Free State Spring 2016

Free State

Spring 2016 Vol. XLIII No. 1

NURSERY, LANDSCAPE AND GREENHOUSE NEWS

Mother Nature in her Spring Glory

What Happened with Ambrosia Beetles in 2016 Propagation by Rooted Stem Cuttings The Challenges of Our Industry MNLGA Annual Meeting and MANTS Highlights American Hort: National Update

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Free State • 1

President’s Message Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association Officers 2016 President Steve Black Raemelton Farm 240-416-0714 1st Vice President Jessica Todd Clear Ridge Nursery, Inc. 888-226-9226 2nd Vice President Larry Hemming Eastern Shore Nurseries 410-822-1320 Secretary Greg Stacho Akehurst Landscape Service, Inc. 410-538-4018 Treasurer Carrie Engel Valley View Farms 410-527-0700 Director-at-Large Brent Rutley Capitol City Contractors, LLC 301-854-5620 Executive Director Vanessa Akehurst Finney MNLGA Contact Info: P.O. Box 726 Brooklandville, Maryland 21022 Phone: 410-823-8684 Fax: 410-296-8288 E-mail: office@mnlga.org Free State E-mail: freestate@mnlga.org Website: mnlga.org

MARYLAND N URSERY, L ANDSCAPE AND G REENHOUSE A S S O C I A T I O N , I N C.

2 • Spring 2016

This is my first article for Free State as President and I’m concerned. Worried is more accurate. I knew I’d be writing a bunch of these messages; it wasn’t a surprise. But Vanessa still had to send me an email (claiming to be my ‘conscience’).

It’s the heart of spring for a wholesale grower. The farm is at max tempo. Everybody is working overtime…all the time. My desk has run out of free space for stacking up the normal paper Steve Black flow of a small business. There’s a traffic jam in the holding yard and somebody just called asking ‘how late we’re open’. The blade just broke on the Pazzaglia digging machine and it’s not clear why it happened or when we can get a replacement.

How am I going to do my part for the Association? I just am.

It’s the nature of our industry and the nature of participation in our Association.

There are times when it’s easy to participate, like the Field Day in June or the Annual Meeting at MANTS. But the true measure of the Association is how we pull together when it’s not convenient. Broad participation is the best and most sustainable way for us to achieve our goals. Many hands really do make for light work.

We’ve just seen a great example of the work of the Association. For the second year in a row bills were introduced in the Maryland legislature to regulate the use of Neonicotinoid pesticides by the ornamental industry. A main component of the bills was the required labeling of plants ever treated with a neonicotinoid pesticide.

Whatever your views on pollinator protection and the impact of this family of pesticides on the environment the proposed legislation was at best clumsy, unscientific, and would have imposed a significant burden on industry—and by extension on consumers, too. Supporting pollinators and beneficial insects is a noble goal. The labeling of plants would have contributed little and cost much.

Many MNLGA ‘hands’ showed up to educate our legislators. Members testified, wrote letters explaining their views and the potential financial impact of the legislation, and lobbied elected officials. It now looks like amendments to the original text will eliminate its impact on industry.

Big win for the green industry? Sorta. This is the second time this idea has been proposed. It would be a huge strategic mistake to declare victory and go back to weeding, pruning, mulching, and watering. The issue of pollinator health is not going away. We can, as an Association, take a proactive roll on this issue and help craft real solutions that are implementable, or fight a running defensive battle again and again.

If we as an association can agree that we too want healthy pollinators then we can actively support pollinator protection efforts, and have a seat at the table for implementation of those efforts. This is the only real way to ensure that laws and regulations on this topic will address the base concerns without causing undue stress for industry.

I can’t end this note without thanking our past President Brent Rutley. I suddenly have a new found understanding of the level of service he provided to our Association. We’re all lucky to have had him as President, and I like to think that Vanessa never wrote him an email starting “Brent, this is your conscience… ❦ Steve Black Steve@Raemelton.com

Contents 9

28

34

37 Features

Departments

5 This Business of Ours – Mike Hemming

2 From the President

7 Volunteer Service Project

4 Director's Message

9 It’s Time for Sharing – Jerry Faulring

4 MNLA Board of Directors

14 American Hort – Craig J. Regelbrugge

17 Garden Writers Association

18 Legislative Report

32 Calendar of Events

22 MNLGA Annual Meeting 26 MANTS

2 Association Officers

12 New Members 24 CPH

24

35 Scholarship 46 Press Release 48 Affinity Programs

30 Growing with Education – Ginny Rosenkranz

51 MNLA Mission Statement

36 Featured Member Angelica Nurseries, Inc.

52 MNLA Chairs and Committees

51 Directory of Advertisers

41 Total Plant Management – Stanton Gill Executive Director: Vanessa A. Finney Quercus Management Staff: E. Kelly Finney, Chelsea Bailey, and Mia Sakai Phone: 410-823-8684, Fax: 410-296-8288

E-mail: office@mnlga.org Web: mnlga.org Free State e-mail: freestate@mnlga.org

20

Design: Gregory J. Cannizzaro (contact information page 16)­ © 2016 Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhoue Association, Inc.

Free State • 3

Director’s Message Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association Board of Directors Terms Expiring 2017 Ted Carter Pinehurst Landscape Company 410-592-5030 John Murphy Murphy John’s, Inc. 410-928-3029 Andrew Thompson Foxborough Nursery, Inc. 410-836-7023 Mary Claire Walker Patuxent Nursery 301-218-4769 Terms Expiring 2018 Brent Cassell Leyland Landscaping, Inc. 410-526-4449 Peter Driscoll Dogwood Hill Farm 301-428-8175 Wm. Oliver Hardy Classic Lawn & Landscape Ltd. 410-335-6868 Ronda Roemmelt Ruppert Nurseries 301-482-2009

The Free State News is published for the membership of the Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association (MNLGA.org).

For more information, e-mail: freestate@mnlga.org

4 • Spring 2016

I’m a bit annoyed right now and have decided to use my column to clear my head and thoughts, and vent a little. I want to talk about relationships – building them, nurturing them, and retaining them. My poster child is MNLGA and the Maritime Institute.

As many of you know, the MNLGA (and formerly MNLA and MGGA) have held an annual educational event, known as Chesapeake Green – A Horticulture Symposium, at the Maritime Vanessa Finney Institute of Technology in Linthicum. We’ve held this event at the Maritime since 2004 – that’s 13 consecutive years. The planning committees over the years have enjoyed working with the Maritime, and certainly our attendees and sponsors have been very happy, as well, evidenced by their return every year. And the Maritime has always seemed to be very pleased and happy to work with us. Until now.

The Maritime will not offer MNLGA a contract unless I can guarantee a certain minimum number of attendees per day for each of the conferences two days. The problem is they want a guaranteed minimum that is at least 20% higher than our usual attendance on Day 1 of the conference. And I can’t responsibly contract to that.

The Maritime has been open for some negotiations, as have I, however at the end of the day, the Maritime wanted more than to which I believe I can responsibly commit member funds.

So the question is – after having negotiated successful contracts for 13 years, we are at cross-roads. I want to return and Maritime is holding out for a bigger piece of business. (Yes – they were direct and said they are looking for a more profitable event).

I can’t blame a business for wanting bigger business and more profits, however, I question at what cost. The years and effort that have gone into the MNLGA building our relationship with the Maritime seemed to have been for naught. The referrals of additional business unappreciated. I guess here is where I mention the Maritime has turned over virtually all of its staff and management, top – down, in the past 18 months. I guess we have no relationship “points” with them any longer.

What is the balance between retaining one’s relationship yet also being the most profitable that one can be? Where are sacrifices made and to what degree are they acceptable? I guess markets, supply and demand, certainly have a role, as well. At the end of the day, each person/business needs to figure its own tipping point.

I can’t get beyond the personal value one holds in a relationship, however. Is established amity becoming less important? Is the almighty dollar more important than a trusted, established relationship?

I have no concise answer. I am disappointed, clearly in my personal experience with the Maritime. I encourage you all to think about your relationships – personal and business – and consider the choices and decisions you make. Meanwhile – I am not finished trying to work with the Maritime. I do hope we can work out an arrangement amicable to both parties. If not – Chessie will be in a new venue in 2017. ❦ Vanessa A. Finney Executive Director

This Business of Ours

The Challenges of Our Industry in These Changing Times Mike Hemming

“

I

Not too many years ago a landscaper tried to have his own nursery and landscaping service running off the same property. He ran afoul of so many zoning restrictions he finally gave up and sold the land.

saw on WBOC news tonight that the average age of a farmer on Delmarva is over 60 years. The story was about Chesapeake College in Wye Mills, MD starting a program to educate young farmers in being better in our modern age. From what I’ve seen you have to be a computer whiz to run some of this new equipment. We see more and more of that in our industry with computer and sensor controlled irrigation and fertigation too, I suppose.

All this is a good thing, but the thing that concerns me is the difficulty of starting a farm or nursery in today’s world.

The days of buying a piece of land and planting on it are far more expensive now. Plus the regulatory climate has become more and more restrictive. For instance, in my county, Talbot, the current zoning would make it impossible to have a retail nursery. All this does is to make it easier for the big box stores to monopolize the plant business.

Not too many years ago a landscaper tried to have his own nursery and landscaping service running off the same property. He ran afoul of so many zoning restrictions he finally gave up and sold the land. To be forced to have two properties to be a landscape nursery is stupid and wasteful. We survive here only because we are grandfathered in. I would no more try to start a nursery in this county and probably this state than fly backwards to the moon. Talbot County has used this recession to become very anti building and development. In Extra space used to get head start on Crape Myrtles and Arborvitae #3 American Hollyin #5 for one

”

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for early sales

month ready for it’s first pruning Free State • 5

some ways it is already coming back to bite one town. economy that should be encouraged, not weakened by Oxford, Maryland has no affordable housing for young taxes and zoning regulations. families and the volunteer fire department doesn’t have On the Invasive species law - according to the web enough younger fire persons and EMT’s to move up site, http://mda.maryland.gov/plants-pests/Pages/ and fill vacancies. It will be interesting when the town’s maryland_invasive_plants_prevention_and_control.aspx, property taxes shoot through the roof to pay for a paid the law will go into effect on April 11th. Retailers who fire department. This will slowly become a county wide sell tier 2 plants MUST include specific signage with the problem if nothing is done. plants. The signage requirements may be viewed on the Every year when we do our winter potting of the last website, via the aforementioned link. summer’s rooted cuttings, we use up any space left by Euonymus alatus Burning Bush ranks as a tier 2 stepping up some plants we want to hurry along. Certain plant and Wisteria sinensis and its hybrids are a tier 2 plants we can get extra useful growth out of include plant, as well. This means it can be sold but needs the hollies, gardenias, camellias and crape myrtles. It makes aforementioned not ready for prime time sign to be it possible to have them rooted out enough to sell up to placed at its point of sale. Landscapers must inform two months earlier. Using squat containers helps them their customers that they are invasive and other plants root out faster. Plants moved up for later sales are put could be used instead. There are other plants on the list into regular # 5 or # 7 containers. This cuts down the already and there will be more added as time goes on. expense of late spring or early summer buying of those So save that web page and keep an eye on it. Ignorance plants. We have already sold out last year’s crop of #3 of the law won’t be a working excuse. I recommend Compacta Holly. This will soon be followed by #3 Soft strongly that all of us keep a close eye on the big box Touch and Helleri Holly. We just couldn’t hurry their stores and turn them in when they aren’t following the replacements enough. law. It will be ignorance because their plants are often Pushing this early growth requires that you have a ordered and distributed by some bean counter in a far heat source to protect the soft new growth. But we have off corporate headquarters. But they should be reported to anyway for the early growing transplants in 1 and 2 and the Maryland Department of Agriculture should gallon containers. enforce the law on them. ❦ Mike Hemming In a happy note my granddaughter Rosalie is back Eastern Shore Nurseries working part time when her job doesn’t give her 410-822-1320 enough hours. It does seem that too many “fulltime” jobs are not full time anymore. Is it because of the work more than 30 hours Obamacare rules? Anyway it’s nice to have her around again. Grandson Robert is here now for a time while taking courses at Chesapeake College. It’s nice to have them here again for a while; they won’t stay, but I’m going to enjoy having three generations here while it lasts. Having multiple generational businesses Difference between #1 Fosters Holly into # 3 shifted up 3/7 right #2 Crape Myrtle into #15 will is a strength for our one kept in poly house kept above freezing at night be ready for sale in mid June 6 • Spring 2016

MNLGA News

MNLGA Volunteer Service Project The MNLGA is working with the Maryland Department of Agriculture to bring Baltimore City students and agriculture together. The project partners will be working with faculty and staff at Frederick Douglass High School as they build a horticulture program. This initiative will ultimately provide the opportunity for students to grow their own product whether it be vegetables, flowers, or environmental plants, and then sell them through farmers’ market, mobile-markets, or within the community. This will be an experiential learning opportunity in science, business, and marketing for the students.

Program development will begin with establishment of a horticulture club and subsequent building of raised-bed gardens and then a hoop house. Faculty at Frederick Douglass has received federal grant funding to help in the development and implementation of some of the programming and physical structures.

The MNLGA has volunteered to create a master plan for the hoop house and raised-bed gardens.

The MNLGA will also help the students with the construction and installation of the project. Past president, Brent Rutley has volunteered to take the lead on this project and will work with MNLGA members to determine the best fit for the design and installation work. This initiative is designed to get students more involved not only with agriculture but within their communities as well; MNLGA is proud to take part!

Look for further information in future issues of “Root of the Matter,” where we’ll highlight and make specific requests for members’ assistance in this project. In the meantime, if you have any questions about the project, please contact Brent at 301-854-5620 or the MNLGA office at 410-823-8684.❦

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Free State • 7

8 • Spring 2016

It’s Time

for

Sharing

Propagation bv Rooted Stem Cuttings Jerry Faulring

I

n 2015 Waverly Farm stuck 35,000 cuttings with the goal of supplying our own needs for all plants we grow from cuttings that we are legally allowed to reproduce. We grow many plants that are patented which we buy from quality, authorized propagators.

In the world of plant propagation our scale is very small; we may be near the low end of making it an economical endeavor.

So, why do we do it? A brief summary includes:

year with changes sometimes being realized after liners are ordered for the current year. I can respond to increasing needs as late as August for many deciduous plants and November for conifers. We tend to over produce and then ultimately plant numbers that are projected to be correct.

4. I think we save a little money, maybe break even, but that is not the real driver. On a current year basis we probably save about $1.00 per plant but that does not include the facility capital cost. At a larger scale saving money would be a factor.

5. With our staff size there is always the labor force elasticity that allows us to propagate without dedicated staff.

1. It makes me feel complete in terms of producing plants from start to finish. No greater satisfaction can be achieved than seeing a 5’ Viburnum that we started as a cutting loaded to a truck.

2. There has always been a concern related to importing pest problems which I believe are an increasing threat to our enterprise, particularly with Buxus. We have bought root diseases in hollies and weeds that overtook parts of the farm (see photo).

3. Control over availability.

It is not uncommon to have problems sourcing plants consistently from one year to the next. Market buying trends change every A perfect stand of purple mustard came to us from a liner supplier.

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Free State • 9

There are some really good reasons to not propagate which include: 1. Stress levels increase due to the minute by minute management required to be successful. Constant worry over loss of power, misting systems; “is this the right week to take cuttings”, “what if I lose the crop to disease”, and so on are always on my mind. Good backup systems, extreme diligence, and experience can help relieve these concerns but they still exist.

2. When buying from others, the plants tend to arrive alive – just unload the truck and plant or shift to a larger container.

3. Initial capital investment plus the ongoing maintenance and operating costs of facilities are an important consideration.

4. Success is not assured but with many years of experience our efforts generally result in about 95% success overall and 0% with some plants in a given year. After a few years of failure for a given plant we buy it. My goal is reproduce the plants that are not problematic.

Successful propagation relies on a strong commitment to the process. Our work is 100% with woody plants that are forgiving in many respects. Deciduous plants are generally stuck after the spring flush has hardened off through the end of summer, with best results for

Winter propagation using mist – same set up in summer.

10 • Spring 2016

us occurring earlier than later. Hollies and boxwood can be stuck just about anytime they are not flushing but work best for us in late August through the end of September. Indeterminate conifers such as Cryptomeria and Thuja, along with Ilex opaca, are stuck in November.

Summer Propagation.

Collection of cuttings is best early in the morning when it is cool and leaves are turgid. We collect into white plastic bags and dampen the cuttings while in storage. We cut only what we can stick the same day.

Refrigeration or icing of the cuttings is necessary if stored for the next day’s use. _Observation of the stuck plants, every hour during daylight, is required to manage mist during the summer season. Too little moisture can stress the cuttings in a matter of minutes. Stressed cuttings will struggle to produce roots. We use Dip ‘N Grow rooting hormone exclusively; if timed perfectly many plants don’t need a hormone but we don’t risk it. Concentrations will vary from 1000 ppm to 8000 ppm but most plants work well at 3000 ppm. Some plants will also be treated with a fungicide. Most plants are wounded by cutting a very slight sliver of wood on one side; this is always not required but we standardize on procedure. Plants will root in 10 days to 4 weeks.

Water quality for misting is important to prevent disease or mineral scale build up from water high in mineral content. Our well water from the limestone aquifer is off the charts for calcium. I have seen mineral scale accumulation on boxwood so severe so as to prevent the buds from breaking. To remedy this we run all mist water through a 1000 gallon per day reverse osmosis system. The water is stored in three 1000 gallon tanks to buffer the variable usage and to keep a reserve for loss of supply.

Winter Propagation. his is still stressful but T different from summer.

Bottom heat is required using hot water so we have to be constantly vigilant regarding the heating system and potential for frozen pipes. I have read numerous propagation books and know there are a several ways to implement winter production. We are VERY old school in that we eliminate mist by tenting the cutting beds; we used to mist several years ago.

This recycles all the soil Winter propagation under a tent. Note the thermometer to monitor soil temperature. moisture by condensing it on the plastic and dripping back to the plants. It also requires less energy for heating water. The humidity under the tents is always near 100%. There is increased potential for foliar disease but we have not had much trouble in the past.

The tents are removed monthly; cuttings are watered, checked for progress and the tents are replaced. These plants tend to take from 6 to 16 weeks to root. _Grafting. Back in the nineties we grafted large numbers of conifers and Japanese maples. This was good winter work but success can be so variable our effort declined over a period of years. Grafting is a lot of fun but requires a vast increase in skill and knowledge as compared to rooted cuttings. Now, with the current decline in specialty conifer and maple sales it makes economic sense for us to buy in these plants in small numbers. ❦

“

Jerry Faulring Waverly Farm 1931 Greenfield Road Adamstown, MD 21710 301-874-8300

Successful propagation relies on a strong commitment to the process. Our work is 100% with woody plants that are forgiving in many respects. Deciduous plants are generally stuck after the spring flush has hardened off through the end of summer, with best results for us occurring earlier than later.

”

Free State • 11

New Members We welcome the following into membership in the MNLGA. Full contact information may be found within the member portal of the MNLGA website, www.mnlga.org. We encourage you to reach out to your peer members – they may be a valuable business connection for you.

As You Like It Landscaping Jeff Aronson Ijamsville, MD

Gowan USA Virginia Daly South Glastonbury, CT

Chartwell Golf & Country Club James Hogan Millersville, MD

Harrell’s Brad Sorenson Chambersburg, MD

Chesapeake Agricultural Consulting Amy Crowl Forest Hill, MD

Harvest RG1 David Lundberg Woodbine, MD

City of Baltimore Recreation and Parks John Vickers Baltimore, MD

Management and Training Association Jewell Johnson Pikesville, MD

Cosmos Club Christopher Van De Moortel Washington, DC

Montgomery College Landscape Technology Becky Melzer Bethesda, MD

Diamond Eagle Landscaping Joey Horton Mitchellville, MD

Three Little Birds Lawn Care LLC Greg Hellen Baltimore, MD

Garden N Art Virginia Volker Harmony, PA

Trillium Landscaping Christy Light-Morales Frederick, MD

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Free State • 13

American Hort

t a h W r o

Who Will Do The Work?

(The Politics of Labor, and Pollinators) Craig J. Regelbrugge

T

here’s no escaping the fact that horticulture is a labor-intensive business and avocation. So far this spring, we’ve got labor challenges galore.

Where do things stand, and what is the outlook for seasonal labor? Horticulture, and agriculture and the environment also rely on another kind of seasonal worker, pollinators. So we are at the center of that debate, too.

With respect to seasonal labor, it’s been a rough year so far. Members in the mid-Atlantic, and indeed from coast to coast, report worsening difficulties finding the talent needed to grow, sell, install, and maintain plants and landscapes. Against this backdrop, more and more businesses are turning to the existing legal, temporary worker programs – H-2A for farms, nurseries, and greenhouses, and H-2B for landscaping. In fact, the landscape sector is the single-largest user of the H-2B program.

These programs are a good news-bad news situation.

For many, they are a lifeline. And yet, this spring, landscape, nursery, and greenhouse employers are struggling with processing delays that can mean workers arriving a month or more after they are needed.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) suggests bracing for more delays.

Officials blame the delays on “unanticipated program changes” Congress made in December, plus creaky computer infrastructure and growing demand across every visa program for which DOL must grant an approved labor certification as a precondition for visa issuance. Employers, for their part, believe that the delays were avoidable had the agencies planned for the obvious, and through streamlining of internal procedures.

AmericanHort met recently with officials of DOL’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification to discuss 14 • Spring 2016

processing delays and strategies for accommodating growing employer demands for seasonal labor. Some employers are facing delays of a month or more, in some cases at DOL, in some cases, in the visa petitioning process at a bureau of the Department of Homeland Security, and in some cases, both.

DOL claims that more resources are critical to smoother operations. In fact, President Obama’s proposed budget seeks authority for DOL to collect dedicated user fees to run the H-2A and H-2B programs. Should employers even consider DOL fee authority? It would be a hard sell to users and to Congress, given DOL’s track record. Full fee authority would also diminish Congressional oversight of DOL, a troubling thing. On a positive note, dedicated fees would protect these programs from the vulnerability of future delays in the appropriations process, including the risk of government shutdowns.

Interestingly, the U.S. Senate-passed immigration legislation in 2013 would have reformed the H-2A program, and funded its operations through user fees.

S.744 would have also dramatically streamlined the agricultural program, and moved the initial processing function from DOL to the Department of Agriculture.

But until Congress gets to the business of legislating a better legal immigration system, the labor forecast will remain mostly cloudy, with strong headwinds.

So for now, we are playing a mix of offense and defense, coordinating political pressure on the agencies to get the job done, and working to convince Congress that the H-2B “returning worker” exemption is extended for the new government’s fiscal year, which starts October 1. Not only is the returning worker provision good for our employers; it also rewards seasonal workers who play by the rules and honor the terms of their temporary visas.

Of Pesticides and Pollinators Pollinator health has taken center stage in the Free State and Beyond, and so much of the focus has been on one class of insecticides, the neonicotinoids. This is unfortunate, because for all who care about honey bees and other pollinators, the body of evidence points to a multifactorial problem involving everything from parasites and pathogens to habitat loss. Pesticides certainly are a factor, but not the only factor, and certainly not the primary driver.

For the horticulture industry, this isn’t a simple case of “defend neonics” or “thrown them overboard.” Rather, it’s the fundamental question of “tools in the toolkit.”

We need tools and strategies to effectively manage invasive pests. If we take all the screwdrivers out of the toolkit, will something else be able to do the work of a screwdriver?

Neonics have become the most widely used insecticides in the world, for several good reasons. They are effective against a wide array of pests. Their human health and environmental safety profiles are quite positive compared to many alternatives.

As EPA steps up its assessment of the neonics for honey bee and pollinator impacts, remember it’s not just about neonics. EPA is requiring data on literally 76 active ingredients – mostly insecticides, some fungicides, and even a couple herbicides. So when a grower tells us, “I’ve reduced my use of neonics” and we ask how, the answer often is, well, we’re using more synthetic pyrethroids, and…”. They too are under scrutiny…

AmericanHort and our Horticultural Research Institute have launched the Grow Wise, Bee Smart™ stewardship initiative (growwise.org). Our goals are to fund and direct research into key questions for which we need better answers; encourage grower and landscape stewardship and “best practices,” and partner toward improvement of pollinator habitat and forage. Expanding habitat and forage is also a business opportunity for the industry. After all, we’re best positioned to provide the plants and advice consumers need if they want to take action and make a difference!

Check out more on the “Million Pollinator Garden Challenge” at millionpollinatorgardens.org.

Since many problems are often best-addressed at the local level, most states (including Maryland) are in the process of developing “managed pollinator protection plans,” or MP3. Plans are intended to enhance communication and collaboration among local growers,

applicators, and beekeepers, thereby reducing conflicts and avoidable losses. It’s good that MNLGA is involved in this process.

Critical elements of MP3s include strengthened communication between growers and beekeepers, location of bees in reference to pesticide-treated areas, BMPs to minimize bee exposure to pesticides, and a method for outreach. Forage and native pollinators may also be considerations. While state and local actions are key, EPA will be responsible for monitoring the plans for success and will then determine the need for future regulatory actions.

There are many groups in the mainstream (AmericanHort and the Horticultural Research Institute included), working together to fund research, to improve pollinator habitat and forage, and to promote stewardship and wiser use of pest management tools.

And yes, as in most debates, you have the extremes – deniers that there is even a problem, and activists pushing for bans.

In the case of the latter, one might wonder if the activists’ goal is to drive bans and prohibitions through legislatures and in the marketplace, before the scientific picture clarifies. Better to achieve their goal (pesticide bans) before their underlying premise is found to be wrong, or at least overstated. Then, if bee health issues persist, they’ll target the next pesticide.

EPA’s recent preliminary risk analysis on imidacloprid found a clear threshold of 25 parts per billion, below which adverse effects were not seen in honey bees.

Meanwhile, research to date has consistently found

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Our goals are to fund and direct research into key questions for which we need better answers; encourage grower and landscape stewardship and “best practices,” and partner toward improvement of pollinator habitat and forage.

Free State • 15

MANTS Pender ad half page_MANTS pender half page ad 2/6/14 10:53 AM Pa

levels of neonics in pollen from honey bees of about 6 ppb, expressed in terms of imidacloprid equivalents.

This is well under the emerging EPA threshold.

Looking at the bigger picture, a number of researchers are deepening their focus on the parasites like Varroa mite, the pathogens they vector, and underlying challenges such as genetic weakness from honey bee breeding practices.

So with this uncertain and evolving backdrop, the Maryland legislature plowed ahead and passed legislation taking most neonic products out of the hands of the consumer. Time will tell whether this step makes any difference, or even leads to unintended negative consequences. At least the legislation leaves an opening for the Department of Agriculture to respond to EPA findings going forward. All this said, the silver lining in where Maryland has gone is that grower and professional uses of neonics remain intact. For now, the toolkit remains well-equipped. ❦ Craig Regelbrugge Senior Vice President, AmericanHort About Craig Regelbrugge Craig Regelbrugge serves as AmericanHort’s senior vice president, where he is responsible for industry advocacy and research programs. Formally known as the American Horticulture Industry Association, AmericanHort launched in January, 2014, as the consolidation of the American Nursery & Landscape Association (ANLA) and OFA - The Association of Horticulture Professionals. The mission of AmericanHort is to unite, promote, and advance our industry through advocacy, collaboration, connectivity, education, market development, and research.

Regelbrugge received his undergraduate degree in horticulture from Virginia Tech, and he worked in the retail nursery industry and served as a county horticultural extension agent in Virginia before joining ANLA in December, 1989.

Regelbrugge serves in several national leadership positions representing the horticulture industry on matters relating to the labor force, plant health, and trade. He co-chairs the Agriculture Coalition for Immigration Reform, a broad-based coalition seeking legislation to ensure a stable and legal agricultural workforce, and is chairman of the board of the National Immigration Forum Action Fund.

He chairs the North American Plant Protection Organization – US Industry Advisory Group, and serves on the steering committee of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance. From 2005 through 2010, he served on the federal Specialty Crop Committee, which advises the Secretary of Agriculture on federal policy relating to specialty crop agriculture.

He is a frequent presenter, author, and spokesperson on topics relating to the workforce and immigration, production, trade, and environmental issues impacting farmers and small businesses in and serving the horticulture industry.

In his free time, he enjoys travel and, of course, gardening.

16 • Spring 2016

GWA’s Strategic Move to the Future We are pleased to welcome the GWA: The Association for Garden Communicators as a new contributor to Free State.

I

n the few months since Kellen has come on board as the new Management Team at GWA there have been a number of exciting changes already. We have launched a new member database, new website, launched more than 10 regional events (including Hunt Country Gardens & Growers Tour) and attended MANTS in Baltimore, plus put many other projects into motion that we will unveil soon. Guiding us in all these exciting changes is the 2015 GWA Strategic Plan, which GWA President Kirk R. Brown unveiled in January. Here are some of the strategic initiatives we are focused on to grow and revitalize GWA:

Membership The heart and soul of GWA is our members. We plan to expand GWA’s reach even further, introducing the organization to a new generation and categories not previously embraced. GWA provides leadership and opportunities for education, recognition, career development and a forum for professionals in the field of gardening communication. Our members can help you communicate about gardening trends, plants, products, events and accomplishments, and deliver messages to consumers with seasoned analysis about your products and services. GWA members on average have more than 10 years’ experience with focuses in newspapers, magazines, websites, television, radio, blogs, and social media. In August, we will be holding the first ever NextGen Summit: New Routes to Horticulture at Longwood Gardens.

Branding and Communications We are working to reposition the association. In the six weeks leading up to our transition, we spoke with many of the members and influencers within GWA. We didn’t want to lose the equity of GWA, but recognized that the landscape of communications has changed and we needed to embrace our full membership.

We’ve begun to refer to ourselves as GWA: The

Association for Garden Communicators. We introduced a new logo and branding package. We introduced the membership to the NEW On the QT, a revamp of GWA’s newsletter, which features new articles, fresh content and a new outlook.

We did an overhaul of the website, introducing our new brand, new tools and a new mobile-friendly design. With the website, we also introduced the new public directory of GWA members, GWAConnect.

This powerful tool allows industry partners, garden organizations, and the public to search for writers, bloggers, photographer, speakers, marketers and more. Profile information feature members’ expertise, website, blog and key contact information.

And we are not done yet. Many additional enhancements will be coming to all facets of the organization.

Education We want to be the recognized education source, thought leader and resource for the industry. With the introduction of more regional meetings and an improved Annual Conference & Expo program, we will bring our members more of the information they need to succeed. In addition to the excellent green industry topics already covered, we will be adding a special focus on technology, business, marketing, communications and publishing.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you, the green industry. While in Baltimore for MANTS, my team and I had the opportunity to meet many of you. . We have been blown away by your passion and your knowledge and I speak on behalf of all on the GWA team when I say, we cannot wait to meet and serve you all. I look forward to the next months ahead…and beyond. ❦ Maria Ungaro Executive Director The Association for Garden Communicators Free State • 17

MaGIC Legislative Final 2016 Report The 2016 General Assembly celebrated Sine Die at midnight on Monday, April 11.

The single most significant piece of legislation that MNLGA and MAA followed this session was the called-for ban on use of neonics (HB211/SB198). MAA and MNLGA members have varying opinions on this legislation; prevailing opinion amongst members is that neonics should not be banned as an effective and safe tool (when properly used) for horticulture industry use.

The bill saw many iterations and amendments before its ultimate passage late in the Session. The final bill includes the following provisions: retail labeling and signage requirements are removed; ag and lawn care use is exempt; retail may not sell neonic products beginning Jan 1, 2018, and MDA is required to review the EPA ruling on neonics (once released) and make recommendations to revise MD law if it is in conflict with EPA rulings. Indoor uses of neonic products, such as pet flea collars, fly strips, lice treatments, remain permitted and legal to use. Illegal use of neonics will be a civil offense, rather than criminal.

I would be remiss to not thank the many persons and organizations that worked with MNLGA and MAA this past session, on all the bills we followed. This includes Lynne Hoot and Lindsay Thompson (MaGIC executives), Joe Miedusiewski (MaGIC lobbyist), Maryland Farm Bureau – Val Connelly and Colby Ferguson, Mark Schlossberg, MNLGA board, and all members that weighed in on issues.

Please read on for additional legislation followed this past Session.

Bills Passed and Expected to be Signed Into Law: HB 65 Tree Expert License - Application and Renewal Repeal of Sunset Provision This bill eliminates the five year sunset originally established as September 30, 2017 and makes the law permanent. In plain language, this bill retains bi-annual licensing of LTEs rather than annual.

18 • Spring 2016

Recommended position - MAA and MaGIC did support; Senate hearing 3/22 Status - House and Senate - Passed HB 132 - State Government - Pollinator Habitat Plans Requiring State agencies that own or manage property or land, in consultation with the Department of Agriculture, to establish specified pollinator habitat plans by July 1, 2017; requiring specified State agencies to implement pollinator habitat plans on or before July 1, 2018, and to make the pollinator habitat plans available on the State agency’s Web site by September 1, 2017; requiring specified State agencies to report to specified committees of the General Assembly by January 1, 2018; etc.

Recommended position - MaGIC did support; Senate hearing 3/22 Status - House and Senate - Passed with amendments HB0211/SB0198 - Neonicotinoid Pesticides - Labeling, Signage, and Restrictions on Sales and Use (Pollinator Protection Act of 2016) Neonicotinoid Pesticides Labeling, Signage, and Restrictions on Sales and Use (Pollinator Protection Act of 2016) Prohibiting a person from selling at retail in the State specified seeds, material, and plants that have been treated with a neonicotinoid pesticide unless the seeds, material, and plants bear a label with, or are in close proximity to a sign that prominently displays, a specified statement; prohibiting a person from selling at retail in the State, on or after January 1, 2017, a neonicotinoid pesticide unless the person also sells a restricted use pesticide; etc.

Recommended position - Oppose both House and Senate bills on 2/10 (H) and 2/16 (S) with testimony; growers, lawn care, arborists representatives Status: This bill passed, however was heavily amended from its original text. With amendments and concurrence of a conference committee, the bill passed with following: labeling and signage requirements are removed; ag and lawn care use is exempt; retail may not sell neonic

products beginning Jan 1, 2018, and MDA is required to review the EPA ruling on neonics (once released) and make recommendations to revise MD law if it is in conflict with EPA rulings. Indoor uses of neonic products, such as pet flea collars, fly strips, lice treatments, remain permitted and legal to use. Illegal use of neonics will be a civil offense, rather than criminal.

HB1297/SB0770 - Education - Public High Schools Agriculture Science This bill requires that, beginning with the 2018-2019 school year, each county board of education implement an agriculture science curriculum in at least one public high school or career and technology education center in the county. The curriculum must be selected from existing curricula developed by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) or developed by a county board and approved by MSDE. Recommended position – FYI Status - passed with amendment to change from being “required” to “recommended.”

SB 113 -Department of Agriculture - Bees, Bee Colonies, and Used Bee Equipment - Transportation and Shipment

HB0580/SB472 - Labor and Employment - MD Healthy Working Families Act This bill requires an employer with more than nine employees to have a sick and safe leave policy under which an employee (who regularly works 8 or more hours per week) earns at least 1 hour of paid sick and safe leave, at the same rate as the employee normally earns, for every 30 hours an employee works. An employer with nine or fewer employees, based on the average monthly number of employees during the preceding year, must have a sick and safe leave policy that provides an employee (who regularly works 8 or more hours per week) with at least 1 hour of unpaid sick and safe leave for every 30 hours an employee works. An employer is not required to allow an employee to earn or carry over more than 56 hours of earned sick and safe leave in a year, use more than 80 hours of earned sick and safe leave in a year, accrue more than 80 hours at any time, or use earned sick and safe leave during the first 90 days employed or first 480 hours worked, whichever is shorter.

Recommended position – FYI Status - House - passed with amendments; ag exemption is one of the exemptions; no action in the Senate - Bill is dead.

MDA departmental bill - alters the requirements for

SB 43 -Clean Waterways Tax Credit Act

Status - Senate and House passed. Has been adopted.

Allowing an individual a credit against the State income tax for the purchase price of equipment used to install or maintain a floating garden; providing that the credit may not exceed a specified amount; providing that the credit may not be carried forward to another taxable year; requiring the Comptroller, in consultation with the Department of the Environment, to provide a specified report on or before December 1, 2016 and each December thereafter; and applying the Act to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2015

Bills that Died in Committee, were Withdrawn, or Defeated HB0178 - Natural Resources - Roadside Trees Preservation and Protection Authorizing the Department of Natural Resources to issue a permit for roadside tree maintenance or removal only for public health and safety purposes or if the tree is dead or dying; prohibiting the Department from issuing a permit for roadside tree maintenance or removal for aesthetic purposes; requiring a person who removes a roadside tree to replace the roadside tree within 2 months after its removal; requiring the Department to ensure that all required replacement trees are planted; etc.

Recommended position - MaGIC did testify with statements of concern in bills; this bill is not viewed favorably by industry organizations Status - Unfavorable report -bill is dead

Recommended position – FYI - no reason to oppose Status - No action - assume dead SB 100 - Farm Labor Contracting - State License Requirement – Repeal DLRR Departmental bill - Repealing the need for a license or bond for a farm labor contractor if they have a Commission of Labor Farm Labor certificate.

Status - No action - assume dead ❦

Free State • 19

SAVE THE DATE

Maryland nursery, landscape and Greenhouse association and uMd extension

2016 Herbaceous Perennial Diagnostic Training July 20, 2016 • 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The Perennial Farm, Glen Arm, MD Details to follow • mnlga.org

MARYLAND N URSERY, L ANDSCAPE AND G REENHOUSE A S S O C I A T I O N , I N C.

Get your Ag Tag today!

www.agtagmd.com Educating Youth about Agriculture 20 • Spring 2016

Bright Ideas

Logos Exhibit Design Vehicle Graphics

Advertising Brochures Direct Mail

Fresh Solutions

Gregory J. Cannizzaro Graphic Design 410-444-5649 • gjc.graphicdesign@yahoo.com

Free State • 21

Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association

2016 An Brent Rutley shows off the new multi-purpose MNLGA Member Sign

MNLGA Board (front row / L to R): Wm. Oliver Hardy, Larry Hemming, Steve Black, Jessica Todd, Carrie Engel (back row / L to R): Greg Stacho, Rhonda Roemmelt, John Murphy, Pete Driscoll, Brent Cassell, Brent Rutley, Mary Claire Walker, Ted Carter Ted Carter with his father Robert Carter who received the 2016 MNLGA Professional Achievement Award

Brent Rutley accepts a special MDA citation to the MNLGA from Secretary of Agriculture, Joe Bartenfelder 22 • Spring 2016

Incoming MNLGA President Steve Black accepts “the gavel” from Past President Brent Rutley

nnual Meeting MNLGA Past Presidents (front row / L to R): Garet Bunting (12-13), Ralph Quinn (94-95), Don McWilliams (72), Jim McWilliams (0304), John Akehurst (10-11), Walter Wicklein III (01-03), (back row / L to R): Steve Cissel (06-07), Dave Thompson (88-89), Brett Karp (MGGA), Brent Rutley 14-15), George Mayo (96-97), Bernie Kohl Jr. (08-09), Mark Dougherty (91), Jim Peace (92-93)

Steve Black thanks Brent Rutley for his service Maryland Secretary of Agriculture, Joe Bartenfelder addresses the MNLGA Annual Meeting John Marshall receives a token of appreciation award for his service to the Board

Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association, Inc.

2016 Breakfast Sponsor

MANTS Board Member and MNLGA Member Jan Carter delivers his MANTS update at the annual meeting

Thank you for your Support Free State • 23

Maryland Certified Professional Horticulturist Program

Update Congratulations to the following newly-minted Certified Professional Horticulturists. The individuals below passed the Basic Exam on April 12, 2016.

Steven Bell

Maryland Department of Agriculture

Benjamin Boyes

Melwood Horticultural Center

Brent Figlestahler

Campion Hruby Landscape Architects

DenĂŠ Flack

Harford Technology High School Teacher

Deborah Hayes

Maryland Department of Agriculture

Kelli Magaw

Clear Ridge Nursery, Inc.

Jose de Jesus Orozco-Juarez

Metro Grounds Management

Aaron Shurtleff

Maryland Department of Agriculture

Christopher Van De Moortel

Cosmos Club

Mark Taylor

Maryland Department of Agriculture

Mark your calendar for the Basic Exam The Basic exam will be offered again on October 4, 2016.

Advanced Plant Identification will also be offered on October 4.

Registration information will be sent to eligible candidates 6 to 8 weeks before each exam.

24 • Spring 2016

Free State • 23

Nico Rijnbeek of Boskoop, Netherlands knows MANTS means business

Attendees examine the Star Roses Product Line

MANTS

The Masterpiece

Jessica Hines (Hale and Hines) talks with Martin Scott (Hidden Valley Nursery)

26 • Spring 2016

Steve Black (Raemelton Farm) talks with Brent Heath (Brent and Becky’s) at the annual media breakfast

MANTS means plants!

S 2016 ®

Kenneth Glass of Mid-Atlantic Stihl explains new products introduced at MANTS

e of Trade Shows

Chris Harrigan (L) and Tim McQuaid (R) (Valley View Farms) talk product availability with Stone Age Creations

Jen Weisbecker (Koba Corp) shows off the new Grab & Tag Handle introduced at MANTS

Free State • 27

Melissa Harmel, Angela Burke, Steve Black, Joel Black (Raemelton Farm) introduced Certified Organic Nursery Stock at MANTS 2016

Jason Veil (The Trustees of MA) talks “shop” with a friend

MANTS

More than 11,000 attendees 300,000+ Square feet of exhibit s

MANTS means creative designs!

MANTS means trees!

28 • Spring 2016

Tim Barthel and Pier Davis (Monrovia) talk business in the crowded aisles

Lee Jaslow (Conservation Technology) educates

MANTS means variety!

S 2016

Michael Smith (Pottery Patch Intl) shows MANTS means selection

®

• 44 states and 13 countries space • More than 960 exhibitors

s attendees

September Dalton and Scott Buchanan (Sporticulture) show MANTS means marketing

MANTS means color!

Mary Anna Barratt (Foxborough) and Brian Dale greet a customer

Free State • 29

Growing

Ginny Rosenkranz

with

Education

Mother Nature in her Spring Glory

S

pringtime in the woods is filled with lovely native trees that bloom for at least two weeks, providing Mother Nature is kind with her weather forecast.

Almost all the early spring blooming native trees are covered with their flowers before the first leave unfurls, covering the trees with all their flowering glory.

The first to bloom is the Redbud or Cercis Canadensis, a small tree that gathers all its tiny, edible, purple pink flowers on the tops of its limbs, lining all the branches with reddish purple pea shaped flowers.

The Redbud often has multi trunks, blazing color at the edges of the woodlands. The dark, almost black bark stands out in the woodland gardens, and the heart shaped leaves are a dark green set alternately on the branches. Tucked under taller trees, the Eastern Redbud grows 20-30 feet tall. There are a number of wonderful cultivars that can be found at nurseries, and are relatively easy to establish in a landscape.

Following the Eastern Redbud is the Amelanchier arborea or Shadblow, named because the small baitfish called a shad would swim upstream at the same time

30 • Spring 2016

the Shadblow would bloom. Also a multi-stemmed tree, the Shadblow likes the edges of the woodlands and peeps out with its pure white perfect flowers.

The bark is gray and smooth, but lined with fissures, becoming almost scaly when mature. The dark green leaves are attached alternately on the slender stems.

This native tree will provide good fall foliage color is yellow to apricot to a deep dusty red and grows 15-25 feet tall. The fruit, if it doesn’t fall prey to Cedar Apple Rust or devoured by birds, is a berry like pome that matures to a purple black sweet treat that taste very similar to blueberries.

A number of cultivars have larger flowers and brighter fall foliage colors to entice plant lovers. Cornus florida or the American Flowering Dogwood is also an understudy, growing under the towering Maples and Oak and flowering their pure white bracts with their fertile flowers in the center circle. Flowering Dogwood have an open, horizontal branching habit and carry their flowers at all the branching tips and blooms best with morning sunshine and afternoon shade. The trees can reach 30-40 feet tall, but most top off at

20 feet. The round leaves are attached on the stems opposite of each other, creating a balanced look, and transition from dark shiny green to reddish purple in the autumn. The new stems of the Flowering Dogwood are often reddish purple before turning to the gray blocky pattern. The brilliant red fruit is a favorite of many native birds and are often on the tree only long enough to ripen to a shiny red. Flowering Dogwoods

thrive best in acidic soils and do best if watered during the scorching heat of summer. The many cultivars have either larger flower bracts, some fragrance, or better disease resistance to either powdery mildew or anthracnose.

Then there is the Halesia Carolina or Carolina Silverberry, growing only 20-30 feet tall with leaves growing alternately on ascending branches. The leaves start out in the spring as a dark yellow green, maturing to yellow by autumn. The ridged bark is gray and black, full of fissures as it matures. The white bell shaped flowers are clustered together in 2 – 5 and last about 2 weeks. Many of the cultivars offer larger flowers or light pink flowers that, if grown in containers, will transplant easily into the woodland garden landscape. ❦ Ginny Rosenkranz Extension Educator, Commercial Horticulture University of Maryland Extension Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester County 410-749-6141 ext. 106

“

There are a number of wonderful cultivars that can be found at nurseries, and are relatively easy to establish in a landscape.

”

Free State • 31

2016-17 Event Calendar MAY May 25 Plant and Pest Disease Identification Location: Kennett Square, PA Contact: Longwood Gardens Continuing Ed. https://enroll.longwoodgardens.org

JULY July 10-12 Legislative Days

JUNE

June 8 Managing Subcontractors Location: JHU, Montgomery Campus Contact: Landscape Contractors Association 304-948-0810, lca@mgmtsol.com

June 23 MNLGA – Field Day Location: Angelica Nurseries Contact: MNLGA, 410-823-8684 office@mnlga.org, www.mnlga.org

June 29 Drone Use in Nursery Crop Production (includes tour of hops production and tasting) Location: Milkhouse Brewery at Stillpoint Farm Contact: MNLGA, 410-823-8684 office@mnlga.org 32 • Spring 2016

Location: Washington DC Contact: National Association of Landscape Professionals www.landscapeprofessionals.org

July 20 Hands-on Perennials Diagnostic Workshop Location: The Perennial Farm, Glen Arm, MD Contact: MNLGA, 410-823-8684 office@mnlga.org www.mnlga.org

MARYLAND STATE FAIR August 26-September 5, 2016 Location: Timonium Fair Grounds Contact: www.marylandstatefair.com

JANUARY January 11 MNLGA Annual Meeting Location: The Baltimore Convention Center Contact: MNLGA, 410-823-8684 office@mnlga.org www.mnlga.org

OCTOBER October 4 CPH – Basic Exam Location: MDA Dept of Agriculture Contact: MNLGA, 410-823-8684, office@mnlga.org

January 11 - 13 The Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show Location: The Baltimore Convention Center Contact: MANTS, 410-296-6959 info@mants.com www.mants.com

October 4 CPH – Specialist Exam – Advanced Plant ID Location: MD Dept of Agriculture Contact: MNLGA, 410-823-8684, office@mnlga.org

SEPTEMBER

September 14 MNLGA and MAEF Golf Tournament Location: Oakmont Green, Hamstead, MD Contact: MAEF, 410-939-9030, maefonline.com For a full and updated calendar of events, and to find registration information and event links, please visit the MNLGA website at mnlga.org.

Free State • 33

6

Good Reasons Your Company Should Advertise in the MNLGA’s Free State Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse News

1

2 3 4 5 6

Free State Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse News is seen by members of Maryland’s Nursery, Landscaping and Garden Center Industries and is the leading publication for members of the Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association (circulation to members and CPHers is about 600 unique individuals) Free State Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse News enhances your ad by providing important industry specific articles which are educational and informative, and with the new digital version, readers are sent directly to your website via links Free State Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse News helps promote your company and product while providing direct access to readers in Maryland’s Green Industries Articles appearing in Free State Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse News are contributed by highly regarded members of the industry, many of whom have a lifetime of knowledge and are frequently published Free State Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse News is a cost effective way to help keep your name out in front of and reach your customers Free State Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse News helps support the association in its endeavors on behalf of the green industry in the state of Maryland

Do you have commentary, opinion, press release, or an educational contribution for Free State?

We love to hear from our members—whether it be news from your company, your ideas on industry happenings, or an educational piece that would be informative to your peers. If you would like to share your news, please submit your contributions to Free State via freestate@mnlga.org.

Contributions are due April 1, July 1, and November 1. Contribute as you like, or year round.

Questions about Free State, please give us a call at 410-823-8684.

PUBLICATION NOTICE: The deadline for submissions for the summer issue of Free State Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse News is July 1, 2016.

We welcome your company news and updates or columns with your professional insight.

E-mail any submissions you have for Free State to freestate@mnlga.org or mail to MNLGA, P.O. Box 726, Brooklandville, MD 21022

Interested in a subscription to

Free State News?

Contact us with your request and we’ll add you to the mailing list.

Subscriptions are $35 annually; MNLGA will invoice you upon receipt of your subscription request. (members need not subscribe)

Name_________________________________________________ Business_______________________________________________ Address_______________________________________________ City, State, Zip_________________________________________

For more information on advertising in the Free State Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse News contact Kelly Finney at MNLGA at 410-823-8684 or e-mail freestate@mnlga.org

34 • Spring 2016

E-Mail_________________________________________________ Mail/Fax or e-mail: Free State, MNLGA, P.O. Box 726, Brooklandville, MD 21022 or e-mail: freestate@mnlga.org

Scholarships

2016 Scholarship Information

It’s that time of year again! Scholarship information for 2016 is now available.

The MNLGA either offers or helps support various scholarships within the Green Industry. We encourage you to pass along this information to anyone that might be interested to take advantage of this opportunity. Additional information may be found on the MNLGA website, www.mnlga.org.

MNLGA Scholarship - Ornamental Horticulture In keeping with its mission to promote and provide for the future success of Maryland’s ornamental horticulture industry, the Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association sponsors academic scholarships to students pursuing an education in the field of landscape/ornamental horticulture. Currently, the MNLGA offers three scholarships for $5,000 each to students with status of Junior, Senior, or Grad Student, enrolled in a horticulture or landscape architecture degree program. Application Deadline: May 15th.

MANTS sponsors the Carville M. Akehurst Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship is administered by the Horticulture Research Institute, and more information can be found on their website, www.hriresearch.org. Mr. Akehurst was Executive Secretary of the Maryland Nursery and Landscape Association for over 30 years, and was one of the founders of the Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show. Mr. Akehurst was the Executive Vice-President of MANTS for over 30 years. Application Deadline: May 31.

The MNLGA website also includes scholarship information for awards offered by the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation and the Southern Nursery Association. Learn more about all of these offers at www.mnlga.org. ❦ Free State • 35

Featured Member

Angelica Nurseries will be the host of MNLGA’s annual summer Field Day on June 23. Located at 11129 Locust Grove Road in Kennedyville, it isn’t far from Chestertown. Directions are available on the website at angelicanurseries.com.

Angelica Nurseries is a family-owned and operated corporation, now in its third generation of ownership.

The business began as a landscaping company back in the 1930s in the town of Angelica, Pa., near Reading. Thomas Kohl Jr. recognized the need for quality specimen plants for commercial and residential plantings and began growing his own with the help of his three sons, Leverne, Bernard and Tim. In 1957, Verne moved to Maryland because he wanted to grow plants as opposed to landscaping.

He found a site in Kent County with soil type and climate better suited for the B & B product he wanted to produce than the topography in Pennsylvania. The farm name, Angelica, was transferred from the family home farm to 300 acres of farmland in Kennedyville.

The soil there is Sassafras silt loam, a light alluvium with enough clay to make a clean, firm ball of earth. The climate allows a longer growing season than the family experienced in Pennsylvania.

Bernard’s son, Bernard Jr. (“Bernie”), and his cousin Jim are currently responsible for day-to-day operations.

Bernard has passed away but Bernie’s two uncles are still active in the business to some extent. Jim is responsible for growing: producing plants to the point of salability. Bernie is in charge of harvest operations, tagging the plants, customer service, getting plants on the truck and out the door.

Angelica grew from one farm to 10 farms, at its peak totaling 2,100 acres. “We have downsized since the recession to 1,500 acres,” Bernie said. Having built

assets in the value of the land helped the family get through the last few years.

Operations also were consolidated through the recession.

“We had done container lines, but that was not our cup of tea,” Bernie said. “So much is changing in our industry. Tough times made us, within our own company, rethink how and why we do things. That’s why we changed our product line to eliminate containers. “We are not large enough to get the efficiencies; it wasn’t cost-effective. So we curtailed most of that in the last few years and have focused on field-grown materials we have always been known for.”

Angelica sells only to the wholesale trade, specializing in landscape-grade woody ornamentals for use in the professional nursery trade. Years of expertise in refining their horticultural practices helps the Kohls produce a plant with greater “livability” in today’s sustainable landscapes.

Bernie continued, “It has gotten to the point that the staple items we grow are becoming commodity items that a lot of people offer. We have to compete in that market to be in the ballpark with pricing and still maintain some level of margin. “It has become a price-conscious market. A lot of that is driven by the fact that, in the last number of years, an abundance of (continued on next page)

36 • Spring 2016

“

As far as the environment goes, the kinds of plants that are in a foundation are long-time plants that do the environment the most good.

”

Free State • 37

inventory led to overstock of many items. Buyers were in the driver’s seat, depressing pricing somewhat. Some growers were selling below cost and are now out of business.

“That has turned around a little bit. All of a sudden, inventory has flipped the other way. Our concern, going forward, has us really questioning what we want to plant. “We didn’t stop. We were very cautious about what we planted. Now, we ask if there is enough inventory to support what is needed. It’s a challenge to the industry as a whole until growers get a feel for what numbers should be, and have enough cash flow to build their inventory.”

Bernie is optimistic. “The whole process is not all bad. We are coming out of the recession. We have streamlined our business significantly. We looked at where we could cut fat and how much we can get done 38 • Spring 2016

with the right people.

“Labor, in the B&B business, is our single biggest expense. It’s 40 percent of our overhead.”

He added, “We have become very aware of where we are spending our money. It used to be thought that labor was cheap and there was plenty of labor. You could always find something for them to do.

Now we have to plan to get labor here in sufficient quantity to get us through the peak of the season and be prepared to control or reduce the workforce when the season changes.”

Angelica uses the H2A visa program. “Everyone in the industry knows there are lots of headaches with the program,” Bernie said.

“Through the years we have learned how to use it, but it’s very expensive.

The cost you pay to get them here, plus the wages the government mandates you pay them escalates every year. In our case, it’s the only reliable source of seasonal labor, because in our rural area there is no pool of available labor to do these jobs.”

Bernie said, “The whole (H2A) program is very wrong. Every year we try to tweak our contract to make it more efficient. Our customers are waking up later from winter than in the past. We used to get started at the end of February, now it’s mid-March. This year, with a great winter, we wish we had (our workers) earlier.

“With the visa program, you have to make decisions in December what your starting date will be in March.

You can’t change it. It’s a very cumbersome system that doesn’t allow you to react to changes in the market.”

Bernie also is troubled by what he sees as a growing trend toward “disposable” plants as opposed to what gardeners call the “bones” of the landscape. “We grow items that are the foundation for most landscape plantings,” Bernie said. “They’re our bread and butter — shade trees for structure, evergreens for backdrop.

But marketing within our industry has so much focus on

all the annuals and perennials that create the color, and a multitude of this-or-that colored flower. We are losing the focus on the foundation of what needs to go in around a house.

“As far as the environment goes, the kinds of plants that are in a foundation are long-time plants that do the environment the most good. People talk about that, but drop $300 on a bunch of annuals for instant gratification and put off spending a couple of hundred dollars on shade trees that will last for years to come.

Bernie noted that in the worst part of the recession, people were not putting out money for bigger plantings, but had to satisfy themselves with annuals.

“They could spend on disposables but not on something that was a good investment,” he said.

“We’re marketing to the end consumer in a direction that’s counterintuitive to the whole ‘good for the environment’ movement.”

Bernie also is concerned about the amount of marketing being driven by branding companies. He fears consumers are getting overwhelmed by the amount of choices being thrown at them by all the marketing programs. “I wish we could get back — and AmericanHort (ANLA) has talked about it for years — to the value of a well-designed, long term landscape.

“We’re not building bone structure, especially here in our area.” New homes are going in without the foundation plants for future landscaping, he added.

As for the future of Angelica Nurseries, it’s not certain either. Both Bernie and Jim have children who are beyond college age and doing their own things. “They all worked here in one capacity or another during high school and summers; they all got experience in different ways. I told my kids to make their own decisions, and they did that. They are doing well in their fields.

“We recognize that in another 10 years we’ll have to figure out where Angelica is going. We hope to see it continue as an ongoing business between now and then.” ❦ Carol Kinsley Angelica Nurseries www.AngelicaNurseries.com 11129 Locust Grove Road Kennedyville, MD 21645 410-928-3111 Free State • 39

We have answers when you have questions …

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The MNLGA web site is designed for our members and is your single source for the answer to almost any question. The site is your: • Membership Directory with member

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Total Plant Management

What Happened with Ambrosia Beetles in 2016?

Stanton Gill

Ambrosia Beetles

A

small beetle caused significant damage in nurseries during the spring of 2015. Was this damage an after-effect of the very cold winter?

Plants damaged by winter cold will produce large amounts of ethyl alcohol in the spring. The alcohol is an attractant for the adult beetles. The winter season of 2015/2016 had very unusual weather. Temperatures in the 70˚F range lasted until the end of December.

On January 14, following the record high warmth, temperatures dipped into single digits for about a week. Then a massive snow storm blew in with cold remaining for three weeks. This rapid temperature shift may have caused winter injury which is yet to be detected.

Most native ambrosia beetles attack weakened trees, but rarely cause major economic loss in nurseries.

However, two invasive ambrosia beetle species of Xyloborini have become a problem for several nursery growers in Maryland. One is Xylosandrus germanus, native to Japan, Korea, Vietnam and China. The beetle was described by Buchanan (1941) and the beetles’ galleries were described by Hoffmann (1942) in Elms and Red Maple.

The second ambrosia beetle causing loss in Maryland nurseries is the Granulate Ambrosia beetle, Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky), (once referred to as the ‘Asian’ Ambrosia beetle). This is a minute ambrosia beetle of Asian origin that was first detected in the continental United States near Charleston, South Carolina (Anderson 1974).

The biology of Xylosandrus ambrosia beetles is distinctly different from bark beetles. Both have fungus associations, but ambrosia beetles garden the fungi as food and don’t consume the wood of the host tree (continued on next page)

Xylosandrus crassiusculus

Frass Tube projecting from trunk

Xylosandrus germanus Free State • 41

above 80 F in the spring. Adult beetles are attracted to trees that are giving large amounts of the volatiles from alcohol production. In Maryland we are using ethyl alcohol baited Lindgren funnel traps to monitor for the adult flight activity of these ambrosia beetles.

Females chew through the tree bark and tunnel straight into the heartwood. As she creates this tunnel she will push a tube of frass out which projects from the trunk of the Two major flight activity times in 2013 – 4/10 to 4/17 for X. germanus tree as thin tooth-pick like May 22 – 26 for X. crassiusculus threads. The female beetle plants ambrosia fungus into the tunnel (Ambrosiella spp). The fungi colonize the wood and the larvae feed on the fungi.

These invasive Xylosandrus spp are attacking what appear to be healthy trees. For example, in 2008 one nursery had major damage in 50 London Plane trees, 30 River Birch, and 30 Zelkova. All the trees had been in the ground for two years and appeared to be growing vigorously. They also appeared to be healthy the season before.

In another nursery we examined heavy damage in Sweet Bay Magnolia, Sugar Maple, Styrax, and Chinese Dogwood and In 2014 Xylosandrus germanus peaked on 4/13/2014 while Xylosandrus crassiusculus again all of the trees had peaked on 5/21/2014 healthy amounts of growth the season before the infestation. for nourishment. Beetles captured in traps are females Each nursery was supplying plants with supplemental as males are rarely observed outside of the host tree. watering through a trickle irrigation system.

Females, upon emergence are already mated and In another case, a two acre private arboretum with looking for a tree to attack and on which to lay eggs. an extensive planting of Azaleas sent in samples of In the summer there is about a 55 -60 day period Azaleas that were being damaged by a Xylosandrus between generations. Each year the emergence of crassiusculus. The manager reported extensive loss females varies but damage is most apparent when we of Azalea plants in 2008 and each subsequent year experience a short stretch of warm weather, usually through 2014.

42 • Spring 2016

In April of 2014 nurseries reported heavy damage on Yellow Wood trees, hybrid Dogwood ‘Venus’, Styrax, and Redbud. Another nursery lost over 60 trees in 2014 including Zelkova and Redbud. In May of 2014 we had reports of X. crassiusculus damaging European beech, Carpinus, Paperbark maple, Cornus Kousa hybrids, Rose of Sharon, and Japanese maple. We also had an IPM Scout reporting ambrosia beetle attacks on mature Stayman apples grafted on M-7 understocks in Maryland in 2014.

In June of 2014 we received a call from a Pennsylvania grower in Bucks County. This grower is growing in fairly fertile clay loam soil in the ground.

They had a problem with ambrosia beetles 12 years ago and not seen any problems until this year. He basically had the same tree species attacked by ambrosia beetles in Maryland this year including Yellowwood, Chinese Redbud, Stellar series dogwoods, Japanese maple, Paperbark maples, Zelkova, Crape Myrtle, and Halesia. The trees’ ages varied from 2 to 4 year-old-plants that were well established in the nursery field. The grower had root pruned the Yellowwoods in October. The interesting case is that he had native Dogwood being attacked by ambrosia beetles. I have observed Cornus kousa and the hybrid Stellar series damaged in the past but not native Dogwoods, Cornus florida. He noted that the native Dogwood’s wood that was attacked by ambrosia beetles became very brittle and snapped easily within a month after the attack. He did not observe this condition in the other tree species. It might be that the winter desiccated the branches on the native Dogwood. We have not observed any winter damage to Cornus florida in our Maryland nurseries.

The European beech started to leaf out this spring, then the leaves collapsed after the ambrosia beetle damage occurred. Some of the branches failed to leaf out while others expanded their leaves then collapsed.

It is interesting to note that 3 weeks ago (early March) when I observed the trees they still had 20 -30 % of the foliage expanded and looked fairly good. A nursery manager informed me that he had nine trees totally collapse. These trees were 8 -10” caliber.

One tree I observed with him 3 weeks earlier was much larger than the rest and was one that had been root pruned in October. This tree actually looked (continued on next page)

“

In 2014, ambrosia beetles had attacked tree species in Maryland including Yellowwood, Chinese Redbud, Stellar series dogwoods, Japanese maple, Paperbark maples, Zelkova, Crape Myrtle, and Halesia.

”

Free State • 43

pretty good; foliage was out on over 90% of the tree. When we observed it three weeks after the first observation we found two lower limbs that had collapsed leaves and ambrosia beetle damage on these branches. Restated, after three weeks the tree changed from looking good to having over 50 % of its foliage collapse. They found ambrosia beetles’ holes throughout the branches. The owner was thoroughly disgusted and had the European beech, Paperbark maples and Sytrax all cut down and removed. They estimate they suffered a little over $320,000 of tree loss this year. It will be informative to know if nursery owners are finding this type of damage in other areas such as the New England states.

In Ohio, Chris Ranger was finding Xylosandrus attacking Sugar maple and Redbuds. Each tree that was being attacked had frost cracking on the trunk from the cold 2014 winter. We suspect that the cold injury on trees made them much more attractive

to Ambrosia beetle attack. In the case of the large European beech that collapsed in Maryland, the severe dieback could be the result of winter damage and made the trees more susceptible to attack by Ambrosia beetles. The work at North Carolina State University by Steven Frank has found that trees that are held waterlogged produce large amounts of alcohol and are highly attractive to Ambrosia beetle attack. When trees are held very wet before foliage has emerged and the plant can transpire excess water through foliage the likelihood of attack is highest. It is suspected that waterlogged plant material, under these anaerobic root conditions, produce large amounts of alcohol.

Some growers in Maryland have noted increased ambrosia beetle activity in plants growing in fields that retain moisture for great lengths of time. In other cases, nurseries growing in sandy loam and clay loam with good drainage still report heavy losses in spring, usually the first generation of plant material.

In one case in Maryland in 2014 Hybrid Dogwoods, Cornus kousa hybrid ‘Venus’ suffered severe damage from Xylosandrus in April. Several hundred plants were killed. The nursery owner noted that 24 trees survived the attack. Each of the 24 trees had not been pruned in the winter of 2014. All of the trees that were attacked had been pruned in January and February of 2014. The trees were 1 ¾” to 2” caliber trees.

The ambrosia beetle caused extensive damage to a wide range of plants from 2002 to 2014, the time period in which we have been monitoring their activity in Maryland. Xylosandrus germanus and X. crassiusculus have been recorded feeding on over a 140 different species of plants. Some tree species that are commonly submitted to our lab have been damaged or killed by Xylosandrus germanus and Xylosandrus crassiusculus include Yellow Wood, Birch, Styrax, Redbud, hybrid Dogwoods, Oriental Persimmon, Pawpaw, Hybrid Chestnuts, and Crepe Myrtle.

Lifecycle

Tunnel with larvae and adult in tunnel June 1 2014

44 • Spring 2016

The lifecycle of infested plants is 50 -55 days during the active growing season. The larvae feed on the fungus and make galleries in the heartwood. The males do not fly and mate with the females in the galleries of small chambers. The females chew through the bark and emerge. In most years we do not see damage

from the second generation. In 2007 we did receive in samples of fresh ambrosia beetle damage - wood frass tubes projecting from plants, in Styrax, Yellowwood and Crepe Myrtle in July and August, indicating this was damage in 2007 from the second generation.

In August 2009 we received samples of an active infestation in Red maple. The Red maple was growing in a wetland planting site that had high moisture content.

Management

isolated from the outside. If infestations occur, affected plants should be removed and burned or chipped and composted, and trunks of remaining plants should be treated with an insecticide labeled for this pest. Once an infestation starts some nursery managers use the tree to serve as trap trees and then destroy the trees before the end of the 55 day life cycle.

Please Let Us Know What You are Seeing We would like to know if nursery owners are seeing damage in 2016. Please contact me at 410-868-9400 or Sgill@umd.edu. â?Ś

Pyrethroids have been found to provide control of attacking adults if applied prior to the closing of the galleries with frass. In the nursery either permethrin or bifenthrin has been used to control ambrosia beetles through application of these materials to the main trunk and major branches. Once the beetles are in the tree and have frass packed in the entry holes they are

Stanton Gill, Extension Specialist in Nursery and Greenhouse IPM, Central Maryland Research and Education Center, University of Maryland Extension and Professor with the Landscape technology Program, Montgomery College. Sgill@umd.edu. www.Extensioin.umd.edu/IPM

SAVE DATE T H E

MNLGA and UMD Extension presents

HOPS & DRONES

An evening of drone education related to nursery production, live music , brewery tour and farm grown hand crafted brews.

June 29, 2016, 4 p.m.

Milkhouse Brewery at Stillpoint Farm Mount Airy, MD DETAILS TO FOLLOW MNLGA.ORG

Free State • 45

Update on the Insects You Love to Hate and What is New for Control Stanton Gill, Extension Specialist in Nursery and Greenhouse IPM, Central Maryland Research and Education Center, University of Maryland Extension and Professor with the Landscape technology Program, Montgomery College The Twin cities in Minnesota during mid-November are a delight, especially if you are attending the National Entomological Society meetings. Each year thousands of entomologists get together to talk about what new bugs are hitting the industry and how we plan to fight back. In this article I will share some of the highlights that might help your business deal with pests.

First off, a pest that is present in central Pennsylvania, called the spotted lanternfly, has spread to two additional counties and is now quarantined in a total of 4 counties in Pennsylvania. Researchers are finding that the females prefer to lay egg masses on the tree of heaven. They set up trials in which they harvested the tree of heaven trees and put the trunks through standard tree chippers, chipping the wood to 1” by 1”. They took the ground wood to the labs to rear out the nymphs. They obtained 96 – 98% levels of control with this chipping method. Hopefully this pest does not make it down to Maryland, but if it does we now know that ailanthus plants can be used as trap trees around the perimeter of a nursery. These traps would attract the females to lay egg masses and these egg masses can then be mechanically destroyed.

On the Emerald Ash borer end of the research, a study was funded to see if any ash in a forest situation could withstand emerald ash borer infestations. They surveyed several forest sites and found that several groupings of white ash had some damage to the branches. However, the tree had been able to withstand the EAB attacks and still survive. This survey offers a glimmer of hope that we may be seeing some natural resistance in white ash to this pest.

Further research was conducted by Cranshaw, et al, in Colorado with Ash trees treated with dinotefuran or imidacloprid. These trees were sampled for presence of neonics being found in the pollen of the ash tree. Ash trees are wind pollinated but bees will randomly harvest pollen from several sources. In their trials they found pollen is present for about 10 days in spring. However, they found it was not necessarily a preferred pollen source for bees and there was relatively small amounts being found in bee colonies.

On the new pest end of things, researchers at Tennessee University Extension reported on an ambrosia beetle called the camphor shot beetle (CSB) Cnestus mutilates, which is native to Asia and south Pacific. They are finding this beetle attacking at least 11 species of nursery trees, mainly container grown plants being the most susceptible. It is reported to feed on over 20 different species of plants. In Tennessee, they find adults flying in March, and the insect has a 30-40 day life cycle in the heartwood of the infested tree. They are seeing a second generation in August. So far they have been detected in Tennessee and we have not seen it in Maryland nursery stock.

If you find a suspicious beetle damaging nursery stock this spring, send in a sample immediately to CMREC, 1197 Homewood Road, Ellicott City, MD 21042 or to MDFA Plant Protection in Annapolis, MD. The good news is that this species is attracted to alcohol baited traps and we have some of these in nurseries across the state this spring. Our traps are set out for detecting Xylosandrus ambrosia beetles. These traps should pull in this beetle if it is near our traps. Meanwhile, be sure to thoroughly check the plant material shipped in from our southern cousins.

46 • Spring 2016

MARYLAND NURSERY, LANDSCAPE

AND

GREENHOUSE ASSOCIATION

Save the Date for Field Day 2016

Kennedyville, MD

Thursday, June 23, 2016 • 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

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Registration will soon open on mnlga.org. Questions, please e-mail office@mnlga.org or 9/22/14 call 2:53410-823-8684.

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48 • Spring 2016

Press Release

New Invasive Plant Regulations in Effect April 11 ANNAPOLIS, MD (April 1, 2016) – A Notice of Final Action for the Maryland Invasive Plant Regulations was published in today’s Maryland Register. The regulations will go into effect April 11.

These regulations establish lists of Tier 1 and Tier 2 invasive plants, and require signage be placed near retail displays of Tier 2 plants. The regulations also describe mechanisms for listing and delisting invasive species, procedures for the disposal of Tier 1 plants, and an outline of conditions under which the Secretary’s approval may be given for otherwise prohibited activities.

The department’s overall goal is to prevent invasive species from entering or spreading further in the state.

“The mandatory signage is a novel approach to invasive plant regulation that will help consumers make educated decisions about their plant choices,” said Assistant Secretary for Plant Industries and Pest Management Carol Holko. “We remain committed to preventing the introduction and spread of invasive plants, and reducing the impacts of established invasive plants where it makes sense.”

Weed risk assessments are ongoing, and additional plant species will be added to the lists through the regulatory process as they are completed and approved. These science-based assessments are the foundation for decisions regarding a plant’s invasive status in the state.

“We understand that invasive plants are a very real concern for land mangers. The purpose of the purpose of these regulations—and the Maryland Invasive Plant Law—is to address invasive plant species that could potentially be sold or distributed in Maryland,” said Holko. “We look forward to working with the various impacted stakeholder groups through outreach materials and activities, and through our nursery inspection program.”

The full assessment reports are available on the program’s website at http://mda.maryland.gov/invasiveplants.

For more detail on the regulations, please visit: http://mda.maryland.gov/plants-pests/Pages/maryland_invasive_ plants_prevention_and_control.aspx

50 • Spring 2016

MANTS

®

The Masterpiece of Trade Shows ™

JANUARY 11-13, 2017 BALTIMORE CONVENTION CENTER

There are plenty of trade shows, but there’s only one MANTS. It’s the show where buyers know that they can find all the products their business needs. And sellers can count on meeting plenty of customers eager for their wares.

For 47 years now, it has been all business at MANTS. That’s why over 11,000 attendees, representing over 3,600 buying companies and nearly 1,000 exhibiting companies, attended our most recent show. But when the work day is over, and it’s time to unwind and relax, Baltimore’s Inner Harbor offers an incomparable array of fine restaurants and attractions.

MANTS means business. In fact, some people say we were inspired.

www.mants.com

On-line Registration is available 24/7 beginning October 1.

P.O. Box 818 Brooklandville, MD 21022 410-296-6959 800-431-0066 fax 410-296-8288

@mantsbaltimore #mants

Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association (MNLGA) Affinity Programs

Getting the Most of Your Membership Office Depot • High use office items

discounted up to 85% • Everday office essentials catalog items discounted up to 70% • Discounted copy, print and binding services • Full line promotional products catalog selection discounted up to 20%

PartnerShip • Discount shipping

program through AmericanHort partnership • Small Package Discounts using FedEx • FedEx Express Discounts including Overnight, 2Day, International Services, and Saver programs as much as 27% • Save on Truckload and Tradeshow Shipments • FedEx Ground and Home Delivery discounts starting at 5% • PartnerShip LTL freight discounts 52 • Spring 2016

Commercial Friends and Family Program • Invoice pricing on all vehicles in stock. Pricing for

locates are on a case by case basis.

• Brands include Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Ford and Ram. Expanding to other brands soon.

• All incentives that are being offered will be deducted from invoice pricing • Up-fits offered at employee cost • $500 off any negotiated price for used vehicles • Honor all Fleet accounts and if needed can be established with Ford or Chrysler • Discount delivery vehicle program or if qualified, courtesy delivery to local dealer

Plant and Supply Locator • All MNLGA members

receive 6 months of free unlimited online Plant Booth listings • Free subscription to Plant Locator magazine • After free 6 month period, members will receive: – Ability to keep 5 listings online free for an additional two years – MNLGA members already listing in print will receive equivalent online plant listings – Discounted packages for listings in print and online

TireBuyer.com • 5-10% discount on tire purchase • Free shipping on many products • Over 110 warehouses in the US, over 8,500 nationwide installation partners

• All other purchases qualify for either free shipping or discounted shipping

• Lower shipping rates than industry averages when shipping to a home or business

For full program description, discounts offered, and access to program contact information, log into the MNLGA membership portal on the MNLGA website. Portal access is located on the upper right hand corner of all pages of the website. If you do not recall your access credentials, simply select the link, “Forgot Your Password,” and you will be given instructions on how to proceed.

Shell – Fleet Plus Fuel Program • 15 cents off per gallon on fuel purchases from Shell for 12 months

• After 12 months, tier structure rebate program • No minimum gallons required • Built in security and purchase controls • Online account management • Comprehensive reporting • No transaction fees, no card fees, and no report fees

Free State • 53

You only grow the best.

Why not offer your customers the best in advice, too!

Certified Professional Horticulturists (CPH) provide either “do-it-yourself” or professional landscape installation and maintenance advice.

Maryland Certified Professional Horticulturist Program

For more information contact the Maryland Nursery and Landscape Association at 410-823-8684 or visit www.mnlga.org.org

Cultivate your business with a Certified Professional Horticulturist 54 • Summer 2015

Directory of Advertisers Firm Name

MARYLAND

N URSERY, L ANDSCAPE AND G REENHOUSE A S S O C I AT I O N , I N C .

Mission Statement The purpose of the Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association is to promote the use of ornamental plants, products, and services.

The association supports all constituent groups of the horticulture industry including landscape, garden centers, interiorscape, grounds maintenance, nursery, greenhouse, and arboriculture. The association communicates the role of the horticulture industry in improving people’s quality of life.

Specific Goals

Page

A & A Tree Experts, Inc.

12

Angelica Nurseries, Inc.

Outside Back Cover

Babikow Greenhouses

Inside Front Cover

Braun Horticulture

21

Cavano’s Perennials

13

CPH 50 MAEF/MNLGA Golf Tournament

21

MNLGA Field Day

46

MNLGA, UM Extension - Hops & Drones

45

MNLGA, UM Extension Perennial Diagnostic Training

20

Foxborough Nursery

Inside Back Cover

Gregory J. Cannizzaro Design Promote professionalism through education programs for members and the public and by encouraging enrollment in educational institutions.

21

Homestead Gardens Horticultural Supply

8

Manor View Farm

7

MANTS 47 Monitor state and local laws relating to horticulture industry.

MD Ag Ed Foundation

20

MNLGA Affinity Programs Participate actively in legislative and regulatory processes.

Promote the use of environmentally sound practices in the horticulture industry.

Monitor and communicate to members developments in allied industries including agritechnology.

Support donations of plant products and services to state and community programs.

Support research relevant to the horticulture industry.

Participate in Maryland agricultural organizations.

48-49

MNLGA On-Line

40

OHP

1

Pender Nursery

16

Waverly Farm

25

To join the growing list of companies who advertise in the Free State Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse News or for more information, please call Vanessa or Kelly in the MNLGA office at 410-823-8684.

Visit the redesigned association website at: mnlga.org.

E-mail Free State News at freestate@mnlga.org.

Free State • 55

Chairs and Committees Education Ted Carter – Chair Pete Gilmore Jessica Ahrweiler Andrew Ristvey Chuck Schuster Karen Rane Mike Leubecker Angela Burke Dave Clement Stanton Gill Hank Doong Brett Karp Mary Kay Malinoski John Murphy Ginny Rosenkranz Nominating Mark Dougherty – Chair Richard J. Watson Finance and Planning Carrie Engel – Chair Steve Black Larry Hemming Jessica Todd Link/Shanks Scholarship Mark Dougherty – Chair MANTS Jan S. Carter Bernard E Kohl, Jr. William A. M. Verbrugge Membership Committee Rich Poulin Greg Stacho Awards Professional Achievement, Carville M. Akehurst Michael Marshall – Co-Chair Kevin Clark – Co-Chair

Historian George Mayo – Chair Legislative/MaGIC James R. McWilliams – Chair

Advisors to the Board Carol Holko Kim Rice MD Department of Agriculture

CPH George Mayo – Chair Steve Black Shelley Hicks Cindy King Dr. Andrew Ristvey Martha Simon-Pindale Bob Trumbule Gaye Williams

Dr. John Lea-Cox University of Maryland

Scholarship Bernie Kohl, Jr. – Chair Hank Doong Jessica Todd Leslie Hunter-Cario George Mayo Greg Stacho Mary Claire Walker

Maryland Agriculture Commission Ray Greenstreet Marion Mullan

Economic Survey Steve Black Bernie Kohl George Mayo Brent Rutley Dr. John Lea Cox Strategic Planning Brent Rutley Steve Black George Mayo John Murphy Dr. John Lea Cox (UMD Rep.) Jerry Faulring Carrie Engel Carol Holko (UMD Rep.)

Signe Hanson Independent Horticultural Consultant

Advisors to Others LEAD Maryland Vanessa Finney

Maryland Farm Bureau Larry Hemming Vanessa Finney MAEF Hank Doong Maryland Invasive Species Council (MISC) John Peter Thompson MDA Nutrient Management Advisory Committee Signe Hanson Young Farmers Advisory Council Jessica Todd Invasive Plants Advisory Council Kelly Billing CCLC - Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional Certification (CBLP Cody Kario

Every member of every committee listed above is an individual who volunteers their time in support for the MNLGA and it is with the utmost gratitude and appreciation that we thank you for your selfless endeavors.

If your name is not listed above, please considerfollowing the example of those who are. Contact Vanessa at 410-823-8684 with your interest.

56 • Spring 2016

Foxborough Nursery

3611 Miller Rd. / Street, MD 21154 / phone 410.836.7023 / fax 410.452.5131

View Photos & Plant Information on

www.FoxboroughNursery.com