Free state Winter Edition

Free State

Winter 2013 Vol. XL No. 3 $10.00

Nursery & Landscape News

Brilliant Autumn Colors Benefits and Advantages of Mycorrhizae

Horticultural Oil Part of Pest Management Program

Maryland Nursery and Landscape Association P.O. Box 726 Brooklandville, MD 21022

Presorted Standard U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 75 Lansing, MI

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Booth # 2402, 2404, 2503, 2505

Visit Us at MANTS! Baltimore Convention Center One West Pratt Street Baltimore, MD. 21201

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Contents 5

This Business of Ours – Mike Hemming

9 Total Plant Management

– Stanton Gill

15 Growing with Education

– Ginny Rosenkranz

20

Featured Member

Mullan Nursery Company

34 It’s Time for Sharing

– Jerry Faulring

Departments

2 2 4 4 13 13 25 30 32 39 39 40

From the President – Garet Bunting Association Officers Director's Message MNLA Board of Directors Industry News New Members CPH Update Calendar of Events Research MNLA Mission Statement Directory of Advertisers MNLA Chairmen and Committees

9

15

34

Executive Director: Vanessa A. Finney Quercus Management Staff: E. Kelly Finney, Chelsea Bailey and Cindy Cannizzaro Phone: 410-823-8684, Fax: 410-296-8288 E-mail: mnacma@aol.com Web: www.mnlaonline.org Free State e-mail: freestatenews@comcast.net Design: Gregory J. Cannizzaro (contact information page 29)­

20 Free State • 1

© 2013 Maryland Nursery and Landscape Association

President’s Message Maryland Nursery and Landscape Association Officers 2013 President Garet Bunting Bunting’s Landscaping & Nursery, Inc. 410-352-3371 1st Vice President Brent Rutley Capitol City Contractors, LLC 301-854-5620 2nd Vice President Steve Black Raemelton Farm 301-990-7577 Secretary Brad Thompson Foxborough Nursery, Inc. 410-836-7023 Treasurer John Marshall Marshalls’ Riverbank Nurseries 410-677-0900 Director-at-Large John C. Akehurst Akehurst Landscape Service, Inc. 410-538-4018 Executive Director Vanessa Akehurst Finney

Maryland Nursery and Landscape Assn.

P.O. Box 726 Brooklandville, Maryland 21022 Phone: 410-823-8684 Fax: 410-296-8288 e-mail: mnacma@aol.com Website: mnlaonline.org Free State E-mail: freestatenews@comcast.net

2 • Winter 2013

Well, the 2013 season will be wrapping up in the next few weeks. It seems just a few weeks ago Maryland was having above average rainfall, but that was back in March and April. Wow, this year’s growing season seemed to fly by at a record pace. My father told me when I was a kid “enjoy your summer break and every day boy, because every year you get older, the quicker the years will go by.” There is a lot of truth to that, but also the world we live in is very fast paced.

Garet Bunting Remembering highlights of this past year started with MANTS followed by the Chesapeake Green educational conference.

This Annual Horticulture Symposium will be held on February 20 and 21 2014.

This year’s speakers are just as good as last years and the food served is awesome.

Pesticide Recertification is available, so put it on your “to do list”.

The MNLA Summer Field Day at Waverly Farm was amazing. Jerry Faulring has over 400 varieties of ornamental trees and shrubs on his special piece of earth.

I can’t wait to see the data from the 2012 Maryland Horticulture Industry Survey.

I’m sure the statistics will prove that horticulture is the second largest income generating commodity group within Maryland Agriculture.

Starting November 19, 2013, tune into Maryland Public Television to watch Maryland Farm and Harvest. There will be segments featuring Maryland’s green industry.

The “Masterpiece of Trade Shows” is January 8th through 10th 2014. That is when I turn in my gavel and the President’s position over to Brent Rutley of Capital City Contractors. So, this is my final message to all of the members of the MNLA. I started serving the Maryland Nurserymen’s Association in 1998 and it has been a privilege and an honor to help serve the association. It has been a great experience and I must thank Vanessa Finney, without her overseeing the association 24/7 my position would be impossible. Thanks to my 1st and 2nd Vice Presidents, Brent Rutley and Steve Black, respectively. I know you will continue to carry on the mission of the MNLA; and thanks to the Board of Directors, Secretary, Advisors and Committee Reps. You reports and advice really helps strengthen our association. A special thanks to my Treasurer, John Marshall, we have had very energetic conversations on the commute to and from the meetings which ended in me buying plants from you.

Motivate your employees to take the CPH exam and attend the MANTS Show.

Buy AG Tags.

It was a pleasure serving the MNLA. Thank You, Garet Bunting, B.S. C.P.H. Bunting’s Landscaping and Nursery, Inc.

Director’s Message Maryland Nursery and Landscape Association Board of Directors Terms Expiring 2014

Leslie Hunter-Cario Environmental Concern Inc. 410-745-9620 Larry Hemming Eastern Shore Nurseries 410-822-1320 Jessica Todd Clear Ridge Nursery, Inc. 888-226-9226 Carrie Engel Valley View Farms 410-527-0700

Terms Expiring 2015 Gregory Stacho Akehurst Landscape Service, Inc. 410-538-4018 Jason Sersen Kingsdene Nurseries, Inc. 410-343-1150

Mary Claire Walker Patuxent Nursery 301-218-4769 Stormy Gibbons-Neff Clovelly Nurseries 410-778-9686

The Free State Nursery and

Here we are, again! The end of a year and the beginning of a new, bringing in renewed hopes for prosperity, peace, and happiness.

I think for some of us, the passage of time and onward flow of the years is sort of a numbing experience – it just happens and we look back and say “where did the time go?” or “what have I accomplished?” – like we are going through the motions but not really embracing and living for those things in which we are engaged and take up our precious time.

Vanessa Finney As a parent, and an adult who has very often just “gone through the motions” of life, I find myself regularly encouraging my children to enjoy where they are in their current stage of life and to make the most of it. Our oldest, Rebecca, is a freshman in college, is working incredibly hard, but admits she is happy. Happy with her college choice, happy with her classes, and happy with her friends and roommate - hence, I am a happy mom! Our youngest is in sixth grade. I find it difficult to see anything stressful in the life of a twelve year-old, but this daughter, Eva, assures me there’s plenty a middle-schooler can be stressed about. When she throws the term “middle-school” out, then yes, I remember, those years are not always memorable for the best of reasons. This child is one who needs a reminder now and again to stop and enjoy this stage; it won’t last long. This is a time for exploration and growth – when it’s OK to be young, before everyone expects you to be mature and level-headed.

Our son, Scott, is a high school junior, and he’s had quite a year. Thank you to all whose prayers and good wishes saw him through an illness this summer. Scott rebounded and spent the better part of late summer and the fall completing his Eagle Scout project. For him, time was moving painfully slow as he learned the lessons of working with bureaucracies and organizations that couldn’t make decisions as quickly as he would have liked, or were in conflict with his vision of what should happen. Real-life lessons are what he got. But he showed resilience and determination. And the end-result is his family and him proudly attending his Eagle Scout ceremony in December. This is a life-event he will look back on someday and realize what an accomplishment it is, and I’ve no doubt he will position himself to help and mentor other young men through this process as so many others – including several of your MNLA peers – helped him.

How about you, your family, and colleagues? Are you just passing time? Or are you making the most of your relationships – professional and personal, your business, and the opportunities that you can create? I ponder these questions routinely as the days and weeks fly by. I am actively trying to grow our management business (my management company, Quercus, Inc., is contracted to manage the MNLA). I am finding it hard to find the time to look for opportunities but I know if I don’t find the time, my dreams and desires for the future of my company will not develop. I’ve had some disappointments, too, but need to keep the end goal in mind, and carry on and keep trying. I need to muster my resilience, keep my focus, and be active in each day of my life that passes, just like I’m advising my kids. And with that, I expect that this time next year, I’ll not be able to say “where did the time go?” and “what did I accomplish?” rather I’ll have tangible results of time well invested. I’ll recall the spirit and resolve of my son in completing his Eagle Scout, as my inspiration.

What will you do with your new year? What will inspire you; who will you inspire? ❦

Landscape News is a news magazine published for the

Happy New Year!

membership of the Maryland Nursery and Landscape Association (MNLA).

Vanessa Finney Executive Director

For more information, e-mail: freestatenews@comcast.net

4 • Winter 2013

“Do one thing every day that scares you.” - Eleanor Roosevelt

This Business

of

Ours

On the Mend in More Ways Than One Mike Hemming

Well this has been a different year for me. In August a long series of medical tests and scans ended in a “serious” operation. All because I said to my doctor in February, “Every once in a while I get this little pain right here.” Well that pain was a pulled muscle we think now, but a sonogram led to a possible other problem. That was discounted by a following test that found a future real problem in my pancreas.

That was followed by more tests and consultations until a doctor at U of MD Medical said, “You have a 50 to 70% chance of this turning to pancreatic cancer in less than 2 years”. To which I said, “Take it out as soon as you can put me on the table.” Six days later 40% of my pancreas was removed, and all is well now.

Last night on Jeopardy one of the answers said that you can produce enough insulin to prevent diabetes with only 20% of your pancreas left. So far there have been no side effects except taking time getting my strength back, and a strong desire to spend more time hugging Flo and smelling the roses. The rose smelling part is a “so to speak” thing because I actually dislike the odor of roses. So we are going to take a cruise instead.

My recovery time was a month, before I could work, and then after that I started with a few hours a day, increasing to close to 8 hours; even now I still get tired some days and quit early.

Of course that left a zillion things I was going to do personally, left undone.

One of the things that got missed was a huge increase in azalea lace bug on andromeda and azaleas in one (continued on next page) Free State • 5

“

... there are those of you with family members in the business, need to make sure your sons and daughters can take over the business ... make sure your kids have and get experience AND get responsibilities in all aspects of your business.

”

house during the month of August. It is a persistent pest and missing that spraying allowed them to run amok. I’ll have to catch up to them this winter with a spraying after the house is closed and then an application of Precise during the winter.

I know our discard pile is going to get bigger this fall and winter; some plants are just too scraggly or have reached our move-up limit. We don’t want to handle stock bigger than 20 gallon, maybe 25 gallon. Some plants won’t sell in huge containers fast enough to make the move-up worthwhile. Very few customers will spend $50 for a 15 gallon Forsythia. We do manage to sell a few 15 gallon Hydrangeas and Knock Out roses wholesale each year, though. But that is not a marketable item for happy homeowners very often.

Another thing is we only have one house that can hold 8 to 10 foot stock for things that need winter protection.

It is always filled in the winter with Japanese Maples, Crape Myrtles, and the left over large hollies that we always seem to have. I keep thinking that having some Crape Myrtles in 25 gallon containers that would reach 12 feet plus would be a good idea, as we do get a few calls from landscapers for them. But then I think of handling them and the fact that they often buy the 8 to 10 footers we do have, and skip that idea. Maybe if we had a mechanical arm to go on the tractor for lifting heavy plants into trucks.

I decided to bite the bullet and really clean out the house with our 2 gallon Crape Myrtles this fall. We did manage to work a deal to get most of them sold cheap, which is better than nothing. This year’s crop is just too nice and full to degrade them by mixing them together any more. I can’t remember when that house was last emptied, so some of the plants must be 3 years old.

The mat is worn, torn on some places and otherwise a weedy mess.

Speaking of things left undone, this reminds me that there are those of you with family members in the business. You need to make sure your sons and daughters can take over the business. None of us is going to last forever so make sure your kids have and get experience AND get responsibilities in all aspects of your business.

Business has been better this year for us; retail has been 6 • Winter 2013

stagnant but wholesale is up. That is a good sign for all of us. But the increase is partially attributable to better weather. Last year’s drought and then the East Coast’s after effects of Superstorm Sandy was a killer on income.

The aftermath of that storm was like a door slammed across our driveway. The rest of the year went dead when we had been seeing signs of improvement. I’m still very concerned about the very slow increase in housing starts. Without them the economy will be in a slow improvement for a long time. We are still in a Wall Street recovery not a Main Street recovery mode. To my mind that means we are still in a recession no matter what Washington is saying. Maybe next year the recovery will get going if Obamacare doesn’t kill it off, something I’ve said for 4 years now.

Interestingly our production increases will require us to cover a house for the coming winter that we have not used for 3 years, except in the summer. Those production increases have been to help cut back on plant purchases from other nurseries. Good for our bottom line but not their balance sheet, which ripples through the entire economy in a good and bad way.

I keep seeing signs of the tough economy at every nursery I visit, fewer employees, machinery not replaced, owners not paying themselves in winter months. There are rumors of nurseries going out of business or being for sale with no buyers. We all seem to be hanging on waiting for better times or the next shoe to drop.

It is interesting to watch grandchildren work in the business. Rosalie, who did our propagation for several years before she went off to college, was a go getter from day one. Robert needed some more time to get a more mature attitude toward work. But he has come into his own now and is worth what we are paying him. His father had to mention that firmly after a particularly weak performance over several days. We all do mature over time; I know I’m still working on it.

I hope to see you all at MANTS in January; we are so lucky to have that trade show under our purview, those that run it deserve our gratitude and praise. Without it the MNLA would be a poorer organization in money and the power to do good things for the industry. ❦ Mike Hemming

8 • Winter 2013

Total Plant Management

Should Horticultural Oil Be Part of Your Pest Management Program?

Pesticides prices have skyrocketed over the last 20 years but horticultural oil is still relatively reasonable in cost. So why are you not using it? One of the rising problems over the last couple of years is a rising problem with armored and soft scale in nurseries.

Stanton Gill One of the least expensive materials to use for controlling scale insects is horticultural oil. It also kills mites' eggs that overwinter on the plants and aphid eggs tucked in cracks and crevices of your woody plants.

Horticultural oils are usually highly refined petroleum oils combined with an emulsifiying agent. Some plantderived oils also are used, such as neem oil. Whether it is plant derived or petroleum oil it all works basically the same way - the oil coats the air holes (spiracles) through which insects breathe, causing them to die from asphyxiation. In some cases, oils also may act as poisons, interacting with the fatty acids of the insect and interfering with normal metabolism.

Oil is “slick stuff ” and the benefits of horticultural oils are numerous. Oils pose few risks to people or to most desirable species, including beneficial natural enemies of insect pests. This allows oils to integrate well with biological controls. Toxicity is minimal, at least compared to alternative pesticides, and oils quickly dissipate through evaporation, leaving little residue. Oils also are easy to apply with existing spray equipment and can be mixed with many other pesticides to extend their performance. It is not hard on spray equipment like some materials.

Essentially all commercially available horticultural oils (e.g., UltraPure Oil , Scalecide , Suff-X oil, Saf-TSide ) are refined petroleum products also known as mineral oils. These are highly refined and the impurities in the oil that are associated with plant injury, such as aromatic compounds and compounds containing sulfur, are removed. Filtration, distillation and dewaxing complete the production of the finished base oil. Final formulations of horticultural oils are normally combined with an emulsifying agent that allows the oil to mix with water. Oils used in summer are usually used at 0.5 to 1% ®

®

®

rates and dormant season rates at 2 – 4% rates.

As oils have gained popularity the marketplace has been flooded with several plant derived vegetable and herb based oils, which also can be used as insecticides.

Cottonseed oil is an oil that has appeared to be pretty effective in controlling insects. Soybean oil, the most commonly available vegetable oil used in cooking, has often provided fair to good control of some insects and mites. Both of these vegetable oils are available but harder to find in the marketplace.

Extracts from seeds of the neem tree (Azadirachta indica) have attracted attention as an oil source. A number of compounds found in neem seeds, notably azadirachtin, have proven useful as insecticides.

However, the oil fraction of neem seed extracts, which is mostly free of azadirachtin and related terpenoid compounds, has demonstrated effects as a fungicide and insecticide. At least one product in the marketplace, Trilogy , consists of a largely azadirachtin-free oil fraction of neem seed extracts. It is formulated with an emulsifier and mixed with water at a concentration similar to horticultural oils.

Dormant applications Traditionally, most nursery managers have applied horticultural oil in the late winter to early spring. This is usually done when the temperatures are above 55 F. One precaution - Do not apply oils during freezing weather.

This can cause the emulsion to break down and produce uneven coverage. ®

(continued on next page)

Free State • 9

(continued from page 9)

Can you apply oil in the fall?

For several years now we have observed nursery managers who apply horticultural oil in late October to early November to deciduous plant material. We have followed up with them to see if there was any winter injury that occurred from the fall applications. No damage from fall applications of 2- 3% horticultural oil has been recorded so far on dogwoods, maples, zelkova, oaks, lindens, shadbush, crabapples, ornamental pears, bush type roses, lilac, sweet gum, black gum, birch trees, beech, and ash.

We have had several people report reduced winter hardiness if oil is applied in fall to evergreen place material. In the fall of 2012 working with a Central Maryland nursery we applied 3% horticultural in November of 2012 to Leyland cypress, Thuja ‘Green Giant’, Dragon lady holly, American holly, Ilex opaca “Miss Helen’, ‘Jersey Knight’ and ‘Satyr Hill’, and red hollies ‘Robyn’. Treatments were made when the temperatures were in the mid 60 F range and no freezing weather occurred for least 7 days after the applications were made.

We re-visited the nursery on a monthly basis from December of 2012 through March or 2013 and recorded injury levels on the treated and control plants. The experimental design was a completely randomized block with 6 replications for each plant species. The plants were ranked on a scale of 1 – 10 with 10 being “no injury” to the foliage or dieback of branches.

We found no significant foliar damage on any of the treated Leyland cypress, arborvitae, and most of the holly species. The American hollies did show over 60% leafspotting on oil treated and untreated plants but the damage was all secondary fungi that infected the foliage during the wet fall months. There was no different between the damage levels on the oil treated hollies compared to the untreated control.

From this trial we feel very confident saying it is safe to use November applications on the plant species involved in our trial.

If you plan to make applications in the late winter to early spring of 2014 pick a period of time when the temperatures reach at least 50 – 55 F for several days in a row. This allows the insect respiration rate to come up and obtain more effective control before the oil evaporates. Avoid periods when the nighttime temperatures are going to dip to the freezing point. ❦ Stanton Gill, Extension Specialist in IPM and Entomology for Greenhouses and NurseriesCentral Maryland Research and Education Center University of Maryland and Professor, Landscape Technology, Montgomery College 10 • Winter 2013

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12 • Winter 2013

Industry News

Moving Forward The last several years have been challenging to the green industry, to say the least. There hasn’t been as much green as we are accustomed to for many of us.

From 2002 to 2008 the industry was on a roll with continued expansion to meet ever growing needs and consumers' willingness to pay for the desired product.

Then we saw a fundamental change in the industry.

Consumers were no longer showing the willingness to spend dollars on “wants” and instead used their money to help meet their debt obligations. The building industry went flat resulting in only minimum demand for product to fill out limited housing projects. All of this meant that the industry had to re-establish the amount of product needed to fill orders and the amount of plants that were needed. Plants were sold at discounts, held off the market as long as possible, or were destroyed once they passed their marketable cycle.

All of this stress meant producers had to right-size their operation to match this new reality. The question was “how do I determine the “right” size and product mix and what information do I need to make good decisions?” Many were able to utilize their recordkeeping systems to quantify what the new sales were going to be and to determine the changes needed to bring the cost of goods sold, and operating cost in line with these realities. Others were not able to react as fast or were unwilling to take a much needed hard look at the changes that occurred. The result has been a shake out of many good operations that just couldn’t change as fast as the new reality demanded.

So, what were the lessons that we learned and how do we avoid these in the future? From my perspective it takes a real commitment to keep equity on the books.

We will continue to have ups and downs in the business cycle. Will you have the equity to weather the good and

bad times though? Do you have liquidity, equity reserves/ retained earnings, and is your debt load realistic to service it properly?

From what I have seen we have had a mix of business.

There are the ones who came out of the down cycle ready to expand and build on new opportunities. Others are still struggling to find the ability to generate the profits they need to carry on the business. The ability to manage the cash flows of the business and deploy capital has become critical.

Going forward the green industry needs to build on the relations of the key business partners. The grower, supplier, retailer, and lender all need to be working to make sure the proper resources are flowing to each party at the right time. Now is a great time to talk to your lender and other key partners. Ask yourself, “How much am I going to produce, at what cost, and for what price? How can I best meet the needs to insure a quality product, at the right time, and replace the capital to the right spots on my financial statement so I am able to grow and thrive going forward.”

About Bill Schrodel Bill Schrodel has 28-years lending experience at Farm Credit. He grew up on a dairy farm in Frederick Maryland and has a degree in dairy science. Over the years he has worked with a variety of operations from parttime specialty farms to larger commercial operations.

Increasingly he has worked with the green industry and took on a larger role in the industry in January of 2013.

He is a LEAD Maryland, Class III Fellow, and Chairman of the Maryland FFA Foundation. ❦ Bill Schrodel Loan Officer, MidAtlantic Farm Credit

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

Angus Outdoor Services Evelyn Settle

Osborne Organics Chip Osborne

Georgetown Insurance Matthew Simmons

Plant Together Ryan Yanchuleff

Kelly Landscaping Sean Kelly

Providence Center Lawn & Garden Care and Wetlands Solutions Nathan Ullrich Free State • 13

14 • Winter 2013

Growing

with

Education

Summer Rains Produce Brilliant Autumn Colors Ginny Rosenkranz

A

utumn colors are most brilliant when the summer had adequate rain to balance the sun to ensure the trees were vigorously growing, then warm fall days, followed by cold crisp nights. The warm autumn days allow the leaves to create and accumulate sugars, and the cold crisp nights prevent the sugars from moving from the leaves into the roots, allowing the anthocyanin or the red pigments and the tannins in the leaves to show. Yellow leaves are created by two yellow pigments, carotin and xanthophylls, which are already in the leaves but masked by the green produced by chlorophyll. Once the leaves no longer manufacture chlorophyll, the green fades away and the soft or bright yellows emerge on the leaves.

Some native trees never show brilliant autumn colors but turn brown like the Magnolias, the Basswood, Walnuts, Pecans, and many Oaks. Other native trees create spectacular fall color shows including the Maples, Redbuds, Dogwoods, Sweet Gum, and Sassafras. Choosing native trees to plant for good autumn color is only half the work, the rest lies in the design and placement of the plants. (continued on page 16) Free State • 15

(continued from page 15)

There are many native trees that display soft to bright yellow fall color. Acer pensylvanicum or Striped Maple has vibrant yellow fall color and is excellent for naturalized plantings and it can grow 15-20 feet tall.

Striped Maple forms a broad uneven rounded or flat top crown with arching branches. The young bark is green and striped with white which fades as the trees mature.

Acer saccharum or Sugar Maple can reach heights of 60-75 feet and prefer to be planted in slightly acidic, well drained soils. The fall colors of the Sugar Maple start out as a brilliant yellow and change to a burnt orange and sometimes have reddish tones later in the season.

There are many cultivars available that have excellent fall color, as well as scorch resistance and frost cracking, including ‘Wright Brothers’, ‘Majesty’, ‘Lanco Coilumnar’ and Crescendo™. Aesculus glaabra, or Ohio Buckeye, grows 20-40 feet tall and in nature is found along the banks of creeks and rivers, and needs moist, well drained, slightly acidic soils. The fall color is yellow, but can also become a burnt orange red or a pumpkin orange. Aesculus parviflora or Bottlebrush Buckeye is a small shrubby tree, growing only 8-12 feet tall. It often forms thickets in moist, well drained acidic soils. The bright yellow fall color is outstanding in this small tree.

Amelanchier arborea or Juneberry is one of the first trees to bloom in the spring and one of the first to color up in the fall. An understory tree, the Juneberry grows only 1525 feet tall and thrives in moist, well drained, acidic soils in full sun or partial shade. The fall colors include yellow, apricot orange and a dull deep red.

There are many cultivars that brighten up the landscape with red fall colors instead of yellow and include ‘Autumn Brilliance’, ‘Autumn Sunset’, ‘Ballerina’, ‘Princess diana’, ‘Spring Glory’ and Tradition .

Amelanchier Canadensis, or Shadblow Serviceberry, is another native understory tree that also needs moist soils. Growing only 10-20 feet tall, the Shadblow is an excellent candidate for Rain Gardens or low lying swampy areas and displays yellow to gold fall foliage.

Asimina triloba or PawPaw is a small tree that grows 15-20 feet tall and is famous for its edible fruit that tastes like banana custard. The tree thrives in moist fertile, slightly acid soils and has brilliant yellow fall foliage.

Betula lenta or Sweet Birch is found in nature in the cold mountain areas where it grows 40-50 feet tall in rich, moist well drained soils. Although this birch doesn’t have white bark, the fall foliage is a golden yellow and if placed in afternoon shade and on the north facing slopes, it can thrive in many landscapes. The inner bark and leaves when rubbed have a wintergreen fragrance.

Betula nigra or River Birch reaches heights of 40-70 feet and grows in a larger range of temperatures, but still needs moist, acidic soils for best performance. The fall color is a buttery yellow and many cultivars show ®

16 • Winter 2013

better heat and drought tolerance including Dura-Heat™, Heritage , and Fox Valley™. Cercis Canadensis or Eastern Redbud is an understory tree that can grow 20-30 feet tall in moist but well drained acidic soils. Best known for the bright purple red spring flowers, the soft light yellow fall foliage make a quiet statement. Chionanthus virginicus or White Fringetree is a small native tree that is found in the wild along the banks of streams and needs moist, fertile, acidic soils. Better known for its white flowers in the springtime, the fall foliage brightens up the landscape with golds and yellows. Fagus grandifolia or American Beech reaches heights of 50-70 feet and have a wide, upright oval shape.

The American Beech does best in full sun in moist, well drained acidic soils. The silver green leaves in the spring turn to a golden bronze color and the leaves often persist on the tree all through the winter months. Liriodendron tulipifera has been called both a Tulip Poplar for the shape of the flowers and leaves and a Yellow Poplar for the bright golden yellow fall color. A tall tree, growing to heights of 70-90 feet, the Yellow Poplar needs room to grow and thrives in moist well drained soils in full sun. Some cultivars include ‘Ardis’, Arnold’ and Majestic Beauty™. Quercus imbricaria or Laurel Oak and Quercus phellos or Willow Oak both have slightly yellow fall foliage that turns to a russet red as the weather continues. All of these natives will grow very well in Maryland, some better in the south and many in the north and western counties.

Autumn leaves that have anthocyanin and tannins that turn the leaves from soft burnt orange to red, scarlet and even purple include many natives. Acer rubrum, or American Swamp Red Maple, is a large tree growing 40-60 feet tall that likes moist, well drained slightly acidic soils. The fall color ranges from red to red orange, scarlet or a burgundy red and each year the colors can vary. Many wonderful cultivars will show outstanding fall color more predictably than the straight species and the breeding programs often focus on resistance to leaf hopper burn and drought tolerance. Some cultivars include Autumn Blaze , Autumn Fantasy™, Burgundy Belle , Celebration™, Firedance , Northfire™, October Glory and Red Sunset .

Acer saccharum, or Sugar Maple, has foliage that changes from bright yellow to orange then to red, depending on the weather and length of time the leaves persist. The tree grows 60-75 feet tall in a rounded to oval shape. The newer cultivars are more heat and drought tolerant and present their fall colors more uniformly. Some cultivars include Adirondak , ‘Commemoration’, Crescendo™, Fairview™, ‘Legacy’, ‘Majesty’, Mountain Park™ and ‘Wright Brothers’.

Carpinus caroliniana or American Hornbeam is a small, shrubby tree with a rounded top that only reaches 20 feet. It prefers to grow in the shade in moist, well drained ®

®

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There are many native trees that display soft to bright yellow fall color. Acer pensylvanicum or Striped Maple has vibrant yellow fall color and is excellent for naturalized plantings and it can grow 15-20 feet tall. soils. The dark green leaves turn yellow, orange, red and reddish purple while the cultivar, Palisade™ has bright yellow fall color.

Cornus florida or American Dogwood is a lovely understory tree that may be best known for its beautiful white, pink or red bracts in the spring, but the cool fall weather will also bring color to the landscape with bright red berries and red to burgundy leaves in the fall.

Dogwoods need afternoon shade, moist, well drained acidic soils and mulch over the roots to keep them cool.

The fruit lasts for a very short time and is gone as soon as the native birds discover it, but the foliage will last for quite a while.

There are new cultivars that are more resistant to diseases and have larger, showier bracts. Some cultivars include ‘Autumn Gold’, which has golden orange winter stems and gold yellow fall foliage, ‘Big Bouquet’ with large, pure white bracts, ‘, ‘Cherokee Princess’, one of the best cultivars yet, Cherokee Sunset™ which has fall color ranging from pink to red to purple and has good anthracnose resistance, ‘Cloud 9’, very cold hardy and resistant to canker diseases, ‘Hohman’s Gold’, with rose and dark red fall color, ‘Junior Miss, ‘October Glory’, ‘Poinsett’ with yellow berries and red fall color, ‘September Dog’ which flowers in the fall, ‘Tricolor’ has green leaves with a white margin that turns purple with rose red margins in the fall, and Wonderberry which has good berry production.

Crataegus crusgalli or Cockspur Hawthorn, Crataegus ®

phaenopyrum and Washington hawthorn are both grown for their beautiful white flowers in the spring, colorful berries and bronze red to purple red foliage in the fall.

The thorns make them undesirable in many landscapes, and some new cultivars, Princeton Sentry and Crusader™ are both fairly thorn less. Franklinia alatamaha or

Franklin Tree is a small tree with exacting requirements, it must have moist but well drained slightly acidic soils with a lot of organic matter mixed in. The fragrant pure white flowers with bright yellow stamens bloom from July through September and the fall foliage is orange to bright red and purple. Liquidambar styraciflua or American Sweetgum is a tall tree, growing 60-70 feet, and loves to grow in low areas with moist acidic soils and a full sun location. The bark often has corky wings and the star shaped leaves display a harlequin color scheme in autumn, turning yellow, orange, red and purple. The fruit drops off the tree from November to April and is also star shaped but very prickly and is sometimes a deterrent to planting Sweetgum in the landscape.

Some cultivars have brilliant fall color and include Burgandy™, Cherokee™ which has excellent fall color and very little fruit, ‘Moraine’ and Palo Alto™. Nyssa sylvatica or Black Gum is a medium sized tree growing only 30-50 feet tall and is the very first tree to show off its brilliant red, yellow, orange, scarlet and purple foliage in the fall. The leaves are very thin and often seem to (continued on page 18) Free State • 17

Design and placement of plants to produce the brightest colors takes knowledge of the topography and the alignment of the sun. (continued from page 17)

glow in the sunlight. The cultivars have been developed for their spectacular fall colors and include Forum™ and ‘Miss Scarlet’. Black Gum does best when planted in moist, well drained acidic soils in full sun to part shade.

It does have a strong tap root making it interesting to transplant, but native nurseries have been working on containers that allow better transplanting success.

Oxydendrum arboretum or Sourwood is a small tree with 4 seasons of interest. In the spring the fragrant flowers cascade down and almost smother the green leaves. In the fall the fruit is yellow and the leaves turn from a rich green to bright yellow, red, and purple. It grows best in full sun in moist and well drained acidic soils, but doesn’t tolerate air pollution well. Native cherries include Prunus pensylvanica or Pin Cherry and Prunus serotina or Black Cherry which both have excellent wine red fall color, but may not be the best choice for a landscape. Quercus palustris or Pin Oak, Quercus coccinea or Scarlet Oak, Quercus shumardii or Swamp Red Oak, Quercus phellos or Willow Oak, 18 • Winter 2013

Quercus rubra or Northern Red Oak all have varying degrees of anthocyanins and tannins in their leaves, giving variable fall color of reds, oranges and some purples. Sassafras albidum or Sassafras, is a small tree, growing about 30-50 feet tall and best known for its distinctively shaped leaves with three lobes, mitten shaped and oval shaped, all on the same tree. In the spring the fragrant flowers bloom yellow and the leaves and stems are also aromatic. The roots have been used to make teas and Rootbeer in the past. The leaves in the fall are a brilliant yellow, deep orange, scarlet and purple, making this a beautiful 4 season tree. Sassafras grows best in loamy moist acidic soils and can develop into a single leader tree or a multi stemmed specimen.

Viburnum lentago or the Nannyberry Viburnumn is a small tree growing only 15-25 feet tall that can easily turn into a thicket. Like most of the native trees, it likes full sun to part shade and moist well drained slightly acidic soils. In the spring the tree is covered with bouquets of white flowers that turn during the summer and fall into green then yellow, red and pink fruit that matures to dark blue. The green leaves of summer turn to purple and red. Design and placement of plants to produce the brightest colors takes knowledge of the topography and the alignment of the sun. Placing a tree so it receives full sun, especially in the late afternoon, will insure that the leaves absorb as much light as possible and create sugars that become trapped in the leaves as soon as the sun goes down and the night temperatures drop from warm to cold and crisp. This means planting trees on the south or west side of a property. Often a tree will show color only on the south and west side of the plant because the north and east were in the shade for the last part of the day and didn’t have the chance to create as much sugars. A tree placed in a low lying area will also show colors sooner than other trees higher up a hillside, as the cold slides down hill, settling at the bottom. This will give the landscape a chance to have bright autumn colors longer as the trees farther up the hills will color up later in the month.

Some trees like the Quercus palustris or Pin Oak will show better fall colors if they have been fertilized in contrast to other Pin Oaks which grow in poor soils.

Knowing the horticulture of the trees will also help with the design of the fall landscape. Understory trees like the American Dogwood, Juneberry, Shadblow Serviceberry, Eastern Redbud, White Fringetree, and the Franklin Tree, all thrive best if given protection from the late afternoon sun and moist but well drained soils while the taller trees like the maples, oaks and beech can be planted to give them that protection. ❦ Ginny Rosenkranz Commercial Hortculture Specialist University of Maryland, Lower Eastern Shore

Free State • 19

Featured Member

MULLAN NURSERY COMPANY Mullan Nursery Co. Inc. of White Hall, Md., is the featured member for this issue. Co-founder Marion Gaines Mullan said, “I am thrilled that MNLA would ask us to be a featured member. We have been in the business of creating beautiful gardens for over 30 years, but at heart I still see us as a small family business.”

And a family business it is.

Marion and her husband, Robert Mullan, founded Mullan Nursery Company in 1983. “We were doing some landscaping and decided that we also wanted to be able to grow our own beautiful trees for these projects,” she said. “We found a fantastic property in Baltimore County where we were able to run the business, plant our nursery, and live and raise our kids. We are still there.” The Mullans raised their three daughters on the farm, with all three girls working for the business at some point.

Early on they picked up some high-profile commercial clients, such as M and T Bank Stadium, Gilchrest Hospice, and various projects at BWI Airport. Other commercial projects include GMBC, Kennedy 20 • Winter 2013

Kreiger Institute, and Union Memorial Hospital. While they still do commercial work, Marion and Robert both felt their creative muses pulling them toward more inventive projects, working hand in hand with homeowners. “Whether it’s commercial or residential, our system starts with creation of the initial design, and goes all the way through to the completed project and then maintenance beyond.

Robert and I are involved every step of the way.”

Marion’s creative side runs towards that “special extra” in the garden: “I love doing pots and containers — adding that extra splash of texture and color.

And topiary with lots of moss, hardy sedum and succulents,” she continued. She has installed numerous whimsical topiary dogs, horses and even a sea monster in and around Maryland. Robert’s expertise is in visualizing the hardscaping and finding the solutions for drainage problems. “We specialize in beautiful stone work, paths, walkways, water

features, ponds and outdoor kitchen areas.”

Most recently they have been adding bio-swales and rain gardens.

“It’s a nice niche for us,” she said.

“Sometimes it’s a drainage necessity made to look beautiful. When there’s a lot of rain and water’s not leaving the yard, we need to offer solutions. My husband is a genius

well as combining horticulture with edibles at home, in client’s gardens, and in containers. This has been essential to the business as they add more and more kitchen gardens to their client’s landscapes, particularly raised beds with organic produce.

“We’ve been very involved in introducing raised bed gardening and sustainable gardening to the area, especially with our involvement at the local farm market in Hereford,” she added. “Several years ago we helped the property owners in Hereford’s historic business area create a large edible garden. And now a thriving organic farm market for local farmers and artisans has grown out of and around that space.

We sell unique plants there and offer workshops on veggie gardens, and topiary and wreath making. It’s really brought a lot of people in the northern Baltimore and southern Pennsylvania community together.

It’s been a fun new thing for us.”

Mullan Nursery does elegant landscape lighting, too, which “makes great sense to think about at this time of year, when it gets dark so early. Soft uplighting as well as downlighting trees can help people move about the landscape safely and adds to a home’s security, as well as (continued on page 22)

when it comes to designing solutions for drainage problems. He really makes river rock and native plants attractive to the eye, and to our clients’ aesthetics.”

Both Marion and Robert knew they wanted to do landscaping early on in their lives. Robert started landscaping as a teenager and was the driving force in getting

them started in business while they were still in their early 20s.

Marion studied agriculture at the University of Arizona and keeps up on the latest in landscaping and horticulture with numerous continuing education courses along the way. In recent years she’s taken small farming courses and developed a keen interest in permaculture as Free State • 21

its beauty,” Marion added. “Folks can spend more time in their yards and enjoy the landscape at night.”

But it’s not just landscape lighting.

Decorating for Christmas is something the firm started about 14 years ago. “We design and decorate with outdoor lights, lit garlands and wreaths. It’s a fun change of pace for everyone. People love to have lights in the fall and early winter. It makes

each year and have a great rapport with them.” Our senior foreman Bob Fritsdhe and Rob Humphries are as passionate about creating beautiful landscapes as we are.”

Mullan Nursery has held membership in MNLA for about 25 years. Marion has been on numerous committees, and chaired the education committee. As their children get older, both Mullans see more opportunity to give back to the industry. Marion now sits on the Maryland Ag Commission for the nursery industry. “It’s very exciting!” she said. “We meet once a month in Annapolis and tour farms twice a year. I love the variety of farms, and seeing all of the different methods of doing things. Our farms are definitely in transition. They’re diversifying, always trying to come up with new things to keep viable and move with the current trends, same as us. We are fortunate to still be passionate about what we do every day.” ❦ Mullan Nursery Co., Inc. 19437 Ensor Road White Hall, MD 21161 410-343-0113 www.mullannurseryco.com Carol Kinsley

them feel happy when the days are so short and dark. Our Christmas Décor service makes it easy for our customers: we bring everything we need to decorate, put them up, take them down, store them and take care of any problems that arise.

Our holiday projects are a mix of residential homes and businesses.”

Mullan Nursery has a “great staff,” Marion said, “who have been with us a long time. Our key personal have been with us 10 to 20 years. We see little turnover; because of this we are more able to be efficient and consistent with our work. We pay close attention to detail, and our customers recognize the staff that comes to their house 22 • Winter 2013

Free State • 23

24 • Winter 2013

Maryland Certified Professional Horticulturist Program

Update

C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S !

Congratulations to the following newly-minted Certified Professional Horticulturists. The individuals below passed the Basic Exam on October 16, 2013.

Jesse Chenitz Live Green Landscape Associates

Constance Cleveland The Behnke Nurseries Co.

James Hardy Classic Lawn & Landscape, Ltd.

Kimberly Rye D.R. Snell Nursery, Inc.

Nancy Woods Montgomery County Public Schools Students The following youths received student recognition as CPHers. Full-fledged CPH status will be awarded after they have completed post-secondary education, practical work experience in the field, or a combination of both.

Beth Dernowski Cecil County School of Technology

Glen Johnson Cecil County School of Technology

Nick Moore Cecil County School of Technology

Brooke Short Cecil County School of Technology

Update on Basic Manual Re-write The CPH Board has been busy working over the past year to edit and update the CPH Basic Manual. This process had not been done since 1996. Working through chief editor, Martha Simon Pindale, the CPH Basic Manual has been completely reviewed, re-written, updated, and enhanced with modern graphics, etc.

New chapters have been added, as well.

It is expected that the new manual will be ready for distribution in July of 2014. The October 2014 CPH Basic exam will still use the current manual as its reference, with the expectation that the April 2015 Basic exam will be the first to use the new manual as its reference.

In addition, the Board is investigating options to offer the Basic exam more times during the year by adding testing venues. The board recognizes that electronic

testing of the multiple choice component of the test can technologically be accomplished at a variety of testing venues. However, the Board wishes to retain having real plant samples for the Plant ID portion of the test.

The collection of fifty or more samples per test requires greater logistical planning (and volunteer time) than the multiple choice portion of the exam. We will keep you posted as our ideas for advancing opportunities to take the Basic exam progress.

Calling For Input We are looking to update and enhance the reference materials to which we refer Basic Exam applicants. If you have some all-time favorite resources, be they print or electronic, would you share them with us? Please forward your faves to mnacma@aol.com.

Exam Schedule for 2014: The Basic exam will be offered on April 15 and October 7 in 2014.

Free State • 25

Interested in a subscription to

Free State Nursery and Landscape News?

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

Subscriptions are $35 annually; MNLA will invoice you upon receipt of your subscription request. (members need

not subscribe)

Name_________________________________________________ Business_ _____________________________________________ Address_______________________________________________ City___________________________________________________ State, Zip______________________________________________ E-Mail_________________________________________________ Mail/Fax or e-mail: Free State, Maryland Nursery and Landscape Association P.O. Box 726 Brooklandville, MD 21022 or e-mail: mnacma@aol.com­

26 • Winter 2013

Chesapeake Green 2014 AN ANNUAL HORTICULTURE SYMPOSIUM Industry Educational Winter Symposium for the Chesapeake Region and Surrounding States

February 20 & 21 The Maritime Institute and Conference Center, Linthicum, MD Featuring: • Informative Breakout Sessions • Key Note Speaker–Maria Zampini • Networking • Vendor Showcase • MGGA Scholarship Fund Annual Silent Auction Keynote speaker, Maria Zampini, President of Upshoot LLC, will kick off the event with “Ride the Wave of Change,” challenging our attendees to accept our changing industry in preparation for a new generation of business owners and customers.

Three ways to register by fax, mail or online at www.mnlaonline.org, select the Chesapeake Green tab.

For more information call MNLA at 410-823-8684.

Free State • 27

We have answers when you have questions …

www.mnlaonline.org

The MNLA 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 search options • Up-to-date industry calendar • Classified ads which members can post and track resumes/ responses • CPH program information including basic and advanced test applications and registration • Business resources • CEU forms • Free State Nursery and Landscape News (electronic issues) • Root of the Matter issues and MaGIC updates

• Chesapeake Green - speaker resources - year round • Industry calendar includes: – Event postings from organizations and educational institutions around the Mid-Atlantic region; – Resources for finding CEUs for pesticide recertification, nutrient management recertification, and general education in horticulture topics; – MNLA events including Field Day, MANTS, Chesapeake Green and much more

Visit www.mnlaonline.org today!

28 • Winter 2013

Bright Ideas

Logo Design Packaging Design Exhibit and Trade Show Graphics

Advertising Brochures Direct Mail Catalogs

Fresh Solutions

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

E-mail any submissions you have for Free State to mnacma@aol.com or mail to Maryland Nursery and Landscape Association P.O. Box 726 Brooklandville, MD 21022 The deadline for submissions for the Winter issue of Free State Nursery and Landscape News is April 1, 2014.

Gregory J. Cannizzaro Graphic Design 410-444-5649 • gccannizzaro@aol.com

Get your Ag Tag today!

www.agtagmd.com Educating Youth about Agriculture Free State • 29

2013-14 Calendar of Events

December 12, 2013

January 13-17, 2014

February 20-21, 2014

Pest Management Conference Hosted by: University of Maryland Extension Location: Carroll Community College Westminster, MD Contact: 301-596-9413

Mid-Atlantic Horticulture Short Course Location: Newport News, VA Marriott City Center Contact: MAHSC, 757-523-4734 www.mahsc.org

Chesapeake Green Horticultural Conference Location: Linthicum Heights, MD Contact: MNLA, 410-823-8684 Pesticide Recertification Credits and Turf Fertilizer Applicator’s Exam Offered www.mnlaonline.org, select the Chesapeake Green tab

January 14-16, 2014 December 13, 2013

ISA Certification Exam (Mid-Atlantic) Location: Charlottesville, VA Contact: ISA Certification Department 217-355-9411, www.isa-arbor.com Cert@isa-arbor.com January 7-10, 2014

USDA Research Forum on Invasive Species Location: Loew’s Hotel, Annapolis, MD Contact: Michael McManus, mlmcmanus@fs.fed.us January 8, 2014

MNLA Annual Meeting Baltimore Convention Center Contact: MNLA, 410-823-8684 Time: 7:15 a.m. Room 337 (pre-reg required) www.mnlaonline.org

MANTS

®

MD Arborist Association’s Winter Seminar Location: Turf Valley Conference Center Ellicott City, MD Contact: MD Arborist Association 410-321-8082 mdarboristassoc@aol.com January 21-24, 2014

Advanced Landscape Plant IPM PHC Short Course Hosted by: University of Maryland Department of Entomology Location: College Park, MD Contact: Avis Koeiman 301-405-3913 akoeiman@umd.edu February 5, 2014

The Eastern Shore Pest Management Conference Location: Salisbury, MD Contact: Ginny Rosenkranz, 410-749-6141 February 5-7, 2014

Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show Location: Baltimore Convention Center Contact: MANTS, 800-431-0066 www.mants.com

30 • Winter 2013

CPH Basic Exam Contact: MNLA, 410-823-8684 www.mnlaonline.org April 26, 2014

MID ATLANTIC NURSERY TRADE SHOW

January 8-10, 2014

April 15, 2014

South Carolina Horticulture Industry Market Place and Seminars Location: Myrtle Beach, SC 29206 Contact: SCNLA 803-743-4284 www.scnla.com

MAA Arborist Day Location: Mt. Olivet Cemetery Frederick, MD Contact: MAA, 410-321-8082 www.mdarborist.com mdarboristassoc@aol.com October 7, 2014

CPH Basic Exam Contact: MNLA, 410-823-8684 www.mnlaonline.org

✁

For a full and updated calendar of events, and to find registration information and event links, please visit the MNLA website at www.mnlaonline.org

NORTH CAROLINA LONGLEAF PINE NEEDLES THE CLEAR CHOICE FOR YOUR MULCHING NEEDS

Willing to deliver smaller than trailer loads.

NC Long Leaf Pine Needles

Steep Slopes Excellent choice for mulching slopes.

• Last longer • Less labor • No shotgun fungus • Renewable Resource • Insulates plantings • Approximately 50 sq. ft. of coverage (first application) 75 sq. ft. or more when top dressing the previous applications. The finished product generally cost less than most other mulching choices.

• Larger in diamteter and longer than the competition • Slightly acidic (favorable for most plantings) • Decomposition adds nutrients to the soil.

North Carolina Long Leaf Pine Needles, The Nicest Lawn in Your Neighborhood For Less Money.

The Premier Choice!

Holder Farms, LLC 325 Byrd Rd. - Cameron, NC 28326

customers in the industry for 30 years.

910-245-7972 - Serving www.holderfarms.com

Research

Why Did Ornamental Cherry and London Plane Trees Look So Bad in 2013?

It is winter now but looking back to April through May, it was wet and cool. It was exceptionally cool and wet with lots of cloud cover for several weeks in a row. This weather created perfect conditions for disease infection.

In May of 2013 the Kwanzan cherry trees in the Maryland and Northern Virginia area started showing dieback of small twigs and a lot of dropping foliage. This damage is caused by a disease called Brown rot, which is caused by the ascomycete fungus Monilinia fructicola. This disease is a well-known and important pathogen on cherry (particularly sweet cherry varieties), peach, apricot, nectarine, and plum.

For the last four or five years we have seen it show up with increasing frequency on ornamental cherry trees with it mainly being found on Kwanzan cherry. Diseased flowers wilt and turn brown, but remain attached to the tree. The fungus may produce masses of tan spores on the dead blossoms. Flower infections may spread to both new growth and spurs, causing cankers and shoot death as the fungus spreads into twigs. This is exactly what landscape managers are seeing in the landscape where the flowers become infested, spreading to branches on the tree.

Brown rot is caused by a fungus that over winters on infected plant parts. In the spring during wet weather masses of spores are produced that can infect the blossoms and young shoots. The disease will continue infection cycles during wet periods in the spring.

Spraying fungicide to control this disease it is not really practical in a nursery or landscape situation. It would involve 6 – 8 cover sprays with fungicides starting at bud swell and repeating every 7 -10 days, rotating between classes of fungicides. This just doesn’t seem practical in most nurseries and landscapes Some preventative controls include: lime-sulfur PolySul , Bonide Lime Sulfur 1; chlorothalonil Bravo 2, captan Captan 50W , thiophanate methyl Cleary’s 3336 , and myclobutanil Immunox ®

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London Plane Trees – Anthracnose In the spring of 2013 we had reports of London Plane trees not leafing out at all or leafing out then the foliage 32 • Winter 2013

browning and falling to the ground.

This is tied into the wet spring conditions and disease commonly called Anthracnose. Anthracnose is also referred to as leaf, shoot, or twig blight. Anthracnose results from infection by any of several different fungi, including Apiognomonia errabunda, A. veneta, Discula fraxinea, Glomerella sp., and Gnomonia sp depending on the tree attacked. The fungi affect developing shoots and expanding leaves. Small tan, brown, black, or tarlike spots appear on infected leaves of London Plane trees. Sycamore anthracnose tends to develop brown areas along major leaf veins.

Infections on deciduous plants are more severe in areas where prolonged spring rains, like we experienced in 2013, occurred after new growth was produced.

Anthracnose fungi need water to be disseminated and infect and they do not spread under dry conditions. Hence, we don’t see as much activity in dry spring weather. If moist conditions prevail, a successive generation of spores is produced in the infected parts of new leaves.

Generally when it gets hot new leaves form and the trees leaf out and are fine. It was just alarming to see bare branches early in the season. Unfortunately we had lots of rain in July and early August resulting in leafspot disease to show up on the London plant trees. Later in the season, in September and October, the London plant trees had lots of leafspotting and generally looked rough. In the nursery there really was not much you could do about this unless you were willing to apply fungicide preventatively early and again later in the growing season when we were experiencing wet periods.

There never is a perfect season, but realize frequent rainfall encourages foliar leaf diseases. ❦ David Clement, Extension Specialist in Plant Pathology and Stanton Gill, Extension Specialist, IPM and Entomology for Nursery, Managed Landscapes and Greenhouses, CMREC, University of Maryland Cooperative Extension and Professor with Montgomery College, Landscape Technology Program sgill@umd.edu, clement@umd.edu www.IPMNET.umd.edu

EP HEnry PrEsEnts

the Future of Hardscaping

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EdUcATiOnAl SEMinARS February 10-13, 2014

February 11-12, 2014

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Always up to date information on techniques, regulations and products. Classes are in depth and the instructors are e asy to have a rapport with.”

— Joe V, Pro Ser vices

“I wanted to thank EP Henr y for running another tremendous educational seminar and trade show for the contractors who install their products! My cre w spent three days le arning about ser vicing our customers, the latest in construction techniques, and the gre at ne w products that you have brought to marke t that we can add to our tool belts.”

— Alden Z, Cedar Run Landscapes

“We find MAHTS to be ver y beneficial and informati ve. There are always numerous classes offered covering a wide varie t y of topics. Each ye ar we bring our entire cre w to further their education in the hardscaping field. I recommend that other companies should do the same in order to stay ahe ad of the compe tition.”

“I had a gre at closing ratio this past week (4 for 4), and some of that might just be luck, but I think a lot of it is what I le arned from MAHTS. I wanted to thank you guys over at EP Henr y for what you do to help us contractors. Nobody else is out there doing as much as you are doing to help us.”

— Michael D., DiPalantino Contractors, LLC

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1-800-GO-MAHTS www.mahts.com

Free State • 35

It’s Time

for

Sharing

Mycorrhizae Jerry Faulring

“Mycor” – “rhiza” literally means “fungus” – “root” and defines the mutually beneficial relationship between the plant and root fungus.

These specialized fungi colonize plant roots and extend far into the soil. Mycorrhizal fungal filaments in the soil are truly extensions of root systems and are more effective in nutrient and water absorption than the roots themselves. More than 90 percent of plant species in natural areas form a symbiotic relationship with the beneficial mycorrhizal fungi.

There are major classes of mycorrhizae and many types within the classes. There is voluminous information on the internet and I see no real benefit to confuse the reader by delving into this. It makes my head hurt to try to get through it all and then come away with a recollection of what I read.

Researchers have long known that significant plant benefits exist when mycorrhizae are present in the soil.

However, at least some researchers will state that the more they know the more research is required to truly understand this phenomenal development of nature.

For years I have wanted to ‘do the work’, that is research this topic to determine what we might be missing related to inoculating soils with mycorrhizae fungi when planting liners.

My research indicates that we should be cautious primarily for two reasons: first the production and delivery of live mycorrhizae products is challenging, and second, research shows that consistent, repeatable soil

34 • Winter 2013

inoculation is even more challenging.

Further, efficacy may not be obvious.

Benefits of Mycorrhiza:1 • Enhanced plant efficiency in absorbing water and nutrients from the soil.

• Reducing fertility and irrigation requirements.

• Increased drought resistance • Increased pathogen resistance/ protection.

• Enhancing plant health and vigor, and minimizing stress.

• Enhanced seedling growth.

• Enhanced rooting of cuttings.

• Enhanced plant transplant establishment.

• Improved phytoremediation of petroleum and heavy metal contaminated sites.

Advantages of Mycorrhiza:1 • Produce more stress resistant plants during production

and for landscape.

• Potentially less pesticide usage.

• Plants are more drought and nutrient tolerant in the landscape.

• Potentially higher transplanting success and faster establishment.

• Value added: Marketing landscape plants with greater stress

tolerance.

What we need to know before getting started with mycorrhizae.2 Facts: • Not all plants are mycorrhizal; lists are available on the internet • Most plants will grow and survive without mycorrhizae • If one inoculates plants with mycorrhizae, don’t assume benefit; several other soil conditions may result in robust growth conditions • From the previous fact proof of benefit does not always translate

• If mycorrhizal inoculation is the goal, one must prove successful inoculation occurs before continuing • Once plants become mycorrhizal there is no guarantee they will remain so • Benefits incurred in a production system does not guarantee transfer to the landscape • Changes in environmental and cultural factors can alter mycorrhizal status in the plant • Mycorrhizae success in early plant development may not continue as a plant matures

“

More than 90 percent of plant species in natural areas form a symbiotic relationship with the beneficial mycorrhizal fungi.

”

to all production or landscape situations • The expense of inoculation may exceed the benefits and one should evaluate the use of mycorrhizae just as one would evaluate any other production input • Application of mycorrhizae does not guarantee inoculation which can usually be verified only by microscopic or DNA evaluation

Does this all sound a bit confusing and contradictory? The benefits and advantages cited by Davies would encourage me to jump right in. Yet the facts listed by Scagel and Lindeman cause me to proceed with extreme caution. Most of us are not in a position to prove that we have successfully inoculated the plants. Unlike soil amendments with fertilizer or compost which usually produce near-term visual proof of efficacy, it appears that we may have difficulty assuring success with mycorrhizal inoculation.

It is not my intention to discourage the use of mycorrhizae. For me, based on the facts, I would be very cautious before spending money for product and labor to achieve a potentially elusive, verifiable benefit.

I would be pleased to hear from anyone who believes they have seen provable benefit. ❦ References: 1. Dr. Fred Davies, Texas A&M University 2. Carolyn Scagel and Robert Linderman, USDA-ARS Horticultural Crops Laboratory, Corvalis, Oregon Jerry Faulring Waverly Farm

Free State • 35

MANTS® has perfected the Fine Art of doing business That’s why we are known as The Masterpiece of Trade Shows™

MANTS has perfected the art of bringing exhibitors and attendees together to buy, sell and share information on the latest plants, products and services. · Conveniently located, modern facility · Over 975 exhibitors, in over 1,500 booths · Ideal timing – after the holidays, before the spring rush · Just business, all business · Our 44th consecutive year · Unlimited Inner Harbor attractions to enjoy after the Show ends 36 • Winter 2013

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

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

@mantsbaltimore #mants

Free State • 37

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.mnlaonline.org

Cultivate your business with a Certified Professional Horticulturist 42 • Winter 2013

Directory of Advertisers Firm Name

Maryland Nursery and Landscape Association, Inc.

Angelica Nurseries, Inc.

Outside Back Cover

Arbor Valley Tree Service Babikow Greenhouses

Mission Statement The purpose of the Maryland Nursery and Landscape 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 Promote professionalism through education programs for members and the public and by encouraging enrollment in educational institutions.

Page

10 Inside Front Cover

Braun Horticulture

12

Cam Too Camellia Nursery

26

Cavano's Perennials

12

Chesapeake Green Symposium

27

CPH

25

Eco Depot

26

EP Henry / MAHTS

33

Foxborough Nursery

Inside Back Cover

Genesis Turf Gras

12

Gregory J. Cannizzaro Design

29

Hanover Farms

37

Hawksridge Farm

7

Holder Farms

31

Monitor state and local laws relating to horticulture industry.

Holly Hill Farms

24

MANTS

36

Participate actively in legislative and regulatory processes.

MD Ag Ed Foundation

29

MNLA On-Line

28

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

North Carolina Nurseries /NCNLA

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.

8

OHP

19

Pender Nursery

11

Sitelight ld

37

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

Visit the redesigned association website at: www.mnlaonline.org.

E-mail Free State News at freestatenews@comcast.net.

Free State • 39

Chairman & Committees Education

Dave Clement Stanton Gill Hank Doong Mary Kay Malinoski Tina Paul Ginny Rosenkranz Greg Stacho Nominating

Mark Dougherty – Chair Richard J. Watson Finance and Planning

John Marshall – Chair John C. Akehurst Garet Bunting Larry Hemming Ed Snodgrass

Interiorscape

John Akehurst - Chair Stanton Gill Scott Harwerth Suzanne Klick CPH

George Mayo – Chair Steve Black Nick Graves Dr.Andrew Ristvey Bob Trumbule Gaye Williams Scholarship

Mark Dougherty – Chair

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

MANTS

Economic Survey

Link/Shanks Scholarship

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 Signe Hanson Alan Jones Bernard E. Kohl, Jr.

40 • Winter 2013

Steve Black Bernie Kohl George Mayo Brent Rutley Dr. John Lea Cox

Advisors to the Board Richard Bean MD Department of Agriculture Dr. John Lea-Cox University of Maryland Signe Hanson Independent Horticultural Consultant

Advisors to Others ANLA John Rausch LEAD Maryland Vanessa Finney Maryland Agriculture Commission Karl Fischer Marion Mullan Maryland Farm Bureau Larry Hemming MAEF Hank Doong MGGA Tina Paul 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 Mike Hemming Jason Pippen

Every member of every committee listed above is an individual who volunteers their time in support for the MNLA 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 consider following the example of those who are.