The Growing Concern April 2021

Growing Concern

The

AP R I L 2 0 2 1

A P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E O H I O L A N D S C A P E A S S O C I AT I O N

OLA Meeting: Evaluating Your Company & Hiring for Need April 22, 2021 / WEBINAR (JOE SCHILL) / PAGE 7

PR ES I DEN T’S COLUM N

JAMES FUNAI, PhD Cuyahoga Community College

WHY OHIO CALLS APRIL NATIVE PLANT MONTH On July 18, 2019 Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 59 designating April as Ohio Native Plant Month. The OLA Board was involved in helping shape the narrative in pushing for this bill, because we knew it would support our members.

If you’ve read the Plant of the Month articles over the years, you should be well aware that I am not a passenger on the “natives only” train. In fact, I’d like to derail that train all together, because I am a scientist – and as such – spend a good amount of my time questioning, testing, and observing the world around me.

In that vein, what I have found is that nature tends to prefer balance over extremes. However, as humans, we create a lot of extremes. We blow up forests and erect single-family homes in their place. We strip the topsoil and cover the subsoil with high input turfgrass. We concentrate storm water and send it off-site to the closest stream. And then, we plant all the same species of tree – too deep, I might add – and bury them in mulch volcanos, ensuring an early demise.

As an industry, we do many of these things because it is quick and easy money. As members of a professional organization though – in my heart – I know most of you are engaged because you want to build a better way, which is a major reason I am so proud to serve you.

That being said, while I don’t agree with some of their reasoning, I do support the mission of the Ohio Native Plant Month non-profit because they also support building a better way. I would though like to provide an alternative to consider when choosing plants for our landscapes.

To begin, non-native plants are a must in our ever-changing world. Global climate change is real. The native climate of Ohio is changing at a pace where some species of life will continued on page 6 The Growing Concern | April 2021 | 3

TAB LE OF CON TEN TS A P R I L 2 0 2 1 WWW. OH I OLA N D SCA P E R S. OR G OH I O’ S P R OF E SSI ON AL G REEN I N D UST R Y A SSOCI AT I O N OHIO LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION 9240 Broadview Road Broadview Heights, Ohio 44147 Phone: 440.717.0002, or 1.800.335.6521 Fax: 440.717.0004 Web: www.ohiolandscapers.org and www.myohiolandscape.com DESIGNER / EDITOR Rick Doll, Jr. REGULAR WRITERS Michael J. Donnellan, King Financial, Inc. Dr. Jim Funai, PhD., Cuyahoga Community College Shelley Funai, Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens Sandy Munley, Ohio Landscape Association Bobbie Schwartz, FAPLD, Bobbie’s Green Thumb COVER: 2020 Landscape Ohio! Awards submission, courtesy of Morel Landscaping, LLC.

FEATURES

3 8 12 16 20 24 30 31

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

Why Ohio Calls April ‘Native Plant’ Month

PERENNIAL FOCUS

Astrantia: Masterwort

FISCAL FITNESS

Beneficiaries on Retirement Accounts

ADVERTISING INFORMATION Submission deadline: 10th of the month, prior to the month of publication. For advertising rates and ad specs, please call 440.717.0002, 1.800.335.6521, or email Rick Doll Jr. at rick@ohiolandscapers.org.

DISCLAIMER The Ohio Landscape Association, its board of directors, staff and the editor of The Growing Concern neither endorse any product(s) or attests to the validity of any statements made about products mentioned in this, past or subsequent issues of this publication. Similarly, the opinions expressed in The Growing Concern are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Ohio Landscape Association.

FOR SAFETY SAKE

OFFICERS President James Funai, PhD.

OLA STAFF Executive Director Sandy Munley

PLANT OF THE MONTH

President – Elect Brian Maurer, LIC

Communications & Events Manager Rick Doll, Jr.

April is National ‘Safe Digging’ Month Weston Hybrid Azaleas

FEATURE ARTICLE

Team Building: Recruiting at the High School Level

DIRECTIONS ADVERTISING INDEX

4 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association

Treasurer Stephanie Gray, LIC Immediate Past President Domenic Lauria DIRECTORS Brandon Barker Keith Clapper Ryan Drake Cameron Maneri Rob Morel Jeff Rupp

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APRIL 22, 2021 OLA MEETING (WEBINAR) – Featuring Joe Schill Joe Schill (President & Founder of Green Impressions) will discuss the challenges of re-building a company from the ground up; why it was necessary in order to better serve his clients; and how creating & implementing an organizational chart allowed his company to focus on hiring & restructuring based on need. Note: Due to state social distancing guidelines, this event will be held via webinar in order to accommodate all of our members.

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JULY 13, 2021 (N.E. OHIO) - TENTATIVE JULY 15, 2021 (CENTRAL OHIO) - TENTATIVE PLANT I.D. CLINIC This clinic is a hands-on training opportunity for you and your crews covering the basics of Plant ID for plants typically used in Ohio.

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AUGUST AUGUST 5, 2021 OLA SCHOLARSHIP GOLF CLASSIC Join us at Mallard Creek Golf Club for the OLA Scholarship Golf Classic! Our golf outing was created to help generate funding for our scholarship program, targeting qualified students interested in a vocation within the green profession. Call the OLA at 800-335-6521 for sponsorship opportunities.

Registration will open May of 2021.

The Growing Concern | April 2021 | 5

PR ES I DEN T’S COLUM N continued from page 3

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simply not be able to keep up, rendering them extinct. This alone is reason for us to act quickly, in effort to slow it down, but we can’t do it with native plants alone.

There are conditions that we have created in our built environment where a native-only approach severely limits the biodiversity we can create. Take ‘Green Roofs’ for example.

Most are comprised of very thin, sandy-soils – very dry and very hot. The same goes for many our urban environments.

Most come with degraded soils, moisture management issues, and pollution. In these instances, we must consider a wider range of plants in order to build healthy biodiversity in these ecosystems. Furthermore, non-native pests are constantly invading and destroying native plants. With global trade on the rise, this phenomenon is not going away.

So, what can we do? To start, we can begin choosing our plants more carefully to support the ecosystem. Eliminate the use of invasive and aggressive plants. Choose cultivars and hybrids that offer improved tolerance to pests and climate change. Realize the important role natives play in supporting the ecosystem of today and the importance of high-quality non-native species and hybrids that will support the ecosystem of tomorrow.

I think it is important to understand the reasoning behind Ohio Native Plant Month. There is evidence that non-native plants do not provide (good) food for native insects. This is because the native insects do not have tolerance of the nonnative plants’ natural defense chemicals. I believe THIS is a great reason to plant more native plants. Insect populations are crucial in supporting our ecosystem, especially the many birds that live and visit during migration. We need to plant more food-source, native plants.

However, when a non-native insect/disease comes into play, they can destroy our native plants. (See American Elm and Ash.) We can use non-native species to hybridize our natives, building in resistance to the pest, while still supporting native wildlife. This is what I mean by ‘building a better way!’

We can also use non-native plants to hybridize native plants and construct plants that are more resilient to climate change and climate extremes. This is building a better way!

We are even starting to use genetic engineering tactics to build stronger plants that can better support the ecosystem.

Again, building a better way!

6 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association

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BUYANSKYMATERIALS.COM Finally, pollinator support is a major reason people cite the “native only” argument. One issue with that line of thought is that the major pollinator we rely on for food is the non-native honeybee. You can readily observe our native pollinators all over your vegetable garden plants which are so hybridized they are not native anywhere. You can observe our native pollinators all over non-native flowering plants and doing just fine. I do not see evidence we hurt our pollinators with non-native plants.

We do, however, cause problems for the pollinators when we focus too much on wind-pollinated plants and turfgrass. This is an argument for more diversity in our plant selection, rather than the focus being on just natives.

Native plants are great, and we certainly need to use more of them. We have so many awesome native species that are well-suited to our landscapes that we don’t use because we’re just unfamiliar with them. Be thoughtful in your plant choices to build a healthier ecosystem and do all you can to increase diversity in your plant choices across the region. Join me in celebrating April as Ohio Native Plant Month and focus on adding a few more native plants to your landscapes. Want some examples? Check out this month’s Plant of the Month where we celebrate some great native hybrids.

FORE F EATUR

EVENT INFORMATION DATE & LOCATION APRIL 22, 2021 OLA WEBINAR

AGENDA OLA MEETING 3:00 PM TO 3:15 PM PROGRAM 3:15 PM TO 4:45 PM COST TO ATTEND MEMBERS: NO CHARGE NON MEMBERS: $30 REGISTER TO ATTEND BY APRIL 15, 2021

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Evaluating your Company & Hiring for Need Due to current Covid-19 Social Distancing Guidelines, our 2021 April Meeting will be held as a Live Webinar Event and will feature Joe Schill, President & Founder of Green Impressions.

Building a company from the ground-up can be a significant challenge... but doing it twice?

Join the OLA as we welcome long-time member – and good friend – Joe Schill (President & Founder of Green Impressions) as he discusses the challenges of re-building a company from the ground up; why it was necessary in order to better serve his clients; and how creating & implementing an organizational chart allowed his company to focus on hiring & restructuring based on need.

Joe will discuss: • Why re-building was necessary and what led to the decision.

• How re-building has allowed his company to better serve its clients.

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• How that chart allows his company to determine needs & fill key roles.

• How all of this has led to the company’s continued success.

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Joe Schill is the Founder and President of Green Impressions, LLC. Joe earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Bluffton College, and with over 25 years of experience in the field, Joe has shown that he is truly passionate about landscaping, his clients, his employees and doing the job right.

Joe is the Co-Founder and Former President of Schill Landscaping, which he helped grow substantially into two distinct divisions that served both the residential and commercial markets. The two divisions were split to form separate companies in 2011, in order to serve residential and commercial customers more efficiently. Green Impressions serves residential landscaping and residential maintenance clients for all their landscaping needs, and Schill Grounds Management focuses on commercial properties clients.

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REGISTER ONLINE AT OHIOLANDSCAPERS.ORG/MEETINGS

PEREN N I AL FOCUS

BOBBIE SCHWARTZ, FAPLD Bobbie’s Green Thumb Astrantia carniolica ‘Rubra,’ closeup.

ASTRANTIA MASTERWORT

The plant world offers the landscape designer or contractor many solutions for a shady environment. One of my favorites is Astrantia. Long blooming perennials for the shade are scarce but Astrantia will bloom from June until September or October if deadheaded.

There are two species of Astrantia, A.major (Great Masterwort) and A.carniolica (Lesser Masterwort) which is a bit slower to become established. They differ mainly in size. The deeply lobed and toothed basal leaves of Astrantia major form a rosette 18 inches in diameter while those of Astrantia carniolica form a rosette only 9 to 12 inches in diameter at maturity. Each plant sends up several stalks and each of them branches near the top with each cluster holding 2 or 3 flowers.

The flowers of Astrantia major are surrounded by a collar of bracts which lend a strawflower-like effect. They are usually 18 inches high and vary in color from the greenish-white of the species to the rosy pink of A.major ‘Rose Symphony’ to the dark red of A.m. ‘Lars’. A.m. ‘Shaggy’ (also known as ‘Margery Fish’) has flowers with an extra long collar of pink bracts. Those of A.carniolica are only 6 to 8 inches high. The only cultivar

8 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association

of this species is ‘Rubra’ which is also dark red. Both species seed prolifically, particularly in moist areas. Allan Armitage says that there is quite a bit of variation in the seedlings but all of mine have come true so far. I do find that A. major seems to overwhelm A. carniolica if grown side by side. Ah well, live and learn.

While a semi-shaded moist area is the most desirable habitat for Astrantia, I have grown it in both sun and part shade gardens that are irrigated on a regular basis. It performs very well in both. It will also do quite well in dry shade once established.

Astrantia is also an excellent perennial for the cutting garden.

The cut flowers will last in water for 10 to 14 days. They would probably also dry well if cut upon opening. The deadheads are continued on page 10 very attractive during the winter.

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PEREN N I AL FOCUS continued from page 8

Alchemilla mollis and Allium christophii and Allium nigrum interspersed between Astrantia clumps gives this vignette color before mid-June when the Astrantia begins to bloom.

color with one of the pink Astrantia major cultivars as the midground long bloomer and Astilbe thunbergii ‘Professor van der Wielen’ in the background for extra August color.

Astrantia major ‘Lars’, growing in full sun in a display garden at Floriade in 2012.

This is an easy plant to propagate: by division in autumn or early spring from seed. The biggest problem in dividing it is the tenacity of the fibrous root system. You need a very sharp spade and, preferably, a strong human to wield the spade. Although easily propagated, this is not an aggressive perennial. The roots do spread over time.

Deer never bother it and weeds are few and far between because of the mat-like nature of the root system.

Astrantia could also be used in conjunction with an ornamental grass. I planted Astrantia carniolica ‘Rubra’ in front of Panicum virgatum ‘Rotstrahlbusch’ for a bit of color echo; the dark red flowers emphasize the red tinge of the Panicum foliage. Another good combination would be one of the white Astrantias with Corydalis lutea. Both would bloom for a very long time and the delicate foliage of the Corydalis would provide an excellent textural contrast.

Unfortunately, Astrantia is not commonly available but it is worth searching for if you want a tough perennial as a groundcover that defeats weeds.

Bobbie Schwartz, FAPLD, owner of Bobbie’s Green Thumb in Shaker Hts.,

Astrantia lends itself to almost any shady garden combination.

Most of mine has combined well in a cottage gardenlike setting with Adenophora (Ladybells) and Aquilegia (Columbine) where they all reseed and do their own thing, so to speak. In a more composed situation, Primula ‘Pacific Hybrids’ could be planted in the foreground for spring

10 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association

Ohio, is a landscape designer, consultant, freelance writer, and lecturer whose specialties are perennial gardens and four season landscapes. In addition to being an Ohio Landscape Association (OLA) member, she is an active member of the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association (ONLA) and Perennial Plant Association (PPA). Bobbie is a Past President of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD).

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F I SCAL FI TN ESS

MICHAEL J. DONNELLAN M3 Wealth Management

BENEFICIARIES ON RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS Selecting beneficiaries for retirement benefits is different from choosing beneficiaries for other assets such as life insurance. With retirement benefits, you should know the impact of income tax and estate tax laws to select the right beneficiaries. Although taxes shouldn’t be the sole determining factor in naming your beneficiaries, ignoring the impact of taxes could lead you to make an incorrect choice.

PAYING INCOME TAX ON RETIREMENT DISTRIBUTIONS Most inherited assets such as bank accounts, stocks, and real estate pass to your beneficiaries without income tax being due.

However, that’s not usually the case with 401(k) plans and IRAs. Beneficiaries pay ordinary income tax on distributions from pretax 401(k) accounts and traditional IRAs. With Roth IRAs and Roth 401(k) accounts, however, your beneficiaries can receive the benefits free from income tax if all of the tax requirements are met. That means you should consider the impact of income taxes when designating beneficiaries for your 401(k) and IRA assets.

For example, if one of your children inherits $100,000 cash from you and another child receives your pre-tax 401(k) account worth $100,000, they aren’t receiving the same amount. The reason is that all distributions from the 401(k) plan will be subject to income tax at ordinary income tax rates, while the cash isn’t subject to income tax when it passes to your child upon your death.

Similarly, if one of your children inherits your taxable traditional IRA and another child receives your income-tax-free Roth IRA, the bottom line is different for each of them. continued on page 14

12 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association

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continued from page 12 DESIGNATING PRIMARY & SECONDARY BENEFICIARIES

NAMING YOUR SPOUSE AS BENEFICIARY

Your primary beneficiary is your first choice to receive benefits.

You can name more than one person or entity as your primary beneficiary. If your primary beneficiary doesn’t survive you or decides to decline benefits (the tax term for this is a disclaimer), then your secondary (or “contingent”) beneficiaries receive them.

When it comes to taxes, your spouse is usually the best choice for a primary beneficiary.

You can name more than one beneficiary to share in the proceeds.

You just need to specify the percentage each beneficiary receives.

Due to legislation passed at the end of 2019 (the SECURE Act), most non-spouse beneficiaries are required to empty their inherited retirement accounts within 10 years. Previously, they could take distributions according to their life expectancies.

A spousal beneficiary has the greatest flexibility for delaying distributions that are subject to income tax. In addition to rolling over your 401(k) or IRA to his or her IRA or plan, a surviving spouse can generally decide to treat your IRA as his or her own IRA. These options can provide more tax and planning options.

NAMING OTHER INDIVIDUALS AS BENEFICIARIES

There are two ways your retirement benefits could end up in your probate estate. Probate is the court process by which assets are transferred from someone who has died to the heirs or beneficiaries entitled to those assets.

You may have some limits on choosing beneficiaries other than your spouse. No matter where you live, federal law dictates that your surviving spouse be the primary beneficiary of your 401(k) unless your spouse signs a timely, effective written waiver. And if you live in one of the communityproperty states, your spouse may have rights related to your IRA regardless of whether he or she is named as the primary beneficiary.

First, you might name your estate as the beneficiary. Second, if no named beneficiary survives you, your probate estate may end up as the beneficiary by default. If your probate estate is your beneficiary, several problems can arise.

Keep in mind that a non-spouse beneficiary cannot roll over your 401(k) or IRA to his or her own IRA. However, that non-spouse beneficiary can directly roll over all or part of your 401(k) benefits to an inherited IRA.

If your estate receives your retirement benefits, the opportunity to maximize tax deferral by spreading out distributions may be lost. In addition, probate can mean paying attorney’s and executor’s fees and delaying the distribution of benefits.

NAMING A TRUST AS BENEFICIARY

AVOID GAPS OR NAMING YOUR ESTATE AS BENEFICIARY

14 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association

You must follow special tax rules when naming a trust as a beneficiary, and there may be income tax complications.

Seek legal advice before designating a trust as a beneficiary.

NAMING A CHARITY AS BENEFICIARY In general, naming a charity as the primary beneficiary will not affect required distributions to you during your lifetime.

However, after your death, having a charity named with other beneficiaries on the same asset could affect the tax-deferral possibilities of the noncharitable beneficiaries, depending on how soon after your death the charity receives its share of the benefits.

WHAT ABOUT MY WILL? A will or trust does not override your beneficiary designation form. However, spouses may have special rights under federal or state law.

It’s a good idea to review your beneficiary designation form at least every two to three years. Also, be sure to update your form to reflect changes in financial circumstances. Beneficiary designations are important estate planning documents. Seek legal advice as needed.

Discuss with your financial professionals and tax advisors to determine your specific needs and goals.

The M3 Wealth Management Office does not provide legal or tax advice. Consult an attorney or tax professional regarding your specific situation. The information herein is general and educational in nature and should not be considered legal or tax advice.

Michael J. Donnellan specializes in stock selection and retirement planning. Feel free to contact him with any questions or comments at the M3 Wealth Management office at: 17601 W. 130th Street – Suite 1 North Royalton, Ohio Phone number (440) 652-6370 Email: donnellan@m3wealthmanagement.com Securities & advisory services offered through L.M. Kohn & Co. Registered Broker/Dealer Member FINRA/SIPC/MSRB 10151 Carver Rd. Suite 100 – Cincinnati, Ohio 45242 (800) 478-0788 Scenarios illustrated are hypothetical in nature, results may vary.

Investing is subject to risk which may involve loss of principal.

Past performance is not indicative of future results.

The Growing Concern | April 2021 | 15

F OR SAFETY SAK E

APRIL IS NATIONAL ‘SAFE DIGGING’ MONTH A utility line is damaged by digging once every 3 minutes nationwide. One-third of these incidents are caused by failure of the professional excavator to locate such lines prior to beginning their digging project.

Because April marks the start of spring digging season, and is also National Safe Digging Month, we’d like to take this opportunity to remind you that it is your obligation to promote safe digging practices within your company and to call the Ohio Utilities Protection Services (O.U.P.S.) at 811 before any digging or excavation project.

WHY SHOULD YOU CALL BEFORE YOU DIG? Calling 811 before you dig can prevent utility outages, property damage, personal injury and even death. Calling 811 before you dig is important for safety reason, but it’s also the law. By law, everyone must call OUPS at 811 to get utilities marked before they dig.

•

ORC Sec. 3781.28. (A) Except as otherwise provided in divisions (C), (DJ, (E), and (F) of this section, at least forty-eight hours but not more than ten working days before commencing excavation, the excavator shall notify a protection service of the location of the excavation site and the date on which excavation is planned to commence. continued on page 18

16 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association

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continued from page 16 HOW TO GET UTILITIES MARKED BEFORE YOU DIG

WHEN SHOULD YOU CALL O.U.P.S. AT 811?

Anyone can get underground utilities marked by calling 811 or 1-800-362-2764, or by submitting an online dig request at www.oups.org. When calling 811, Ohioans are connected to Ohio Utilities Protection Service, which notifies the appropriate utility companies of the intent to dig.

Before beginning any digging project, citizens and businesses should call 811 at least 48 hours, but no more than 10 working days (excluding weekends and legal holidays).

• Citizens and contractors should mark the area in which they intend to dig with white flags or white spray paint.

Pre-marking the proposed dig site is also required by law.

• Professional locators are then sent to the requested digging site to mark the approximate locations of underground lines with flags or spray paint.

• Once lines have been accurately marked, digging can begin around marked lines.

• Digging inside of the tolerance zone of a utility must be done by hand digging in safe and prudent manner. The tolerance zone of a utility is 18” on either side of the line plus the line diameter (if diameter is not noted, it is assumed to be 2”).

• Anyone can visit http://newtina.oups.org/newtinweb ResponseDisplay.nas, type in their ticket number, and see how each utility has responded to their ticket. This system is called “Positive Response,” which is now required by law.

18 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association

Some digging projects that would require a call to 811 might include: • • • • • • •

Landscaping Digging holes for fence posts or a mailbox Anchoring supports for decks and swings sets Planting trees Removing tree roots Driving landscaping stakes into the ground Installing a retainer wall

Even small digging projects can cause utility damage and outages, property damage, and personal injury. Always call 811 before you dig!

WHAT ARE UTILITY COLOR CODES? When utility company representatives mark a location, they use colored flags and/or paint to identify the type of underground service.

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VISIT WWW.OLIGERSEED.COM The Growing Concern | April 2021 | 19

PL ANT OF TH E M ON TH

JIM FUNAI, PhD

Cuyahoga Community College Azalea, Weston’s ‘Millenium’

SHELLEY FUNAI, LIC Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens

WESTON HYBRID AZALEAS Azaleas are a group of plants which require no plant nerdery to know and love. Even those who are significantly detached from the outdoors can appreciate their beauty in full bloom. Clients obviously love them, and by our account, plenty of contractors have been obligated to install them. The trouble is, “Azalea” is a broad sweeping term that describes a ton of options, some wonderful, and some doomed to a quick death for being the wrong plant in the wrong place. This month’s Hendricks Experience has Bill leading us to a goldmine of Azaleas for our landscapes.

Before we dive into the beauty and utility of the Weston Hybrids, let’s talk a bit more hi-level. First, Azalea is a common name only. These plants all fall under the genus Rhododendron.

A general rule of thumb when splitting Rhododendron from Azalea is to look at the stamens in the flowers. If there are five stamens, you have an Azalea. If there are 10, or more, you have a Rhododendron. Within the genus, we divide further in to two major groups – Lepidote and Elepidote (from Greek, lepidōtos, meaning scaly). Lepidote Rhododendrons have small scales on the underside of leaves, which are typically much smaller, while elepidote have no scales on much larger leaves.

The latter are likely what you think of when you hear the word Rhododendron.

20 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association

A great example of the scales can be found on Rhododendron ‘P.J.M.,’ which is a hybrid between an Asian species (R. dauricum) and a native (R. minus). The native is a Lepidote Rhododendron species and the trait of scales shows on the ‘P.J.M.’ offspring.

The story of the ‘P.J.M.’ Rhododendron is one of a family of plant breeders – from Hopkinton, Massachusetts – who run Weston Nursery. In the 1930s and 40s, Peter J. Mezitt (P.J.M.) and his son, Ed Mezitt, played around with hybridizing native azaleas in order to create better performing plants. One such cross – as mentioned above – resulted in the wildly successful continued on page 22 P.J.M. in 1939.

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PL ANT OF TH E M ON TH continued from page 24

Azalea, Weston’s ‘Lemon Drop’

Azalea, Weston’s ‘Pink & Sweet’

Fast forward to the present, Ed’s sons continue these experiments in hybridizing to create landscape-worthy Azaleas which are cold hardy in zone 5, have good compact habits, superior and clean foliage, improved insect and disease resistance, and extend the bloom season on both ends. We are incredibly fortunate to benefit from their tireless work in developing these plants and should be giving them heavy consideration when a client mentions that they love azaleas. Most of the Azaleas from Weston Nursery have at least one native species in the hybridization process, and all benefit from “hybrid vigor” (best of both parents).

Azalea, Weston’s ‘Innocense’

Bill also made a great point about fall color. “The clean foliage of summer changes to colorful shades of pink, red, orange and burgundy in fall, and varies from cultivar to cultivar.”

Most of these hybrids will bloom in June to July, creating a great bridge from the spring to late summer show of most Hydrangeas on the market.

In general, Weston Hybrids like sun, but will tolerate some shade. Just don’t go deep shade on them. Soil is crucial.

Make sure it is well drained – do not stick them in heavy clay – and should be on the acidic side. Rhododendron is from the Ericaceae family (heaths, heathers, blueberries, cranberry) which is a family that needs acidic soils with high humus levels.

Bill pointed out that one parent for some of the Weston hybrids is the native swamp Azalea (R. viscosum). The common name gives away this plant’s great advantage, in that it grows in wet soils! It also does just fine in heavier shade, which is why the Mezitt family used it as a parent. R. viscosum is a great plant choice when it comes to its brightwhite, summer blooms, which Bill described as, “sweet honeysuckle fragrance.” We absolutely love this native, and find that pollinators love it even more. (See more options on opposing page.)

We wondered, with all the hybrid azaleas out there, why does Bill focus on the Weston series? Bill explained, “Weston hybrid azaleas have more to offer than flowers and fragrance. I appreciate them for their clean foliage; which isn’t ravaged by mildew like other hybrid deciduous Azaleas.” One of the of the Mezitt’s main goals was this clean foliage.

Bill pointed out that with some good planning, you can build a bloom time from mid-May to early August in a bright shade garden that supports pollinators the entire time.

This begs us to ask, “Why are we all not using these fantastic plants more in our landscape designs?” The two of us are headed out to purchase all of these right now.

22 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association

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The Growing Concern | April 2021 | 23

F EATURE ARTI CLE

TEAM BUILDING RECRUITING AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL

There are many who unaware there are careers in the landscape industry and one way to combat this is by recruiting students at the high school level.

Chris Joyce, president of The Joyce Companies, based in Marstons Mills, Massachusetts, says he has been recruiting at local high schools for the last four to six years. He started because he was on the local school committee and saw that guidance counselors were pushing students more towards college, or the armed services. He says they were not educating high schoolers about the opportunities of our professional trade careers.

“They have no idea it is a career, and they have no idea they can make such an exciting living doing it,” Joyce says.

Joyce says speaking to the students one-on-one at a job fair, or with their parents and a guidance counselor, tends to be the most effective. He says they tend to be the most interested in the opportunity to work outdoors and the creative aspect of it. Joyce says in order to be successful you also need to reach the students’ parents.

“What we’ve done is at the job fairs, we have handed out a flyer that at the bottom has a section that says ‘Dear parents if you have any questions please contact us,’ and we’ll give them a couple names and numbers,” Joyce says. continued on page 26

24 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association

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The Growing Concern | April 2021 | 25

F EATURE ARTI CLE

continued from page 24 He says a number of parents have called and they are shocked when he tells him he has employees who have been with him for 20+ years.

a summer internship or full-time employment, depending on their age, they can fill out an application, and then they can intern for the summer.”

In the past, they would visit schools when asked, but now they actively request to visit schools. He says it’s been challenging over the past year due to COVID-19. During normal years, Joyce will go to job fairs, speak in classrooms and talk with guidance counselors to tell their story. “We as green industry professionals have not done a good job to tell our story, so now we’re playing catchup to try to make this work,” he says.

If the summer internship goes well, Southern Landscape Group will offer students who are about to graduate a full-time position.

Callan Dudley, general manager at Southern Landscape Group, based in Evington, Virginia, says they started recruiting at high schools in earnest after not receiving their H-2B workers. They attend job fairs and speak in classrooms like Joyce.

Four years ago, they also created a four-day short course for 12 students where they can have hands-on training shortly after school lets out for the summer.

“They spend four days with some of our high functioning team leaders and get hands-on training and real-world experience,” Dudley says. “Then when they finish up if they’re interested in

26 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association

The first year they offered the short course they had 11 applicants and 10 showed up on the first day. Southern Landscape Group ended up having six interns that summer and one took a fulltime job with the company after the internship. In the second year, they had 10 students apply for the short course but only four showed up the first day.

“It was heartbreaking but at the same time by the end of the four days, we were like, ‘This has been awesome, they got great hands-on experience and a lot of one-on-one time,” Dudley says.

The third year they had 14 applicants and had to turn away a few who were too young for the program. They ended up getting four summer interns out of the program and two ended up being offered full-time positions. continued on page 28

F EATURE ARTI CLE

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F EATURE ARTI CLE

While students in Campbell County are more aware of landscaping as a field thanks to the horticulture departments at their school, Dudley says they still have to start at ground zero because some students still think they just cut grass.

“You really have to open their eyes and a lot of the materials you guys have already produced, I use that in class to show the different career paths and talking about our company in general,” Dudley says. “You can be a mechanic and work at Southern. You can work in accounting and work at Southern.

You can be a designer and work here.”

Joyce believes it’s best to focus on talking to high schoolers about careers in the industry as most kids aren’t thinking about jobs in middle school. Dudley agrees that speaking to high schoolers is more effective because they have an idea of what they would like to do for a living.

“It’s a great opportunity to have an audience that will listen,” Joyce says.

continued from page 26 During the four-day short course, the students work on Southern Landscape Group’s “Dream Garden” which shows off different plant material and hardscape patterns for clients.

Dudley says they work particularly close with Brookville High School in Campbell County. This is thanks to their partnership with horticulture teacher, Yvonne Hansotte, who is passionate about the industry. When they visit the school, they’re there all day and speak to six to seven classes anywhere from 10th to 12th graders. They mainly target juniors and seniors.

“The important thing is having someone or people you can count on, that you can depend on at the school system to help,” Dudley says. “The biggest thing is having that support system at the school.”

Southern Landscape Group will visit classrooms once a month and go over topics such as landscaping, hardscaping, mowing, and soft skills like interviewing and resume building.

“I do recognize not all of them are going to come to the industry, not all of them are going to come to work at Southern, but these students we do make an impression on them,” Dudley says. “They’re getting something out of it.”

28 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association

Joyce says they’ll talk to whoever will listen and take any opportunity they can to speak.

“Even though we might be speaking to someone who’s not ready to work at least if we get an opportunity to get in front of them, we’ve at least planted a seed so maybe down the road, they say, ‘Oh, that guy came in and talked to us, that might be interesting,’” Joyce says.

With COVID-19, Joyce and Dudley been unable to visit the classrooms. Despite this, Dudley says the pipeline of students hasn’t stopped. They currently have two students from Brookville working on staff part-time because they don’t go to school every day. Also, they have all their internship spots filled for the summer.

“I hope us not being there this year doesn’t change that because it took us two to three years to start getting the return on investment,” Dudley says.

Originally published by Jill Odem, Content Manager for National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP), this articles was featured on their blog, located at https://blog.landscapeprofessionals. org/team-building-recruiting-at-the-high-school-level.

OLA EDUCATION SERIES “...The Harvest Academy has been instrumental in my continuous development of my 3 years in business. The information the academy provides is invaluable, it’s like having the East & West Coast Harvesters next to you leading & coaching. Many thanks to Ed, Bill, and their supporting staff.”

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DATE & LOCATION ONGOING ONLINE TRAINING COURSE ACCESS 1 YEAR ACCESS TO ALL TRAINING MATERIALS WITHIN THE ACCOUNT MANAGER TRAINING PLATFORM (SEE WEBSITE LISTED BELOW FOR MORE DETAILS) COST TO ATTEND • SINGLE USER $895 • 2 USERS $795 EACH • 3 USERS $695 EACH • 4-6 USERS $595 EACH • 7+ USERS $495 EACH OLA MEMBERS RECEIVE A $100 DISCOUNT (PER PERSON) USING THE CODE: 21OHIO100

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The OLA is happy to announce a new partnership with The Harvest Learning Center – a Landscape Business Education Academy – which has put together a comprehensive online course aimed at creating truly successful and valuable account managers.

In our Industry, newly hired account managers tend to come from other fields, i.e., teachers, property managers, general sales, etc. Most fear that if they don’t learn the landscape side of things fast enough, they will be fired. Conversely, seasoned professionals who love their jobs tend to have difficulty meeting their enhancement sales, or are so busy that they are overcome with calls and emails. They all search for help!

The Harvesters recognized this need and got to work producing content for both the new and seasoned account manager. They took a huge subject, broke it down, and created dozens of short video lessons. Then, after each lesson, they provided a short quiz to make sure individuals understood the point of each lesson. Now, any Account Manager can take these modules, in any order, as fast or as slow as they like.

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After working in the Landscape Industry for years, and running successful - individual - consulting projects, Owners Ed Laflamme and Bill Arman decided to team up in the fall of 2007. Together they founded the Harvest Group. Almost immediately, the synergetic effects of both their entrepreneurial and corporate world experience began enabling clients to tap into multiple talents, years of experience and other alliances with key personnel.

They describe it to be “like having a CEO, a CFO and a whole board of directors behind you.” It’s this level of support that enables The Harvest Group to help organizations not only grow, but truly thrive.

In addition to their sales training curriculum, the Harvest Group offers courses in: Acquisitions, Business Management, Customer Relations, Creating Company Culture, Operations Management, People Management, Marketing and Leadership. They offer free initial consultations to determine need and fit!

18 29 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association CEU’S

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D I RECTI ON S

IT’S TIME TO UPDATE YOUR OLA INFORMATION You probably know that in September we launched our new Association Management Software (AMS). While the majority of this change has been internal, there are a couple of items that you should be aware of, which will allow us to better serve you – our valued members!

First off, gone are the days of assigning passwords! You are now able to select your own. Upon launching our new website as part of our AMS package, each member company was sent a password reset request to the primary email we have on file. If you have not had an opportunity to log into the site, or feel you did not receive this request, please reach out to Rick at rick@ohiolandscapers.org, and he will be more than happy to help. Being able to log in is important, because it allows your company to register for events at member pricing, pay dues online, and gives you access to our member portal.

In the new system, your company is considered the ‘member,’ each with its own unique profile. In addition, individuals who work for the member company are able to set up what is called a ‘related profile.’ These related profiles are helpful for two reasons: 1) They allow you to expedite the sign up process for meetings and educational events by storing the information needed to register, and 2) They allow you to provide access to your member profile to someone other than yourself (i.e. HR Manager, Office Manager, etc.), so that they can post jobs, update company info, sign your staff up for events, and more. Each staff member from the same member company will have their own, unique login.

In this regard, each company now has (1) main contact, which is often the company owner. That said, you can designate someone else. Please keep in mind that this person will be the one who we address hard copies of The Growing Concern to, as well as most other mailed communications.

This will NOT affect your ability to receive emails concerning upcoming events and other important information!

30 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association

SANDY MUNLEY

Executive Director The Ohio Landscape Association Next, because our website is tied to our software, we have the added benefit of housing our referral system there. On our site, homeowners can search for member companies that offer specific services in their zip code by selecting the “Find a Professional” button. We have requested this referral information a few times over the years – in addition to when a new member joins the OLA – but we do not have everyone’s complete info. Some associate members have been added to this section, if they sell to the public. A complete member search, including wholesalers and dealers (that don’t sell to the public) can be found in the member portal. I encourage you to take a look at this and see if we have accurate and complete information. You can update the services you provide and select up to 6 zip codes you would like referral work in when logged in, but only if you are either the main contact or denoted as an ‘editor’ of your company’s profile.

Finally, I doubt you will be surprised when I say that the biggest issue we hear our members are struggling with is the lack of a workforce. It is frustrating to hear about high unemployment, yet no one answering your help wanted ads.

To help, as a free member service, we have added a job board to our website. It is located under the “Career Center” tab.

Upgrades to your free listing can be made which will post them to Google Jobs for a nominal fee. Non-members can add jobs, but for a fee.

As always, if you need assistance with these newer benefits and updates, we welcome your phone call or emailed questions.

I’m wishing everyone a safe, enjoyable and prosperous spring!

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