as professional landscapers to protect the natural environment in which we live.”

Serving the commercial client sector including office and industrial facilities, residential communities, retail and resort properties, Akehurst continues to expand its services to the Greater Baltimore Metro markets from installation to long-term maintenance.

With their corporate offices in Joppa, and their growing South and West branches, John C. said, the company is strategically placed to aggressively serve an area south to Bowie and parts of Washington, D.C.; west to Frederick; north into southern Pennsylvania and east into Delaware.

As of June, the company had 132 employees, which includes at least one member of the sixth generation.

Contact Akehurst Landscape Service Inc. at 410-538-4018 or visit online at www.akehurst.com. ❦ Carol Kinsley

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Free State • 35

2016-17 Event Calendar AUGUST August 11, 2016 VNLA Field Day Location: Grelen Nursery Contact: VNLA, 1-800-476-0055 fieldday@vnla.org

August 18, 2016 Biological Control in Commercial Greenhouses and Nurseries Presented by University of MD - Extension and MNLGA Location: Brookside Gardens, Wheaton, MD Contact: MNLGA, 410-823-8684 office@mnlga.org

August 26, 2016 Field Day in Lemoyne and Harrisburg Location: Touring sites in Lemoyne and Harrisburg, PA Contact: CCLC, www.chesapeakelandscape.org

SEPTEMBER September 14, 2016 MAEF and MNLGA Annual Golf Tournament Location: Oakmont Green Contact: MNLGA, 410-823-8684 office@mnlga.org www.mnlga.org

September 21, 2016 MOSH Safety Training, Maryland Arborist Assn Presented by: MAA, MOSH, and MD DNR Forest Service Location: Howard County Fairgrounds Contact: MAA 410-321-8082 www.mdarborist.com

September 21-24, 2016 IPPS 2016 Eastern Region Conference Location: Marriott Hartford Downtown, Hartford, CT www.ipps.org

MARYLAND STATE FAIR August 26-September 5, 2016 Location: Timonium Fair Grounds Contact: www.marylandstatefair.com 36 • Summer 2016

NOVEMBER November 3, 2016 MAEF Annual Banquet Location: Michael’s Eighth Avenue, Glen Burnie Contact: MAEF, 410-939-9030

JANUARY January 11 MNLGA Annual Meeting

OCTOBER October 4, 2016 CPH – Basic Exam Location: MDA Dept of Agriculture Contact: MNLGA, 410-823-8684, office@mnlga.org www.mnlga.org

October 4, 2016 CPH – Specialist Exam – Advanced Plant ID

Location: The Baltimore Convention Center Contact: MNLGA, 410-823-8684 office@mnlga.org www.mnlga.org

January 11 - 13 The Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show Location: The Baltimore Convention Center Contact: MANTS, 410-296-6959 info@mants.com www.mants.com

Location: MD Dept of Agriculture Contact: MNLGA, 410-823-8684, office@mnlga.org

October 22-26, 2016 International Plant Propagators’s Society Southern Region - 41st Annual Conference Location: Virginia Beach, VA Contact: 803-743-4284, www.ipps.org For a full and updated calendar of events, and to find registration information and event links, please visit the MNLGA website at mnlga.org.

Free State • 37

36 • Summer 2016

Hunt Country Gardens and Growers Tour On June 3, GWA members from across the region gathers for the “Hunt Country Gardens and Growers Tour”, a special day, filled with allaccess tours and beautiful plants. The day started off at the Ladew Topiary Gardens, in Monkton, MD, with breakfast and a special tour lead by Ladew staff. As a thank you for attending, Ladew gave attendees a guest pass for a subsequent visit and another pass to one of their summer concerts. The next stop on the tour was Manor View Farms. Alan Jones, owner of Manor View Farms, took the group on a behind the scenes tour of the facility, highlighting this year’s most popular plants and the Farm’s collaboration with the University of Maryland on several research projects. One attendee, Peggy Riccio, noted she was “surprised and impressed that the company isn’t just a wholesale nursery, it is very involved in horticultural research, collaboration, and innovation”. The last stop during the tour was to Cavano’s Perennials, where attendees got a 360 degree view of the facility’s operations and sample native plants to take home. The day concluded with a trunk show, featuring products and give-away provided by Proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs and a networking event at a local restaurant.

Upcoming Event: GWA’s 64th Annual Conference & Expo GWA’s biggest event of the year, the 2016 Annual Conference & Expo, is heading to Atlanta, September 16-19, and you’re invited. This year’s conference features a line-up of unforgettable events and experiences, including beautiful gardens, engaging education sessions, industry all-stars, essential networking and so much more.

Connect Join garden writers, bloggers, photographers, speakers and communicators from across the world for special events designed to make new connections and reconnect with old friends, including networking events and receptions, all culminating with the 2016 Annual Awards & Honors Dinner. And don’t forget to head to the Expo for a colorful showcase of new varieties, products and services from exhibitors changing the horticultural landscape.

Learn This year’s education schedule is jam-packed with insightful and dynamic sessions from leaders in the industry, focusing on horticulture, writing, technology, business, publishing and much more. Back by popular demand, roundtable topics will feature exciting shortformat sessions made to inspire and inform. This year’s keynotes will include Georgia natives and horticultural all-stars, Coach Vince Dooley and Michael Dirr, PhD, as well as The Weather Channel meteorologist and cohost of “Weekend Recharge”, Maria LaRosa.

Grow Georgia is home to amazing public and private gardens and this year’s tour line-up will feature a fantastic group of gardens, covering a wide array of techniques and trends. Enjoy special access to amazing public gardens such as the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Gibbs Garden and the Carter Center & Presidential Library, as well as exclusive tours of beautiful private gardens, including the home of Home Depot co-founder, Arthur Blank, among many more. Following the conference, attendee have the option to join GWA for a visit to Athens, GA for special access to the State Botanical Gardens of Georgia and three private garden tours, including the homes of conference keynotes Coach Vince Dooley and Michael Dirr, PhD. Don’t miss your chance to connect, learn and grow with GWA. To register and learn more, please visit our website: gardenwriters.org/Annual-Conference-Expo. ❦ Caitlin Norton, GWA Free State • 39

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discounted up to 85% • Everday office essentials catalog items discounted up to 70% • Discounted copy, print and binding services • Full line promotional products catalog selection discounted up to 20%

PartnerShip • Discount shipping

program through AmericanHort partnership • Small Package Discounts using FedEx • FedEx Express Discounts including Overnight, 2Day, 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 40 • Summer 2016

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

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

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.

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

Free State • 41

Case Study

Filtering Stormwater With Trees: A Case Study Last fall, StormTree in partnership with the Northern Rhode Island Conservation District (NRICD) completed the installation of three tree filter systems for stormwater management on the North Scituate village green, the home of the Scituate Art Festival, which draws an annual attendance of close to 100,000 during each Columbus Day weekend. The North Scituate village green is located less than 500 feet from the watershed associated with the Scituate Reservoir. Construction of the nearly six-mile-long Scituate Reservoir began in 1915 and is the largest fresh water body in Rhode Island providing a water supply to 60% of the state’s population.

The NRICD received a state grant to develop and install bioretention systems as part of a non-point source pollution reduction program to mitigate nutrient loading from nitrogen, phosphorus, and other pollutants entering the reservoir’s watershed.

Bioretention is the process in which contaminants and sedimentation are removed from stormwater runoff. Under the program, a variety of stormwater management practices were initiated in North Scituate village over the course of two years. In the first phase of the project, the NRICD identified seven homes and small business owners who were open to having small stormwater management practices like rain gardens (small, landscaped depressions that hold stormwater after it rains) installed on their properties.

Phase 2: Tree Filters Rhode Island-based StormTree was contracted to install tree filter systems on the village green as part of the second and final phase of the pollution mitigation plan to protect the Scituate River watershed. The StormTree system integrates common landscape trees with stormwater runoff collection and pollutant treatment. Tree filters are an important tool in the arsenal of best management practices (BMPs) for stormwater management by watershed districts, as well as the landscape architects and engineers.

Tree filters utilize an “engineered” soil media to absorb and treat stormwater through a variety of physical, chemical, and biological processes, with combined high infiltration and water holding capacity. This balance allows for healthy tree growth and substantial rainwater runoff collection and treatment. The media filters pollutants such as phosphorus and nitrogen, which are generated from sources like dog waste and fertilizer, from stormwater runoff.

The StormTree system consists of an open bottomed and open sided precast concrete frame which contains the media. Since 42 • Summer 2016

A crew sets one of the precast concrete tree filter structures in place. (Pic 1)

Once in the ground, the tree filter structure and catch basin are leveled. (Pic 2)

With the structure in place, the crew adds engineered soil media specifically designed to filter pollutants from the stormwater. Note that the media extends beyond the frame allowing for additional infiltration of treated water and unrestricted tree root growth. (Pic 3)

A pedestrian-friendly, fiberglass tree grate, manufactured partially of recycled content, provides a level surface and protects tree roots. (pic 4)

Concrete bollards protect the concrete frame and newly planted Amelanchier in the finished project. (pic 5)

the precast frame is open sided, it permits the filter media to expand beyond the footprint of the frame. This expansion allows for a greater filter area, and most importantly, ensures that tree roots are not confined or restricted. While the tree beautifies the neighborhood, it also benefits from greater quantities of water due to the stormwater collection. An attached catch basin or sump collects sands and sediments and provides ease of maintenance.

Additional challenges for StormTree were alleviating safety concerns based on the location of the systems within a heavily (pedestrian) trafficked area. Also, in the absence of curbing, it was important to protect the front of the concrete structures, particularly during winter snow plowing. On the front side of the system which faced either parking lots or an access road, concrete bollards were installed to protect the systems from plow damage.

In keeping with the NRICD’s goal of encouraging the planting of native species, Amelanchier (serviceberry), in tree form, was selected for the tree filters. The species, Amelanchier × grandiflora ‘Autumn Brilliance,’ which is prized for its sturdy growth and brilliant orangered fall color, was locally sourced and 12-foot tall, ball and burlap specimens were installed in late October 2015.

Many Rhode Island waterbodies are negatively impacted by stormwater pollution, from popular shoreline beaches to streams, lakes, and reservoirs. Tree filters are easy to maintain, aesthetically pleasing, and are efficient at reducing nutrient loading. Tree filter systems are one option to treat pollution, and could be genuinely thought of as the “hardest working tree on the street™.” ❦ About the Author Sandra Tremblay is President of StormTree, a Rhode Island based, SBA-certified, woman-owned business. StormTree specializes in stormwater management and tree pit systems which integrate street trees with stormwater collection, treatment and infiltration. Unlike closed box tree filter systems, our open design systems allow for direct infiltration, without confining tree root growth. Our tree pit systems for streetscape application are a cost effective and more “root friendly” alternative to pour in place tree frame and grate systems. StormTree has completed municipal and commercial project work throughout the United States.

Sandra Tremblay President of StormTree Rhode Island Re-printed with permission of Sarah Tremblay.

Originally published in Stormwater Management.

February 15, 2016 Free State • 43

PUBLICATION NOTICE: The deadline for submissions for the winter issue of Free State Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse News is Nov. 1, 2016.

We welcome your company news and updates or columns with your professional insight. E-mail any submissions you have for Free State to freestate@mnlga.org or mail to: Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association P.O. Box 726, Brooklandville, MD 21022 HR.HanoverFarms.Ad.9-22.pdf

1

9/22/14

2:53 PM

C

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CM

MY

CY

CMY

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Specializing in Liriope, Vinca, Ivy, Pachysandra and more...

13262 Spring Road, Rockville, Va 23146 (804) 749-4304 • FAX (804) 749-4350 www.hanoverfarms.com

Do you have commentary, opinion, press release, or an educational contribution for Free State?

We love to hear from our members—whether it be news from your company, your ideas on industry happenings, or an educational piece that would be informative to your peers. If you would like to share your news, please submit your contributions to Free State via freestate@mnlga.org.

Contributions are due April 1, July 1, and November 1. Contribute as you like, or year round.

Questions about Free State, please give us a call at 410-823-8684.

Free State • 45

We have answers when you have questions …

mnlga.org

The MNLGA web site is designed for our members and is your single source for the answer to almost any question. The site is your: • Membership Directory with member

• Chesapeake Green - speaker resources -

search options

year round

• Up-to-date industry calendar

• Industry calendar includes:

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Mid-Atlantic region;

and advanced test applications and

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registration

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• Business resources

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– MNLGA events including Field Day,

Greenhouse News (electronic issues)

MANTS, Chesapeake Green and

• Root of the Matter issues and MaGIC

much more

updates

Visit mnlga.org today!

It’s Time

Jerry Faulring

for

Sharing

How do Field Growers Price Plants?

Although there are numerous key elements of a business model that relate to success or failure, selling plants for a profit has to be near the top. Thinking about the subject here, I think it’s like having to talk about the ‘birds and the bees’ with our children; some just won’t do it and no one looks forward to it.

Reader beware! I am not a CPA, not a cost accountant nor anything related to those experts, except by way of over 4 decades of business experience and not all those years were happy times.

What I propose in this article is a starting point for further discussion. The concept of my pricing scheme is very simplistic for good reason to be explained below.

This discussion focuses on field production nurseries but the basic concepts should apply to any growing operation.

It is my observation that pricing plants from in-ground field production entities is a complete mystery. Maybe overstatement but there is such wide disparity in prices that it can’t be based on any rational scheme. It is true, we all have varying degrees of cost but we should consider costs based on real facts. For example, if the land and buildings are paid for and there is no current expense related to them, we should apply a cost to be certain we are fairly rewarded for the investment of capital. If no cost is allocated, your return on investment is zero for those assets. (continued on next page)

Free State • 47

I hear the following related to pricing plants: “It depends on market conditions” “Nobody complains about our prices” “My prices reflect my competition’s catalog prices” “We are making money so my prices must be about right” “My customers keep me in line” “I am still fighting the pricing issues related to the Great Recession” “Its impossible to figure out the exact cost… too many factors” “Price depends on the customer” What I never hear, “my prices reflect with precision my cost of doing business.”

At Waverly, I have struggled with the cost accounting issue for 25 years. Over time I developed a huge spread sheet that tried to consider all the costs to produce each plant, starting with the liner cost. I then developed ratios for all the individualized costs of the plant and added in general overhead, sales cost, length of time in production, and specific plant issues related to labor for care, chemicals, harvest and on and on. The spread sheet was a nightmare to maintain as I was constantly updating it for new knowledge gained each year and got lost in the formulas. I still have it but abandoned it out of frustration.

Most of us are now having some pretty good years as inventories shrink and demand expands. Most are feeling good about the business as it is going well. Just a few years ago the opposite was true. The industry was gutted, probably shrank 40%, and the survivors quickly adapted to doing business differently.

Now is the time to do the analysis to determine why we are doing well ahead of the next downturn.

It’s not as simple as volume is up, prices are probably up and let’s just ride the rising tide until we hit bottom again. If we were manufacturing wire baskets we would know our costs and margins with a high degree of accuracy. Nursery production does not feel like a manufacturing business, but should we not know our costs with the same degree of accuracy? In

48 • Summer 2016

reality we are manufacturing a product. Okay, a wire basket maker doesn’t have to worry about insects, disease, drought, too much rain and the many other variables we have on our plate. These factors are very important but are no excuse for ignoring the question.

I think this might make for an interesting seminar to be sponsored by MNLGA for all the different types of member organizations. I bury this thought in the middle of the article to see if our leaders are reading.

Cost accounting is real work. It takes someone driven to work with details. It takes a lot of time. It should probably be left to an outside specialist. Most, including me, will not want to spend the money with a consultant.

I have turned the process around 180 degrees from the old, failed spreadsheet. It is so simple I am surprised I am substantially satisfied with it. But it will evolve and what I share here may look different in a few years.

1

First Things First – A simple way to get at cost of doing business.

First, I consider all the cash costs of running the business for one year. This is up for discussion.

Principal payments should be covered in depreciation but depreciation may not consider the timing of actual cash payments. Therefore, I take out depreciation and add in principal payments. Income taxes are not in the income statement but are real cash costs and I add them to costs; one can leave this out of cost if you want to look at profit before taxes. In an LLC business structure, the owner(s) are not allowed to take W-2 income so I add ‘owner draws’ to the cash cost of doing business. If a business has no debt there would be no principal payments. In this rare instance, study the balance sheet, add up all the assets and take a reasonable rate of return on those assets and consider it a cash expense. One should not let this be allconsuming to the extent the basic profitability question is not investigated.

So I include all cash going out the door for any reason. If you are paying for the boat with company money, you might want to skip that because your competitor probably doesn’t have the expense.

Taking inventory is a daunting task!

2

Second – an accurate inventory is mandatory.

I look at the number of plants in the field at peak inventory in the year. Peak inventory will distort cost per plant down if it includes plants that will never sell or are scheduled for destruction. Likewise, I have always said “if we sold every liner planted, we would have no worries”. It does not happen. We have to consider culls and plants that are so difficult we only sell a percentage of those lined out. Peak inventory can only be known if we actually take inventory, of plants that we expect to sell, at least annually; guessing will distort the numbers up or down. I think using peak inventory is correct because it shows all the plants we are responsible for and the fact that all cash costs relate to that number; at least that’s what I want to believe. I have decided to ignore the cost of individual liners and just be satisfied with an average even though cost can range from a few dollars to $30 or more. In our operation, concentrated shrub production, the average liner cost is low. At this point I am not assigning any special cost to a given plant such as extra chemical care, higher pruning cost, higher harvest cost and so on. Each plant looks like every other plant in terms of my cost scenario. This may be wrong but I am focused on simplicity.

When I analyze the data as described below, I can make pricing adjustments as I go for individual plants

based on accumulated knowledge for the angst some plants cause. What this process does is give me a really simplistic starting point. When I get the starting point it then opens up many questions about a specific plant for which additional thought clarifies the pricing issue. Supply and demand may be considered but I believe changing prices based on either factor is not real good business as supply and demand issues usually resolve themselves sooner than later; staying the course with predictable pricing makes for happy customers, which includes annual adjustments for inflation that our customers expect. (continued on next page)

How long from start ........

Free State • 49

........ To finish

Now, and I think this is the key to understand which plants are more profitable or less profitable, I determine how long it takes to ‘manufacture’ a saleable plant. Most plants are sold in a range of sizes so I am using the time it takes to achieve the first sale and what it sells for. Most plants are harvested in a narrow size and time range; clear the block or row in no more than two years is the goal. When this doesn’t happen, we usually have a lower demand plant or, we planted too many. Once we understand the ‘global’ cost as it relates to time, we can determine a plant’s cost, its selling price and its contribution to profit in any year of its life cycle.

3

Third – a simple math exercise draws out a basic understanding of profitability.

You probably see where this is headed. Total cash cost in any year divided by the peak inventory yields a cost per plant per year in the production cycle. This should be reviewed annually or when making price changes.

Let’s use a fictitious nursery called Trees by Ted, owned by Ted. Ted inherited the land from his father so there is no mortgage. Ted does not think land cost should be part of his cost structure because it is paid for and his reduced cost makes him more competitive. If he was selling a commodity like milk he would not care that his land is paid for except to the extent he would have more money at the end of the year compared to his mortgaged neighbor. The farm is 100 acres valued at $1,000,000. He should be 48 • Summer 2016

adding a cost for this land to his prices if he believes he deserves a return on that ‘free land’. If Ted’s farm is in some way special and valued higher than average, he should consider this fact. In today’s economy, Ted should be getting possibly a 3-5% return on the land value which should be added to his cost analysis. He may argue that he is achieving a financial reward by way of land appreciation but if he passes the land to children, he realizes no current return on the asset.

This could be made very simple by asking those that rent their land to others what the income is; check this every year.

Ted has 100,000 plants in the ground at his nursery at peak inventory. In 2015 his total cash expenditure was $1,000,000. Therefore all costs spread over all plants of all sizes and age equals $10 of cost per year per plant. Ted wants to know if his selling price by plant actually generates a profit. He is making an overall profit ($200,000 pre tax or 20% on sales of $1,200,000), is happy with his business, but doesn’t have a clue if the 10 year old boxwood makes money for him.

The calculation is simple if Ted knows when he planted the boxwood. Annual planting plans are required to do the calculation. We will assume he planted at a quart size which would be about 2 years old from a rooted cutting. Ted needs to count the planting year as year one even if it was planted in August because it is part of his peak inventory.

Based on the above, the ten year old boxwood cost Ted $100 to achieve a saleable size. If he sells the plant for $100 he just wasted 10 years. If sold at $150, he actually contributed $50 to the bottom line or 50% for that plant.

Consider a short cycle plant, such as Viburnum plicatum. Assume it takes four years from a 1 gallon plant to achieve a heavy four foot plant. His cost is $40. If Ted sells it for $80 he made a 100% profit.

How about a Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Gracilis’?

It might take 15 years for an ‘own root’ liner to grade out at 30” in Maryland and current market conditions could bring $120 - $150. It’s a loser for Ted! If one’s production is exclusively, or dominated by trees, I don’t think the higher cost of liners has any bearing on the methodology unless you book liners to the balance sheet instead of the income statement.

That might make your head hurt figuring out what it

means to cost, unless of course you just say cash out is expense.

If you capitalize your inventory then the cost of goods sold (COGS) appears on your income statement. The COGS should work out to be the liner price of all of the trees sold that year. If the operation is at steady state (plant 5000 dig 5000) then there is no difference between a ‘Liner Expense’ line and the COGS line. Except that the COGS is the price of the liner from a number of years ago and ‘Liner Expense’ is the current year’s price…now my head hurts. Either way you have captured the cost of the liner. If you are expanding, planting 6,000 trees while harvesting 5,000, costs go up per plant per year. The work around here is separate out the costs based on the plant 5,000 and dig 5,000 scenario. Again, this might make for a headache of significant scale.

I have been doing this analysis for our plants and I am often pleasantly pleased with cost versus selling price, but also have been shocked that some plants are selling at cost or below. If I look at market prices from competitor catalogs, I believe many plants are being sold at a loss even in profitable operations.

From a strictly business point of view, this practice, known or unknown is stupid. This may not always be a bad thing if a given plant is considered a ‘loss leader’ to bring customers in the door to buy other profitable plants. The greater the diversity of a grower’s plant list, the more likely an overall profit is achieved when some plants are sold at cost or a loss.

This analysis also has an emotional downside. Pull up to a block of plants that are selling very slowly. Do the math and determine your investment that has been

lost; 500 plants for 5 years at $10 each per year equals $25,000 down the drain plus the cost to destroy and replant the field. (Okay, maybe we should ignore this whole profitability exercise and just be happy!) But you also know right then that clearing to make room for profitable plants is the correct decision. If your sales have peaked without the slow sellers, maybe it’s time to consider corn.

The system is so simple it might not be useful for everyone but I think it at least forces me to think about pricing based on cost. All that is needed are three data points; cash outlay, peak inventory, and number of years a plant boards at the farm. Very importantly, as mentioned above, I settle on a final selling price based on my understanding of costs specific to a particular plant. For example, pruning, harvesting or exceptional chemical care costs may skew the cost up and therefore I consider such in the price. Conversely, a given plant may have virtually no unusual cost, grows exceptionally well here and therefore I may choose to lower the selling point; this rarely happens. To be fair, this give and take should balance out or the exercise becomes a game rather than science. (continued on page 50)

“Very importantly, I settle on a final selling price based on my understanding of costs specific to a particular plant. For example, pruning, harvesting or exceptional chemical care costs may skew the cost up and therefore I consider such in the price.”

What can we do to improve profits?

Every business has variable cost structures.

Scale. Larger growers can be advantaged due to size and scale. Their payroll may run as low as 30% of sales where a smaller grower may be at 40-50%. Both can be successful. The smaller grower may find a niche market willing to pay more for specialty plants not commonly available.

Productivity and efficiency. All businesses must look in every corner of the enterprise to find opportunities to reduce cost without sacrificing quality, customer relations, staff happiness, and safety, etc.

Taking inventory is a huge time consumer that can involve many staff persons. We used to engage several people to walk the fields, record all the data on paper and then enter the information into a database. Issues arise such as subjectivity by many people can bias the results in the field, illegible documents create time loss, and input errors may distort the inventory. In an attempt to make this effort more efficient we contracted to have a cell phone application developed so we can take inventory in the field that is uploaded directly to our website database.

This application became operational this June. Many steps are eliminated and fewer people are involved to remove error potential. For now, we see this as a vast improvement that saves time while providing consistent results.

Mechanization is always the answer if affordable.

“Technology.

50 • Summer 2016

When the correct equipment is chosen to reduce manpower it is always a better choice particularly with increasing labor costs and decreasing labor availability.

Larger growers can easily justify large investments in mechanization. Smaller growers may feel they cannot play the game but with thoughtful integration of machines over time they can increase efficiency and productivity.

Technology. There likely will never come a time when investing in technology will be a bad decision.

There are options today for information handling that are largely unused by our industry. For example if you save your field inventory data each year you can go back, crunch the numbers, and figure out the exact nominal growth rate for a given plant. This level of predictability can be very useful when working through planting plans for future harvest dates.

In summary, if you are performing great cost accounting and use it to set price points, you are probably in the minority and should be very proud of your work. If you are burying your head in the sand for this issue, you are probably a normal person but really making lots of uniformed decisions. We all spend enormous time and energy doing the things we like to do, mixing the hours with fire drills. Diverting some of that energy, only an hour a day, will make us all better at what we do and not feeling like pricing decisions are a cloud over our heads. If nothing else, even with my simple approach, I gain insight into everything we do to bring a plant to market. ❦ Jerry Faulring

There likely will never come a time when investing in

technology will be a bad

decision.”

MANTS Pender ad half page_MANTS pender half page ad 2/6/14 10:53 AM Pag

6 1

2 3 4 5 6

Good Reasons Your Company Should Advertise in the MNLGA’s Free State Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse News Free State Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse News is seen by members of Maryland’s Nursery, Landscaping and Garden Center Industries and is the leading publication for members of the Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association (circulation to members and CPHers is about 600 unique individuals) Free State Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse News enhances your ad by providing important industry specific articles which are educational and informative, and with the new digital version, readers are sent directly to your website via links Free State Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse News helps promote your company and product while providing direct access to readers in Maryland’s Green Industries Articles appearing in Free State Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse News are contributed by highly regarded members of the industry, many of whom have a lifetime of knowledge and are frequently published Free State Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse News is a cost effective way to help keep your name out in front of and reach your customers Free State Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse 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 freestate@mnlga.org Free State • 51

Press Release

LEAD Maryland Class X Application Now Available LEAD Maryland, the State’s agriculture leadership development program is now accepting applications for Class X. Applications will be accepted through October 1, 2016.

The LEAD Maryland Foundation, Inc. is dedicated to identifying and developing leadership to serve agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities. LEAD Maryland increases the numbers and capacity of leaders serving agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities.

LEAD Maryland awards a two year fellowship to selected participants, creating classes of 20-25 emerging leaders. The LEAD Fellowship curriculum focuses on providing public issues education, skills building, leadership development, and personal growth. LEAD is currently seeking applicants with careers, service, or interests in: Production agriculture; Natural resources, forestry, aquaculture, other natural resource-based industries;- The environment and conservation; Food: processing, sourcing, distribution, marketing, safety, service and retail; Rural communities, services, and rural development; and Business, communications, education, government, science, technology ,finance, nonprofits, land use, and others within or serving agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities.

Twenty to twenty-five individuals are selected to be Class X Fellows. Program participants, Fellows, will: • Participate in a series of multi-day seminars throughout Maryland and Washington DC in 2017-2018; • Complete an international travel study tour; • Attend a 1-day symposium, led by Class IX, November, 2016. Class X will also complete a group project; • Pay a $4,200 fee (tuition); many fellows secure sponsors; an invoice for four installments will be issued; For all Program details go to: https://extension.umd.edu/lead-maryland/fellowship-program/lead-class-application If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Vanessa Finney at 410-823-1789. Vanessa is a Class III alum.

52 • Summer 2016

Maryland Certified Professional Horticulturist Program

Update Congratulations to Teri Hoover of Clear Ridge Nursery who became a newly-minted Certified Professional Horticulturist after passing the Basic Exam on April 12, 2016. Also, congratulations to these Montgomery College students. All became Certified Professional Horticulturists when they passed the Basic Exam given at Montgomery College on April 27, 2016.

Alexandre Delacotte

Giselle Hersh

Carlos (Antonio) Iraheta

Daniel Matheny

Becky Melzer

Laura Ross

Guadalupe (Monica) Villela October 4, 2016 is the date for two tests: the Basic Exam and the Specialist Exam - Advanced Plant Identification.

The 2017 dates for the Basic Exam are April 11 and October 3.

Free State • 53

MANTS

®

The Masterpiece of Trade Shows ™

JANUARY 11-13, 2017 BALTIMORE CONVENTION CENTER

There are plenty of trade shows, but there’s only one MANTS. It’s the show where buyers know that they can find all the products their business needs. And sellers can count on meeting plenty of customers eager for their wares.

For 47 years now, it has been all business at MANTS. That’s why over 11,000 attendees, representing over 3,600 buying companies and nearly 1,000 exhibiting companies, attended our most recent show. But when the work day is over, and it’s time to unwind and relax, Baltimore’s Inner Harbor offers an incomparable array of fine restaurants and attractions.

MANTS means business. In fact, some people say we were inspired.

www.mants.com

On-line Registration is available 24/7 beginning October 1.

P.O. Box 818 Brooklandville, MD 21022 410-296-6959 800-431-0066 fax 410-296-8288

@mantsbaltimore #mants

You only grow the best.

Why not offer your customers the best in advice, too!

Certified Professional Horticulturists (CPH) provide either “do-it-yourself� or professional landscape installation and maintenance advice.

Maryland Certified Professional Horticulturist Program

For more information contact the Maryland Nursery and Landscape Association at 410-823-8684 or visit www.mnlga.org.org

Cultivate your business with a Certified Professional Horticulturist

Directory of Advertisers Firm Name

MARYLAND

N URSERY, L ANDSCAPE AND G REENHOUSE A S S O C I AT I O N , I N C .

Page

A & A Tree Experts Angelica Nurseries, Inc. Babikow Greenhouses

31 Outside Back Cover Inside Front Cover

Mission Statement

Braun Horticulture

25

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.

Cavano’s Perennials

10

CPH 56 Foxborough Nursery

Inside Back Cover

Gregory J. Cannizzaro Design

35

Hanover Farms

45

Holly Hill Farms

44

Homestead Gardens Horticultural Supply

38

Specific Goals

MAEF/MNLGA Golf Tournament

53

Promote professionalism through education programs for members and the public and by encouraging enrollment in educational institutions.

Manor View Farm

Monitor state and local laws relating to horticulture industry.

MNLGA Affinity Programs

Participate actively in legislative and regulatory processes.

OHP 1 Pender Nursery

51

Promote the use of environmentally sound practices in the horticulture industry.

Walnut Springs

54

5

MANTS 55 MD Ag Ed Foundation

25 40-41

MNLGA On-Line

46

Waverly Farm

6

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.

To join the growing list of companies who advertise in the Free State Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse News or for more information, please call Vanessa or Kelly in the MNLGA office at 410-823-8684.

Visit the redesigned association website at: mnlga.org.

E-mail Free State News at freestate@mnlga.org.

Free State • 57

Chairs and Committees Education Ted Carter – Chair Pete Gilmore Jessica Ahrweiler Andrew Ristvey Chuck Schuster Karen Rane Mike Leubecker Angela Burke Dave Clement Stanton Gill Hank Doong Brett Karp Mary Kay Malinoski John Murphy Ginny Rosenkranz Nominating Mark Dougherty – Chair Richard J. Watson Finance and Planning Carrie Engel – Chair Steve Black Larry Hemming Jessica Todd 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

Historian George Mayo – Chair Legislative/MaGIC James R. McWilliams – Chair CPH George Mayo – Chair Steve Black Shelley Hicks Cindy King Dr. Andrew Ristvey Martha Simon-Pindale Bob Trumbule Gaye Williams Scholarship Bernie Kohl, Jr. – Chair Hank Doong Jessica Todd Leslie Hunter-Cario George Mayo Mary Claire Walker Economic Survey Steve Black Bernie Kohl George Mayo Brent Rutley Dr. John Lea Cox Strategic Planning Brent Rutley Steve Black George Mayo John Murphy Dr. John Lea Cox (UMD Rep.) Jerry Faulring Carrie Engel MDA Representative

Advisors to the Board Kim Rice MD Department of Agriculture Dr. John Lea-Cox University of Maryland Signe Hanson Independent Horticultural Consultant

Advisors to Others LEAD Maryland Vanessa Finney Maryland Agriculture Commission Ray Greenstreet Marion Mullan Maryland Farm Bureau Larry Hemming Vanessa Finney MAEF Hank Doong Maryland Invasive Species Council (MISC) John Peter Thompson MDA Nutrient Management Advisory Committee Amy Crowl Signe Hanson Young Farmers Advisory Council Jessica Todd Invasive Plants Advisory Council Vacant CCLC - Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional Certification (CBLP Cody Kario

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 considerfollowing the example of those who are. Contact Vanessa at 410-823-8684 with your interest.

58 • Summer 2016

Foxborough Nursery

3611 Miller Rd. / Street, MD 21154 / phone 410.836.7023 / fax 410.452.5131

View Photos & Plant Information on

www.FoxboroughNursery.com