Committee Roundup Before & After Election Profiles
Volume 36 No. 12 Dec 2013
Minimal Impact Design Standards
Also Inside
Incredible Educational Value at Expo
t h e o f f i c i a l p u b l i c at i o n o f t h e M I n n e s o ta N u r s e r y & L a n d s c a p e A s s o c i at i o n
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3135 227th Street E. • Faribault, MN 55021 Phone: 507-334-6220 • Fax: 507-332-8280 • www.fgimn.com
Volume 36 No. 12 Dec 2013
contents 34
46
55 HIGHLIGHTS
14 Fourteen Useful Business Tips Monroe Porter gives 14 ideas that, if followed, will improve your company.
27 Gardening for Life Doug Tallamy explains why he believes gardens should be designed to perform critical ecological functions.
34 A Plant Unknown Dan Hinkley’s salute to the joy of mystery and discovery.
36 Northern Green Expo: Incredible Educational Value This ten-page Expo preview is filled with the seminars and speakers that will get your 2014 started right!
60 IN THIS ISSUE 8
Events
10 From the Executive Director What’s new at MNLA? Find out at Expo! 18 2013 MDA Nursery Inspection Steve Shimek provides a summary of Minnesota’s vital inspection program. 20 Committee Roundup Accomplishments and updates from MNLA’s committees. 50 Before & After A landscape solution from Justin Mangold of StoneScapes Design Build Maintain. 52 Networking News
46 The Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Your Business Patrick McGuiness offers this overview of important facts about the ACA and how it will generally function.
55 Minimal Impact Design Standards (MIDS) What is MIDS, what are the benefits, and why is it so significant for MNLA businesses?
52 MNLA News In Memoriam, New Members, and Certification Exam Notice 60 Board Election Profiles Four candidates vie for three open director-at-large seats.
Landscape & Hardscape Install & Design Garden Services & Landscape Management Garden Centers Growers: Nursery & Greenhouse Irrigation & Water Management Arborists & Tree Services All
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Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association 1813 Lexington Ave. N. Roseville, MN 55113 651-633-4987 • Fax: 651-633-4986 Outside the metro area, toll free: 888-886-MNLA, Fax: 888-266-4986 www.MNLA.biz • www.TheLandLovers.org www.NorthernGreenExpo.org
A Top Notch Equipment ................................................................................... 53 Allstate Peterbilt Group .................................................................................... 17 Anchor Block Company .................................................................................... 30 Ancom Communication & Technical Center .................................................... 15 Arborjet ............................................................................................................ 49
MNLA Mission: The mission of the Minnesota Nursery &
Aspen Equipment ............................................................................................. 11
Landscape Association is to help members grow successful businesses.
Carlin Horticultural Supplies/ProGreen Plus ..................................................... 54
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
debbie lonnee, mnla-cp, president
Bailey Nurseries, Inc. 651-768-3375 • debbie.lonnee@baileynursery.com
heidi heiland, mnla-cp, vice-president Heidi’s Lifestyle Gardens 612-366-7766 • heidi@BloomOnMN.com
herman roerick, secretary-treasurer
Central Landscape Supply 320-252-1601 • hermanr@centrallandscape.com
bert swanson, mnla-cp, past president Swanson’s Nursery Consulting, Inc. 218-732-3579 • btswanson2@gmail.com
randy berg, mnla-cp
Berg’s Nursery, Landscape/Garden Center 507-433-2823 • rberg@smig.net
scott frampton
Landscape Renovations 651-769-0010 • sframpton@landscaperenovations.com
tim malooly, cid, clia, cic
Water in Motion 763-559-7771 • timm@watermotion.com
mike mcnamara
Hoffman & McNamara Nursery & Landscaping 651-437-9463 • mike.mcnamara@hoffmanandmcnamara.com
bill mielke
Central Landscape Supply ................................................................................ 26 Ceres Environmental ........................................................................................ 51 Cushman Motor Co. Inc ................................................................................... 48 Edney Distributing Co., Inc. ............................................................................. 31 Evergreen Nursery Co., Inc. ............................................................................. 54 Faribault Growers, Inc. ....................................................................................... 4 Frost Services ................................................................................................... 54 Gardenworld Inc. .............................................................................................. 54 GM Fleet and Commercial ................................................................................. 3 Great Northern Equipment Distributing, Inc. ................................................... 30 Hedberg Landscape & Masonry Supplies ........................................................ 12 Jeff Belzer Chevrolet .................................................................................. 32–33 Johnson’s Nursery, Inc. ..................................................................................... 26 JRK Seed and Turf Supply ................................................................................ 22 Kubota Dealers ................................................................................................. 63 Maguire Agency ............................................................................................... 26 Northern Family Farms .................................................................................... 22
Waconia Tree Farms LLC 612-237-1728 • bill.mielke@waconiatreefarms.com
Novozymes BioAg Inc. ..................................................................................... 17
cassie larson, cae
Plaisted Companies ............................................................................................ 7
MNLA Executive Director 651-633-4987 • cassie@mnla.biz
RDO Equipment Co. .........................................................................................15 Specialty Turf & Ag ........................................................................................... 25
Staff Directory
executive director:
The Builders Group .......................................................................................... 11
membership director & trade show manager:
Titan Machinery ................................................................................................. 2
Cassie Larson, CAE • cassie@mnla.biz Mary Dunn, CEM • mary@mnla.biz
communications director: Jon Horsman • jon@mnla.biz education/cert manager: Susan Flynn • susan@mnla.biz government affairs director: Tim Power • tim@mnla.biz administrative assistant: Jessica Pratt • jessica@mnla.biz accountant: Norman Liston • norman@mnla.biz mnla foundation program director: Jodi Larson • jodi@mnla.biz
advertising sales: 952-934-2891 / 763-295-5420
Faith Jensen, Advertising Rep • faith@pierreproductions.com Betsy Pierre, Advertising Mgr • betsy@pierreproductions.com
legislative affairs consultant: Doug Carnival 6
ad list
Volume 36 No. 12 Dec 2013
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mnla .biz
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Tri-State Bobcat, Inc. ........................................................................................ 13 Tri-State Bobcat, Inc. ........................................................................................ 59 Truck Utilities & Mfg. Co. .................................................................................. 22 United Label & Sales ........................................................................................ 26 Xylem, Ltd. ....................................................................................................... 62 Ziegler CAT ......................................................................................... Back Cover All original works, articles or formats published in The Scoop are © Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association, 2013, and may not be used without written permission of MNLA. The Scoop is published 12 times per year by MNLA, 1813 Lexington Ave N., Roseville MN 55113. Address corrections should be sent to the above address.
➾ calendar
MNLA Event
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jan7 Super Tuesday: Landscape Lighting Design & Technology: PLT Relicensure
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Minneapolis Conv Center 651-633-4987 MNLA.biz Learn landscape lighting design, installation and technology, and get a total of eight hours continuing education credits for your PLT license.
jan7 Super Tuesday: Water and its Effect on the Green Industry Minneapolis Conv Center 651-633-4987 MNLA.biz Topics discussed in this informative seminar will be stormwater and environmental concerns, the environmental benefits of trees and landscape plantings, wetting agents, climatology, legislative issues and more!
MNLA/MTGF Event MNLA Event
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jan8–10 Northern Green Expo: Register today! Exhibit Contracts Available Minneapolis Convention Center NorthernGreenExpo.org
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jan9 MNLA Awards Gala 5:30 p.m. Millennium Hotel, Minneapolis MNLA.biz Minnesota’s green industry will gather to celebrate the year’s award winners. Join the best of the best for a night filled with great food and fun.
2014 MNLA seminars generously supported by John Deere Landscapes
MNLA Event
➾ MNLA Event
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jan7
jan7 Super Tuesday: CEO Symposium Workforce 2020: Preparing for What (and Who) the Future will Bring Hyatt Hotel, Minneapolis 651-633-4987 MNLA.biz In this presentation, CEO’s will learn about the chief workforce indicators of change, how to position their companies to be innovative and responsive to these changes to attract top talent and win in the marketplace.
Super Tuesday: A New Era of Leadership in the Green Industry Minneapolis Conv Center 651-633-4987 MNLA.biz Join John Kennedy, as he brings both depth and understanding to this vital aspect of any successful business: leadership.
MNLA Event
JAN14 ➾
Webinar Series of online courses developed by the Ecological Restoration Training Cooperative
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www.cce.umn.edu/ Restoring-Minnesota 612-624-3242 The Ecological Restoration Training Cooperative has developed five online courses that each focus on specific aspects of restoration practices.
JAN24 MNLA Certification Exam Hennepin Technical College, Brooklyn Park MNLA.biz 651-633-4987 Sit for the exam to become an MNLA Certified Professional.
Key:
Event Education
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All information on these and other industry events are online at MNLA.biz. december 13
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➾ fr om the executive directo r
What’s New? Find Out at the MNLA Community Center at Expo The Board of Directors is excited to announce several new or revised initiatives that will be launching at the Northern Green Expo! We wanted to make you aware of them so you can stop by the MNLA Community Center and gather more information or sign up for those that interest you. Green Industry Leadership Institute
Based on feedback from members, a task team has been Cassie Larson developing a new Green Industry Leadership Institute. MNLA Executive Director What surfaced during the meeting of the MNLA Networking Committee is that there is a lack of in-depth training and development programs for managers, department heads, foremen, and the next generation of entrepreneurs in the green industry. The MNLA education Committee agreed that this would be a valuable addition to MNLA educational offerings. The program will aim to help participants walk away with motivation to succeed and the confidence to make decisions and lead others. The institute will be 12–18 months in duration (taking seasonality into account) and include a group of 12–15 individuals who will benefit from a close-knit network of participants. The program will: • Invest in mentoring and growing the new generation of business leaders, department heads, foremen and managers — those who want to further their careers. • Go beyond lecture and seminar style education and incorporate workshop/discussion/projectbased learning. • Bring in the highest quality instructors to lead the sessions. Topics will include but are not limited to: Motivating Myself & Others, Staying on Top of the Work, Communicating Effectively, Managing Conflict, Problem Solving for Managers, Training Others, True Leadership, Seeing Your Company Through Your Customer’s Eyes, Sales & Marketing; Knowing Your Own Sales Strengths, and Finance & Forecasting. Space is limited so don’t wait to sign up for this unique green industry opportunity! 10
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MNLA State Fair
For the 2014 State Fair, MNLA will be selling garden space to members who wish to promote their business as well as hosting schools with landscape and horticulture programs who wish to connect with the public. There will be three hour, half day or full day time slots available and will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. In addition to paying for the slot, companies will have to donate a minimum of four man hours of work per time slot in the garden or equivalent product deemed necessary by the designer/project manager. A list of yearly projects and maintenance requests will be provided. Member-Get-a-Member Campaign
The Member-Get-A-Member Campaign is an MNLA membership recruitment and rewards program running September 1, 2013 through August 31, 2014. The campaign rewards MNLA members for encouraging their colleagues or friends to join MNLA. Take time now to share the learning, resources and connections of MNLA with your colleagues or friends. Recruit new members and receive a $50 VISA Gift Card for the first three you recruit during the campaign timeframe. Recruit six new members and you will be entered into a drawing to win $300 cash! New MNLA membership costs individuals less than $.41 cents per day and provides benefits and services valued at nearly $5,000 per year. Spread the word about MNLA and reap the benefits. Restrictions apply. Networking Groups
Looking for a fun, informal way to connect with industry professionals and get “just-in-time” answers to nagging questions? Get involved in an MNLA networking
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➾ fr om the executive directo r
group! Launched last year at Expo, there will again be several groups meeting during Expo. What is a networking group? It is an informal, volunteer, special interest group made up of MNLA members. Networking groups were created at the request of members and serve several purposes including: • Providing opportunities for enhancing organizational and personal success. • Producing a vehicle for special interest group input to MNLA on educational, government affairs, and professional development programs • Being a platform for future leader development within the organization • Creating more ways for members to connect with each other…peer-to-peer interaction. You will walk away with ideas you can implement and life-long industry contacts. Get involved! We know you’ll take away more than you were expecting. Visit us at the MNLA Community Center to hear more about the new REGIONAL networking groups that are now forming in your area or sign up to get notices for industry segment groups that interest you. MNLA Awards Gala
On Thursday evening at Expo, come join in the new MNLA Awards Gala – the perfect way to start off your night! You’ll enjoy delicious food, a free drink, and a celebration of the year’s outstanding landscape projects, the winners of the first ever “Member of Excellence” awards, the Volunteer of the Year, Special Service Award, and a new inductee into the MNLA’s Hall of Fame. Get your tickets now at MNLA.biz or by filling out the form included with this issue of the Scoop. Member Survey
The MNLA Board of Directors, Committees, Task Teams, Networking Groups, and Staff have been hard at work on your behalf. To continue to do this well, it’s vitally important to receive feedback from all members. We need to hear what you think. We will be launching a member survey in January 2014 to get your feedback on MNLA programs listed above, the MNLA strategic plan, and much more. Please take a few moments to fill out the survey and help us make MNLA be the best organization for YOU! As a thank you for your time, you’ll be entered into a drawing with the possibility to win one of five $100 cash prizes. Want more information on these or other MNLA initiatives? Visit the MNLA Community Center to find out more, sign up for programs and services, or to give us your feedback in person. We look forward to seeing you! cassie larson is MNLA’s Executive Director and can be reached at cassie@mnla.biz.
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Fourteen Useful Business Tips Ideas are the lifeblood of progressive companies. Here are some you may want to consider. Monroe Porter
#1
#2
Deal with Enabled Employees
Make sure your employees understand the realities of the new economy and have bought into your plan. If you have a long term employee who resists, have a heartto-heart talk with the employee. Clearly communicate his or her importance to the company and that their current behavior cannot continue to be tolerated. Consider sending him or her home for the rest of the day with pay, not termination, to think about whether he or she wants to continue working for you. Remember, your goal is improved behavior, not termination. Paying for someone to think about continued employment can be an awakening.
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Reach Out to Customers
Activity breeds activity. Capitalize on your name brand and aggressively pursue past relationships. For years, I had a cartoon on my office wall that showed two buzzards conversing. One replied to the other, “patience, *!#?*, I am going to go out and kill something.” Do at least one thing
Two-Way Communications
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every day to make something happen rather than waiting for it to happen. Call a past customer, call a potential customer, stop by a business and hand out a business card. Make it happen.
#3
Search Your Company on the Internet
The internet is fast becoming the yellow pages of the world. Make a regular practice of searching the web to find when and where your company appears. Consider hiring a web expert to make sure you are getting the most possible hits. Keeping up with web technology yourself can be an almost impossible task. Merely having an attractive website does not mean you are taking advantage of sending the most web traffic to your site.
#4
Buy Insurance Intelligently
As your business grew, you may not have grown your insurance coverage. december 13
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➾ business tips
these positions can be hard to make efficient. Consider having this person bill some of his time by running warranty calls, selling and doing small jobs, etc.
#10
#11
#12 Remember, insurance is for disasters, not to cover day to day expenses. Make sure you use a professional agent who is accustomed to dealing with business owners. Just remember, cheap insurance is expensive insurance if you do not have adequate coverage.
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
Classify Workers Correctly
If your crews work overtime, check your state regulations regarding worker’s compensation costs on the premium portion of that pay. You may not have to pay worker’s compensation on the accelerated portion of their normal hourly rate. Also, make sure your workers are categorized in the correct work category. One of our customers saved thousands of dollars by reclassifying to interior from exterior work. Again, each state has different rules and regulations. Take Material Discounts
Make sure you take material discounts. If you pay your bills on time or within the 10-day discount period, you are not a typical contractor and your financial prudence should be rewarded. Track Non-Billable Field Time
Non-billable field time can become lost in your accounting data. Non-billable field time is employee wages for shop time, training, safety meetings, warranty works, etc.; anything that cannot be charged to a current job. Tracking non-billable payroll allows you to budget and control such expenses. Have a Collection Policy
Have a set procedure for collections and stick to it. Outline the procedure and have one person in charge of following it. This probably should not be a salesperson or project manager as they are afraid that pursuing collections will hurt their client relationship. Control Supervisory Expenses
As businesses get busier, it can be tempting to merely add more managers to help manage jobs. In smaller companies, 16
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#13
#14
Mix It Up
Employee wages tend to rise over time. One way to offset this is to make sure you have adequate apprentices and helpers to offset the higher, more skilled workers. Look at your overall crew wage mix, not just individual hourly wages. Job Cost Large Equipment
Many accounting programs are available for tracking vehicle and equipment maintenance, but most job costing systems can do the same thing. Simply make each piece of equipment a job and track costs against it as cost occurs. Join the Club
Many states allow worker’s compensation rebate programs, try to join a program that will reward safe companies with a rebate. Also, educate your employees regarding worker’s compensation costs. Many field employees mistakenly think worker’s comp is a government entitlement program, and do not fully understand that it is insurance and rated much like their own auto premiums. Manage Your Time
At the end of the day or week, review your calendar and grade yourself on which activities created the most profit for the company. Stay focused on the things that bring the most to your bottom line. Maximize Job Site Productivity
Research shows that job site productivity often has little to do with how hard people work, but rather what percentage of the day they spend actually installing product and moving the job towards completion. Material handling, layout, scaffolding, and other non-installing activities are important but none of them actually move the job closer to completion. Don’t think it is an issue? The next time you drive by a construction site, count the number of employees who are actually installing something versus other activities.
NORTHERN
GREEN
EXPO is president of PROOF Management Consultants (www.proofman.com) and runs networking consulting groups for contractors. He will be a speaker at the 2014 Northern Green Expo and can reached at 804-267-1688 or monroe@proofman.com.
monroe porter
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mda Nursery Inspection 2 0 1 3 summary Steven Shimek
Nursery Program Coordinator
Nursery certification numbers continued to decline for the 4th straight year. Nursery Stock Dealer certificates issued dropped 3.7 percent from 2,099 in 2012 to 2,044 in 2013. Nursery Stock Grower certificates issued in 2013 decreased 3.5 percent from 293 growers in 2012 to 283 growers in 2013. The number of acres presented for certification dropped 2.7 percent from 6,011 to 5,910. To focus Nursery Inspection Program resources, certain types of nursery certificates issued are given priority for inspections. The number one priority is to inspect and certify all nursery stock being grown for sale. This certification allows nursery stock to be shipped interstate and internationally. Additional surveys and/or treatments may be needed to meet entry requirements of the receiving states or countries. Grower inspections facilitate the movement of pest free nursery stock within the state, to other states and the world. The second priority is to respond to complaints. Although very few complaints are received, inspection staff works diligently toward resolution. To assure that dealer inspections provide the first line of defense against the introduction of harmful plant pests into Minnesota, nurseries that purchase nursery stock from outside of Minnesota are given priority over sellers that buy exclusively from Minnesota. To further increase
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efficiency of inspection time, certificate holders with gross sales of nursery stock exceeding $20,000 per year are prioritized over those that sell from $0 TO $20,000. The information used to make these distinctions is found on the nursery certificate application. Although many lower priority inspections are done routinely, it has become clear that all certificate holders should be visited on a regular basis. Some certificate holders that do not meet the above mentioned prioritization may have misunderstood or answered the questions that determine this prioritization incorrectly. This year, to assure that all certificate holders that hold nursery stock for sale, are visited on a regular basis. Plant hardiness labeling was found to be incorrect again at a number of sites. Stock offered for sale must have accurate cold hardiness labeling or must be labeled “Non Hardy.� The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) maintains a list of plants that have commonly been found offered for sale and are not cold hardy for Minnesota. The list has been developed over many years and has been regularly reviewed by the University of Minnesota and Minnesota Landscape Arboretum horticulturists and a variety of subject experts. In 2013 a list of nursery stock cold hardy in zone 3 was developed. The lists are intended to determine the minimum USDA cold hardiness zone for plants being offered for sale. In March, this list was sent to all Minnesota nursery stock
active during the first week of September. Treatments were made and stock has been removed from sale pending successful control and reinspection. Subsequent treatments will be required in 2014.
Japanese Beetle Japanese beetle populations declined across the state. This may be attributed to drought in 2012. However, some adult populations were heavy enough for adult beetles to cause contamination of container nursery stock shipments during the adult flight period. Dip, drench and foliar insecticides were used. Foliar treatments moved inside an area designed to keep adult beetles out appears to be the best option to prevent beetle movement. Soil sampling for the presence of JB grubs and trapping for adults is used to certify field grown nursery stock to meet conditions of the Japanese Beetle Domestic Harmonization agreement.
Noxious Weeds Oriental bittersweet, Celastrus orbiculatus, which is a prohibited noxious weed in Minnesota, was found being offered for sale this year as it was in 2012. American bittersweet C. scandens is not invasive and is not prohibited. The specimen collected has morphological characteristics of C. orbiculatus (Oriental) and C. scandens (American). This may be a hybrid or another Asian species. dealers with more than one sales outlet to encourage selection of cold hardy stock and proper labeling. During inspections, some labels were ordered to be changed or removed. A few suppliers contacted MDA to question some of the content of the hardiness list. They were encouraged to provide credible independent hardiness information to support their claims. Based upon information provided, changes to the lists were made. More work will be done to include additional hardiness information as it becomes available.
Plant Pests in 2013 Some of the plants pests found include: Viburnum crown borer Synanthedon viburni on viburnum, Red Oak Clearwing borer Paranthrene simulans on Red and Pin oak, Clearwing borer on Prunus, Honey locust borer, Agrilus difficilis on Honeylocust and Zimmerman pine moth on Austrian and Scot’s pine. Spruce gall midge, Mayetiola piceae and the eastern spruce gall adelgid Aldelges abietis populations decreased. At some sites this was due to successful treatments in others, sanitation, removal and destruction of heavily infested trees proved effective. In late summer a significant infestation of Fletcher scale, Parthenolecanium fletcheri was found on container grown Taxus. Crawlers were
‘Fine Line’ Buckthorn, Rhamnus frangula was also found being offered for sale at retail stores across the state. All Rhamnus species have been declared noxious weeds and are prohibited in Minnesota. Plants were quarantined and ordered destroyed or returned to the shipper. Inspection staff was again asked to support other Plant Protection Division (PPD) programs and projects. One of these projects was to collect samples of plants with virus symptoms for an ornamental virus survey. The focus of the survey was on perennial plants that may have originated from outside the US. Inspectors collected samples of ornamental plants with virus symptoms which were then submitted to the MDA lab for analysis. Many of the plants were determined to be infected with Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV), others were positive for Hosta Virus X (HVX). Another PPD program that included nursery inspection staff involved Gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar found at a nursery site. The inspector assigned to the area assisted in an intense survey for gypsy moth life stages.
can be reached at Steven.Shimek@state.mn.us.
steve shimek
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➾ cOMMITTEE ROUN DU P
Committee Roundup MNLA exists because of the time and talents of its volunteers. Below is a summary of some of the exciting programs and projects happening at MNLA due to the efforts of these engaged volunteers. The MNLA Board of Directors commissions committees and task teams to carry out the strategic direction of the organization, so as you read, remember that MNLA is always searching for new volunteers to help with projects both short- and long-term. Are you interested in learning more? For more information, contact a board member, a committee chair, or an MNLA staff member or visit www.MNLA.biz to submit a volunteer application online.
Education & Certification Committee Chair:
Debbie Lonnee Bailey Nurseries
Recent activity in this committee includes: • Scheduling for 2013–2014 winter and spring educational offerings in place. • Creating a line-up of online courses for 2013–2014. • Starting to collect data and proposals for 2015 Northern Green Expo seminars. • Conversion/creation of online certification modules. The following task teams are currently reporting to this committee: Certification.
Membership Committee Chair:
Andy Petersen Spectrum Sales
Recent activity in this committee includes: • Updating the membership renewal form and adding a column for employers to add employees’ names and email addresses so that employees of MNLA business members can know more about what MNLA is offering; all email addresses now receive the online version of The Scoop. • Encouraging members to promote MNLA membership to their colleagues through creation of a “Member Get a Member” campaign that was announced in the September Scoop and is ongoing. • Creating a campaign where staff and board members reach out to members and visit them at their own locations. The following task teams are currently reporting to this committee: Membership Standards.
Communications + Technology Committee Chair:
Randy Berg Berg’s Nursery, Landscapers /Garden Center
Recent activity in this committee includes: • Preparing to launch a comprehensive membership survey during January 2014. • Making substantial improvements to The Scoop during the year including: • Making the Table of Contents and article headers clearer and easier to navigate, and adding “next action” information to the end of articles. • Introducing “Before & After,” which contains photos and short narratives explaining how members overcame the challenge shown in the before photo. • Adding a member-only resource to MNLA.biz: the Minnehaha Creek Watershed district chart listing hardcover percentages allowed for each city in their district The following task teams are currently reporting to this committee: Scoop Editorial
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Government Affairs Committee Chair:
Timothy Malooly Water in Motion
Recent activity in this committee includes: • Working to generate a list of policy priorities for the 2014 legislative session. • Monitoring and participating in conversations on: • Revisions to green industry sales tax fact sheets
• Immigration reform
• A change to the definition of excavation
• Noxious weeds
• Pollinator BMPs
• Pesticide licensure categories
• Monitoring the MN plumbing board on backflow tester license changes and potential change to MN plumbing code • Helping implement the new MN stormwater guidelines (includes perm paver and rainwater harvest protocols; And more!
Trade Show Committee Chair:
Bill Mielke Waconia Tree Farms
Networking Committee Chair:
Nick Sargent Sargent’s Landscape Nursery, Inc.
This all-volunteer trade show committee and students from local technical colleges and universities continue to greet and help the 400+ vendors which exhibit at the Northern Green Expo each year. We strive to provide a swift and pleasant move-in and move-out experience, making any improvement we feasibly can to continue hosting the absolute BEST exhibitor experience at any trade show anywhere!
Recent activity in this committee includes: • Starting industry segment networking groups in areas such as Greenhouse Growers, Retail Garden Centers, CEO, Professional Gardening Services, Arborists, and several others. Please check out MNLA.biz for a full list of groups. In general, these groups meet monthly for a loosely guided session on a specific topic. Several groups have found that touring a local member business, home, or landscape job is a great way to bond the group and get conversations going. • Creating a task team to form a “Green Industry Leadership Institute.” The specifics are still being worked out by this task team on what this program will be, but it looks very exciting. The basic idea is that this will be a one year program, meeting once per month. There will be a fee for this program in order to make it a strong, professional, and valuable experience. The target audience for this program is the employee or entrepreneur who has been in our industry between 2 and 10 years. They have shown the potential to be the future leaders of our businesses and industry, but need knowledge of specific things in areas such as personnel management, how to read a financial statement, what is effective marketing, how to lead employees, etc. They would also gain a core group of future contacts in the other members of the Institute. • Discussing several other items including; • Geographic networking groups in areas such as Duluth, St. Cloud, Rochester, and southwestern Minnesota. • Interstate networking opportunities with groups in Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and the Dakotas. • Creation of other “fee-based” professional institutes for other target groups. The following task teams are currently reporting to this committee: Green Industry Leadership Institute.
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seeing patterns: Mark Seeley charts Minnesota’s changing climate Climate matters to Minnesota. Transportation, agriculture and recreational infrastructures are all based on it. Extension helps Minnesotans respond to new challenges caused by changing weather patterns.
This article is reprinted with permission from University of Minnesota Extension.
➾ climate change
T
he times they are a-changin’, goes the old Bob Dylan song. The climes are changing too. Have you noticed? Extension climatologist Mark Seeley sure has. Climatologists have recorded temperatures on a statewide basis for 119 years, yet seven of Minnesota’s 10 warmest years have occurred in the last 15 years. 2012 was the third hottest on record for Minnesota, and the hottest ever for the 48 contiguous states. Moorhead was the hottest place on the planet at 6 p.m. on July 19, 2011, with a heat index of 134 degrees. Nobody knows Minnesota’s climate better than Seeley. He is heard weekly on Minnesota Public Radio, and regularly in public forums, including the Minnesota Legislature, where he helps decision-makers understand the implications of changing weather patterns. At heart, he’s a scientist who follows the data. “I’m a measurement guy, so when I see changes in data from our own backyard, I take notice,” he says.
milder winters bring uninvited pests Insects have always come to Minnesota as tourists, according to Jeff Hahn, Extension entomologist. “A variety of insects are arriving all the time, on the wind, on human travelers or in foreign cargo.” Changing weather patterns can make it easier for them to survive the winter and reproduce, possibly becoming invasive, especially if no natural predator exists for them here. Even insects that can’t survive the winter may arrive earlier in spring and stay through harvest season, causing more damage. Extension does the research, and then educates producers on ways to deal with these uninvited pests. Spotted wing: Drosophila suzukii Fruit fly from Asia damages Minnesota’s fruit and berry crops. Extension monitors crops and teaches growers to identify and manage. Western corn rootworm: Diabrotica virgifera virgifera Pest from southern North America causes up to $1 billion in lost revenue. Extension studies crop rotation and variety selection to reduce impact.
Hot and humid
Higher dewpoints, which translate into higher heat index values, is one change Seeley notices. Even Voyageurs National Park, in northern-most Minnesota where people go to escape summer heat, is becoming steamier. The National Weather Service has issued more heat advisories in recent years due to higher dewpoints. High heat can severely stress livestock — not to mention humans. Milder winters also mean more insects and plant diseases survive and thrive rather than dying off each year. It’s not all bad; higher temperatures also translate to a longer growing season. In fact, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture changed plant hardiness zones in 2012 for the first time in 20 years, allowing for a wider range of plants that can now survive in northern zones. Flood and drought merry-go-round
Today’s growers need to choose plants that can withstand the combination of drought and heavy rains brought by climate change. Records show that annual precipitation is increasing in most places, and more comes from intense thunderstorms. These bursts of rain bring more flash floods, increased soil erosion and saturated crop fields. Minnesota has experienced its share of floods in the last 20 years. Southern Minnesota saw three 1,000-year flash floods in the last nine years, while parts of the Red River Valley have reported six of the top 10 spring snowmelt floods since 1997. At the same time, Minnesota has experienced historic droughts. By the end of the 2012 growing season, 76 of Minnesota’s 87 counties were in severe to extreme drought. At the same time, 28 counties suffered the effects of flooding. Crop yields were reduced: aquifers ran low or dry, and drought exposed some landscapes to wildfire risk.
have you noticed? • milder winters • intense 4–8" thunderstorms • more heat advisories
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Potato leafhopper: Empoasca fabae Sap-sucker feeds on soybeans, alfalfa, beans, ornamentals and potatoes. Extension teaches growers to prevent infestations.
Coping with climate change
Seeley believes that Minnesotans need to adapt to climate change community by community. “We face important questions,” he explains. “Will we protect a city from floods by building a more robust storm sewer system, or is it too expensive? How much should a farmer invest for tile drainage systems to manage such extreme variations in rainfall?” On a broader note, Seeley wonders if people will support long-term preservation of natural resources systems. “We’re already changing the way we stock fish — using a different mix of species — due to climate change. What other accommodations are we going to make?” he asks. “Are we going to manage our resources so that future generations can enjoy Minnesota’s lakes, streams and natural beauty to the same extent that we have?” If Seeley has his way, that answer will be a resounding yes.
When weather disaster strikes, visit: Extension.Umn.Edu/extremeweather for preparation & recovery information. This article is reprinted with permission from University of Minnesota Extension.
2012 weather facts 76 counties declared severe to extreme drought, while 55 declared flood emergency
Over 700 warm-temperature records in one month Third 1000-year flash flood since September 2004
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Gardening for Life Chances are, you have never thought of your garden — indeed, of all of the space on your property — as a wildlife preserve that represents the last chance we have for sustaining plants and animals that were once common throughout the U.S. But that is exactly the role our suburban landscapes are now playing and will play even more in the near future. Doug Tallamy | University of Delaware
➾ gardening for life
I
f this is news to you, it’s not your fault. We were taught from childhood that gardens are for beauty; they are a chance to express our artistic talents, to have fun with and relax in. And, whether we like it or not, the way we landscape our properties is taken by our neighbors as a statement of our wealth and social status. But no one has taught us that we have forced the plants and animals that evolved in North America (our nation’s biodiversity) to depend more and more on human-dominated landscapes for their continued existence. We have always thought that biodiversity was happy somewhere out there “in nature;” in our local woodlot, or perhaps our state and national parks. We have heard nothing about the rate at which species are disappearing from our neighborhoods, towns, counties, and states. Even worse, we have never been taught how vital biodiversity is for our own well-being. We Have Taken It All
The population of the U.S., now over 300 million people, has doubled since most of us were kids and continues to grow by 8640 people per day. All of those additional souls, coupled with cheap gas, our love affair with the car, and our quest to own ever larger homes have fueled unprecedented development that continues to sprawl over 2 million additional acres per year (the size of Yellowstone National Park). The Chesapeake Bay watershed has lost 100 acres of forest each day since 1985. We have connected all of our developments with 4 million miles of roads, and their paved surface is nearly five times the size of New Jersey. Somewhere along the way we decided to convert most of our living and working spaces into huge expanses of lawn. So far we have planted over 62,500 sq miles, some 40 million acres, in lawn. Each weekend we mow an area 8 times the size of New Jersey to within 1 inch and then congratulate 28
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ourselves on a job well done. And it’s not like those little woodlots and “open spaces” we have not paved over or manicured are pristine. Nearly all are second-growth forests that have been thoroughly invaded by alien plants like autumn olive, multiflora rose, Oriental bittersweet, and Japanese honeysuckle. Over 3400 species of alien plants have invaded 100 million acres of the U.S, and that area is expected to double in the next 5 years. To nature lovers these are horrifying statistics. I stress them so that we can clearly understand the challenge before us. We have turned 54% of the lower 48 states into cities and suburbs, and 41% more into various forms of agriculture. That’s right: We humans have taken 95% of nature and made it unnatural. But does this matter? Are there consequences to turning so much land into the park-like settings humans enjoy? Absolutely, both for biodiversity and for us. Our fellow creatures need food and shelter to survive and reproduce and in too many places we have eliminated both. At least 40% of Delaware’s plant species are rare or extinct, and 41% of its forest birds no longer nest in the state. Over 800 plant and animal species are rare, threatened, or endangered in Pennsylvania and 150 have already disappeared entirely. Many of those that haven’t suffered local extinction are now too rare to perform their role in their ecosystem. These can be considered functionally extinct. The song birds that brighten spring mornings have been in decline since the 1960s, having lost 40% of their numbers so far. Birds that breed in meadows are in even more trouble. Once common species such as the northern bobwhite, eastern meadowlark, field sparrow, and grasshopper sparrow have declined 82%, 72%, 68%, and 65%, respectively, in total numbers, and are completely absent from many areas that used to support healthy populations. Why We Need Biodiversity
For most of us, hearing such numbers triggers a passing sadness; but few people feel personally threatened by the loss of biodiversity. Here’s why you should. Biodiversity losses are a clear sign that our own life-support systems are failing. The ecosystems that support us — that determine the carrying capacity of the earth and our local spaces — are run by biodiversity. It is biodiversity that generates oxygen and clean water; that creates topsoil out of rock and buffers extreme weather events like droughts and floods; and that recycles the mountains of garbage we create every day. And now, with human induced climate change threatening the planet, it is biodiversity that will suck that carbon out of the air and sequester it in living plants if given half a chance. Humans cannot live as the only species on this planet because it is other species that create the ecosystem services essential to us. Every time we force a species to extinction we are encouraging our own demise. Despite the disdain with which we have treated it in the past, biodiversity is not optional. Parks Are Not Enough
I am often asked why the habitats we have preserved within our park system are not enough to save most species from extinction. Years of research by evolutionary biologists have shown that the area required to sustain biodiversity is pretty much the same as the area required to generate it in the first place. The consequence of
this simple relationship is profound. Since we have taken 95% of the U.S. from nature we can expect to lose 95% of the species that once lived here unless we learn how to share our living, working, and agricultural spaces with biodiversity. 95% of all plants and animals! Now there is a statistic that puts climate-change predictions of extinction to shame. And studies of habitat islands with known histories, such as Barro Colorado Island in the Panama Canal and Ashdown Forest in England, have so far shown these predictions to be accurate. Species are lost at the same proportion with which a habitat is reduced in size. The good news is that extinction takes a while, so if we start sharing our landscapes with other living things, we should be able to save much of the biodiversity that still exists. Redesigning Suburbia
What will it take to give our local animals what they need to survive and reproduce on our properties? NATIVE PLANTS, and lots of them. This is a scientific fact deduced from thousands of studies about how energy moves through food webs. Here is the general reasoning. All animals get their energy directly from plants, or by eating something that has already eaten a plant. The group of animals most responsible for passing energy from plants to the animals that can’t eat plants is insects. This is what makes insects such vital components of healthy ecosystems. So many animals depend on insects for food (e.g., spiders, reptiles and amphibians, rodents, 96% of all terrestrial birds) that removing insects from an ecosystem spells its doom. But that is exactly what we have tried to do in our suburban landscapes. For over a century we have favored ornamental landscape plants from China and Europe over those that evolved right here. If all plants were created equal, that would be fine. But every plant
Species are lost at the same proportion with which a habitat is reduced in size. The good news is that extinction takes a while, so if we start sharing our landscapes with other living things, we should be able to save much of the biodiversity that still exists.
species protects its leaves with a species-specific mixture of nasty chemicals. With few exceptions, only insect species that have shared a long evolutionary history with a particular plant lineage have developed the physiological adaptations required to digest the chemicals in their host’s leaves. They have specialized over time to eat only the plants sharing those particular chemicals. When we present insects from Pennsylvania with plants that evolved on another continent, chances are those insects will be unable to eat them. We used to think this was good. Kill all insects before they eat our plants! But an insect that cannot eat part of a leaf cannot fulfill its role in the food web. We have planted Kousa dogwood, a species from China that supports no insect herbivores, instead of our native flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) that supports 117 species of moths and butterflies alone. In hundreds of thousands of acres we have planted goldenraintree from China instead of one of our beautiful oaks and lost the chance to grow 557 species of caterpillars, all of them nutritious bird food. My research has shown that alien ornamentals support 29 times less biodiversity than do native ornamentals. december 13
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Your Garden Has a Function
In the past, we didn’t design gardens that play a critical ecological role in the landscape, but we must do so in the future if we hope to avoid a mass extinction from which humans are not likely to recover. As quickly as possible we need to replace unnecessary lawn with densely planted woodlots that can serve as habitat for our local biodiversity. Homeowners can do this by planting the borders of their properties with native trees plants such as white oaks (Quercus alba), black willows (Salix nigra), red maples (Acer rubrum), green ashes (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), black walnuts (Juglans nigra), river birches (Betula nigra) and shagbark hickories (Carya ovata), under-planted with woodies like serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis), arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum), hazelnut (Corylus americnus), blueberries (Vaccinium). Our studies have shown that even modest increases in the native plant cover on suburban properties significantly increases the number and species of breeding birds, including birds of conservation concern. As gardeners and stewards of our land, we have never been so empowered to help save biodiversity from extinction, and the need to do so has never been so great. All we need to do is plant native plants! douglas tallamy is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware where he has authored 80 research articles and has taught insect taxonomy, behavioral ecology, humans and nature, and other courses for 32 years. Tallamy was awarded the Garden Club of America Margaret Douglas Medal for Conservation and the Tom Dodd Jr. Award of Excellence in 2013.
NORTHERN
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want to learn more? Doug will be speaking during Northern Green Expo at two sessions: Nature’s Final Mandate, and Why We Need More Native Plants in our Landscape.
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A Plant Unknown On Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, Robert and I run six miles at sun-up. Before the torture, we sequester ourselves to do our own distinctive warm up stretches as we have for 15 years. Feeding my reluctance with three mugs of hot java lavished with heavy cream, and imploring Colle’ the Springer to cease attempting to rotoroot my ears with her tongue, I complete a convention of precisely 600 various and disagreeable ab crunches. Not that we are obsessive-compulsive. Nope. We just blow with the wind. We are crazy guys. Dan Hinkley
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W
e have established a route which is exactly six miles give or take 35'. Out the gate. Left. Through the shaded glade of sword fern and down the steep mile-long hill that we know we will begin to climb again in exactly 55 minutes. Past the yard prepossessed by Windmill Palms and a single Cycas revoluta that the owners have been expecting to arise from the dead for two full years. Past the pretty cottage garden with a sublime derelict yet cherished character. Right at the stump of the titanic Abies grandis who was brought down this autumn to build a house. Left at an ancient hawthorn. Right at the newly planted hedge of Photinia that I hope will die. I have come to know our route through the plants that I pass and how they change in the seasons. My brain blinks through their Latin like a strobe light. Sometimes a name will not join me in my run, and I will mentally chart a course through the alphabet until it appears like magic in the wrinkled crevices of my brain. It is all a game in order to ease the pain of the moment and the fear of the long steep hill in front of us. On a Sunday run three weeks ago, we were joined by friend Shayne Chandler who is as obsessed with plants as I am. He is an observant fellow and has done landscape work in the Indianola community. As we neared our mid-way point and about to turn our noses to home at the old cedar snag, he led us to a vine he had noticed earlier that week. It had climbed up through a western hemlock and he wondered if I knew what it was. I realize that to acknowledge that I generally can identify any hardy plant grown in gardens in the Pacific Northwest sounds extremely over-inflated. In truth, it is not all that heady of a credential on my resume. I taught college plant identification courses for eight years. It was my job to know, as it has been my pleasure to know. And here, growing in a tumble over a fence and through a tree was a vine that I had never seen before. It looked vaguely familiar in foliage, however its flowers created no cerebral resonance. It was a most curious thing. It confounded me for the rest of the run to the point of not even being aware of the last mile of torture up again through the ferny wood to our home. On my way to work that morning, I stopped by the vine and gathered a branch to show the staff. They too did not know what it was. This was a most refreshing circumstance. There was here a plant that grew and was unknown and it made it a thing of great excitement. It seemed that I did not even know what the family was, so it would take some sorting to find its name, and place it carefully in the correct psychical file for future jogs through the streets of Indianola. I even
began mentally writing a description for it in future editions of the catalogue. A plant of sublime rarity in cultivation‌‌ Two days later it was a morning again for our run. As I did my 600 ab crunches, my brain was sent abroad to this plant that I did not know and that I would see once again on this morning. It sounds rather preposterous, I realize. But it is true none-the-less. We would meet again this morning and I relished the mystery as I tied the shoestrings of my joggers. As we turned off of Indianola Road and began to descend towards the water, past the rather tight-assed yard and its weed-less lawn, approximately 200 yards before I would encounter this unknown plant again, without any conscious effort, its identity simply appeared in my brain. It was as if a synapse had rusted over and then been jarred by a single wog on the irregular pavement on which we ran. It was Prinsepia sinensis. I had actually grown it in my own garden once long ago. I had drunken its tea made of its berries, poured from long spouted tea pots, in the Tibetan reaches of Yunnan Province. It was not a very pretty plant, at least I thought then. Yet, in its reveal, on this morning, the ferment I had felt- of not knowing this plant — went quite flat as I immediately began to notice the rising hills ahead of me. While there is certainly truth to be found in confidently knowing, a bit of mystery will always add a proportion to my life that I find irresistible. I am blessed by the knowledge that I have a planet of unknowns to encounter still, each with stories gathered about them, mysterious and magical. More sensational than I can ever imagine. On our runs, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, I will now pass the Prinsepia, just before the appallingly steep hill ahead of us, and bow to it; and to the palpable excitement that this ever-so-brief riddle helped reveal.
NORTHERN
GREEN
EXPO
want to learn more? (www.danielhinkley.com) is a plantsman, author, speaker, and horticultural consultant. He is a featured speaker at the 2014 Northern Green Expo (www.NorthernGreenExpo.org).
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Don’t miss all the great plant materials sessions at Northern Green Expo 2014! New and Underused Perennials, Shrubs, Trees and Vines for Gardens of the Northern Tier
Though Dan Hinkley gardens in the forgiving climate of the Pacific Northwest, his obsession with plants began in the frigid climate of northern Michigan’s Zone 4. While introducing attendees to a number of plants he feels are a welcome addition to the seasonal container assemblage for colder climates, he will Illuminate many trees, shrubs, vines and perennials that deserve trial in gardens of the winter-challenged environs of North America. For effects of bark, berry, foliage and flower, Hinkley will introduce you to his must-grow palette of plants that will bring year-round satisfaction to your gardens. Hinkley will also present DA N HI N K L E Y a session entitled Making Windcliff. Dan Hinkley, born in the zone 4 highlands of North Central Michigan, has had a lifelong interest in all types of plants from trees to edibles, leading him to receive his B.S. in ornamental horticulture and horticulture education from Michigan State University in 1976, and his M.S. in urban horticulture from the University of Washington in 1985. In 1987, he and his partner, Robert L. Jones, began Heronswood Nursery, near Kingston, Washington. Devoted to introducing rare and unusual plants to gardeners of North America, this endeavor has led Hinkley into the wilds of China, South and Central America, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, Nepal, Vietnam, Taiwan, Sikkim, Bhutan, Tasmania and Canada numerous times a year for the past 22 years. When W.A. Burpee closed the garden and nursery in May of 2006, Hinkley independently focused his attentions on continued plant hunting, writing, speaking and plant research.
Passionate about Peonies
A visual presentation of peony varieties that are often overlooked and have withstood the test of time, this presentation will also give ‘common sense’ information on growing and marketing peonies from the author’s many years of selling to local farmer markets, mail order and an annual ‘Peony Field Show’.
L
RE
Laverne Dunsmore has been growing and hybridizing peonies for over 30 years. He grows over 400 varieties and has eight acres in production. Dunsmore has taught horticulture, written numerous garden articles, illustrated books and has given AV many talks on peonies throughout the years. Laverne and Barbara Dunsmore own Countryside Gardens, a garden design, O ERN E D U N S M installation and maintenance service.
Best Performing Perennials for Zones 3 & 4
With the constant influx of new perennials and the great attention focused on them, we often tend to neglect some of the “tried and true” plants. This session will include a bit of both, but the focus will be on perennials that have had a chance to prove their reliability in our northern landscapes. Culture, care and varietal selection will all be discussed.
Michael Heger has worked in both public and private horticulture. He spent the first 15 years of his career at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. In 1985, along with his wife Jean, he opened a niche perennial nursery called Ambergate Gardens. E HE Recently retired from the nursery, Heger now spends his time lecturing, writing and consulting on issues related to perennials in northern gardens. Mike is the author of “Perennials A to Z”, a series of articles that were originally published in Minnesota Horticulturist and co-author of “Growing Perennials in Cold Climates”, a gardening book written specifically for the colder regions of this country. He is active in numerous plant societies and trade organizations related to perennial flowers. MIK
GER
Selecting the Best of Ornamental Grasses
What’s new and interesting in grasses? Join this session to find out what has been growing well in northern climates. A look at the new and best grasses for the upper Midwest. Meyer will also be presenting a session on Ornamental and Landscape Grass Maintenance.
Dr. Mary Meyer joined the University of Minnesota horticultural science faculty in 1993 primarily as an extension/ outreach and research appointment. Her research interests include native and ornamental grasses and sedges, especially Miscanthus, Schizachyrium, Pennisetum and Carex pensylvanica. She has studied propagation and production of grasses MA R RY M E YE including cold hardiness, and low maintenance sustainable landscaping. Blue Heaven™ is a patented little bluestem, (Schizachyrium), she released in 2007. She also conducts research on alternative low maintenance turfgrasses. She has studied Miscanthus and where it has escaped in the United States, especially in National Parks, and authored the website entitled Miscanthus: Ornamental and Invasive Grass. She is the author of Ornamental Grasses for Cold Climates which can be purchased from the University of Minnesota Extension Service.
January 8–10, 2014 Minneapolis Convention Center www.NorthernGreenExpo.org
Pre-Register online at NorthernGreenExpo.org, or by using the registration form included with this issue of The Scoop.
For a complete seminar listing, visit www.NorthernGreenExpo.org. New Herbaceous Plants for Minnesota Gardens
What’s new in perennials and annuals for 2014? Lonnee will highlight the best of the newest introductions from breeders across the world.
New Plant Forum
This exciting session has returned to the 2014 Northern Green Expo and is for those of you who are all about the plants! The New Plant Forum is a 2-hour, information packed session highlighting new plants DE E for our industry – including herbaceous perennials and annuals, as well as trees, shrubs and evergreens. The B B I E LO N N E best of the newest will be presented by MNLA members and affiliated education institution breeders who are on top of the newest plants on the market! Come prepared to hear all about cutting edge new plants that you can use in your business. Debbie Lonnee has a B.S. in horticulture from the University of Minnesota. The first 13 years of her career was spent working in the retail garden center business, managing a large Twin Cities garden center. For the last 20 years, she has worked as a production coordinator at Bailey Nurseries, working primarily with the perennial and bedding plant crops, as well as roses and woody plants. Lonnee was promoted to manager of the Planning and Administration department in 2006, and is actively involved in new plant introductions. She is currently the President of the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association. Garden writing is her second job as the horticultural editor for Northern Gardener magazine, and author of the ‘Plant to Pick’ article for each edition.
Luscious Landscaping, with Fruiting Trees, Shrubs, and Vines
What could be more pleasant than picking luscious fruits from a plant also admired for its beauty? This presentation will introduce some of the best trees, shrubs, and vines for this purpose, plants that require little maintenance yet provide stunning flowers in spring, attractive shape and color through summer, bright colors in autumn, and/or neat form in winter. For landscaping, the ideal is a plant that also is low maintenance, being pest-resistant and requiring little or no pruning. Luscious landscaping is the way to beautify your grounds and to put (very) local, healthful, flavorful food on the table. Reich will also present a session entitled My Weedless Garden.
LEE REICH
Dr. Lee Reich is an avid farmdener (more than a gardener, less than a farmer) with graduate degrees in soil science and horticulture. He eventually turned from plant and soil research with the USDA and Cornell University to writing, lecturing, and consulting. His writing includes a number of gardening books and a bi-monthly column for the Associated Press. His farmden is a test site for innovative techniques in soil care, pruning, and growing fruits and vegetables.
Container Gardening Off the Beaten Path
Succulents, grasses, veggies...oh my! Take your container gardens beyond petunias and verbenas and create enticing designs that are off the beaten path. Pick up some great ideas on how to incorporate the unusual into container garden designs that impress and make your customers come back for more! Ouellet will also present a session entitled Make a Splash with Container Gardens. As President of Pen & Petal, Kerstin Ouellet brings thorough knowledge of the international horticulture industry to the KE T table. She received her master’s degree in horticulture in 1994 from the University for Applied Science in Weihenstephan RST LE IN OUEL near Munich, Germany. Before coming to the United States, she worked at nurseries in Germany and Denmark in various sections of the industry. She successfully applies her diverse work experience and familiarity with the European market for clients every day. Before founding Pen & Petal, Ouellet worked as marketing director at EuroAmerican Propagators, where she made large contributions to the success of both EuroAmerican Propagators and the Proven Winners marketing cooperative. She is the author of two books on container gardening. The EuroAmerican Container Garden Cookbook was the first container gardening book targeted at professional growers. Contain Yourself – 101 Fresh Ideas for Fantastic Container Gardens, is a popular container gardening book for home gardeners and professionals.
Join the conversation on Twitter #GreenExpo14. We have many more great seminars and speakers! To view the entire scheduleat-a-glance and seminar descriptions, visit www.NorthernGreenExpo.org.
PR E SEN TAT I O NS
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D E M O NS T R AT I O NS
January 8
2:15 - 2:45 p.m. Pruning Trees & Shrubs in the Garden Center
TBG
January 10
Angela Orshinsky
John Daniels
4:30 - 5:00 p.m. How to Conserve Bees on Your Property Vera Krischik
10:45 - 11:15 a.m. Pruning Trees & Shrubs in the Landscape
12:45 - 1:15 p.m. New Winter Hardy Gladiolus
11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Pennisetum: New Forms and New Names
1:30 - 2:00 p.m. Working Safely Around Utilities
12:00 - 12:30 p.m. MN State Patrol Commercial Vehicle Inspection Information & Demo
4:00 - 4:30 p.m. MN State Patrol Commercial Vehicle Inspection Information & Demo
Neil Anderson
Mary Meyer
Xcel Energy
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11:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. MN State Patrol Commercial Vehicle Inspection Information & Demo
Craig Pinkalla
January 9
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1:30 - 2:00 p.m. IPM: Biological Control Strategies
Join the conversation on Twitter. #GreenExpo14
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10:45 - 11:15 a.m. What You Need to Know about Plums, Cherries and Apricots Neil Anderson & Emily Hoover
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9:30 - 10:00 a.m. Pruning Trees in the Nursery
Mark Laberee, Dan Schwichtenberg, Paul Schwichtenberg
11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. MN State Patrol Commercial Vehicle Inspection Information & Demo TBG
Hotel Accommodations • The Hyatt Regency Hotel Minneapolis is the headquarters hotel and is connected by skyway to the Convention Center. The newly renovated Hyatt lobby features Prairie Kitchen and Bar and a deli-style hotel info here, Kim. market. Room Rate: $99. Discounted rooms areExpo limited, so make your reservations now by calling toll free 888-421-1442. • The newly renovated Millennium Hotel is connected by skyway to the Hyatt Regency and the Minneapolis Convention Center. Discounted Room Rate: $98. Discounted rooms are limited, so make your reservations now by calling toll free 866-866-8086.
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Minneapolis Convention Center www.NorthernGreenExpo.org
Pre-Register online at NorthernGreenExpo.org, or by using 11/15/2013 3:35:27 PM the registration form included with this issue of The Scoop.
Landscape & Hardscape Design-Build Seminar Highlights
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Keynote: Greatest Hits of Innovation and Change! How to Get the Job at Your Price Making Windcliff Chain Saw Safety & Maintenance Wonder, Blunder, Plunder, Thunder… Do You Have the Right Business Structure? Tree Planting: What Matters, What Doesn't, and Why New LED Lighting Technology for the Landscape How to Find, Train, Motivate and Retain Employees Nature’s Final Mandate Raised Patio Design and Installation Using Pavers and SRWs Trees and Turf: Can We All Get Along? Green Industry Legislative Forum: Green Industry Business Opportunities in Stormwater Management Structural Soil: Growing Trees in Parking Lots and Sidewalks ‘WOW’ Your Customers with Tech-Savvy Project Presentations Powering Your Future With Propane Landscape Design – Integrating Sustainable Features Techniques for Estimating and Installing Natural Stone Surfaces What Consumers Want in an Outdoor Room Environmental Benefits of Trees—Combining Biology & Engineering in an Urban Forest Creative Design Solutions for Retaining Walls Minimizing Storm Damage to Trees
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Hundreds of exhibitors in a 178,000 square foot exhibit hall. For a full listing of exhibitors, please visit NorthernGreenExpo.org or check out the Expo app.
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Featured speakers include: • Monroe Porter, PROOF Management • Jack Pizzo, ecology + vision, llc. • Rich Lahren, Hebron Brick • Peter MacDonagh, Kestrel Design Group
Trade Show Schedule
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Wednesday, January 8 10:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Thursday, January 9 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Friday, January 10 9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Questions? Call 651-633-4987 or toll-free 888-886-6652.
Connect with Vendors Face-to-Face and All Year Round! Plants, pavers, parts, pots and plenty more... easy to find at the Northern Green Expo Vendor Directory. Access this year-round service at NorthernGreenExpo.org and MTGF.org!
We have many more great seminars and speakers! To view the entire scheduleat-a-glance and seminar descriptions, visit www.NorthernGreenExpo.org.
Visit these MNLA member service companies at their booths: TBG (The Builders Group) BOOTH 1648 The Credit Card Dr. powered by Better Business Solutions BOOTH 104
Maximize Your Membership at
Holiday Stationstores BOOTH 106 SuperAmerica BOOTH 110 Zlimen & McGuiness, PLLC, Attorneys BOOTH 1226
During Expo, visit the MNLA Community Center in Lobby D to learn about all the NEW programs your association is launching this January! Interested to learn more right now? Flip to the article from MNLA Executive Director Cassie Larson on page 10 of this issue of The Scoop!
Find out more information on all MNLA Member Services at the MNLA Community Center in Lobby D! • • • • • • • • •
Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep Rebate — Savings up to $7,000 GM Fleet Discounts — Savings up to $6,000 Holiday Stationstores — Save on Every Gallon of Fuel SuperAmerica — Save on Every Gallon of Fuel Credit Card Dr. (Better Business Solutions) — Save 15-65% on Telecom & Merchant Services Garden Center Pop-up Trays — Save on Every Pallet of Trays The Builders Group (TBG) — Workers Compensation Built for Our Industry Zlimen & McGuiness, PLLC — Attorneys Focused on Green Industry Business Law Plant Posters — 13 Titles in All
Volume Discounts on Garden Center Trays
Pick up your sample of these publications at the MNLA Community Center in Lobby D!
• Outdoor Living Catalogs — Save on Every Box of Our Full Color Catalogs • Trees & Shrubs • Perennials • Ideas for Outdoor Living (Hardscapes) • The Scoop — 12 issues a year of the Official Publication of the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association
January 8–10, 2014 Minneapolis Convention Center www.NorthernGreenExpo.org
Pre-Register online at NorthernGreenExpo.org, or by using the registration form included with this issue of The Scoop.
Water Management and Irrigation Systems Seminar Highlights Featured speakers include: • Jeff Latterell, Mickman Brothers • Craig Otto, Irrigation Otto • Fred Rozumalski, Barr Engineering Company
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• Keynote: Greatest Hits of Innovation and Change! • Smart Technologies for Irrigation • Managing Water at the Source, in the Spray Zone, and in the Soil • Irrigation Basics • Irrigation: The Effects of Microclimates • Irrigation: Proper Hydrozoning • Green Industry Legislative Forum: Green Industry Business Opportunities in Stormwater Management • Irrigation Controllers – Hidden Features • Landscape Irrigation, Regulations and the New Sprinkler Standard—Business Opportunities! • Irrigation Roundtables—Current Issues for Contractors • Managing Aquatic Plants and Problems—Aquatics Recertification (Cat F) • Rainwater Harvesting • What’s in the Water?
R O Z U MAL
Download the FREE Northern Green Expo App Now and Make Your Expo Plan Today! What will the app help me do? • • • • •
View and search the entire Expo schedule. View and search the exhibitor list. Create a customized schedule and exhibitor list. Find out “What’s On Now.” Lighten your load – no need to carry around the onsite guide.
SEARCH FOR “GREENEXPO”
GreenExpo14
We have many more great seminars and speakers! To view the entire scheduleat-a-glance and seminar descriptions, visit www.NorthernGreenExpo.org.
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The 2014 Northern Green Expo offers an incredible educational value for one low price. Just look at these speakers!
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• There is no official form for job postings. Bring your own job posting (no larger than a 8½ x 11 sheet of paper) to place on the boards any time after 7 a.m. on Wednesday, January 8th. CH
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Northern Green Expo 2014 Generously Supported By:
Higher Education Alumni Social The Northern Green Expo offers you the chance to re-connect with college friends and instructors.
Thursday, Jan. 9
from 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. in the Season’s Rotunda at the Minneapolis Convention Center The event is hosted by: University of Minnesota Crookston University of Minnesota Twin Cities University of Wisconsin – River Falls
Come and meet alumni, instructors, and classmates from these and other institutions!
January 8–10, 2014 Minneapolis Convention Center www.NorthernGreenExpo.org
Job Board Guidelines for the 2014 Northern Green Expo
• The Jobs Boards are located in the Hall E Lobby. • Please list only one job description per posting to ensure that your posting can be put under the correct category heading. • Expo staff will place empty acrylic holders on the boards along with category headings at the beginning of the show. Feel free to bring several copies of the posting which will allow potential employees to take a copy of your posting with them for response after the Expo. Acrylic holders will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Once they are full, a single posting can be tacked up to the board, but multiple copies cannot be left. • It is your responsibility to keep tabs on the job posting. If your copies run out, Expo staff will not be responsible for filling them. However, if you'd like to make additional copies, there is a FedEx Office/Kinko's available onsite. • Please do not include confidential information that you might not, for any reason, want available to the general public.
Pre-Register online at NorthernGreenExpo.org, or by using the registration form included with this issue of The Scoop.
Lawn, Garden & Landscape Management Seminar Highlights • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Keynote: Greatest Hits of Innovation and Change! How to Get the Job at Your Price Turfgrass Research Update Flower Bed Maintenance Making Windcliff Chain Saw Safety & Maintenance Wonder, Blunder, Plunder, Thunder… Do You Have the Right Business Structure? Ornamental and Landscape Grass Maintenance EAB Management—Don’t Wait New and Underused Perennials, Shrubs, Trees and Vines for Gardens of the Northern Tier Irrigation Basics Tree Planting: What Matters, What Doesn't, and Why How to Find, Train, Motivate and Retain Employees New Plant Forum Nature’s Final Mandate Trees and Turf: Can We All Get Along? My Weedless Garden Structural Soil: Growing Trees in Parking Lots and Sidewalks ‘WOW’ Your Customers with Tech-Savvy Project Presentations Powering Your Future With Propane New Herbaceous Plants for Minnesota Gardens Successfully Converting Turfgrass Areas to Native Luscious Landscaping with Fruiting Trees, Shrubs and Vines Environmental Benefits of Trees—Combining Biology & Engineering in an Urban Forest Make a Splash with Container Gardens The Science and Practical Applications Behind Tree Injection Container Gardening Off the Beaten Path Best Performing Perennials for Zone 3 & 4 Minimizing Storm Damage to Trees
• Selecting the Best of Ornamental Grasses • Rainwater Harvesting • Can Shrubs Really be Pruned Properly in Most Urban Settings? • The Cutting Edge in Hardy Landscape Roses • Pesticides and Pollinators • What’s in the Water? • Insect Management • Spray Application Technology Featured speakers include: • Lee Reich • Bert Cregg, Michigan State University • Nina Bassuk, Urban Horticulture Institute, Cornell University • Mary Meyer, University of Minnesota
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We have many more great seminars and speakers! To view the entire scheduleat-a-glance and seminar descriptions, visit www.NorthernGreenExpo.org.
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GREEN INDUSTRY BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN STORMWATER MANAGEMENT A preview of the upcoming Green Industry Legislative Forum to be held at Northern Green Expo, Wednesday Jan. 8, 3:40 – 4:40pm in 102DEF
Urban stormwater management is becoming increasingly important to meet the requirements of the federal Clean Water Act. The Minimal Impact Design Standards (MIDS) workgroup, which included MNLA, completed its collaboration with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) last summer. Now, MPCA is updating the Minnesota Stormwater Manual to reflect the MIDS work products, including a higher clean water performance goal, new modeling methods and credit calculations for a variety of stormwater best management practices (BMPs), and a credits system and ordinance package that will allow municipalities embracing MIDS to meet their stormwater goals and mandates more effectively. What new business opportunities will these new MIDS products create? Which BMP’s will require design and/ or oversight by an engineer, landscape architect or other professional? What professional certifications are available or necessary for green industry practitioners to design, install or maintain these stormwater BMP’s? Jay Michels was involved in MIDS from the beginning and was instrumental in helping to develop its core principles. Jay is heavily involved in current MIDS outreach efforts. Jay introduced the green industry to MIDS at last year’s Northern Green Expo, and he will update and challenge us on new and expanded business opportunities in stormwater management at our 2014 Legislative Forum at Expo. Join MNLA’s Government Affairs team as we host Jay at this year’s legislative forum on Wednesday, January 8th at 3:40 PM . Jay Michels is a project manager with Emmons & Olivier Resources in Oakdale, Minnesota. He is a certified professional in erosion and sediment control with over 30 years of experience in construction management, erosion control, and stormwater management. The emphasis of his work is in low impact development project design; project management; stormwater pollution and erosion and sediment TIM POWER is MNLA's Government Affairs control planning and implementation; and ordinance and stormwater Director and can be reached at tim@mnla.biz program development, outreach, and education. Michels is known for or 651-644-4987. If you know of legislative or regulatory issues that MNLA should be his work throughout the upper Midwest as an educator on low impact aware of, please contact Tim. development, stormwater management, and erosion and sediment control.
Free Lunch! Be sure to take advantage of
another year of FREE LUNCH in the trade show café.
THURSDAY, JAN. 9
Some restrictions apply. See www.NorthernGreenExpo.org.
Expo Lunch Supported by:
January 8–10, 2014 Minneapolis Convention Center www.NorthernGreenExpo.org
Pre-Register online at NorthernGreenExpo.org, or by using the registration form included with this issue of The Scoop.
Plant Materials and Plant Care Seminar Highlights
• • • • • • • • • • •
Keynote: Greatest Hits of Innovation and Change! Flower Bed Maintenance Making Windcliff Ornamental and Landscape Grass Maintenance New and Underused Perennials, Shrubs, Trees and Vines for Gardens of the Northern Tier New Plant Forum Trees and Turf: Can We All Get Along? Why We Need More Native Plants in our Landscape My Weedless Garden Structural Soil: Growing Trees in Parking Lots and Sidewalks Passionate about Peonies New Herbaceous Plants for Minnesota Gardens Luscious Landscaping with Fruiting Trees, Shrubs and Vines Environmental Benefits of Trees—Combining Biology & Engineering in an Urban Forest Make a Splash with Container Gardens The Science and Practical Applications Behind Tree Injection
• • • • • • • • •
Container Gardening Off the Beaten Path Best Performing Perennials for Zone 3 & 4 Minimizing Storm Damage to Trees Selecting the Best of Ornamental Grasses Can Shrubs Really be Pruned Properly in Most Urban Settings? The Cutting Edge in Hardy Landscape Roses Pesticides and Pollinators Insect Management Spray Application Technology
Featured speakers include: • Dan Hinkley, HeronMedia • Kerstin Ouellet, Pen & Petal • Douglas Tallamy, University of Delaware
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Retail & Business Management Seminar Highlights • • • • • • • • • •
Keynote: Greatest Hits of Innovation and Change! How to Get the Job at Your Price The Affordable Care Act and Your Business Wonder, Blunder, Plunder, Thunder… Do You Have the Right Business Structure? Garden Center Technology Panel How to Find, Train, Motivate and Retain Employees Green Industry Legislative Forum: Green Industry Business Opportunities in Stormwater Management How Well Do You Know Your Customers? Results of the 2013 Garden Center Survey The Future of the Independent Garden Center Apps for the Green Industry
• Building the Next Gen Garden Center • Small Fleet Management and Inspection Preparedness • Safety: Pesticides and Eye Protection Featured speakers include: • Monroe Porter, PROOF Management • John Kennedy, John Kennedy Consulting • Kip Creel, StandPoint, Inc.
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We have many more great seminars and speakers! To view the entire scheduleat-a-glance and seminar descriptions, visit www.NorthernGreenExpo.org.
KIP CREEL
The Affordable Care Act and Your Business The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is an extremely complex piece of legislation, and many of the administrative rules are still being drafted. The following is an overview of important facts about the ACA, and how it will generally function.
Patrick McGuiness
sure your business is in compliance. It is also important to note that the large employer’s health offers meet the affordability standards set by the ACA. To meet this standard, the cost of the employer’s individual coverage plan cannot be more than 9.5% of the full time employee’s total household income.
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very business is unique and has their own set of circumstances, so it is important to seek qualified assistance in determining how the ACA will affect your business. For more information on the ACA, attend my seminar on Wednesday January 8th at the Northern Green Expo. In the meantime, here are some important things to know about the ACA. Businesses with 50 or more Full Time Equivalent Employees are Considered ‘Large Employers’ and Must Offer Health Care to Employees or Pay Penalties.
Generally speaking, large employers must provide health coverage to their employees. If a business has 50 or more FTE employees, then coverage must be provided or penalties must be paid. Calculating if an employee is FTE requires a look back at their hours for the previous year. If the employee averaged more than 30 hours per week, then they are considered FTE. Alternatively, if an employee averages more than 130 hours in a calendar month (even if it isn’t 30+ hours per week), they will be considered a FTE. In order to calculate how your part time employees factor into the FTE count, you must do the following equation. Add together all of the hours worked by part time employees in the past calendar year. Divide that number by 12 to get the average total number of part time hours per month. Then, take that average and divide it by 120. The result is the number of FTEs that your part time employees must be counted as. For example: If you have 20 part time employees whose total hours in the last calendar year was 21,600 hours;
21,600/12 = 1800 total average hours per month 1800/120 = 14.5 FTE
Adding your part-time workers’ FTE total to your regular FTE workers will get the total FTEs for determining whether your business is a large employer and must comply with the ACA. If you have determined that your business is a large employer, what must you do?
Large employers must offer health care coverage to full time employees and their dependents. Once again, full time means any employee who averages more than 30 hours worked per week, or more than 130 hours each calendar month. Dependents are defined by the regulation to be the full time employees’ children that have not reached the age of 26. What type of health coverage must be offered?
In short, the health plan offered by large employers must meet the ACA’s minimum value standard. This means that the employer’s plan must pay for at least 60% of the total allowed costs of the plan. When looking at health care plans, this is a very low threshold and working with a good health care insurance agent can help you make
What if the business doesn’t offer health coverage?
Once a business has determined that they are a large employer for ACA purposes, they must determine if they would rather provide coverage and meet compliance standards, or decide not to offer health coverage and pay the associated fines. There are many web-based calculators available to assist business owners with determining a course of action on this. It is best to speak with your accountant, attorney, and human resources person in making these types of decisions. If you determine that you are a large employer, there are many other compliance issues which a business should take into consideration as the ACA goes into effect. Work closely with your business advisors to make sure your business is prepared for implementation and enforcement of the ACA. There is an Exception for Seasonal Businesses – Figure Out if You Qualify.
If your business is seasonal in nature, and most green industry businesses are in one way or another, then make sure you understand the exception which exists as a part of the ACA for seasonal businesses. As previously discussed, the number of FTEs a business has is the key to determining how the ACA applies to a business. Fortunately, congress created an exception of sorts for seasonal business to use when counting FTEs. If a business that would otherwise be considered a large employer, exceeds 50 FTE employees for not more than 120 days or 4 calendar months, then the business may qualify for the seasonal worker exception. If your business has 40 full time employees for 8 months of the year, and 85 full time employees during 4 months of the busy season, then the business will not be required to offer health care to full time employees, even though the FTE calculation would otherwise result in more than 50 FTEs. The term ‘seasonal employee’ has not been specifically defined by the Treasury Department for the purposes of the ACA, but they have stated that employers can use a “reasonable, good-faith interpretation of the statutory definition” until further guidance is given. Another important note with the seasonal worker exception is that the 4 months in which the business exceeds 50 FTEs do not have to be consecutive. It can be every other month or 8 months, or any combination as long as the business does not have more than 50 FTE employees for more than 4 months total in a calendar year. Important Dates to Remember: 2013:
• October 1st: Employee Notification Mandate. Employers must provide notice to new and existing employees about the health care exchanges. • October 1st: Marketplaces begin allowing open enrollment. Individuals and small businesses can begin enrolling for health december 13
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care coverage through the marketplaces. Actual coverage will not begin until January 1, 2014 at the earliest. 2014:
• A cost-effective, long-term workers’ compensation program for the construction industry of Minnesota. • Cash Flow Advantage with pay-as-you-go premiums • Customized Loss Control Services designed for YOUR business • Member-focused Proactive Claims Management • 97% of businesses have stayed with TBG these past 15 years because they deliver a long-term solution to the specific needs of our industry.
Contact: Dennis Medo, TBG Director of Insurance 651-389-1043 | Toll Free: 888-824-3923 | dmedo@tbgmn.com
• January 1st: Individual mandate. Most individuals are required to obtain health insurance coverage through their employers, marketplaces, Medicare, or elsewhere. Failure to obtain insurance will result in a tax penalty. For 2014, the tax penalty is $95 for an individual or 1 percent of gross income, whichever is higher. • January 1st: Marketplace coverage begins. Marketplaces must be up and running and able to provide coverage in all states. 2015:
• January 1st: Businesses deemed ‘large employers’ with 50 FTE or more are required to offer coverage to all FTE employees or face penalties. This date was originally January 1st, 2014 but was pushed back due to implementation challenges. What it All Means:
Your One Tractor Solution ProPane Power Optional on the 4500Z*
One Tractor, Over 30 Commercial Grade Attachments
The ACA is a complex law that will have an effect on you or your business. Make sure you are following what changes you need to make and when you need to make them. There are many online resources available, and it is always a good idea to obtain outside assistance if you have any questions. This article provides general information on employment law and should not be relied upon as legal advice. A qualified attorney must analyze all relevant facts and apply the applicable law to any matter before legal advice can be given. If you would like more information regarding employment law or other legal matters, please contact Patrick McGuiness at Zlimen & McGuiness, PLLC at 651-206-3203 or pmcguiness@zmattorneys.com.
NORTHERN
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Schedule a Ventrac Demo with:
Cushman Motor Company, Inc. 2909 E Franklin Ave • Minneapolis, MN (612) 333-3487 • 1-800-759-5343 www.cushmanmotorco.com 48
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EXPO
want to learn more?
Join Patrick at this year’s Northern Green Expo for a session Wednesday morning at which he’ll be covering more about the Affordable Care Act and what it means for your business.
âžž before & after
Before & after
after
Justin Mangold
befo re
Member C o mpany: St o ne Scapes D esign Build M aintain
situation:
solution:
This new home had little to no landscaping around the house with a front walkway which only connected into the middle of the driveway.
Create a walkway that shows off the front entrance and encourages them to park on the street and use the front door, rather than the garage door.
diagnosis:
results:
Despite the fact that I have seen it countless times, I still find myself amazed when custom home builders finish with landscaping that does not match the architecture of the home. The walkway leads most guests to drive all the way up the driveway and go in the garage door or park in the middle of the driveway cutting off other cars from getting in or out.
In this case, a simple straight walkway from the road makes all the difference in tying the home’s front door into the neighborhood, welcoming everyone to the home in a way that complements the design of the house.
justin is General Manager of StoneScapes Design Build Maintain, an MNLA Certified Professional, and a member of the MNLA Communications + Technology Committee. Justin can be reached at justin@stonescapesdesign.com. do you have photos that show a dramatic change? Send us your best before/after photos and tell us how you overcame the challenge shown in the before photo. What was the situation, your diagnosis and solution, and what was the result? Sharing these challenges and how they were overcome helps all MNLA members to learn and our entire industry to grow professionally. Send your photos and notes to MNLA Communications Director Jon Horsman at jon@mnla.biz or 651-633-4987.
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➾ networking
networking news “the power of a network can be reduced to its simplest form in ‘i know someone who knows someone who knows someone.” — michele jennae Look for MNLA networking groups meeting at Expo this year! Stop at the MNLA Community Center for information on networking groups meeting during Expo.
Networking groups were created at the request of MNLA members and serve several purposes including: • Creating more ways for members to enjoy peer-to-peer interaction. • Providing opportunities for enhancing organizational and personal success. • Producing a vehicle for special interest group input to MNLA on education, government affairs, and professional development programs. • Being a platform for future leadership development within the organization. Make a resolution for yourself in 2014 to connect with more people, and enhance your business and personal success — get involved in an MNLA Networking Group.
in memoriam In Memory of MNLA Member Jerry Mariska Jerry Mariska, owner of GPM Tree Farm in Waseca, MN and long time MNLA member recently passed away. Jerry owned and operated a conifer tree growing business for several years and provided high quality trees to many landscapers and garden centers. Jerry was a member of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Waterville, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the Waterville Sportsman’s Club, and he served on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota and Wisconsin Chapters of the Wild Sheep Foundation. He was extremely successful in his pursuit of Big-horn sheep wherein he held several major records. Jim Wilson states that Jerry was not only a great tree grower, but he was a great inventor as well. When Jim’s tree spade broke down in Jerry’s field, Jerry basically rebuilt it on the spot. Bert Swanson also observed that when Jerry needed to get a tough job done, he would design a machine and then build it, and it worked perfectly to do the job in an effective and efficient manner. Jerry is survived by his wife, Maureen Mariska and several family members.
mnla welcomes members new
Tim’s Tree Service; St. Louis Park, MN Jason Schlauch, 952-380-6271 Purple Wave Auction; Manhattan, KS Jordan Sterling, 620-213-1170 K & K Carpentry; Lindstrom, MN Brad Kloos, 651-245-3270 Hillside Property Maintenance Inc. Brooklyn Park, MN; Nicholas Dols, 763-486-7157 Gardens of Eagan; Northfield, MN Linda Halley, 507-645-2544 Golden Eagle Distributing; Maple Grove Chuck Holcombe, 612-804-6726
certification exam notice the next opportunity to sit for the mnla certification exam is friday, january 24, 2014 at hennepin technical college.
We will all miss a very talented Jerry Mariska. Submitted by: Bert Swanson and Jim Wilson
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please see the exam application insert in this month’s scoop.
Containerized & Bareroot Liners Quart Liners • Extends your planting season • Virtually no transplant shock • Deeper container for better roots • Great Value! Bareroot Liners • Premium grade bedrun • New low price • Heavy rooted, northern grown
www.EvergreenNurseryCo.com 1 800.448.5691
Liquid De-Icing Equipment
Visit us in booth 935 at the Green Expo!
Frost
Services
1-800-621-7910 Email: info@frostserv.com www.frostserv.com
Minnesota
Minimal Impact Design Standards Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
➾ MI DS
Tree trenches at Maplewood Mall. Photo courtesy of: Barr Engineering
MIDS Now Complete
What is Minimal Impact Design Standards?
Introduction by Tim Power
Minimal Impact Design Standards (MIDS) represent the next generation of stormwater management in Minnesota. The emphasis today is on keeping the raindrop where it falls in order to minimize stormwater runoff and pollution and preserve natural resources. Low Impact Development (LID) is an approach to stormwater management that mimics a site’s natural hydrology as the landscape is developed and preserves and protects environmentallysensitive site features such as riparian buffers, wetlands, steep slopes, valuable (mature) trees, floodplains, woodlands and highly permeable soils. Minnesota’s new MIDS offers guidelines, recommendations and tools that will help LID be implemented more uniformly across Minnesota’s landscape and provides guidance to effectively implement the concepts and practices LID promotes and encourages.
MNLA Government Affairs Director MNLA has participated in the Minimal Impact Design Standards (MIDS) work group for the last three years, attempting to standardize and gain wider acceptance for a variety of stormwater best management practices (BMP’s). MIDS has recently completed its work and its products have now moved into the Minnesota Stormwater Manual. The accompanying article describes the MIDS process and products, and lays the foundation for implementing those products. MIDS will be voluntary, but the MIDS products will become more enticing to cities as they seek to meet total maximum daily load (TMDL) requirements imposed by the designation of impaired waters within their borders. MNLA contractor members already have many of the necessary skills and can gain the certifications that may become necessary for the design, installation and/or maintenance of stormwater BMP’s now in the Minnesota Stormwater Manual. Those skills and certifications may provide tremendous business opportunities going forward as a result of the increasing regulation of stormwater.
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MIDS contains four main elements to meet these needs: • A stormwater volume performance goal for new development, redevelopment and linear that will provide enhanced protection for Minnesota’s water resources. • New credit calculations that will standardize the use of a range of innovative structural stormwater techniques. • Design specifications for a variety of green infrastructure best management practices (BMPs). • A model MIDS ordinance package that will help developers and communities implement MIDS. What are the benefits?
Adapting and using LID approaches offers multiple benefits including minimizing and reducing the amount of pollution reaching our lakes, rivers and streams and helps to recharge groundwater resources. MIDS establishes unified LID standards, approaches and credits so we can consistently apply these principals across Minnesota communities. MIDS helps communities measure progress toward water and natural resource protection and restoration goals. MIDS will also be used as the highest standard for meeting the stormwater practice for Minnesota Green Step Cities.
Who will use MIDS?
The concepts behind MIDS can essentially be used by all Minnesotans — we can all do our part in minimizing stormwater runoff and pollution. MIDS was specifically developed for designers, engineers, planners, contractors, stormwater managers, landscape architects, public works staff, landscape industry, land use regulators and others involved in new development and redevelopment projects. MIDS methodologies will provide tools for these individuals to quantify reductions in post-development runoff and pollutant loading from a wide variety of LID practices. Where did MIDS come from?
Recognizing the value of LID to Minnesota’s high valued water and natural resources, the 2008 Legislature directed the MPCA to develop MIDS. Minn. Stat. § 115.03, subd. 5c reads: “The agency shall develop performance standards, design standards, or other tools to enable and promote the implementation of low impact development and other storm water management techniques. For the purposes of this section, “low impact development” means an approach to storm water management that mimics a site’s natural hydrology as the landscape is developed. Using the low impact development approach, storm water is managed on site and the rate and volume of predevelopment storm water reaching receiving waters is unchanged. The calculation of predevelopment hydrology is based on native soil and vegetation.” Upon passage of the legislation, a stakeholder group was created to guide the MPCA in the development of MIDS. This group met monthly for three years and was instrumental in creating the MIDS work products. Performance goal(s)
A performance goal specifies what level of stormwater treatment must be achieved. The MIDS performance goals were developed to satisfy the legislation by determining how much precipitation must be retained on a particular site. It is expressed as a volume of water calculated by taking a depth of rainfall that falls on an impervious surface. Minnesota’s new MIDS performance goal Performance Goal for New Development: New, nonlinear develop-
ments that create more than one acres of new impervious surface on sites without restrictions, stormwater runoff volumes will be controlled and the post-construction runoff volume shall be retained on site for 1.1 inches of runoff from impervious surfaces statewide. Performance Goal for Redevelopment: Nonlinear
redevelopment projects on site without restrictions that create one or more acres of new and/or fully reconstructed impervious surfaces shall capture and retain on site 1.1 inches of runoff from the new and/or fully reconstructed impervious surfaces.
Performance Goal for Linear: Linear projects on sites without restrictions that create one acre or greater of new and/or fully
Screenshots of the MIDS credits calculator.
reconstructed impervious surfaces, shall capture and retain the larger of the following: • 0.55 inches of runoff from the new and fully reconstructed impervious surfaces • 1.1 inches of runoff from the net increase in impervious area Mill and overlay and other resurfacing activities are not considered fully reconstructed. Why 1.1 inches? What is the significance? In studying rainfall data for Minnesota, 1.1 inches represents approximately 90 percent of all rain events in Minnesota. Rainfall events between 0.5 and 1.5 inches are responsible for about 75 percent of runoff pollutants. This is sometimes referred to as the “first flush” of pollutants. Therefore, by more carefully managing rainfall events of this size using LID approaches, we can prevent or minimize stormwater volume and pollution during many of the runoff events in Minnesota. Flexible treatment option — not all sites can retain 1.1 inches
While reducing the volume of runoff leaving a developed site is the only way to mimic native hydrology, there are situations where it is simply not feasible. Infiltration is the most common practice to reduce runoff volumes, but soil conditions may not always allow water to soak into the ground. Much of Minnesota has tight clay soils, shallow bedrock, or karst topography that are not conducive to infiltration as a stormwater management approach. Additionally, some sites may have contamination, existing building or utility conflicts, or other site constraints such as zoning requirements that create difficulties in providing volume reduction. In order to accommodate december 13
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A Community Assistance Package (CAP) is being developed to provide ordinances and tools that help integrate LID principles, including the MIDS performance goals and calculator, into a package that can be used by local units of government.
alternative forms of water quality treatment on sites with restrictions, a Flexible Treatment Options Sequence and accompanying Design Guidance Flow-Chart was developed. Project proposers are taken through a step by step approach to document site restrictions and how they have attempted to meet the full 1.1 inches performance goal. If the 1.1 inch performance goal is shown to be infeasible, a 0.55 inch performance goal is explored, followed by a 60 percent annual Total Phosphorus removal goal, and then a final option to meet the 1.1 inches volume reduction goal at an off-site location. Design specifications and a credit calculator
The credit calculator is a tool designed to quantify reductions in post-development runoff and pollutant loading using a variety of LID practices. This graphic user interactive tool allows individuals to enter a project’s site conditions and determine the amount of stormwater volume retention needed and the pollution loading (sediment and phosphorus). The calculator then provides a method to enter their stormwater practices of choice and determine (calculate) the amount of stormwater volume and pollution reduction (credit) they can achieve. Currently, the credit calculator includes LID practices for green roofs, bioretention basins, infiltration basins, permeable pavement, infiltration trench/tree box, swales, filter strips and sand filters. Other practices will be added in the future. The calculator includes convenient links to specific design specifications for LID practices that are found within the Minnesota Stormwater Manual. How does the calculator work?
The credit calculator and design specifications will be located within the Minnesota Stormwater Manual. [See Resource Links below] Model ordinances for communities that support clean water goals
A Community Assistance Package (CAP) is being developed to provide ordinances and tools that help integrate LID principles, including the MIDS performance goals and calculator, into a package that can be used by local units of government. These tools can be used by communities to help them achieve MIDS performance goals for stormwater volume. The CAP will include instructions about how to use the checklists, and various training materials and approaches used during implementation in several test or pilot communities. Resources MIDS webpage: http://www.pca.state.mn.us/veiza8e. Minnesota Stormwater Manual (which includes MIDS work products): http://stormwater.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/Main_Page. 58
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➾ board election pr o files
official notice: annual meeting on jan. 8 at convention center Notice is hereby given that the annual membership meeting of the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association will be held at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 8, 2014, at the Minneapolis Convention Center. During the annual meeting, the results of the Board of Directors election will be announced. An electronic ballot was sent the first week in December to the primary contact provided to MNLA by each business member. Following is a short biography of those persons nominated to be on the ballot.
officer candidates heidi heiland
scott frampton
Heidi Heiland is a candidate for election as president of the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association. Since 1979, Heidi’s Lifestyle Gardens of Plymouth has offered professional garden services for residential and commercial clients. Heidi has volunteered over the years for the Minnetonka Center for the Arts, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Nature Conservancy, and as a guest lecturer at area technical colleges. She is an MNLA Certified Professional, a Master Gardener, graduate of Constance Spry Flower School of London, and has been recognized for excellence by a number of organizations.
Scott Frampton is a candidate for secretary-treasurer of the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association. In 2000 Scott partnered with his longtime friend and coworker to create Landscape Renovations Inc., a landscape design-build, nursery, and maintenance firm in Afton. Scott grew up working in his family’s St. Paul floral, nursery, greenhouse, and landscape operation. At an early age he realized his passion for creating, installing, and maintaining unique landscapes. He completed his course work in Landscape Horticulture at Anoka Hennepin Technical College. Scott is passionate about the future of the landscape and related green industry professions and is active in several industry association initiatives.
Heidi is a past chair of the MNLA Public Relations Committee, and she currently serves on the Networking Committee. She has been instrumental in MNLA’s efforts at the State Fair in recent years, and has received both MNLA’s Committee Member of the Year Award and Special Service Award. She was first elected to the MNLA Board of Directors in 2006, and has served as vice president.
herman roerick
Herman Roerick is a candidate for vice president of the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association. Herman is owner of Central Landscape Supply Inc. in St. Cloud. He is involved with the Central Minnesota Builders Association, the University of Minnesota-Crookston Advisory Committee, and a number of outdoors groups. He graduated from the University of Minnesota-Crookston in 1984 with an AAS degree in natural resources conservation. He is a recipient of the Alumni of the Year Award from the University of Minnesota-Crookston. Herman has been involved with MNLA since the inception of Central Landscape Supply in 1991. He is a member of the MNLA Membership Committee. He is a past member of the Landscape Education, Landscape Contractors and Hardscapes Committees. Herman was first elected to the MNLA Board of Directors in 2006.
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He chaired the former Landscape Contractors Committee and continues to serve on the Government Affairs Committee. He is known regionally as a source for natural stone construction knowledge and has given many lectures on the subject. Scott was first elected to the MNLA Board of Directors in 2008.
➾ sectio n title
given that there are three open seats, you will be asked to vote for three of the four candidates below. candidates for directors-at-large
patrick mcguiness
mike mcnamara
Patrick McGuiness is a candidate for election to the MNLA Board of Directors. He is a partner with Zlimen & McGuiness attorneys at law in St. Paul, Minn. His law practice focuses on assisting green industry businesses with a variety of legal matters. Patrick is also a Captain in the U.S. Army Reserve, an Adjunct Representation Professor at William Mitchell College of Law, and he sits on the board of directors for Hiway Federal Credit Union.
Mike McNamara is a candidate for re-election to the MNLA Board of Directors. He is the owner and president of Hoffman and McNamara, a landscape contracting and wholesale nursery operation based out of Hastings. Mike purchased the business from Gary Hoffman and Denny McNamara in 2004. The company specializes in public sector, transportationoriented landscaping, planting freeway intersections, streetscape projects, and parkways. Their wholesale nursery grows B&B and container shade, ornamental, and evergreen trees on 120 acres for their own use, plus sells to re-wholesalers, other contractors, and government groups. Mike has a degree in entrepreneurship from the University of St. Thomas.
Prior to becoming an attorney, Patrick owned and operated a residential landscaping installation company. Patrick is a member of the MNLA Networking Committee, and participated in the Stormwater Planning Task Team. He was involved in the MNLA’s most recent strategic planning initiative “Team Tomorrow,” and was a member of the MNLA Executive Director Search Team.
Mike is a member of the MNLA Foundation Board of Trustees and a past member of the MNLA Landscape Education committee and the Landscape Contractors Committee. He was first elected to the MNLA Board of Directors in 2012.
bill mielke
jeff pilla
Bill Mielke is a candidate for re-election to the MNLA Board of Directors. He is currently the sales manager at Waconia Tree Farms, LLC He served honorably as a medic with the 6th Air Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, U.S. Army. He has been continuously involved in the nursery/landscape industry since starting with Natural Green, Inc. in 1977. He owned and operated his own re-wholesale company in the 1980s, and since has been a key person for three large Minnesota landscape/nursery firms prior to joining Waconia Tree Farms.
Jeff Pilla is a candidate for election to the MNLA Board of Directors. Pilla serves as the Director of Retail Stores for Bachman’s, Inc. Bachman’s has several retail locations in the Twin Cities metro area as well as St. Cloud, Minn. and operates indoor and outdoor landscaping divisions, nursery wholesale, greenhouses, and a growing range near Lakeville, Minn. Jeff has a AA degree from Rochester Community College and is an MNLA Certified Professional.
Bill is chair of the Northern Green Expo Trade Show Committee. He has served on the Nursery and Public Relations Committees; and is the driving force in MNLA’s Landscape Garden at the Minnesota State Fair. He has been awarded both the Committee Member of the Year Award and a Special Service Award. He has served on the boards of Minnesota Ag in the Classroom and the Minnesota Grown Promotion Group. He was first elected to the MNLA Board of Directors in 2010.
Jeff is a member of the Networking and Government Affairs Committees as well as the MGI Green Industry PAC. He is a past chair of the Garden Center Committee as well as a past member of the Certification Committee. He was also a garden center board member for ANLA.
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