pro grow news Plants with Purpose Water-Wise Landscapes Down to Earth 2022
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pro grow news Fall 2022 6 President’s Message 10 Committee Reports 34 Can You Love Your Job? 38 Safety Sense 40 Business Minute — Suffering from Service Fatigue 46 Plant for Success On the cover — A fall sunset reflects on a still pond. 8 Down to Earth 2022 12 Celebrating Plant Geek Day 14 Plants with Purpose 18 Water-Wise Landscapes Departments contents Features Fall|2022 3|
Tel: (781) 826-0004
HORTICULTURISTCERTIFIEDBOARD(MCH)
FINANCIAL COMMITTEE (FINCOM)
|4pro grow news Fall 2022
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS COMMITTEE
HISTORY COMMITTEE
PUBLICATIONS: Editor in Chief: Rena Sumner Advisors: Ron Kujawski, Rick Reuland, Trevor Smith, Beverly Sturtevant EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Rena M. Sumner Tel: (413) 369-4731
DIRECTORS Deborah Trickett, MCH The Captured Garden Steve Charette Farm Family Insurance Family Justin Mortensen Farm Credit East Patrick Mahoney’sParentGarden Centers David Anderson Mayer Tree Service board committees pro grow news
Philip Boucher, MCH — Chair Elysian Garden Designs Tel: (508) 695-9630
Skott Rebello, MCH — Vice Chair Harborside P.S. Tel: (508) 994-9208
EDUCATION & RESEARCH COMMITTEE
PRESIDENT Chris O’Brien, MCH Howard Designs, Inc. Tel: (617) 244-7269
ProGrowNews is published quarterly by the Massachusetts Nursery & Landscape Association (MNLA), P.O. Box 387, Conway, MA 01341, tel. (413) 369-4731. Articles do not necessarily reflect the view or position of MNLA. Editorial cover age or permission to advertise does not constitute endorsement of the company covered or of an advertiser’s products or services, nor does ProGrowNews make any claims or guarantees as to the accuracy or validity of the advertiser’s offer. (c) 2014 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in print or electronically without the express written permission of the MNLA. Massachusetts Nursery & Landscape Association P.O. Box 387 Conway, MA www.mnlafoundation.orgwww.PlantSomethingMA.orgwww.mnla.commnlaoffice@aol.com01341 www.mnla.com pro|grow|news
Deborah Trickett, MCH — Board Liaison
Chuck Baker, MCH — Vice Chair Strictly Pruning Tel: (508) 429-7189
Corinne Jean, MCH — Chair Wisteria & Rose (617) Advisor:522-3843JackElicone, MCH John R. Elicone Consulting
Tim Hay, MCH Bigelow Nurseries, Inc. Tel: (508) 845-2143
Peter Mezitt, MCH — Chair Weston Nurseries, Inc.
Tel: (508) 435-3414
The Captured Gardens (781) 329-9698
SECRETARY/TREASURER
David Vetelino, MCH Vetelino Lanscape Inc.
PAST PRESIDENT Peter Mezitt, MCH Weston Nurseries, Inc. Tel: (508) 435-3414
MASSACHUSETTS
PRODUCTS COMMITTEE
Steve Corrigan, MCH — Chair Mountain View Landscapes & Lawncare, Inc. Tel: (413) 536-7555
VICE PRESIDENT Kerry Preston, MCH Wisteria & Rose, Inc. (617) 522-3843
5|Fall|2022 ! “Come grow with us” Where experienced agents make all the difference. Tw o convenient locations: A&B Insurance Group, LLC 235 Littleton Rd, Unit 3 Westford, MA 01886 Wendy M. Ashe, AFIS Richard Bourgault, AFIS wwwSouth237CJohn978-399-0025Oakes,AFISGreenfieldRoadDeerfield,MA01342413-665-0088.abinsgroup.com A&B Insurance is the exclusive insurance provider for Mass Farm Bureau
Start Line Brewing | Hopkinton, MA
This summer has also renewed the industry’s work to identify and implement methods to efficiently get moisture to plants in the landscape. There are still too many water departments that use in the term “nonessential” in conjunction with “outdoor water use,” which suggests that all water use outdoors could be banned with little economic impact.
Cooler Temps and Legislative Work Welcome Fall
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Phone: (413) 369-4731
Wednesday, September 28, 2022 | 4:00pm
Chris O’Brien, MCH Howard Garden Designs MNLA President By Chris O’Brien, MCH As the last days of summer run out, it’s time to assess where the horticultural industry has been so far this year and plan for the uptick in activity as good planting weather returns. The prolonged heat and extensive dryness of the last few months certainly has been hard on plants as well as personnel. We all look forward to cooler temperatures and more reliable rainfall.
President’s Message
More work is ahead for MNLA, in cooperation with the Irrigation Association and other trade organizations, to demonstrate the high-efficiency irrigation equipment that is available to help address water conservation issues. We have worked successfully in the past with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to develop guidelines and educational materials for local water departments on the irrigation issue. It’s time to renew that connection.
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Contact: Rena Sumner mnlaoffice@aol.com
MembersEnjoy
Planting work will pick up as the fall temperatures abate from the summer highs. With elections coming up, our organization will begin planning MNLA’s agenda for the next legislative session. This is an excellent opportunity to participate in our program as well as to develop a better understanding of how government policies are made. Time commitment should be minimal, but getting the widest possible input regarding the issues affecting your businesses will make MNLA more effective in the legislative arena.Legislation not your interest? There are other ways to meet colleagues and help develop MNLA programs. We are always ready to accept help in the areas of membership development, educational programming, horticultural certification, products, and history. If you have an interest, contact Rena at the MNLA office or speak with a board member at MNLA Live. As the hours of labor increase, don’t forget to take an occasional break. An excellent opportunity for a little relaxation with colleagues will take place on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 28th as MNLA hosts MNLA Live! Take off a few hours early that day to recharge and reconnect at the Start Line Brewery in Hopkinton. You will not want to miss it. To register or get more information, go to www.mnla.com.
Fall|2022 7| The Be oducts 40 Frankland Road, Hopkinton 3 River Street, Middleborough 160 Pine Hill Road, Chelmsford 1099 Main Street, Hingham commsales@westonnurseries.com westonwholesale.com (508) 293 8028 (508) 946-1505 (978) 349-0055 (781) 749 3773
MNLA
Weston Nurseries Wholesale played host to just shy of 500 nursery and landscape professionals at the MNLA Down to Earth Summer Conference & Trade Show on July 14th. It was a year of NEW things… Starting with our inaugural Battle of the Container Gardens sponsored by Bloomin’ Easy where 34 container garden designers displayed theirFirstbest.place went to Susan Nock of Thistle Container; 2nd Rosie Finn, Garden Designs by Rosie Tayler Finn; 3rd Sarah McNiff, Lynch Landscape; 4th Shawnn Huard, Ah
Weston Nurseries Hosts Down to Earth 2022 Summer Conference
Down to Earth Sponsorsronian Landscape & Design; 5th Gabriel Mascarenhas, A Bonadio & Sons; 6th Olivia Santamaria, Terrascapes, Inc. Also NEW for 2022 was the MNLA Foundation’s dunk tank sponsored by Stucchi Landscape & Design, Hollis ton, Massachusetts, where dunking a colleague contributed more than $500 towards the scholarship program. And last but certainly not least was a plethora of food options in our food truck alley.Special thanks go to our host Weston Nurseries’ team of wonderful profession als who made our day extra special and to all our vendors, sponsors, and educators who made our day possible! Save the date, July 27, 2023, for next year’s Down to Earth Summer Confer ence and Trade Show.
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by Rena Sumner
9|Fall|2022
There will be a chance to meet and greet our new government relations director.
Election Year Requires MNLA Involvement
• As we have all lived and worked through this season’s drought, many members have faced water restrictions. With the Massachusetts DEP’s continued updates on drought declarations for the state, we have had to deal with even stricter local regulations. If you have had problems with local municipalities, please let us know.
MNLA has had good luck dealing with these issues in the past. With changes in the governor’s office, there will surely be changes in all the regulatory departments. MNLA enjoys a good relationship with many of the departments in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Even if leadership changes, we have great working relationships with the staff in these agencies. These will be key to keeping the new administration informed of our needs and concerns. Let us hope for a smooth transition to the next administration.
• The Massachusetts Glyphosate Commission has started its review process, and that will require a watchful eye to see where it will go.
MNLA will award the Henry S. Gillet Environmental Leadership Award at MNLA Live! I won’t give away too much detail as to this year’s winner, but it is a very deserving individual who has championed the green industry for decades. I look forward to seeing you all in Hopkinton on September 28th. Remember, this an election year and we need to make our voices heard. Please look over the candidates and make an informed decision at the polls.Tim Hay, MCH Bigelow Nurseries, Inc.
Committee Reports
Tree Planting for Representative Fernandes 2013 MembersEnjoy Wednesday, September 28, 2022 | 4:00pm Start Line Brewing | Hopkinton, MA Contact: Rena Sumner mnlaoffice@aol.com Phone: (413) 369-4731
Government Relations Update
• The Board of Building Regulations is reviewing the codes regarding indoor agriculture and greenhouses. It is something that will require MNLA and our partner organizations to watch.
Be at MNLA LIVE!
The MNLA Board of Directors has hired Jon Fernandes. Some of you might know Jon as he comes with state house experience — he served the 10th Worcester District as state representative for five terms. Since leaving the legislature, he has served as a government relations and public policy consultant for several organizations. With a new administration, as well as new members in the legislature, it will be good to have Jon there to help guide the Government Relations Committee.Thisbegins an election year, and the state house has been getting ready for the election cycle. Many bills were left on the table, as more last-minute work was needed to finish the MNLAbudget.hasbeen keeping track of several regulatory issues.
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We were fortunate to have unbelievably knowl edgeable and enthusiastic tour guides proudly teach ing us the Blithewold Estate’s rich history, which brought a new level of appreciation to all. We announced and welcomed new MCHs and had a Plant ID Challenge that added a bit of friendly competition to the day. The top-nine scorers were awarded excellent prizes ranging from lavender to Felco pruners. It certainly was a very much needed day away from the everyday grind. A day filled with plants, colleagues, learning, exploration, and more plants! It is safe to say we are all looking forward to the next one, so mark your calendars now for August 23, 2023, for a walk on the wild side with Plant Geeks!
Dan Bouchard, MCH, one of nine winners of the Plant I.D. quiz, looks over the selection of prizes generously donated by Weston Nurseries, Tranquil Lake Nursery, Hartney Greymont, and Sylvan Nursery. Special thanks to the Landscape Collaborative & Bartlett Tree Experts for their
pro|grow|news|12 MCH
• Blithewold and all the staff for their warm welcome: Fred Perry, director of horticulture; staff horticulturists Betsy Ekholm and Gail Read, our mansion tour coordinator Connie Ganley, and Kelly Perry, MCH, of Swan Point Cemetery.
Bumblebeesponsorships.inAnemone
www.mnla.com Plant Geek Day
• Last but not least, our sponsors: Bartlett Tree Experts and Landscape Collaborative for your generous support of the day.
Amanda Bigelow, MCH Bigelow Nurseries MCH Board
It was a calm, bright sunny day spent touring 33 acres of diverse gardens, pathways, specimen trees, stone structures, and a 45-room English style manor. Blithewold is home to an exquisite blend of historic and contemporary gardening as well as architecture overlooking beautiful Narragansett Bay. This is what Plant Geek Day 2022 looked like at Blithewold Mansion, Gardens, and Arboretum in Bristol, Rhode Island, on August 24th. With more than 145 nursery and landscape pro fessionals attending, we all noticed the spectacular mansion, but let us be honest, to all of us plant geeks, what truly took our breath away were the grounds!
By Amanda Bigelow, MCH
Celebrating Plant Geeks Winner, Winner!
tomentosa ‘Robustissima’
Special recognition and thank-you to our sponsors and educators who made our day extra special:
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Blithewold
The breakfast porch was originally an open porch that became an informal dining room boasting a fountain. This delightful sunny place surrounded by windows was the perfect location for potted plants, palms, and ivy.
View of Mansion from The Great Lawn Looking Out to Narragansett Bay View of Blithewold Mansion from The North Garden
Aronoia arbutifolia, red chokeberry, and A. melanocarpa, black chokeberry — pollinator friendly, wildlife, wet areas, native Both species of chokeberry have clusters of white to lightpink flowers in the spring. As the common names imply, A. arbutifolia has glossy red fruit and A. melanocarpa has black fruit. Fruits ripen in late summer and persist into winter. Red chokeberry has brilliant red fall foliage than can rival that of burning bush while black chokeberry is red mixed with purple. Although technically edible, berries are quite astringent and aren’t even very tempting to wildlife until winter when not much else is available. Flowers of both species are attractive to pollinators. Both species are also excellent choices for wet areas and rain gardens.
Amelanchier spp., serviceberry — pollinator friendly, native,Althoughwildlifenot long-lasting, serviceberry has attractive small white flowers in early spring before foliage emerges. Foliage is dark green through summer and an attractive mix of red and orange in autumn. The fruit is an edible berry that ripens in June (providing another common name, Juneberry), and ripens from red to purple-black. These berries can be used to make jams and jellies but are also a great source of food for
Plants with Purpose
all think of our favorite one-hit-wonder, that band that had the one amazing song then you never hear about them again. Then there are the groups that put out hit after hit, garner ing attention time and again. The world of plants is similar. Some species are our one-hit-wonders serving a single main purpose and doing it well. Thuga spp. as an evergreen screen, Syringa vulgaris or Kolkwitzia amabilis for their spring flowers come to mind. Then there are the plants that offer something new every season like Viburnum spp. with their spring flowers, quality summer foliage, and colorful ber ries (and some with good fall color). But beyond ornamental features, some species offer additional benefits such as sup porting pollinators, providing edible fruits, and aiding in water management.
WBayerecan
www.mnla.com pro|grow|news|14 Plants Worth Your Interest by Mandy
Vaccinium corymbosum, highbush blueberry — Edible fruit, pollinator friendly, wildlife, wet areas, native Ornamental features of highbush blueberry include ter minal clusters of white, pendulous urn-shaped flowers in the spring, blue berries in the summer, and a colorful mix of red, yellow, orange, and purple fall color. Beyond the beauty, ber ries are eaten by birds, bear, small mammals, and humans. Twigs and foliage are eaten by deer and rabbits. Flowers are attractive to bees and butterflies. Native to bogs, swamps, and low areas in the eastern US, Vaccinium corymbosum is also a good choice for wet areas and rain gardens.
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Clethera alnifolia blooms in late summer when not many other shrubs are in bloom. Flowers are fragrant, upright, white panicles that are very attractive to butterflies and bees. Fall color is shades of yellow. Clethera can tolerate and still bloom in heavy shade. It is another good choice for wet areas and rain gardens.
|16 www.mnla.com pro|grow|news birds. Serviceberry is an early-season pollinator plant and host plant for many butterflies and moths. The various species of Amelanchier are similar in ornamental features but slightly different in habit and size.
Commonly planted for its drooping racemes of fragrant white flowers in late spring to early summer. Itea also has attractive green summer foliage and long-lasting fall color in shades of red, orange, and gold making it another good choice as an alternative to the invasive burning bush. Flowers are attractive to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, and its dense habit provides protection and habitat for wildlife. As the common name implies, it is native to the mid-Atlantic and southern US. It is adaptable to sun and shade and good for wet areas and rain gardens.
Buttonbush has unique, spherical flower heads composed of tiny tubular five-lobed fragrant white flowers. Flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators. Flowers give way to a round fruit that is red turning brown and has multiple nutlets. Fruits persist into winter and can be consumed by birds. Excellent choice for wet areas and rain gardens.
Clethera alnifolia, sweet pepperbush — native, pollinator friendly, shade tolerant, wet areas
Cephalanthus occidentalis, buttonbush — pollinator friendly, wet areas, native, birds
Itea virginica, Virgnia sweetspire — pollinator friendly, wet areas, shade tolerant
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Sambucus canadensis, Clethera alnifolia, Itea virginica, Aronia spp., and Cephalanthus occidentalis are all colonizing in nature and can also be useful for erosion control.
Although there will always likely be a place for at least a few one-hit-wonders in the landscape the move towards more sustainable landscapes, that support the environment encour ages us to find plants that not only offer ornamental appeal but also environmental benefit. We are lucky that there are a number of amazing plants that fill both roles.
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Sambucus canadensis (or S. nigra var. canadensis), elderberry — edible fruit (not when fresh), pollinator friendly, wetAnotherareas species popular for its fruit is elderberry. Flattopped clusters of tiny white flowers emerge in June and give way to clusters of black drupes in late summer. Fruits are attractive to wildlife and can be used to make jams, jellies, and for pie. Leaves are pinnately compound with 5-11 leaflets giv ing a lacey appearance. Elderberry is another good choice for wet areas and rain gardens.
Mandy Bayer, PhD, is Extension Assistant Professor of Sustainable Landscape Horticulture at University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Irrigation and watering instructions seem to be all that is talk ed about and my “Ask the Expert” inbox and Zoom classes are full with pleas for help and advice.
If the past two years has taught us anything, it’s that weather patterns are becoming more unpredict able and we need to be prepared. What does that look like when the weather and immediate climate conditions are out of our control? Creating climateresilient landscapes is the answer.
Water-Wise Landscapes
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Let’s look at this from the top down. Site Analysis Take a good look at the light and soil conditions. During my talk at D2E, I mentioned the app Sunseeker. This gives me a good idea for how the sun moves across the property. I also look to see how compacted the soil is and its general make up. You do not need a soil test to discern whether the soil is sand or clay, min eral based or with some organic mat ter. I also look for clues of how water moves on the property. Is there ero sion either from storms, downspouts, sprinklers, or slope?
Intelligent Irrigation
Right Plant, Right Place
For an industry whose existence is based on water and its availability, many (not all) irrigation companies or divisions are not at all focused on water conservation, plant needs, or site analysis. At the very least, any new irrigation system should be water efficient; Hydrawise was the system I men tioned in the D2E talk. At a minimum, you should include weather monitors to control the system during rain and wind events. A consumption moni tor to alert you if a zone is using more water than usual due to a broken head or hole in the line is also a great water-saving tool. I suggest drip lines in all beds — never spray heads. Drip can also be used sub-surface to irrigate lawns better than spray heads. Once you have the proper system, it needs to be installed in a waterconscious way. This may require a higher than usual number of zones. For example, if a front yard gets morning sun, but half the yard is in the shadow of the house in the after noon while the front portion contin ues to bake, then two zones would be recommended since the portion of the lawn in shadow will require less water than the portion that bakes all day. Newly planted beds will need more water than existing beds, so they too should be on separate zones.
With 25% of the state in extreme drought conditions, to say the land is parched is a terrible understatement. It’s a stark contrast to July 2021 when we could count on one hand the number of dry days. Hurricane after hurricane came up the coast dumping massive amounts of water on the Northeast.
Irrigation
By Trevor Smith, MCH
Our Irrigation pond here at Weston Nurseries overflowed three times last year leaving us knee deep in water trying to catch plants as they floated by. This season, the pond is at its lowest level in memory and dust devils spin up behind the tractors as they spin and dance along the road openly mocking the concern on our faces.
It is an often-repeated phrase in our industry, but how many of us heed this basic advice? Many of us design or plant what we want to plant and assume irrigation or maintenance will make up for the difference. This not only leads to highmaintenance landscapes, but it can also result in flagging or dead plants when there is a water ban. Choosing your plants properly is the first step to a climate-resilient landscape.
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Intelligent Irrigation Illustration Credit to: RegenAg SA
The most important goal of irrigation is to design a land scape and irrigation schedule to have all beds off of irrigation in two years. Lawns are a separate discussion. With proper site analysis, choosing the right plant for the right place, and setting up a water-wise irrigation system, you should only need to turn on the bed zones during severe dry spells after the two-year establishment period. Soil and the Soil Carbon Sponge This is the single most important element in climateresilient landscapes and by far the most overlooked and underrated. Numerous studies and models show that if we were to change our farming and landscape practices, we could reduce CO2 levels to pre-industrial revolution levels — or at least close — in ten years or less. Soil health including the soil carbon sponge is an article unto itself , so let’s focus on three easy, yet highly impactful, areas: compaction, organic matter, andWemulch.don’t think much about soil compaction unless we are selling aeration as a service to a client, yet it is a leading cause of many of our landscape issues. Compaction squeezes the air out of the soil, minimizing oxygen to the roots and gas exchange in the soil. It also reduces the pore space in the soil, which minimizes the soil’s water-holding capac ity. With no air and no water, the life in the soil, which is so crucial to plant and soil health, dies. A plan to minimize compaction should be a priority on any job no matter how small. Repeatedly traveled paths should be designated and protected with plywood or track mats. All areas where machines will be used must have some sort of soil protec tion on driving and turning areas. A skid steer on wet soil can compact that soil 2–3 feet down. It will take more than an aerator to de-compact to that depth. It’s easy to walk and drive all over a client’s property, but the damage can take years to Addingrepair.organic matter in the form of compost or leaf mulch and bag-less mowing is the one thing you can do to fix many soil issues and create a climate-resilient landscape. By increasing organic matter in the soil 1%, you can increase the water-holding capacity by 20,000–25,000 gallons on one acre of land. Once soil organic matter is around 8%, your landscape can likely sustain itself for 100 days between storms if you have a robust soil food web. Increased soil organic matter (SOM) feeds soil life and facilitates car
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21|Fall|2022 bon sequestration. By improving the hydrology of the soil, increased SOM helps reduce flooding. Finally of course, with great soil life, hydrology, and sequestered carbon, you can’t help but have happy plants with all the tools they need to endure or adapt to climate changes.
When I talk about mulching, I am not talking about woodchips; I am talking about anything that armors and protects the soil. While this can include woodchips, it also includes straw, leaf mulch, ground cover, and cover crops. The truth is that Mother Nature is demure and will cover any area left bare. This often ends up being what we con sider weeds. Mulching or armoring the soil helps regulate the temperature, holds moisture, reduces erosion, reduces com paction, suppresses weeds, and adds organic matter, which increases the life in the soil. Like right plant, right place, this is something we all know but rarely think actively about. Mulch is not an accessory. Contrary to popular belief and cur rent practices, it is a layer of the landscape, and with all of the listed benefits, it’s a very important layer. If you’re not using a living or green mulch, then choose an organic mulch that will decompose over the course of the season when applied in spring. By the next spring, very little is still in the bed. The more the mulch layer mimics nature’s own system, the health ier your landscape.
Conclusion Climate change: It’s what’s for dinner, and it looks like it will be on the menu for the foreseeable future. The good news is…we are not helpless. There are a number of actions — some very easy — to help our landscapes survive and thrive during these unpredictable weather events and patterns.
Oddly enough, I have found it’s a return to the basics that will make the greatest difference: Consciously and thought fully thinking about how we access and move people and equipment around a property. Consciously and thoughtfully choosing our plant material. Is it what I want or what the site requires?
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Consciously and thoughtfully protecting our soil, which includes not just mulching, but also the soil amend ments we choose. Think about planting long-term; this disposable-landscape trend is detrimental in so many ways. Realize how connected it/we all are. The plants you choose, the mulch you apply all play a role in creating healthy, resilient landscapes, and those healthy landscapes will help, return some rhythm to the unpredictability we have been facing.
• Many already use mulch, which is a great way to reduce evaporative water loss and prevent erosion, again protecting soil aggregates.
• Along the same lines, pruning and fertilizing should be timed correctly, meaning neither should be performed during water scarcity because that promotes growth that may not be able to be sustained.
This magnificent blue spruce stands tall despite the lack of water ing. During a long drought that has caused surrounding grass to brown, the tree persists. Ahronian Landscaping provided this tree to MNLA, and it was subsequently planted in Holliston, Massachusetts, to commemorate former
• Achieving efficient irrigation by grouping plants with similar watering needs, grouping plants with dif ferent root depths to avoid competition, using drip irrigation rather than other methods, and watering in early morning or late evening when evaporation is less intense all aid in the goal of reducing water use. An efficient irrigation program avoids overwatering in the early season because that promotes growth that may not be able to be maintained later in the season during water bans. A sig nal plant, such as the herbaceous and large-leafed sunflower, can indicate through wilting or lack thereof when watering is needed. More gardeners kill plants by overwatering than underwatering.
XERISCAPING Brings Harmony to Nature
The idea is to keep the beauty of a garden while being in harmony with nature. This can mean favoring native plants. However, under a xeriscape tree, there may be a cooler, moister microclimate that allows an ornamental plant to grow without requiring much additional maintenance. Taking advantage of these details that come from an intimate knowledge of the design of a landscape allows us to explore the opportunity for xeriscaping.Toexemplify the strengths of xeri scaping, here are several xeriscaping plants that thrive unlike their neighbor ing plants because they were the cor rect plant for that location. They were selected appropriately and are perform ing well. They add colorful and textural interest, aid in the sequence of color, and/or attract pollinators in ways that other plants in their place would not have.
Intelligent Irrigation
• Reducing the area that is covered by resource-demanding turfs.
• Amending soil with compost, which holds water and nutrients more effectively than synthetics. Composting is also in line with protecting soil aggre gates that allow for better water infiltration. Avoiding disturbing the soil in ways that break apart the aggre gates aids in water uptake efficiency.
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Xeriscaping is the practice of reducing the number of inputs — water, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, main tenance, and time — that go into caring for landscapes. It incorporates many ideas that many already employ or could easily try for themselves.
Blue Spruce
By Amber Ahronian and Mark Ahronian In times of water bans, flagging foliage, and brown lawns, it is time to look to concepts that can help us maintain the beauty and vitality of our landscapes. We can draw from ideas that already exist. Often talked about in the south eastern United States, but becoming increasingly relevant in the Northeast, is a concept called xeriscaping.
Telehandlers,
Compact
23|Fall|2022
Micro/Mini Excavators,
© 2022 Caterpillar. All Rights Reserved. CAT, CATERPILLAR, LET’S
DO THE WORK, their respective logos, “Caterpillar Corporate Yellow”, the “Power Edge” and Cat “Modern Hex” trade dress as well as corporate and product identity used herein, are trademarks of Caterpillar and may not be used without permission. www.cat.com / www.caterpillar.com Unlike the quality and dependability of Cat ® equipment, this offer won’t last a lifetime. It’s high time you connect with your local Cat dealer for huge savings and an unbeatable Protection Package. Good things come to those who wait. act now . TRIED & TRUE 0 PERCENT.* 0 DOWN. 0 HASSLE. +PERFORMANCEUPTO$500USDTOWARDSAPROTECTION PACKAGE* Milford 100 Quarry Drive ( 508) 634-3400 North Reading 84 Concord Street ( 978) 276-2400 Wareham 14 Kendrick Road ( 508) 291-1200 Call orsalesyourrepresentativenearestlocation. miltoncat.com
*Offer valid from May 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022 on new small (Compact Track Loaders, Wheel Loaders, Skid Steer Loaders) compact (Backhoe Loaders, Small Track Type Tractors, Small Wheel Loaders) Cat machines sold by participating Cat dealers to customers in the USA or Canada. Purchase and delivery must occur during offer period. Offer subject to machine availability and credit approval by Cat Financial. Not all customers will qualify. Length of contract is limited. 0% offers may vary by model and dealer. Payments are based on term length. Payments do not include taxes, freight, set-up, delivery, document fees, inspections, additional options, or attachments. The credit of up to $500 USD can only be applied toward the purchase of a qualifying Cat Customer Value Agreement (CVA) or qualifying Equipment Protection Plan (EPP). Amount of the credit cannot exceed the price of qualifying CVA or EPP. CVA must include 1-year Preventative Maintenance Parts Kit, TA1 annual Inspection, signed CVA contract, and Product Link. Amount of credit towards CVA or EPP is the same for all models. In some areas, EPP might be sold separately from the CVA. Offer may change without prior notice and cannot be combined with any other offers. Additional terms and conditions may apply. Contact your Cat dealer for details.
and
GET READY FOR FALL PLANTING WITH
Butterfly Bush A butterfly enjoys the newest round of flowers on this but terfly bush. This is not the first round of blooms on the plant, indicating that it has been pro viding color and wildlife interest over the course of the season thanks to its drought tolerance. Geraniums These geraniums pop with color in hanging pots near the hot roof of a house on a summer day. Not planted in the ground, they rely on hand watering, which is provided only when bone dry. They love it dry. They take sun for several hours per day in this location and provide a red-magenta showiness.
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|24 www.mnla.com pro|grow|news
arborjet.com/ArborRx State Representative Carolyn Dykema’s leadershipusedpriateLeadershipEnvironmentalAward.Howapprothataxeriscapingtreebetocelebrateenvironmentalandachievement!
This green juniper lives in stark contrast to the brown lawn beside it. It is planted appropriately on a slope to pre vent erosion from runoff and to solve the landscape problem of mowing grass on an incline. Although it is positioned adja cent to a heavily trafficked road that is salted every winter, this dense juniper stands up to that challenge.
Green Juniper
Amidst
in an
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Ornamental Plum struggling grass, an ornamental plum tree produces edible plums and pleasing contrasting colors in gardens. It is holding up well in drought conditions in full sun area
that rarely, if ever, receives watering. 25|Fall|2022
Potentilla
This potentilla, located between hot pavement and a hot foundation, takes heavy sun with grace. Not dead-headed, the plant has still sent out new yel low flowers that brighten up the area. Potentilla comes in multiple colors and handles dry conditions with ease. It leafs out late (into May), but flowers begin in June and periodically throughout the summer. It can be appreciated through to late summer. Sedum Sedums vary widely from groundcov ers to taller, flowering plants. This sedum is in the process of offering pink flowers for interest in the garden. Sedums require very little water and attract pollinators. As these examples show, plant selec tion is highly important when designing a landscape. Using the right plant in the right place can go a long way toward reducing the need for inputs into the gar den. There are many benefits to xeriscap ing, and now is a great opportunity to get creative, get our hands in the soil, and make a difference.
Mark Ahronian has been president of Ahronian Landscaping & Design Inc. for 36 years and an MCH since 1983. He served as MNLA’s president in 1998 and 1993. A graduate of the Stockbridge School of Agriculture and the Norfolk County Agricultural School, Mark teaches the fundamentals of landscape design for adults. Mark has also served on multiple MNLA boards and committees.
|26 www.mnla.com pro|grow|news
Amber Ahronian works for Ahronian Landscaping & Design Inc. She received a degree in environmental studies from Dartmouth College in 2017 and has worked in environmen tal science/consulting for the past five years. Amber developed an interest in xeriscaping and has given talks on the topic within Massachusetts.
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Winter Beauties: Layers of
|28 www.mnla.com pro|grow|news
How many paper birch logs have you used in containers or designs? There is something about white birch bark that calls to the rustic and the cozy. But not all birch has to be white or creamy. Yellow birch features silky, shimmery golden bark. It has stopped me dead in my tracks, wondering what is this fairy tale tree? Yellow birch is a hardwood birch that is prized for furniture. It is native to the Midwest, and like most birch, a fast grower. The tender twigs are satiny cherry-brown, maturing to golden bark peeling in thin horizontal strips. Larger in leaf and catkin than river or paper birch, it tolerates alkaline soil quite well and is bronze birch borer resistant. You can find it multi-stemmed or single. On a bright winter day, the bark glows against the snow.
As we enjoy the last hurrah of autumn leaves in all their wonderful hues of yellow, orange, red, and purple, nighttime frosts begin to herald winter. Winter can have many moods from snow to ice to biting wind, but trees and shrubs can sparkle and shine, even without their leaves. Winter is the season for bark and structure. How can we add to an indoor view or capture attention in the season’s long low light? Consider adding these trees and shrubs to the land scape for a bit of winter magic. Trees We often demand that trees have four seasons of inter est to charm us all year long. Trees are a big investment in money, but especially in time. They develop their own char acter and personality with age and in many cases outlive the folks who planted them. How can you enliven clients’ views and layer in more dynamic textures? Consider these seven trees for lovely leaves, pretty flowers, but most importantly — beautiful bark. Betula alleghaniensis or yellow birch
by Heather Prince
Height: 60 to 75 feet Width: 60 to 75 feet Shape: rounded to oval Sun: full sun Soil: average to wet tolerant Just
for Fall
29|Fall|2022
This quietly elegant small tree is truly a four-season plant. Clusters of small yellow flowers typically bloom in March, giving it a cloud-like effect. Bright shiny-green leaves shelter bright-red fleshy fruit that is edible, if extremely tart. In autumn, leaves turn shades of red and purple before falling. Winter highlights its flaky, exfoliating bark and refined architecture. This dogwood is tough, hardy, disease resistant, and tolerant of a wide range of soils, including salt. The cultivar Golden Glory is a narrower variety, ideal for small urban spaces. As a multistemmed tree, it benefits from being shaped to showcase the bark. It can be a focal point or trained as a hedge, but make sure to look for its distinctive flowers in late winter. What a terrific option for under power lines or in clay soils! Height: 15 to 20 feet Width: 10 to 15 feet Shape: vase to oval Sun: full sun to part shade Soil: average to drought tolerant
Dramatic Bark
Cornus mas or cornelian cherry dogwood
Platanus acerifolia or London planetree
Quercus Soil:Sun:Shape:Width:Height:oaksflooding),tough,anbecomesFissuringYet,itbeforewiththatSwampNeedsuperiororange
There are a variety of cultivars of this easy-going, pestand disease-free, fragrant flowering tree, but what sets it apart from Japanese lilac tree is the bark. Peking lilac features amber-colored, shiny, heavily lenticiled peel ing bark. It glows against the snow in a winter land scape. Huge creamy-white flowers bloom in June and can perfume an entire property. However, I love it in winter when the light shines through the elegant archi tecture and sets the bark alight.
Height: 20 to 30 feet Width: 15 to 20 feet Shape: rounded to vase Sun: full sun to part shade Soil: average to moist well-drained
Height: 55 to 65 feet Width: 40 to 50 feet Shape: pyramidal to oval Sun: full sun Soil: dry to wet tolerant
|30 www.mnla.com pro|grow|news
Syringa pekinensis or Peking lilac
The planetree showcases beautiful sycamorelike bark, but is disease-resistant, fast-growing, and has far fewer seeds. I love the peeling bark in many shades of cream, tan, and warm brown. Its leaves are significantly smaller than sycamore and almost silvery in the sun. With superior disease-resistance, you can enjoy those leaves early in the spring and all through summer. This is a tough tree that handles salt, clay, drought, wet soils, and almost anything thrown at it. It can be planted as a street tree or an elegant allee of these trees.
Just for Fall
31|Fall|2022
Height: 20 to 25 feet Width: 10 to 15 feet Shape: upright vase Sun: full sun to part shade Soil: average to moist well-drained
Prunus sargentii ‘JFS-KW58’ or Pink Flair® cherry Cherry bark is so beloved we use it as an adjective to describe other trees. Deep mahogany with horizon tal lenticels and a shine all its own, we love cherries for their wonderful bark. Pink Flair® is a newer offering from J. Frank Schmidt & Co. and its clouds of pale-pink flowers in the spring bely its toughness. This cherry is rated to USDA Zone 3b and Schmidt has tested its hardiness across the U.S. It tends to bloom a week or two later, escaping early frosts. Fall color is a pleasing pump kin-orange. Try this cultivar for all the romance of cherry blossoms and cherry bark on an enduring tree.
Quercus bicolor or swamp white oak Need a fast-growing, wet-tolerant shade tree? Swamp white oak is one of the few native oaks loves wet feet. Thick dark-green leaves with silvery-white undersides charm all summer before drying and holding on until spring, giving superior marks for screening out the neighbors. stop and spend some time with its bark. Fissuring at a young age, swamp white oak bark becomes flaky and peeling with age, revealing orange inner bark. This oak is easy-going and tough, handling dry to wet soils (and occasional flooding), salt, and even black walnuts. Plus, oaks feed about 2,300 species of wildlife. Height: 50 to 60 feet Width: 50 to 60 feet Shape: rounded to oval Sun: full sun Soil: dry to wet tolerant
Ulmus parvifolia or lacebark elm Plant this elm where you can read ily enjoy the bark. You’ll almost want to press your nose against it to really experience its myriad textures and idio syncrasies. It reminds me of brocade in its richness of brown, cream, and grey. Lacebark elm is a mid-sized elm and available cultivars are exceptionally Dutch elm disease resistant. Tough and elegant, lacebark elm tolerates dry soils, clay, and road salt. Elms are another top species for birds and pollinators, so why not also be dazzled by the bark?
Height: 40 to 50 feet Width: 40 to 50 feet Shape: rounded
Loans
Cornus sp. or red and yellow twig dogwood Dogwood shrubs step out of their leafy skirts and kick up their colorful heels best in winter. Tough, adaptable, some times fast growing and spreading, we treasure dogwood for the stems that light the landscape in snow and ice. There are myriad cultivars of dogwood available, but look for tried and true ‘Cardinal’ for height and stems that shade from yellow to deep red; ‘Kelsey’ at only 2 to 2-1/2 feet; ‘Bud’s Yellow’ for almost-neon yellow stems; or ‘Pucker Up’ for richly textural crinkled foliage and red stems. Site them against evergreens or within grasses for winter drama. Height: 2 to 10 feet Width: 2 to 10 feet Shape: rounded to suckering Sun: full sun to part shade Soil: average to wet tolerant &
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Shrubs bring color and texture to the mid-ground of our lay ered landscapes. They soften or screen and increase dimen sion between trees and the ground layer. In winter, when we may lose our drifts of perennials under snow, shrubs ground the landscape and focus views. With colorful or interesting bark, light is captured, the eye is caught, and the landscape comes alive.
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Hydrangea quercifolia or oak leaf hydrangea Hydrangeas are enjoying a renaissance with more and more cultivars hitting the market every year. An heirloom favorite, oak leaf hydrangea delivers on fourseason interest. Huge deep-green leaves layer over the stems in summer. White panicle flowers fade to shades of pink and mauve in summer. Autumn turns the leaves a deep burgundy-wine. In winter, the shaggy cinnamon bark is revealed as sturdy twigs hold the dried flowers aloft for a dusting of snow. Plan on a rugged coarse texture and enjoy with evergreens for delightful winter dimension.
33|Fall|2022 Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’ or Harry Lauder’s walking stick Harry Lauder’s walking stick or contorted hazel is an old-fashioned Victorian favorite for its sheer weirdness of shape. The twigs are densely contorted, twisted, and gnarled. Slow-growing, this adaptable shrub should be a focal point or specimen. Be prepared for the foliage to look wilted during the season. The long golden catkins give it an almost chan delier effect in late winter. It is susceptible to Eastern filbert blight, so regular monitoring and removal of infected twigs will allow you to enjoy this horticultural curiosity for many Height:years. 8 to 10 feet Width: 8 to 10 feet Shape: rounded Sun: full sun to part shade Soil: average to moist well-drained
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Height: 6 to 8 feet Width: 6 to 8 feet pridescorner.com
By Dave Anderson
Irealize it sounds like an oxymoron, but can you? Plenty of people do even though we would all rather be independently wealthy on a beach. Why do people love their job? This question jumped out to me when I was helping people get registered for the MNLA Summer Conference at Weston Nurseries. So many owners and man agers paid for their employees and coworkers to attend this event. I was extremely impressed. That is investing in your people and saying how much you appreciate them. It showed that you are investing in them and that you care enough to educate them. It also says let’s have fun together even though it’s technically work.
|34 www.mnla.com pro|grow|news
In a world where everyone is so desperate to recruit and retain people, this is a wonderful way to put your time and
Speaking with some of the owners and managers who brought a lot of people, they were so appreciative of their people that they were happy to do it. It is not only the cost to pay the people for the day plus the cost of the event, it is also the lack of billable hours for that day. What a fantastic way to say thank you! I had the opportunity to watch some of these teams in action, and it sure seemed like they enjoyed each other’s com pany It seemed like they loved their jobs. If you are an owner or manager, look for these opportunities that will ensure bonding and loyalty more than a $1 raise. If you are a staff member, be sure to thank your boss for this generosity. And if your company does not do this, tell them they should.
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35|Fall|2022 money into your people. It’s an investment that will come back to you in so many intangible ways.
David M. Anderson has over 30 years of experience in hor ticulture, client service, and public relations. He works for Mayer Tree Service. David is a Massachusetts Certified Arborist, Certified Landscape Professional, and a Certified Tree Care Safety Professional. He chaired the Massachusetts Certified Arborist Board for three years, and is currently a member of the MNLA Board. David has authored several articles for trade publications and frequently gives presenta tions to garden clubs, trade organizations, and students on a variety of topics. In the last several years, he has become more involved in and passion ate about employee engage ment.
The focus of the study will be:
The National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) is partnering with a University of Auburn survey titled Strategic Integration of Battery-Powered Equipment into Landscape Maintenance Operations. The study, which is already underway on the Auburn campus, will study the differences between gas vs. battery powered equipment.
NALP Partners with Auburn University to Study Gas vs. Battery-Powered Equipment
• Develop a framework for economic and environmen tal equipment purchasing decisions
Mass Fleet Advisor Offers Free Assistance
Part of the study includes data obtained from a survey. Please take just 5 minutes and complete this survey. Go to https://bit.ly/3KvsrS9 to take the survey. Data obtained from this survey should be very helpful in our advocacy efforts to support a responsible transition from gas to electric. We are grateful for Auburn’s leadership in this space and look forward to working more closely with academ ia on similar efforts similar in the future.
|36 www.mnla.com pro|grow|news Green Industry News
• Understand perceptions, benefits, and challenges to adopting battery-powered equipment
Fleets that enroll in the program will receive models for cost savings and emissions savings models, data collection assistance to evaluate the best EV options for their fleet, a virtual site assessment, and a personalized Fleet Electrifica tionIfReport.youhave any questions, please feel free to email mass fleetadvisor@calstart.org. We’ll be happy to help you out!
Mass Fleet Advisor is an exciting new program offering FREE assistance to medium- and heavy-duty fleets that are interested in transitioning to electric vehicles. Made possible by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, the Mass Fleet Advisor team is here to provide information about available electric vehicle models, charging infrastructure, and funding opportunities.Interestedfleets should visit massfleetadvisor.org for more information and to sign up for free fleet electrification support through this program.
For questions or additional information call 855.632.9862 SFProcessing.com / 1315 N Federal Highway Suite 200 Boynton Beach FL, 33435 ATTENTION MNLA MEMBERS: GET AN AVERAGE COST SAVINGS OF PER YEAR BEFORE REBATES 10% REBATE Annually for Members HELP LINE With Dedicated Representatives 855.632.9862 REPORTING Free “AccessOne” Enhanced Online Reporting 60/90 DAY 60 Day Trial Period & 90 Day Pilot Program for MembersNew to Credit Card Acceptance FREE Equipment Loaner Program $3,938 OR (14%)
• Do not try to enter a piece of equipment or vehicle that is moving. • Check for obstacles, debris, or fluids on the ground before dismounting.
|38 www.mnla.com pro|grow|news Safety Culture - Loss Prevention Tips
Three points of contact means you are using two hands and one foot, or one hand and two feet, to support your body while mounting or dismounting a vehicle, piece of equipment, or ladder. The three points of contact should only be broken after you reach your destination (the ground, vehicle or equipment cab, stable platform, etc.).
Walking & Working Surfaces
••
• Do not use a tire as a ladder. Enter the vehicle how the manufacturer intended. Do not reach for the steering wheel to pull yourself up.
• Keep ladder rungs clean and free of grease. Re move buildup of material such as dirt or mud.
Landscaping Slips, Trips and Falls
Landscapers and horticultural workers are at risk of injury from a wide assortment of possible hazards. A fall, or trip over an uneven surface, can happen to most of us at any time. A brief lapse of attention, thinking about something other than what’s at hand, a distraction by a co-worker or a phone call can end in a slip, trip, or fall. Such accidents can lead to a vari ety of undesirable consequences ranging from a simple bruised shin to an extremely serious injury. In fact, these types of events cause 15 percent of all accidental deaths and thousands of seri ous injuries each year. Most can be prevented. Here are safety practices to help avoid slips, trips, and falls.
• Look for icy patches when working in temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Hold onto the equip ment if entering/exiting around snow or ice.
• Dry your hands and wipe excess mud, grass, or snow off your boots for better grip.
• Keep your hands free. If you need to bring tools or materials up with you, place them in a tool belt or use a hoist line for larger items. If you’re climbing down from a vehicle, put the tool or other item on the floor and then grab it when you are on the ground.
• Do not jump from a machine or vehicle to the ground.
• Face the vehicle, equipment, or ladder when you enter or exit.
• If applying liquids, watch for wet areas, and do not run.
• Inspect the ladder prior to use.
—
Three Points of Contact
• Keep cords and other clutter away from walkways. If a piece of equipment is not being used, wrap up the cord neatly and place it out of the way. When in the office, secure cords with tape or cord strips.
• Clean up spills immediately and mark off the area until it is dry.
Ladders & Stepladders
• Wear boots that have good traction. Inspect footwear and replace shoes when the sole has a smooth area larger than two pennies.
• Wet grass and clippings can be slick, so slow down on muddy or uneven terrain. For steep slopes, walk sideways to improve traction.
• When carrying large objects, have another crew member help point out obstacles, such as elevation changes, steps or new surfaces. Hold the object to the side so you can better see where you’re walking.
• Do not wear loose clothing or dangling jewelry that could catch on something.
• Constantly look for hazards such as holes in the ground, bumps, or unexpected changes in the ter rain. If at the site for the first time, walk the grounds to note any objects — such as utilities, stumps, holes, etc. that could cause someone to trip or damage the equipment. Notify other crew members of fall hazards identified.
• Read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions label affixed to the ladder if you are unsure how to use it.
• Do not use ladders that have loose rungs, cracked or split side rails, missing rubber foot pad, or are otherwise visibly damaged.
• Never carry items in your hand when climbing up or down a ladder.
• Do not stand on tables, chairs, boxes, or other im provised climbing devices to reach high places. Use a ladder or stepstool.
• Do not stand on the top two rungs of any ladder.
• Do not stand on a ladder that wobbles or that leans left or right.
• When using a straight or extension ladder, extend the top of the ladder at least three feet above the edge of the landing.
• When performing work from a ladder, face the lad der and do not lean backward or sideways from the ladder. Do not jump from ladders or step stools.
Fall|2022 39| • Do not place ladders in passageways or doorways without posting warning signs or cones that detour pedestrian traffic away from the area. Lock the doorway you are blocking so it can’t be opened into you. • Do not place a ladder at a blind corner or doorway without diverting foot traffic by blocking or roping off the area. • Do not place ladders in areas with equipment or vehicle traffic • Only one person on the ladder at a time. • Always face the ladder when climbing up or down. • Maintain three points of contact when climbing up or down the ladder.
In 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that over 40,000 workers lost time at work due to ice-related slip-and-fall injuries. Work place slip-and-fall injuries can not only result in one or more days away from work to recover, but can also result in overtime for your remaining employ ees and increased insurance costs. To prevent slips, trips, and falls this winter, stress extreme caution with your crews.
Precautionary Measures
Mitigating Winter Slips and Falls
Footwear might not be top of mind when it comes to personal protection equipment (PPE), but it is crucial to wear the proper shoes when out clear ing snow and ice from walkways. OSHA says a pair of insulated and water-resistant boots with good rubber treads is a must for walking during or after a winterYourstorm.gaitshould also change when walking on icy surfaces. While normally your step would consist of a heel strike, midstance, and toe off, try to walk as flatfooted as possible on the ice as the heel strike is where you are most likely to lose balance. Make a point to take short steps and walk at a slower pace so you can react quickly to changes in traction.
Snow removal companies are well aware of the threats slips and falls pose their business and the repercussions that could occur if a customer slips. But what about the crews out clearing a proper ty when it’s at its slipperiest? While most of the time your crews will be able to clear a property in the cab of a machine with a plow attached, there may still be situations that call for the reliable snow shovel.
www.mnla.com pro|grow|news|40 CARRYING A FULL LINE OF B&B AND CONTAINER LANDSCAPE PLANTS READY TO BE DELIVERED TO YOU SHADE TREES BROADLEAFS FLOWERING SHRUBS Check our website for our most recent availability (PW: pni2022) Or contact our office if you would like to receive our weekly availability emails GROWING FOR OVER 40 YEARS P: 207 499 2994 F: 207 499 2912 sales@piersonnurseries.com • www.piersonnurseries.com Mailing Address: 24 Buzzell Rd, Biddeford ME 04005 Physical Address: 291 Waterhouse Rd, Dayton ME 04005 EVERGREENS PERENNIALS & GRASSES NATIVE & WETLAND PLANTS Safety Culture
Falling Safely While not every slip and fall can be avoided, knowing how to fall safely can help mitigate more severe injuries. If you feel yourself falling, bend your knees and try to fall on your side to avoid using your arms to break your fall. It is a natural response to throw your arms out, but you can also break your arm this way. Tuck your chin to your chest to prevent your head from hitting the ground.
Fall|2022 41|
Exercise caution when getting in and out of vehicles or equipment. Watch for black ice, which typically forms when it’s raining and the air is at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Sleet and the refreezing of runoff from melting snow can also create black ice. Ice can be harder to detect in your peripheral vision and on overcast days, so be sure to watch the ground for subtle indications of a slippery surface.
NALP’s safety programs are produced in partnership with Rancho Mesa.
|42 www.mnla.com pro|grow|news Business Minute
Where Does Service Fatigue Come From?
It’s short-tempered customers who escalate to anger quickly.
After a stressful few years, various challenges have caused ser vice fatigue levels to skyrocket. But the truth is, service fatigue can strike at any time, and much of it is really nothing new.
How Do We Mitigate the Effects of Service Fatigue?
The short answer: It matters because it impacts your bottom line. When service fatigue takes over at your business, everything is at risk. You can play a huge part in lessening that burden for your team and your customers. If it’s possible, make work a welcoming, encouraging environ ment for your staff so they can give your customers a reason to crow about the great experience they had. By recognizing service fatigue and equipping your team with the tools to bust out of its grip before it’s too late, you’ll ensure that everyone’s experience is that much better.
Suffering from Service Fatigue? The What, Where, Why, and How Behind a Decline in Customer Service Excellence Signs of Service Fatigue • A lack of energy • Elevated stress • Constant ambivalence • Difficulty concentrating • Missed deadlines • Frequent mistakes • Safety compliance issues
Let’s unpack the what, where, why, and how of service fatigue and get on the path to busting out of it.
Does it feel like no matter how hard you try to please your customer, it isn’t enough? Are you in charge of leading others and the faster you train teams and build energy, the quicker it seems to fade? Are you a business owner feeling hopeless about the never-ending needs of staff AND customers while trying to achieve a profitable bottom line? You’re exhausted, right? This exhaustion is what’s called service fatigue, defined as that feel ing that keeps you from delivering the excellent customer service your staff and patrons have come to expect. Left unchecked, this weariness can impact your business in many negative ways, from short tempers to lost business.
Why Does Service Fatigue Matter?
You know what customer service delivery should look like. Attentive. Proactive. Genuine. Service fatigue is “less than,” and it presents in many forms. It’s when your customer expe rience is less than you — or they — expect. It’s a lack of energy, elevated stress, constant ambivalence, difficul ty concentrating, missed deadlines, frequent mistakes, or safety compli ance issues. The trickiest kind of service fatigue to spot is the kind the team thinks they can hide from guests. It’s still there, lurking beneath the surface, threatening to bring everyone down in its undertow.
There are countless ways to bust out of service fatigue, and no two businesses will adopt exactly the same solution.
By Laurie Guest
It’s trying (and usually failing) to juggle multiple priorities at a time. It’s navigating ever-changing business policies. It’s responsibilities that outnumber hours in the day. It’s one bad attitude draining a team’s morale. Service fatigue can come from anywhere and knowing how to identify it is half the battle.
What Does Service Fatigue Look Like?
Build Better Boundaries Professional boundaries can be the single best tool to help bust out of service fatigue, whether you need to put them in place with your boss or you need to ensure your team knows that work/life separation is a good thing. Unless it’s imperative to your industry, do you really need to reply to emails at 8 p.m.? Is that gap or hic cup in a process at work really yours to lose sleep over? We all can and should go above and beyond to deliver customer service excellence. But when you’re doing far more than is expected, you may be bringing service fatigue on yourself. Be honest: Are you guilty of your own boundary breakdowns? Are there honest conversations you can have to get those boundar ies—and your energy levels—back on track? Re-evaluate your boundaries today and find where you can firm them up. You’ll soon see what a difference they make in boosting your energy and positive attitude.
43|Fall|2022 of experience in the customer service industry prove that there’s no silver bullet to finally overcoming exhaustion. Instead, it takes a combination of strategy, patience, and com mitment to bolster your team and get them back on track to deliver the kind of remarkable customer service you and your customers expect. To get you started, here are a few ways to start busting out of service fatigue as soon as today.
About the Author A National Speakers Association’s Speaker Hall of Fame, of which only 50 members are women. Laurie Guest, CSP, CPAE, is an authority on customer service excellence. In 2021, she was inducted into the National Speakers Association’s Speaker Hall of Fame, of which only 50 members are women. Laurie blends real-life examples and proven action steps for improvement. She is the author of two books and is writing a third on the topic of service fatigue. To learn more or connect with Laurie, visit www.LaurieGuest.com
Bonus: When Do I Need to Address Service Fatigue? No surprises here: If you rec ognize the signs of service fatigue, now is the time to bust out of it! Start by identifying what’s causing the fatigue, then set aside time to plan for change, including both big and small steps to reinvigorate your team and return to delivering customer service excellence. When you commit to the change, the hardest part is already over. All it takes from there is digging in to bust out of ser vice fatigue once and for all!
We all can and should go above and beyond to customerdeliverserviceexcellence.
Grant Yourself Rest! Who doesn’t love rest? While some have mastered the art of taking breaks, Americans tend to do things fast — and often multitasking. We like the concept of rest, but the demands on our time often get in the way of our ability to truly take a break. There are as many as seven types of rest, from physical and emotional to creative and spiritual. The truth is, they’re all important, and giving ourselves the space to breathe when things get stressful is imperative. Rest can mean putting down your phone an hour early and reading a book instead, or using your shift break to do a brief silent meditation so you’re prepared to head back to work. When we prioritize rest and start to see it as doing good for ourselves, we are more energized to deliver customer service excellence.
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Fall|2022 45| Advertising Opportunitiespro grow news Four Seasons Guide pro grow news Winter Hardiness Don’t Fence Me In Four Seasons Guide 2022 The Massachusetts Nursery and Landscape Association A Year Long Resource — Complete MNLA Membership UMASS Green Industry Resource Guide Massachusetts Certified Horticulturists Membership Directory SPRING 2021 www.mnla.com pro grow news Fire Pit Plantings Coloring the World with Plants Earthworm Invasion Looking Back: Plant Geek History pro grow news Display Advertising Rates 1x 4x Page $635 $613 1/2 526 510 1/4 439 427 For B/W rate subtract $200 2022 Display Advertising Rates — pro|grow|news Display Advertising Rates 1x 4x Page $635 $613 1/2 526 510 1/4 439 427 For B/W rate subtract $200 pro|grow|news delivers loyal and active readers to its advertis ers. Our policy remains — keep ad rates affordable in order to attract more product choices for mem bers. This commitment has not Thewavered.MNLA Four Seasons Guide provides a complete up-to-date listing of MCHs and members. The annual publication is mailed to members. Special Announcement pro grow news Committment to Qualtiy 2022 has brought a renewed commitment to quality for pro|grow|news readers and advertisers will see: • larger issues • enhanced enhanced content • larger pictures • more features • greater variety • focused issue content • on time delivery • deadlines you can count on • seasonal content and ads delivered on time The Massachsetts Nursery and Landscape Association has a long history of innnovation. pro|grow|news is simply a reflection of MNLA and its position in the industry. Its purpose is to promote the environmental well-being of the state as well as the highest levels of business ethics within the profession. For Advertising Information — Call Debbie Rauen (817) 501-2403 • debbie.parksandrec@yahoo.com
This Plant Shines Summer starts to wind down in the garden, and it’s time for some of your plants to ramp up. Fothergilla ‘Mount Airy’ deliv ers in this department. I love this plant for its beautiful spring flowers that smell like honey and bring pollinators to my yard. The plant hosts bottlebrush-shaped, white inflorescences in April and May before the foliage emerges. Its sweet nectar attractsHealthy,bees.leathery-green leaves with bluish-grey undersides then emerge, looking clean and healthy through the summer. I’m indebted to this plant for the way it packs a punch of bril liant colors in my landscape when the temperatures cool down and we want to hold on to the magic of color in the garden before the greys and browns take over. Fothergilla ‘Mount Airy’ hosts an amazing tapestry of red, orange, yellow, and purple foliage. Yes — all these colors share the spotlight on this one plant. But wait... on closer inspection, you can find mesmerizing patterns of all these exceptional colors on an individual leaf. Fothergilla will attract young and old gardeners alike to smell its flowers and find whimsical patterns on its fall foliage, but the deer aren’t interested. This is further testament to the rea son Fothergilla ‘Mounty Airy’ shines in the landscape.
by Kristin M. Casey, MCH Reasons
Fothergilla ‘Mount Airy’
Facts and Features
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Kristin M. Casey, MCH Cape Abilities Farm Harwich, Massachusetts
Fothergilla is native to the Eastern United States. It was named after English botanist Dr. John Fothergilla (1712–1780).
Deciduous Flowering Shrub Soil: Average, acidic, organic, well drained Exposure: Full Sun to Part Sun Fall Color: Brilliant reds, oranges, purple Growth Rate: Slow to moderate Size: 3 to 5 feet high and wide Zone 5–8
My Favorite Plant
The cultivar ‘Mount Airy’ was discovered by Michael Dirr at the Mt. Airy Arboretum in Cincinnati, Ohio. This deciduous, flowering shrub showcases its best fall color in full sun but also tolerates some shade. It prefers acidic, well-drained soil and plenty of organic matter. Pruning of this shrub is seldom needed, but if necessary, prune directly after flowers have passed. It is cold hardy and disease resistant, as well as not palatable to deer. There are no noted serious prob lems with Fothergilla ‘Mount Airy’. It is a slow grower and will reach a height of 3 to 5 feet tall and wide. It’s wonderful plant ed in a woodland setting, as a specimen piece, within a mixed perennial border, or as a mass planting. The most impressive planting of Fothergilla ‘Mt. Airy’ I have witnessed was a mass planting against a stand of blue spruce. Pure fall interest perfection!
Harvard, MA • Tel: 978.635.0409 • Fax: 978.635.9840 • acorntree@me.com
