TNLA Green January/February 2019

TNLA

Green Jan/Feb 2019

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TEIL AWARD WINNERS

This year’s Texas Excellence in Landscaping (TEIL) Awards winners poured their blood, sweat, and tears into creating some of the finest outdoor spaces we’ve ever seen.

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Plus

Economic Impact Report 46

Chinese Ironwood: new tree in town

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Using farkleberry in landscapes 42

Can biological control work in Texas?

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE A

TNLA Green January/February 2019

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TNLA Green January/February 2019

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12 Cover Story:

TNLA

Green

TEIL Awards Winners

This year’s Texas Excellence in Landscaping (TEIL) Awards winners poured their blood, sweat, and tears into creating some of the finest outdoor spaces we’ve ever seen.

Jan/Feb 2019

CONTENTS 04 Economic Impact Report:

The Green Industry made another strong contribution to the Texas Economy.

02 President’s Letter:

Make 2019 your most productive year yet.

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40 Green Vision:

Why is farkleberry not used more in landscapes?

42 Bugs & Fuzz:

Can biological control work in Texas?

46 N otes From SFA Gardens:

Chinese ironwood is a new small tree in town.

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48 TNLA Talks:

For Shannon Wilks, TNLA membership has allowed him to build lifelong relationships with fellow industry professionals.

January/February 2019 TNLA Green

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PRESIDENT’S Letter

TNLA

Green

The official publication of the Texas Nursery & Landscape Association January/February 2019| Vol. 22 No. 1

Directors

HAPPY NEW YEAR! We’re marching toward another spring that is always full of hope for a productive season to come. Well, I know we are all ready to begin our best year yet. I’m sure the plan has been made for an extraordinary year.

Chances are you are approaching the year with a few doubts: Will there be enough labor, water? Will I be prepared to tackle the unforeseen challenges? Will my team be good enough at the right time to capture the opportunities that present themselves?

Recently, I read an article on 7 Ways to Be More Productive in Forbes. While a lot of our problems are very big in scope, I thought this captured in a very simple way how to begin to break down “the big stuff.”

It was written by a 20-something freelance writer, but I thought what she said made a lot of sense. Here are her tips for getting more done in less time: • Be strategic.

• Do your most important tasks before lunch.

• Don’t multitask.

• Don’t overwhelm yourself.

• Form new habits to improve efficiency and focus.

• Manage your time with email.

• Have someone hold you accountable.

She ended her article with, “Take my advice at your own risk.” I’m OK with that. What doesn’t work will only make me stronger, right?

I feel at times we try to tackle the lion too soon when maybe we ought to look at the cat and tame it first — maybe.

My wish for all of you is for a healthy, productive, and successful new year.

Amy Grah a m Amy Graham TNLA President and CEO

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TNLA Green January/February 2019

Chairman of the Board ... Joshua Bracken, TMCNP, Dallas Chairman-Elect ... Jay Williams, League City Immediate Past Chairman ... Bill Carson, Austin President/CEO ... Amy Graham, Austin

Board of Directors

Region I Kevin Grossberndt, Big Foot Region II ... Jim Curtice, TCLP, Houston Region III ... Herman Ray Vess, TMCNP, Edgewood Region IV ... Craig Duttarer, TCLP, Carrollton Region V ... Jackie Smith, Santo Region VI ... Steven Akers, Slaton Region VII ... Gerry Bower, Weslaco Region VIII ... Brad Seever, Austin Supplier Director ... Tim Little, Dallas Grower Director ... Kevin Norris, Coppell Landscape Director ... Scotty Rigsby, TCLP, Midlothian Retail Director ... Kristi Long, TCNP, Kerrville Director At-Large ... Adrian Muehlstein, TMCNP, Carrollton Director At-Large .... Rachelle Kemp, TCLP, TMCNP, Waco Director At-Large ... Dan Green, TCLP, San Antonio Director At-Large ... Bobby Eichholz, ASLA, San Antonio

TNLA Staff

President/CEO ... Amy Graham Director of Finance ... Cheryl Staritz Directory, Legislative and Regulatory Affairs… Ryan Skrobarczyk Director, Expo Exhibits and Membership... Amy Prenger, CEM Director, TNLA & EXPO Marketing/Communications... Sarah Riggins, CEM Director, Industry Education and Certifications.

James Theiss, TCLP, TCWSP, Certified Arborist Business Development/Sales Executive... Mike Yelverton, TCNP & TCWSP Office Operations Assistant... Nancy E. Sollohub Region Support…Sara Fern Accounting Assistant... Aimee Luna Administrative Assistant, Strategic Initiatives… Debra Allen Administrative Assistant, Marketing & Communications… Ashley Pettibone Administrative Assistant, EXPO...Trevor Peevey

Magazine Staff

October Custom Publishing Editor ... Crystal Zuzek Creative Director ... Torquil Dewar Art Director ... Shelley Lai Production ... Monica Valenzuela, Zach Scouras Ad Sales ... Kristie T. Thymes TNLA Green magazine is a member service of the Texas Nursery & Landscape Association, and is published bi-monthly. Advertising information is available from TNLA, 7730 South IH 35, Austin, Texas 78745, online at www.tnlaonline.org, or by calling (800) 880-0343. TNLA office hours are weekdays, 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM CST. Copyright 2018 Texas Nursery Landsape & Association

January/February 2019 TNLA Green

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ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORT

By Dr. Marco A. Palma and Dr. Charlie Hall

The Green Industry’s Impact on the Texas Economy BACKGROUND

In 2017, the economy had sustained 3-percent growth for two consecutive quarters. This economic momentum continued into the fourth quarter, with 2.7-percent growth, providing strong momentum going into 2018. There were a few more red flags economically speaking than 2016, but nothing that deterred our optimism for the green industry going into 2018. In fact, at that time, most economic modelers were not expecting a slowdown for at least another 18 months.

Although slowing, one of the continuing bright spots in the green industry outlook in 2016 was the housing mar-

ket, a prime influencer of derived demand for green industry products and services. Extra spending to repair damage from the hurricanes continued to boost the economy. However, back-toback hurricanes did put some additional pressure on prices for lumber and other building materials and worsened the already tight labor market for construction laborers.

Although hurricanes often lead to a spike in building activity, we suspected physical constraints, including a lack of buildable lots, shortages of skilled construction workers, rising material prices, and tighter underwriting standards would keep a relatively low ceiling on

Table 1. NAICS Codes for Green Industry Sectors Industry Sector

NAICS Code

Nursery & Greenhouse............................................................................ 1114 Lawn & Garden Equipment Mfg.............................................................. 333112 Greenhouse Manufacturing (Prefab. Metal Buildings)*......................... 332311 Landscaping Services.............................................................................. 561730 Landscape Architectural Services........................................................... 541320 Flower, Nursery Stock, & Florist Supplies Wholesalers.......................... 424930 Lawn & Garden Equipment & Supplies Stores........................................ 4442 Florists.................................................................................................... 4531 Building Material & Supplies Dealers*.................................................... 4441 Food & Beverage Stores*......................................................................... 445 General Merchandise Stores*................................................................. 452 Farm & Garden Machinery & Equipment Wholesalers*......................... 423820 * Green industry represents a portion of overall business activity (sectors not included in previous scope reports).

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TNLA Green January/February 2019

housing starts. That has indeed been the case. To break the log jam, several municipalities sought to streamline the permitting process. In addition, investment in worker training and lumber mills was increasing. Such efforts, however, would still take time to produce meaningful results.

Still, early signs suggested solid growth in 2018. At that time, we were expecting an acceleration of approximately 2 percent for underlying trend economic growth. Less government interference freed up entrepreneurship and productivity growth, powered by new technology. The Federal Reserve was starting to normalize policy, but fiscal and monetary policy together were still pointing toward a good environment for growth.

The American Trucking Association (ATA) in 2017 forecasted a bleak picture for freight costs over the next few years. ATA predicted freight volumes would grow 2.8 percent in 2017 and 3.4 percent annually beginning in 2018 and continuing until 2023. In addition, according to ATA, the trucking industry Acknowledgements A grant from TNLA funded this report. Data came from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. The Green Industry Research Consortium National Nursery Survey was the source of baseline data. Additional contributors include Daniel Hanselka, Dean McCorkle, Rebekka Dudensing (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service), and Alan Hodges (University of Florida). This report complies with the terms of the TNLA contract. The authors welcome comments or information about the usefulness and implications of these findings.

ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORT was short around 48,000 drivers, with that number expected to surge by several hundred thousand by 2025. The actual extent of the driver shortage, compounded by increasing trucking regulations, is still unknown. Because of this, growers found it difficult to find enough drivers to ship their plants in 2018, and their freight rates were increasing.

Most garden centers we interacted with across the state reported increased profitability from 2016–17, mainly stemming from increased dollars sold per transaction. Customer count (and thus transaction count) was down. As with all sectors in the green industry, finding labor was a critical issue for garden centers in 2017, resulting in limited

growth potential.

Landscape service firms also faced significant labor availability pressures, but still had a good run in 2017 since housing had been growing steadily.

Merger and acquisition activity in the landscape industry was strong in 2017 — another signal of a sector achieving above average returns. As baby boomers

Table 2. Total Green Industry Gross Sales in 2017 Sales in the Texas Environmental Horticulture Industry, 2017 Sector (NAICS code) Sales Establishments Production/Manufacturing............................................................................................. 2,138,895,933............................. 3,156 Nursery & Greenhouse (1114)^.................................................................................... 1,700,697,298............................. 2,755 Lawn & Garden Equipment Mfg (333112)^.................................................................. 414,245,373................................ 338 Prefabricated Metal Buildings (332311) (Greenouses)^*............................................. 23,953,261.................................. 63 Horticultural Services..................................................................................................... 5,661,293,068............................ 53,822 Landscaping Services (561730).................................................................................... 5,283,491,361............................. 51,538 Landscape Architectural Services (541320)................................................................ 377,801,707................................ 2,284 Wholesale & Retail Trade Horticulture Products (Gross)............................................... 12,297,271,716............................. 82,399 Flower, Nursery Stock and Florist Supplies Wholesalers (424930)............................ 803,235,930............................... 1,840 Lawn & Garden Equipment & Supplies Dealers (4442).............................................. 5,847,987,881............................. 8,914 Florists (4531).............................................................................................................. 823,877,725................................ 12,257 Building Material & Supplies Dealers (4441)*............................................................. 1,869,163,220............................. 7,103 Food & Beverage Stores (445)*................................................................................... 447,021,904............................... 11,587 General Merchandise Stores (452)*............................................................................ 1,682,075,063............................ 39,675 Merchandise Stores (452)*.......................................................................................... 877,909,992............................... 1,023 Total All Sectors.............................................................................................................. 20,097,460,717.......................... 139,377 ^ Estimated from baseline data from National Nursery Survey, and Texas comptroller’s office data. * NAICS represents a portion of total green industry sales.

Table 3. Total Green Industry Sales 2010–17

2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011

GROWER LANDSCAPE $2,138,895,933 $5,661,293,068 $2,052,700,913 $5,463,941,197 $1,987,750,169 $4,763,827,857 $1,505,326,681 $4,465,856,219 $2,100,242,682 $4,550,424,995 $1,804,926,582 $4,054,303,568 $1,918,432,053 $3,538,719,690

RETAIL (Gross) $12,297,271,716 $11,883,918,182 $12,141,826,310 $11,713,810,871 $11,721,100,798 $10,857,786,292 $10,374,997,040

RETAIL (Net) $3,723,944,170 $3,598,769,617 $3,676,871,125 $3,547,256,554 $3,549,464,140 $3,288,029,320 $3,141,827,767

TOTAL $11,524,133,170 $11,114,411,727 $10,428,449,152 $9,518,439,454 $10,200,131,818 $9,147,259,470 $8,598,979,510

January/February 2019 TNLA Green

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ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORT age, they will switch from do-it-yourself lawn and landscape sales to more doit-for-me sales — another positive sign for landscape service providers and the growers supplying them.

Figure 1. Grower Sales 2008–17 Million Greenhouses (Metal Buildings)

Lawn Equipment Manufacturing

Nursery & Greenhouse

2500

INTRODUCTION

2000 1500 1000 500 0

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2015

2016

2017

Figure 2. Landscaping Sales 2007–17 Billion Landscaping Architectural Services

Landscaping Services

6 5 4 3 2 1 0

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Figure 3. Retail Sales 2007–17 Billion Farm Equipment

General Stores

Food Stores

Building Materials

Florists

Lawn & Garden Suppliers

Flower Wholesalers

14 12 10 8 6

METHODOLOGY

4 2 0

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Total green industry sales in Texas were $20.1 billion in 2017. Production and manufacturing sales increased 4.03 percent to $2.1 billion in 2017. Adjustments in the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts’ sales numbers for the past three years reveal production and manufacturing sales have grown since their lowest point of $1.5 billion in 2014.

Like previous years, the lawn and garden equipment manufacturing sector is significantly lower compared to levels prior to 2014. Prefabricated metal buildings experienced a slight decrease of 1.18 percent in 2017 relative to 2016.

Nursery and greenhouse sector sales increased 6.41 percent from $1.59 billion in 2016 to the highest all-time sales peak of $1.70 billion in 2017.

The horticultural services sector grew 3.49 percent to a record $5.66 billion in 2017. Wholesale and retail had an increase of 3.36 percent to $12.3 billion in 2017. The net margins attributed to the retail sector accounted for more than $3.7 billion. Net margins represent the share of sales attributed to the retail sector, not accounting for the portion of sales included in the production and manufacturing sector or the horticultural services sector. This study measures green industry sales in Texas by sector and then estimates economic contributions to the Texas economy in terms of output, employment, and value added.

2008

2009

2010

TNLA Green January/February 2019

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

To estimate the green industry’s economic contributions in Texas, sales by each green industry sector need to be measured. We gathered data on total

ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORT green industry sales, including all sectors related to the green industry, from the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), which classifies every business in the state and country.

Data in this report, which includes industry sales through the end of fiscal year 2017, came from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. The Green Industry Research Consortium National Nursery Survey was the source of baseline data. The United States, Canada, and Mexico developed NAICS to provide comparable statistics on business activity across North America. Green industry firms fall within one of the NAICS codes in Table 1 (page 4.).

GREEN INDUSTRY SALES IN TEXAS

Figure 4. Total Industry Sales 2007–17 Billion Wholesale and Retail

Production and Manufacturing

Horticultural Services

25 20 15 10 5 0

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Figure 5. Total Green Industry Sales in Texas by MSA 2017

When reporting sales to the state comptroller’s office, each firm must report all sales, including those with sales taxes and those without sales taxes (wholesale). The reporting system has an area of potential slippage. For example, since wholesale growers don’t collect any sales tax (for the state), some small- and medium-size growers are unaware of their reporting responsibilities. Not all of these firms realize their services are subject to sale taxes. Therefore, unintended noncompliance has been a source of underreporting, which would underestimate green industry sales in Texas.

Due to this this potential slippage

Houston

Austin

Dallas-FW

San Antonio

13.2% Other

MSA

41.5%

32.7%

12.4%

58.5% 41.7%

Table 4. Total Green Industry Sales by MSA 2017 MSA Austin Dallas-FW Houston San Antonio Other

GROWER $88,777,664 $329,904,716 $263,026,636 $81,010,722 $1,376,176,195

LANDSCAPE $741,918,576 $1,821,388,290 $1,531,735,420 $414,682,571 $1,151,568,211

RETAIL (Gross) $724,998,943 $2,755,882,042 $2,048,183,769 $964,389,759 $5,803,817,203

Total

$2,138,895,933 $5,661,293,068 $12,297,271,716

TOTAL % OF TOTAL $1,555,695,183 7.74% $4,907,175,048 24.42% $3,842,945,825 19.12% $1,460,083,052 7.27% $8,331,561,608 41.46% $20,097,460,717 100.00%

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ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORT Figure 6. Green Industry Sales by Outlet and MSA 2015–17 2015

2016

2017

GROWER Million 500 400 300 200 100 0

Austin

Dallas-FW

Houston

San Antonio

Houston

San Antonio

LANDSCAPE Million 2000 1500 1000 500 0

Austin

Dallas-FW

RETAIL Million 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0

Austin

Dallas-FW

Houston

San Antonio

Figure 7. Green Industry Economic Output Contributions in Texas 2017

$11.23

Horicultural Service

billion

Production & Manufacturing

$4.06 billion

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TNLA Green January/February 2019

$7.58 billion

problem, additional data were used to supplement this report’s methodology.

Table 2 (page 5) shows total green industry gross sales in 2017, and Table 3 (page 5) shows sales from 2011–17 for each green industry sector. Table 3 shows sales for the retail industry, including gross sales and net sales. Net sales represent the margin sales that correspond to the retail sector only.

Total industry sales, including grower, landscape, and retail sales increased 3.47 percent in 2017 for a total of $20.1 billion in gross sales. The grower sector experienced an increase of 4 percent to $2.1 billion. The landscape sector increased sales by 3.49 percent to $5.66 billion. Gross retail sales increased 3.36 percent to $12.3 billion in 2017. Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 represent industry sales for growers, landscape, retail (gross), and total gross industry sales, respectively broken down by subsectors.

Table 4 (page 7) presents green industry sales by sector and major Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). There are 27 MSAs in Texas. The major MSAs are Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. The economic scope reports sales in five of the major MSAs. Dallas and Fort Worth are combined into one area. Together the five major MSAs included in this report represent almost 60 percent of total industry sales, as shown in Figure 5 (page 7). DallasFort Worth and Houston hold the largest share of green industry sales in 2017, with 24.4 percent and 19.1 percent, respectively. Figure 6 (left) is a graphical representation of grower, landscape, and retail sales by MSA in Texas.

GREEN INDUSTRY’S ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE TEXAS ECONOMY

Wholesale & Retail

The net sales data from the previous section were used to estimate total economic contributions of the green industry to the Texas economy. To evaluate

ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORT the economic impact contributions of the green industry to the Texas economy, economic models were developed using the Implan software system and associated Texas datasets. The Implan system includes more than 500 industries. Input-output models represent the structure of a regional economy in terms of transactions, employees, households, and government institutions (Miller & Blair, 1985).

The economic multipliers derived

from the Implan model were used to estimate the total economic activity generated in the state by sales (output) to final demand or exports. This includes the effects of intermediate purchases by green industry firms from other economic sectors (indirect effects) and the effects of green industry employee household consumer spending (induced effects), in addition to direct sales by industry firms. The wholesale and retail sectors use products from the produc-

tion/manufacturing and horticultural services sectors; therefore, when calculating the impacts for the wholesale and retail trade horticulture products, output (retail sales) is reduced to reflect only the gross margin on sales to those sectors. Otherwise we would be double counting the economic impact stemming from those products.

Economic impact multipliers vary based on data about actual relationships in the economy. The total economic

Table 5. Economic Contributions of the Green Industry in Texas 2017 Output ($Mn) Employment (Jobs) Value Added ($Mn) Production/Manufacturing......................................................... 4,058............................ 33,600................................2,242 Nursery & Greenhouse............................................................ 3,399............................. 31,676.................................1,992 Lawn & Garden Equipment Mfg.............................................. 613................................. 1,725...................................230 Prefabricated Metal Buildings................................................ 45.................................. 199.....................................19 Horticultural Services................................................................. 11,229............................ 129,225...............................6,733 Landscaping Services.............................................................. 10,382........................... 123,815...............................6,240 Landscape Architectural Services........................................... 847................................ 5,410..................................493 Wholesale & Retail Trade Horticulture Products....................... 7,584............................. 67,055................................4,684 Flower, Nursery Stock and Florist Supplies Wholesalers....... 261................................. 1,293...................................170 Lawn & Garden Equipment & Supplies Dealers...................... 3,905............................. 31,256.................................2,395 Florists.................................................................................... 807................................ 12,231.................................494 Building Material & Supplies Dealers ..................................... 1,248............................. 9,990.................................766 Food & Beverage Stores.......................................................... 239................................ 2,437..................................151 General Merchandise Stores................................................... 839................................ 8,436..................................521 Farm & Garden Equipment Wholesalers ............................... 286................................ 1,413...................................186 Total (All Sectors)....................................................................... 22,871............................ 229,880..............................13,659 * Figures may not sum due to rounding

Table 6. Green Industry Economic Impact Contributions in Texas by MSA 2017 Output ($Mn) Employment (Jobs) Value Added ($Mn) Austin.......................................................................................... 1,770.............................. 17,794.................................1,057 Dallas-Fort Worth....................................................................... 5,584............................. 56,129.................................3,335 Houston...................................................................................... 4,373............................. 43,957................................2,612 San Antonio................................................................................ 1,662.............................. 16,701.................................992 Other........................................................................................... 9,481............................. 95,298................................5,662 Total............................................................................................ 22,871............................ 229,880..............................13,659 * Figures may not sum due to rounding

January/February 2019 TNLA Green

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ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORT contributions of the green industry in Texas were estimated at $22.87 billion in output. That’s 229,880 jobs and $13.7 billion in value added, as shown in Table 5 (page 9). For the production and manufacturing sectors, including nursery and greenhouse, lawn and garden equipment manufacturing, and metal building manufacturers, total output impacts were $4.1 billion, employment impacts were 33,600 jobs, and value-added impacts were $2.2 billion.

For the horticultural services sectors, including landscaping services and landscape architecture services, total output impacts were $11.23 billion, employment impacts were 129,225 jobs, and value-added impacts were $6.7 billion. For the wholesale and retail trade sectors, total output impacts were $7.6 billion, employment impacts were 67,055 jobs, and valueadded impacts were $4.7 billion. The largest economic impact contributions for individual sectors were landscaping services, lawn and garden stores, and nursery and greenhouse.

Economic impact results are also reported by major MSA, as summarized in Table 6 (page 9). The MSAs with the greatest

economic impact contributions to the state’s economy are Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, with $5.6 billion and $4.3 billion, respectively. Austin generated $1.77 billion in output impact, and San Antonio had $1.66 billion of output impact.

Figure 8. Employment Contributions by the Green Industry in Texas 2017 140,000 120,000

129,225

100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 0

67,055 33,600 Production & Mfg.

Horticultural Services

Wholesale & Retail

TNLA Member Wins UPDATE Prestigious Award TNLA Green

JONATHAN SAPERSTEIN, owner of Tree Town USA, is the winner of the coveted 2019 David E. Laird, Sr. Memorial Award. Saperstein’s cutting-edge operations and business leadership helped him transform Tree Town USA into one of the largest nurseries and tree producers in the country.

The business has more than 2,000 employees and grows 4 million trees and 18 million shrubs and perennials on 18 farms in Texas, Florida, Oregon, and California with more than 6,000 acres.

Established in 1974 by David E. Laird, Jr., in memory of his father, Southern Nursery Association (SNA) Past President David E. Laird, Sr., SNA presents this award each year to qualified young men and women for outstanding service in the field of environmental horticulture. Recipients must be 39 years of age or younger and must be a member of their state nursery association. For more information, visit SNA.org.

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The moment we’ve been anticipating all year is finally here: the winners of the Texas Excellence in Landscaping (TEIL) Awards! The pages that follow showcase the work of the best landscaping firms in the state. This year’s winners worked countless hours, overcoming challenges and collaborating closely with clients to create some of the most beautiful outdoor spaces we’ve ever seen.

We hope you enjoy learning more about each of these award-winning projects, and we know this crowd will especially appreciate the skill, labor, and attention to detail that went into each masterpiece.

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TNLA Green January/February 2019

ABOUT THE AWARDS

Projects are judged by a panel of Green Industry experts, and each project is scored on its own merits, not against other submissions.

Judges can give Gold, Silver, or Bronze awards in one or more of the project categories.

Notable projects may receive an Honorable Mention in lieu of an award.

AWARD CATEGORIES INCLUDE:

A. Commercial Installation (with or without design, must include design plan) A1. Under $100,000

A2. $100,000–$500,000 A3. Over $500,000 B. Commercial Maintenance C. Residential Installation (with or without design, must include design plan)

C1. Under $50,000 C2. $50,000–$150,000 C3. Over $150,000 D. Residential Maintenance E. Special Project F. Unique Features G. Design

In these TEIL Award Projects, you’ll find inspiration and innovative ideas!

Sponsored by

To see more of these award-winning projects, and find out the category winners, be sure to attend the special TEIL presentation at the 2019 Nursery/Landscape EXPO this August.

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GOLD AWARD

Southern Botanical Dallas Arboretum — A Tasteful Place

Commercial Installation over $500,000 THE INTENT WITH THE PROJECT was to transform

a 3.5-acre lot from a storage area to a beautiful new space that would highlight the range of culinary plants thriving in North Texas. Southern Botanical drew inspiration for the project from the trend of growing and eating sustainable, fresh, local Dallas food. More than 34,000 plants were sourced from nine states.

To keep the plants watered and healthy, a temporary nursery, complete with an irrigation system, was built.

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TNLA Green January/February 2019

GOLD AWARD

Southern Botanical Turtle Creek Offices

Commercial Installation over $500,000 THIS STATELY BUILDING is surrounded by native grasses and perennials. The client wanted the campus to be nestled on the site, with a low profile and low impact on the surrounding landscape. This makes the project look as though it were placed in the middle of a native Texas grassland. There are more than 20,000 plants located on the site and approximately 70 different varieties, and some of the plant material was collected from nearby ranches. This project is registered as a LEED Silver site.

January/February 2019 TNLA Green

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GOLD AWARD

Clean Scapes, LP The Waterfront

Commercial Installation over $500,000 THIS NEW AUSTIN COMPLEX is made up of 40 acres of Lady Bird Lake waterfront property. The client’s top priority was to have open outdoor spaces.

The client wanted the office to feel like a giant outdoor space, which connected seamlessly to the 11-mile, lakefront hike-and-bike trail directly across the street.

The property truly feels like an outdoor destination, rather than just another stuffy workplace. The property is home to more than 10,000 employees who requested plenty of terraces and patio space.

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TNLA Green January/February 2019

GOLD AWARD

Southern Botanical Dallas Museum of Art

Commercial Maintenance THE TEAM CREATED a fresh-looking environment for visitors. From weekly hand-pruning to eliminating the dwarf palmettos’ brown or tattered leaves to monitoring the drip irrigation closely to maintaining blooms in 100-degree temperatures, these lawn areas required high levels of attention to maintain their attractive, lush appearance. Alternating mowing patterns create uniform growth, aerated to minimize compaction from the constant crowds and top dressed regularly to level the depressions and settling over time.

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GOLD AWARD

AJ’s Landscaping & Design, Inc. Heights Courtyard

Residential Installation under $50,000 THIS RESIDENCE is in an exclusive Houston residential community. The tasks

were to remodel the pool decking, provide a covered fireplace patio, and add an herb and flower garden. Travertine softens the rectangle pool orientation to the residence, raised covered patio, and the residence’s turf bands that accent the 45-degree pool decking. A 12-foot arched fireplace is trimmed in travertine and mimics the wrought iron roof framing. The wrought iron pattern detail connects the fireplace with the 10-foot travertine-clad columns.

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TNLA Green January/February 2019

GOLD AWARD

Moss Landscaping Modern Serenity Gardens

Residential Maintenance IT IS A TRUE JOY to have designed, installed, and

maintained a garden long enough to see the original vision come to life. Such is the case with the Modern Serenity Gardens in Houston’s prestigious Longwoods neighborhood. There are so many elements to this landscape that require painstaking maintenance to achieve, such as the transitional living walls of Japanese yews and the Eagleston holly privacy screen. To accomplish gardens like this requires a meticulous crew, a dedicated supervisor, and an extremely patient and committed client.

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GOLD AWARD

Majestic Outdoor Lighting Casa Inn

Special Projects DEPTH, WIDTH, AND HEIGHT were added to the front

elevation of the property by layering the lighting throughout the landscape and home. Small, subtle LED fixtures were added to highlight features of the home, which added to the overall aesthetic of the property. An additional security element with indirect lighting throughout the property helps to deter potential intruders. Every light has a particular purpose.

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TNLA Green January/February 2019

GOLD AWARD

Lanson B. Jones & Company, Inc. Sorelle

Unique Features THE TWO WHITE Estremoz

marble pieces were imported from Portugal and were designed with special-order, custom-carved marble from Carrara. This piece was inspired by the client’s existing art pieces. The placement of the art piece was given special consideration so it was properly featured but would not compete with the garden features. The slabs were installed on the poured concrete to ensure a perfect level and hardiness so they could withstand hurricane-force winds.

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GOLD AWARD

Jason Osterberger Designs Cherokee Trail Residence

Design THE MAIN ASPECTS of the project are the outdoor living

area addition, courtyard, firepit area, and pools. The team was involved with creating solutions for the client’s needs from conception to completion. Meetings with the client ensured design intent, material selection (plant and hardscape), crew schedules, on-site meetings with contractor, and all aspects of installation.

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TNLA Green January/February 2019

GOLD AWARD

Lanson B. Jones & Co. Contemporary Art Garden

Design THIS ENGLISH-INSPIRED HOME is the perfect contemporary art garden. Unique art pieces throughout the space make it feel like you’re walking through your very own art gallery. The client’s special request of an all-white garden gives it a clean and elegant feel. The team incorporated white seasonal color, white custom art pieces, and all white furniture, which blended seamlessly with the landscape. The design approach was to work around those elements and make them the highlight in every corner, letting the client appreciate the garden for what it is, a contemporary art garden.

January/February 2019 TNLA Green

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SILVER AWARD

Superscapes, Inc. Children’s Medical Center Dallas

Commercial Installation under $100,000 THIS PROJECT EXEMPLIFIES the mission of Children’s Medical, which is “to make life better for children.” The goal was to create a more inviting and whimsical space for patients, families, and medical professionals to get outside and take a breath from the often-tense situations inside the hospital walls.

Efficiency was a top priority to avoid inconvenience to patients, families, and employees of the hospital.

SILVER AWARD

Lanson B. Jones & Company, Inc. Texas Native Rooftop Oasis

Commercial Installation $100,000 to $500,000 THE MATERIAL was carefully chosen to evoke the feel of a natural Texas landscape.

Steel edge was used to define the lines across over 2,000 square feet of bed space.

An ivy wall, putt-putt course, and entertainment areas were installed throughout the inside of the former telephone museum turned upscale condominium midrise.

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TNLA Green January/February 2019

SILVER AWARD

Southern Botanical

Texas Instruments — South Campus Phase 3

Commercial Installation over $500,000 THIS CAMPUS used to be a weapons manufacturing facility. The goal of this project was to restore it to the original plane’s grasses and wildflowers and to make the outdoors inviting to the brilliant minds who work inside all day. The project completely transformed the courtyards to an enticing landscape with ping-pong tables, bocce ball courts, volleyball courts, and other outdoor activities. Despite the 25 days of rain, the team managed to complete the six-month project with 20 days to spare.

SILVER AWARD

Clean Scapes, LP One Hanover Park

Commercial Maintenance THIS COMMERCIAL PROPERTY is a Class A, multi-tenant office complex in the heart of Dallas. The property has a healthy mix of full sun and shade, with large seasonal color beds at both the East and West entries.

Seasonal color is the focus throughout this property. Depending on sun or shade, flower change outs are frequent at this property. It’s extremely important for the property to look well-maintained and healthy year-round.

January/February 2019 TNLA Green

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SILVER AWARD

Clean Scapes, LP Domain Northside

Commercial Maintenance THIS COMMERCIAL PROPERTY has quickly become a major hot spot in Austin. With hundreds of retailers, restaurants, residences, and office space, it strives to provide a live-and-play where you work atmosphere. Its focus on spectacular landscaping and attention to detail separate the property from other multiuse developments.

The goal was to create and maintain beautiful landscapes while incorporating functionality.

SILVER AWARD

Clean Scapes, LP Galatyn Commons

Commercial Maintenance THIS COMMERCIAL PROPERTY presents a unique offering of highly improved Class A office space, located in the heart of the Dallas Metroplex. It has an outdoor amphitheater that’s home to an annual three-day music festival boasting more than 70,000 people. This creates a unique challenge before and after the event to make sure the grounds are perfect. The property also features crushed granite trails that run throughout the complex, allowing tenants to stretch their legs and enjoy the outdoors.

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TNLA Green January/February 2019

SILVER AWARD

Clean Scapes, LP Research Park V

Commercial Maintenance LOCATED IN AUSTIN’S growing high-tech corridor, this property is designed around a beautifully landscaped courtyard that offers outdoor meeting space, outdoor grilling capabilities, and seating areas. This property sees a high amount of vehicle traffic. The City of Austin deemed one area as a “no-enter zone,” which forced the team to leave the space as natural as it possibly can be. Manual weeding is allowed, but no chemical or pesticide can be applied in the aquifer recharge zone.

SILVER AWARD

Clean Scapes, LP San Clemente at Davenport

Commercial Maintenance PERCHED NEAR the rim of one of Austin’s landmark canyons, this commercial property is composed of three five-story office buildings. Seasonal color has been expertly paired with native Texas perennials. The result is a happy partnership of rugged terrain and native landscaping with a polished approach.

January/February 2019 TNLA Green

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SILVER AWARD

Clean Scapes, LP River Place Corporate Park

Commercial Maintenance THIS COMMERCIAL PROPERTY is a 48-acre, seven-building Class A office park located in the hills of Austin.

Gorgeous seasonal color displays are featured at focal points throughout the property. Native Texas plant material is abundant at this property and combines functionality with aesthetics. Each building has its own unique entry, none quite the same as the others, but still using similar plant material to bring the complex together seamlessly.

SILVER AWARD

Clean Scapes, LP Pearl Brewery

Commercial Maintenance THE PEARL BREWERY, founded in 1881, has been a San Antonio landmark ever since. The property is now home to an expansive multiuse development, including restaurants, retailers, public spaces, and apartments. Rainwater is collected and stored in recycled beer cisterns to supplement irrigation of the environmentally responsible, natural, low-water-use landscape. Attractive native and adapted plants embody the natural character of San Antonio while requiring less water. The Pearl has also planted a total of 662 trees around the property.

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TNLA Green January/February 2019

SILVER AWARD

Native Land Design Cinco Ranch

Commercial Maintenance THE PROPERTY’S gated communities are enhanced with vibrant seasonal color displays.

The property’s large turf areas are maintained to remain vibrant. Crews also maintain and enhance water features throughout the property.

SILVER AWARD

Moss Landscaping Provincial Estate Gardens

Residential Installation $50,000 to $150,000 THE MASTER PLAN was originally designed and installed for the residence in 2014, and regular enhancements and maintenance requests have been performed over the years. In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey water levels continued to rise and did not recede for more than a week. Needless to say, the entire landscape had to be replaced. By May 30, 2018, the newly remodeled gardens welcomed the clients as they were finally able to move back into their home.

January/February 2019 TNLA Green

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TNLA Green January/February 2019

SILVER AWARD

Matt W. Stevens Landscape Architecture Peterson Residence

Residential Installation Over $150,000 SPRAWLING PLANTING BEDS do a great job of encompassing the shadow stone- and concrete-lined driveway and guest parking area. Mature existing oaks and elms provided shade-tolerant planting areas in this space. The established trees afforded great vertical height, and mountain laurels were preserved and trimmed, creating a perfect frame for the front walkway. LED lighting created a subtle evening visibility to aid in pedestrian access. Artificial turf was a great way to incorporate low-maintenance green accents. Low bowls spill into the pool with a relaxing sound effect.

The largest existing live oak on the lot allowed for use of LED up-lights and down-lights. Great efforts were taken to design low-impact development use around this live oak so as not to cause stress.

SILVER AWARD

Lanson B. Jones & Company, Inc. Formal English Estate

Residential Maintenance ATTENTION TO DETAIL is the name of the game for this residence. Lanson B. Jones has been maintaining this property since it was designed and installed more than 10 years ago. All hedges are trimmed by hand by experienced crews each week. The crew hand pulls all weeds from the gravel areas each week. Proper handtrimming is necessary to ensure the proper framing of the front entry, so the crew uses a sting level to ensure an even trim every time.

January/February 2019 TNLA Green

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TNLA Green January/February 2019

SILVER AWARD

Moss Landscaping AOS Rooftop Herb Garden

Special Projects THE TEAM PROUDLY donated the labor and materials for the future rooftop herb garden. The team also incorporated a butterfly garden for the students to learn about pollinators. These plants included Mexican butterfly weed, rudbeckia, milkweed, and various salvias.

This couldn’t have been done without the hard-working crew who unloaded 34 soil super sacks that had to be crane lifted onto the roof one at a time.

SILVER AWARD

Texas Turf Management Power Stroke Magic — Ford Diesel Repair Shop

Unique Features THIS PROJECT was a rare and wonderful opportunity to use the team’s full potential of freelance design. The team had free reign to design and create a dream landscape to complement Ford’s new facility in Cypress, Texas. The team was given two old Ford trucks, a blank template, and a budget. This was designed on-site. Every sector of the company had design input and brainstormed ideas to see it come to fruition. This was a truly fun project that allowed an abundance of imagination and creativity.

January/February 2019 TNLA Green

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SILVER AWARD

Bonick Landscaping Westgate

Design FACING AN EXPANSIVE green belt, there was great opportunity to blur the property’s landscape into a natural setting. The client requested a contemporary remodel of the outdated pool and landscape to complement the newly renovated interiors. Three types of crushed marble selected by the designer were used to create the terrazzo-like finish of the concrete. The seating and lounge area around the pool now provide selective views onto the green belt, where bobcats and other wildlife can be seen.

SILVER AWARD

Matt W. Stevens Landscape Architecture Peterson Residence

Design THIS PROJECT expanded over two lots with a newly constructed main house and a guest house. The surrounding terrain is rough and undeveloped. Careful aesthetic coordination of materials helped match the materials of the main house with materials used in the hardscape. Even before the construction took place, the team collaborated with the builder to determine which trees would be incorporated into the landscape design and which would be removed.

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TNLA Green January/February 2019

SILVER AWARD

Rebecca Winn, Whimsical Gardens Labyrinth Gardens

Design THE GARDEN, an ongoing project recently completed, was divided into “rooms� and designed into three distinct but complementary spaces, each with a different vibe, but all with the intention of creating a mood of calm contemplation. These three garden rooms bring together classic and modern variations on a labyrinthian theme: one organic, one inorganic, and a combination of the two. The final project was visually and energetically soothing, both while in the garden and while observing it from outside.

January/February 2019 TNLA Green

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BRONZE AWARD

Clean Scapes, LP Hill Country Galleria

Clean Scapes, LP Blue Skies of Texas

Commercial Maintenance

Commercial Maintenance

BRONZE AWARD

BRONZE AWARD

Clean Scapes, LP Clearfork Edwards Ranch Commercial Maintenance

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BRONZE AWARD

TNLA Green January/February 2019

Native Land Design Arbor Walk

Commercial Maintenance

BRONZE AWARD

BRONZE AWARD

Native Land Design Avalon

Matt W. Stevens Landscape Architecture Jones Residence

Commercial Maintenance

Residential Installation $50,000 to $150,000

BRONZE AWARD

BRONZE AWARD

AJ’s Landscaping & Design, Inc. Bigman Residence

Residential Installation $50,000 to $150,000

Lanson B. Jones & Company, Inc. English Backyard Farm to Table

Residential Installation over $150,000

January/February 2019 TNLA Green

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BRONZE AWARD

Wilhite Landscape & Lawn Care Private Residence

Residential Maintenance

BRONZE AWARD

Vincent Landscapes, Inc. W. Residence Design

BRONZE AWARD

Texas Turf Management

Power Stroke Magic — Ford Diesel Repair Shop Special Projects

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TNLA Green January/February 2019

HONORABLE MENTION

HONORABLE MENTION

Dallas Love Field Parking Lot Addition

Rock’n Dive Rocks

Choate USA

Commercial Installation $100,000 to $500,000

Alterra

Unique Features

HONORABLE MENTION

Texas Turf Management

Power Stroke Magic — Ford Diesel Repair Shop Commercial Installation $100,000 to $500,000

HONORABLE MENTION

Alterra

Burning Log Back Design

HONORABLE MENTION

Talley Landscapes Architects, Inc. Wallaroo Park at Woodforest Commercial Installation over $500,000

HONORABLE MENTION

Alterra

Fabulous Front Yard Residential Installation $50,000 to $150,000

Design TNLA Green January/February 2019 Advertiser Index Creekside Nursery........................................inside front cover Granite Trucking.....................................................................41 Horizon Irrigation.................................................................. 30 Living Earth Technology Co................................................... 03 OHP................................................................inside back cover ROMCO.................................................................................. 03 Saxon Becnel & Sons............................................... back cover Shweiki................................................................................... 35 Spring Meadow Nursery.........................................................11 Texas Mutual......................................................................... 45 Tifsport.....................................................................................11

January/February 2019 TNLA Green

39

GREEN Vision

By Mengmeng Gu, Ph.D.

Plants with Potential: Farkleberry

I HAVE WRITTEN about several plants from my native land of China in previous issues of TNLA Green.

This column will focus on a plant from “the Great Aggieland,” where I’ve been transplanted.

In the College Station area during the early winter, plants with nice red foliage are mainly Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana), Chinese tallow tree (Triadica sebifera; syn. Sapium sebiferum), and Chinese pistache (Pistacia chinensis). Although we love their gorgeous fall color, we worry about invasiveness, except the male Chinese pistache trees (for the obvious reason).

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 4

Figure 5

... berry loss during mechanical harvest is reduced since farkleberry has a single trunk instead of being bushy.

Farkleberry flowers have shorter tubes and wider openings, making it easy for insect pollination and fruit set.

A casual stroll around the neighborhood last year introduced me to a gorgeous native plant, farkleberry, also called sparkleberry (Vaccinium arboreum). My neighborhood is one of those subdivisions carved out of native vegetation, which still exists, right beyond the mowing line. It was December, and yaupon hollies (Ilex vomitoria) were proudly presenting their shiny red berries. Not much was going on other than

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TNLA Green January/February 2019

that. Suddenly, a ball of fire — a roundshaped shrub covered in red foliage — caught my attention among the yaupon hollies (See Figure 1.).

Farkleberry, native to the Southeast United States, is a close relative of a well-known fruit, blueberry (high bush blueberry V. corymbosum or rabbiteye

blueberry V. ashei). Small black round farkleberries are about one-quarter inch in diameter (See Figure 2.). They are seedy, not juicy and taste nothing like blueberry. It is like chewing sand.

But it seems like birds don’t have any problem with that (See Figure 3.).

If it doesn’t taste good, what is it

GREEN Vision

Figure 3

Not to mention it is drought tolerant, resistant to sharpnosed leafhopper, can adapt to basic mineral soils, has open flower clusters (See Figure 5.), a blight-resistant stem, and an upright bush habit. This lovebug flower picture (See Figure 6.) is a good illustration of phenology, seasonal natural phenomena in relation to plant and insect life. Farkleberry flower buds emerge around late March and early April. They flower continuously until May. The blueberry industry has recognized farkleberry’s potentially useful traits and uses farkleberry in breeding and production efforts. Its higher soil pH tolerance, compared to blueberries, makes farkleberry a good rootstock candidate for blueberry production in high pH areas. When using farkleberry as rootstock, berry loss during mechanical harvest is reduced since farkleberry has a single trunk instead of being bushy. Farkleberry flowers have shorter tubes and wider openings, making it easy for insect pollination and fruit set. Its late flowering could help avoid crop loss due to late freezes.

Why have we not seen this used in landscapes? When neither seeds nor softwood/hardwood cuttings gave us good results, I reached out to a blueberry breeder in Florida, asking how they propagated it. The answer: “Poorly is how we propagate it! Root cuttings are more successful than stem cuttings, so we’ve been doing that.” There are some selections in a commercial tissue culture lab, too. But before we figure out an efficient way of propagating this, we may have to settle for root cuttings.

Have you tried it? Do you have a success story? As always, I’d love to hear from you if you agree or disagree with me. Let’s have a conversation.

MENGMENG GU, PH.D., is associate professor/extension specialist in the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Department of Horticultural Sciences. Her email address is mgu@tamu.edu.

Figure 6

good for? Well, have you seen the bright red foliage in the middle of the winter, when nothing else looks like this and even Bradford pears and Chinese tallow trees all lose their leaves? I picked the last two, best-looking leaves from a Bradford pear and used them as background to take a picture of the red farkleberry leaves (See Figure 4.). What do you think? Shouldn’t that just guarantee its place in landscapes?

January/February 2019 TNLA Green

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BUGS FUZZ

Focus on disease and insects

Biological Control in Texas: Can It Work?

IN THIS ARTICLE, WE ARE REFER-

ring to biological control as the use of predatory or parasitic insects to manage pests. Basically, think about the promotion of mini alien wars on a very small scale. Some insects eat others as adults or only in their immature larval stages. Green lacewings are a good example of this. The adults are nectarfeeding green fairies, whereas the larvae are ferocious insect blood-sucking machines. Don’t mess with them if you happen to get zapped by Szalinzki’s Shrinking Machine.

Ladybugs (or more correctly referred to as “lady beetle” *pushes up glasses*)

feed on soft-bodied insects in their immature larval stages and in their adult stages.

Some other insects acA tually require living and feeding on their host as a part of their lifecycle, known as parasitoids. If you’ve seen the movie “Alien,” you need no explanation as to how these critters work.

The adult females (typically a tiny wasp) lay eggs in the host insect (such as an aphid). A little larva C emerges and eats the host insect from the inside out.

The nice thing about these parasitic wasps is that they are quite good at finding even small populations of pests.

After all, they need only one host to produce one new offspring. A predator, on the other hand, needs to eat many pests before it has the resources to produce eggs.

DOES IT ACTUALLY WORK?

Biological control has been used in greenhouse production in different

There are several different types of biological control strategies. In general, the strategies commonly used are: • Classical/Importation Biological Control: Used when an invasive insect has established in its non-native territory (such as crape myrtle bark scale or the red imported fire ant). The natural predator or parasitoid of the target pest can be imported from its original geographic region. An example of this was the use of the vedalia beetle to manage the cottony-cushion scale in the 1800s, virtually saving the California citrus industry for just a few hundred bucks.

• Augmentation Biological Control: Release of predators or parasitoids to increase their populations above what would naturally occur. This is the most commonly used biological control strategy in greenhouse production to boost predator/ parasitoid populations. Although the benefit-cost ratio com-

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TNLA Green January/February 2019

By Kevin Ong, Ph.D.

Figure 1. (A) A parasitic wasp is about to lay an egg inside an aphid. The egg develops into a larva that feeds on the insides of the aphid as the aphid continues to feed. Eventually, there is nothing left inside the aphid except its outer carcass. At this point, we call the aphid an “aphid mummy,” (B) which looks like an inflated aphid carcass with a pupa either under or inside it. The pupa is where the wasp larva is becoming a new wasp winged adult. Some predators feed only on pests in their larval stage, such as lacewing larvae, (C) which inject digestive fluid into their host and then suck them dry.

B

parts of the world as well, although its successes are a bit more limited and nuanced compared to classical biological control. Some of the factors that have led to adoption of biological control in greenhouse operations around the world were not necessarily voluntary. Challenges exist with pesticide resistance, ever tighter restrictions on pesticide residues, or limited pesticides or available resources.

Sound familiar? These issues are becoming prevalent in Texas, so building awareness around biological control and providing data-driven recommendations are parts of the work that we do to help protect the industry in the future.

pared to insecticide use is not as large or guaranteed as it is in classical/importation biological control, it has saved many growers in instances where insecticide resistance, pesticide residues, or worker safety have been an issue.

• Conservation Biological Control: Manipulation of the habitat, host plant, or other farming practices to promote naturally occurring populations of predators and parasitic wasps. This strategy is more commonly used in field crops, landscaping, and nurseries. Certain types of plants are thought to be more attractive and provide beneficial resources for predatory insects and can be planted near the crop being protected to promote the predator insect populations. Careful selection of pesticides to reduce impact on beneficial insects is also a vital component of this strategy.

Focus on disease and insects

800

Treatment Untreated Pyriproxyfen Predatory mite Parasitic wasp Wasp & mite

700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0

0

7 14 28 Days after Treatment

42

Figure 3. Average number of whiteflies per poinsettia plant in small single-poinsettia cages (replicated five times per treatment). Wasps (E. eremicus) were released weekly, whereas the predatory mites (A. swirskii) were released only once at the beginning of the trial. Pyriproxyfen (Distance or Fulcrum) was the most effective at suppressing the whitefly populations, but if we had Q Biotype/MED, we would have run into issues with resistance. Both treatments with the wasps demonstrated they could suppress whiteflies to acceptable levels.

(+/- Standard Error)

We’re working on figuring that out. In Texas, most greenhouses tend to be hoop houses with lots of openings for natural enemies to escape if they get bored or pests coming in to join the party. Additionally, it has been said by some northerners that our summers are hot. Seeing as how the insectaries that mass produce the natural enemies are located in slightly more temperate regions, it’s possible that the insects may not be able to handle the heat. Some preliminary work says otherwise. We used whiteflies on poinsettias as a model system to determine whether biological control can work in Texas. Answers so far say quite possibly.

In a recent study, we used either a parasitic wasp, predatory mite, or a

100-percent control by day 42. That’s very good unless, of course, you have the Q Biotype/MED whitefly, which is resistant to pyriproxyfen. Then you’d have a lot less or no control. We were lucky in this case.

You will also notice two of the treatments that had the parasitic wasps also had low final whitefly numbers compared to the control. Note: This was for a trial in which the plants started with an average of 42 whiteflies. So as a proof of concept, it seems like the wasp could perform quite well. In this trial, however, we released large quantities of wasps and mites, so the question remained: How well would they do if we released quantities that are economically comparable to typical insecticide rotations? That’s where our large-cage trial comes in.

By the fourth week of our large-cage trial (See Figure 4.), all cages with natural enemies had substantially fewer whitefly immatures per leaf than the untreated control. Even though we started with about 18 whitefly immatures per leaf at the beginning of the trial, we had fewer than five immatures per leaf at the end of the eight weeks — all without any pesticide treatments.

In a good, integrated pest management program, we would want to inAvg. Immature whiteflies per leaf

DOES BIOLOGICAL CONTROL WORK IN ORNAMENTALS OR NURSERY PRODUCTION IN TEXAS?

(+/- Standard Error)

Figure 2. Two commonly used natural enemies against the silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia tabaci. (A) Amblyseius swirskii, a predatory mite that feeds primarily on eggs and 1st instar whitefly nymphs. The predatory mite can also survive on pollen in the absence of whiteflies. (B) Eretmocerus eremicus, a parasitic wasp, that lays her eggs under whitefly nymphs. This wasp prefers to lay eggs under 2nd and 3rd instar whitefly nymphs.

combination of the two to manage silverleaf whiteflies on poinsettias in small one-poinsettia cages (See Figure 3, five replications per treatment.) and larger 12-poinsettia cages (See Figure 4, four replications per treatment.). In the large cages, we released quantities of natural enemies that would be economically comparable to current insecticide use on poinsettias (8 cents to 16 cents per 6-inch poinsettia throughout the whole growing season), whereas the small cages were a proof of concept.

We released way more natural enemies than would be economically feasible.

The idea was to see whether the natural enemies would do anything at all. Both in our small- and largecage trials, our natural enemies provided acceptB able suppression of whitefly nymphs.

By day 42 of our small-cage trial (See Figure 3.), our “untreated” cages had more than 550 whitefly nymphs per plant (Warning: Do not do this at your operation.). Pyriproxyfen provided Avg. whitefly nymphs per plant

Biological control in greenhouse production is typically done using an “augmentation” strategy, which entails releasing predators or parasitic wasps above naturally occurring population levels to suppress the pest below an economic threshold. There are more than 60 species of “natural enemies” (organisms that suppress a target pest) available in North America alone, with a handful of reputable biological control agent producers in the country. These agents include predatory mites, parasitic wasps, lacewings, lady beetles, rove beetles, and entomopathogenic nematodes.

A

BUGS FUZZ

30 25 20

Treatment Untreated Parasitic wasp Predatory mite Parasitic wasp

15 10 5 0

0

2

4 Week

6

8

Figure 4. Average immature whiteflies per leaf in large cages containing 12 6-inch poinsettias. Release rates of the parasitic wasp (E. eremicus) and predatory mite (A. swirskii) were economically comparable to direct costs associated with insecticide applications (8 cents to 16 cents per 6-inch poinsettia throughout an entire growing season).

January/February 2019 TNLA Green

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NEW MEMBERS

BUGS FUZZ clude a few pesticides that would have low impact on our natural enemies and use them as spot spray treatments to treat areas of higher whitefly concentrations as needed. Our trial and scouting at some of our local growers have shown that whitefly populations tend to concentrate in a patchy manner. Zap them with some targeted pesticides and maintain low populations with releases of wasps and/or predatory mites, and that should work.

If a time comes, however, when some of our pests are hard to manage due to lack of available pesticides, pesticide resistance, and public demand, we need to be ready with alternative solutions we have confidence in.

CONCLUSION

Rarely do growers have any inherent incentives to use biological control; it’s not like people are looking to buy “organic poinsettias.” If a time comes, however, when some of our pests are hard to manage due to lack of available pesticides, pesticide resistance, and public demand, we need to be ready with alternative solutions we have confidence in. Although we can’t say we really know how to best recommend the use of biological control in all systems, we are developing confidence in the use of biological control for whitefly control in poinsettias.

KEVIN ONG, PH.D., is professor and director of The Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M University.

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TNLA Green January/February 2019

TNLA would like to welcome its new members. If you would like to become a member or if you have any questions or concerns about your current membership, please contact us at 800.880.0343.

Visit www.TNLAonline.org to learn about the benefits of becoming a member of TNLA.

REGION 1 Educator Weldon Riggs Palo Alto College 5775 Blackhill Rd. Floresville, TX 78114

Supplier Reef Industries, Inc. Mark Young 9209 Almeda Genoa Rd. Houston, TX 77075 reefindustries.com

Supplier The Organic Recycler Tim Sansone 3200 Handley Ederville Rd. North Richland Hills, TX 76118 theorganicrecycler.com

REGION 2 Landscape L3 Designs Lauren Olenius 2121 Brittmoore Rd, #4100 Houston, TX 77043 l3-design.com

San Jacinto Environmental Supplies Mike Serant 2221A W 34th St Houston, TX 77018 sanjacsupply.com

REGION 6 Educator Kendra Jernigan Abilene Christian University ACU Box 27986 Abilene, TX 79699

REGION 4 Landscape Alterra Jeffery Riddle 34 Bunker Hill Richardson, TX 75080 alterradesignllc.com

Lance S. Smith Western Texas College 6200 College Ave. Snyder, TX 79549

Sage Scapes & Design Rene Vereecken 2019 Wild Peregrine Circle Katy, TX 77494 sagescapesanddesign.com SMC Logistics, LLC Sonia Chavez 12200 Carlsbad St. Houston, TX 77085 smclogisticsworks.com

Bill Roberts Sales, Inc. Mary Roberts 25 Highland Park Village, #100-526 Dallas, TX 75202

Waypoint Landscape, Inc. Sharene Carr PO Box 2965 Conroe, TX 77303 waypointlandscape.com

Division 3x, LLC Marty Glenn 5706 Legacy Dr., Suite B3-352 Plano, TX 75024

Student Jason Adlong The Chicago School of Professional Psychology 507 Carrell St. Tomball, TX 77375

Supplier BioSafe Systems Clint Medlen 2582 CR 4106 Kaufman, TX 75142 biosafessystems.com

David Figueroa Texas Tech University 1809 West 15th St. Houston, TX 77008

REGION 5 Educator Crissa Nugen Tarleton State University Box T-0050 Stephenville, TX 76402

Madyson Spence Blinn College/Texas A&M University 2888 Nash St., Apt. 2213 Bryan, TX 77802

Student Paul Hughes Western Texas College 2221 S. 1st St. Lamesa, TX 79331 Aimee Krahn Western Texas College 807 SE 3rd St. Seminole, TX 79360 David Robinson Western Texas College 912 Rush St. Colorado City, TX 79512 REGION 8 Landscape Yellow Dot Landscape Construction Jameson Tomlin 3220 Duval Rd., #1707 Austin, TX 78759 weareyellowdot.com Supplier Land Art Nursery Pat Dean 18100 Schultz Lane Pflugerville, TX 78660 landartnursery.com

NEW TNLA CERTIFIED PROFESSIONALS TCNP Zachary Buchanan

TCLA Jorge Burbano De Lara

Dylan Cantu

Brian Chapman

Buchanan’s Native Plants Calloway’s Nursey

Dalton Davis

Complete Landsculpture Complete Landsculpture

James Epps

Calloway’s Nursey

Complete Landsculpture

Keaton Emerson

Jason Grohman

Kevin Fairchild

Dan Hall

Calloway’s Nursey

Silver Creek Materials, Inc.

Diana Iglesias

Cribley Enterprises

Complete Landsculpture

Kathleen Hicks

Calloway’s Nursey

Complete Landsculpture

Jennifer Valero

Tim McAuliffe

Calloway’s Nursey

Elizabeth Zoll

Shades of Green, Inc

Dallas Outdoor Living

Elizabeth Moore

Complete Landsculpture

TCLP Vickie Pullen

Rustic Ridge Gardens

TMCNP Francesco Gusmano Calloway’s Nursery

Jamshed Khan

Calloway’s Nursery

Atticus Kimbrough Calloway’s Nursery

James O’Hara

Calloway’s Nursery

Logan Rountree Calloway’s Nursery

TCWSP Adriane Horne

Austin Country Club

Green QUIZ TNLA

According to the article Biological Control in Texas; Can it work? define parasitoids. a. Insects that require living and feeding on their host as a part of their lifecycle b. An insect that needs to eat many pests before it has the resources to produce eggs c. A non-organic chemical used to control natural pests d. An organic chemical used to control natural pests

According to the article Fabulous Fall Foliage – Is There Life Beyond Japanese Maples?, full sun is the best place to plant most all Japanese Maples. a. True b. False

According to the article Fabulous Fall Foliage – Is There Life Beyond Japanese Maples?, which tree is described as a tragically underutilized small tree? a. Trident Maple b. Chalk Maple c. Chinese Pistache d. Persian Ironwood

According to the article Fabulous Fall Foliage – Is There Life Beyond Japanese Maples?, the Chinese Ironwood was found to grow the same in the container and the landscape as the Persian Ironwood. a. True b. False

According to the article Biological Control in Texas; Can it work? which of the following is the difference between parasitoids and predators? a. An insect that needs to eat many pests before it has the resources to produce eggs b. Parasitoids are non-organic chemicals, where predators are natural insect controls c. Insects that require living and feeding on their host as a part of their lifecycle d. Parasitoids are organic chemicals where predators are natural insect controls According to the article Biological Control in Texas; Can it work? which of the following is NOT a type of biological control strategy? a. Classical/Importation Biological Control b. Conservation Biological Control c. Integrated Biological Control d. Augmentation Biological Control According to the article Biological Control in Texas; Can it work? which are not considered a natural pest? a. Bemisia tabaci b. Amblyseius swirskii c. Eretmocerus eremicus Coccinellidae According to the article Plants with Potentials: Farkleberry, the Farkleberry is a close relative of a well-known fruit? a. Strawberry b. Sparkleberry c. Blueberry d. Rasberry According to the article Plants with Potentials: Farkleberry, the Farkleberry flower buds emerge when? a. L ate February early March b. L ate March early April c. Late April early May d. May According to the article Plants with Potentials: Farkleberry, the Farkleberry has been found to be best propagated with seed. a. True b. False

January/February 2019 TNLA Green

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NOTES FROM SFA Gardens

By David Creech, Ph.D.

Fabulous Fall Foliage

Is There Life Beyond Japanese Maples?

JUST

A

FEW

DAYS

BEFORE

Thanksgiving I was convinced that fall color at SFA Gardens might be a bust. Then Thanksgiving arrived, I went on vacation, and the Japanese maples suddenly decided it was fireworks time. Our Facebook friends began posting views and vistas, and by the time I returned, the place was at peak show, going from zero to 60 mph in three days. Tim Howell, an avid gardener, photographer, plant enthusiast, and garden booster, kindly let us share with you one of his best images.

For a small tree in part shade, it’s hard to beat the red, maroon, orange, yellow, pink, salmon, and burgundy hues of Japanese maple foliage. In the varietal world, there’s every kind of form, leaf size and shape, and trunk and branching pattern. There’s little doubt that Japanese maples are the stars of the fall here at SFA Gardens.

In our region, these long-lived small

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TNLA Green January/February 2019

Parrotia subaequalis

trees find high canopy pines a perfect environment.

For full sun in Texas, however, Japanese maples are usually a poor choice.

Even in our region of East Texas, these are understory superstars. Yes, there are exceptions, and a good palmate bold leaf variety is better than a cut leaf if you absolutely must try a full-sun spot. Bigtooth, red, Florida, and chalk maples are better choices for full sun in our region. There are several varieties of trident and Shantung maple that are stunning.

If you think about it, there are just too few non-maples in the 20- to 30foot category that shout fall color. Sure, some crapes have good fall color. I’ve seen dogwoods to die for. I love Lindera glauca, but it’s rarely encountered, and I’m a lonely fan club member. Chinese pistache (Plant a male, please.) can be stunning, but let’s face it, it’s ultimately a big tree.

Parrotia subaequalis unpruned form

For the smaller tree niche, that 20to 30-foot crowd, we consider Parrotia persica, Persian ironwood, a tragically underutilized small tree. Given a welldrained, sunny spot, this deciduous tree is long lived, provides great bark interest, and the tree carries a cloak of canary yellow to butterscotch foliage in the fall. Yes, the spring flowers are tragically small (Bring a hand lens.), but they’re pretty and interesting up close. While the tree can be trained as a standard with a single trunk, it’s most commonly used as a multistem tree with lower branches cut away as the tree ages to display the muscular branching and exfoliating bark. The rule of thirds is a good idea.

While canary to butterscotch yellow in the fall is great, everyone knows a bright red would have an immediate fan club. In a 2012 article (www.nurs erymag.com/article/nm1212-persianironwood-plants), Michael Dirr ap-

NOTES FROM SFA Gardens

Parrotia subaequalis foliage

We’re convinced the era of good red fall color ironwood has arrived.

Parrotia subaequalis, Chinese ironwood, is a new small tree in town, and the fire engine red leaves in the fall never fail to raise a few eyebrows. plauded the species as totally reliable, totally underutilized, and lamented the lack of a red for the fall. He wrote, “In a previous Dirr garden, the seedling Parrotia ranged from yellow to orangered, but never consistent. A brilliantly colored (listing toward red) selection would have market prominence akin to the best red maple cultivars like ‘October Glory’ and ‘Red Sunset’.”

We’re convinced the era of good red fall color ironwood has arrived. Parro-

Parrotia persica Nov 2018

tia subaequalis, Chinese ironwood, is a new small tree in town, and the fire engine red leaves in the fall never fail to raise a few eyebrows. Only described

by Deng in 1992, Arnold Arboretum had small plants in the garden in 2004.

From that auspicious start, the plant has been scattered far and wide.

What’s odd about P. subaequalis is that it was found in eastern China, about 3,500 miles away from the natural range of the Persian ironwood, P. persica. The story of the Chinese ironwood is fascinating and is best described in an Arnoldia article by Jianhua Li and Peter Del Tredici (arnoldia.arbore tum.harvard.edu/pdf/articles/200866-1-the-chinese-parrotia-a-siblingspecies-of-the-persian-parrotia.pdf).

Propagation appears easy. While Japanese maples are generally grafted, this species can be rooted throughout the growing season. The best results appear to be softwood to semi-hard-

Parrotia persica bark

wood cuttings under mist in June. We use a rooting hormone but haven’t run any trials. The liners, pushed with a little fertilizer, can be ready for a oneto three-gallon by fall or next spring.

We’ve found the plant faster growing in the container and the landscape than the Persian. Pruning the young plant to a tighter form will mean making back cuts on the long branches that arise from the leader.

We have much to learn about the range of this species in Texas. If you can grow Persian ironwood, I suspect you can grow the Chinese version.

While fully adapted to East Texas, the western-most range of adaptation in Texas is yet to be fully determined. Until next time, let’s keep planting.

DR. DAVID CREECH, Ph.D., is regent’s professor emeritus at Stephen F Austin State University and the director of SFA Gardens.

January/February 2019 TNLA Green

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TNLA

Talks Shannon Wilks

Fajita Dinner from Rio Mambo

Shannon Wilks and Jayne Wilks

Jackie Smith, Jennifer Lutz, David Knopf, and Josh Bracken, TNLA Chairman of the Board

Sweet Aroma of Pinion Wood

Shannon Wilks, commercial accounts and business development manager for Silver Creek Materials in Fort Worth, is the current chair of TNLA Region V, of which he’s been a member for four years. In October, Silver Creek Materials hosted one of its monthly Region V meetings. Wilks spoke to the more than 50 members in attendance about the need for mentoring and support of the next generation of TNLA members in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. ¶ How has membership in TNLA Region V benefited you personally and professionally? I believe

membership has benefited me the most through the many meaningful professional and personal relationships that I know will last a lifetime. ¶ What is Region V doing to attract new members and encourage participation? We are constantly inviting new companies and businesses to our

meetings, as well as holding our regional meetings in different industry-related venues that are of interest to people. ¶ What do members get out of the Region V monthly meetings? One of

the main things our members get out of our meetings is they continue to be updated on state

legislative activity. The meetings also offer great times of fellowship and exchange of ideas and

information. What do you value most about TNLA? Lifelong friendships, building relationships with career professionals in our industry, and having an impact on the direction that legislation

affects our industry are, I think, the things I value most about TNLA. The heart and soul of TNLA is its members and the people who stay committed not only to supporting our organization, but to investing in the next generation of landscape and nursery professionals.

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TNLA Green January/February 2019

January/February 2019 TNLA Green

C

Texas location

We start with a certified seed and finish with a premium citrus tree

Louisiana location

(504) 656-7535 | Phone (504) 656-7069 | Fax (504) 432-3007 | Ricky Cell (504) 495-3969 | Ricky Jr. Cell www.saxonbecnelandsons.com saxon@saxonbecnelandsons.com Saxon Becnel & Sons, LLC 13949 Highway 23 Belle Chasse, LA 70037

D

TNLA Green January/February 2019

Saxon Becnel & Sons of texas, LLC 4995 FM 105 orange, tx 77630