2019 May/June Groundwork

MAY/JUNE 2019

GROUNDWORK A P U B L I C A T I O N O F T H E L A N D S C A P E C O N T R A C T O R S A S S O C I A T I O N M D •D C •V A

Plant of the Month—A Colorful Shrub to Add “Wow Factor” Bioengineered Living Shorelines, The Newest Erosion Control Solution Spotted Lanternfly Threatens Our Area Cultivate Co-pilots

contents

May/June 2019 4

Calendar of Events

5

President’s Message

6

Plant of the Month—A Colorful Shrub to Add “Wow Factor”

10 2018 Grand Award—Peninsula Point 12 Bioengineered Living Shorelines, The Newest Erosion Control Solution 15 Spotted Lanternfly Threatens Our Area 20 Cultivate Co-pilots 22 Advertising Information

Peninsula Point

Plant of the Month

McHale Landscape Design, Inc. Total Residential Contracting

—GRAND AWARD— Loropetalum “Feature” and “Plant of the Month” articles can also be found online for LCA Members under the GROUNDWORK link in your Profile Home page at www.lcamddcva.org

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CALENDAR OF

2019 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Aaron Raines—President Live Green Landscape Associates, LLC —(443) 763-8580 Josh Kane, CLT—Immediate Past President Kane Landscapes, Inc.—(703) 803-3146 Matt Glover, CLT—Vice President Wray Brothers Landscapes—(301) 906-1571

MAY 15

Chris Vedrani, CLT—Secretary/Treasurer Planted Earth Landscaping, Inc.—(410) 857-4744

Excellence in Landscape Awards Entry Opens

DIRECTORS

AUGUST 14

Paul Jester J&G Landscape Design, Inc.—(301) 476-7600

Excellence in Landscape Awards Entry Deadline

James Kole, CLT Level Green Landscaping—(240) 429-3153

SEPTEMBER 26

Baseball Game: Washington Nationals vs.

Philadelphia Phillies

Nationals Park Washington, D.C.

DECEMBER 5

Colin Jones Manor View Farm, Inc.—(717) 825-0405 Michael J. McCartin Joseph W. McCartin Insurance, Inc.—(301) 837-1080 Jeff Rossen Rossen Landscape—(703) 327-2284

Excellence in Landscape Awards Celebration Dinner

Ron Rubin SavATree—(703) 625-4400 Barry Schneider Surrounds, Inc.—(703) 906-7600

Root for the home team with LCA on Thursday, September 26, 2019, at Nationals Park as the team takes on the Philadelphia Phillies at 4:05 pm. This is a great chance to cheer with your peers and knock your networking opportunities out of the park!

Registration information coming soon.

Jeff Waters SiteOne Landscape Supply—(240) 375-7470

LCA STAFF Thérèse O. Clemens, CAE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Lynn Turner SENIOR MEMBER SERVICES MANAGER / OPERATIONS Julie Hill MARKETING DIRECTOR Dawn Rosenfeld ACCOUNTANT Lynne Agoston EDITOR Jennifer Olivares PRODUCTION MANAGER Barbara Bienkowski, CEM EXHIBITS/SPONSORSHIP MANAGER Brandon Lawrence EXHIBITS/SPONSORSHIP ASSOCIATE MANAGER Lynette Randazzo MEETING PLANNER Jeyin Lee WEBSITE MANAGER G R O U N D W O R K , the official publication of the Landscape

Contractors Association, MD•DC•VA, is published bimonthly by LCA, 1300 Piccard Drive, Suite LL 14, Rockville, MD 20850.

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Copyright © 2019: Landscape Contractors Association, MD•DC•VA. Reproduction of any material allowed only with prior written permission from LCA. LCA’s core purpose is to advance the success of its members and provide a community for green industry professionals.

Nationals Park Bag Policy Update Beginning in 2019, backpacks may not be brought into Nationals Park except as otherwise provided in the Nationals Bag Policy. For a complete list of permitted bags and details about the locker storage option please visit the Nationals website: www.mlb.com/nationals.

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President’s Message

Don’t Lose Direction When Things Get Hectic Aaron Raines 2019 President

Spring is actively upon us, just as every other year at this time. As landscape contractors, suppliers, and associated industry members, we have grown to expect the increased work load, longer hours, and higher stress levels that the spring season brings to our industry. Each year feels more hectic, with more demands placed on us than the previous year. Many LCA members that I speak with mirror these sentiments.

Even when we know the spring is coming, and we have winter months to plan and organize ourselves and our businesses, spring can sometimes catch us off guard.

Many of us spend the winter months getting ready for the busy spring ahead by developing strategic plans, implementing new software, preparing to buy new equipment, and developing or revising our company processes for the new year ahead.

Problems can arise when we get into the busy spring season and become overwhelmed with project schedules, client demands, technical struggles, or other stressful situations that don’t necessarily fit into our desired plan. We go into “fire fighter” mode, doing whatever we deem necessary to help solve the situation, even if it goes against the plan or strategy that we said we would follow.

My advice is this: take a moment this spring when you are feeling overwhelmed and ask yourself these questions:

try and step back for a moment and see what someone outside your shoes would say about your actions in the particular situation.

•

Are you spending time on tasks that are in line with the goals and direction that you are trying to follow for your business, or are you trying to just hold everything together and fight fires, even if they don’t align with your business goals?

•

Are you trying to do multiple tasks by yourself because its easier to “just do it yourself” rather than delegate, because of the fear that someone else will not do it the correct way, or because you want do to it “the way it’s always been done”?

It becomes easy to lose sight of our long-term goals and vision when we get busy and overwhelmed, especially at this time of year. Going back and reviewing the plans, processes, and strategies we built just a few months earlier can help to get us back on the path that we laid out for ourselves. Short-term stress should not compromise your long-term goals, and sometimes you just need to go back and follow your original plan.

•

Are you doing someone else’s job for them because you fear the failure that may result if you don’t jump in and resolve the issue, rather than turning the situation into a teaching event where the person responsible could learn from the situation?

Most of us can probably agree that at one time or another, we have found ourselves guilty of answering “yes” to one or more of the questions above. When that is the case,

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Planning, strategizing, and developing better processes are all great ways to help improve your business, but refusing to fall back into old habits and comfort zones will ensure that not only you, but also your company, stick to the intended path before the spring rush hits and everyone feels overwhelmed.

Aaron Raines LCA President

Plant of the Month

A Colorful Shrub to Add “Wow Factor”

By Michelle Polak, GSWCC – Level II Certified, ISA Arborist Enhancement Designer, Ruppert Landscape

Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum

When designing a landscape, it is important to have a plant pallet with a variety of colors and seasonal interest. Therefore, the Loropetalum is a “go to” plant for the southern landscape. The Loropetalum, also known as the Chinese fringe flower, is an evergreen shrub featuring masses of vibrant blossoms, both purple and white. The flowers are not only stunning but also offer a pleasant fragrance.

The Loropetalum t y pically has maroon, purple, burgundy, or purplish black leaves providing great contrast among green and yellow-

ish colored shrubs. The leaves are oval and glossy and are also available in a green leaf form. Often the new growth of the plants emerges green but will darken as it matures.

The flowers appear in March or April and are 1 to 1 ½ inches long. It is also worthy to note that the plant is considered nontoxic to animals and is recommended as a safe choice for pet owners.

A non-native plant, the Loropetalum is well-adapted to the southern region of the United States. It is cold hardy in USDA zones 7–10.

This versatile plant requires mini-

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mal maintenance can be used as a foundation plant, hedge, grouping, screen, specimen, or espalier. They prefer full sun to partial shade and moist, organic, well-drained soil and will tolerate clay. Installing mulch around the roots and a spring application of slow-release fertilizer has been proven beneficial. The Loropetalum is very drought tolerant once established and has few serious pest or disease problems.

The Loropetalum chinense is offered in several cultivars:

Over 1,500 choices delivered to you. perennials, natives, ferns, grasses, vines, herbs, ground covers, pansies, dahlias, cannas, green roof and environmental planning material.

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Plant of the Month continued Pink Flowering Forms: •

Crimson Fire – deep dark purple foliage, 4-feet tall and wide.

White-Flowering Forms: •

Carolina Moonlight – prolific bloomer from late winter to early spring, 4-feet tall and wide.

•

Daruma – deep plum purple foliage, 5-feet tall and wide.

•

Snow Muffin – light green to dark olive-green foliage, 3-feet tall and wide.

•

Ever Red – dark burgundy foliage, reddest flowers, 5-feet tall and wide.

•

Emerald Snow – lime green to green foliage, 4-feet tall and wide.

•

Purple Daydream – dark purple foliage, 3-feet tall and wide.

•

Purple Diamond – intense, deep purple foliage, 5-feet tall and wide.

•

Purple Pixie – intense, deep purple foliage, hot pink blooms, 2-feet tall, 5-feet wide, frequently used as a groundcover, container plant, or cascading over a wall.

•

Red Diamond – dark burgundy foliage, 6-feet tall and wide, red flowers.

•

Ruby – reddish burgundy to hunter green foliage, 5-feet tall and wide.

•

‘Zhuzhou Fuchsia’ – blackish maroon foliage, can be pruned in tree form or espalier, 20-feet tall, the coldest hardy of the pink-flowering forms.

Purple Diamond Loropetalum

Emerald Snow Loropetalum

Chinese fringe flower / Loropetalum chinense

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FEBRUARY

2019

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Review past issues of Groundwork in the members-only section of the LCA website Lcamddcva.org/Groundwork

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2018 Grand Award Peninsula Point McHale Landscape Design, Inc.

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Peninsula Point is a unique property overlooking the Severn River. It is a lowlying tidal property occasionally inundated with brackish water. Our role as landscape contractor was to replace the existing pool and pool cabana with a new modern-style vanishing edge pool and pool house complete with kitchen and guest bedroom. Additionally, we built Ipe decks, pergolas, gates, and all the stonework in the landscape and on the house facade. We planted the entire property with wetland, native, and ornamental plantings.

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Bioengineered Living Shorelines The Newest Erosion Control Solution

By J. Wesley Allen, Environmental Scientist and Regional Manager, SOLitude Lake Management This article is the second in a series featuring new breakthrough technologies that will revolutionize the management of lakes, stormwater ponds, wetlands and fisheries in 2019. Learn more at www.solitudelakemanagement.com/knowledge.

When development companies design golf courses and landscaped communities with lakes and stormwater ponds, they envision them as beautiful aquatic resources to attract visitors, connect with nature, and enhance the surrounding property. Without proper management, however, these waterbodies can quickly become eyesores that produce harmful algae and bad odors, lead to damaged and eroded shorelines, and result in displeased members.

Most aquatic management professionals will tell you that when a property manager or golf course superintendent calls about an issue at their waterbody, it’s often past the point of a quick fix. This is regularly the case when we arrive on site to look at an erosion issue on a lake or pond embankment. Rather than finding a few problematic patches of rock or soil, we discover steep, unstable banks, deep washouts, and extensive bottom muck caused by years of sedimentation.

Erosion is a natural process caused by wind, rainfall, poor design, cultural impacts like mowing and recreation, or simply an aging aquatic ecosystem. These erosion issues are all exacerbated by human disturbance. Unfortunately, erosion can also negatively affect your lake, stormwater pond, canal, or coastline by causing loss of habitat and property value, nutrient loading, reduced storage volume and waterbody depth, and excess runoff. When topsoil is displaced, stormwater pipes and structures can be exposed and damaged. Overtime, erosion can lead to the formation of trenches and gullies that pose a serious danger to the public.

There are many ways to correct erosion with rip-rap, bulkheads, and other hard armoring systems; in certain situations, they may be the preferred option. In my experience, however, reestablishing the embankment utilizing vegetation, whether turf grass for recreation or native vegetation for habitat, has always been an excel-

lent way to halt erosion and enhance community waterbodies. There are several best management practices that can help stop erosion and establish vegetation, but a lot of them have a shorter lifespan or planting restrictions. Fortunately, there is a new solution available for both the immediate and long-term stabilization of shorelines and hillsides.

Bioengineered living shorelines are the latest technology in erosion control. These patented woven systems offer an innovative, environmentally friendly solution to immediately stop shoreline and embankment erosion and create a natural foundation for vegetation.

The most effective systems available are designed using a combination of an ecofriendly, biodegradable sock-like burlap fabric and a heavy-duty knitted mesh.

The socks can be filled with local pond muck and sediment, which is why many property managers choose to pair this solution with proactive hydro-raking projects.

After the systems are filled, they are then secured to the embankment and can be immediately sodded, planted with native beneficial buffer plants, or seeded through the mesh and fabric layers.

As an environmental scientist, I’ve utilized several different shoreline restoration techniques over the years, but this innovative system is certainly creating some excitement! It provides immediate stabilization while effectively filtering and buffering runoff water, removing harmful contaminants, and benefiting waterways and water quality, all the while providing a seamless planting platform and long-lasting erosion control. Restored banks and hillsides can be walked on within just a few days, making bioengineered shorelines a fast, aesthetically pleasing and long-lasting solution for most properties.

Depending on your waterbody and specific erosion issues, goals, and budget, your lake management professional may recommend other natural restoration tools. Lakes

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Bioengineered Living Shorelines continued and ponds that experience heavy water movement may be suitable candidates for erosion control using logs made of coconut fibers. Installed in areas with direct water flow, these biodegradable logs can help redirect water movement while reducing erosion along delicate banks. Coconut “coir” logs are biodegradable, compact, and excellent solutions for properties in need of a truly custom erosion control approach.

Golf course erosion (before)

Golf course erosion (during)

Whether you decide to move forward with a complete shoreline restoration or are several years away, it’s imperative to properly budget and integrate proactive management strategies that protect your banks and hillsides while preserving the water quality of your aquatic resource. Cultivating a beneficial vegetative buffer with flowering native vegetation will help stabilize soil during rainstorms. Deep-rooted flowering plants can also help pull excess nutrients from stormwater runoff, preventing the growth of nuisance weeds and algae in the water resource. Undesirable nutrients can be further combated with the professional application of naturally occurring nutrient remediation products, which permanently “lock up” and prevent nutrients from fueling aquatic weeds or algae.

Just like turfgrass management, lake and stormwater pond management is an ongoing commitment that requires different approaches throughout the year. While no two waterbodies are the same, each and every aquatic ecosystem is susceptible to shoreline erosion and can benefit from custom management plans that integrate buffer management and nutrient remediation, as well as other sustainable tools like hydro-raking, aeration, biological augmentation, and regular water quality testing.

Whether your waterbody is in its prime or has seen better days, contact your lake management professional to restore and prolong your water resources—starting with the shoreline.

J. Wesley Allen is an environmental scientist and regional manager at SOLitude Lake Management, an industry-leading environmental firm. He has nearly two decades of experience leading high-profile shoreline stabilization and wetland restoration projects.

Golf course (after shoreline restoration)

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Spotted Lanternfly Threatens Our Area

By Stanton Gill, Central Maryland Research and Education Center, University of Maryland, and Professor, Montgomery College, Landscape Technology Program; Brian Kunkel, University of Delaware Cooperative Extension; and Mary Kay Malinoski, Home and Garden Information Center, University of Maryland Extension

We have been flooded with problems with Japanese maple scale, emerald ash borer, exotic ambrosia beetles, and Asian longhorned beetle. Now we have another to add to the list in Maryland and Delaware: the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula). This name is great—it sounds like a cool fly with some sort of lantern. It has been listed as a type of planthopper, but was reclassified as a froghopper, of the superfamily Cercopoidea and order Hemiptera. This pest is found in our trading partners’ homelands of China, Korea, India, and Vietnam. It was found in Pennsylvania and confirmed in Berks County on

September 22, 2014. On November 1, 2014, Pennsylvania announced a quarantine to try to restrict the movement of this pest.

Spotted lanternfly has spread to over 13 counties in Pennsylvania. On May 26, 2018, an update for spotted lanternfly was published in the PA Bulletin. The quarantine is in place to stop the movement of spotted lanternfly to new areas within or out of the current quarantine zone and to slow its spread within the quarantine area.

The quarantine affects a variety of vehicles and other conveyances, plant, wood, and stone products.

Egg masses of spotted lanternfly on red maple.

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The following counties are currently under quarantine: Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Schuylkill. The quarantine may be expanded to new areas in Pennsylvania as further detections of the spotted lanternfly are confirmed.

In Delaware and Maryland, the spotted lanternfly has been detected, but quarantine areas had not been established as of January 2019. MDA has confirmed finding egg masses on trees in parts of Cecil County.

Spotted Lanternfly continued many types of plants but strongly prefers tree of heaven. Attacked trees will develop weeping wounds. These wounds will leave a greyish or black trail along the trunk. This sap will attract other insects to feed, notably wasps and ants. In fall, adults will lay egg masses on host trees and nearby smooth surfaces, like stone, outdoor furniture, vehicles, and structures.

In 2018, egg laying started in September. Newly laid egg masses have a gray, mud-like covering which can take on a dry cracked appearance over time. Old egg masses appear as rows of 30 to 50 brownish seed-like deposits in four to seven columns on the trunk, roughly an inch long.

Spotted lanternfly nymph

Adult spotted lanternfly

Penn State University and Extension, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) have joined forces to control and contain the spread of spotted lanternfly. Penn State is leading the research efforts currently underway in Pennsylvania.

In February 2019, a meeting of Penn State entomologists, University of Maryland Extension, University of Delaware Extension, Virginia Extension, New York Extension, State Departments of Agriculture from East Coast states, USDA, and representatives from the horticul-

ture industry took place in North Carolina to determine research needs and efforts on this pest.

In Pennsylvania, the insect was found attacking over 25 species of trees. The host range includes pines, red maples, thin-barked deciduous hardwoods, grapes, apples, pears, plums, and peaches, and it is listed as attacking over 70 species of plants in its homelands. Many nurseries have started growing fruit trees for sale for the home landscape, so you will need to monitor for this pest if you are growing the susceptible species. The spotted lanternfly feeds on

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The adult females lay eggs on the smooth bark of trees, rocks, and other smooth surfaces. If you have tree of heaven around the nursery or in the landscape, check the bark for the presence of the egg masses.

The eggs overwinter and nymphs hatch in spring, typically in April or May. The insect has four instars as a nymph. The first stage is a black nymph with white spots and lacking wings. In later instars, the nymphs develop red patches in addition to the white spots. The adults are out in July. The adult is actually rather attractive, with hind wings that are red and black (in a block pattern) with a white stripe dividing them.

The red portion of the wing is also covered with the black spots.

The problem with these invasive species is they tend to rapidly build up in populations since there are few established predators or parasites that attack them. They have a piercing mouthpart, and large populations cause dieback. They also excrete honeydew, which builds

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Spotted Lanternfly continued up on plant parts, with sooty mold growing on the honeydew.

We plan to conduct trials with Pennsylvania nurserymen and in Delaware with the University of Delaware and Rainbow Tree in sites in Delaware in 2019. We will be evaluating several low-risk products for control of nymphs and adults. In April we set up trials with a nursery 45 minutes west of Philadelphia, and we are working with Syngenta and the University of Delaware in evaluating two systemic materials for potential control.

If you find an egg mass or nymphs or adults of spotted lanternfly, go to DontBugme@Maryland.gov and report your sighting.

Ailanthus trees with sooty mold on trunks and branches.

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Cultivate Co-pilots

By Bruce Wilson, principal, Bruce Wilson & Company It’s not uncommon for business owners to think about exit goals and personal needs as their companies mature. Regardless of what you plan to do when you’re ready, the most important thing is to do it on your own terms, plan your end game from the beginning and have a top team of co-pilots to help get you there.

Some owners achieve a similar result by hiring a great “number 2.” However, for most CEOs, myself included, being able to rely on a great team of people who are smarter than you simply gives you more options.

Consider:

Just as they do for you in the day-today running of your business, a solid executive or senior management team will help you sharpen your competitive edge and push growth and profitability that can leverage your position. If they are a trusted, high-performing group, they can help you run and scale your business without you having to be there all the time to make it work.

Establish a list of expectations, actions and priorities. What are you willing to delegate and what accountability do you want associated with it? Work together on a strategic plan, broken down into annual and quarterly priorities. Each priority should have a clear direction, someone on point to drive it, a measurable result and a timeline for completion.

1. How will your team measure the success of its performance?

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2. How does your team handle conflict or decisions?

Make sure your expectations for behaviors are clear to management.

Use your strategic plan to memorialize what’s expected. Also, establish guidelines for the team to make decisions when there is conflict or lines are crossed.

3. What is your team culture?

Invest in behavioral assessment tools like DiSC or Myers Briggs. Map out how your team is living company values versus their work ethic, which quickly determines whether they are A, B or C players. Many of these tools can help your team understand how to communicate better with others in the company and give your culture a better rhythm.

Cultivate Co-pilots continued

“Execution is just as important, if not more important, than strategy. There needs to be real discipline and accountability through improved communication.”

development plan for the people who could become future executive team leaders. I favor a home-grown team if at all possible rather than what usually ends up being a trial-and-error process of finding people who fit.

One exercise I have seen that works is identifying the top three to five employees in the company, listing out their traits, and forming company values that are centered around these three to five role models.

4. What are your ideal behaviors?

5. What does your team want to accomplish?

If the assessment determines that you do not have all the right people, or the people you have do not model team behavior or are not open to learning, determine what is missing and develop a description of what’s needed to fill out the team. Create a

Make executive team goals measurable. Create an actionable list of positive impacts your team wants to have on your organization’s performance over the next one to three years that could include: improved collaboration, improved communication,

Landscape

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This article originally appeared in the June 2018 issue of Lawn & Landscape magazine. Reprinted with permission.

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being able to make better and higher quality decisions, fewer silos, less conflict, better interpersonal relationships. Execution is just as important, if not more important, than strategy. There needs to be real discipline and accountability through improved communication, a consistent meeting rhythm and working together as a team while trying to add to the company culture.

6th edition

Part 1: Exterior Landscape Installation Part 2: Exterior Landscape Maintenance Part 3: Interior Landscape Installation and Maintenance Part 4: Irrigation Part 5: Non-Tidal Wetland Planting Part 6: Seeding and Sodding Part 7: Soils Part 8: Tree Preservation

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CHIEF MOUNTAIN FARMS, LLC

Providing Native & Wetland Plants to the Industry From Plugs to Containers We Grow It All Grasses · Sedges & Rushes · Perennials · Ground Covers · Shrubs · Trees · Vines 116 Chiefs Mountain Lane Port Deposit, MD 21904 Tel: 410-658-7331 * Toll-Free: 866-530-8902 Fax: 410-658-7333 info@chiefmountainfarms.com www.chiefmountainfarms.com