The Buckeye, Nov/Dec 2020

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 Vol. 31, Issue 6

The Official Publication of Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association

INSIDE: Ohio High School Landscape Olympics at Willoway Nurseries, Inc. ODA Invasive Plants Update Marty Grunder Recaps 2020

2021 MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS Membership Renewal Fees are due by December 31, 2020 Renewal letters will be mailed to company contacts in mid-November.

Questions? Contact Roni Petersen at roni@onla.org or 614.899.1195 For more information about ONLA Membership, visit www.onla.org

WINECRAFT BLACK

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9/29/20 1:46 PM

November/December 2020 Vol. 31, Issue 6

The Buckeye is published six times per year by Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association, Inc. 72 Dorchester Square, Westerville, OH 43081 614.899.1195 | www.onla.org

EDITORIAL / ADVERTISING ISSN 1536-7940 Subscriptions: $75/year alana@onla.org OFFICERS Emily Showalter, President Willoway Nurseries, Inc. Tim Clark, Immediate Past President H. J. Benken Florist & Greenhouses, Inc. Devon Stanley, President-Elect Benchmark Landscape Construction, Inc. DIRECTORS Jason Cromley Hidden Creek Landscaping, Inc. Brandon Druffel Dan Druffel, Inc. Michael Hall Harrell's LLC Molly John M.J. Design Associates, Inc. Scott Knowles Wolf Creek Company Wendy Moore Davis Tree Farm & Nursery, Inc. Steve O’Neal Columbus State Community College

STAFF Ken Fisher, Executive Director Karen Lykins, Accounting Roni Petersen, Membership & Certification Alana Settle, Marketing & Communications

THE FINE PRINT The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the association, directors or staff and do not constitute an endorsement of the products or featured services. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers, or their identification as members of the ONLA does not constitute an endorsement of the products or featured services.

onla.org

CONTENTS 3

Executive Director's Message

5

President's Perspective

6

Legislative Update

FEATURE STORIES

9

What 2020 Taught Me by Marty Grunder

12

Financial Update by Mike Sullivan

13

ODA Invasive Plants Committee Update by Kyle Natorp

17

Lawns: Changing the Conversation by Bobbie Schwartz

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

11

Virtual Education Sessions Sponsorship Information

12

Ohio High School Landscape Olympics Winners

21

Classifieds, Calendar of Events

21

Advertising Index

November/December 2020

1

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11/16/18 9:32 AM

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE Ken Fisher, ONLA Executive Director, ken@onla.org

What we do together matters when it comes to growing and protecting the future of our industry in Ohio and beyond. We must continue to grow and prosper together.

For over one hundred years, the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association has been a key partner with businesses in the State to help grow and protect our industry. State Associations like ONLA are the backbone of our industry, much of the work we do is “local”, and relationships are key to our mutual success.

This is truer now than ever. Our industry is strong, growing, and essential to the economy across the State of Ohio. There continue to be challenges with labor, employee development, generational business transfer, regulations, and now safe work practices in a pandemic, but working together as an industry and an association is the best way to productively overcome these challenges.

industry and ONLA are positioned for growth and that requires the full-time attention I have been unable to provide. We have recently commenced a search and hope to fill the position in the coming months. Details can be found on our website at onla.org/execdir. I will remain in the role until a candidate has been selected and assist in the transition. The ONLA Board of Directors and staff are great stewards of the association and have been stellar partners over the past few years. I look forward to the new heights ONLA can achieve in the future.

What we do together matters when it comes to growing and protecting the future of our industry in Ohio and beyond. Your membership and participation in ONLA events will encourage others to join. I appreciate your continued support of ONLA. Help us get the word out: the industry benefits from a growing ONLA membership. B

In March of 2017, a few ONLA Board Members approached me about serving as Executive Director to provide a strategic assessment of organizational priorities and resources and to help guide the accomplishment of overall association deliverables and goals. As you probably know, I also serve as AmericanHort President and CEO, so my attention to ONLA has been split.

This has worked relatively well due to the fact that our full-time staff of Roni, Karen, and Alana along with key consultants we use to drive our events, education, and advocacy make ONLA one of the most effective State Associations in the country. You should be very proud of the effort, diligence, and stewardship this team puts into the membership and programming for ONLA. I sure am.

As our industry continues to grow and prosper ONLA’s focus on industry education and certification, advocacy, workforce development, facilitating commerce, and expanding the professional network has also grown. As I’ve reported before, the green industry in Ohio supports direct employment of nearly 100,000 jobs and direct economic output of $14.5 Billion. Only California, Florida and Texas score hirer than Ohio for industry economic impact. We are a big economic player in the state, making our association’s business and advocacy programs critical to your future growth and success.

(In 2018, it is estimated that the green industry in Ohio paid $628 Million in state taxes and $1.02 Billion in Federal taxes— we need to continue to invest to protect our industry.)

To help steward this new growth, the ONLA Board of Directors and I have identified the need for a permanent, full-time Executive Director position to continue to ensure maximum effectiveness, support, and results for ONLA members. The onla.org

Ken can be contacted at ken@onla.org

November/December 2020

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Welcome New Members!

The following companies and individuals have been approved for ONLA membership, pending the completion of the application process, which includes requesting comments from the current ONLA membership regarding the qualifications and/or dues classifications of applicants within three weeks following receipt of this issue of The Buckeye.

OHIO

The following companies are applying for ACTIVE membership:

The following individual is applying for PROFESSIONAL INDIVIDUAL membership:

Union III Outdoor Living Scott Ross 759 Deer Run Dr Marysville, OH 43040

Melville Martin – Employed

by Strader's Garden Centers, Inc.

GREEN INDUSTRY

Advocacy Day

FEBRUARY 24, 2021 Ohio Statehouse, Columbus, OH Meet with state legislators and make your voice heard on issues critical to your business.

Your participation in this grassroots effort is more important than ever before!

The State of Ohio has stretched resources in a myriad of ways and there is a good chance that some agencies will resort to raising fees. And, since 2021 is a budget year, this even is the perfect time to influence discussions.

There will be a wave of new faces in the House and Senate due to term limits and the influence of the unprecedented turn out of voters this election. It is up to us to "show up", introduce ourselves, and reinforce our support.

Learn more at onla.org/advocacyday 4 The Buckeye

onla.org

PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE Emily Showalter, Willoway Nurseries, Inc. It’s hard to believe this is my final Buckeye Article as President of the ONLA. To say, “2020 was a year that we will never forget,” is an understatement. I am humbled to have been the President of Ohio’s largest statewide Green Industry association throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic. ONLA’s staff, board, and members have adjusted to these unprecedented times in the most professional way possible while keeping our industry’s wellbeing in mind.

Thank you to Tim Clark who has (finally) completed a long Board of Directors term and a combined Executive Board term. Tim has contributed countless hours of dedication to the ONLA and our industry as a two-time board member and Past President. Thank you also to Wendy Moore from Davis Tree Farm & Nursery, and Brandon Druffel from Dan Druffel Inc. for your contributions on the board. We look forward to announcing our new Board Members in January 2021. Our 2020 board meetings were very different with all of our meetings held virtually due to the pandemic. We hope to have our final board meeting in person in November (socially distanced, of course).

The pandemic has forced the ONLA to think quite differently over the past year. One of the changes that we look forward to implementing is a new approach to our Committees and Committee meetings. A new Advisory Committee will begin taking shape in place of segmented group committees. The standing committees are welcome to continue to meet as needed throughout this transition and into the future. The vision of the Advisory Committee is a revived sounding board for the ONLA staff, board, and members and a place where we can develop a pool of potential new board members. ONLA staff will be reaching out to current committee members to gather information on interested participants for our Advisory Committee.

Another challenge and change we faced this year included creatively designing our popular Ohio High School Landscape Olympics. Our traditional location, Ohio State University’s ATI Campus in Wooster, is not hosting public events, so when Roni asked me if we would consider hosting the event at Willoway Nurseries, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. Even with a reduced number of schools able to participate and continued restrictions due to COVID-19, the event was a success and we are proud that we were able to provide this hands-on experience for students. I think it is still safe to say that the biggest issue we face in our businesses is that not enough young people (or their parents) understand that our industry provides countless career paths to consider. ONLA hit the nail on the head when they developed OHLO to help connect students to potential onla.org

employers and for students to gain hands-on experience in numerous areas of our industry. Willoway and our team were honored to host the event this year to continue the focus on succession planning efforts for the industry and our members businesses.

I wanted to close by thanking my family for exposing me to all that this wonderful industry has to offer at a very young age.

Thank you for continuing to support me and allow me to grow with the ONLA. My mother and uncle (Cathy Kowalczyk and Tom Demaline) have led by example by always volunteering on Association boards, participating in Industry Advocacy, and building relationships will all of the wonderful businesses that make up the true Green Industry. If you are reading this and have the chance to get involved, I promise you won’t regret it. And we need you because we can’t do it alone! Please reach out to any of our ONLA Staff or current board members if you would like to find out how you can become more involved in the ONLA. By the time you are reading this we have all hopefully been able to enjoy the cooler fall weather and have watched a Buckeye Football Game or two. Thank you again for this opportunity and I look forward to the time when we can all meet in person again soon! B

Emily can be contacted at eshowalter@wwninc.com November/December 2020

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LEGISLATIVE UPDATE Belinda Jones, Capitol Consulting Group.

CHANGE IN OHIO HOUSE SPEAKER No doubt you know about the summer arrest of House Speaker Larry Householder (R; Glenford), and four lobbyists who were close to and/or worked for the Speaker. The indictments centered around a $60 billion scheme affiliated with the passage of HB 6. Many refer to HB 6 as the bill that bails out the nuclear power plants owned by First Energy or First Energy Solutions.

After Householder's indictment, House majority republicans voted to replace him with Senator Bob Cupp (R; Lima). Cupp faced off with Householder's Speaker Pro Tempore Jim Butler (R; Oakwood).

You may recall that the House majority caucus was divided at the beginning of the General Assembly. Many republicans supported former House Speaker Ryan Smith (R; Bidwell); however, Householder was able to obtain the gavel with support from a good portion of the democratic caucus.

Cupp and many of his allies were supporters of Speaker Ryan Smith but Cupp has the support of Ohio Republican Party Chair Jane Timken. The vote tally between Cupp and Butler was not made public but insiders say Cupp only prevailed by one vote (again indicating a deeply fractured republican caucus). Cupp will remain Speaker until the end of the calendar year and will be up for re-election as Speaker when the 134th General Assembly is sworn in in January.

One would think that Householder's arrest would take his influence out of the picture. Not so. Although removed from the Speaker post, Householder refused to resign from his House seat. Capital Square was astonished that he attended session with his head held high. He is also up for re-election to his House seat. Indictment or not, Householder likely has his finger on the pulse of the next General Assembly as he worked hard this spring recruiting and helping House candidates that would support him. In fact, he ran "Householder picks" against other republicans that had the support of the State Republican Party. Thus, depending on how the election turns out, Speaker Cupp may not have a slam dunk on re-election as Speaker in January. One possible contender is Householder supporter and veteran lawmaker Rep. Bill Seitz (R; Cincinnati).

Speaker Bob Cupp As for Speaker Cupp, he gets an A+ for honesty, integrity and experience. Cupp grew up on his family's farm in Allen County. He earned his political science and law degrees from Ohio Northern University.

Speaker Cupp brings a wealth of experience to the gavel having served as an elected official in all three branches of government and at the local level. Cupp's resume includes: County 6  The Buckeye

Commissioner in Allen County; four term state senator; court of appeals judge; and Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court.

Speaker Cupp has the exact skill set for healing the fractured republican caucus. He is honest and measured. With humility as a hallmark, Cupp reads, studies issues, and listens! For more information about Speaker Cupp, see the following link: http:// www.ohiohouse.gov/Assets/BioPage/4.pdf Interesting fact: Assuming Speaker Cupp retains the seat of Speaker, this will be the first time in history when leaders of both chambers are from the same hometown. Undisputedly, Senator Matt Huffman will be the next Senate President (succeeding Senate President Obhof who is term limited). Both Huffman and Cupp are from Lima, Ohio.

DEWINE CRITICIZED BY THE FAR RIGHT FOR COVID RESTRICTIONS Assuming you are watching/reading any news sources, you know there is a grand continuum of opinions on pandemic restrictions. For those who are fortunate enough to not have any family members suffering with or dying from COVID-19, the opinion might be opposed to these restrictions.

Some right republicans in the House have been frustrated with how the restrictions have impacted businesses and the economy.

There have been several bills aimed at limiting the authority of the Governor and ODH Director. Lawsuits have also been filed on this subject and additionally, some conservative republicans and severe critics of the governor have actually introduced articles of impeachment. This impeachment campaign is a clear example of the level of frustration among the far-right fringe of the House republicans.

LAME DUCK PRIORITIES Among the myriad of priorities for the House and the Senate, in lame duck, we expect a focus on repealing and replacing HB 6 (the subject of the Householder indictment), the nuclear bailout bill. We understand that the House and the Senate are working cooperatively on this subject now.

For his part, a crowning theme of President Obhof has been working on decreasing regulations. Obhof has studied how Ohio compares with other states relative to regulations. His focus has been on making life easier for businesses and to provide an easier pathway and/or cutting red tape for employees entering the job market. Thus, a few bills will be on his "to do" list, including bills that address reciprocity for licensees in a variety of areas.

If these concepts are of interest to you, please contact me and I will share with you SB 246 and HB 432. onla.org

Usually lame duck is a quagmire of horse trading but the pandemic may reduce the number of days legislators can be in Columbus. Stay tuned.

ODA UPDATE The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA), along with most state agencies, have staff working remotely. ODA has days where associates are in person at ODA but the agency has frozen any off-site speaking engagements for their personnel.

One change worth noting is the move of ODA Assistant Director Tim Derickson from ODA to the Jobs Ohio program.

I am unsure of his actual title but I have been told that he will be head of agriculture issues at Jobs Ohio. This is a great opportunity for Tim and we wish him well! He has been a great friend to the green industry.

Pesticide Recertification One of the many issues affected by the COVID-19 pandemic is pesticide license recertification. On the one hand, ODA, with great resolve for the integrity of their program, has been reticent to move toward providing on-line options. However, because of social distancing requirements, ODA ultimately made the following statement: "The pesticide regulation program has just produced guidance

for requesting approval of live webinar events for pesticide recertification. This option is available for our traditional course sponsors that we’ve worked with in the past. There are some very specific requirements for attendance verification and data, but the goal is to help meet the demand created by COVID-19 cancellations and precautions while maintaining the integrity of the education programming."

Details are available here: https://agri.ohio.gov/wps/portal/ gov/oda/divisions/plant-health/pesticides/pesticide-onlinerecertification-classes! B

Belinda Jones can be contacted at bjones@capitol-consulting.net or 614.224.3855

Come Check out all the fresh Plant Material!

Check us out on the web at www.davistreefarm.com sales@davistreefarm.com onla.org

6126 Neff Rd. Valley City, OH PH: 330-483-3324 Fax: 330-483-4483 November/December 2020

7

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onla.org

WHAT 2020 TAUGHT ME Marty Grunder, Grunder Landscaping Co.

We have signs all over our office at GLC that say “No Surprises.”

To us, this is a mantra that reminds our team to communicate clearly so that we don’t come across surprises on jobsites. But this year has been full of surprises, many of them unwelcome.

As 2020 comes to a close, I can’t help but reflect back on the year that we’ve had. It would be easy to be cynical and negative as we look back on 2020, but my team and I have made an effort to stay positive.

On March 23, I was at the office with 35 parked vehicles, a warehouse full of equipment, and two other team members.

We were shut down, and our plan for the year had gone from “Let’s grow.” to “Can we break even for the year?” in a week. It took an attitude adjustment and lots of changes to finish the year stronger than we thought was possible on March 23, and while none of it has been perfect we’ve made great strides in three distinct areas of our business:

Embracing Technology Thankfully, we went live with a new industry specific software, Aspire, in January. It enabled our team to work remotely, which would not have been possible with the paper systems we were using previously. Allowing our team to communicate using technology means that our sales and administration team can sell work, schedule work, and create detailed work orders from any location. Our production team can get their marching orders without coming inside the office, and our team is able to stay in contact without as many face-to-face meetings.

While this change was already planned for this year, the pandemic accelerated adoption of it internally. We couldn’t rely on our old system as a crutch because no one was in the office to manage the paperwork, and the whole team quickly got on board with the new system. Now that we have Aspire fully operational, it’s amazing the extra productive time our team gets in a day, too.

normal work. I've been impressed by the patience my team has had with each other, and the empathy they’ve shown through the past few months. The pandemic has caused some of our attitudes to shift, and we’re working better as a team as a result.

Landscaping is Essential There was doubt earlier this year if landscaping was an essential service. It’s clear now that we are: we clean the air, keep properties sanitary and safe, and create spaces where our clients can find joy, peace, and relaxation. These services are essential for our communities. There is high demand for landscaping, garden centers, and nurseries. I see a strong year ahead for us next year, and the anxiety I had earlier in the year has passed. We're able to safely do our work, and we’ll continue providing people with beautiful spaces they can use while social distancing outside.

We’ve embraced this year as a challenge and have committed to making the most of the opportunities we do have rather than dwelling on what we’re missing out on. Positive attitudes got us through these challenges and will get us through whatever comes next. If you’ve been feeling down, try to look for the silver linings. We’re well prepared for any new challenge that 2021 brings if we can stay positive.

Since my team reads this column, please allow me to indulge myself and thank them all publicly. Thank you, Team Grunder, your hard work and positive attitude is seen and appreciated.

Your dedication to each other, our clients, and the pride you take in our work inspires me every day. Each of you has been instrumental to our success this year. B

Empathy Sometimes it’s hard to see issues from other perspectives but solving problems in our business requires us to. My team at GLC is talented, and they often make their work look easy.

When our crews were able to get back to work we had quite a bit to catch up on, and I did one of our mowing jobs myself so that the mow crew could get some time off. Being in Steven’s shoes for the morning made me realize how hard it was to match the quality of work that his crew does. Their lines are artwork, and mine were not up to par.

We’ve had to work as a team to get all the work done this year, and I’m not the only one who did some tasks outside of my onla.org

Contact Marty at marty.grunder@ grunderlandscaping.com November/December 2020

9

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JANUARY 20 & 21, 2021 ONLINE AT ONLA.ORG!

Virtual

EDUCATION SESSIONS

Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association’s signature education is going virtual in 2021. Two full days of live education sessions covering a wide array of green industry topics will be offered in an online, live webinar format.

CEUs will be offered, including OCNT, ISA and more.

Learn more at onla.org

SPONSOR SH IP OPP O R TUN I TI E S • • •

Company logo or name on all emails, ads, mailings, etc. promoting the event

• •

Verbal recognition during opening session remarks

Logo on event webpage(s) and contact information on online sponsor directory Recognition on ONLA’s social media with links to company profile, website, images/video/ branded content provided by company Access to attendee mailing address list after the event

PRESENTING SPONSOR • $2,000 SOLD OUT In addition to the above:

• • • •

Welcome all attendees with live video remarks during opening general session on both days Complimentary full page ad in Jan/Feb Buckeye Additional digital logo placements throughout the virtual event Company pass for five employees to attend the event ($599 Value)

SUPPORTING • $750 In addition to the above:

•

Live video remarks, or provide a branded slide and remarks for moderator to read, during one session of your choice

• •

Logo placement on one session welcome screen Two tickets to attend the event on both days ($350 Value)

ADDITIONAL, OPTIONAL MARKETING PERKS:

•

Digital “Swag Bag”: Provide a coupon code, link to a free trial, or other discounts or freebies for attendees. Information will be emailed to attendees the day of the event.

•

Produce your own pre-recorded video content, e.g. product demos, a facility tour, or a welcome message for attendees. Links to videos will be available on the event website.

Interested? Visit onla.org or email roni@onla.org for more information. onla.org

November/December 2020

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ONLA Service Providers

WEALTH COACH FINANCIAL WINTER UPDATE 2020—what a wild ride! Now let’s look toward 2021 and make sure we are ready for it …

technologies that educate, communicate, and reduce both plan costs and Trustee liability.

We work with many industries and we have seen across our client companies varying degrees of reality-doses that gripped some with deep concern about whether they would even be able to remain in business. Others thrived.

In a prior article, I shared two quotes from ONLA colleagues: “Look … I plant trees, take care of this stuff please," and “This ‘benefit plan’ liability is the stuff that keeps me up at night”.

In speaking with many of you, 2020 ended up being a good year for the business as confined homeowners focused on property improvements and construction. You not only delivered your trade in fine fashion (as usual) but helped your communities in need (therapists of sorts) as people sought out activities that were both productive and stress-reducing! So, congratulations on navigating a wild business environment and making a difference.

2020 also showed us all quite clearly that our economy is fully dependent on the Federal Reserve and its zero percent interest rates and perpetual money printing agenda. Stock markets and housing markets were saved by not only the low interest rates, but by direct infusions financed by another $5 Trillion in new money created out of thin air. The questions are: Is this sustainable and if not, what are the ultimate consequences and when might that time arrive?

Here we suggest a thoughtful and deliberate approach to investing your money. Many of our clients have voiced a level of concern on paths forward and the potential impact on their retirement nest egg. If you are in that camp - here are some thoughts: For those of you who sponsor retirement plans, this time of year when the seasons turn and we roll into year-end presents a perfect time to reflect on your offering of that benefit to your employees ... and the liability it presents to you as plan trustees.

Solutions and services exist that take care of those worries.

We suggest you ensure your current provider delivers them.

For businesses that do not need the cost and complexity of a 401k plan, a SIMPLE or SEP IRA may make more sense, and those types of plans can reduce your administrative costs, complexity and visibility. To compare your existing plan to your current plan’s design and competitiveness we offer nocost consultations to all ONLA members.

For individual investors, key check-list questions should include: • • • •

How flexible are my investments to navigate through periods of uncertainty vs. the “Set it and forget it” mindset?

Is my investment strategy helping me accomplish my goals?

Am I taking too much risk … or not enough … given my objectives and time horizons?

Am I actively engaged, or letting it ride with the expectation it will constantly be ‘saved’ by the Fed?

It is a perfect time to dust off your old account statements and prepare for 2021 and beyond. You will be happy that you took the time to do so!

If we can be of any help to you as you continue to focus on your businesses during these wild times, reach out to us at (614) 734-WLTH (9584). We understand your industry, your challenges, and the marketplace and would be glad to help. B

In general, Trustees should look to offer plans that offer: • Accessible, meaningful communication, education and service during volatile times • Solid, cost-competitive investment offerings that align with industry measures • Professional account management for employees who do not actively manage their investment strategy • Effective online features, including not only account access and management, but retirement planning tools • Liability reduction for Trustees!

Properly designed plans deliver all of the above features in a friendly, well-serviced, hands-on manner that utilizes current 12 The Buckeye

Contact Mike Sullivan at mikes@wealthcoachfinancial.com onla.org

ODA INVASIVE PLANTS UPDATE Kyle Natorp, Natorp's Inc. Lythrum salicaria, purple loosestrife, is invasive in Ohio

As ONLA’s representative on the ODA Invasive Plants Advisory Committee below is an update on the committee’s proceedings.

In January, 2018, the Ohio Department of Agriculture established new rules prohibiting the sale and distribution of invasive plants in the state of Ohio. Further, as directed in chapter 901:5-30 of the Ohio revised code, the rules establish a committee designed to advise ODA on matters regarding invasive plants.

The committee has met a total of four times beginning in May of 2018. In the initial meeting, several grammatical and nomenclature changes were recommended by the committee to the original rule. The committee recommended that Japanese Knotweed be added as well. To date, the rule has not gone through the rule making process and therefore nothing has changed. It is expected that these changes to the rule will become effective sometime next spring assuming they all make it through the rule changing process.

In addition, the Ohio Invasive Plant Council has also submitted a list of species they would like added to the invasive plant list based on the results of OIPC's Plant Assessment Protocol.

Several of these, if deemed illegal to sell, would be problematic to the nursery industry, including Berberis thunbergii (Japanese Barberry), Euonymus fortune (Wintercreeper), and Miscanthus sinensis (Chinese Silvergrass).

The rule allows for the exemption of specific cultivars and the committee has discussed how to handle this but has not come to a consensus as to the process. Currently, there is little research that is addressing specific cultivars versus species that the committee could use to support specific exemptions. I see this as critical in protecting the industry as we move forward.

Over the next few years, there will be continued pressure to add species to the ODA invasive plant list that are more important to the nursery industry. B

Since this initial meeting, the committee voted to recommend adding the following species to the ODA invasive species list: Ulmus pumila (Siberian elm), Ligustrum vulgare (Common privet), Persicaria perfoliate (Mile-a-minute), Ampelopsis brevipedunculata (Porcelainberry), Morus alba (White mulberry), Paulownia tomentosa (Princess tree), and Phalaris arundinacea (Canary reed grass). These additions would be recommended as a rule change late next year and, if approved, would not make it into the ODA invasive species list until sometime in 2022 or beyond.

The ODA Invasive Plants Advisory Committee had its most recent meeting on Thursday, October 8. The committee chose not to discuss any additions to the list so as not to delay the rule changes already recommended.

onla.org

Contact Kyle at kylenatorp@natorp.com

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ONLA HOSTS 5TH ANNUAL OHIO HIGH SCHOOL LANDSCAPE OLYMPICS ONLA welcomed 77 high school students from four schools across Ohio for the fifth annual Ohio High School Landscape Olympics (OHLO) on October 15 at Willoway Nurseries, Inc. in Avon, OH. OHLO is an educational competition where students can test their landscaping skills, meet sponsoring companies, and learn more about a career in the green industry.

Several modifications were made to this year's event to keep students and sponsoring companies safe, including hosting some events virtually. An additional four schools competed in the virtual competitions.

This event would not be possible without the support of the many green industry businesses listed on the following page.

14  The Buckeye

Champion Team: Jackson High School Second Place Team: Knox County Career Center Third Place Team: Upper Valley Career Center Top Scoring Individuals 1. Christian Au, Ohio Hi-Point 2. Andy Young, Jackson High School 3. (Tie) Wyatt Strong, Knox County Career Center 3. (Tie) Max Riesenbeck, Upper Valley Career Center 4. Charley Fox, Jackson High School

onla.org

Compact Excavator 1. Ethan Wernecke, Jackson High School 2. Nathan Barwell, Knox County Career Center 3. Max Riesenbeck, Upper Valley Cost Estimating 1. Christian Au, Hi-Point 2. Scarlet Wagner, Buckeye Career Center 3. Josh Slack, Delaware Area Career Center Hardscape 1. Riesenbeck & Cremeans, Upper Valley 2. Young & Young, Jackson High School 3. Strong & Brady, Knox County Career Center

Plant ID 1. Mossor Summer, Jackson High School 2.(TIE) Pearce Madison, A-Tech 2.(TIE) Hall Austin, A-Tech 2.(TIE) Lare Haylee, Jackson High School Plant Installation 1. Jackson High School 2. Upper Valley 3. Knox County Career Center

Irrigation 1. Green & Hach, Jackson High School 2. Strong & Davis, Knox County Career Center 3. Walker & Young, Upper Valley Knot Tying 1. Jackson High School 2. Hi-Point 3. Upper Valley Low-Voltage Lighting 1. Colton Love, Knox County Career Center 2. Matt Orndorf, Jackson High School 3. Jermiah Davis, A-Tech Landscape Maintenance 1. Wernecke & Young, Jackson High School 2. Tucker & Keeling, Knox County Career Center 3. Lowery & Johnson, A-Tech

onla.org

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Sales Presentation 1. Charley Fox, Jackson High School 2. Christian Au, Hi-Point 3. Emily Murton, A-Tech

Truck & Trailer 1. Traganza & Waltenbaugh, Jackson High School 2. Cremeans & Riesenbeck, Upper Valley 3. Parker & Barwell, Knox County Career Center

Skid Steer 1. Andy Young, Jackson High School 2. Max Riesenbeck, Upper Valley 3. Tabby Lowery, A-Tech

Turfgrass 1. Knox County Career Center 2. Hi-Point 3. Jackson High School

Thank You, Sponsors!

THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS!

2020

16  The Buckeye

onla.org

LAWNS

Changing the Conversation

By Bobbie Schwartz, FAPLD

In previous articles, I’ve asked the question of how much lawn we really need. Then, just recently, while participating in the APLD virtual conference, the issues of climate change and sustainability were discussed repeatedly. One of the lecturers wanted to know if our clients were raising the question of lawn or whether it was an issue that we, as designers, were discussing.

It’s not a question of all or nothing. We, as landscape designers and members of the green industry, see that plants are blooming earlier and that plants are being stressed by weather extremes.

Therefore, I believe that it is incumbent upon us to counter these stresses by educating our clientele and incorporating changes into our designs that will help the environment. We know that lawns don’t need to be “perfect” but we need to try to persuade our clients that there is a different type of beauty that includes clover and other broadleaf plants in the lawn. If we

are eminently successful, we may get them to eliminate lawn altogether.

I’d like to share the designs for five clients that delineate the gamut of doing away with all the lawn to only partial replacement. In some instances, it had never occurred to the clients that some or all of the lawn could be used for other purposes but they were not difficult to persuade once they understood the possibilities.

As you will see, there are many variations of lawn usage in these examples. Please use these examples to persuade your clients that they really don’t need so much lawn.

Bobbie may be contacted at bobbie@bgthumb.com. Photos courtesy of Bobbie Schwartz.

Let’s start with partial replacement. The first client’s directive was to take as much lawn as I needed since the ultimate objective was to pull the eye away from an ugly house. (This was a client ahead of her time, i.e. 1989). As you will be able to see from the before and after photos, I took about 3/5 of the lawn. The client is still in her house and the bed lines remain the same although, naturally, we have tweaked the design since then.

This is the front of the house as I initially saw it. onla.org

The flow of the bed lines pulls the viewer’s eyes into the beds and hides a great part of the house.

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The second client is an avid gardener who wanted more gardening space, focal points, a place for snow abutting the driveway, and privacy from her neighbor, the back property line being defined by a chain link fence. She already had a curvilinear patio and garden beds that were also somewhat curvilinear. My solution was to shrink the lawn into an hourglass shape and edge the beds with pavers to define the bed lines while keeping grass out. On the driveway edge, we created a paver space for the snow, using pavers that came as close as possible to the colors used in the patio pavers.

Before: The flags delineate where the new bed lines and snow pile space will be.

After: The paver outline of the hourglass lawn is partially obscured by the plantings. New plantings to follow.

The third client wanted to enlarge the entertaining space in the back yard. She had an existing deck that was too small. I suggested that the solution was replacing all of the lawn and creating another level for entertaining with a crazy-quilt stone patio and deeper landscape beds that could be layered with plants that would engender four season interest.

Before: The existing deck looks over lawn toward uninteresting landscape beds.

18  The Buckeye

After: The client has been thrilled with the extended entertaining space as well as the diversity of plant material: perennials, grasses, flowering shrubs, and trees in the landscape beds. There is only one step down from the existing deck to the new patio. onla.org

The fourth client is one who had a very shady front yard and was tired of fighting to grow grass there. I’ll never forget his question: “Can’t we get rid of the grass and grow something there that likes shade?” As we all know, there are many plants that love shade. Thus, we removed all of the turf but kept the existing beds of Pachysandra that surrounded the old trees. We relaid the sidewalk and edged the new beds with irregular stone. We planted spring-blooming bulbs such as Narcissus and tulips (this was in the 1990’s before deer infested our suburb), spring-blooming perennials such as Brunnera and Pulmonaria and the spring-blooming shrub Kerria japonica on the edge where there was a bit of sun. We also added ferns and several other shade loving plants. Five years later, just when the front yard was looking its best, the client moved to Chicago. Sadly, the new owner dug it all up and planted GRASS that has always looked terrible.

A newly planted, shady front yard with Narcissus and Brunnera.

A newly planted, shady front yard with Kerria and tulips.

The last client is one who declared that she wanted a very low-maintenance landscape and that meant no grass and no irrigation.

This was my first xeriscape design and it has lived up to my expectations. After removing all of the lawn (such as it was), we amended the soil to provide excellent drainage. The former concrete sidewalk was replaced with an irregular stone path set into gravel for permeability. All the plants I used in the design are ones that can be found anywhere in Ohio, e.g., Forsythia, Spiraea, Ilex crenata, ornamental grasses, Sedum, Perovskia, and Amsonia hubrichtii.B

Before: A charmless landscape that obscures the view from the house.

onla.org

After: Helictotrichon, Pennisetum, Perovskia and Panicum in bloom in September

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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

UPCOMING EVENTS

Ads listed here were current as of press time. For details, or to place a classified ad, visit onla.org/ careers

Subject to change. Visit onla.org/events for more information. O designates qualifying OCNT recertification events.

Landscape Foreman Plain City, Ohio MJ Design Associates

ONLA Virtual Education Sessions O January 20 & 21, 2021 onla.org/virtualedu

Assistant Director, Landscape Services The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio

Ohio Green Industry Advocacy Day February 24, 2021 Columbus, Ohio onla.org/advocacyday

PREFERRED SERVICE PROVIDERS An exclusive member benefit! ONLA members are entitled to the following services designed to reduce company expenses while addressing the specific needs of green industry businesses. The providers below were chosen by ONLA, and many offer discounts to ONLA members.

Energy Program: Growers Energy Solutions (GES) Safety Services: American Safety & Joe Perlaky, perlaky@bex.net Health Management Consultants, Inc. Gary Hanson, ashmci@aol.com Fuel/Fleet Program: SuperFleet Soil & Plant Tissue Testing/ Holden Moll holden.moll@fleetcor Ag Hort. Consulting Services: Spectrum Analytic (formerly CLC LABS) Health/Life/Income Insurance: TAH Benefits Mike Hall, Mike@spectrumanalytic.com, Jay Hazelbaker, info@tahbenefits.com 800-321-1562, spectrumanalytic.com IT: Streamliner Solutions Group Wealth Coach Financial Services Lora Gray, lora.gray@ssghris.com Mike Sullivan, Mikes@wealthcoachfinancial.com Legislative Advocacy: Belinda Jones Workers' Compensation: CareWorksComp Belinda Jones, bjones@capitol-consulting.net, 614.224.3855 Cordell Walton cordell.walton@careworkscomp.com Property/Casualty Insurance: SeibertKeck Questions? Call 614.899.1195 or email roni@onla.org Marc McTeague, mmcteague@seibertkeck.com

20 The Buckeye

onla.org

ADVERTISER INDEX Artform Nurseries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 artformnurseries.com Buckeye Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 buckeyeresources.com Cascade Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 cascadelighting.com Davis Tree Farm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 davistreefarm.com Ernst Seeds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 ernstseed.com Fairview Evergreen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 fairviewevergreen.com Green Velvet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 greenvelvet.com Millcreek Gardens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 millcreekplants.com Murphy Tractor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 murphytractor.com Spring Meadow Nursery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC colorchoiceplants.com

Ad Rates & Info 15 6 5 6 c h i l l i c o t h e r o a d chagrin falls | OH | 44022

Contact Alana Settle, alana@onla.org, 614.899.1195

( 4 4 0 ) 3 3 8 - 8 10 0 a r t fo r m n u r s e r i e s .c o m onla.org

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Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association 72 Dorchester Square Westerville, OH 43081-3350 Address Service Requested

SAVE THE DATE!

Virtual

EDUCATION SESSIONS

Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association’s signature green industry education is going virtual in 2021. Two full days of live education sessions covering a wide array of green industry topics will be offered in an online, live webinar format.

CEUs will be offered, including OCNT, ODA, ISA and more.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

January 20 & 21, 2021

onla.org/VirtualEDU

Katie Dubow,

Marty Grunder

Garden Media Group

Grunder Landscaping Co.