Free state winter 2016 web

Free State

Winter 2016 Vol. XLIII No. 3

NURSERY, LANDSCAPE AND GREENHOUSE NEWS

Remote Wireless

IRRIGATION

Tour West of the Lakes Garden

Hydrangeas to Color the Garden from Spring to Fall Controlling Ambrosia Beetle in Nurseries Highlights from: • Herbaceous Perennials Diagnostic Training and • Biological Control Conference

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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 Quercus Management 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 • Winter 2016

It’s fall on the farm. No slowing down for winter here. We went from the hot, hazy days of summer right into the craziness of fall digging, shipping, and transplanting. Zero to sixty in seven days.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature is not watching the calendar! We haven’t had a real rain event in more than a month.

We have a great drip irrigation system. It’s perfect for optimal delivery of water to growing trees—just what they need, just when Steve Black they need it. However, it is not set up to drench trees prior to digging. The precise little wet spot from the drip emitter does nothing for the digging machine or the integrity of the root ball. A cloud of dust is not a good thing to see when you’re digging B&B trees.

As a result of the drought we have seasoned, we’ve valuable personnel dragging drip tube all over creation. They’re opening and closing ‘automated’ control valves by hand because the fancy sensor-driven computer-managed system isn’t designed to purposely overwater. It is all grossly inefficient.

We can’t fix the drought. We can’t complain to Mother Nature, plead with, or sweet talk her. Somebody just goes out to the valve box, pushes the hundreds of dollars worth of special wiring and hardware out of the way, and opens the valve by hand.

Adjusting to things you can’t control is a really important life skill. If you’re in the green industry, it’s a requirement. This is clearly true for weather, but there are other complicating factors we must all face. Pests and politics fall into the same category.

You do your best to make good decisions, monitor events, and stay out in front of problems, but in the end you might just have to accept the new situation and react accordingly.

For a good bit of the late summer and fall I was preoccupied with Boxwood Blight. Despite not growing ANY boxwood at Raemelton, I filled my reading time with resistant cultivars, sanitation protocols, transmission vectors, and, of course, government regulations. New diseases and invasive bugs usually (hopefully) come with some kind of treatment. Something you can spray or a cultural change that will put you back in charge of the situation. It’s just a matter of figuring out that control technique. Government imposed quarantines are an entirely different animal.

When Pennsylvania imposed their import quarantine on Buxus sp. there was nothing MNLGA could do. The ‘M’ in our name means that the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture could not care less about our views. MNLGA was left with purely reactive options. We educated the membership on the quarantine. We urgently worked through phyto-sanitary certification and grower compliance agreement options with Maryland Department of Agriculture (Who do care about us!). And we began investigating longer term, more sustainable Maryland approaches to the Boxwood Blight issue.

MNLGA can’t make the world perfect. We have to pick and choose our battles. With the involvement of our members and other supportive champions of the Maryland green industry your association will continue to work for the benefit of our industry.

We’ll be proactive when we can and reactive when we must. ❦

Steve Black Raemelton Farm, 240-416-0714

28

Contents

48

6 Features

Departments

2 From the President 6 This Business of Ours – Mike Hemming 2 Association Officers

22

4 Director's Message 12 Case Study Controlling Ambrosia Beetle In 4 MNLGA Board of Directors Nurseries

20 Total Plant Management – Stanton Gill

11 Industry News— Akehurst 140th Anniversary 22 Community Service

24 Growing Forward – Lesile Hunter Cario

34 Calendar of Events

28 Featured Member Valley View Farms

46 Scholarship

44 CPH 51 New Members

20

32 Herbaceous Perennials 52 Press Releases Diagnostic Training 54 Affinity Programs 36 Biological Control Conference

57 MNLGA Mission Statement

38 Growing with Education – Ginny Rosenkranz

57 Directory of Advertisers 58 MNLGA Chairs and Committees

48 It’s Time for Sharing – Jerry Faulring

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

Design: Gregory J. Cannizzaro Graphic Design (contact information page 45) © 2016 Maryland Nursery, Landscape, and Greenhouse Association, Inc.

38

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

This time of year, as the leaves turn, fall, and frosty air rolls in I take some time to reflect on the past and imagine what the future holds in the way of progress and success. It’s easy, tempting, and I guess natural to be hopeful for a brighter future.

2016 has been a good year. We had a pretty significant health scare with our son, Scott, and I thank you all for your thoughts and prayers during his illness. I am very happy to say he’s been healthy Vanessa Finney since the spring and we are optimistic going forward.

I’ve been working with MNLA/MNLGA and MANTS now for 15 years and MANTS 2017 will be my 16th. Rarely a day goes by that I don’t miss my father and it still gives me a somewhat dizzy, heady feeling to realize I’m working as best I can to follow in his footsteps.

I’m grateful and happy to be able to work alongside of my husband, Kelly. He keeps the day-to-day routine interesting with his quirky wit and humor. From time-to-time, we bring our children into the work picture, too, just as our parents did before us. I hope the two college-aged children will be able to help a little bit with MANTS this year.

On the business side of things, MNLGA has had, I believe, a very productive year.

We’ve tackled or are in the process of managing a few significant issues – neonics, invasive plants and bugs, Boxwood Blight –management and export protocols, competition with government entities, etc.

On the educational front, I think MNLGA hosted more seminars and workshops in 2016 than I can ever recall doing in one year. Many of our events are held in conjunction/co-sponsored with University of Maryland Extension. We owe a big thank you to a whole team of folks from UM, including Stanton Gill, Chuck Schuster, Paula Shrewsbury, Karen Rane, Ginny Rosenkranz, Dave Clement, Mary Kay Malinoski, Andrew Ristvey, John Lea-Cox, and Rebecca Waterworth.

I also need to thank the MNLGA board and our active committees. We’ve a very engaged board that is dedicated and working hard to address issues of concern to your businesses. Relationships with key partners, MDA, DNR, MDE, UMD, etc. are developed and strengthened every day through various members and the MNLGA office.

The CPH and Education committees have met regularly this year, recruiting new members and truly advancing their work and purpose. Please take a moment to review the list of committee members, on the back pages of this issue. If you’d like to join one, we’d love to have you – just let me know.

I look forward to seeing most of you at MANTS, January 11 to 13 in Baltimore and then again on February 23 and 24 at Chessie Green. We are in a new venue this year, the BWI Hilton, just down the road from our prior venue. Look for registration for this event to open soon. ❦ Happy New Year!

Vanessa A. Finney Executive Director, MNLGA None of us got to where we are alone. Whether the assistance we received was obvious or subtle, acknowledging someone's help is a big part of understanding the importance of saying thank you.

—Harvey Mackay

4 • Winter 2016

Free State • 5

This Business of Ours

Mike Hemming

W

Submarine Reunion to West of the Lake Gardens in Michigan

ell, by the time you read this the election, for better or worse, will be over; Thank God! All I’ll say is what a sad state of affairs that we have to choose between these 4 out of 300 million people.

I have noticed all of the solar arrays that are being put up in the area. We sold screening plants for one; it was a nice order. A boundary planting around six acres needs a lot of plants spaced 10 or 12 feet apart. So there is some

business there for us. Also the areas will have to be maintained vegetation wise. So there is some future business for landscape and maintenance companies. Find a need and fill it.

In July Flo and I traveled to Manitowoc, Wisconsin for a submarine reunion. Why Wisconsin? Well they built some excellent submarines there during WW2. Once finished enough to travel, they were towed to Chicago then down the Mississippi River

to New Orleans where they were completed and sent off to fight the Japanese. Twenty-eight were built, under budget and under contract time. Twenty-five saw action and 4 were lost in enemy action with 337 crewmen paying the ultimate price.

The whole story of a shipyard owner and his then and future employees, that didn’t even know what a submarine really looked like and how to build one, is too long to recount here. But it is sufficient to say sub sailors from WW2 to my

“ time in the late 60’s talk with pride about the boats built there.

As always when Flo and I travel, we look for gardens that will interest us. This time we found West of the Lake Gardens on the shore of Lake Michigan. Started

by Mrs. Ruth West in 1934, she and her gardener removed weeds and hand spaded all 6 acres!

Seventy Colorado Blue Spruce were then planted to develop a north and west wind break, which is still there today. The garden was designed by Mr. West. With the initial purchase of 200 tulips the garden was started. By the 1950’s more than 30,000 tulips had been planted, filling gracefully sweeping beds among perennials beds.

Thus began a 30 year tradition of opening the gardens to the public to the annual West Of The Lake Tea. As the tulips faded they were lifted and replaced with geraniums and fibrous begonias.

In the 1960’s, areas dedicated to tulips were replaced with additional perennials until a mere 13,000 remained. By 1967 all the

tulips were removed. After that roses were added to the beds to become the dominate flowers among the other perennials. At the peak, over 800 roses filled 900 feet of beds. Today 200 new roses are planted each spring along with 18,000 annuals. While last year’s roses survive they are removed because they are too slow to recover from the winters there. So the garden is at its best from May to October. (continued on next page)

As always when Flo and I travel, we look for gardens that will interest us. This time we found West of the Lake Gardens on the shore of Lake Michigan. Started

by Mrs. Ruth West in 1934.

”

Free State • 7

(continued from page 7)

In the 1970’s and 80’s, Japanese style gardens were added for more interest and simple beauty. On the front lawn I noticed two of the largest Japanese Tree Lilacs I’ve even seen.

Mr. West passed in 1989 followed by Ruth in 1990 but the house and its beautiful gardens were left to the people to visit and enjoy its beauty for free.

I talked to one of the employees and she said she worked there every year from April to November.

I could tell she loved working

8 • Winter 2016

there. The rest of the time she was a registered nurse at the local hospital.

There are a total of 10 different gardens, all beautiful and well cared for. To Flo’s delight there was a lovely Hosta and Fern bed in what is called the Woods Garden.

It also had groupings of Astilbe, Hosta and Japanese Painted Ferns.

The Japanese Garden is located between the two greenhouses.

The mood here is set with sounds of water and intricate patterns of stone and unique conifers. The original greenhouses now contain Mrs. West’s cacti and succulent collection.

The Sunken Garden is a sitting area with a view across the lawn and main gardens. Plantings of annuals frame a sunken pool.

The Pond Garden was constructed in 2008; water is circulated by pumps so bog plants can feed off the nutrients in the water. The Pond Garden plantings consist of deciduous shrubs, dwarf evergreens, hosta, ferns and perennial ground covers.

The Rose Garden is planted with Hybrid Tea, Floribunda and

Grandiflora roses that are accented by annuals displayed around a kite shaped pool.

The Path Garden was Mrs. West’s first attempt at gardening.

It was planted with 200 tulips in 1934. Today it features “Queen Elizabeth” grandiflora roses and a mix of pinks and blues.

The Mae West Garden is around the “Proud Bird” sculpture by Milton Gardener. This garden got its name for the bold, hot colors and curvaceous form. Did you know that Mae West, the actress, had in her contracts that she was the only person in a scene that could wear black and white clothing? She knew that would always make her the dominate presence in a scene.

The Formal Garden is a setting of intricate crushed stone and flowering annuals surrounded by pots of succulents and Italian sculpture.

The Loop Garden is spring plantings of daffodils and hyacinths which give way to hosta, daylilies and a formal border of annuals for the summer.

It is a beautiful garden and the day we were there was a perfect lake shore summer day. If you are ever in that area it is a place well worth visiting for an hour or two.

The Manitowoc Maritime Museum is also a fine place to visit and learn of Great Lakes maritime history and to learn more about the somewhat surprising building of submarines there. ❦ Mike Hemming Eastern Shore Nurseries 410-882-1520

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

www.cavanos.com • 410-592-8077

Industry News

Akehurst Landscape Service Holds Celebration to Mark 140th Anniversary Joppa, MD—September 20, 2016 To honor 140 years of family ownership and experience, Akehurst Landscape Service held an Anniversary Open House Celebration on Saturday at the premier waterfront venue, Water’s Edge, in Belcamp, MD. The nearly century-and-a-half long history of company began with Charles A. Akehurst, an English immigrant who moved to the the Baltimore area at the age of ten. Charles worked in farming until he started a landscaping company in Perry Hall in 1876.

Since then, six generations of the Akehurst family have owned and operated the company and meeting the landscaping needs of commercial and residential clients of Central Maryland. In recent years, their services have grown to include landscape management, interior plantscaping and snow and ice removal.

“It is because of you (Akehurst team) that we have spent the time to provide our customers with quality service, expertise and value that made this company what it is today,” said President and CEO John Akehurst. “Because of (this team), our client retention rate stands at 95% plus and allows us to continue to grow our market share. We’re proud to be a part of this community, and look forward to continuing to serve the needs of those who live and work here.”

John Akehurst addresses the gathering.

Local officials were on hand as well to take part in the festivities, including Harford County Executive Barry Glassman. “Akehurst has been a blessing not only to Harford County but to the State of Maryland,” said Glassman. “When you think about the many men and women who have jobs and the all of the production you contribute.” ❦

Harford County Executive Barry Glassman congratulates Akehurst.

Free State • 11

Industry News

Controlling Ambrosia Beetle in Nurseries

H

ave you noticed weeping holes in your Styrax?

How about funny white toothpicks of sawdust sticking out of your Yellowwoods? Two nonnative invasive Ambrosia Beetle species are causing significant losses in Nursery fields. The two beetles are hard to control with conventional chemical sprays but there are techniques you can use to stack the deck in your favor.

Entomologist don’t have complete understanding of the worst two Ambrosia Beetles Xylosandrus germanus and Xylosandrus crassiusculus yet.

While research continues enough is known about the beetle’s life cycle and behavior to begin developing an integrated strategy for managing them.

Ambrosia Beetles are a particular problem in nurseries because of the wide range of trees they attack: Dogwoods, Yellowoods, Styrax, Magnolia, Sugar Maples, Planetrees, Redbuds, Zelkova, Elm, Beech, and others. The beetle attacks “apparently” healthy trees and it can seem initially like there is no pattern to their choices.

Research however has shown that the beetles are attracted to alcohol produced in the tree when its roots are too wet for too long. Keeping Ambrosia Beetle host trees in well drained areas is an obvious first step. The beetle’s ability to ‘hunt’ for alcohol is also the key to trapping them.

Preventative trunk sprays with 12 • Wnter 2016

A baited bolt hanging next to a Koelreuteria. Beetle attacks are circled. The bolt was hit more than 30 times with no damage to the nearby crop trees. (Photo: Steve Black/ Raemelton Farm)

broad-spectrum pesticides have shown some effectiveness but it is far from perfect. Perfect coverage of bark is difficult. Because the beetles don’t eat the wood they tunnel into, pesticides are only active as long as they maintain ‘contact’ effectiveness. The beetles will attack major scaffold branches well into the crown. And of course, the most effective pesticides are broad spectrum and will kill anything with six legs—good and bad.

Because pesticides are not a silver bullet solution we have tried to develop a broader integrated strategy for addressing Ambrosia Beetle. Our approach focuses on reducing beetle populations on the farm and giving the beetles that are here, or fly in, an alternate target. While we have moved

away from reliance on pesticides for Ambrosia Beetle management all of our other techniques can supplement a chemical program.

Population reduction starts with proper handling of trees that do get hit. Once trees are attacked and the beetles are fully into their galleries the plant will likely never be sellable. Rather than immediately removing the tree we leave it in place to act as a trap for other beetles looking for a home.

At this point the only value of the tree is to act as a beetle magnet.

We record the location of the tree and set a calendar reminder for 45 days. Ambrosia Beetles take about 55 days to mature so this allows us to remove the trees before the next generation emerges.

Trees that have active Ambrosia Beetle infestation must be

removed from the production fields and destroyed. Because the beetle has a flight range of more than a kilometer, infested trees must be destroyed (burn or chip) or removed from the farm. It is not enough to pile the dead trees at the end of the row!

We also try to use the beetle’s own hunting ability against it.

Research has shown that the beetles are attracted to alcohol and are highly accurate in their hunt for host trees. So we give them “trees” to attack. We hang bolts baited with alcohol along the down wind perimeter of the farm (they hunt into the wind), in areas where we have historically had beetle activity, and in new plantings of highly susceptible hosts.

Research entomologists have used a number of trap designs for monitoring ambrosia beetles. For our purposes a baited wood bolt is the most cost effective design. We can easily produce a large number of them on-farm. They are easy to deploy and manage. And because they are cheap throwing them away causes no heartache.

found it’s best to use a recently cut tree. Choose an unsellable tree or a tree in the landscape with mechanical injuries. This way it’s not a complete loss and a form of recycling.

Any tree susceptible to Ambrosia Beetle damage will work, but Maples tend to be an easy source.

Additionally they are pretty consistent in shape and have smooth bark. We try to use only the portion of trunk that remains relatively constant in diameter.

Usually this is a few inches from the ground until first limbs. Discard everything else. We like to use 2”-2.5” diameter trunks.

Preparing the wood is easiest if you, or your friend, have a chop box saw and drill press. If not, a chainsaw will do fine along with a drill and vise. Mark and cut 10” sections of wood. Somewhere between 3-5 bolts per tree is normal. These 10” slices then need to have a hole drilled in at one end. Hole size and depth is largely

dependent on how often you want to refill bolts. We opt for a deeper and larger hole, about a ½ “ wide and 6” deep. When marking your 10” pieces, try to avoid areas on the trunk where large knots or mechanical injury have occurred.

The beetles will drill into those knots and you may have a difficult time recognizing the difference between insect damage and previous cracks and holes.

Bee’s wax and corks are easily found at craft stores. Slowly melt the bee’s wax and dip bolt about 1” into wax. After the wax cools slightly, repeat 1 to 2 times. This seal ensures no alcohol will drip from bottom, rather it will emit though the wood. Make sure this is the opposite side as the drilled hole. Once wax has completely dried, turn upright, and put screw eyes in on side with drilled hole.

When inserting screw eyes, it helps to make a pilot hole with drill then place screw eyes. Otherwise, your (continued on page 14)

Making Trap Bolts Materials needed depend somewhat on what you have freely available, but a general list includes: Host species tree trunk(s), bee’s wax, screw eyes, corks, zip ties, and grain alcohol.

Additionally, you’ll need access to a chainsaw and something to drill holes in the bolts.

Although using a previously culled tree from the burn pile or making bolts in advance might sound like a good idea, we have

An Ambrosia Beetle Trap Bolt hanging on a Styrax obassia at Raemelton Farm.

(Photo: Melissa Harmel/Raemelton Farm) Free State • 13

(continued from page 13)

poor thumbs will suffer and the wood can crack.

The bolts should be placed in known sites of previous beetle attacks and/or, for preventative measures, in sites where attack is probable, like recently transplanted host species. As far as precise placement goes, there are still plenty of unknowns. We have not yet determined an effective radius for the bolts. Nor do we know how far out the beetles detect the traps. We do know setting up a perimeter, as the first line of defense; along with bolts in each ‘danger zone’ help reduce the problem. For reference we are now placing about 1 bolt per acre in areas of concern and 1 bolt every 300’-400’ along the perimeter. Research has found that traps placed about 3’ above the ground are most effective.

Hang the bolt directly from the lowest limb on possible ‘target’ trees. Ambrosia Beetles seem to have a highly targeted hunting ability. You can hang your trap just inches away from a host tree, and as long as Ambrosia Beetles have not previously attacked it, we have found the beetles will not touch your crop.

Lastly, don’t forget these beetles like to party! The harder the liquor the more attracted they are to the trap bolts. Find the highest concentration grain alcohol from the local liquor store (we use Everclear at 189 proof — 94.5% alcohol!). Fill the bolts 2-3 times per week thorough beetle season.

If you let the party stop, the party moves into your trees. Don’t hang a trap and forget about it; it’s a 14 • Winter 2016

Close up of an alcohol baited wood bolt.

Attack holes of various ages are circled.

The start of a frass tube from a new attack is un-circled in the middle of the picture. (Photo: Steve Black/Raemelton Farm)

good idea to record your bolt locations!

As you monitor and refill your bolts it is helpful to mark the hits on the bolt as you see them. We circle them with a Sharpie. This will help you gauge the timing and level of beetle activity. It is also important to record the date of

first attack, either on the bolt or on your smart phone. 45 days after the first beetle enters the bolt we make a point of disposing of the traps.

We don’t know if the beetles will complete their life cycle in the bolt, but we don’t want to find out the hard way. If beetle activity is still high you can replace the expired bolt with a new one. We usually replace any bolts that show a large number of attacks. Its important to note that there are many borers that may attack your bolts. Not every hole will be from the invasive non-native Ambrosia Beetles. But if you see frass toothpicks it’s a pretty good sign your traps are working.

We are just starting to learn how to control Ambrosia Beetle.

The baited bolts we use have significantly reduced Ambrosia Beetle damage at Raemelton Farm. Some years we have none.

The bolts would also make a great addition to a pesticide based control program (Hang the bolts after you spray). On farms with significant beetle pressure the trapping strategy will probably not provide a perfect solution. But every beetle that attacks a baited wood bolt is a beetle that is not drilling into your crop! ❦ We are not entomologists!

For more information written by experts see: goo.gl.Fp3MER goo.gl.76TLEW goo.gl.bTCjVC goo.gl.hI6nGr Steve Black and Melissa Harmel Raemelton Farm Adamstown, MD

BASEBALL GAMES 2016 This year the MNLGA, MAA (Maryland Arborist Association), and MFA (Maryland Forests Association) decided to all get together and head to the ball park!

Rather than hosting one large outing at Camden Yards the groups decided to offer two smaller minor league games in different parts of the state to accommodate our regional members.

The groups decided to go out to the Aberdeen Ironbirds Stadium and the Frederick Keys Stadium in July.

We had two perfect July nights to head out to the ball game! Attendees enjoyed food before the game and had the opportunity to network with their association peers from across the green industry.

We would like to thank everyone that came out and spent some time at the ball park with us this past summer! We look forward to planning another social outing for 2017 – and hope to see you all there.

Batter up! ❦

Above: Major League Peer Networking and Minor Leage Baseball Right: The Ironbirds have something for everyone Lower left: Catching up Between Innings Lower right: A Beautiful Night for Baseball!

Free State • 15

C

Congratulations Farm Credit Turns 100!

The Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association would like to extend sincere congratulations to our friends and partners in Maryland Horticulture, Farm Credit, for 100 years of serving our industry.

Farm Credit has 100 years of lending experience and dedication for the agriculture community – we thank them for theirsupport over the years, and look forward to the next 100 years!

No control over nature.

Total control over managing your risk.

While the chances of a natural disaster are small, if one does happen it can devastate your nursery operation.

Having a risk management plan in effect starts with a Multi-Peril Nursery Crop Insurance policy. These policies provide protection for commodities at the nursery against revenue losses from adverse weather conditions. With additional buy-up coverages you can protect your most valuable Contact our agents today to learn more. plants, or provide additional protection with the peak inventory, rehabilitation, and pilot nursery grower’s price endorsements. So talk to one of our knowable agents about how we can help you put together a risk management plan and gain a little more control.

Tom Weller Josh Sojda Sam Steele (804) 514-9915 Tom@wellerins.com

(804) 357-1391 Josh@wellerins.com

(302) 752-6134 Sam@wellerins.com

This material is for informational purposes only. All statements herein are subject to provisions, exclusions and conditions of the applicable policy. For an actual description of all coverages, terms and conditions, refer to the insurance policy.

Coverages are subject to individual insureds meeting our underwriting qualifications and state availability. © 2016

By Weller & Associates, Inc.

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www.agtagmd.com Educating Youth about Agriculture 18 • Winter 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 Free State • 19

Total Plant Management

Lecanium Scale Up in 2016 Stanton Gill

2016 had a record-high extended wet spring and a record number of days above 95 F (53). Oh, and yes, record lecanium scale populations.

The scale, in a family of scale insects called soft scale- Coccidae, feed on the sap of a variety of trees including maple, oak, and many others. Heavy populations of lecanium scale last occurred in Maryland and Virginia in 20112014.

The signs of scale infestation are evident before you or your customer sees the insect itself.

Most noticeable is the sticky, wet substance on the understory plants.

This material, known as honeydew, is excess fluid that is excreted in copious amounts as the insects feed. Understory leaves and other surfaces may be lightly speckled with the shiny drops of honeydew, or they may be heavily coated with the sugary secretion and appear as if covered with shellac.

Ants, wasps and bees are attracted to the honeydew, and sooty mold fungus sometimes grows on this substrate, blackening the foliage, twigs, and bark, along with cars and other objects beneath scale-infested trees. With the abundant rain periods from March through the end of July sooty mold flourished. Dieback of 20 • Winter 2016

twigs and branches and premature leaf drop may result as heavilyinfested trees compete with scale insects for necessary moisture.

Lecanium scales can vary in size and color but are generally oval in shape. The overwintering form is on twigs and trunks of trees and tends to be small and blend in with the color of the bark, making detection difficult in winter and early spring. Females molt several times before reaching adulthood.

With each molt, the female’s body grows bigger, while her legs and antennae become proportionately smaller. By the time of the second molt, the female scale, with her hardened, brownish, hemispherical body, is incapable of moving from the spot on which she has become fixed. Male scales are delicate, flat and nearly transparent.

The female scales spend the winter in a semi-mature state on the twigs of last year’s growth.

Since they are flattened in profile it is difficult to see them unless you are looking with a 10 – 20 X magnifier. They mature in spring and lay eggs beneath their sedentary bodies. Eggs hatch, depending on how cold it has been in spring, from mid-June to July and the small, young, yellow “crawlers” migrate to the leaves

and settle on the undersides along the midrib and veins. In late summer, crawlers migrate back to the twigs and settle there for the winter.

Control Options Normally, scale populations are kept in check by environmental factors and natural enemies such as parasites and predators. In 2016, for some reason the parasite activity was not strong enough to keep this soft scale in check.

However, when populations are heavy on specimen trees, pesticides can be applied. For the crawler (mobile) stage, which is on leaves from mid-to-late summer, several organophosphate, carbamate and pyrethroid insecticides can provide effective control. Unfortunately these all kill many predators and parasites of the soft scale. A better (usually more expensive control) is to use insect growth regulators. There are two on the market – Talus and Distance. This prevents the scale from developing into the next life stage, resulting in death.

Impact on predators and parasites is greatly reduced over use of broader spectrum pesticides. With applications aimed at the crawler stage, timing is critical. A good

time to treat would be during the month of July when crawlers are sure to be on leaf surfaces. In early spring before leaves appear, dormant oil sprays can be applied to the overwintering scales to suffocate them. For systemic control, a pesticide that contains dinotefuran (Xytect and Safari) can be mixed with water and poured around the base of the tree, sprayed on the basal trunk of the tree or injected into the cambium for larger trees. Best timing is in spring, after a plant has flowered to avoid having pollinators pick up the pesticide in the flowers, when uptake is optimal and crawlers have not yet hatched. ❦ 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

Lecanium Female Covers on Zelcova

Contact information: sgill@umd.edu, 301-596-9143

“

The scale, in a family of scale insects called soft scale- Coccidae, feed on the sap of a variety of trees including maple, oak, and many others.

Lecanium crawlers on Zelcova Trunk

Lecanium on English Oak Free State • 21

Community Service Giving Back – One Project at a Time

Frederick Douglass High School Volunteer Project As many of you know the MNLGA works to give back through a community project each year. We have been involved in various projects including Habitat for Humanity, a clean-up and redesign of the MDA grounds, and the most recent project, at Frederick Douglass High School.

This year’s project was led by MNLGA Past President, Brent Rutley and his crew at Capitol. In planning for several months, this year’s project came to fruition on August 23rd and 24th. Earlier in the year, the MNLGA had responded to the request and commitment of MDA Secretary Joe Bartenfelder to helping Frederick Douglass High School establish a garden, including raised beds and ultimately hoop houses, to support the agriculture education now offered at the school. Part of the MNLGA mission and specific goals include supporting plant products and services to state and community programs – and this project was absolutely perfect!

The school was beginning to get more and more involved with agriculture at the lead of two outstanding teachers, Amanda Briody and Christopher Jennings.

What started out as open ground with a few raised garden beds was transformed in two days to an

exceptional space with hoop houses and various other resources that will continue to grow agriculture education.

Over two days many students came out to help with this transformation, and were even taught how to operate some of the equipment, which was a huge hit!

It was an enriching experience to see how much this meant to the kids in these programs, and how valuable it was to bring more agricultural resources to the city school district.

The MNLGA would like to extend thanks to all of the donors below, as well as Brent Rutley and his crew, and MAEF for providing support through this process. Many of the donors below supplied the materials for the project as well as their time and labor.

Capitol LLC Michael Norton/ Norton Landscape Design Bluegrass Quarries (Cockeysville Quarry) Level Landscape Ernest Maier/ Standard Supplies Schwartz and Sons John Wilson Lumber Maryland Plants and Supplies

Secretary of Agriculture, Joe Bartenfelder, right, and Douglass High Principal, Kevin Bridgers with horticulture students and teachers, officially open the project.

22 • Winter 2016

There was an official ribbon cutting ceremony with Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford as well as Secretary of Agriculture Joe Bartenfelder on September 15, 2016.

Educators, farmers, and federal, state, and local officials and Moving stone into place students joined in the ribbon cutting ceremony on the new grounds that now feature hoop houses and raised garden beds. We are thankful to have been a part of this venture – and look forward to our future in giving back to our local communities.

Please enjoy the pictures from this great project as well as a thank you from teacher, Amanda Briody.

“Words cannot express the joy that filled my heart on Wednesday afternoon and throughout the two days of work to see the transformation that occurred over a 48 hour time period! Chris and I are so excited for the future projects and adventures we will be able to go on with our students in the world of gardening and urban agriculture.” – Amanda Briody, Frederick Douglass High School ❦ Chelsea Bailey MNLGA

A student assists with irrigation

▲ Before

▼ After

Students of all ages help out

Capitol crew secures the hoop house base

Secretary of Agriculture, Joe Bartenfelder with students Free State • 23

Growing Forward

Leslie Hunter Cario

A

Revisiting Nutrient Management in Maryland Nurseries and Greenhouses

lthough some updates to nutrient management regulations are currently pending at the state level, the good news for Maryland nursery and greenhouse operators is that regulations pertaining to their operations remain essentially the same. Since the inception of Maryland’s Water Quality Improvement Act of 1998, there have been very few changes overall to nursery and greenhouse nutrient management regulations, so you might be asking yourself why it is important to keep this issue on your radar screen.

Sassafras River

24 • Winter 2016

THE PLAN: Most Maryland nursery and greenhouse operations assembled nutrient management plans back in 2001 when they first became a requirement. Countless nurseries have practiced nutrient management for much longer; however Maryland’s regulations have set requirements for plan content and record-keeping. If you are just starting up a new nursery, and your operation will gross more than $2,500 per year, you’ll need to get certified as an operator or find a licensed consultant to write up your plan.

Nutrient management plans may sit on shelves for a season or even years at a time due to the fast-paced nature of this business.

Small changes to growing areas or production practices may take place from year to year, but over the long run these can add up to big variation from the original plan. For an out-of-ground nursery, changes to the total growing area (> _ 20% or 5 acres, whichever is less) mean that it’s time to update the plan. For field nurseries, changes to the total growing area (> _ 10% or 30 acres, whichever is less) necessitate an update. For both

Water Test Annual Implementation Reoprt

types of operations, any substantial changes to production plans or methods also indicate that an update is needed. For example, changes include adding a crop with different fertilizer needs or switching from organic amendments to chemical nutrients. Keeping up with those changes and maintaining a current plan on file is important in the long run.

Soil Test

Field Plants

THE RECORDS: Even with an up-to-date plan in place, it is possible to lose track of time when it comes to recordkeeping. For field nurseries, soils need to be sampled at least every three years, and in cases where organic matter is incorporated, amendments must be sampled at least every two years. For out-ofground production, the frequency

of water sampling (including pour-through samples and runoff samples) is determined by the site’s environmental risk assessment as outlined in your nutrient management plan. At a minimum, sampling needs to take place twice per production cycle, and at a maximum, monthly throughout the growing season.

Documenting nutrient use is another important component of maintaining nutrient management records. The exact format for documenting nutrient use will vary by how each operation is setup, but the common factors include tracking for each management unit/location the timing, rate, Water Sampling

quantity, type, and analysis of nutrients. Sample forms for nutrient and organics applications can be found on the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) Agricultural Nutrient Management website under “Resources and Forms.” Receipts for all fertilizer purchases need to be kept on file. Instead of rummaging back through accounts payable files when these receipts are needed, consider making a copy right when it arrives of any receipt or invoice that includes fertilizer and filing with your nutrient management plan documents.

REPORTING: Field nurseries with an average Fertility Index Value (FIV) of 150 or more need to show the original Phosphorus Site Index (PSI) and the newer Phosphorus Management Tool (PMT) in their plans.

Consultants were recently asked

by MDA to send in aggregate soil information from these operations for MDA’s one-time PMT Tool Tier (continued on page 26) Free State • 25

(continued from page 25)

Group survey. MDA will follow up directly with any nurseries with an FIV of 150+ from which they did not receive soil test results from consultants.

The only regularly occurring reporting requirement, and one which all nurserymen would be familiar with at this point, is the Annual Implementation Report (AIR) due March 1st of every year. This report collects basic information about the size and type of operation, along with pounds of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium used over the previous calendar year. This is where keeping a good record of nutrients applied, along with all receipts, will help to minimize your headache when filling out the AIR. The AIR is meant to provide a clear picture of agricultural nutrient use, and has demonstrated that the industry is comprised of responsible land stewards.

Rest assured, the soil test results and AIRs are considered by the MDA as protected information, along with all nutrient management plans.

COMPLIANCE: In case you’re wondering about your chances of having a visit from one of the MDA Nutrient Management staff, site visits are randomly selected from ALL agricultural operations within each Nutrient Management Region (unless someone has filed a complaint.)

The MDA staff provides 48 hours or more notice to the operator, and conducts the visit with the purpose of educating and ensuring the operation is in compliance.

If you are not certified as an operator, and apply nutrients to 26 • Winter 2016

Container Plants

10 or more acres, you are required to maintain a nutrient applicator voucher. This means that you attend a two hour training, with many options from which to choose, every three years. Don’t let this recertification requirement get lost in the shuffle. Some nurserymen attend Chesapeake Green every year, and sit in on the nutrient management sessions, just to make sure their vouchers do not lapse. If you do find yourself down to the last minute in need of training, the University of Maryland Extension offers webinars that you can view online at any time.

While it’s important to have a nutrient management plan in place, it is equally important to work with your consultant to look at how your nursery is Slow Release Fertilizer

operating as a whole and ensure that the Best Management Practices (BMPs) outlined in the plan are actually being implemented. For example, careful application of slow release fertilizer to container plants minimizes nutrient leaching from containers and wash of nutrient prills on impervious surfaces.

Recapturing runoff where possible is another essential practice to employ. Another example would be making sure that your compost pile is properly placed by following the guidelines for stockpiling in the Nutrient Management Manual.

The two areas where nursery and greenhouse operations are most likely to fall short during an inspection are having a current plan on file and maintaining all of the necessary records. Bearing this in mind, you can review your plan documents to make sure your operation is in compliance and sleep a little easier at night. ❦ Leslie Hunter Cario Chesapeake Horticultural Services lesliecario@cheshort.com www.chesapeakehort.com Leslie Hunter Cario is a Certified Professional Horticulturist and former board member of the MNLGA. Also licensed as a Nutrient Management Consultant and a Pest/Disease Consultant through the Maryland Department of Agriculture, Leslie runs Chesapeake Horticultural Services, consulting with nurseries, landscape operations, and non-profits on planning, production, research, and photography projects.

Photos: Leslie Hunter Cario

Featured Member

Valley View Farms

B

rothers Billy and Punkey Foard opened Valley View Farms in Cockeysville, Md., on Friday the 13th of April 1962, as a place to sell the produce grown on the 126-acre family farm in Hydes, Md. The venture required a lot of hard work, but has brought good fortune and good friends rather than bad luck.

From the beginning, said Carrie Engel, who started working at Valley View in 1972, “the brothers worked seven days a week and did everything. Part of our success is due to the fact that they were so hands on.”

Now that the operation is in the hands of the second generation, Billy’s son, Andy, things are mostly the same way, “but he wants us to enjoy our personal time as well as our work time,” said Engel, who works five days a week from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. “The staff members are experienced, dedicated and loyal. A lot of them have been here for 30 years. Most are from the area and enjoy being part of the community. We love our customers. We have lots of regulars, and we get to know them and their kids and dogs.”

She recalled one family that had 11 children, all of whom worked at Valley View Farms at one point or another. In another family, the grandmother worked there; the parents met there, and the five children all worked there. In fact, three are still employees.

28 • Winter 2016

“We are family through and through,” Engel said. “We are part of a lot of people’s traditions for the holidays.”

She added, “More people know us for our Christmas shop than anything else.” Late in August, the transition from garden center to Christmas shop begins, but that doesn’t preclude celebration of fall in all its glory.

By mid-September, the shop has plenty of hardy pansies and more than 50 varieties of mums added to its enormous selection of trees, shrubs and perennials. In addition to thousands of pumpkins of all shapes and sizes, Valley View carries a huge assortment of gourds, Indian corn, corn

fodder, and much more. There’s a Halloween shop with masks and decorations, plus a free Haunted Halloween House and a straw maze for the kids. A contest is held to guess the number of seeds in a giant pumpkin, with an official seed counting just before Halloween.

Engel recalls, “We used to have huge piles of pumpkins and would sell ‘all you could carry in your two arms’ for a set price. When I started, the price was $1.00!”

The farm originally grew tomatoes, peppers, cantaloupes, watermelons, sweet corn and pumpkins on farms throughout Baltimore County and sold them at what amounted to a roadside (continued on page 30)

Valley View means family and customer appreciation

“

In addition to thousands of pumpkins of all shapes and sizes, Valley View carries a huge assortment of gourds, Indian corn, corn fodder, and much more. There’s a Halloween shop with masks and decorations, plus a free Haunted Halloween House and a straw maze for the kids.

”

Little witch with a big pumpkin

Mums and pumpkins

Summer pond landscape

The exterior grounds

Cyclamen display

Free State • 29

Trees and shrubs

Valley View staff celebrates July 4th and thanks our veterans (continued from page 29)

Christmas gingerbread houses

Santa’s elves 30 • Winter 2016

The Christmas transformation

stand at the intersection of York Rd and Wight Ave. The area has grown from two-lane road to fourlane highway, Engel said. “When I started in ’72, there was one stop light between my house and Valley View. Now we have our own stop light. We used to run the forklifts up York Road to get them gassed up. We’d never do that today!“ As grocery stores got better at marketing produce, the Foards expanded into plants. They added 12 greenhouses at the farm in Hydes. “We grow own transplants,” Engel said. “We grow 80 varieties of tomatoes, 40 varieties of peppers and all sorts of other things — annuals, hanging baskets, mums and poinsettias.”

The rest of the store expanded as well, with nursery products purchased locally when possible — and a lot of them from MNLGA members: perennials, trees and shrubs.

In the garden shop, fertilizers, grass seed and vegetable seeds

“

Billy Foard turned things over to his son last year, but at age 76 is “still very much hands on, he is in the store every day.“

”

were offered, and now pottery and outdoor furniture are available.

The container area exists as a stand-alone department. The patio section is up part of the year in a covered area of the garden center. And, for the last 25 years now, there is a water garden department.

Billy Foard turned things over to his son last year, but at age 76 is “still very much hands on,” Engel said. “He is in the store every day.

He certainly checks in on me daily.

He tried to take a step back, but

he still knows what’s going on.”

Engel said she had told Andy Foard, when his son, Jackson, was born, “Give my new boss my love.”

Yes, she said, she plans to stay on, perhaps even after the third generation takes over. “There’s no point in leaving now,” she quipped. Jackson and his brother, Mason, however, are still pre-teens.

Tim McQuaid started at age 16, more than 35 years ago, and now runs the busy aquatic department as well as oversees personnel, scheduling and general store responsibilities. “He gets most of the headaches,” Engel said. McQuaid’s son is also an employee.

At one point, Valley View had satellite locations in such places as Fullerton, Perry Hall and Northwest Plaza. “We have brought everything back to the ‘mother ship,’” Engel said. “It’s more efficient. We have key people where we need them when we need them. It was a good decision.”

The late Ken Ruhl, who was

Halloween Town

Can you tell it’s October?

nursery manager and ran the office, was on the MNA/MNLA board with Carville Akehurst in the early days, Engel noted. “He was a big part of MANTS for many years.”

Valley View offers as many as 50 seminars in-store every year, and Engel does as many off-site, as well as appearing regularly on WBAL’s Sunday Gardener and a Tuesday Gardening Q&A. For a schedule of events, visit valleyviewfarms.com or call 410- 527-0700. ❦ Carol Kinsley Free State • 31

Member Event Recap

Herbaceous Perennials Diagnostic Training At the heat of the summer, the MNLGA and UMD Extension jointly hosted “Herbaceous Perennials Diagnostic Training” on July 20th. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful venue, and host, The Perennial Farm. The Perennial Farm, which is in its 35th year at their location in Glen Arm, provided a great location to host this excellent program. Its business spans over 50 acres, 60 greenhouses and an additional 40 outside growing areas. Event attendees were able to tour a few of these greenhouses – and get a wellrounded view at The Perennial Farm operation.

The main goal of hosting this program was to help improve the diagnostic skills of herbaceous perennial growers; however, the program attracted a vast array of attendees from growers to retail operations.

The morning began with a history of The Perennial Farm led by general manager, Rick Watson, head grower, Kelly Hermann and Director of sales and marketing, Ed Kiley. We were lucky to have had the best of the best join us at our program! The program was packed with great content and excellent speakers, all from the University of Maryland!

The program emcee, Stanton Gill, started the program by introducing the various topics and encouraging the attendees to engage in the great content that was to come during the day. The weather was absolutely perfect for the program and attendees enjoyed both time indoors and outdoors learning more about all that perennial growing has to offer. The topics of the program ranged from water quality to foliar disease to root problems to pests, and everything in between!

We thank our excellent speakers, Stanton Gill, Karen Rane, Andrew

32 • Winter 2016

Ristvey, David Clement, and Mary Kay Malinoski.

After lunch, attendees got a real treat – a personal tour of the grounds with Rick Watson and Kelly Hermann! The group was divided into two smaller groups and was guided on an hour long tour of the grounds, and who better to give tours than the general manager and head grower? Attendees were able to tour a few of the greenhouses, ask questions and engage in discussion about the operations at The Perennial Farm.

It was an incredible experience to not only get to tour the grounds but to also see the entire operation at The Perennial Farm buzzing all around you!

Employees were running around on gators and gliding through their “normal” days all with a smile on their face, a warm greeting and dirt under their fingernails.

The staff was incredibly helpful and eager to share their knowledge and experience with attendees.

We thank The Perennial Farm for hosting this excellent program and the UMD Extension staff that helped to make this program a great success! Happy Growing! ❦ Chelsea Bailey MNLGA 410-823-8684

The Perennial Farms way to greet the guests and say “Good Morning”

Networking and talking shop

Studying sample plants

An unregistered, but welome guest A full house

Stanton Gill leads a “hands on”demonstration

Owner Rick Watson leads a greenhouse tour

Free State • 33

2017 Event Calendar JANUARY January 3 to 7, 2017

Advanced Landscape IPM PHC Short Course UMD - Entomology and UMD Extension Location: Plant Science Bldg.

College Park, MD Contact: Kiley Gilbert, 301-405-3911

January 11, 2017

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

January 11 to 13, 2017

MANTS Location: The Baltimore Convention Center Contact: MANTS, 410-296-6959 info@mants.com mants.com

FEBRUARY February 23 to 24, 2017 Chesapeake Green 2017

Location: Hilton BWI Contact: MNLGA, 410-823-8684 office@mnlga.org

January 17 to 20, 2017

Mid-Atlantic Horticulture Short Course Location: Virginia Beach, VA Contact: 757-523-4734 vahort.org

January 18, 2017

Rainscapes – Site Design Workshop Location: Homer S. Gudelsky Institute Rockville, MD Contact: Montgomery County Environmental Protection rainscapes.org

January 24 to 25

MAA Winter Seminar Location: Turf Valley Resort Contact: office@MDArborist.com 410-321-8082 34 • Winter 2016

APRIL April 11, 2017

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

JUNE June 22, 2017

MNLGA Field Day Location: Ruppert Nurseries, Laytonsville, MD Contact: MNLGA 410-823-8684 mnlga.org

OCTOBER October 3, 2017

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

JULY July 29 to August 2, 2017

ISA Annual International Conference and Trade Show Location: Washington, DC isa.org

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 • 35

Member Event Recap

Biological Control in Commercial Greenhouses and Nurseries Conference As summer began to fade away, the MNLGA, in conjunction with UMD Extension, hosted its last educational seminar for 2016, the Biological Control Conference on August 18th. The event was held at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton. Brookside Gardens is home to 54 acres including 32 acres of cultivated gardens. Last year alone, they welcomed 414,150 visitors. Among the visitors for this year will include our program attendees!

August 18th was a day full of educational sessions surrounding new techniques and developments concerning biological control. Not only was biological control in greenhouses discussed but in nurseries as well – thus attracting quite a diverse group to this program.

Networking between sessions 36 • Winter 2016

We were lucky enough to have outstanding speakers, even Dr. Brownbridge all the way from Canada! This program truly had exceptional speakers including our own, MNLGA President, Steve Black, who kicked-off the program with his discussion of his own experiences developing an organic operation.

Tom Wheeler from Bell Nursery then took the reins to discuss developing a greenhouse operation into biological control. Dr. Brownbridge then discussed biocontrol of thrips and how biological control works in Canadian greenhouses. Later in the morning, we welcomed back Dr. Jeff Derr to discuss controlling weeds in nurseries with alternatives to conventional herbicides. Right before lunch Dr. Chris Hayes talked about the practical use of biofungicides and cultural

Another MNLGA/Extension conference full house

Dr. Michael Brownridge of Canada presents his findings

Steve Black, Dr. Chris Hayes ans Melissa Harmel

MNLGA President Steve Black presents Dr. Rebeccah Waterworth presents

practices for effectively managing foliar diseases.

During lunch, given the gorgeous day, many attendees networked with colleagues and took the time to enjoy the outdoors. Brookside has a beautiful patio overlooking one of their gardens that attendees could explore. The space where we were lucky enough to have our educational sessions was all glass and opened up to a beautiful view of the Brookside grounds for quite the backdrop during the day.

After lunch, Dr. Wade Elmer discussed various biocontrol options for management of soil-borne pathogens in ornamentals. Dr. Rebeccah Waterworth then took over discussing sustainability and moving towards practices to conserve beneficials in the nursery. After a short break and the biocontrol survey, Dr. Andrew Ristvey discussed organic fertilizer sources pros and cons as well as precautions to heed when using them. As the day wound down, Dr. Brian Kunkel

Stanton Gill opens

talked about biological control in container nurseries and a crowd favorite, Stanton Gill, wrapped up the program discussing using beneficials in a herbaceous perennial nursery.

We were lucky to have had such great speakers and attendees that engaged in conversation and discussion expanding the depth of the program as a whole.

The MNLGA would like to thank Brookside Gardens for providing an excellent venue and host for this program. UMD Extension also receives big thanks in coordinating this program and providing great content for attendees!

This conference was a great way to wrap up our 2016 series of educational seminars! � Chelsea Bailey MNLGA 410-823-8684 Free State • 37

Growing

Ginny Rosenkranz

T

with

Education

Hydrangeas to Color the Garden from Spring to Fall

here are so many different types of Hydrangeas, from those that climb to the shade lovers to the sun lovers.

They all will find a wonderful place in gardens as long as the gardener remembers the right plant needs the right place! Some are native plants and some have been imported from other parts of the world because they are so beautiful that gardens are enhanced by their additions. They all have opposite sets of leaves and beautiful flowers.

Hydrangea anomala petiolaris, or the Climbing Hydrangea, has been named one of the most beautiful and best clinging vines available; it able to reach heights

38 • Winter 2016

of 60-80 feet. The dark glossy green leaves are almost heart shaped and sometimes have silver highlights. The fall color is a soft yellow, but the true beauty of the Climbing Hydrangea is the beautiful flowers that grace the vine in late June to July for up to 2 weeks. Each bouquet of fertile flowers is surrounded by large lacey sterile flowers that can be 8-10 inches across and are soft white, slightly fragrant.

The Climbing Hydrangea grows up trees, over strong arbors and pergolas and scampers over stone walls, adding color from spring, summer, and fall. Winter interest is apparent with the exfoliating bark.

There are a number of cultivars

available, each with its own unique differences. ‘Early Light’ has new foliage bordered by bright white that matures to green with white speckles, and Moonlight Magic™ has pink, bronze, white and green young leaves that mature to green by summer. Climbing Hydrangea need rich, well drained but moist soils and full sun for best flowering but will still bloom in partial shade as they climb up tall trees. Pruning should be limited to removing any dead branches.

Hydrangea arborescens or Smooth Hydrangea are native shrubs that grow 3-5 feet tall and wide- except when they grow taller, and have flowers that start out bright green that fade to a pure white and then later a soft brown. The flowers are 4-6 inches across and can provide color in the garden for 6-8 weeks long, starting in June and sometimes blooming again in September. ‘Annabelle’ is perhaps one of the most famous of the H. arborescens although there are ‘Grandiflora’ that has large white bouquets (corymbs) almost 6-8 inches across and ‘Hayes Starburst’, a double with flowers that look like fireworks going off.

Then there are the newest like Incrediball™ which has pure white flower bouquets up to 12 inches

across on very upright stems, blooming from June to August, and Invincibelle Spirit, a lovely cultivar that has deep pink buds which open to bright pink flowers in a 6-8 inch flowerhead that blooms from June to September.

All the H. arborescens like rich, moist, well drained soils and are not subject to pH acidity issues, and do best in partial shade. As these plants bloom on new growth, early spring pruning back to the ground will encourage vigorous healthy growth with lots of flowers.

Hydrangea macrophylla or Bigleaf Hydrangea is not a native but has brought so much color to American gardens from spring to fall. The flowers are affectionately called Mopheads and are broad flat tops to high dome shaped bouquets that are very sensitive to the acidity in the soil. A high or neutral pH will result in pink or rose colored flowers while an acidic soil will produce blue to purple flowers. Large sterile, often white or lighter colored flowers, surround the smaller fertile flowers. Some of the lovely Mophead cultivars include ‘All Summer Beauty’, ‘Amethyst’, ‘Glowing Embers’, Big Daddy™, and ‘Nikko Blue, which bloom deep blue to purple or rose and pink depending on the soil acidity. The newest cultivars are the remontant or reblooming Mopheads like Endless Summer®, Let’s Dance®, BlushingBride®, BloomStruck® and ‘Penny Mac’, named after the founder of the Hydrangea Society. These new cultivars not only rebloom, but many of them have extremely large flowerheads, up to 9 inches across.

Next are the Lacecapes, also dependent on soil acidity, but with

flatter tops of tiny fertile flowers surround by huge sterile flowers.

Twist and Shout™ and Let’s Dance Starlight are the only rebloomers, but don’t discount ‘Veitchii’ with its dark blue center flowers encircled by pure white flowers, or ‘Beaute de Vendomoise’ with its huge pink and white flowers. ‘Geoffrey Chadbund’ can have deep pink or lavender blue flowers and ‘Tokyo Delight has pure white flowers that surround like-purple fertile flowers.

New cultivars are arriving almost daily and many look very promising. All of the H. macrophylla bloom on the previous season’s growth, which can be damaged by severely cold winters.

That is why the remontant or rebloomers are so very popular because they will bloom on last year’s growth as well as the current season’s growth, blooming from early summer into fall. If the previous season’s growth is not damaged by winter, wait to prune H. macrophylla in July after the first flowering. These are the trickiest Hydrangeas to prune because they bloom on past season growth or ‘old wood’. The bloom buds are

actually formed on the ‘old wood’ in August and September, so pruning in the fall or early spring will just remove all the flowers.

By pruning in July, the plants can be shaped up without sacrificing all the flowers! Each spring all the branches that flowered the previous year should be pruned out since they usually do not rebloom on the same branch.

Bigleaf Hydrangea grow and bloom best if planted with morning sun and afternoon shade, that way the foliage stays strong and not wilted. Soils should be kept moist with soaker hoses rather than overhead irrigation to prevent wet leaves that lead to ugly looking leaf spot diseases.

Hydrangea paniculata, or the Panicle Hydrangea, are not native but also give such color to the gardens in the late summer and early fall that it is a pleasure to have them in any garden. These plants can grow 10-20 feet tall and wide, so careful selection of plants and sites is imperative. For the most part, the flowers start off white then mature to pink or rose (continued on page 40)

Free State • 39

(continued from page 39)

color on cone shaped bouquets or panicles from 6-8 inches long.

These Hydrangea are not affected by the soil acidity at all. Some of the cultivars include Angel Blush™, which flowers from July to frost, starting out white and maturing to dark pink and Limelight®, which starts out white and turns lime green when it matures with panicles up to 12 inches long and 7 inches wide. Passionate™ has pure white flowers on a panicle 12-18 inches long; ‘Phantom’ is also pure white with panicles growing 10 inches long and wide.

Pink varieties include Vanilla Strawberry™, which starts out creamy white then turns a light pink to strawberry pink, then darker pink and finally deep burgundy in color. Plants grow 6-8 feet tall and bloom best in full sun.

Pinky Winky™ has bicolored

40 • Winter 2016

flowering panicles up to 12-16 inches long and ‘Sweet Summer’ is a compact plant, growing only 4-5 feet tall with 5 inch white and pink flowering panicles. Quickfire™ is difficult to find in the trade as it has the ability to bloom both on previous season’s growth and current season’s growth, flowering in May and June then again in late summer, with small pink flowers. And there is BoBo, a lovely compact dwarf that blooms 3-6 inch flowering panicles on a plant no bigger than 2-3 feet, perfect for a small area or even a container.

Because the Panicle hydrangea bloom on current growth, it is usually a good idea to prune the plant down to the ground to get the most new growth. Larger flowering panicles can be created by thinning the plants to 5-10 primary branches. The larger flowers will weigh more than smaller ones and will cause the branches to arch gracefully.

Last but not least is the Hydrangea quercifolia, or the Oakleaf Hydrangea. These lovely native plants can grow 2-12 feet tall depending of the cultivars. Their flowers are white in May and mature to a purple pink then fade to a soft brown color by the end of summer. There are two forms of flowers, the single blossom that looks like the flowers of most hydrangea, then there are the double blossom type that is available as Snowflake™.

This cultivar blooms from June into July, with the blossoms layered on top of one another, and the

plants grow 6-10 feet tall in full sun with afternoon shade. ‘Snow Queen’ Hydrangea has 6-9 inches large and long clusters of white flowers on a plant that grows 4-5 feet tall and wide. ‘Ruby Slippers’ Hydrangea is a compact cultivar that grows 3-4 feet tall and a bit wider, and flowers start creamy white and change to pink and mature to a bright ruby red. The foliage of many of the Oak Leaf Hydrangea turn red in the fall, but ‘Ruby Slippers’ turns a bright mahogany red.

Another compact cultivar is ‘Pee Wee’, growing 3-4 feet tall and wide with small but numerous flower panicles. Leaves of the Oak Leaf Hydrangea are shaped like the namesake, and the plants are upright, multi-stems and prone to suckering. The bark is cinnamon brown and exfoliating, giving winter interest to the garden.

The flowers are formed on ‘old wood’ and if any pruning needs to be done it should be right after the plants are finished blooming in July. The larger plants are considered coarse and should be used as low hedges in shady gardens, but the newer cultivars are more compact and can find many more sites in the garden. ❦ Ginny Rosenkranz Extension Educator, Commercial Horticulture, University of Maryland Extension, Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester County 410-749-6141 ext. 106

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Free State • 41

News and Events #GWA2016 Recap

Upcoming Events:

GWA: The Association for Garden Communicators welcomed more than 300 garden communicators to Atlanta, Georgia for its 68th Annual Conference & Expo. The event provided a unique opportunity for individuals in the horticultural communication sector to come together to connect, learn and grow.

GWA is busy planning for the remainder of the year and well into 2017. In addition to the events listed below, GWA will be in attendance to MANTS!

The conference featured 15 garden tours throughout Atlanta and Athens and 27 education sessions over the course of four days, including keynote addresses from renowned thought leaders Coach Vince Dooley and Michael A. Dirr, PhD, as well as The Weather Channel’s Maria LaRosa. This year’s Conference & Expo also featured over 50 sponsors and exhibitors from across the industry.

GWA @ New England Grows

Additionally, during the GWA Awards & Honors Dinner, sponsored by Proven Winners ColorChoice Shrubs and emceed by Dr. Allan Armitage on Monday night, the recipients of GWA Honors and GWA Media Awards Silver Medal winners were recognized, and the 2016 Media Award Gold Medal winners were announced.

Registration ends on November 28. Click here to register and learn more.

®

®

Stay tuned as we continuously update our website with new and exciting regional and national events.

Join GWA at New England Grows on December 2nd with special guest, Monica Hemingway and learn how to build an online presence that gets real results, one that brings in leads, gets people to see your work, and increases your revenue in even the toughest market conditions. Registration to this morning session includes free registration to New England Grows.

DuPont Triple Play Garden Tour In April, GWA is heading to Delaware to tour the beautiful piedmont region of this state. On April 28th, we will spend the day touring the gardens of the famous du Pont family estates, Nemours, Mt. Cuba and Winterthur, culminating in a trunk show and GWA Connect meeting.

Registration is already open, so take advantage of the Early Bird rate that ends on March 31. Click here to register and to see the current itinerary.

The Gardens of Lancaster Tour

Ferenc Kiss, Brienne Gluvna Arthur, and other GWA Members participating in Roundtables on Saturday during #GWA2016

42 • Winter 2016

Don’t miss GWA’s tour of the Lancaster region of Pennsylvania on June 17th. We will spend the day we spend the day visiting the Penn State Trial Gardens, Lancaster Historical Society and Tanger Arboretum, culminating in a trunk show and GWA Connect meeting.

Mark Osgerby, Proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs with GWA Member in Expo Hall

GWA Members on a Story Tour at Atlanta Botanical Gardens

#GWA2017

NextGen Summit 2017: Rising Tides in Horticulture

Don’t miss the opportunity to join GWA in Buffalo, New York for GWA 2017 Annual Conference & Expo. #GWA2017 is taking place August 4 to August 7, so keep your eye out for registration opening in the spring.

Buffalo is home to amazing public and private gardens and this year’s tour line-up will feature a fantastic group of gardens, covering a wide array of techniques and trends. The schedule is jam-packed with insightful and dynamic sessions from leaders in the industry, focusing on horticulture, writing, technology, business, publishing and much more. Take a look at this video for more information!

Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 16, 2017! GWA’s second annual NextGen Summit will be heading to Magnolia Plantation in Charleston, South Carolina with new education, new tours and a new theme focused on the future of our industry: Changing Tides of Horticulture.

Additional details are coming, so stay tuned!

Free State • 43

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Maryland Certified Professional Horticulturist Program

Update

Congratulations to our newly-minted Certified Professional Horticulturists after passing the Basic Exam on October 4, 2016.

Sarah Burton

North Harford High School

Kyle Maners

North Harford High School

Jenna Hicks

Ruppert Nurseries

Kyle Marsh

Homestead Gardens

Paul Johnson

North Harford High School

Rebecca Shelton

Sun Nurseries

Jerry Kelley

Wicomico Board of Education – Parkside High School

Matthew S. Smith Akehurst Landscape Service

Congratulations also for these CPHs who passed the Specialist – Plant ID exam on the same date.

Liz Harden

Sun Nurseries

Shelley Hicks Maryland Department of Agriculture

Betty Marose Maryland Department of Agriculture Billie Jo Paskoski

Sun Nurseries

Leslie Hunter Cario Chesapeake Horticultural Services

Joseph Seamone

McFall and Berry Landscape

Kyle Marsh

Robin Swartz

Sun Nurseries

Allison Walker

Planted Earth Landscaping

Homestead Gardens

The upcoming dates for the Basic Exam are April 11, 2017 and October 3, 2017.

44 • Winter 2016

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Scholarships

Fellowship to engage scholars (Oct. 25, 2016) Former Maryland Gov. Harry R. Hughes will achieve 90 years of age on Nov. 13 and, in celebration, a foundation in his name is being activated by the University of Maryland and the Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology.

Funds from the foundation will be used to provide an annual fellowship award, administered by the center, for an exceptional scholar or graduate student who will be assigned to the university’s Wye Research Center to focus on “creative problem solving through research of key issues affecting agriculture and forestry in the state of Maryland.”

Through his lifetime, Harry Hughes has been a champion of what has been termed “reasonable environmentalism.”

Through his work as governor — he signed the first Chesapeake Bay Agreement, and as a private citizen — he was a member of the Chesapeake Bay Trust, chairman of the Blue Ribbon Citizens Pfiesteria Commission, president of the 17-yearold Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology and advisor to the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy.

He has been involved with the policy and the regulators, which seek to craft rules and programs that actually yield a balanced outcome — protecting farms and water.

In January 2000, a memorandum of understanding was signed providing a base for the Hughes Center at the Wye but maintaining the agro-ecology center as an independent organization.

Hughes has served as president of the center since its inception.

Dr. Suzanne Dorsey, the newly appointed executive director of the agro-ecology center, said it is her hope to bring more students to the Wye research center and into the dialogues that the Hughes Center has managed so effectively over the last 17 years ... “not just to work with our scientific colleagues, but to engage in problem solving at the farm, in the forest, and at the table 46 • Winter 2016

where the sometimes competing needs of farm and water quality are resolved ... even working with policy makers and regulators who struggle to craft rules and subsidies that actually yield a balanced outcome; protecting farms and water.”

Hughes Fellows, it is hoped, Dorsey said, “will gain depth in their understanding of agronomy and natural resource science —experiencing all the different perspectives that need to be heard in order to make positive changes that keep our working lands viable for the next 90 years.”

We see some urgency in this journey.

The culture of this nation is changing rapidly.

Concepts, policies, long-held tenets are being challenged.

The emergence of astonishing new ‘high tech’ often disrupts the usual patterns of understanding and development.

It is our hope — indeed our expectation — that the Hughes Fellows will bring enlightening new perspectives and pathways of understanding to the Wye research table. As Dr. Dorsey commented, “If we listen carefully, we might discover our University of Maryland scholars have something to offer that improves our results too.”

Reprinted with permission from The Delmarva Farmer

Free State • 47

It’s Time

for

Sharing

Remote Wireless Jerry Faulring

IRRIGATI N

O

ver the past several years, I have written several articles related to research we engaged for automated control of irrigation by a soil moisture monitoring system. The automatic control, in broad summary, allows us to produce better plants with approximately one year less in the growing cycle. It also reduces water consumption and substantial labor costs. It’s a really great system with proven outcomes.

In 2016 we had 12 irrigation zones out of 73 working well with the automated system. It dutifully turned on the water when the buried monitoring probes saw the soil water content at or less than 25% of volumetric capacity. It was

48 • Winter 2016

Soil moisture monitoring node informs us of need for irrigation

a joy to watch and to see how happy the plants were.

However, the equipment manufacturer has been unable to deliver equipment other than prototypes. Imagine the frustration when one sees so many significant

benefits but is unable to implement the system for lack of equipment.

I saw the future of irrigation and based on all the positive outcomes, I wasn’t willing to wait several more years for full implementation.

In August of this year, I set out to find an alternative system that would somehow allow us to mimic the fully automated system. There is no other system I am aware of that can deliver the same efficacy but came to understand we could do better than wait.

Thinking through the dilemma, I realized we could use the current soil moisture sensor system to inform non-automated irrigation delivery. This is how much of

general agriculture manages their irrigation needs around the world.

The new system. I chose a remote wireless control system from Hunter Industries; Rainbird makes a similar system that is more cumbersome to work with.

It is automated just the same as a wired system without the wire and central control. With the soil moisture probes left over from the previous system we can see on the computer when and how much irrigation is needed. It’s not totally automated but with guidance from the soil moisture probes, it is the next best thing.

Soil moisture monitoring node informs us of need for irrigation When we first built the irrigation system we installed the typical wired solenoid equipment to manage irrigation run times from a central location. This equipment was initially installed on the first 100 acres. It was a constant maintenance problem with miles of wire acting as a really great ground for lightening strikes. Eventually I abandoned the wired system and did not wire the second hundred acres. We have operated it manually for over 20 years.

The system we have now fully installed is designed for remote irrigation when electricity is not available. I understand some golf courses are now using this system or similar for the same reasons we abandoned our wired system.

The new system is typically used by ranchers who irrigate remote rangeland for cattle. It is also used for highway medians and remote parkland or as an after thought to

Node on top of valve turns irrigation on and off

add irrigation after a wired system is built out.

It is very simple to install but in our case we expended a lot of labor to dig out existing irrigation boxes to replace old equipment and rework the plumbing. Each zone box contains a latching solenoid valve and

a node, a controller device, to turn the valve on and off based on a programmed run time. A latching valve works differently from a standard valve in that it is turned on by a 9 volt battery and consumes no power when the valve is open. It then turns the valve off (continued from on page 50) Free State • 49

Node on left – WVC means Wireless Valve Controller and latching DC solenoid valve on right (continued from page 49)

after the elapsed run time with a single pulse of power. A traditional valve is energized continuously when open which requires constant power from a wired system. While rebuilding the zone boxes we installed more automatic drains as needed where we knew there were previous concerns from freezing.

We also found and repaired various leaks throughout the irrigation system. We should be good for another 20 years or more.

The node controls a single valve box in our case. One node can operate up to four valves which require wire running to each valve – we don’t want any more wire.

The system cost is the same either way except for the cost of wire if installed that way. The node is securely made so as to be water proof and can be submerged without loss of function. We located the nodes high in the zone box to prevent being subjected to water.

48 • Winter 2016

There is a battery operated hand held programmer that creates a program for each node in the same way one would set up a program from a central control.

Initially, each node is assigned a unique identification code. The

Hand held programmer – WVP means Wireless Valve Programmer

controller can manage up to 999 nodes. It takes less than a minute to go through the steps to program a node. The controller, once programmed for the assigned zone, sends the information to the node wirelessly from up to 100 feet away. The node can also send the program information back to the hand held controller.

The functionality of the new system is the same as the fully automated system. We know from the prototype automated system, with our soils, each zone should run about 60 minutes per day to achieve the desired soil moisture level during a cycle of drought. Using the new system and watching the old soil moisture monitoring probes, we need to run each zone about one hour per day. A significant benefit during this persistently dry summer and fall was to maintain a high enough soil moisture level to be able to dig most of our shrub line of plants without the need to apply additional water to prepare the plants for digging. This is a huge labor saving benefit.

The cost of equipment for this renovation seems reasonable. The hand held controller cost $209.00.

We used PVG 1½” latching solenoid valves that cost $59.00 each. The wireless nodes cost $137.00 each. All equipment was supplied by Hunter Industries. Of course, 9 volt batteries were not included and according to Hunter, we should expect them to last one year. ❦ Jerry Faulring Waverly Farm 1931 Greenfield Road Adamstown, MD 21710 301-874-8300

6 1

2 3 4

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

The Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission invites applications for the position of: Horticultural/Landscape Construction Inspector (Term Contract, Grade H/G) This position is a full-time, term contract position. The incumbent will work closely with the Department's construction managers, project managers and other construction inspectors to inspect landscape construction portions of projects, which may include tree protection measures, soil preparation and amendments, tree, perennial and shrub planting and establishment, reforestation, meadow establishment, irrigation systems, and turf planting and establishment for athletic fields, bio retention areas, and general landscaped areas within parks. This position would also be responsible for monitoring landscape maintenance work that is part of the landscape contract establishment period, including watering, weeding, mulching, mowing, and replacement of plants under warranty.

For more information or apply at www.mncppc.org/jobs

5 6

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

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 50 50 •• Winter Winter 2016 2016

Office: 6611 Kenilworth Avenue, Riverdale, MD 20737, 301-454-1411 or 301-454-1405 Job #14260

An Equal Opportunity Employer

PUBLICATION NOTICE: The deadline for submissions for the winter issue of Free State Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse News is Feb. 1, 2017.

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

E-mail any submissions you have for Free State News to freestate@mnlga.org or mail to: Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association P.O. Box 726, Brooklandville, MD 21022

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.

Summerhill Landscapes, Inc. Declan Blackmore Sag Haarbor, NY Madison Capitol, LLC Tom Myers Owings Mills, MD North Creek Nurseries Steve Castorani Landenberg, PA Precision Landscaping, LLC Christopher Pasko Baltimore, MD MNCPPC Frederick Johnson Upper Marlboro, MD

* Our Landscape Distribution Center has an Etensive Selection of Quality Plant Material Available for Pickup or Delivery * Field Grown Material Available for Personal Selection

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Interested in a subscription to

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

Manor View Distribution Center Availability is now at your fingertips through our Mobile Web App

Subscriptions are $35 annually; MNLGA 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, MNLGA, P.O. Box 726, Brooklandville, MD 21022 or e-mail: freestate@mnlga.org

15601 Manor Rd, Monkton, MD 21111 410-771-4700 fax 410-771-8246 sales@manorview.com

www.manorview.com

Free State • 51

Press Releases

HRI Launches New Fund in Honor of Craig Regelbrugge Challenges Industry to Raise $52,000 by 52 Birthday Washington, DC and Columbus, OH (September 29, 2016) – The Horticultural Research Institute is pleased to announce new endowed research fund, created in honor of Craig Regelbrugge, AmericanHort’s Senior Vice President of Industry Advocacy and Research.

In 2016, Craig Regelbrugge celebrated his 25th year of service to the horticultural industry.

“Craig advocates for horticulture every day. Now it’s our turn to be advocates for horticulture and honor Craig at the same time,” states Karl Losely (Herman Losely & Son, Inc., Perry, OH), HRI President. “In honor of Craig’s extraordinary contributions to the horticultural industry, a group of AmericanHort and HRI friends conceived of a plan to create a special HRI endowment fund in Craig’s name. In addition to providing needed funding for horticultural research, this fund allows us to publicly acknowledge our gratitude for Craig and the work he has so willingly and thoughtfully undertaken on our behalf.”

“Many of us have enjoyed and profited from Craig’s efforts over the years. Many of us have had the privilege of assisting Craig’s work, while many more of us have often been the beneficiaries of his knowledge and insights,” adds Jon Reelhorn (Belmont Nursery, Inc., Fresno, CA), HRI President-Elect. “Craig has spoken at countless green industry events, sharing his knowledge of the critical role regulations and laws have on our collective business success—knowledge that is increasingly important for our teams to have.”

The Craig Regelbrugge—Advocates for Horticulture Fund was officially launched at Cultivate’16 during the HRI Summer Donor Reception. Through the remarkable generosity of many donors, Craig’s fund quickly exceeded $35,000 in pledges.

HRI leaders have set a goal to raise $52,000 by Craig’s November 52nd birthday.

Losely continues, “Craig has inspired many of us to pay better attention to the nuances of the ever-changing political landscape and he’s guided our industry through some tumultuous terrains. He’s spent tens of thousands of hours advocating for our interests and thousands more educating us. Donating to this fund is a way to show our gratitude while being advocates ourselves.”

Please join HRI and contribute to this special HRI fund in honor of Craig and the remarkable opportunities horticulture has given to so many industry professionals. Make a donation today! Donate online at www.

HRIresearch.org, by using this form, or by contacting Jennifer at 614-884-1155 or jenniferg@americanhort.org.

Horticultural Research Institute exists to understand the business of horticulture and, by doing so, fund, advocate for, and direct research specific to horticulture and horticultural businesses. Funded by hundreds of green industry philanthropists and businesses, HRI provides effective, efficient, and relevant solutions. www.hriresearch.org Contact: Jennifer Gray, Research Programs Administrator • jenniferg@americanhort.org or 614.884.1155

Note: The MNLGA Board voted unanimlously to contribute $1,000 on behalf of the membership in honor of Craig’s outstanding contributions.

52 • Winter 2016

State Ag Department Offers Training on Boxwood Blight ANNAPOLIS, MD (Nov. 17, 2016) – Boxwood blight is an exotic fungal disease that poses a major threat to Maryland’s nursery industry, which is the state’s second largest agricultural commodity. Because of increasing concern over the spread of boxwood blight, the Maryland Department of Agriculture will host a training seminar on the proper handling of boxwoods, including disease identification and prevention. In addition, the training will cover the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s newly imposed exterior quarantine for boxwood plants entering the state. This educational seminar will also help fulfill the required training section of the Maryland Boxwood Blight Compliance Agreement. A copy of which, can be found on the department’s website.

The half-day training seminar will be held February 16, 2017, from 8 a.m. to noon, in room 110 at the Maryland Department of Agriculture, 50 Harry S Truman Pkwy, Annapolis. This training is offered free of charge, but will be limited to 50 participants.

A registration form and agenda will be available December 1 on the department’s website. If you have questions, please contact the Maryland Department of Agriculture at 410-841-5920 or ppwm.mda@maryland.gov.

CONTACT: Julie Oberg, 410-841-5888 • Jason Schellhardt, 410-841-5744 Follow Maryland Department of Agriculture on Twitter @MdAgDept

We have answers when you have questions … mnlga.org 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 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, Landscape and Greenhouse 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; – MNLGA events including Field Day, MANTS, Chesapeake Green and much more

Visit mnlga.org today!

Free State • 53

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 54 • Winter 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 • 55

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, Landscape and Greenhouse Association at 410-823-8684 or visit www.mnlga.org

Cultivate your business with a Certified Professional Horticulturist

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 .

Page

A & A Tree Experts Angelica Nurseries, Inc.

44 Outside Back Cover

Babikow Greenhouses

Inside Front Cover

Braun Horticulture

Mission Statement

Cavano’s Perennials

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.

Chesapeake Green Symposium

Specific Goals Promote professionalism through education programs for members and the public and by encouraging enrollment in educational institutions.

Monitor state and local laws relating to horticulture industry.

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.

50 9 41

CPH 56 Foxborough Nursery

Inside Back Cover

Gregory J. Cannizzaro Design

45

Greenstreet Growers

5

Farm Credit 100

17

Hanover Farms

41

Holly Hill Farms

47

Homestead Horticultural Supply

49

Lowry and Company

16

Manor View Farm

51

MANTS 19 MD Ag Ed Foundation MNLGA Affinity Program

18 54-55

MNLGA On-Line

53

Naughty Pines Nursery

45

OHP 1 Pender Nursery

45

Walnut Springs

27

Waverly Farm

10

Weller & Associates Risk Management

18

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

Free State • 57

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 CPH George Mayo – Chair Steve Black Shelley Hicks Cindy King Dr. Andrew Ristvey Martha Simon-Pindale Bob Trumbule Gaye Williams Scholarship Bernie Kohl, Jr. – Chair Hank Doong Jessica Todd Leslie Hunter Cario George Mayo Mary Claire Walker 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 MDA Representative

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 consider following the example of those who are. Contact Vanessa at 410-823-8684 with your interest.

58 • Winter 2016

Advisors to the Board Kim Rice MD Department of Agriculture Dr. John Lea-Cox University of Maryland

Advisors to Others LEAD Maryland Vanessa Finney Maryland Agriculture Commission Ray Greenstreet Marion Mullan 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 Amy Crowl Signe Hanson Young Farmers Advisory Council Jessica Todd Invasive Plants Advisory Council Mike Hemming Leslie Hunter Cario CCLC - Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional Certification (CBLP) Cody Kario U of MD Dean’s Global Leadership Council Vanessa Finney

Foxborough Nursery, Inc. 3611 Miller Rd / Street, MD 21154 / phone 410.836.7023 / fax 410.452.5131 www.foxboroughnursery.com