Colorado Green Nov/Dec 2019

NOV/DEC 2019 | VOL 36, NO 6 WWW.ALCC.COM

Designscapes makes eclectic work Winter crew safety tips Certification testing: closing a chapter

years 2019

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In this issue

Nov/Dec 2019 | Vol 35 | No 6

Features 34

Breadth of landscape industry spans far and wide

34

How pollinators and native plants are supported along public roadways

BY CHERIE COURTADE

38

Winter is here!

Are your employees and equipment ready?

BY TROY SIBELIUS

38 Profile

20

Rocky Mountain Trees and Landscaping thrives in montane climate Continuing to learn and evolve is key to success

BY CHERIE COURTADE

23

Designscapes Colorado makes eclectic features work Design flow was maintained despite multiple change orders during construction

BY LYN DEAN

Business Sense

27

23 6

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In this issue

Nov/Dec 2019 | Vol 35 | No 6

Departments

010 13 45

13

Perspective Green News & Notes Ad Index

Milestones

18

40 years of Colorado Green magazine design was driven by technology and trends

Workforce

30

Certification proves industry skills

Top Plant Picks

32 44

42

CSU Research

44

Spotlight on Plant SelectÂŽ

Industry pros rate top picks at CSU Annual Flower Trials

Low-lying native shrub Panchito manzanita has year-round interest

Parting Shot

46

Permaculture is a deeper framework for sustainability

Cover photo: Designscapes Colorado, Inc.

8

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publication ALCC servingindustry the green in industry in the Rocky Mountain region Official publication Official of ALCC servingofthe green the Rocky Mountain region

Perspective

C O L O R A D O

Together we can influence industry change

Official publication of ALCC serving the green industry in the Rocky Mountain region

C O L O R A D O

Colorado Green Production Team

As

John McMahon

we go to press with this issue, the team at ALCC is preparing to attend the annual fall forum and board meeting. The forum is an opportunity for the board of directors, staff, and a small group of industry professionals to come together to plan for the next 12 months of ALCC strategic goal activity.

The theme of the 2019 forum is change. ALCC has experienced a great deal of change in the last year: new leadership, the retirement of some key leaders, and changes at the national level with regards to certification, among other things. The rate of change does not appear to be slowing down in the near future. We’ll discuss the opportunities and challenges present in the changes we face.

Our strength as an association is key to weathering the changes. The ever-evolving political landscape can greatly impact landscape businesses. Dealing with the H-2B visa program, the complicated issues of sales and use tax in our state, and changes in labor law requires a coordinated effort. Along with me, ALCC board members are working regularly behind-the-scenes with lobbyists and volunteers to communicate the impact of legislation and regulation on green industry businesses and affect the changes that we need in order to be successful.

For many of you, the season has slowed down, and we are able to turn our attention to the business side of the business when it is no longer “all hands on deck” in the field. As you look back on the year and examine what changes you can make to help your business run smarter and be more successful, I encourage you to consider industry service in your business plan.

Volunteering in legislative advocacy, with the launch of our Sustainable Landscape Management (SLM) program, as an ELITE Awards judge, or as a mentor to an industry peer are just a few of the ways you can contribute to the success of our industry. You’ll be rewarded for your efforts with greater ties to your peers and a network to help you increase your own success.

It may not immediately be apparent with each new challenge, but I do believe that change is good. It’s a chance to participate and influence to do great things. Strengthen your connection to your industry through ALCC, and together we can accomplish more than we ever could individually.

John McMahon, CEO, ALCC

10

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EDITORIAL

ALCC CEO John McMahon Editor Lyn Dean Official publication of ALCC serving the green industry in the Rocky Mountain region Communications Director Cherie Courtade Circulation and Adminstration Paige Kelly DESIGN

Graphic Design Tracy Gulden

C O L O R A D O

ADVERTISING SALES

Sales Director Amy McCraken (303) 478-7895 Official publication of ALCC serving the green industry in the Rocky Mountain region AmyM@EvergreenCustomMedia.com Sales Director Martha Dickenson (303) 257-6499 Mimi_nwp@yahoo.com CONTACT

Feedback, ideas, address changes (303) 757-5611 or info@alcc.com

Published by ALCC for the green industry in the Rocky Mountain region

ALCC

President Matt Hiner Hiner Landscapes, Colorado Springs Vice President Michael Moore Diggable Designs LLC, Lakewood Past President Mike Ransom Lifescape Colorado, Denver Colorado Green (ISSN0195-0045) is published bimonthly by the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado, Inc., 1660 S. Albion St., Suite 831, Denver, Colorado 80222, phone: 303-757-5611, fax: 303-757-5636. Colorado Green is distributed to contributing members and professionals throughout Colorado, and educational and governmental institutions across the state. Postage paid at Denver, Colorado. Publisher assumes no responsibility for safekeeping or return of unsolicited photos or manuscripts, and reserves all rights to edit material submitted for publication. Approval for publication of copyrighted material submitted to Colorado Green is the sole responsibility of the advertiser/contributing authors. ©2019 by Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado. All rights reserved. Reproduction of materials contained herein allowed only with permission of the publisher. Post master: Please send Form 3579 to ALCC, 1660 S. Albion St., Suite 831, Denver, Colorado 80222.

For advertising inquiries, please call Amy McCraken at 303-478-7895, or email amym@evergreencustom media.com.

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Green News& Notes

Boy and butterfly in Denver NWF certified backyard

Denver seeks NWF Community Wildlife Habitat certification

In

late November 2018, the City and County of Denver announced its intention to certify as

a Community Wildlife Habitat through the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). Although

Denver Parks & Recreation is spearheading the program, the effort relies on the involvement and participation of interested Denver residents, businesses and agencies to certify their properties (backyard, balcony, business, agency, school yard, church grounds, etc.) in order to accomplish the overall goal of certifying Denver by the end of 2019.

Denver’s remaining steps toward certification require that homes, common areas (public parks, businesses, HOA common areas, and more), and schools certify themselves. That certification is as simple as creating a space for wildlife and meet goals in five categories: food, water, cover, places to raise young, and sustainable practices.

Landscape companies that serve the Denver area can help the city and county achieve certification by communicating with customers about the program. Some locations may already meet the criteria for certification and need only register. NWF offers resources at https://www.nwf.org/ CertifiedWildlifeHabitat.

Nov/Dec 2019 Colorado Green

13

Green News & Notes

Tracy Gulden retires from Colorado Green

fter 13 years of influencing design and layout of the magazine for print, Tracy Gulden is retiring. This is her last issue, and Colorado Green thanks her for lending her talent and professionalism to these pages over the years.

Gulden served with grace and flexibility as the production deadlines for the editorial team often got pushed to the limit. Last-minute changes seem more the norm than the exception. Maybe new ads arrive late in the process, and articles need to be shortened, squeezed or moved around in the layout. Or, sometimes when the team sees the layout, they have grand new ideas. With all the back and forth, and shifts and redos, Gulden remained calm and C O L O R A D O always accommodating.

“Her deep understanding of Colorado Green’s purpose and goals have made magazine production easier,” says ALCC Communications Director, Cherie Courtade. “Given just a general suggestion, Tracy can produce a layout or image that expertly reflects the mood or ideas in an article. That insight and adaptability

C O L O R A D O

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303.257.6499 C O L O R A D O 14

www.alcc.com

NOW

will be greatly missed.”

Colorado Green magazine was not the only showpiece for Gulden’s artistic talents in graphic design for ALCC. She was called upon on several occasions to design and layout additional ALCC projects. She redesigned the Colorado Green logo, created the Sustainable Landscape Management logo and book and has been the talent behind some of ALCC’s most striking marketing materials. Her talent was applied behind the scenes, but she has left a lasting mark on the image of the association and on Colorado Green.

Over her graphic design career spanning more than two decades, in which she was constantly learning new software programs to stay up to date, she says, “I look forward to not keeping up with the latest technology.”

Photo courtesy Tracy Gulden

A

nationally and locally for board leadership roles. As a board member of the Landscape Architecture Foundation, her leadership in the organization’s Research Committee helped to define the Landscape Performance Series and set a new standard for the profession.

Mendenhall also serves on the advisory board of the University of Colorado and is a mayor-appointed trustee of Denver Botanic Gardens, where she helps choose landscape architects to design high-profile capital improvement projects.

ASLA formally recognizes its Fellows at the annual ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture, held this year in San Diego, Nov. 15-18. Election to the ASLA Council of Fellows is among the highest honors ASLA bestows on members.

Tracy Gulden

Correction In the Sept/Oct issue of Colorado Green, Lindgren Landscape was misspelled in the table of contents. We apologize for the error.

Allyson Mendenhall

25 Years of hunts support JSR Foundation

Don Godi

M

ore than 40 hunters from the green

industry participated in ASLA Col orado Chapter’s 25th Annual Dick Marshall Memorial Pheasant Hunt this fall. Proceeds from the event, held at Rocky Mountain Roosters hunting preserve near Calhan, support the chapter’s JSR Foundation.

Several industry sponsors provided raffle prizes: CPS Distributors, Landscape Forms, Buckner Insurance, Chris Perry/BrightView, Donald H. Godi & Assocs., Foothills Parks & Recreation District, Rain Bird and Rocky Mountain Roosters.

Don Godi is the creator of this fundraiser and has continued to organize it for 25 years.

Godi was honored with a plaque commemorating his long-term commitment to this event. To date, this event has raised in excess of $35,000 for the foundation which provides scholarships and supports industry programs.

Photo courtesy Kendall Gilchrist

A

llyson Mendenhall, Design Workshop, Denver, was one of 22 elevated as Fel lows by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), for their exceptional contributions to the landscape architecture profession and society at large. Mendenhall was nominated by the ASLA Colorado chapter.

A LEED-certified landscape architect with over 20 years of professional practice experience, Mendenhall directs the Design Workshop’s content, project and quality management standards, as well as research and the landscape performance process. Many of the programs she leads serve as national models for transforming professional practice. Mendenhall shares her knowledge regularly with other design practitioners through lectures and speaker panels, and is widely sought after both

Photo courtesy Becky Garber-Godi

Allyson Mendenhall elevated to ASLA Fellow in 2019

Green News & Notes

Saluting Branches marks five years of volunteer service

S

Photo courtesy Joanne Iglesias

aluting Branches completed its fifth annual day of service in September, at 66 veteran cemeteries across the United States, with approximately 3,800 volunteers.

At Fort Logan Cemetery in Denver, 112 volunteers planted and pruned trees, provided tree injections and more.

Veteran Memorial Cemetery of Western Colorado in Grand Junction is a new site in Colorado where 45 volunteers planted 35 donated trees and removed 37.

Meanwhile, 60 volunteers from ISA Rocky Mountain Region in Montana gathered in Helena at Fort Harrison State Veterans Cemetery and VA Medical Center. Volunteers came from tree care companies, cities and service organizations across Montana to plant, prune, mulch and more.

Volunteers in Grand Junction

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Nov/Dec 2019 Colorado Green

15

Green News & Notes

C

CNGA recognizes newly certified professionals

olorado Nursery and Greenhouse Assocation (CNGA) recognized members who achieved Colorado Certified Nursery Professional (CCNP) or Certified Greenhouse Grower (CGG) status in 2019.

CCNP certification requires that individuals pass three exams to demonstrate their in-depth knowledge of plant physiology, entomology, weed control, turf management, pruning, plant identification, landscape design, and disease control.

During 2019, CCNP certification was achieved by: Chesney Babbitt, Fossil Creek Nursery Nicole Bartron, Fort Collins Retail Nursery Chris Borchers, City of Westminster Janice Burton, Arbor Valley Nursery Travis Byers, Site One/Harmony Gardens Nate Douglas, Arbor Valley Nursery Jeff Echter, Echter’s Nursery & Garden Center

Bobcat takes equipment training to a new level

obcat Company celebrated its new

training center with a ribbon-cutting

and tour, in September. Executives from the Bobcat organization welcomed community members from Aurora and Denver, as well as professionals from the equipment industry and landscape industry, to experience the new facility.

The Bobcat Training Center in Aurora, Colorado, is the first of its kind for Bobcat in North America. The 44,400-square-foot location near DIA will serve Bobcat dealers from across the continent. It features technical training rooms, hands-on shop space, a large classroom style auditorium, as well as showroom space and a full warehouse area for equipment storage.

“The new Bobcat training center addresses our need for additional training capacity,” says Mike Ballweber, Doosan Bobcat North America president. “As our equipment offers more features and becomes more advanced, it’s important that we offer the training needed to support new technologies and ensure that the full potential of each piece of equipment is being utilized.”

Bobcat ribbon cutting

Bobcat Training Center, Aurora, CO 16

www.alcc.com

Jason Crimmins, City of Lakewood Kelly Kellow, The Gardens on Spring Creek Selina McKee, CCNP, Creek Side Gardens David Olson, CCNP, Pine Lane Nursery Kathleen Stewart, CCNP, Plantivity Ezequiel Villanueva Ruiz, Glenwood Springs

Photos courtesy Bobcat

B

Mollie Fendley, City of Westminster Shalene Hiller, City of Westminster Margaret Huber, Eagle Crest Nursery Springs High School Morganne King, Fort Collins Nursery John “Jack” Railton, Harding Nursery Lisa Rivera, Mosaic Landscape & Design Krysta Talbot, Harding Nursery Alex Tisthammer, Fort Collins Nursery

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Nov/Dec 2019 Colorado Green

17

Milestones

40 years of Colorado Green magazine design Serving the green industry in the Rocky Mountain region

2012:

The Year of WATER Water scarcity Climate change and water supply Colorado faces water shortage

MARCH/APRIL 2012 VOLUME 28, NO. 2

2005

1994

1979 18 www.alcc.com

2012

2018

2000

2003

1987

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2019

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Milestones

years

was driven by technology and trends 2019

C

olorado Green has had quite a visual journey in its 40 years in print. Significant changes in technology have allowed it to grow into the visually impressive (if we do say so ourselves) magazine you hold in your hands now.

The early years began with a then-stylish dark cover featuring a beautiful image of a plant.

To the modern eye, having seen years of high-definition digital photography, the small images captured on traditional 35mm film may seem dated today. But in 1978, it was pretty fashionable.

Design trends are always changing, and keeping up with them, regardless of your field, makes your work look fresh and up-to-date. Some landscape designers have reported to Colorado Green editorial staff that they don’t like some fads or trends but will work with clients’ desires to create a cohesive design. Education and compromise are key.

In her artistic design career, Tracy Gulden, Colorado Green graphic designer for 13 years says, “what’s in a trend doesn’t mean it’s good design. In the magazine, we want a balance between looking trendy while finding the best way to keep readers engaged.” In design school Gulden was taught less is more. “We can’t ignore trends,” she says. “We work with them as best we can to make the design come together.”

years 2019

Layout trends over the decades

2019

Design trends are always changing, and keeping up with them, regardless of your field, makes your work look fresh and up-to-date.

One constant you’ll notice in the magazine’s first two decades is that plants are featured on every cover. With few exceptions, people do not appear on the cover of Colorado Green. In the 2000s, editors shifted focus to feature a built landscape on the cover—though there have been some issues that return focus to the simple beauty of a plant. They felt that a magazine for the green industry should use the cover to celebrate the beauty created by that industry.

Gulden affirms that technology has been the major driving force of design changes for Colorado Green since she joined the team in 2006, when the digital world was transforming photography and graphic design. Before and even during the early years of Gulden’s tenure, it was difficult and costly to get the high-quality, high-resolution photos we now feature in every issue.

When Gulden came on board, she was receiving photos as prints and slides, which had to be scanned by the printer. Also, before the magazine went to press, she had to show up at the printer’s location in downtown Denver to do the press-check! Compare that to production today, when final proofs are sent and approved digitally, and the printer is in another state.

As the logistics of magazine production became faster in the digital world, so did knowledge of trends. With almost unlimited access to ideas and content, fads can come and go within a 24-hour news cycle, but trends, which may have some longevity, become more quickly known.

Gulden’s first design gig for the magazine was to redesign the Colorado Green logo, and in 2006, the leaf was added. Then in 2018, Gulden with the editorial team changed the logo as part of a larger overhaul of the magazine’s design. After more than 35 years, it was time for a more modern look. For the past few years, readers have enjoyed full-page, full-bleed cover photos and large stunning pictures of built landscapes because digital photography technology is more accessible and less expensive—these days most smartphones can take high-resolution photos suitable for print.

Through the changes in technology and in visual tastes, the design of Colorado Green has served to inform the Colorado landscape industry and to celebrate the work that they do.|CG

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Profiles

Rocky Mountain Trees and Landscaping thrives in montane climate Continuing to learn and evolve is key to success

It

takes knowledge, talent and creativity

to have a successful landscape business

in the Colorado mountains. The teams behind Rocky Mountain Trees and Landscaping (RMTL) in Crested Butte, have been demonstrating those three traits for 35 years.

The company is currently owned and operated by Steve and Nel Curtiss. They began working for then-owners Marnie Easly and Woody Sherwood in the 1990s—Steve in 1990 and Nel in 1993—while Steve was studying to become a landscape architect. Both Nel and Steve were recruited by the ski area to work the winter season and had come to Colorado to work in a ski program for students, which is where they met. The ski industry continued to be part of their lifestyle when the Curtiss family, with partner Kevin Krill, bought the business, from the Sherwood in 1999.

For many years, RMTL would operate from May to October, and over the winter much of the crew—including the Curtiss’— would work in the ski industry. “When we first bought the business, we would lock the doors at the end of October and pretty much not return until April,” says Nel Curtiss. “We had a nice reciprocal work cycle with the ski area.

Employees would work at the ski area from November to April, go to the desert for mud season and work for us from May-October.”

Labor shortage inspires service changes

Even in the mountain region, the labor pool has changed dramatically over time, and in the last five years they’ve experienced a labor shortage. Nel sees “a severe lack of affordable housing in mountain towns and less emphasis on promoting trades to young people” as the 20

www.alcc.com

By Cherie Courtade two greatest factors affecting the shortage.

“In an effort to retain key employees and cover overhead, we began snow removal services in 2007 and holiday decorating.” Steve and Nel, who bought out partner Krill in 2008, now maintain their business year-round with snow management, holiday lighting, set up and delivery of Christmas trees, and some retail in the winter months.

Also important to retention was making RMTL a fun, rewarding and financially viable place to work. They’ve raised wages in order to compete with other local business sectors like building contractors and hospitality. For the year-round managers, they offer health insurance, which is a significantly higher expense in the region. Flexibility with student schedules also helps bridge the labor gap.

The limited availability of students used to keep RMTL from hiring many students. But this year, 2019, RMTL reports that nearly half their seasonal staff were high school or college students. “They are wonderful,” says Nel. “They work hard and have an enthusiasm for learning.” But the business was back to recruitment and hiring when those valuable student employees had to return to school in August, leaving RMTL to look for help to get them through the work needed to be completed through October.

RMTL has taken steps that allow them to deal with the labor shortage and still provide the full spectrum of landscape services to each customer, which is what they believe they do best. They consolidated their service area for winter work, rather than offer work throughout the valley, as they do during the summer season. This enables them to offer the same quality service with a smaller crew.

Photos courtesy Rocky Mountain Trees and Landscaping

Profiles

The company has taken steps that allow them to deal with the labor shortage and still provide the full spectrum of landscape services to each customer.

Nov/Dec 2019 Colorado Green

21

Profiles

“We are a full-service landscape design, installation and maintenance company with a retail garden center,” explains Nel Curtiss.

“We love the projects that we can conceptualize from the beginning and continue to maintain after the installation. I love to see the landscapes evolve and adapt in our high-alpine environment.”

Having good relationships with other landscape contractors in the region means they can refer consumers to another company that can serve them rather than stretch their own crew too far.

While the service area may have been consolidated, expanded services still allow the business grow. “The garden center was initially small, and the intent was to supply our landscape projects,” says Nel Curtiss.” However, it has become a much larger portion of our business with a growing retail market and custom planter basket services.”

Keep learning

Observing, learning, and adapting have continued RMTL’s success. “I love continuing education and find myself enrolling in many different types of classes. Within the industry, I have been CCNP [Colorado Certified Nursery Professional] certified, and I am an Advanced Master Gardner. I’ve taken quite a few courses in organic horticulture and became a certified Permaculture Design Consultant at Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute in 2007.” She was considering pursuing a master’s degree in environmental manage22

www.alcc.com

ment when she was accepted into the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, a three-month business accelerator program that pushed her to explore and develop new ways to grow the business.

Out of that program came several ideas for future endeavors including a series of workshops, classes, and certifications focused on sustainability and permaculture, though Nel admits she’s been too busy in the business that she hasn’t yet had the time to implement them.

Issues around environmental sustainability remain an area of interest, and the Curtiss family continues to learn more so that they can educate and support consumers about how to be better stewards of the earth through their own landscape.

After earning a degree from Colorado State University in natural resource management, son Dylan Curtiss has returned to Crested Butte to become a full-time team member.

While he works on the core business offerings, he and Nel have also taken on more experimental projects in permaculture to further their learning.

Celebrate team often

Maintaining a successful business while learning and expanding their knowledge has sustained RMTL for 35 years, and the celebration is ongoing—and not just in milestone years. They have three employee celebrations each year: • A mid-summer barbecue celebrates getting through the short, intensive planting sea-

son that ends around July 4th. Staff can get to know each other after the rush of peak season.

• An end-of-October party to marks the close of the landscape season. The biggest party of the year, it always has some fun and creative featuresto mix it up. Costume parties are always a hit in Crested Butte.

• A late winter party with year-round employees can include a family-style meal and a concert.

The parties reinforce the bond the team develops. Each year, RMTL has a photographer take an all-staff photo to commemorate the tight-knit group. “I’ve always wanted to have a reunion for past employees,” muses Nel. That spirit of teamwork extends to RMTL’s community service. The Town of Crested Butte hosts an Arbor Day celebration each year—though a little later than the rest of the country due to the later spring of its climate.

The RMTL tree crew joins the forest service to work with fourth grade classes to talk about and demonstrate the importance of planting trees.

Educational events like Arbor Day, local preschool field trips to the garden enter and support of other charitable nonprofits offer reciprocal benefits. Young people learn about composting and horticulture and are exposed to careers in a trade in a positive light while Rocky Mountain Trees and Landscaping grows its reputation as a vital member of the community it serves. |CG

Profiles

Designscapes Colorado makes eclectic features work

H

olly Terry, Designscapes Colorado, Inc., Centennial, had been working with her client for about four years before construction began for this ELITE Award-winning project, An Eclectic Hideaway, in Centennial. The couple, whose home is in a mature neighborhood where they preferred to stay, decided to create their dream outdoor living space in their current yard. They wanted an attractive space to entertain and relax as well as areas for their two children to enjoy.

The client also had other wishes including a spa inspired by a recent trip to Bali, which prompted a design revision. For Terry, the challenge was to maintain flow in the design as the couple listed additional wants. Early on, she had worked with the architect who did the renovation at the back of the house—extending the roof and kitchen—and wanted a seamless flow between the home renovation and the new landscape design.

Photo courtesy Designscapes Colorado, Inc.

Design flow was maintained despite multiple change orders during construction

Holly Terry Nov/Dec 2019 Colorado Green

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Photo courtesy Designscapes Colorado, Inc.

BEFORE

Backyard before renovation showing fence in front of the retaining wall.

After landscape construction began, some late design requests resulted in change orders, whereas others changes didn’t make the cut. “I understand ‘patient design,’” says Terry. “The plan can be good, but during construction we see different things as it progresses. That’s one reason I like to be in the field to ensure the changes are complimentary to my design.”

Open it up

The existing backyard was underutilized, the upper level being an eyesore and a maintenance nightmare. The terraced yard had an 8-foot concrete retaining wall with an equally tall wooden fence in front of it. This barricade made the upper part of the yard unusable, while the lower yard felt small and boxed-in.

Fortunately, one of the homeowners was an engineer and was certain the concrete retaining wall could do its job if lowered to 5 feet. Lowering the wall opened site lines from the kitchen and patio and doubled the yard’s usable space.

Upper level challenges

In the earlier stages of cleanup in the upper yard—removal of infertile soil, old rocks and decaying tree roots—a temporary ramp was built going up the newly lowered 5-foot wall using the dirt excavated for the pool.

“Using the ramp, the team could bring in equipment for construction on the upper level. When the ramp was removed due to patio construction, the crew was restricted to using small equipment that hoisted material over the wall, followed by a lot of manual work,” says Terry. “During work on the upper level, we were able to protect and save four large trees.

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To respect the back-neighbor’s view, new trees planted on the upper level couldn’t exceed 20 feet at maturity.”

Change orders

Terry estimates that change orders during construction increased the project price 15%. “I had to work with the homeowners to position changes into the design. For example, they wanted tiki torches added, another element from their Bali experience. We not only had to decide on the appropriate number and placement in the design, but we had to plumb them for natural gas.”

Nooks, flowers and veggies

Pathways and stone steps were created on the upper levels leading to nooks for play or relaxation. Notched boulders as well as chairs provide seating by the garden, and poles were installed for hammocks for the children along the upper meandering path “The client loves flowers and wanted a vegetable garden and fruit trees,” says Terry. “We provided space for the vegetable garden and planted many of the client’s favorites flowers.

Her love for cottage garden flowers were the inspiration for the farmhouse feel among the Colorado and Bali themes. It works!”

Putting it all together

At project completion, views for the kitchen and living room are framed by trees, boulder outcroppings, flowering shrubs and fragrant perennials, drawing people out to lounge by the firepit and spa. Once there, the upper paths may beckon some for exploration or relaxation. |CG

Nov/Dec 2019 Colorado Green

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Business Sense

Nice Guys/Gals Finish First

By Jeffrey Scott

Photo courtesy Designs By Sundown

H

ave you heard of the book Nice Guys Finish Last by Leo Durocher?

He got it wrong, here’s why: Over the years I have spent time with the best leaders in the landscape industry, visiting their facilities and strolling through their grounds, listening to stories of what they love and how they manage.

It struck me that the best leaders—both landscape entrepreneurs I personally coach, and industry leaders I rub shoulders with—are extremely nice, compassionate people. Here are three shining examples—industry leaders whom I have spent time with recently as they participated in my events.

Michael Hommel, who started his business as an irrigation contractor working from his parents’ garage, transformed it into the dominating Denver business, Designs By Sundown. His company is a true example of a Destination Company® (as described in the book I published a few years back.) He places extreme focus on attracting and retaining great employees nationwide. They are attracted by Hommel’s growth-oriented and fun culture and his personal leadership style. He is fun, always smiling, and always wanting to learn.

Jason Craven started his business, Southern Botanical, at a very young age, and with great humility has become a powerhouse in Dallas.

He is focused on educating his employees and developing a learning organization. Craven has participated on two of my webinars; he enjoys giving back and has an abundance mindset: never worrying about over-sharing what he has learned over the years.

Teddy Russell, who owns and runs the Russell Landscape Group, based in Atlanta, is driving the business to the next level with branches in many states. He personally makes business development look easy, with his confident and optimistic approach to solving

New Designs By Sundown facility viewed from back.

problems and serving clients. His company is poised for continued dramatic growth.

Seven traits of successful leaders

Of all the successful leaders I have known, including these three, they have seven traits in common. These people are: 1. Compassionate 2. Fun-loving 3. Optimistic and confident 4. Searching out the best people to be on their team 5. Open to learning and growing from others 6. Generous, giving and very trusting 7. Gracious and polite.

Leo Durocher originally wrote his book about his loud-mouthed baseball career, bigger-than-life attitude and the tricks he used in

order to win baseball games. Many fables in the media (e.g., Steve Jobs) would have you believe in Durocher’s version of business: that you have to be “not nice” in order to do well in business.

But the truth is different. Nice gals and guys finish first. You simply don’t hear about the nice successful entrepreneurs, because their stories are not filled with drama or intrigue.

Your Challenge

Be the nice person you want to become and who others want to work for and follow. |CG

—Jeffrey Scott, MBA, is an author, coach and Hall-of-Fame Consultant in growth and profit maximization in the landscape contracting industry.

Nov/Dec 2019 Colorado Green

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ProGreen Preview

Prepare for ProGreen EXPO: Feb. 5-7, 2020 Keynote Speaker: Peter van Stralen Wednesday, Feb, 5 | 3:00-4:00 p.m.

Register early and save

January 7, 2020 Early bird registration deadline

Photos courtesy Travis Yaggie

Photo courtesy Peter van Stralen

After building a culture of CARE in his own business, Peter van Stralen wrote the book on attracting, retaining, and engaging remarkable leadership. In his book, C.A.R.E. Leadership, he shares the story of how he and his brothers built The Ground GuysŽ by adopting an approach that puts customers, colleagues and communities first, values a positive attitude, treats everything and everyone with respect, and allows them to enjoy life—and how you can do the same.

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ProGreen Preview

www.progreenexpo.com What’s new

Photo courtesy ALCC

• New three-full-day schedule—Wednesday, Thursday and Friday—with each day jam-packed with speakers and activities The EXPO Hall opens at 4:00 p.m. Feb. 5.

Join the fun!

• Opening reception in EXPO Hall Wednesday, Feb. 5 from 4:00-6:30 after keynote speaker.

What’s back

• Feb. 5: VIP Breakfast

• Feb. 6: Women in the Green Industry Reception • Feb. 6-7: EXPO Hall open all day • Competition: Potting Challenge

Photo courtesy Winger Photography, LLC

• Arborist corner with demos

Nov/Dec 2019 Colorado Green

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Workforce

Certification

proves industry skills By the numbers

Top areas of certiďŹ cation

58% Irrigation

Proportion of other certiďŹ cations earned

20% turf maintenance 11% Ornamental maintenance 7% Softscape installation 1% hardscape installation

L

andscape Industry Certified Technician testing gives industry professionals the opportunity to validate knowledge and skills they have learned. In 2019, 31 Colorado organizations had 68 team members successfully completed training, which is a combination of written and hands-on test problems.

Written tests are offered several times per year, including at ProGreen EXPO and hands-on tests are offered two test days in the summer at Pickens Technical Colleges, Aurora.

During hands-on testing, certification candidates show their skills one-on-one with qualified test judges by rotating through test stations in their chosen modules. Test problems include plant identification, irrigation mainline installation, maintenance operations and more.

By the numbers, rounded to the nearest, the top areas of certification was irrigation at 58%.

Proportion of other certifications earned were: turf maintenance, 20%; ornamental maintenance, 11%; softscape installation, 7% and hardscape installation at less than one percent.

This year City of Colorado Springs had the greatest number of people certified with 15 earning the certification designation. In addition, three individuals earned certification in two or more modules.

Organizations gaining certified team members in 2019

Adams Twelve Five Star Schools, Thornton | Gabriel Lucero, Irrigation and Turf Maintenance

All Terrain Landscaping, Greeley | Layne Ochsner, Irrigation Alpenglow Sprinkler, Fort Collins | Dillan Thibodeaux, Irrigation Alpine Gardens, Fort Collins | William R. Shepherd, Softscape Installation; Brandon Vannest, Hardscape Installation; Greg Williams, Hardscape Installation Arrowhead Landscape Services, Inc., Golden | Andrew Mennitt, Turf Maintenance Aurora Public Schools, Aurora | Taylor Law, Turf Maintenance; Nicholas Niblo, Brandon Velikaneye and Brett Whetstone, Irrigation Beautiful Borders, Parker | Kyle Weber, Turf Maintenance City of Aurora Parks, Aurora | Sean Comet, Zach Fellhauer and Jimmy Robinson, Turf Maintenance; Dominic Masciotro, Irrigation 30

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City of Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs | Kiev Andrassy, Tristan Boyd, Christopher Lane, Kyle Ochsie, Clint Pappas, Greg Petricko, Nick Rivera, Joshua Roach, Kyle Roth, Jody Sanchez, Richard Sanchez, Steve Schreck, Corey Sienknecht and Josiah Thompson, Irrigation; Bradley A. Engler, Turf Maintenance City of Golden, Parks and Recreation, Golden | Matthew Burnam, Turf Maintenance; Steve Essex, Irrigation City of Thornton, Thornton | Gabriel Dominguez, Irrigation CoCal Landscape Services, Inc., Denver, Sergio Rojas, Irrigation; Javier Suarez Gonzalez, Turf Maintenance Colorado Majestic Landscapes LLC, Windsor | Michael Archer, Irrigation Colorado Stoneworks Landscaping LLC, Colorado Springs | Richard Conroy Jr., Turf Maintenance Denver Commercial Property Services, Denver | Nicholas Schilpp, Turf Maintenance

Designs By Sundown, Littleton | Jillian Brockmeyer and Kristina Gehrer, Ornamental Maintenance

Designscapes Colorado, Inc., Centennial Marcus May and Jose Salas, Irrigation Douglas County Parks & Trails, Littleton Drew Davidson, Ornamental Maintenance; Morgan Morehart, Irrigation and Ornamental Maintenance; Dean Robbins, Turf Maintenance Elevation Landscape and Design, Littleton | Rocky Campbell, Softscape Installation Fisk Lawnscapes, Colorado Springs | Josh Day, Hardscape Installation; Rick Hobbs and Jacob Stankich, Ornamental Maintenance L.I.D. Landscapes, Boulder | Morgan Wiese, Softscape Installation Lifescape Colorado, Denver | Damon Rodriguez, Irrigation and Ornamental Maintenance

Workforce Thank you to our 2019 Test Sponsors!

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Certification test orientation Nelson Lawn and Landscape, Castle Rock | Sam Nelson, Softscape Installation

Photos courtesy ALCC

Photo courtesy ALCC

• Mini Hydraulic Excavators – 12 Months/1,500 hours

Rocky Mountain Trees & Landscaping, Inc., Crested Butte | Dylan Curtiss, Turf Maintenance

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Outdoor Craftsmen, Erie | Corey Wood, Ornamental Maintenance PGM, Inc., Colorado Springs | Sean Nagle, Irrigation Rainmaker, Inc., Montrose | Andrew Chavez, Robert Miller, Robert Plassmeyer and David Swokowski, Irrigation Regis University, Denver | Jess Rodriguez, Irrigation

Timberline Landscaping, Inc., Colorado Springs | Jorge Luna-Trujillo and Fred Weber, Irrigation; Joshua Pool, Softscape Installation Vargas Property Services, Inc., Broomfield | Elena Vargas Neail, Irrigation Weisburg Landscape Maintenance, Colorado Springs | Matthew Kuritar, Jimmy Meier, Jr. and Ryan Rebain, Irrigation

Landscape Industry Certified Technician testing to change in 2020

As

of Jan. 1, 2020, the testing format for the Landscape Industry Certified Tech nician program will change to an online only exam. The current format of

written and hands-on testing will be sunset. The online exam will allow candidates greater access to the exam across the country. ALCC is committed to the importance of hands-on training for the industry and will be implementing additional training opportunities in the future. For more information about the change in exam format, contact the National Association of Landscape Professionals at 800 395-2522 or www.landscape professionals.org. |CG

Installation Module

Wagner Equipment and Wagner Rents

5/20/2013 4:46:30 PM

Program Sponsors: Alameda Wholesale Nursery SECURA Insurance Tools/materials Sponsors: Alameda Wholesale Nursery All Phase Landscape Aurora Public Schools CPS Distributors, Inc. DBC Irrigation Supply Designscapes Colorado Ewing Irrigation and Landscape Supply Intermountain STIHL Horizon Turf Nursery Pickens Technical College S & B Porta Bowl Restrooms The L.L. Johnson Distributing Company Wagner Equipment/ Wagner Rents Nov/Dec 2019 Colorado Green

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Workforce

Photo courtesy ALCC

ALCC staff and volunteer judges observe end of hands-on certification era

Volunteers enjoyed a cookout following the last hands-on training.

On

Aug. 10, 2019, ALCC hosted the final hands-on test for Landscape Industry Certified Technicians in Colorado. To mark the final event, ALCC staff prepared a backyard cookout for volunteers after testing was completed. Nearly 45 volunteers came together to set up, administer and judge the test. After the test site was cleaned up one last time, ALCC staff and volunteers relaxed on the lawn at Pickens Technical College and celebrated a successful event and “the end of an era.”

“Coordinating the certification exams is a challenge, but with the help of a dedicated pool of industry veterans and certified individuals, we were able to certify hundreds of individuals over the years.” —Melissa Emdin, Programs and Education Director

Photo courtesy ALCC

In 2019, 58 volunteers came together to make the final testing opportunities possible: Sergio Rojas Michael Archer Kevin Englert Gerald Kissinger Cory Bantock Steve Essex Jerry Rollins Matt Krebsbach Luis Estrada Sam SaBell Andy Brooks Don Lee David Brooks Lyle Fair Jose Salas Olegario Luna Anthony Sanchez Jim Camerden Rafael Flores Ken MacPherson Lisa Schnitzler Jonathan Campbell John Fugatt Michael Mangano Oscar Chacon Ryan Green Mark Schwindaman Molly McLoughlin David Collins, Dirk Gruber Justin Stewart Allen Moot Andrew Holler Mihailo Todorovski Reggie Cooper Jason Mower Garrett Holmes Judd Vogan Jeff Cox Kyler Neumann Kristofer Huber Mike Walters Patrick Cullen Jake Nitschke Jeff Weisburg Leo Degenstein Ryan Hutchison Patrick O’Meara Tyler Windsor Mark Demrovsky Kevin Johnson Benjamin Ott Bret Eastberg Zachary Jordahl Matthew Winfield Brad Petschek Sabrina Kershman Jody Yonke |CG Nate Elliott Kevin Ridenour

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Breadth of landscape industry spans How pollinators and native plants are

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far

&wide

supported along public roadways

By Cherie Courtade

T

here is no doubt that the work of green

industry professionals is valuable to the

health of environments beyond yards, city parks, and HOA common areas. Let’s acknowledge the value of landscape industry projects some may not fully appreciate.

Landscape professionals serve as stewards of the built environment. Their urban/suburban work creates habitat for animals and insects. But roads, railways, and other manmade paths and structures can leave those habitats isolated. In between those yards and plazas lies an often-untapped resource that can connect our small, built areas of habitat.

Many of those spaces are rights-of-way—the land in and around roads, railways, and energy distribution lines.

Connecting habitats

Pollinator Highway

Here in Colorado, a 2017 joint resolution designated Interstate Highway 76 as the “Colorado Pollinator Highway.” The stretch of highway from Denver to the Nebraska state line—mile marker 1 to mile marker 183—is

Photos courtesy Colorado Department of Transportation

There is growing interest in helping animals and insects—especially pollinators, travel further between habitats. Rights-ofway (ROW) can play a role in that travel as connectors. After a 2014 call from the White House to increase support of pollinator habi-

tats, agencies across the country have explored ways to help pollinators and use roadways in those plans.

A movement among those who manage roadways is re-thinking the way roadsides are maintained. They are moving away from planting non-native grasses, which are mowed frequently and to a lower height, and are sprayed often with herbicides. This method of roadside management can be costly in time and money.

Wildlife and pollinator conservationists recognize that roadways that run between towns and cities also run between homes for wildlife. By using native plants alongside these roadways, roadsides can become connectors for animals and insect between habitat—or they can become homes themselves for that wildlife.

Nov/Dec 2019 Colorado Green

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being transformed using the principles of integrated roadside vegetation management (IRVM). Pollinator support is just one benefit of IRVM. The biggest driving force behind the IRVM movement is reducing the cost of roadside management.

Landscape professionals from Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) partnered with multiple agencies on the I-76 project to support native plants and pollinators while staying true to their department mission “to enhance the quality of life and the environment of the citizens of Colorado by creating an integrated transportation system that focuses on safely moving people and goods by offering convenient linkages among modal choices.� That means that roads must still be maintained to allow safe driving and prevent wildfires while establishing the pollinator habitat.

In October 2018, the pilot phase of the pollinator highway was implemented near the I-76 Colorado Welcome Center. Volunteers helped sow a custom-made native seed mix to establish a new habitat. The highway sits along the migratory route of butterflies and birds and can also serve as home to native insects and other wildlife.

Aside from supporting pollinators and other wildlife, the native seeds have the added

benefits of reducing the cost of maintenance of the roadsides and preserving native plant species. It helps keep noxious weeds in check and increases the presence of native plants across the state, all the while reducing the need for herbicide application and frequent mowing. While ROW areas closest to the roadside must often be mowed for visibility and safety, the area to mow is smaller, mower height is set at eight inches, and mowing can be done less often. Mowing ceases in summer months when wildlife is most active.

Maintenance gets easier over time

Weed management is crucial in the beginning of the restoration process. Weeds and invasive plants can keep the native wildflowers from becoming established. Once they are established, however, experience has shown that natives can outcompete weeds. Past IVRM programs have found that the deep root systems of native grasses can help control growth of noxious weeds. For some isolated infestations of non-native noxious weeds, spray controls have been used as needed.

Irrigation is not needed for native plants, as they are more well-adapted to the climate and establish deeper roots. This helps IRVM fulfill two big needs: saving water and saving money. |CG

Of interest to Colorado landscape professionals:

CDOT landscape architects have developed a CDOT Native Seed Calculator for stormwater management plans. Contractors who work with state projects may find this tool helpful, along with related resources, at https://www.codot.gov/programs/environmental/landscapearchitecture/native-seed-calculator.

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Winter is here!

Are your employees and equipment ready?

By Troy Sibelius

T

aking simple safety precautions will help avoid unnecessary accidents this winter.

Quick and efficient snow removal is essential to the green industry in Colorado.

Snow buildup presents a hazard to both drivers and pedestrians. When clearing snow, it is imperative your crews pay special attention to their surroundings and not sacrifice safety for speed.

Before your crews begin

Preempt problems by taking some time to check these important details before the first snowfall: • Check the areas to be plowed and look for objects that could be easily hidden by snow. Make notes of curbs, speed bumps and other things that could damage the plow and more importantly become hidden obstacles that create slip-and fall-hazards for pedestrians.

• Be sure employees familiarize themselves with the owner’s manual and operations of the plow.

• Check all vehicle lights to make sure they are working properly. This includes both the lights on the vehicle and the lights on the blade.

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• For good traction, always ensure an allwheel drive vehicle has good tires and that all vehicles have well maintained brakes, and make sure the truck’s weight is balanced. If necessary, add weight to the back of the truck, past the rear axle, to balance out the weight of the plow.

• Check all electrical connections between the truck and plow to make sure they are operational.

• Check the plow itself for any signs of damage, such as cracked welds or hydraulic fuel leaks.

• Check the cutting edge to make sure it is not worn down to the point where the ground may come in contact with the main portion of the blade.

• Remind employees to get adequate rest so they are not drowsy or inattentive while behind the wheel.

Transporting a plow

While driving on public roads with a plow attached to a vehicle, remember to: • Keep the plow as far off the ground as possible without blocking the headlights or drivers’ vision.

• Always drive with the blade angled to the

Quick and efficient snow removal is essential to the green industry in Colorado.

gently in that direction until your car recovers.

If braking is necessary before traction is recovered, apply the brake pedal cautiously so you do not lock the wheels and intensify the skid. You will also have better brake control in a skid situation if your vehicle is equipped with anti-lock brakes.

Constantly be on the lookout for areas that might induce skidding, such as unexpected ice patches or piles of wet leaves, which tend to be found in shady areas or on overpasses. Keep in mind that wet ice, warmed by the sun, is twice as dangerous as completely frozen ice.

Be especially alert whenever there is any kind of precipitation during cold weather.

General Winter Driving Tips

right. This will prevent it from accidentally catching on the curb.

• Pay special attention to the speed limit and in winter driving conditions, drive slower than speed limit if conditions require it.

While plowing

• Make sure drivers know where to pile the snow before they start.

• When beginning a pass with the plow, always start moving and then drop the blade.

• Begin to stop as you approach the end of your pass. Do not let the plow slam full speed into already-piled snow.

• Raise the blade before moving into position to make another pass.

• Always wear seatbelts no matter where plowing. Hidden objects could cause vehicle to stop suddenly.

• Always turn around and look while driving in reverse. Do not rely solely on vehicle mirrors or backup cameras.

• Never pile snow near mailboxes, fire hydrants, electrical boxes or dumpsters.

• If there is traffic in the area, be especially careful of people and other vehicles.

• Check with local regulations before moving snow across a roadway. It may be illegal to do so in some areas.

Winter Driving - Skids

A safe stop on an icy or snow-packed road is a tricky maneuver that requires skill and good judgment.

One of the most dangerous winter driving hazards is skidding. If it happens at a high speed, the result can be deadly. But most skids can be avoided by simply adjusting to driving conditions and knowing how to recover from a skid.

Skids are most likely to occur on curves and turns, so slow down ahead of time to prepare for them. Then, when in the curve, accelerate slowly and steer steadily with no abrupt change in direction and, especially, no abrupt braking. Driving smoothly in general can help prevent skids.

Skid Safety Techniques

If you go into a skid, remember two critical rules: • Don’t steer against the skid.

• Avoid using the brakes.

Instead, immediately take your foot off the accelerator and steer in the direction the vehicle is sliding until you feel recovery of traction, then slowly straighten the wheels until you recover complete control. If the back of your vehicle is fishtailing to the right, turn the wheel

Since accidents are common in winter, drivers should be extra cautious while driving.

Drive on slippery roads at reduced speed and increase following distance behind the vehicle ahead. This gives an additional space cushion for safe stopping. Because winter driving can be risky, it is also a good idea to practice driving in slippery conditions so you are well-prepared and comfortable.

A safe stop on icy or snow-packed roads is a tricky maneuver that requires skill and good judgment.

Anticipate stops by slowing down gradually, well ahead of intersections. And allow more than enough time to stop safely.

Plan ahead for lane changes; check your rearview mirror, your blind spots and signal your intentions to traffic behind you. Then, swing over in a long, gradual line. Make the move with the smallest possible steering change and with a light foot on the gas.

When driving in deep snow, stepping on the gas may cause the wheels to spin, with little, if any, forward movement. In such cases, avoid over-accelerating. A light foot on the gas pedal and a high gear is most effective.

Bottom line: Ensure your employees’ safety and also protect your equipment! ­­ —Troy D. Sibelius, FASLA, CIC, CRM, is an Executive Vice President and Client Advisor at The Buckner Company. He also has a Landscape Architecture degree from CSU and works extensively with landscape contractors and landscape architects on their risk management and commercial insurance programs. |CG Nov/Dec 2019 Colorado Green

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better

by nature

Being a member of ALCC has helped me get my foot in the door with other landscape professionals and has provided me a sense of community. It is such a relief to know people who understand my challenges and inspire me to be a better business owner.

In return, I’m ready to support them any way I’m able.

Mike Moore, CEO/Owner

Diggable Designs Landscape Construction, LLC ALCC member since 2010

ALCC is committed to helping landscape companies succeed Demonstrate your professionalism

Show the public that you strive to do business ethically and responsibly.

Build relationships that build your business

Success can depend as much on whom you know as what you know. ALCC can help you make the right connections to grow your business.

Get valuable education and training

Take advantage of educational opportunities that have been designed by landscape contractors for landscape contractors.

Shape the course of the industry Join ALCC and experience firsthand what makes our members better by nature

ALCC influences policy at the local, state and federal level.

The more members we have, the stronger our voice is— and the easier it is to protect and advance your business and the future of our industry.

Visit ALCC.com/membership or call 303.757.5611 to learn more

Top Plant Picks: CSU Research

M

Industry pros rate top picks at CSU Annual Flower Trials

ore than 175 industry professionals and advanced master

gardeners rated over 1,050 flowering and foliage plants at the

Annual Flower Trial, Aug. 6, 2019. Featured here are 10 of the top-rated plants. All were ranked over a four on a five-point scale during the evaluation day.

Angelonia Alonia™ Purple from Danziger This Angelonia had very uniform growth habit with striking dark purple blooms covering the entire stem of the plant from top to bottom. This plant is new for 2019.

Tips & Tricks: Pollinator friendly, Angelonia plants were frequently seen with honeybees and butterflies on them.

Argyranthemum Beauty Yellow from Westhoff

The yellow flowers were very abundant from June until frost.

The blanket of yellow on this plant, which is new for 2019, gives a spectacular show in any garden. It is also great for cut flowers.

Tips & Tricks: This variety buries it dead flowers with a very uniform growth habit and requires no deadheading.

The garden is planned and maintained each year by the department of horticulture and landscape architecture with guidance from a committee of growers, flower seed companies and public garden horticulturists. For more information on these and other outstanding annuals from the 2019 trials, visit www.flowertrials.coloradostate.edu |CG

Calibrachoa Superbells® Dreamsicle IMP by Proven Winners

Coleus MAIN STREET Beale Street from Dümmen Orange

Tips & Tricks: The long, abundant bloom time keeps interest throughout the summer months.

Tips & Tricks: The uniform growth habit can create a 3-foot hedge of red foliage, creating plenty of interest for garden.

A blanket of vibrant orange flowers with a yellow throat covered this variety of Calibrachoa from June until frost. This variety is new for 2019.

The red foliage of this coleus was eye-catching in the garden bed and also in containers. No flowers were seen on this variety.

Combination – MixMasters™ Bloom of Allegiance from Ball Flora Plant This great combination of Angelonia, Scaevola and Lantana—new for 2019—showed good equal growth from all three genera. The color combination of white, red and blue created an eye-catching display covering the container and falling on all sides of the it.

Tips & Tricks: This is a rare combination of three different genera with fairly equal growth rates with good color from all three throughout the container.

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Top Plant Picks: CSU Research

Full sun

Useful for containers

Adapts to part shade

Xeric

Prefers shadier conditions

Requires moisture

Lantana Havana Sunrise from Dümmen Orange

Striking, multicolored blooms covered the dark green foliage.

The plant gave a considerable show in the heat of July and August. Red, orange and yellow blooms interacted together giving a grand visual display in the garden bed or in a container.

Tips & Tricks: Honeybees and butterflies were attacted to this plant throughout the summer into fall.

Requires more moisture

Lobelia Hot® Waterblue from Westhoff

Bi-color white and blue flowers covered this plant. The uniform growth habit and blanket of flowers makes it an excellent container plant.

Tips & Tricks: This plant has outstanding heat tolerance for a lobelia and has showy flowers from June until the first hard frost.

Photo courtesy David Staats

LEGEND

Contributed by James E. Klett, professor and Sean Markovic, graduate student, Colorado State University, department of horticulture and landscape architecture, Fort Collins

Petunia Crazy Tunia® Tiki Torch from Westhoff

The yellow and red mesh flower color stood out in the container petunia trials. Blooms were seen from May until hard freeze with no disease or insect problems.

This petunia is new for 2019.

Tips & Tricks: The solid growth habit with total flower coverage makes it a favorite for containers or ground beds.

Thunbergia – Sunny Susy® Amber Stripes from Benary The striped flowers pop against the vigorous creeping green foliage. The plant, new for 2019, is a very hearty grower that sent out five-foot vines in all directions.

Tips & Tricks: Honeybees are often seen on the bloom from June until frost.

Vinca - Soiree Kawaii® Coral from Suntory This compact vinca had abundant

vibrant coral-colored flowers through mid to late summer against a background of dark glossy foliage. Pollinators were plentiful all season around this plant.

Tips & Tricks: The petite growth habit makes for good ground bed displays or use in

containers.

Nov/Dec 2019 Colorado Green

43

Top Plant Picks: Plant Select®

P

Low-lying native shrub Panchito manzanita has year-round interest

anchito manzanita (Arctostaphylos x coloradoensis) can be a game-changer

for landscape designs in the arid steppe climates of the West. The plant brings sophistication and elegance to metropolitan/ urban landscapes while rekindling your experience of being in a montane ecosystem. This prostrate, broadleaf, evergreen woody shrub may remind you of hiking through ponderosa pines, moss rock boulders and creeping kinnikinnick. Kinnikinnick is in the same genus as Panchito, Arctostaphylos, but is the “fairy garden” version. In the western U.S. Arctostaphylos evolved into larger plant sizes and, in western Colorado several different manzanita species populations meet. Hybridization often occurs between Arctostaphylos coloradoensis, A. nevadensis and A. patula. Panchito manzanita is a hybrid selected from the Uncompahgre Plateau in Colorado by Dermond Downs with cultivation practices developed by Betsy Baldwin-Owens. Panchito manzanita became a Plant Select introduction in 2006. Since then, the plethora of landscape plantings has paid off with mature landscape specimens of Panchito increasing property values across the state of Colorado.

Drought-tolerant Panchito manzanita saves water, fills niches in challenging locations, provides year-round interest, and supports native insects and birds that have coevolved with this species. As one of the few plants blooming in late fall or early winter, Panchito provides a source of nectar when most other plants do not. The caramel-colored bark on Panchito’s gracefully meandering branches is especially attractive when one catches a glimpse of it in between the succulent-like green leaves and pink flowers.

Panchito manzanita earned a 2019 Award of Merit at the Farwest Green Industry Show in Portland, Oregon, for the numerous qualities mentioned. Panchito has broad appeal. Use it at a an HOA clubhouse entrance, in medians and parkways, as well as high-end commercial and residential landscape designs. Try Panchito manzanita in 2020! |CG

For more information, explore www.plantselect.org 44

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Photos courtesy Winger Landscape, LLC

Size: 12”-15” tall x 30”- 42” wide Flowers: pinkish-white, bell-shaped Leaves: bright green evergreen foliage Form: shrub Light: full sun to part shade Design/maintenance tips • Plant in well-drained soils. It benefits from being planted on slopes. After watering, let it dry out before watering again. Overwatering may present challenges with establishment.

• It looks very natural in rock mulch settings but has also been observed to grow nicely through thicker wood mulch with ample point source irrigation.

• A low-maintenance shrub that does not require annual trimming. Shape/ trim in May or June if desired.

Culture: loam or sandy soil Hardiness: USDA zones 4b-8 Habitat value: attracts bees and native birds Deer resistant: yes

• Avoid stepping on the plant. Allow space for maintenance crews and snow removal areas around this shrub.

• Place among evergreen trees like weeping white spruce (Picea glauca ‘Pendula’) or with baby blue rabbitbrush, littleleaf mountain mahogany, and fernbush for a prairie style.

— Contributed by Ross Shrigley and Emily Goldman for Plant Select®

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45

Parting Shot

Permaculture is a deeper framework for sustainability

By Lyn Dean

We

”

must abandon the notion that humans and nature can

not live together,” says Doug Tallamy, 2017 ProGreen EXPO speaker and University of Delaware professor (bringing naturehome.net).

Permaculture is an intriguing proposed solution. It’s an integrated system in which humans work with nature, not against it, and it’s a system that comes from 35-plus years of thinking and refining, as well as decades of practical hands-on application.

David Holmgren, co-originator of the permaculture concept in the 1970s, currently defines permaculture (permacultureprinciples. com) as a “creative design process based on whole-systems thinking informed by ethics and design principles that feature on this site.”

He emphasizes that by mimicking the patterns and relationships we find in nature, these natural principles “can be applied to all aspects of human habitation, from agriculture to ecological building, from appropriate technology to education and even economics.”

46

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Beyond land and nature stewardship, and designing LEED buildings—processes we normally associate with sustainability—permaculture principles ask us to think differently and behave in different ways. It requires making a transition from being dependent consumers of resources to becoming responsible producers of resources. Learning from work on his own property, and what he has observed through the efforts of others in different countries, Holmgren said, “This journey builds skills and resilience at home and in local communities that will help prepare for an uncertain future.” The future Holmgren and many others see will have more people and fewer resources per person.

He points out that methods used to apply permaculture principles vary widely depending on the location, climatic conditions and resources available. Though the strategies may differ, the foundations to this wholistic approach remain constant. “It’s not a magic wand,” he says. Methods in each location may require trial and error to discover what

works best. Permaculture takes a commitment to both learning as you go and to a long-term outlook.

Both Holmgren and Tallamy state that we must start in our own backyard as a grassroots process to help restore that natural world, and that we can’t wait for government or business to take the lead. Tallamy notes the 85% of the U.S. is privately owned, making our own private properties an opportunity for long-term conservation and restoration.

According to Holmgren, by using permaculture principles, people learn to produce and consume at a local level to meet their needs.

The principles require a huge shift in the consumer mindset of the past few centuries. This is revolutionary thinking by some standards— the idea of producing and consuming locally!

Some in our industry already see themselves as those revolutionary thinkers by promoting practices such the use of local and native plants. |CG

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