The Buckeye, September 2015, Volume 26, Issue 8

The Official Publication of the Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association

September 2015 Vol. 26, Issue 8

Fall

Planting

is for

The Buckeye is published 10 times per year by The Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association, Inc. 72 Dorchester Square Westerville, OH 43081 p 614.899.1195 f 614.899.9489 www.onla.org info@onla.org

CONTENTS

EDITORIAL / ADVERTISING ISSN 1536-7940 Subscriptions: $75/year amanda@onla.org, editor

September 2015 Vol. 26, Issue 8

Mike Dues, President Dues Nursery & Landscaping, Ltd. David Richards, Immediate Past President South Ridge Farm Steve Maddox, President Elect Michell’s DIRECTORS Hillary Henry, Board Member The Pattie Group Annette Howard, Board Member Gilson Gardens, Inc. Adam McClanahan, Board Member Carlton Plants Josh Posey, Board Member Buckeye Resources, Inc. Ellen Gallucci Purcell, Board Member Riepenhoff Landscape, Ltd. Mark Reiner, Board Member Oakland Nursery, Inc.

In the spirit of land stewardship, please consider recycling this publication.

features

4

President’s Perspective

26

Greed… Just One of Several

The Sales Game

Great Reasons to Attend the

IPPS Eastern Region

6

STAFF Roni Petersen, Membership & Certification Amanda Domsitz, Communications Director Amy Eldridge, CENTS Manager Karen Lykins, Accountant Lisa Larson, Education Director OFFICERS

industry news

Branches of Government

Changes in the House; “Off Year”

Election Critical This Year Due To Ballot

Issues

9

ONLA Board Resolution

In Support of Issue 2 and In Opposition

to Issue 3

departments 10

Safety First

OSHA Hazard Communication Labeling

Requirements

11

15

16

18

21

22

27

29

Retail Roundtable Fall is for Planting Management / Marketing Today Timber!

ONLA Membership A Celebration of Our Membership Educational Update The Educated Client Young Leaders Does Your Team Feel Appreciated?

Why Trees Matter Images of Late Summer Past Business Buzz Leadership is About Influence Look to the Future

Embracing Urban Horticulture, Sustainability,

& the Next Generation

also in this issue

41 Industry Calendar • 42 About The Buckeye • 42 Classified Ads • 42 Ad Index

Conference

32

Ohio Invasive Plant Council

Releases List of Potentially

33

Invasive Plants Excerpt from the PEST

Newsletter

35

36

Micromanaging Is Running Employees Out the Door Rooftop Studies

September 2015 Vol. 26, Issue 8

The Official Publication of the Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association

THE FINE PRINT The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the association, directors or staff and do not constitute an endorsement of the products or featured services. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers, or their identification as members of the ONLA does not constitute an endorsement of the products or featured services.

Fall

is for

Planting front cover:

Autumn Festivities, Meadow View Growers, New Carlisle, Ohio

B

President’s Perspective

Game

The Sales

Sales are the name of the game if you run your own business. But being good at selling is rarely the reason that entrepreneurs get started in the first place — passion, expertise and the desire to be your own boss are usually the main drivers.

The truth is that selling is often one of the most difficult aspects of the job for small business owners.

Having a sales strategy will help to focus your attention and ensure that you are making the most of every opportunity.

New sales leads are the lifeblood of many businesses.

To successfully generate them, you’ll need to actively prospect for marketing leads — then quickly identify and follow up the hottest prospects.

For many businesses, the most important factor in successful sales lead generation is to commit resources to it. You can then decide whether it’s more effective for lead generation to be part of a general sales role within your business or carried out by separate researchers. A lead generation service might also be an option.

Whoever is doing the prospecting needs to understand what they are trying to achieve and how to go about it. A typical approach is to qualify leads before requesting a meeting or following up with more information in a sales letter. There should be clear agreement on when a lead is

4 The Buckeye

Mike Dues Dues Nursery & Landscaping, Ltd. ONLA President mikedues@duesnursery.com

handed to a salesperson.

Effective sales management helps you get the most out of your salesforce. Setting sales targets and sitting back is not a winning approach. Perhaps more than in any other business area, sales people need hands-on support and guidance to help them succeed in a particularly challenging role.

You need to think clearly about your customer base and what your business offers them — get that sales story consistent across your teams. And your salesforce needs to clearly know what’s expected of them, and by when.

It’s also important for your salesforce to have clarity about who is reviewing progress and targets, and when they’re going to do it.

In many businesses, sales strategies fall short because there’s a lack of clarity in some or all of these areas.

If a salesperson doesn’t fully understand their role, responsibility or target, they won’t perform to the best of their ability. And if you’re not providing clarity about what the offer should be and clearly measuring performance, you won’t see where the gaps (and opportunities) are.

It’s a good idea to regularly check across all aspects of your sales operation — have I thought clearly about the customer and the sales story? Are my sales team clear about what’s required and when? And are there clear onla.org

reporting structures that are being used and monitored to make the most of your team’s talent?

The first hurdle is getting through to the right person.

Sales training courses often includes sales tips to help you get past gatekeepers such as secretaries and to create interest. Taking the trouble to research the customer should put you in a strong position to come up with an opening that explains why it’s worth taking time to talk to you.

Knowing what the customer wants also means that you will be in a strong position to explain the benefits of what you can offer. Every product /service feature can be translated into a competitive advantage — and a benefit for the customer. Everyone likes to feel warm and fuzzy.

Relationship building typically includes regular visits.

Even in this technology phase we are in, people still like to see you and look you in the eye. Even the “small talk” has very valuable attribute to relationship building.

People get to know and like each other. And I must add one more attribute, its one I have talked about in past articles “SMILE” it never hurts. B

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onla.org

September 2015 5

B

Legislative

CHANGES IN THE HOUSE With 132 elected officials in the Ohio House and the Ohio Senate, it is not unusual that some mistakes are made. Most of the time, mistakes are minor; however, occasionally, mistakes are uncovered that cause legislators to resign from their office. Since our last article, we have had two House members resign from their posts: Rep. Steve Kraus (R; Sandusky ) and Rep. Ron Gerberry (D; Austintown).

Rep. Steve Kraus

The auctioneer was accused of entering an unoccupied house that was for sale in April 2014 and removing several antiques. Mr. Kraus said he was given permission to remove the items - which he subsequently returned for safekeeping.

During the trial, the homeowner’s realtor contradicted Mr. Kraus’s claim that she had granted him permission to remove the property.

Mr. Kraus was unavailable for comment prior to deadline.

An Ottawa County jury found Rep. Steve Kraus guilty of theft, a fifth degree felony that automatically results in the Republican’s removal from office, according to the House GOP caucus.

The Republican caucus will likely screen potential candidates to fill the vacancy and vote to appoint a replacement when lawmakers return to Columbus following the summer recess.

After a multi-day hearing, an Ottawa County Court of Common Pleas jury convicted Rep. Kraus (R-Sandusky) in a case involving theft of antiques from an elderly woman’s home in Danbury Township. The jury acquitted the lawmaker of breaking and entering and criminal trespass.

Whoever is appointed to the seat will likely face a tough election next fall in the district, which was represented by Mr. Redfern and former Rep. Dennis Murray, another Democrat, for many years prior to Rep. Kraus’s surprise upset victory last year.

House Republican Caucus spokeswoman Brittany Warner said state statute and a 1989 appeals court ruling require immediate removal of a public official convicted of a felony, regardless of appeal.

Mr. Kraus, who joined the House in January, was charged with the crime shortly after his unexpected win last fall over former Rep. Chris Redfern, who subsequently resigned as chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party.

6 The Buckeye

Mr. Redfern, who recently opened a winery in the district, said he’s “seriously considering” making another run for the House seat.

Longtime Rep. Ronald Gerberry (D-Austintown) quietly submitted his resignation from the House last Friday amid questions over his campaign finances.

Rep. Ron Gerberry Recently, the Youngstown Vindicator reported that the 27-year lawmaker, Rep. Ron Gerberry (D; Austintown) who is in his second stint in the House, had overpaid onla.org

vendors from his campaign fund and subsequently received refunds from the vendors. The paper’s story said his resignation was part of a plea deal under which he will plead guilty to misdemeanor campaign finance charges.

The House Democratic Caucus said in a statement that a candidate-screening panel will be formed to gather input from local and regional officials to fill the remainder of Rep. Gerberry’s term.

“Reports of campaign finance wrongdoing are deeply concerning to this caucus and this institution. Obviously, we will look closely at details and facts as they emerge from this situation, but at this time, we need to remain respectful of the legal process in order to have a better understanding and complete picture of what transpired,” the caucus stated.

The Democrat is in the final term of his second period of service in the House and would have been term limited for the second time last year. He previously served in the House from 1982-2000. Gerberry’s resignation was effective August 21st.

“Off Year” Election Critical This Year Due To Ballot Issues With the exception of Presidential elections, as you know, Ohioans have bigger elections on even numbered years. The opportunity to elect all statewide office holders comes every four years (2018 is the next big election year for state wide offices) and all of the Ohio House and half of the Senate is up for election every two years. “Off year” elections generally have much lower turnout. With three important initiatives on the ballot this year, 2015 (an odd numbered year) may prove to be an exception to the “off year” rule of thumb.

While at deadline for this article the Ohio Ballot Board is meeting to finalize the language, we do know the order in which the initiatives will appear.

Issue 1 pertains to redistricting. Evidenced by the ever widening gap between the House and Senate majority republicans vs. the House and Senate minority democrats, it is easy to see that the “system” for establishing legislative districts does not currently pass the fairness please see page 8

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continued from page 7

test. Issue 1 was passed in a bipartisan fashion by the Ohio House and the Ohio Senate. Hopefully, it will gain the support of Ohioans this November. Issues 2 and 3 will both pertain to an effort to legalize marijuana.

The concept for Issue 2 was passed by the Ohio General Assembly in an effort to prohibit petitioners from creating any amendment to the Ohio Constitution that would create a monopoly. You may recall that the casino amendment created a monopoly. Proponents of marijuana legalization, “Responsible Ohio” have crafted almost the exact same monopolistic language that was used in the casino amendment. Generally, the ONLA legislative committee urges a yes vote on Issue 2 (prohibiting monopolies).

Issue 3 would legalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes and recreation purposes. It sets forth 10 areas where pot can be grown, etc. Generally speaking, some well-funded entrepreneurs stand to make a millions of dollars at the exclusion of other entrepreneurs and at the expense of our work force, our families and our children.

The ONLA Board is in the process of adopting a resolution IN OPPOSITION TO ISSUE 3. (see page 9) But the battle will be bloody. Responsible Ohio (proponents) have reportedly raised around $20 million dollars to promote a yes vote. The opponents which include the American Academy of Pediatrics, religious organizations and business groups like the National Federal of Independent Businesses (NFIB) are organizing; however, it will be very difficult to match the funding Responsible Ohio has amassed.

Defeating Issue 3 will only happen with good, old fashioned door-to-door and neighborly education. Even if your neighbor is in favor of legalization, Issue 3 is NOT the way to proceed.

Stay tuned for more information on ONLA’s opposition to Issue 3 and ways you can help protect your workplace and your family. B Belinda Jones ONLA Legislative Consultant bjones@capitol-consulting.net

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8 The Buckeye

onla.org 88415 Buckeye 3.5x5 Ad.indd 1

2/10/15 3:53 PM

ONLA Board Resolution In Support of Issue 2 and In Opposition to Issue 3 WHEREAS, the Ohio General Assembly, by passage of House Joint Resolution 4, has placed a constitutional amendment on the 2015 Ohio General Election ballot that would “prohibit an initiated constitutional amendment that would grant a monopoly, oligopoly, or cartel, specify or determine a tax rate, or confer a commercial interest, right, or license to any person or nonpublic entity” known as Issue 2; and, WHEREAS, a proposed constitutional amendment known as Issue 3 has qualified for the 2015 Ohio General Election ballot would legalize medical and recreational marijuana and grant 10 monopolistic growing licenses to those financing its campaign; and, WHEREAS, the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association takes an interest on matters of statewide importance, in that they impact free-market competition and affect the business climate, and, WHEREAS, the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association and its members have a long-held dedication to work place safety and drug-free work places and have a profound belief that measures promoting recreational marijuana compromise workplace safety; and, WHEREAS, if passed, Issue 3 would make Ohio the first state to simultaneously legalize medical and recreational use of marijuana thus creating an unprecedented and severe economic, enforcement and administrative challenge for Ohio; and, WHEREAS, the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association is comprised of family owned businesses who are concerned about the impact of recreational use of marijuana and its potential negative impact on the health of children and youth.

NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved by the Board of Directors of the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association, that: SECTION 1: The board supports the proposed Ohio constitutional amendment known as Issue 2 that would bar the constitutional creation of business monopolies for the benefit of individuals.

SECTION 2: On the basis of a profound allegiance to family and workplace safety, the board opposes the proposed Ohio constitutional amendment known as Issue 3 that would legalize a monopolistic enterprise for growing marijuana and legalize medical and recreational use of marijuana. B Attest:

__________________________ Mike Dues, President Ohio Nursery and Landscape Assn onla.org

________________________________ Roni Petersen September 1, 2015 September 2015 9

SAFETY FIRST OSHA Hazard Communication Labeling Requirements

With OSHA updating the Hazard Communication standard to include the new Globally Harmonized System (GHS), there have been questions about what will be required on the labels on containers of hazardous chemicals.

Manufacturers and importers will be required to use the new GHS label. This will be a much more detailed label and will provide much better information about the hazards of a chemical, unlike the current requirements.

There are 4 new distinct areas on the labels: •

Pictograms- There are nine of these each depicting a different type of hazard.

•

Single Word- either Danger (meaning the product can be deadly) or Warning (meaning the product is dangerous but not deadly).

•

Hazard Statement- a brief statement about the hazard of the chemical.

•

Precautionary Statement- This covers the basic steps that can be taken to protect an employee.

The statement has to cover 4 areas: Prevention Response, Handing, Storage and Disposal.

In addition, there will be the name of the chemical, the manufacturer’s name, address and telephone number, and supplemental information. The last item is not mandatory.

Companies who don’t manufacture chemicals are also required to ensure all containers of hazardous chemicals are labeled. This includes internal or final use containers.

OSHA doesn’t have a recommended approved label.

However, OSHA provides leeway in the types of label a company can use for internal or final use containers.

Companies can use the new GHS labels if they choose or may choose their own label as long as it provides at least minimal information about the hazards of the chemical and there is more detailed information about the hazards of the chemical immediately available. The SDSs will provide that information but they will need to be readily available to all employees. This will require that Section II of the new SDS be reviewed. This section will list the label requirements.

10 The Buckeye

Two of the current commercial labels the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) and the Hazardous Material Identification System (HMIS) labels will still be allowed for internal or final use containers. However, the numeric hazard rating system for the GHS has been revised.

Currently, NFPA and HMIS use a 0-4 hazard rating system- 0 means no hazard; 4 means extreme hazard.

The GHS rating indicates that 4 is a slight hazard while 1 is an extreme hazard. Needless to say, this has caused a lot of confusion. OSHA has advised that the GHS numeric hazard rating will not be required on GHS labels.

Companies that decide to use either the NFPA or HMIS labels will have to review the new SDS to determine the hazards of that particular chemical. They are not to use the numeric hazard for GHS which is found in section II, but continue to use the current rating system.

The hazard information needed for the labels can be found in the new SDSs- Section 4- Firefighting Measures; Section 8- Personal Protective Equipment for the HMIS label; Section 10- Physical and Chemical Properties; Section 10- Stability and Reactivity; and Section 11Toxicology Information.

Companies using either type of label will still need to train their employees in the hazards of the chemicals they use and ensure they understand the difference in the two numeric hazard rating systems. All containers of hazardous chemicals must have a label and SDSs need to be available at the work site for employees.

It will be up to each company to determine if their internal labeling policy will meet the required standard.

For more information on this topic, either go to OSHA. gov which has information on the new requirements or call my office at (330) 854-4577. B Gary W. Hanson American Safety and Health Management Consultants, Inc. info@ashmanagement.com onla.org

Fall is for

Retail Roundtable

Planting

Hi Kids! Do you know what time it is? That’s right; it’s time for another round of “Let’s Ask the Retailers!”

You know the rules; we ask the question and our retailing aficionados provide their thought provoking brain stimulating answers, sure to change your retailing ways.

Aficionados, are you ready? Then grab your buzzers and let’s play! Here is your question. Good luck.

these were, because we don’t even come close to having a fall season the way they expect to. Anyway, we have tried for years and years to be relevant in the fall and mostly to no avail. We have brought in fresh material, had sales, festivals, etc. and still not enough to warrant them a success. I’m looking forward to seeing others’ answers on here so I can be enlightened.

“Fall is for Planting. The banners and campaigns have been telling us that for years. We’ve been preaching it for years.

But if that’s true, then why is it so difficult to convince today’s customers that fall is for planting, and not time to throw in the trowel? Or is it? Talk to us about fall sales, about your fall promotions and trying to increase fall sales. What special things do you do to make those fall customers flock to your store in September and October? By the way, does the weather play a part in fall sales?”

Ricky Barrier / White Oak Gardens –

Tim Clarke / H.J. Benken’s – “Talk about a pandora’s box; that’s how we feel about fall. I remember traveling to different markets on garden center tours and seeing all the material they still had in stock. The response was always the same; “We’ll sell it in the fall”. Well, I wish our garden center was where onla.org

“I agree with you that the majority of customers are spring time shoppers and it is difficult to convince a lot of them to keep their gardening hobby going into the fall. I guess that the biggest obstacle in increasing fall customers is that most of them just want to be done for the year. Come fall, they’ve now spent the last 3 months taking care of their plants and lawn, and are simply tired of doing it. I know I’ve had years where I’ve felt the same way and just wasn’t into it for the fall months, so why would I expect our customer to feel differently?

That being said, to me it does seem like we are getting a slight increase of customers who understand the benefits of fall planting, especially in trees and shrubs. The real problem though with these customers is that just about every one of them expects the plants to be discounted.

For the last few years we’ve really upped our game when it comes to making White Oak a bit of an attraction for families during the fall months. I think this is a time of year when we reach out a bit past our typical customer and bring in families who might not shop with us the rest of the year. Our painted round straw bales are always please see page 12

September 2015 11

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a hit with the community, and around the latter part of August people really get to talking about them, wondering what we will do with them this year. Our customers also really enjoy our VW Beetle and giant chair. We always get folks stopping in to get a picture with them. This year we plan to make a ‘straw bale castle’ and surround it with round bales in the shape of a dragon. We also have plans to do something in the Charley Brown/Peanuts theme. A lot of these folks will pick up a pumpkin or some other types of fall decorating items while they are here. Our “Make-N-Takes” are continuing to grow in popularity and we will begin to host them again for the fall months.

We host one and if it’s really popular, two “Make and Takes” every Saturday though the fall months, all of which our customers now need to register and pay for a head of time. I think weather plays a factor in everything we do here, at all times of the year. If it’s hot and dry, forget about having a good September. If it’s rainy on the weekends, the numbers are ugly. I think it’s mostly luck with the weather. The last couple of years, the weather has been mostly in our favor. This year the weather seems to be cooperating, but I’m still not sure we will see much of an increase. In recent years we’ve sort of gotten away from promoting the “Fall is for Planting” theme and gone more with a “Fall is for Decorating” theme, hoping to increase sales of mums, pumpkins/gourds, straw bales, corn stalks etc. We’ve also done extremely well with selling “White Oak Fall Marigolds” in the fall months.

I think we’ve built up a pretty good customer base in the decorating department, so this year our marketing will get back to promoting a little more of the planting aspect, with a heavy emphasis on trees. We will send out a mailer that typically hits homes towards the end of August, continue our weekly emails and update our facebook daily.

Steve Maddox / Michell’s – “I think the weather in the summer has a lot to do with getting people back into the stores. If it’s been hot and dry, and the ground isn’t workable, people are less interested in putting a shovel in the ground. I think a cooler, wet summer bodes well for retailers and perhaps this year will be proof of that. Fall sales always seem to be an instigator for opening up the wallets but FRESH material is even more important for them to commit. I see some garden centers liquidating and promoting tired, rough looking plants at rock bottom prices. However, the most successful stores are buying in FRESH material and promoting fall planting by the garden center or a landscape company. Mums can also get folks into the stores usually after the start of school. Using mums to get them in and then having fresh displays with good looking material will help increase that average sale. Either throw out, donate or put those tired, sale priced plants in the “bone pile” located far away from the good looking stuff.

12 The Buckeye

My advice? Buy in FRESH plants, promote FALL is for PLANTING, and wear a HUGE SMILE!

Tony Sciambi / Buckeye Resources –

“It may sound simplistic, but football in Ohio on the weekends probably occupies a lot of leisure time. Most gardeners have worked all spring to plant flowers and gardens and worked all summer to maintain them. They just know that in the fall things are starting to die, unless we give them lots of ideas to keep it going. Examples: Sales on perennials that look great in the fall, or shrubs and trees that are especially vibrant in the fall, ornamental grasses that are maturing around that time, and don’t forget the ornamental cabbages, mums, and pansies classes on Holiday decorating (Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas), or working with local organizations to have classes along with wine tastings - all great ways to create interest in the fall.”

Mike Ennemoser / Greenleaf Landscapes Inc. – “Fall is a great time to plant, but getting our customers to realize and understand this is a rather difficult task.

We try to push the fall categories as early as we can.

We change our store sets and merchandise fall and holiday decor to gain interest and let our shoppers shop and see early. By “pushing” the seasons, we can gain a little more in sales. This does not necessarily gain foot traffic but does boost sales overall. For fall, we promote a fall sale on plants and partner with some of our vendors to promote “Fall is for Planting” on plant material. Clearance plants are reduced and sold to drive out some tired plant inventory. Besides the traditional mums, pumpkins, and fall plants, we will bring in fresh trees, shrubs, grasses, and perennials. The new plant inventory is used in our jobs and made available for customers searching for plants. During our “fall open house” weekend, we are proud to show off the store changes and create an internal buzz and sneak a peek at Holiday items and yes even Spring items. The store changes get our customers and sales associates excited about the upcoming holidays. Creativity is the key here and I will encourage staff buy in. If the staff can create it, then they will sell it. Outside: displays are completely reworked, with a focus on trees. Trees are brought up and put into our parking lot area. You can’t help but want to buy a maple in full “fall” color. We actually drive tree sales and sell more trees in the fall. Events are a great idea; we have tried several with some more successful than others. When planning events, watch for competing events or competing weekends (i.e. football, fairs, festivals, etc.). Be conscious of neighboring towns, and communities. Our community has several big ones back to back, so locally we have dialed back our event efforts.

My recommendations: weigh the cost and benefit and just evaluate each and every season. They can be a great way onla.org

to drive foot traffic into your store but not necessarily dollars into your store.

Jodi Dawson / Oakland Nurseries –

impact in that it’s easier to plant in moister soil. Traffic here has been steady all summer. I think planning fall events well in advance is crucial. Consistency is key. If you offer some type of event whether it be educational or fun at least one weekend a month, I believe you up the odds for increasing your fall traffic. It seems to be a time when a lot of customers expect discounts so a thoughtful approach to what we can offer without sacrificing too much profit is important.

The bottom line is, for me, we still have an uphill battle as far as establishing a strategy for enhancing fall sales goes.”

“Oakland Nurseries believes that fall IS for planting!!!

We try to relay to customers how much happier the plants are in the fall. Information is the key to a great garden.

We all know that the soil is still warm and the plants will thrive on the fall conditions by producing fast, strong, healthy root systems. I think that we truly communicate that message to our customers. Advertising is about half in the fall Jim Sollecito compared to spring, but (Guest still very necessary. We like the campaign for Response) Photo courtesy of Meadow View Growers in New Carlisle, Ohio. fall because the public / Sollecito is still uninformed. We do have many sales on items that Landscaping Nursery (Syracuse, NY) – we would like to clear out for those that are looking for a “Strategy One: It works if you stock with color, it deal, but extremely well stocked with beautiful and fresh won’t if you don’t. I have long been a proponent of Fall material. We bring goodies in from the West coast, a Planting, but people have been educated that they get huge array of bulbs from Holland and mums for miles and cheaper prices in the fall. So don’t disappoint them, have miles. I also like the idea of veggies in the fall. There is some special pricing and maybe 2 for 1 attention getters. so much potential for fall! All Oakland stores put on a Strategy 2: If the plants look ratty, give them to staff, heck of a Fall Festival; fun and family. There are games don’t try to sell junk. That’s what the box stores have and activities for the children and their parents!! Free been doing all summer. They went 50% off in my area “giveaways” ALWAYS persuades attendance! We like to in July. Face it, some plants will sell better when their incorporate education classes at this time of year. They remaining leaves fall off, so this is the time we finally are not always a big hit, but one new customer is better give to the Boy Scouts for their Eagle Projects, Habitat than none! Fall weather is very helpful this time of year. for Humanity, and other places that beg for freebies People seem to be more laid back with less urgency. Even during the spring. We lined them up earlier, now they rainy days bring in shoppers. I think it is more acceptable come and can clean out our closet. Unfortunately, “Fall is to rain in the fall. We just want to give our shoppers the for Planting” should be as widely known as the old ‘Got experience that we would expect. Good quality, friendly Milk’ campaign, but it isn’t. We do have the banners, the service, and keeping it interesting and fun. magnets for our trucks, the badges for our employees, we do walk the walk, and we do include it in our advertising.

Darlene Cooper / Sharon Nursery – So for us, it really does work.”

“You’ve opened up a killer can of worms, sir! I know No doubt this is a tough one for our aficionados to that as retailers we have a duty to keep our customers answer.

And fall sales will vary depending on the store aware and informed of all the advantages of planting in and location.

But in my humbled opinion, the “Fall is for spring AND fall, but I think the concept of fall planting Planting” campaign just doesn’t have the punch to drive is more a green industry concept than that of the average fall sales in today’s market. It’s a good reminder once homeowner. I will probably irritate lots of people by folks are at your location that fall is a great time to plant saying this but “Fall Is for Planting” is not exactly a and to let them know why. And I think pushing this in rousing call to action. It’s a phrase we all use, but I don’t your newsletters, social media, and explaining why does believe the general public has fully embraced it. There are help new gardeners. I still use it on the radio shows to a lot of great ways to attract people in the fall whether its promote fall planting. And I think once explained folks produce stands, hot dogs and cider or classes and events. get it. But getting Fall customers to your store may need Of course, weather is going to impact. The fact that we’ve something more. Creating shopping events, having fun had a fairly rainy season seems to have had a favorable please see page 14

onla.org

September 2015 13

continued from page 13

stuff happening, pet events, fall foods and pumpkins, local sports on the radio and maybe even on TV’s in the garden store, family oriented events and things to do while at your retail location, etc. I think that’s what todays customers are looking for; an eventful reason to come there. “Excitement, excitement, excitement” as Larry Larson used to say. Then the excitement of experiencing your loads of wonderful, colorful fall plants, custom fall containers, blooming goodies, great displays, nice selection of fresh-lush trees, shrubs, evergreens, perennials, and assorted nursery plants, as well as those selective specials and sales going on, helps create a wonderful and exciting shopping event. And let’s face it; the majority of fall sales are within a 6-7 week period.

So, should be thinking outside the “Fall is for Planting” box, and try to figure out what to do to create a 6-7 week fall shopping event? “Come celebrate Oktoberfest Weekend with us…then go Plant Something!”

Fall is a great time to plant. No doubt about it. But I challenge you to ask people (who do not know what you do for a living) to tell you what fall is for. I’m pretty sure you’ll hear things like “Fall is for Back to School…Fall is for Fall Fun…Fall is for Events and Fall Festivals…

Fall is for Family Fun and Family Events…Fall is for Fall Sports…Fall is for Outdoor Decorating…Fall is for Fall

Colors…Fall is for Wonderful Smells…Fall is for Apple Cider, Pumpkins and Indian Corn…Fall is for The Best Season of All of Them…Fall is for Cooler Weather… or Fall is for Oktoberfest, Crème Puffs, Brats, Metts and cold Oktoberfest Beers.” And when they’re done, you can throw in the ole, “By the way, did you know that Fall is for Planting?”

Paul Reiner said to me last year at one of their weekend fall events (which they do an outstanding job!), “Fall events are a lot of work and have their costs. But they can bring in lots of people; many of them new to us. And some of them are only buying a few pumpkins and a couple mums, but that’s okay. They’re having fun, the kids are having fun, they get to see who we are, and they’ll remember us when they need a new tree or shrub or new landscaping in the future. And I think these events can be a lot of fun for the employees as well.

Now quit standing around, Wilson, and go create some excitement!” Hey Retailers, can we talk? B Ron Wilson Personal Yardboy & ONLA Retail Committee Ghost Writer in the Sky rwilson@natorp.com

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14 The Buckeye

© 2015 An ICL Fertilizers Company, Worldwide Rights Reserved.

5/20/15 11:19 AM

onla.org

M a n a g e m e n t / M a r k e t i n g To d a y

Timber!

I play a lot of golf courses in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. I love to play a wide variety of courses, as “same old same old” gets “old” with me when it comes to golf courses.

One of my favorite golf courses in the area is Timber Pointe Golf Club, in Poplar Grove, IL. It’s about a 20 minute drive from my home, and well worth it. What makes it special? It’s two things that every business (And this means you!) should have – Products and “Service With Shazzam!”

Timber Pointe has a terrific layout, even though there are a couple of holes that I wish I could skip. The third hole is long and narrow, and the par that I made there this past week was a rare treat. The twelfth hole is just plain narrow. I hold my breath every time I get to these holes.

In fact, I start thinking about these holes from the time I leave my house until I play them.

The course layout is very important to me. And so is the upkeep. Tyler Rieches is the Golf Course Superintendent, and what a job he and his team do. Ever since moving back to Illinois after 40 years in the south, I’m always amazed that anything can grow after so many months of cold and snow. Tyler and his team have greens that are remarkable. It’s hard to find an excuse when you hit a shot off the fairways, as they give me great lie after great lie.

As for the “Service With Shazzam,” Randy Schairer, Co-Director of Club Operations, stands out. Timber Pointe is a public golf course, but Randy and his team make everyone feel special. They remember the names of their regular players, and go out of their way to make every golfer feel special. Timber Pointe has a unique “Pass Holder” program. It’s less expensive than a full membership, but still gives Pass Holders several benefits, including reduced fees and a special tournament each year.

onla.org

Timber Pointe has a “Risk Free, Full Value” rain check system. It’s not like most courses, where the policy is that if you have played a certain amount of holes and it starts to rain, you only get partial (or no) credit. “Full value” is the key at Timber Pointe. It truly is “risk free” when my local forecast calls for rain.

Randy and J. J. Maville, the other Co-Director of Golf Operations, also score “birdies” with their e-mail marketing. I get emails from a wide variety of courses, and Timber Pointe always stands out. They seem to have something that gets my interest in just about every e-mail.

As I wrote, I play a lot of courses in the area, and Timber Pointe is as busy as any course around. Even when my golf game is not where I want it to be, there is always a “Shazzam” at Timber Pointe.

The Shazzam Challenge Randy, J. J. and their Team go out of their way to give every golfer a great experience – through a great product (the golf course itself) and “ Service With Shazzam!” Can your Green Industry company say the same? B Bring Mark in to motivate your Team with an amazing dose of “Shazzam!” Call Mark today! (815) 2091381. Mark Mayberry is a Customer Service expert.

He works with a wide variety of organizations around the world, helping organizations like yours deliver “Service With Shazzam” to your Customers.

September 2015 15

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ONLA Membership

Happy Anniversary!

A Celebration of ONLA Membership

The Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association holds a rich history within the membership that dates back to the Civil War era. As the ONLA family, we would like to congratulate our members on their 2015 anniversaries!

125 Years in Business, Established 1890 Carlton Plants, LLC Michell’s

100 Years in Business, Established 1915 Simmons Landscape & Irrigation, Inc.

75 Years in Business, Established 1940 Oakland Nursery, Inc. Deal’s Landscape Service, Inc. Colini Landscaping, Inc. Acme Tree & Landscape, Inc.

50 Years in Business, Established 1965 C. M. Brown Nurseries, Inc. de Monye’s Greenhouse, Inc. Gale’s Westlake Garden Center, Inc. Medina Sod Farm Green King Co., Inc. Improved Environments Landscaping, Inc.

25 Years in Business, Established 1990 Tinkerturf Lawn & Landscape, Inc. Wood Landscape Services, Ltd. Yard Solutions Hedge Landscape, LLC Dazzle Lawn Care, Inc. Diamond Cut Lawn & Landscaping Services, LLC Father & Son Property Maintenance, LLC Spieles Nurseries

16 The Buckeye

The Greenhouse Shoppe Whole Tree Care by Trappers Tree Service American Safety & Health Mgt. Consultants, Inc. Gehret Nursery, Inc. Glass-n-Greens Midwest Landscape Network, Inc. Nettle Creek Nursery Pondhaven Excavating The David Vogel Landscape Co. TRC Landscape Services, Inc. John’s Ag-Vantage llc Woodridge Tree Farm

10 Years in Business, Established 2005 Jamie Fox Landscaping, Inc. Liapis Landscape & Design ProScape Lawn & Landscape Services, LLC Jason Weigandt Landscape Co. Kleinhenz Landscape Unique Landscape LLC BCF Lawn & Landscape Bry Pan, LLC MTC Horticultural Services, LLC Ryan’s Landscaping Arbor Doctor, LLC CustomTree Inc. Dailey’s Lawn & Landscaping Darwin Designs J H Lawn & Landscape MLH Design & Build Pinnacle Property Maintenance Roger Lake Trucking Inc. Sutherland’s Landscaping & Excavating, Inc. Marion Landscape Service, LLC Your Personal Gardener Rannells Greenhouses onla.org

5 Years in Business, Established 2010 Johnson Property Services, LLC Landscape Design Solutions, LLC Brengelman Young Landscape Services, LLC Campbell Landscaping LLC Gorman Landscape Contractors, LLC Land Aid LLC Perfection Landscape & Greenhouse, LLC Ryan Kolb Co. LLC U.S. Lawns of Columbus Kurb Appeal Landscaping LLC Majestic Gardens LLC Quality Yard & Home Maintenance B

Thank you to all of our members!

-The ONLA Staff LANDSCAPING EQUIPMENT SALES • SERVICE • PARTS • RENTALS

Covering Northeast Ohio

Covering Central Ohio

MH

BURNS 800-752-1220 • www.burnsjcb.com

onla.org

Covering Southwest Ohio

855-509-1689 • www.hy-tek.net

513-681-2200 • www.mhjcb.com

September 2015 17

Educational Update The Educated Client

This article is provided to you as a benefit of membership in the Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association.

Content for this issue provided by: Tim Malinich

Whether we realize it or not, we do a great deal of client education in our industry. Homeowners requesting help with a plant or marketing your services to a prospective client requires at least a small amount of education. But, do we really take advantage of that teachable moment or pass over it as just another cost of doing business?

I have seen two extremes of people looking for help with a landscape. Some just want the answer, no details, no information; tell it like it is and get on with it. They are probably in the minority. On the other end of the scale is that client that wants to know every minor detail, every rationale, every possible scenario.

Most others fall between these two points, they want to know what’s going on but do not need a whole class on landscape management.

It is this group in the middle that can benefit from education and explanation. In many ways, it will engage them in the solution and lead them to a good decision— hopefully the course of action you are suggesting.

Start by providing quality diagnostic feedback. If you don’t know the answer, don’t guess and by all means do not make it up! In a recent conversation about a lawn problem a homeowner reported being told that ‘his lawn problem was a disease that moved from the shrubs to the lawn’ and that ‘it was very common’. The disease had no name and they could not explain to

the client how this disease actually works. The frustrated client sought information elsewhere and is not likely to trust further information from his current lawn care company. Again, if you don’t know, say so.

In the field you can show people the insect, disease symptoms or plant health problem.

Let the evidence make your point. Grubs can be dug up to demonstrate the degree of damage that might occur; a disclosing solution is a cheap, simple and graphic way to show what is crawling around a person’s yard.

A simple diagnostic tool, the loupe or magnifying glass (easier for the layman to use), will help point out diseases or some of the smaller insect pests.

Take the time to do the research, especially if you are unsure of the diagnosis. Most problems do not occur overnight and can wait a day or two until you can collect more information.

That is more than enough time to hear back from a wide array of resources. The local Extension Office can often provide the link to resources or referral to a specialist in that area. The writers of the Buckeye Yard and Garden Line (BYGL), the Extension Nursery Landscape and Turf Team (ENLTT), and Floriculture Industry Roundtable of the Midwest (FIRM) are a few of the OSU teams that specialize in ornamental horticulture (see contact list below). Members

of the teams respond to requests for information on a regular basis. Other resources could include colleagues and online documents.

As you assemble online tools, get those resources in order. Import PDF files onto your smart device (this is not always the most intuitive process but it can be done). The result is your private pocket library of the files you use most often--files that can be shown or shared with clients to clear up misunderstandings or back up your recommended course of action.

If your resources tend toward websites as well as document files then keep them organized for making more professional presentations in the field. At the very least, add your most used websites to favorites or your toolbar.

You may find it useful to create a new browser account or use a different browser for work. Setting up the browser to open to your most commonly opened pages will be fast and more professional than trying to navigate to a site you know is there but just can’t find. Organize bookmarks in a manner useful to your work. For instance, individual folders for insects, diseases, turf, and fertility will allow for quick

access to most documents you might need to refer too or show to clients When showing people image, remember, not all eyes are as good as yours. Use quality photos only and don’t try exhibiting them on a small phone screen.

The availability of tablet and pad devices makes it well worth the price to provide a better experience when working with the homeowner. If they are struggling to see the screen they may not admit it and become frustrated.

Pay more attention people and learn how to read them. Body language, tone of voice, and engagement can all help you anticipate where the conversation is going. As in the previous example, if the client seems frustrated reading a sheet or looking at a photo, offer it to them as a different view; you can zoom in or change screen resolution without asking if they are having a difficult time seeing the screen.

Client level of interest or engagement will also let you know if they want more information or if they are becoming overwhelmed or bored. Maintain control of the conversation by summing up the discussion and any conclusions or further work that is required. This please see page 20

The Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association’s The Buckeye

19

EDUCATIONAL UPDATE

Image 1: This white fungus was being blamed for the death of an entire landscape; samples were sent off for positive identification. The client needed a lengthy discussion about life cycles and types of fungi before he was willing to accept the diagnosis and appropriate response—no treatment.

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EDUCATIONAL UPDATE

can also take the form of engaging the homeowner in part of the process such as taking samples or scouting for further development of disease or pest problems.

Engaging the client helps make them part of the solution and an active member of the diagnostic team.

I get a large number of client inquiries throughout the year (commercial and hobbyist) and each one is different, but all of them want more information— education—about the landscape problem. It takes time but a more educated client is likely to have more interest in the solution and more reasonable expectations from the outcome.

Resources •

County Extension Office--http://[your county name].osu.edu

•

FIRM—http://firm.cfaes.ohio-state.edu

•

BYGL and ENLTT—http://bygl.osu.edu B

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The Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association’s The Buckeye

Image 2: The client was sure he wanted to pursue every possible course of action to eradicate these maple bladder galls. Once he learned about the tiny mites that caused the formation of the galls he was content to watch their development on his trees and wanted printed information with which to educate his neighbors.

Does Your Team Feel Appreciated?

The first part of summer was rain, rain, rain… and more rain. I can’t remember another season that was as wet as this past June/July. Delays were a common occurrence, overtime was up, and team members were wet, worn and over-worked. All in an effort to continue to move forward and serve our clients the way we expect.

While we weren’t 100%, I think we did a pretty good job of battling through the elements and conditions we were dealing with, and I am proud of how our team handled that tough period. Without such a dedicated team, we wouldn’t have fared nearly as well. Crews could have blamed the weather for slowing things down, making extra work, or causing other problems. They could have called off, complained, or left the company. The fact that none of that occurred deserves a great show of appreciation, and acknowledgement that they are part of a family that works together through the hard times, and enjoys the good times – together.

Appreciating and acknowledging your team is a popular topic, but how much does it happen in day to day operations? Following through and developing the habit of consistently acknowledging your team is critical to building a culture of teamwork, cohesiveness and the overall success of any team. Without recognition, team members can easily feel unnoticed, unappreciated, and can often feel devalued about their importance and overall role in the success of the team. When they aren’t appreciated, they may just be working for a paycheck, rather than taking pride in their work and truly wanting to make an impact on whatever they are doing, each and every day.

I relate this to team sports in high school – why would I want to go to football practice late in the fall when it’s cold, rainy and muddy? Because our team valued each other, appreciated each other, and new that every single person could trust the one beside them to do their job. We all wanted success, and knew that teamwork was the way to achieve it. Activities outside of practice and games were what helped strengthen our bond. Participating in all kinds of activities like team dinners, movies, bowling, etc are what made us successful. Yes we would still be teammates and have the same on-field skills, but the level of trust and appreciation for each other cannot be built onla.org

without time spent developing personal relationships and friendships outside of football.

I feel the same way about our team at Rine Landscape Group – the reason we can be successful and push through the hard times is a direct result of the team atmosphere and respect that we have for each other. Without our monthly attendance lunches, good news board, and continuous acknowledgement of appreciation, there is no incentive to put in the effort. We are always looking to find the good in day to day work – whether it is a team spending extra time on clean up after a wet muddy day, or someone staying late to help another crew load up. These actions should be acknowledged in some way – even a 20 second pat on the back and “thanks for the hard work – I really appreciate you helping them out” or a handwritten note in their paycheck thanking them for a specific action they took to help ensure the success of the team. Team members need continuous reinforcement that they are important to the team’s success.

There are many ways to acknowledge your team; I try to always look for ways to appreciate them and create fun opportunities to let everyone share in our success. We have attendance incentives that reward perfect attendance via monetary rewards, and a monthly cookout. We take team members and their families out to dinner to share with them how much their family member impacts our success and that the overtime/long days and time spent away from family is appreciated. We give bonuses for job completion under budget and/or client compliments. We take photos of crews in front of a completed job and post next to a client compliment. We take them Gatorade and water on hot days, or swing by with lunch and eat alongside them. None of these things are terribly costly, but they have a tremendous affect on the attitude and happiness of our team. Appreciating and acknowledging your team doesn’t have to involve big events and lots of money – they just want to know that they are appreciated, and that their role is a valuable part of the success of the company. What are you doing to acknowledge your team? B Shawn Rine Rine Landscape Group, Inc. shawn.rine@rinelandscapegroup.com

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W h y Tr e e s M a t t e r

Image 1: Ginkgo espalier at Swarthmore

Images of Late Let’s take a look at a few remembrances from late Summer 2015.

An Espalier at Swarthmore In July, I gave a talk at the Woody Ornamental Seminar at the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College near Philadelphia. It is a glorious place to visit - and yes, the normally ivy-covered wall is adorned with a ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba ‘Saratoga’). It should be quite a sight in fall, splayed against this wall, when ginkgo leaves turn a wonderful golden hue, worth a very long hike or bike trip (about 409 miles from my home) or for most of us, a plane, train, or automobile trip. The learned horticulturist Michael Dirr once wrote of the katsuratrees of Regis College in Massachusetts: “…the planting at

22 The Buckeye

Regis consists of numerous seedling trees lining either side of a long semicircular drive and in the fall it is absolutely unbelievable; worth first class airfare to see the spectacle.” I think this may be the ginkgo version of this impulse. I certainly plan to so indulge one of these autumns.

Attack of the Giant…

Yikes, what is this plant with giant leaves? That is more or less the reaction many have when they see these giant seedlings of Paulownia tomentosa, the princess tree, empress tree or foxglove tree. This tree has lilac-purple flowers that are very attractive and resemble foxglove flowers, though they are in different plant families, Paulownia having its own family, the Paulowniaceae. onla.org

Native to China, this exotic tree (up to 50 feet and more) once received Great Britain’s Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. Named for the Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna of Russia, it is still unusual enough in northeast Ohio to be given the royal treatment by many who are attracted to the spectacular floral display and huge leaves (sometimes as large as exercise balls) of young seedlings.

However. It is a significant invasive in states to our south and it is in reality becoming an invasive here in natural areas. It grows like a, like a – weed! It produces an incredible number of seeds. And, at a recent siting in Wayne County, 2 year old seedlings were already up to 15 feet tall with huge saucer-like leaves. Resist before it is too late? A Purging of Paulownia?

Maple Madness The genus Acer is ever versatile year-round as an ornamental, with its sweetness of maple syrup in the late winter, with features of flower and foliage in spring and summer, and of course its wood is put to great use throughout all the years of our life. The wing-like fruits (samaras) of summer are also a key feature, as shown here with the atypical leaves of hornbeam maple and the flat-out planar fruits of hedge maple.

White pine weevil or Sitka spruce weevil?

This was a family discussion as we looked from our front porch at white pines across the road while dining with Seattleite relatives. Before digestion is affected – Stop - we are both right! Pissodes strobi is named the white pine weevil because it was first described on white pine, but as many landscapers, Christmas tree growers and nursery women know, it also occurs on spruce, including blue spruce. In the Western United States, spruces, including Sitka spruces are the evergreens mostly affected, along with douglas fir. Terminals are attacked, resulting in bushier plants and while the plant survives well they may be less saleable.

Speaking of Pine and Spruce…

Speaking of which - know thy plants: a pine by any other name is not a spruce. Diplodia tip blight and Cytospora fungal canker diseases occur on new growth and on the lower portions of pine (Diplodia) and spruce (Cytopsora). Treatment options differ for these diseases, so it is important to know if it is a pine or a spruce. Additionally, prune pines as new growth are half-developed in spring – then “peench their little haids

e Summer Past Buttonbush – Not Just for Swamps

Cephalanthus occidentalis, or buttonbush, is a member of the Rubiaceae, the coffee family. The lovely ballshaped flowers and resulting fruits are quite beautiful, little frilly balls of white. It is a native plant that is welladapted to swampy situations and in recent years is being used more and more in native plant landscaping and is an important woodland plant for wetlands.

Beauty is the Beast As a plant pathologist, I perversely enjoy the diseases in the ChatScape, and fortunately hickory anthracnose, which shows it symptoms in August is a late-season problem that does not cause significant problems on my shagbark hickory. It is a thing of beauty though, with yellow haloes and blotchiness limited by veins.

off”, breaking those new shoots in half, even manually.

This results in a well-rounded pine. Spruces, though, can be pruned far later into the season: do it with pine and the plant will be all out of proportion.

So there are problems if you think of pine and spruce interchangeably. Teach the difference to new employees and customers. Here it is: pines have needles in bundles of 2,3, or 5 where needles attach to the twig. Spruces have needles singly attached to the twig. Simple as that for their ID difference. Of course, there is more to it as you enter Shakespeare’s “infinite book of secrecy”.

For example, white pines have five needles in a bundle, Austrian pines have two needles in a bundle. There is more to the world than pines and spruces: what about firs? Firs, like spruces have needles singly attached to the stem, but fir needles are flat, while spruce needles

please see page 25

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September 2015 23

2

3 5

6

7

8

10

4

9

11

Captions: Image 2: ‘Saratoga’ ginkgo; Image 3: Paulownia leaf; Image 4: Paulownia seedling; Image 5: Hedge maple foliage and fruits; Image 6: Hornbeam maple foliage and fruits; Image 7: Buttonbush flower; Image 8: Hickory anthracnose; Caption 9: White pine weevil; Image 10: White pine with five needles in cluster (Photo Credit: Kathy Smith, OSU); Image 11: Spruce needles singly attached to twig (Photo Credit: Kathy Smith, OSU)

24 The Buckeye

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continued from page 23

are square or triangular, easy to discern from touch by removing a few needles. Try it, this is fun. Then there are hemlocks and yews, and ad infinitum. But it matters.

What the “H”?

It could be for Hydrangeas, which were so beautiful this summer, even just the foliage of oakleaf hydrangea, but I am more in mind of the “H” in one of the symbols of the reigning national championship football team. I propose a challenge. I am in search of pictures of the O-H-I-O of trees. I have a good “O” from trees pruned for power lines. “I” should be no challenge with many superior columnar trees produced by Ohio nurserymen, but an “H”? All my life I have searched for an “H” that’s a tree. I have a book for you, I bet you’ve guessed its name. If you can send such an image, such an image send to me. (chatfield.1@osu.edu).

12

Quote of the Month (from Clive James): “Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing.” B Jim Chatfield Ohio State University Extension chatfield.1@osu.edu

13 Captions Image 12: The “O” in O-H-I-O.. Give me and “H” Image 13: Oakleaf hydrangea foliage

Mineral and Peat Grown Sod for Sun and/or Shade, Blue Grass Blend, Improved Tall Fescue, Fine Leaf Fescue & Blue Grass Mix Contract Grown to Specifications.

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"Ohio Grown PROUDLY for over 50 years!” onla.org

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Feature

Greed… Just One of Several Great Reasons to Attend the IPPS Eastern Region Conference Greed is a word that carries some negative connotations. Since we are entering the season of Presidential National Politics, let’s give the word GREED a little spin. If you are interested in finding that “AH-HA” secret or idea that could greatly improve your production efficiency or profitability, you could say that you are motivated by an improved bottom line; aka GREED. Any way you phrase it, IPPS has always proven to be my best source for those “AH-HA” moments.

This September 25th- 28th, the IPPS Eastern Region will hold its annual Conference in Cincinnati, this year’s theme being SHARPEN YOUR FOCUS WITH IPPS. A snapshot of the Conference is 2 days of tours; the Pre Conference tour is in the Columbus area, featuring Decker’s Nursery, Franklin Park Conservatory, Acorn Farms, and The Ohio State University. The Second tour day is of the Cincinnati area featuring The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, Smale Riverfront Park, Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum, and Natorp’s unique Nursery and Garden Center operation.

If your focus is production, you would “pad your bottom line” with the first day of conference speakers increased knowledge on automation, LED lighting, plant breeding, innovation in plant propagation and production, overwintering strategies, and more.

The final day of conference Speakers is a first. If you are interested in learning how to bridge the divide between the various Conservation groups and our Industry, this is our chance to get to know each other and have some real discussion from all sides of the debate. It should be an eye opening experience for all with topics including the regulation and identification of invasive plants, sterile cultivars and how we can work together to aid in the conservation of threatened and endangered species.

If you are not familiar with IPPS Eastern Region (International Plant Propagators, Eastern Region, North America), this is an International organization dedicated to open exchange of knowledge and ideas on plant propagation and production. I have attended many IPPS Annual conferences over the years. I am always amazed at my

26 The Buckeye

personal “AH-HA” moments; a new machine, a production “secret”, a new perspective on market direction, or maybe just a new plant. These new ideas have paid for my IPPS Membership, travel costs, and bar bills many times over as I have come to incorporate these new ideas into our company. Greed or Good Business ……you can call it what you please.

For more information how you can SHARPEN YOUR FOCUS with many Industry, Public Garden, and Academic leaders visit www.ippseastern.org. See you in Cincinnati! B Brian Decker IPPS Eastern Region 2015 Program Chairman President, Decker Nursery, Inc.

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onla.org

Business Buzz

Leadership is About Influence

Marty Grunder Grunder Landscaping Co. www.GrunderLandscaping.com

Leadership is about influence. I like to call leadership as it relates to us landscapers as “getting others to do what you want and need and still have them love you.” I know that’s a little hokey; however, that’s how I like to define it. In my life, I have run across a lot of good leaders, some great ones and some bad ones too. I have learned from all of them. In fact, I’ve probably learned more what not to do from those who aren’t good leaders.

one. If you want your team to be efficient with their time, you have to be the time management master. If you want your team to deliver great customer service, you have to treat your team well. If you treat them poorly, how do you expect them to treat your clients well? I could go on for days. Lead by example; be great at what you want your followers to be good at.

When I started Grunder Landscaping Co. in 1984, I was not a very good leader. I thought people could read my mind and got frustrated when they didn’t do what I wanted them to do. I yelled at people, thinking that would get them to do what I wanted and needed them to do. I jumped to the wrong conclusions at times. And I ignored issues, hoping they would go away, and, quite frankly, I wasn’t very good at a lot of things that I expected my team to be good at. When you end up laying a semi load of sod with your brother because you don’t have any other employees, you tend to have a lot of time to reflect and think about ways to improve. Gradually, I got better and today, I will not tell you I am the greatest leader in the world; however, I am a good leader—one others follow—and I have taught a lot of other landscapers across the country how to lead effectively as well. So what are the keys to being someone others will follow? I have 5 ways to become a better leader now; here they are:

Again, pretty simple; for people to follow you, they have to trust you. Integrity is critical for leaders. Tell the truth all the time, even if it’s not what you want your team to hear. This is hard sometimes, but if you always tell the truth, you will win in the long run. We all know in our business there are all sorts of ways to cut corners; don’t succumb to those temptations. Do the right things and the right things will happen. Have integrity.

Lead by Example Yep, that’s pretty simple, and it’s the single most effective way to lead. Plain and simple, you must be great at the things you want your followers to be good at. If you want your team to have a clean truck, you have to drive onla.org

Have Integrity

Communicate Well Great leaders know how to teach; they know how to present information in an understandable fashion. They don’t surprise their people. They realize how their actions or lack of action affects their followers. Remember, communication is a verbal and nonverbal thing. Owners tend to not realize all the things their team needs to know and would like to know. It’s better to over-communicate than not communicate. Communicate well; it engages your team.

Have Enthusiasm Too many leaders think that enthusiasm is how you talk. While that’s part of it, it’s about much more than that. It’s about your work; it’s about how you go about

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things; it’s your pace; it’s the energy you give off. Get back to your team quickly on requests and questions.

Catch your people doing things right. Celebrate. Show by your words and, more importantly, your actions you love your job. Enthusiasm is contagious. Have enthusiasm.

Do a Little Bit More Than the Other Guy A leader is willing to do more. A leader pushes themselves; they strive for excellence. Find a successful landscaping company and you’ll find a whole team full of people who do a little bit more than what’s required.

Want people to follow you? Be someone who always gives 100%. Do more than the other guy.

I hope you’ll work on your leadership; there’s still a lot of time left in the season to work on being a better leader. If you want a great book to read, I highly recommend my friend Dr. John Maxwell’s The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership; it’s hands down the best book on leadership ever written. I have read it multiple times; it’s helped shape me. Happy Fall! B

7463 West Ridge Road P.O. Box E Fairview PA 16415 800.458.2234 Fax 800.343.6819 e-mail: info@FairviewEvergreen.com FairviewEvergreen.com

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onla.org

Look to the Future

Embracing Urban Horticulture, Sustainability, and the Next Generation

Increasingly, the world is recognizing the value of horticulture in urban environments. Vegetation is critical to the health and well-being of our cities, and to the people who are working in them. It has long been established, for example, that plants play an important role in cleaning and purifying the air in buildings and outdoor environments, and that the mere view of plants through a window has a beneficial effect on the human psyche.

And while the concept of “green cities” is usually associated with the more developed world, it has a special application in low-income developing countries. By 2025, more than half the developing world’s population - an estimated 3.5 billion people - will be urban. In poor countries, greener cities could be the key to ensuring safe, nutritious food, sustainable livelihoods and healthier communities.

The horticulture curriculum is designed to support the traditional foundation in plant science, with a commitment to advance contemporary and sustainable approaches to all facets of horticulture. Students study the relationship between horticultural and ecological processes, and develop a forward-looking approach toward the environment.

Students can major or minor in horticulture.

Additionally, horticulture students as well as others –

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Sustainability is a hot issue - it seems like we hear the word almost every day. As the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) states on their website; “Sustainable landscapes sequester carbon, clean the air and water, increase energy efficiency, restore habitats, and create value through significant economic, social and environmental benefits.”

These are issues to be addressed in horticulture education and by the next generation of horticulturists.

The University of Cincinnati’s Horticulture Program Several years ago, the horticulture program at the University of Cincinnati was adopted by the University’s prestigious college of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning (DAAP). At this time, the horticulture program was updated to align with the mission of DAAP. New classes were developed, while existing classes were reworked to reflect a sustainable, urban ethos.

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Students inspect trees at the Stanley M. Rowe Arboretum in Cincinnati. continued from page 29

often from DAAP disciplines such as architecture and planning - earn certificates by taking a certain number of courses in several key areas.

The Horticulture certificate introduces students to the various fields associated with horticultural science.

The Sustainable Landscape Design certificate looks at the recent trends within planting design such as green roofs, living walls, and industrial site remediation.

The certificate in Green Roofs is cutting-edge, while certificates in Urban Agriculture and Urban Landscapes round out the options.

Field trips and real clients put students in real-life situations. This fosters critical thinking and the ability to seek out, synthesize, and apply information from many sources to analyze situations and solve problems. An example is the Vacant Lots: Occupied project.

In this senior capstone project, horticulture, architecture and planning students brainstormed solutions to vacant lot issues based on input from neighborhood residents and in collaboration with Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, the City of Cincinnati Department of Community Development, and Building Value. The result was a student generated, award winning, comprehensive guide designed to help cities and neighborhood organizations address and utilize vacant land.

You can see the results of this project at vacantlotsoccupied.com.

SITES Standards for Sustainable Landscapes Today’s courses must prepare students to implement SITES standards. The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) seeks to make sustainable landscapes standard through

30 The Buckeye

implementation of a comprehensive, voluntary rating system for sustainable landscapes.

Like green buildings, sustainable sites use less energy, water and natural resources; generate less waste; and minimize the impact on land compared to conventional design, construction and maintenance techniques. Yet unlike buildings, sustainable sites can give back: by cleaning air and water, sequestering carbon, reducing pollution, restoring habitat and biodiversity – all while providing significant social and economic benefits to the immediate site and surrounding region.

The University of Cincinnati recognizes its role as a leader in sustainable practice, research, and education.

Students can take courses that have a sustainability attribute. An attribute is a letter marking a particular type of class. Students can search the course catalog for classes with the sustainability attribute, and it also shows up on students’ official transcripts.

Understanding the Next Generation This type of programming should be attractive and relevant to students in the millennial and post millennial generations. Some experts suggest, and I have seen first-hand, that our students are especially attuned to experience, environment, and ecological responsibility.

Today’s students are wired and constantly connected.

They have grown up Googling anything they want to know; therefore they do not typically value information for information’s sake. As a result, the professor’s role is shifting from disseminating information to helping students apply the information.

We rely on our fantastic community resources to help provide much of the experiential learning our students onla.org

demand. The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, Spring Gove Cemetery and Arboretum, and the Cincinnati Park Board are just a few of many who collaborate in our students’ education.

In addition, today’s students expect to experience study abroad for at least one semester or have an international internship to obtain language skills and improve intercultural understanding. In response, many colleges and Universities are prioritizing the development of study abroad opportunities.

This generation feels ecologically responsible. Many are vegetarian or vegan. They purchase organic and green products and stress the importance of locally produced products. They patronize companies that have clearly stated and sustainable societal goals.

The American Nursery & Landscape Association predicted that the horticulture industry will continue to have attractive openings for a wide range of college graduates - in both traditional and urban settings.

This is certainly the case in the greater Cincinnati area.

Despite this great potential, horticulture is not attracting enough young people.

onla.org

Photo Caption: U.C.’s Urban Agriculture class constructs raised beds at the School for Creative and Performing Arts in downtown Cincinnati.

I believe that this would change if we could better communicate to students about our programs. I can’t count the number of times students have said to me, “Horticulture? I didn’t know you could major in that!” B Sue Trusty Assistant Professor Educator University of Cincinnati Horticulture Program trustyse@ucmail.uc.edu

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Feature

Ohio Invasive Plant Council Releases List of Potentially Invasive Plants

Over the last ten years many states in the country have had to deal with the invasive plant topic. In some states the outcome was positive in others many popular plant species are regulated and prohibited from sale, many times without sound science as the judge.

In 2008, the ONLA took a proactive approach to invasive plants concerns and began to collaborate with the Ohio Invasive Plants Council (OIPC) to draft a sciencebased Assessment Protocol which would determine a new list of invasive plants in Ohio. This new list would take the place of the non-science based list used in the past.

This assessment protocol was developed as an objective, science-based process of identifying invasive, non-native plants that threaten the health and diversity of natural ecosystems in Ohio. Such information is necessary for the removal, containment, or interception of those plants that have escaped or have the potential to escape from places where they have been introduced (intentionally or unintentionally) and subsequently invade natural areas.

Recognizing that some invasive plants have past and current horticultural importance, the OIPC has worked with the ONLA to ensure that the protocol addresses nursery introductions, especially cultivars (cultivated varieties). This protocol is intended to provide fundamental and realistic determinations of invasiveness, aside from considerations of economic merit or the effectiveness of potential control measures.

The OIPC recently announced that the first group of invasive plant assessments for the state of Ohio will shortly be available on the OIPC website at www.oipc.info. The list of 20 species includes species previously recognized as invasive in Ohio, but also includes the following newly recognized invasive plant: • Black swallow-wort (Vincetoxicum nigrum) Other species on the 2014 list that were assessed as invasive are not new additions as they were already included in the 2001 Ohio invasive list (but their assessment as invasive is confirmed here using the new protocol): • Morrow honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii) • Tartarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica) • Yellow and white sweet clover (Mellitus officials and M. alba) Total Points

Assessment Result

45-90

Invasive

35-44

Pending Further Review

0-34

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Not Known to Be Invasive

• • •

Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinaceae) Cutleaf and Common teasel (Dipsacus laciniatus and D. fullonum) • Common reed (Phragmites australis) • Smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis) • Eurasian water-milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) • Curly pondweed (Potamogeton crispus) The plants on this list have been found to be potentially invasive, but there is no prohibition against selling them at this time. OIPC protocol has a six month comment period that concludes Dec. 31, 2015. If you have concerns about these three, or any of the 20 species to be listed on the OIPC website, please contact the ONLA office at 800825-5062.

Species assessed as Not Invasive consist of Border privet (Ligustrum obtusifolium), Amur maple (Acer ginnala), and Hedge maple (Acer campestre).

As a reminder, the following species were also determined to be invasive in the last assessment period after the official comment period ending Oct. 1, 2014.

• Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana) • Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) • Glossy Buckthorn (Frangula alnus) What does the future hold in regulating plants that are found to be invasive based on the OIPC criteria? On June 5th Governor Kasich signed an invasive plant bill that was introduced by the ONLA. The new law gives the authority to regulate invasive plant species to ODA. The next step for the industry is the be part of the rule writing process with ODA. This will determine how we will manage or regulate invasive plants in Ohio. B Scientific Name

Common Name

Score

Phalaris arundinaceae

Reed Canary Grass

74

Phragmites australis

Common Reed

70

Myriophyllum spicatum

Eurasian water-milfoil

69

Lonicera morrowii

Morrow Honeysuckle

63

Bromus inermis

Smooth bromegrass

58

Butomus umbellatus

Flowering Rush

56

Lonicera tatarica

Tartarian Honeysuckle

51

Melilotus officinalis

Yellow Sweet Clover

51

Melilotus alba

White Sweet Clover

50

Potamogeton crispus

Curly Pondweed

49

Dipsacus laciniatus

Cutleaf Teasel

49

Elaeagnus angustfolia

Russian Olive

48

Vincetoxicum nigrum

Black Swallow-Wort

47

Dipsacus fullonum

Common Teasel

47

onla.org

PEST Newsletter

Excerpt from the PEST Newsletter About the P.E.S.T. Newsletter Over 22 years ago, Dr. David Shetlar joined The Ohio State University as an Extension Entomologist. He opted to continue printing Dr. Dick Miller’s BugDoc in partnership with the ONLA. Its new name is the PEST (Pest Evaluation & Suppression Techniques) Newsletter, and it’s printed biweekly from mid-March to midOctober.

Dogwoods Being Defoliated!!

I chuckled a bit earlier when I was involved with the Buckeye Yard and Garden line two weeks ago. One of the participants showed some pictures of a gray dogwood that was heavily defoliated. When some of the remaining leaves were turned over, they were covered with these coiled “worms” that were covered with a white waxy coating! These are the larvae of one of the dogwood sawflies. Ohio has two species of sawflies that attack shrub-like dogwoods (flowering dogwood doesn’t get them) and both coat their bodies with this white waxy material when they are actively growing. My chuckle soon turned to concern when I got home and noticed that the lower leaves of my green-stem dogwoods were also showing signs of being attacked!

The dogwood sawfly adults are usually missed as they look like thick-bodied, black and yellow wasps.

You have to look really close to see that the abdomen is broadly joined to the thorax, the characteristic feature that separates sawflies from the other bees and wasps (these have a thin waist between the thorax and abdomen).

The female sawflies use their saw-like ovipositor to insert dozens of eggs, often in neat rows, in the tissues of dogwood leaves. Upon hatching, the tiny larvae first onla.org

skeletonize a couple of leaves from the lower surface.

During the day, the larvae “hide” by curling tightly on leaf undersurfaces. When small, there can be several to a dozen larvae on one leaf. At night, the larvae feed on the leaf margins, munching the leaves down to the thick midvein. The larvae have a habit of molting as they get larger and these cast skins may be noticed as white bird droppings on the remains of uneaten leaves.

As the larvae reach an inch in length, they become more solitary, with a single larva hiding on the underside of a leaf. These large larvae can also eat entire leaves.

Unfortunately, this is the time that most home owners detect them. If not controlled, the larvae finally transform into a light green to yellow larva with rows of black square spots running their lengths. When the larvae finish feeding, they drop off the plant, or creep about in search of rotting wood! In nature, they would look for an old tree log, but in our landscapes, they often will burrow into old landscape timbers. They can be a structural pest when they attack wooden siding! Sound, painted siding shouldn’t be susceptible. The larvae burrow into the wood or exposed siding where they spend the winter and next spring before transforming into the adult to complete the life cycle.

If you have a minor infestation of these sawflies, they can be knocked off the plant and crushed. However, they are really good at hiding and most infestations start with a hundred eggs or more! When it comes to insecticide types for controlling sawfly pests, there are a lot of choices.

For those wanting to go organic or green, the larvae are susceptible to insecticidal soaps and oils, but you have to hit the larvae with the sprays. This can be difficult as they are on the leaf undersurfaces and since these

please see page 34

September 2015 33

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continued from page 33

dogwood leaves tend to droop, this makes hitting the larvae difficult. Pyrethroids and Sevin are more traditional choices and both work by contact or as stomach poisons (when the larvae eat leaves with the pesticide residue on it). In spite of all the controversy, I’d probably reach for a neonic. Since these dogwoods are generally small, sprays are fine. Because the insecticide will be absorbed by the leaf tissues, the larvae will be quickly knocked out, even if they eat from the lower surfaces! Since most of these dogwood species bloom in late spring, treatment now should not be an issue next spring. Products containing azadirachtin should also work.

Monarch Butterflies Spotted!

Since the last P.E.S.T., I’ve been seeing monarch butterflies visiting flowers for a nectar uptake! In summary, this year I have spotted very few monarchs until recently. I suspect that I missed the few that may have made it to Ohio and north as they progressed through their annual northward migration. Perhaps the rains in May and June kept them in hiding which would make them difficult to spot.

There’s a lot of chatter on the Internet and among entomologists as to what is going on with the monarch populations. Everything from those dirty, nasty neonicotinoids (the most common ones are pretty weak against caterpillars), to loss of milkweed and other habitat seem to be the most common topics. Many entomologists are pointing to other issues – wrong milkweeds being planted in flower gardens, new predators and loss of overwintering habitat.

There is now evidence that when the butterflies repeat egg laying on the same plants (don’t migrate), they build up a protozoan that can be lethal to the population!

Currently, this disease infects over 80% of the Florida monarch population (a non-migrating group) and is on the

34 The Buckeye

rise in western states. Recent data suggest that it is now beginning to increase in the eastern migratory populations too! Remember that little yellowjacket mimic which is a non-native umbrella wasp, Polistes dominula? This new invasive has been steadily displacing the native Polistes species. Like the natives, all paper wasps are predators of caterpillars, sawfly larvae and similar insects. (It has actually been fun watching the Polistes picking off the dogwood sawfly larvae in my back yard!) Apparently, P. dominula is not susceptible to the milkweed toxins that the caterpillars accumulate!

A fellow entomologist in Colorado has stated that he regularly sees P. dominula picking off all the caterpillars he sees which has resulted in major population crashes of many butterflies and moths! Ouch!

Everyone blames RoundUp-ready crops for the demise of native milkweed plants. While it is true that most crop lands can be rendered completely devoid of milkweed IN the corn and soybean fields, but glyphosate isn’t being sprayed in the border areas and road right-of-ways, traditional strongholds for common milkweed. In fact, looking out my back yard, I see hundreds of milkweed plants in the park that is behind my yard! Likewise, I see native milkweed up and down most of Ohio’s roads. In short, I don’t buy the lack of native milkweed as being responsible for the population crashes.

Many entomologists point out that the migrating populations of monarch butterflies need conifer forests in northern Mexico and these forests have steadily declined in size, even though the land is supposedly protected! It is not!!

Sign up for the PEST Newsletter at ONLA.org or call the ONLA office at 614-899-1195. B

onla.org

The Importance of Ownership

Micromanaging Is Running Employees Out the Door Employee engagement has made a positive impact on the corporate environment, transforming the common perception of the traditional office culture. More and more companies are exploring creative outlets of engagement, from travel incentives and niche rewards to physical office renovations and flexible work schedules.

Employees feel highly motivated when they have a sense of ownership within the company. Knowing that their contributions are positively impacting the bottom line reassures these employees that their hard work is both beneficial and meaningful.

As the creative and liberating office culture continues to grow in popularity amongst today’s workforce, leaders need to begin rethinking their engagement and management methods in order to appeal to their employees’ needs and attract new hires.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, job openings, as well as employee turnover rates, are increasing. In the recent “Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey,” 2.8 million employees quit their jobs—the highest level since April 2008.

People are seeking the more untraditional, freeing and engaging work environments that are becoming increasingly prominent in our society. Therefore, in order to keep your current work staff from becoming another labor turnover statistic, focusing on unique and attractive methods of engagement is more important than ever.

Employees who are unsatisfied with their managers and leaders are more disengaged, causing them to produce negative work habits. When productivity and performance decreases, so does engagement. In most cases, when this happens, management tends to feel the need to hover over employees, rather than find an appropriate and meaningful solution.

In a study conducted by Aon Hewitt, 33 percent of employees are engaged, but not enabled, labeling themselves as “frustrated engaged employees.” These passive employees fluctuate between engaged and unengaged either daily, monthly or yearly. If no positive solution is implemented, they are more likely to leave their company in the hopes of finding a more welcoming office culture.

Many employers, instead of finding more effective ways to engage these employees, take the concept of enabling onla.org

employees too far and end up micromanaging their staff members right out the door.

Micromanaging is highly ineffective, as it is not an applicable solution to fixing the problem of unengaged employees. Employees do not want to feel as if they are being monitored every minute by management. This only results in unnecessary stress, damaging the trusting relationship between management and staff and leading staff members to not see themselves as long-term employees with the company.

When management and leaders enable employees through productive and encouraging motivation, they are able to capitalize on their employees’ needs for an engaging and enabling work environment.

Employees feel highly motivated when they have a sense of ownership within the company. Knowing that their contributions are positively impacting the bottom line reassures these employees that their hard work is both beneficial and meaningful.

Effective engagement starts with leadership, which sustains business and retains employees. For any business, it is vital to have leaders who exemplify instinctive, unquestioning confidence in their team members in order to execute positive progression and promote engagement.

As employee retention becomes more competitive and the rate of employees leaving their jobs increases, the need for a positive change in the office culture is becoming more apparent. A bit of liberating ownership can go a long way toward enhancing employee engagement, but it needs to be performed positively in order to not be misunderstood for micromanagement. Properly enabling your employees builds trust and gives more meaning to their work, increasing their engagement and connection with the company.

Effective engagement starts with leadership, which sustains business and retains employees. For any business, it is vital to have leaders who exemplify instinctive, unquestioning confidence in their team members in order to execute positive progression and promote engagement.

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By Paul Gordon Senior Vice President, Rymax Marketing Services www.rymaxinc.com

September 2015 35

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Feature

Rooftop Studies An Evaluation Study of Plants for Use on Green Roofs An excerpt from the plant evaluation by Richard Hawke The significance of green roofs in urban areas has steadily increased over the past 20 years. In the United States, as well as worldwide, green roofs have become vital components of new construction on a broad variety of buildings, from municipal to commercial and industrial to residential. The benefits of green roofs are measured in environmental, economic and aesthetic or cultural ways. In its simplest form, a green roof may contain a sampling of sedums or other hardy succulents; whereas, many modern green roofs have increased the range and diversity of plants being grown by installing deeper growing medium and changing the way green roofs are utilized or experienced. Whether strictly utilitarian or

36 The Buckeye

highly specialized and ornamental, green roofs have a variety of benefits over a traditional roof.

When choosing plants for green roofs it is important to understand that a green roof is not the equivalent of a typical landscape elevated to the top of a building; therefore, appropriate consideration must be given to a plant’s growth habit, native ecosystem and cultural needs, to name a few factors. Many common garden plants will not survive on a green roof. In Green Roof Plants, Ed Snodgrass succinctly describes the ideal traits for a good green roof plant: “The most successful green roof plants are low-growing, shallow-rooted perennial plants that are heat, cold, sun, wind, drought, salt, insect and onla.org

disease tolerant. Green roof plants should also have a long life expectancy or the ability to self-propagate, and they should require minimal nutrients and maintenance.”

Needless to say, selecting the right plants for green roofs is anything but simple.

The Chicago Botanic Garden Green Roof Gardens In September 2009, the Chicago Botanic Garden opened its Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center, a 38,000-square-foot LEED Gold-rated research and laboratory facility. Atop the Center is a 16,000-square-foot green roof, divided into two 8,000 square foot gardens, which display a variety of North American native plants and exotic plants from around the world. The green roof is both a living laboratory and a beautifully designed garden, with the two-fold purpose of displaying the best plants for green roofs and trialing untested plants for their adaptability to this challenging environment. The ultimate goal of the trial is to develop a diverse and extensive list of recommended plants for green roof culture. Greater plant diversity supports the aesthetic design of a green roof as well as creating a habitat for a variety of beneficial pollinators and other wildlife.

Performance Report Between 2010 and 2014, 216 herbaceous and woodytaxa were evaluated in the green roof gardens; 129 taxa on the north roof and 87 taxa on the south roof.

Data collection for the 156 taxa planted in August 2009 commenced in April 2010; 60 additional taxa started their trial in June 2011. A combined total of 41,561 individual plants were planted on the green roof in 2009 and 2011.

All plants were evaluated for their 1) cultural adaptability to the growing medium and environmental conditions on the green roof; 2) disease and pest problems; 3) winter hardiness or survivability; and 4) ornamental qualities associated with flowers, foliage and plant habit. In addition, plants were monitored for reseeding and weediness. Final performance ratings are based on plant health and vigor, survivability and longevity, habit quality and flower production, and winter hardiness during the evaluation period.

Nine taxa received five-star excellent ratings for their overall performance and survivability, including Antennaria dioica, Calamintha nepeta ssp. nepeta, Juniperus chinensis var. sargentii ‘Viridis’, Phlox subulata ‘Apple Blossom’, Phlox subulata ‘Emerald Snow’, Phlox subulata ‘Snowflake’, Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-Low’, Sporobolus heterolepis and Sporobolus heterolepis ‘Tara’. Top-rated plants consistently displayed good vigor and robust habits, superior ornamental qualities, disease resistance, heat and drought tolerance, and winter hardiness/survivability throughout the onla.org

evaluation period. Additionally, 69 taxa received four-star good ratings for their strong performances.

Early success for a portion of the taxa was evident by the end of the first full growing season in 2010.

Some taxa were consistently healthy but either slower to establish, slow to increase in size, and/or more affected by environmental conditions; however, by the end of the trial all of these taxa were good performers.

Amorpha nana took five years to become a substantial size, although it remained irregular in habit. Asclepias tuberosa was very slow-growing; Baptisia alba var. alba was few-stemmed and open until the fifth season; Campanula rotundifolia was slow to bulk up until the third year; Coreopsis verticillata ‘Zagreb’ always had a loose habit. Eryngium yuccifolium was very slow to gain size; Fragaria virginiana was slow to begin spreading and its stolons were continually damaged during hot, droughty periods. Galium verum was not vigorous until the third season, except for its seedlings; Heuchera micrantha ‘Palace Purple’ grew well but off-colored dramatically in hot weather. Iris tectorum grew best in the shadier section of the bed; Lespedeza capitata was spindly for a couple of years. Liatris ligulistylis was slow to bulk up, often only single-stemmed; Oligoneuron album was fairly static until the third year when it began to reseed widely and the seedlings were more vigorous than the original plants.

Perovskia atriplicifolia was a bit loose in habit; Petrorhagia saxifraga ‘Rosea’ was healthiest interplanted with Phlox subulata ‘Emerald Blue’, whereas it lacked vigor on its own. Potentilla fruticosa was rarely bushy, being loose and uneven in habit; Pycnanthemum virginianum remained loose and often single-stemmed.

Salvia ×sylvestris ‘East Friesland’ had a tight habit but never gained any size; Symhyotrichum ericoides ‘Snow Flurry’ stayed prostrate and never developed arching stems like it does in a garden. Symphyotrichum sericeum had an open to spindly habit; Talinum calycinum was slow to establish until it began to reseed; Thymus praecox ‘Coccineus’ did not become vigorous until the third year; and Tradescantia tharpii was slow to increase in size. Oenothera fruticosa ‘Fireworks’ and Oenothera macrocarpa were strong performers for three years but unexpectedly began to decline and die out in 2013.

Monitoring Heat and Drought Environmental conditions, especially excessive heat and drought, were closely monitored to determine how they affected the health, vigor and survivability of the plants. Together or alone, heat and drought resulted in weakened plant health, partial vegetative loss, premature dormancy, and/or death. In many instances, plants weakened by environmental conditions during the growing season subsequently died in winter. please see page 38

September 2015 37

continued from page 37

At the outset of the trial it was decided that irrigation beyond establishment would be restricted unless deemed necessary to ensure the survival of the green roof plantings. Between 2010 and 2014, irrigation was provided three times during periods of extreme heat and drought; the green roofs were irrigated once in July 2011, June 2012, and July 2013 for 30 minutes each time. All plants were impacted by drought in varying degrees at some time each summer, but plants growing in four inches of media were generally most affected and showed signs of drought-stress first.

Regardless of growing depth, Geum triflorum appeared to be the best indicator plant for drought, always being the first to show signs of heat- and drought-stress.

Drought was never severe enough for Geum triflorum to go dormant or for more than a few plants to die, and health and vigor improved quickly once the droughty period was over. The leaves of Echinacea pallida, Monarda fistulosa, Potentilla arguta, Pycnanthemum virginianum, Rudbeckia hirta, Symphyotrichum novaeangliae and S. oblongifolium withered from the bottom

38 The Buckeye

up during hot, dry weather; the more severe the drought, the greater the leaf loss. Aquilegia canadensis went dormant in the hottest periods, and Viola sagittata stalled during droughty periods but rebloomed once moisture was available.

Andropogon gerardii and Bouteloua curtipendula seemed to be adaptable to dry conditions, but most of their lower leaves turned brown; Bouteloua curtipendula in four inches generally lacked vigor and some plant losses were noted in droughty periods. Conversely, Koeleria glauca, K. macrantha, Sporobolus heterolepis, and S. heterolepis ‘Tara’ off-colored the least during unfavorable conditions; however, Sporobolus heterolepis and ‘Tara’ showed earlier fall color following droughty periods. Summer dormancy of foliage was observed on Allium cernuum, Anemone caroliniana, Pulsatilla patens, Tradescantia ohiensis, and T. tharpii.

Other Microclimates and Conditions A number of unique microclimates were observed on the green roofs, such as intermittent shade, localized onla.org

incidental moisture, mechanical damage and increased fertility. The green roof gardens received full sun throughout the year except for an area along the southern edge of the north roof where the shadow from the atrium clerestory created some shade. The shadow was at its narrowest in mid- to late June, when only a few inches of shade was provided, and up to four feet wide when the sun was lower in the sky.

A few taxa were specifically sited to take advantage of the shade – Hosta ‘Cracker Crumbs’, Hosta lancifolia, Pachysandra procumbens, and Sedum ternatum ‘Larenim Park’. Shade encroached on a number of other taxa at various times in the growing season, resulting in a portion of the shaded plants being larger and lusher than their counterparts in full sun. In these cases, plant size differences ranged from slight to significant for the following taxa: Calamagrostis brachytricha, Calamintha nepeta ssp. nepeta, Gypsophila repens ‘Roseum’, Hosta ‘Cracker Crumbs’, H. lancifolia, Koeleria glauca, Perovskia atriplicifolia, Prunella grandiflora, Sedum ternatum ‘Larenim Park’, Sesleria caerulea, and Solidago ‘Wichita Mountains’.

Conversely, a few of the taxa that received intermittent shade had plants that were smaller, looser and less vigorous in the shade than in the sunny areas, including Antennaria dioica, Eriogonum umbellatum, Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’, Linum flavum ‘Compactum’, Scutellaria alpina and Sempervivum ‘Le Clair’s Form’.

Lupinus perennis and Asclepias tuberosa were the only two taxa that died out completely in the first winter of 2009-10. In both instances, the original plants were weak when planted, and while many did not survive transplanting, the remaining plants succumbed to winter conditions. Both taxa were replanted in May 2011, and although most of the Asclepias tuberosa survived the replanting, none of the Lupinus perennis survived for more than a few weeks.

Some taxa were not well-suited to the environment and growing conditions on the green roofs, resulting in the gradual to rapid decline of plant health and eventual death before the end of the trial. Generally, these taxa lacked vigor or remained small, and in many cases, gradually died out over successive winters. The 30 taxa that did not complete the trial are noted in the full report.

Pest Threats Diseases and pests were fairly insignificant considering the variety of taxa and the sheer number of plants on the green roof. Powdery mildew, rust, leaf spot, phomopsis blight, aphids and lace bugs were the only problems observed. Minor powdery mildew was observed in multiple years on Monarda fistulosa, Penstemon digitalis, P. hirsutus, Symphyotrichum novae-angliae and S. oolentangiense. Only penstemons were troubled by foliar onla.org

rust, with varying infection rates noted on Penstemon digitalis (minor), P. digitalis ‘Husker Red’ (severe), P. grandiflorus (moderate), P. grandiflorus ‘Prairie Snow’ (minor), P. hirsutus (minor to moderate), and P. hirsutus ‘Pygmaeus’ (minor).

A variety of plants were affected by bacterial or fungal leaf spotting including Fragaria virginiana, Hosta lancifolia, Potentilla arguta, Rudbeckia fulgida and Symphyotrichum novae-angliae. Juniperus horizontalis ‘Wiltonii’ was periodically troubled by phomopsis tip blight (Phomopsis juniperovora), but J. chinensis var. sargentii ‘Viridis’ was not. Spider mites were an occasional pest on Asclepias tuberosa, ranging from insignificant to severe infestations depending on the year. Chrysanthemum lace bug (Corythucha marmorata) attacks a variety of ornamental plants in the Aster family, such as chrysanthemums, asters, goldenrods, sunflowers and black-eyed susans, and was by far the most significant pest issue for Ratibida pinnata, Solidago rigida, Symphyotrichum ericoides, S. novae-angliae and S. oolentangiense. Infestations were typically severe, resulting in sickly foliage and weakened health.

Winter Loss Data collection began in April 2010 with an assessment of plant losses during the first winter of 2009-10. Of the original 35,988 plants planted in 2009, approximately 25 percent died during the first winter. In subsequent years, winter losses were never as great as the first winter; winter losses in later years were more commonly associated with weakened plant health due to environmental causes such as drought-stress rather than cold hardiness. In the spring of 2011, plants were added to several winter-decimated plots on the north green roof.

Snow and ice build-up was typically noted along the shaded edge of the north roof for several weeks longer in the spring than in other sections of the green roof; up to six feet into the bed could be covered. This phenomenon caused plants in this area to develop much later than plants growing just feet away. In addition, frost heaving and winter-desiccation were consistent problems for Armeria maritima ‘Alba’, A. maritima ‘Rubrifolia’, Aster oharai, Erigeron caespitosa, E. scopulinus, Penstemon grandiflorus and P. grandiflorus ‘Prairie Snow’. In some years, Heuchera richardsonii and H. micrantha ‘Palace Purple’ were affected to a lesser degree.

Adding Color Like any perennial garden, floral displays are vital on green roofs, too. An assessment of floral traits includes flower color, flower size, bloom period and flower production. Many taxa had exceptional floral displays, which enhanced the ornamental aspect of the green roof in spring, summer and fall. Early bloomers such as Viola sagittata, Antennaria dioica, Geum triflorum, Dianthus

please see page 40

September 2015 39

continued from page 39

gratianopolitanus ‘Firewitch’, Phlox bifida, Tetraneuris herbacea, Tradescantia tharpii and cultivars of moss phlox (Phlox subulata), brought the green roof to life beginning in late April and early May. Summer-flowering perennials provided the longest bloom periods, from June through August. Among the best shows of the summer-flowering taxa were Agastache foeniculum, Amorpha canescens, Bouteloua curtipendula, Calamintha nepeta ssp. nepeta, Coreopsis lanceolata, Dalea candida, D. purpurea, D. villosa, Koeleria glauca, K. macrantha, Penstemon digitalis, P. hirsutus and P. hirsutus ‘Pygmaeus’.

A variety of grasses added greatly to the late season show along with perennials such as Helianthus mollis, Hosta lancifolia, Hylotelephium ‘Rosy Glow’, Lespedeza capitata, Liatris ligulistylis, Salvia azurea var. grandiflora, Solidago rigida and Solidago ‘Wichita Mountains’.

Self-Perpetuation Plant survival on a green roof is due in part to its ability to perpetuate itself, whether by seed or by vegetative means such as rhizomes, stolons or suckers.

Whether or not a plant was considered weedy depended on the rate and degree that it spread. None of the vegetative-spreaders in the trial were considered weedy or overly troublesome, at least in the way they were used here. In fact, a number of rhizomatous species were wide-spreading but did not form dense plantings.

Artemisia ludoviciana var. albula ‘Silver King’ had a loose rhizomatous habit that worked well mixed with Dianthus gratianopolitanus ‘Firewitch’, where its silvery foliage created a nice contrast but it did not out-compete the dianthus.

Helianthus mollis also had a loose rhizomatous habit, forming a plot of single-stemmed to somewhat bushy plants; its potential to be too wide-spreading and potentially troublesome was noted. Rather than forming discrete clumps, Monarda fistulosa remained loosely stoloniferous. Fragaria viriginiana displayed a robust stoloniferous habit early in the season but the stolons were usually killed during periods of extreme heat and drought. Conversely, Fragaria ‘Stickbolwi’ never formed stolons during the trial, so its effectiveness as a groundcover was limited. Rosa carolina had a suckering habit that formed a thicket between the original plants, but as of 2014 the offshoots had not become problematic to nearby plantings.

Weediness is a nuisance on any green roof, but on a managed roof reseeding or spreading can be kept in check. However, on an unmanaged green roof, the proliferation of one or more species can overrun the roof, smothering or out-competing desirable plants and decreasing the diversity of the planting.

40 The Buckeye

Along with observing how prolifically and quickly a plant spread by seed, we also observed the pattern of dispersion or movement on the green roof. Plants were regularly monitored for seedling production to determine the degree of aggressiveness or weediness.

Despite heavy seed production on all of these taxa, the most aggressively weedy and/or wide-spreading of these species were Chamaecrista fasciculata, Hieraceum spilophaeum ‘Leopard’, Koeleria glauca, K. macrantha and Oligoneuron album.

Koeleria glauca and K. macrantha were grown on different roofs but acted in the same way by filling any open space with seedlings. Chamaecrista fasciculata is an annual species that produced an abundance of lush seedlings each spring, most arising in the same location as the previous year but some seedlings came up several feet away. C. fasciculata was unique in that it did not spread far but its countless seedlings formed a dense mass that smothered all nearby plants.

Rudbeckia hirta is a short-lived perennial that effectively acted like an annual on the green roof. In fact, it was originally planted as a seasonal display for the opening of the green roofs in 2009, but perpetuated itself quite fruitfully during several years of the trial, dispersing widely across the green roof.

Artemisia caudata is a biennial that produces a rosette of basal leaves the first year and a flowering stem the second year before dying out. Although quite a prolific reseeder, the seedlings did not travel far from the original plants. Seedlings of Calamagrostis brachytricha were not an issue in the growing beds, but each spring an immeasurable number of seedlings blanketed the gravel path adjacent to the planting bed.

In a few cases, taxa planted on the north green roof were eventually observed on the south green roof, including Dianthus carthusianorum, Leucanthemum vulgare, Hieraceum spilophaeum ‘Leopard’ and Petrorhagia saxifraga ‘Rosea’. Talinum calycinum was the only taxon that was observed moving from the south to the north roof. Several herbaceous taxa were discovered on the south roof, presumed to have seeded in rather than arriving with the original plants, including Veronica spicata, Lobelia spicata and Coreopsis tripteris.

In addition, a number of woody plants seeded in at various times over the course of the trial, including Salix sp., Alnus hirsuta, Crataegus phaenopyrum, Acer negundo, Populus deltoides and Fraxinus pennsylvanica.

Woody plants were generally not suited to the growing conditions and did not thrive.

The entire report will be available on www.chicagobotanic.org. B

onla.org

Industry Calendar

View www.onla.org for seminars, events, trade shows and more! O designates qualifying OCNT recertification events

O September 1, 2015- ONLA Regional Education, Pond & Water Feature Clinic, Uniontown, Ohio

O September 25-28, 2015- ONLA Regional Education, IPPS Eastern Region Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio

O September 3, 2015- Diagnostic Walkabout, Huron, Ohio. Join ONLA, OSU & AGI at the BGSU Firelands for a critical look at landscape and turf during early morning landscape walks throughout Ohio. Tim Malinich, Horticulture Educator with Ohio State University Extension, and other horticulturalists will lead indepth discussions of the art and science of scouting, diagnostics and control of landscape pests. This is for commercial horticulturalists only. This program will offer the following CEU’s: Landscape Industry Certified = 2 hours, OCNT = 1 credit, ISA = 1 credit and ODA Credits = .5 (core), 1 (category 6A) and .5 (category 8).

September 25, 2015- ONLA Landscape Awards Program Entry Deadline

O September 14, 2015- ONLA Regional Education, Aerial Lift Workshop; Columbus, Ohio O September 15, 2015- ONLA Regional Education, Chainsaws & Chippers: Plain City, Ohio O September 16, 2015- ONLA Regional Education, Chainsaws & Chippers: Newbury, Ohio O September 17, 2015- ONLA Regional Education, Scouting and Troubleshooting in the Cedar Point Landscape September 17, 2015- OCNT Testing, Westerville, Ohio. ONLA is now having Ohio Certified Nursery Technician (OCNT) testing once a month at the ONLA office.

See ONLA.org for an application.

O September 17, 2015- ONLA Regional Education, Maintenance Pruning Intensive: Hands-On Practice to Keep Things Small; Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio O September 24, 2015- Diagnostic Walkabout, Cleveland, Ohio. Join ONLA, OSU & AGI at the Sunset Memorial Gardens for a critical look at landscape and turf during early morning landscape walks throughout Ohio. Tim Malinich, Horticulture Educator with Ohio State University Extension, and other horticulturalists will lead in-depth discussions of the art and science of scouting, diagnostics and control of landscape pests. This is for commercial horticulturalists only. This program will offer the following CEU’s: Landscape Industry Certified = 2 hours, OCNT = 1 credit, ISA = 1 credit and ODA Credits = .5 (core), 1 (category 6A) and .5 (category 8).

onla.org

October 2, 2015- ONLA Scholarship Entry Deadline

professionals together each year to learn, to experience, and to grow. From the newest plant species to the most exciting business trends to the freshest ideas to ignite your customers’ interest—it’s all here, because we grew it that way, together. Deep roots, broad reach, lasting fruit, year after year.

Visit centsmarketplace.com for additional information. B

O October 6, 2015- ONLA Regional Education, Hardscapes: How to Build an, In-Demand Business, Maumee, Ohio O October 7, 2015- ONLA Regional Education, Hardscapes: How to Build an, In-Demand Business, Rittman, Ohio O October 8, 2015- ONLA Regional Education, Hardscapes: How to Build an, In-Demand Business, New Albany, Ohio October 15, 2015- November 19, 2015OCNT Testing, Westerville, Ohio. ONLA is now having Ohio Certified Nursery Technician (OCNT) testing once a month at the ONLA office. See ONLA.org for an application.

November 19, 2015- OCNT Testing, Westerville, Ohio.

ONLA is now having Ohio Certified Nursery Technician (OCNT) testing once a month at the ONLA office.

See ONLA.org for an application.

O January 1113, 2016- CENTS Marketplace & University, Columbus, Ohio. CENTS (Central Environmental Nursery Trade Show) is Ohio’s Green Industry Convention brought to you by The Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association. Over the years, CENTS has added an education program alongside the trade show.

CENTS Marketplace & University is built strong from the ground up by you: the people who make it the largest convention of its kind in the Midwest. CENTS brings thousands of green industry

N U R S E R Y

Quality and Service G A R D E N C E N T E R is the Nature L A N D S C A P E of our Business

Call Us for all your nursery needs including Quotes, Availability or a Catalog

1-877-722-7337 411 N. State Route 235 Fax 937-845-9731

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September 2015 41

Advertisers’ Index Big Trees Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 bigtreegroup.com Buckeye Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 The Official Publication of the Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association

buckeyeresources.com The Buren Insurance Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

The Buckeye is the nursery and landscape industry’s authoritative voice in Ohio.

Second to none in editorial and graphic quality, The Buckeye publishes a wide range of editorial features on the green industry’s key issues.

The Buckeye is another example of how the ONLA leads, promotes, and facilitates the success and growth of green industry businesses.

The Buckeye is published 10 times each year with a circulation of over 5,000 each issue and an

estimated readership of over 10,000. Advertisers benefit from an industry-specific audience, with distribution to professional nursery, landscape and independent garden center businesses and individuals, certified green industry professionals, educators/researchers, and subscribers.

Access Ohio’s $4.9 billion industry. Contact Amanda to learn how your business can benefit from becoming an advertiser in The Buckeye.

800.825.5062 amanda@onla.org

coveryourgrass.com CENTS 2016. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . OBC cents16.com Ernst Seeds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 ernstseed.com Everris. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 everris.us.com Fairview Evergreen Nurseries. . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 fairviewevergreen.com Green Velvet Sod Farms Ltd.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 greenvelvet.com Hobby Nursery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 hobbynursery.com JCB of Ohio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 burnsjcb.com Klyn Nurseries, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 klynnurseries.com Medina Sod Farms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 medinasodfarms.com Millcreek Gardens, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 mgohio.com

ONLA Classified Advertising: onla.org

The online classified service can be found on onla.org along with the complete postings. New ads will be added as soon as they are submitted to the ONLA. For more information, please contact the ONLA office at (614) 899-1195. The ONLA reserves the right to refuse ads. As we go to press, here are the ads posted on onla.org’s online Classified Section:

Pine Hollow Farm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 pinehollowfarmltd.com Scarff’s Nursery, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 scarffs.com Smith’s Gardens, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 smithsgardensinc.com

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Greenhouse Manager, The Ohio State University OARDC, Wooster, Ohio

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Landscape Irrigation Technician, Landfare Ltd, Columbus, Ohio

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Nursery Sales, Scarff’s Nursery, New Carlisle, Ohio

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Product Manager, A.M. Leonard, Piqua, Ohio

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Territory Manager- Sales, Unilock, Rittman, Ohio

Spring Meadow Nursery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 colorchoiceplants.com Unilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IBC unilock.com

Ad Rates & Info Contact Amanda Domsitz 614.899.1195 amanda@onla.org

42 The Buckeye

2016 FEATURED SPEAKERS We’re excited to announce that CENTS 2016 will offer landscape architects, designers, contractors and technicians, arborists, growers and garden centers over 120 classes and CEUs from leading organizations. Our programs, led by nationally renowned experts cover everything from bugs to bushes, and balance sheets to business management. Your whole team will benefit from CENTS education programs. Check out a few of our featured speakers!

Charlie Hall Professor & Ellison Chair Department of Horticultural Sciences - Texas A&M University

Kelly Norris Director of Horticulture Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden

Peter Zale, Ph.D Breeder and Curator of Plants Longwood Gardens, PA

Registration opens in October.

Visit cents16.com often for updates.

• Multiple packages and education options available • January 11-13, 2016 (Monday – Wednesday)

New Show Dates!

January 11-13, 2016 Greater Columbus Convention Center, Columbus, Ohio CALL 614.899.1195 OR LEARN MORE AT

CENTS16.COM/ATTEND

Philip van Wassenaer, B.Sc. Environmental Sciences, Master of Forest Conservation Urban Forest Innovations, Inc.

Travis Beck Director of Horticulture Mt. Cuba Center

Mark Chisholm 4 time - ISA International Tree Climbing Champion Aspen Tree Expert Company & Team STIHL

Susanne Woodell Historic Gardens Manager Biltmore Estate

Cuba Center

Daniel A. Potter Professor of Entomology University of Kentucky

Cuba Center

CENTS provides the ideal platform to communicate and interact with industry leaders, suppliers, colleagues and educators!

• Personalize your education program with industry experts via pre-con intensives, classroom training, grower tours and hands-on demos • Choose from 120+ courses delivered by a diverse array of educators • Earn certified CEUs from ASLA, ODA, APLD, ISA, OCNT and more • Network with experts and next generation professionals • Experience the redesigned, interactive tradeshow floor • FREE technician-based, hands-on training on the tradeshow floor