The Buckeye Magazine, July/August 2016

July / August 2016

The Official Publication of the Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association

Vol. 27, Issue 4

ONLA Golf Outing The Garden as Magic Retail Roundtable: Donation Requests

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July/August 2016 Vol. 27, Issue 4

CONTENTS

The Buckeye is published six times per year by The Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association, Inc. 72 Dorchester Square, Westerville, OH 43081 614.899.1195 | www.onla.org

22

By Design The Garden as Magic

EDITORIAL / ADVERTISING ISSN 1536-7940 Subscriptions: $75/year info@onla.org OFFICERS Steve Maddox, Jr., President Michell’s Josh Posey, President-Elect Buckeye Resources, Inc. Michael Dues, Immediate Past President Dues Nursery & Landscaping, Ltd. DIRECTORS Hillary Henry The Pattie Group, Inc. Tom Hilgeman White Oak Garden Center, Inc. Ryan Kolb Ryan Kolb Co. LLC Adam McClanahan Carlton Plants, LLC Mindy Moore Cardinal Landscape, Tree Service & Lawn Care Steve O’Neal Columbus State Community College Ellen Gallucci Purcell Riepenhoff Landscape Ltd. STAFF Frits Rizor, Executive Director Karen Lykins, Accounting Keith Manbeck, Sales Roni Petersen, Membership & Certification Lydia Phillippi, Education Alana Settle, Marketing & Communications Tracie Zody, MGIX 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.

20

By Design The Garden as Magic

departments

3

President’s Perspective Change is HERE!

4 6

Executive Director’s Update

10

Why Trees Matter Name that Tree

Branches of Government Ch-Ch-Changes

14 Buziness Buzz

Woe is Me?

15

Look to the Future Speak Out and Be Heard

17

Safety First Summer Safety

18

Retail Roundtable Donation Requests

features

27

PEST Newsletter Excerpt from June Issue

28

Landscape Design Lessons from a Cutting Torch

32

Forest Health Pest Alert Beech Leaf Disease

36

Managing a Latino Workforce Part 1: Cultural Traits and Management Styles

FRONT COVER Aeonium

also in this issue 34 ONLA Golf Outing • 39 Ohio High School Landscape Olympics 40 Member Benefits • 41 Calendar of Events, Classifieds, Advertising Index

LANDSCAPING EQUIPMENT SALES • SERVICE • PARTS • RENTALS

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Covering Northeast Ohio

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LandscapeAwards celebrate excellence

CALL FOR ENTRIES Applications are being accepted for the 44th annual ONLA Landscape Awards.

Deadline to apply: September 23, 2016. Submit an entry at www.onla.org/LandscapeAwards

2016 Project of the Year, Lifestyle Landscaping, Inc.

2 The Buckeye

onla.org

PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

Change is HERE As I mentioned in the last issue of The Buckeye, ONLA has several exciting changes to announce. First, we have hired three new staff members for the office: Alana Settle our new Marketing and Communications Manager, Lydia Phillippi our new Education Coordinator, and Keith Manbeck our new Sales Manager. We are encouraged by their enthusiasm and fresh ideas. There is definitely a new synergy developing amongst the staff and we are delighted to see some of the results already.

Second, I’d like to announce the name of our new tradeshow: The Midwest Green Industry Xperience or MGIX. We felt that it was time to recognize all the Green Industry companies that participate in our tradeshow. The industry is very diverse and the tradeshow certainly reflects that.

2016 ONLA President

Steve Maddox smaddox@michells.com

Third, we have changed the flow and layout of the tradeshow itself. There is now a central hub that will contain tables for meeting customers and an area for entertainment.

There are two garden promenades leading to the center and the booth layouts will certainly change as well. The new layout will allow exhibitors to see a different flow of people and with the entertainment occurring on the show floor, increased traffic. We still will incorporate the Climber’s Corner and the ONLA Garage and look forward to their continued successes. Visit the website www.mgix17.com for more details on the events, entertainment and educational programs coming to the show.

Lastly, we no longer will have the Landscape Challenge at the trade show. In lieu of that, we will hold the first annual Ohio High School Landscape Olympics on November 3 and 4 at OSU ATI in Wooster, Ohio. Currently, we have 500 students signed up to participate. The Landscape Olympics will be very similar to the testing conducted by the National Association for Landscape Professionals. It will pair educators, businesses and students in a multi-day event that will expose the students to work in the Green Industry. Keep an eye out for more information.

As I have said before, change is the only constant in our industry. We are very excited with the changes taking place at ONLA and with our tradeshow. Please help me in welcoming the new staff members to the association and be sure to visit www.mgix17.com for more exciting things to come!

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July/August 2016

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR UPDATE

Executive Office Update

ONLA Executive Director

Frits Rizor frits@onla.org

As of press time for this issue, I will have been in this position for 4 months. A lot has happened and I can say with great excitement, I like where we’re going. We’ve tackled the rebranding of CENTS as MGIX (Midwest Green Industry Xperience), we are working on invasive plant issues with the Ohio Invasive Plant Council and, most exciting of all, we have developed a new team here at ONLA that I’d like to introduce to you.

Keith Manbeck – Sales Manager.

Keith is the most recent addition to our team and will be responsible for all of our sales efforts, including MGIX, sponsorships, advertising and new member drives. He’s a past president of the association, an OSU grad (Go Bucks!) and has been in the Green Industry for 30+ years.

Lydia Phillippi – Education Coordinator. Lydia is a 2016 OSU grad(OH-…). She received her B.S. in Ag Communications and is assisting me in the enormous job of developing the education component of MGIX. Lydia brings great enthusiasm to the office and is already putting her mark on the program. She and her husband farm in their off time.

Alana Settle – Marketing and Communications Manager. She’s been on board for just a few short months and is already making tremendous strides in developing and implementing our digital and social media strategy. If you aren’t following us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, be sure to climb on board and see what’s happening. Alana comes to us from Franklin Park Conservatory. Much to Roni’s delight she is a fellow Ohio University grad.

4 The Buckeye

Tracie Zody – Trade Show Manager.

Tracy is the driving force behind all of the great changes that are happening with MGIX. She ran the CENTS show from 2009 to 2012, and is taking over again for the reboot! We are excited about the show’s fresh new look and great opportunities for innovation, education and networking in a fun atmosphere.

Karen Lykins – Accountant. She keeps us all honest, but is much more than just our bean counter. Karen manages all of our HR functions and works with the team on all of our events. She just returned from an “off the beaten path” Puerto Rico vacation that she refers to as “fun, but crazy scary”. Karen is a graduate of Ohio Dominican and Franklin University.

Roni Petersen – Membership & Certification Manager. To try to pin what she does for the association into a job title just can’t happen. Roni has been with the association for more than ten years and is definitely the go-to for all questions ONLA. She is currently developing the inaugural Ohio High School Landscape Olympics that will take place November 3 and 4 at OSU ATI in Wooster.

So, that’s our team in a nutshell. We are all fully committed to making sure ONLA provides the greatest possible value for its membership and promotes the success of the Green Industry in everything we do.

Now, onto a bit of fun. After a tough spring in Ohio…rain, rain, rain to dry, dry, dry (it’s always something, isn’t it?), many of us are at a point in the year that we might be able to squeak in a little time off to recharge.

onla.org

I’ve always felt that we are a workhard, play-hard industry, but it hasn’t been until recently that I’ve realized just how important that recharge is.

For me, it has always been easy to get caught up in everything that comes with spring and assume that it should be a fact of life for my family that we’ll reconnect when things die down. That was fine and dandy when the kids were younger. My wife and daughters supported each other as I came home from work late, wolfed down dinner (checking my email at the same time) and went up to bed.

I would hit the burnout point in early summer and would throw something together and get the fam-

ily out of town for a little R&R. We had some great times, but it’s kind of like raiding the kitchen after a long day of work—not healthy. So, last year I tried something different.

My wife and I have always loved to take bike rides together. In past years, we would take a ride in April and then my bike would sit until July.

Last spring, I decided I was going to make an effort to leave work at 5:00 pm two or three times a week to get on the bike path before it got dark.

It didn’t have to be a long ride, just a little time to pedal and talk about our days. BEST DECISION EVER! A couple of things happened. I was able to recharge every week. I did not

hit a burnout stage. My wife and I had great conversation in spring. We stayed connected.

What didn’t happen? My business did not close. Employees still did their jobs. The world did not end.

So, if you’re reading this now as you recharge after reaching your burnout point, make a resolution for your next busy time. Make a goal to dedicate just a few hours a week to doing something you love with your spouse, family, friend or significant other. The results will be far greater than what you would have accomplished by spending that time at work…it will still be there tomorrow.

I guarantee it! B

ONLA Offices, Westerville, Ohio

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July/August 2016

5

BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT

Ch-Ch-Changes People exclaim that if you want to know the weather in Ohio, wait a few minutes. Similarly, I say that if you want to get to know the General Assembly, wait a few months or so.

ONLA Legislative Consultant

Belinda Jones Capitol Consulting Group, Inc. bjones@capitol-consulting.net

With the advent of term limits, the turnover in the General Assembly is regular and routine. Ohio House members can only serve four consecutive two-year terms; members of the Ohio Senate may serve two consecutive four-year terms. Recently, we have seen some changes in the Ohio House and the Ohio Senate due, in part, to term limits.

Anticipating being “termed out”, Senator Chris Widener (R; Springfield), President Pro Tempore, resigned from his senate seat to join the private sector.

Representative Bob Hackett (R; London) was elected by his Republican Senate peers to fill the unexpired term of Senator Widener. Senator Hackett’s replacement in the Ohio House is Rep. Bill Dean (R; Xenia).

Rep. Dean, a plumber by trade, is new to the General Assembly but not new to campaigns. In fact, he joins his son-in-law, Rep. Ron Hood (R; Ashville) in the Ohio House. Nor is Rep. Dean new to big crowds, he and his wife, Pamela, have ten children. In the fall, Rep. Dean will be facing Democrat Barbara Niemeyer for election to the 74th House District.

Also leaving the Ohio House due to term limits is Rep. Barbara Sears (R; Sylvania). Rep. Sears, formerly a member of leadership in the House, has long held the unwritten title of being the expert on Medicaid and Insurance issues. A sharp thinker and great leader, Rep. Sears has also been a friend to the Green Industry having attended a number of ONLA events over the years. Rep. Sears will be leaving her post to fill a lauded gubernatorial appointment as the “number two position” as the Assistant Director of the Office of Health Transformation (OHT).

Although Rep. Sears is perfect for this new post, she

6 The Buckeye

onla.org

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July/August 2016 

7

Image courtesy of Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board

BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT

will be missed in the Ohio General Assembly. Speaker Rosenberger has indicated that he will not attempt to fill her seat until after the November election. Her likely successor will be Derek Merrin, who won the Republican nomination in the March primary. Merrin, former mayor and council member for the city of Waterville, will face Democrat Michael Sarantou in the November election.

And at deadline for this article yet another exit was announced: State Rep. Tim Brown (R; Bowling Green) announced that he will be stepping down to become the new President of the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments. Rep. Brown, who was in his second term, was instrumental in passing a number of bills as Chairman of the House Government Accountability and Oversight Committee. No word on his likely successor.

Meanwhile, one of our ONLA Legislators of the Year, Rep. David Hall (R; Millersburg), has made the top four finalists for an appointment with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO). Formerly chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, Rep. Hall has long been the “go to” legislator on Green Industry issues. He

is seeking this appointment due to the fact that he has to leave the House at the end of the year because he is termlimited. While Hall would make a most excellent appointee, he has some stiff competition in others vying for this coveted appointment.

We will keep you posted!

ONLA Board Votes to Oppose HB 566 You may recall reading in the May/June issue of The Buckeye that State Rep. Dan Ramos (D; Lorain) had introduced HB 566, a bill that would prohibit nursery stock from being labeled as “pollinator beneficial” if the nursery stock had previously been treated with a systemic insecticide. (https://www.hannah.com/ShowDocument. aspx?BTextID=198072) I called Rep. Ramos and learned that he had gotten the idea to introduce this legislation from a colleague of his in another state (may have been Minnesota?). I shared with him that the ONLA Board may take a counter position on his bill and that I would stay in touch.

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As anticipated, the ONLA Board voted to oppose HB 566 in its present form. We are currently working on a communication to Rep. Ramos. Stay tuned.

Government Relations Similar to Your Professional Relationships: Stay in Touch and Stay Positive!

Because the term “lobbyist” has such a negative connotation, I often explain to family and friends that my business is “government relations”. In fact, I pride myself on my ability to build relationships with legislators on your behalf. It really is about getting to know people and helping them get to know you. Along those lines, and because the deadline for this article fell around the season for graduations, I thought I would take a minute to quote a couple of key phrases from my daughter’s high school graduation speeches.

Dublin Jerome Student Body Vice President Brady Ellis spoke about the many accolades that their class has earned. Whether it be in academics, the arts or sports, there is no question that the class of 2016 has made their mark on the history of the school. But Brady, with wisdom beyond his 18 years, challenged his classmates to face the future not only with their career goals in mind but also with a personal goal of creating a “relational legacy”. He described a relational legacy as a personal investment in people. I love this perspective.

Meanwhile, Dublin Jerome Principal Dustin Miller asked the students, faculty and families to choose to be positive in the midst of trials.

“If you keep your focus on the positive and invest in those who build you up, you are going to have one heck of a good ride,” said Miller.

So, in the season of summer, I challenge you to heed the call from Brady and Miller to be intentional in relational investments. Put down your pen, your phone and your shovel and check in on those you care about.

Sure, you have to work hard to balance the books. But you will never regret having a work-life balance that focuses on the positives and the people with whom you are blessed to have in your family, your workplace, and your community. B

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July/August 2016

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WHY TREES MATTER

Name That

by Jim Chatfield, The Ohio State University Extension

Sour Gum ‘Wildfire Secrest’ 10 The Buckeye

onla.org

Tree

Proper plant identification is clearly a key horticultural skill for all in the Green Industry. Landscape architects and designers need to know what is what when they evaluate how a particular plant they designed into a landscape is performing. Landscape maintenance professionals must evaluate how to correct problems. Nursery professionals are constantly searching out new plants with different features and identifying growing issues associated with these new plants.

I recently led a Name That Tree program at OSU Mansfield with OSU Woodlands Steward Coordinator Kathy Smith. We started with three recent examples of the importance and use of tree identification: 1. Thousand cankers disease? An online diagnostics query about a dying walnut tree.

The first responder to this digital diagnostics question wondered if thousand cankers disease of black walnut was the culprit. This calls to mind the OSU Fact Sheet, 20 Questions of Plant Diagnostics. Question no. 3 is “What are common problems of the plant?”. Thousand cankers disease is not yet common in Ohio, having been identified only in Butler County, but it is much talked about and something that comes to mind immediately when a diagnostician hears of a declining walnut.

Within minutes, second responders chimed in online with opposing views. Opposing, as in “opposite branching”. Black walnut (Juglans nigra) has alternate leaf and branch arrangement, and the picture provided illustrated an opposite branching pattern. For native trees at least, there are few opposite-patterned trees: maple, ash, dogwood, and buckeye, thus the familiar mnemonic of MAD BUCK for native opposite-leaf/branch trees. With that in mind the suspected diagnosis for the dying tree was emerald ash borer damage. Of course, follow-up is often called for with digital diagnosis, but this example points to the extreme importance of proper plant identification.

If plant ID goes awry, the diagnostics may not fly.

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July/August 2016

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2. Sour and sweet, spring and fall With a nature-and-nurture class of learners, who have both woodland and landscape interests, it is important to note that plants in the woods have differences from plants in landscapes. This is illustrated with two samplings of Nyssa sylvatica.

This native tree has common names of sour gum, black gum, and tupelo. The straight species, Nyssa sylvatica (the name given by the Botanical Code of Nomenclature), has glossy green leaves this time of year.

One cultivar, Nyssa sylvatica ‘Wildfire’, (the name given by the Horticultural Code of Nomenclature) has fiery red, glossy leaves this time of year. If you are referencing keys or guides geared to woodland plants, this feature will never show up. You need to supplement with Dirr’s Manual of Woody Landscape Plants or other sources.

So, tree ID is ever-challenging, which is cool—it means a lifetime of learning and perspectives for all of us.

3. A Planetree by Any Other Name A third example is the origins of planetrees amongst us.

Some know that London planetrees came about in the

17th century at London’s Vauxhall Gardens, when a sycamore or American planetree (Platanus occidentalis) and an oriental planetree (Platanus orientalis) stepped out of the reproductive isolation that species are supposed to have from each other—and crossed. A new plant, the hybrid London planetree (Platanus x acerifolia) was the offspring of this marriage.

Morton Circle London planetree (Platanus x acerifolia “Morton Circle’ Exclamation!™) is a newer translation of London planetree. While the original Vauxhall Gardens planetree was more strictly Mother Nature’s doing (of course horticulturists played their part as well by bringing divergent planetree species to London), the cultivated Morton Circle variety was propogated by George Ware of Morton Arboretum by deliberately crossing an American planetree and oriental planetree.

As with other London planetree hybrids, Morton Circle planetrees will have less anthracnose disease than our native sycamore and is touted as having less susceptibility to powdery mildew. It has an upright pyramidal habit, growing to a 60 by 30 foot stature. This big canopy tree provides high levels of environmental services for energy, air quality, and stormwater remediation if planted properly. It shows excellent tolerance to a variety of soils and should be planted in full sun and with room to grow and

Sycamore

not too near buildings, - true for all large trees.

Then I got to thinking, do London and Morton Circle planetrees cross with sycamores? I asked forester Kathy Smith and she said, yes. The mind boggles, and it reminds us that plant identification is always challenging.

Just ask a horticulturist about Freeman or “rilver” maples—they are selected crosses of silver and red maples, combining the best of these two species.

Essential Skills: Part One So, enough of the introduction. But my editors say I am almost to the end of my article length! It is not the first time.

Sour Gum

Let’s go over a few tree identification skills: Pines have needles in bundles while spruces and other evergreen conifers have needles singly attached to the twigs. Spruces have triangular to square needles while firs have flat needles. Firs have needles that attach directly to twigs while hemlocks have tiny little petioles (leaf stalks) that attach to the twigs. The genus Prunus almost always has glands or extrafloral nectaries near the juncture of the petiole and the leaf blade.

American elms have pointed, double-toothed leaf edges.

Siberian elms have rounder, single-toothed leaf edges.

Walnuts have alternate leaf and branch arrangement while ashes have opposite arrangement…

Hemlock Pine

Stay tuned for Part Two, and maybe Three and Four.

Better yet, schedule an in-house seminar, regular plant ID sessions, one of Joe Bogg’s BYGLive! Diagnostic Walkabouts, or a program with OSU Extension. Developing plant identification skills is fun for plant lovers; it certainly doesn’t have to be as tortured as Monty Python’s The Larch sketch (check it out).

“There are some four million different kinds of animals and plants in the world.

Four million different solutions to the

Anthracnose, Sycamore

problems of staying alive.”

- David Attenborough

Millions are a bit daunting. Start by identifying one unknown (to you) plant each day. B - Jim Chatfield, The Ohio State University Extension, chatfield.1@osu.edu Prunus Bud

BUSINESS BUZZ

Woe is me?

There’s a tendency, I feel, for us landscapers to feel sorry for ourselves right now. We are in the middle of our busiest season, where things move at such a fast pace it’s hard to keep up, and quite frankly, it’s easy to get frustrated.

This spring, we had a former client (I say former as I fired her) call us “morons” and swear at us. We also had another client tell us that our mulch was too dark, and mixed in foul language when she said she liked light colored mulch. We had to let several team members go due to our zero tolerance policy for missing work and being tardy. We had a Ford F-450, with 49,000 miles on it, throw the whole engine, and we experienced a late frost that roasted a bunch of annuals on jobsites and in our storage yard. However, despite all that, I am more excited than ever and I’m having fun.

How can I be having fun? Am I stretching the truth a little bit? Yes, I am, to be blunt. And here’s my message. In life, I have certainly found

that you will most likely end up finding what you are looking for. If you look for the bad in everything, you’ll get it. If you look for the good, it sure seems like you get that, too.

When I am able to think through things rationally and really think about what is good at Grunder Landscaping, the list is endless. Sure, there are some challenges. However, that’s what running a small business is all about. What Washington, DC is doing to small business owners alone is enough to consider quitting. However, what would that do? Not much.

So, as you read this column, consider changing your perspective and look for the good in everything. It’s not at all easy and even though I’m trying to think that way, I still struggle. But I started doing something simple every morning and it’s helping.

When I get up, the first thing I do is thank the big guy upstairs for all the things I’m grateful for: A healthy family that still seems to want to be around me, my good health, my

good fortune to have run successful businesses for more than 30 years, my friends, Dayton, Ohio where I live and work, the United States of America where we all have a chance for greatness, my customers...and the list goes on. Taking a couple minutes each morning to remind myself of what I am grateful for and then telling myself “I’m going to have a great day!

Be positive and make a difference,” works. We all know that there is a lot more that goes into being successful than just being grateful and positive, but in times of stress, like the Green Industry’s spring, nothing beats a great attitude. And everyone, when given the choice, wants to be around positive, can-do people.

There are two types of people in the world—those that give you energy when you are around them, and those that take it away. What type are you?

And how can you make that better?

- Marty Grunder, Grunder Landscaping Co., Marty.Grunder@grunderlandscaping.com

“If you look for the bad in everything, you’ll get it.

If you look for the good, it sure seems like you get that, too.”

14 The Buckeye

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LOOK TO THE FUTURE

Restoring the native landscape

Speak Out & Be Heard While gardening continues to be America’s #1 hobby, there still remains a shortage of qualified and enthusiastic speakers on the subject. There is no end to the clubs, organizations, and institutions looking for speakers to present horticulturerelated topics to their groups throughout the year.

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Speaking for groups or at events is a great way to represent and promote yourself and your company in your own community!

Who is looking for speakers?

Gardeners and horticulture enthusiasts are always interested in presentations on timely topics all year long. Area garden clubs, church and civic organizations often devote time in their meetings just for guest speakers. Some large corporations offer enrichment classes for their employees.

Local OSU extensions often need help with presentations at different times of the year. Local vocational schools, colleges and universities offer non-accredited courses such as continuing or adult education, or personal enrichment courses.

Be willing to travel; You may find a lot of opportunities in the next county!

Getting Started The first thing everyone says is “I’m no good at talking to large groups”. Try to approach a presentation just like you would talk to an individual client one on one.

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Start with a small audience you feel comfortable with. I started out talking about trees and Arbor

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FEATURE Day with school children (kids make a great audience). Do a quick presentation with coworkers on a business-related subject, or find a friend or relative who belongs to a group that would be interested in a talk. And remember, it is just a talk. You’re not delivering the Gettysburg Address or a speech at the UN!

Focus on a Topic Choose a single area you feel most comfortable with. If you’re into trees, talk about your “top ten picks”. If you are given 45 minutes to speak don’t worry about filling the entire time slot. Allow time for questions. You will be surprised at how much people want to know.

Keep your presentations simple. Don’t get bogged down with the minutia. If you are doing a talk on hydrangeas you do not have to memorize all six million cultivars on the market (Including the 300 new ones that just came out while you are reading this article).

You will get thrown curve balls no matter how much you prepare. When someone asks you a question you don’t know the answer to, always respond with “I’m not sure. If you give me your e-mail or phone number, I’ll find out for you.” It’s a great way of making a new contact, and they will be impressed with your honesty.

You will find that your area of expertise evolves over time. When I began my career I was a tree and shrub guy. Then my job duties changed to where I had to immerse myself in annuals. Now my focus has gone to herbaceous perennials and is drifting back toward trees. It’s pretty cool because over time you find out a lot about many subjects. Sometimes it goes full circle!

Visuals are always interesting. Locations may not be set up for Power Point presentations, but live samples are always good. Bring printed materials that include your company logo and contact information. If you are representing a garden center, bring a coupon to

encourage your audience to visit. If you work for a landscape firm, include a list of services and some of your satisfied clients. These will serve as great tools to measure the success of your talk.

Above all, don’t forget to promote yourself!

Provide your contact information, and include your specific job title, degree, OCNT or PLANET certifications and any other accreditations you may have. You’ve earned them!

Whether you’re talking to a group of five people or 200, you will find that leading presentations is a great way to expand your business and increase your customer base while serving as a green ambassador to your community. All it takes is a little courage to jump in. B - Patrick Greeson, W.A. Natorp Corp., pgreeson@natorp.com

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SAFETY FIRST

SUMMER SAFETY Any worker exposed to hot and humid conditions is at risk for heat-related illnesses. Heat illness occurs when the body is not able to cool itself, and body temparatures can rise to dangerous levels.

Know the Signs It’s important to know the signs of heat-related illness—acting quickly can prevent more serious medical conditions and may even save lives.

Heat Stroke is the most serious heat-related illness and requires immediate medical attention.

Symptoms include: confusion, fainting, seizures, very high body temperature and hot, dry skin or profuse sweating. Call 911 if a coworker shows signs of heat stroke.

Heat Exhaustion is also a serious illness. Symptoms include: headache, nausea, dizziness, weakness, thirst and heavy sweating. Heat fatigue, and heat rash are less serious, but they are still signs of too much heat exposure.

If a worker has symptoms of heat-related illness, move the person to a shaded area, loosen his/her clothing, give him/her water a little at a time, and cool him/her down with ice packs or cool water while waiting for help to arrive.

Preventing Heat Illness: • • • • •

Drink water every 15 minutes.

Rest in the shade Wear a hat and light-colored clothing Take it easy on your first days of work Learn the signs of heat illness and what to do in an emergency.

• Look out for your fellow workers.

Use the Heat Index The heat index is a better tool for estimating the risk of heat-related illnesses. The higher the heat index, the hotter you will feel, since the heat index value takes into account both the air temperature and humidity. In high humidity, sweat will not evaporate and cool the skin as quickly.

Working in direct sunlight? Add 15 degrees to the heat index.

Additional Factors that May Contribute to Heat Illness: • • • • •

Low fluid consumption Direct sun exposure and no shade No breeze or wind Level of physical exertion Use of bulky protective clothing and equipment

Workers who have not built a tolerance to working in hot conditions may be at greater risk. This includes new employees and those returning to work after a week or more off.

For more information on heat-related illnesses, how to monitor and acclimatize workers, or how to prepare a heat illness prevention program, visit: OSHA.gov/heat This article is for informational purposes only, and is not intended to replace medical advice.

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July/August 2016

17

Retail Roundtable

Donation Requests

By Ron Wilson, rwilson@natorp.com It’s time for another fun round of “Let’s Ask the Retailers!” We ask the question and our retailing aficionados provide their thought provoking, brainstorming answers, sure to be changing your retailing ways.

Q. “Donation Requests—we get them

nations go to schools or organizations in our area. Rather than supporting a few events with larger donations, we try to limit the donation amount so we can support more events. The majority of requests are for door prizes or raffle items for fundraising events.

We have $5 reward postcards that we use almost exclusively for these events. We suggest that the $5 reward cards be used as door prizes so that they can be handed out to more than one person. The return rate on the $5 donation cards has been good. We track them the best we can.”

all the time. Requests vary from team and event sponsorships, fundraisers, raffles, and door prizes to memorial trees, Boy Scout projects, and Tim Clark, H.J. Benken Florist a church re-doing their front land& Greenhouses, Inc. scape. How do you handle donation “At Benken’s, there is one person who requests? Does your company have a handles all donation requests. Prior to donation request policy?

How do you agreeing to donate, we check to see if Training Manual Order Form choose and do you have a standard the requesting party is a customer of donation of cash, plants, or services? ours or in some way connected to us.

Who manages the requests? And if We get tons of requests from people you don’t accept donation requests, and organizations that have no perthat’s cool, but why not?” sonal connection to our business. Our standard donation is a gift card to the store in varying amounts. Seldom, if Tom Hilgeman, ever, do we give away donations in the White Oak Garden Center, Inc. form of product or cash. As a floral “Like every retailer, we receive several shop, we get numerous requests for donation requests each week. During centerpieces for fundraising events.

April and May, when we do not have For these types of requests, we may the time, it feels like someone stops offer a discount on arrangements, but in every day. We handle each request will not donate, as we feel that what by letting each group know that all rethey are asking for is our core busiquests go through the owner in order ness. It’s how we make money to pay to stay on budget. We would like to be the people who work here.” able to help every organization that has a request; they all are for a good cause. We try to have most of our do18 The Buckeye

Mike Ennemoser, Greenleaf Landscapes & Garden Center, Inc. “Our company is heavily involved with the community and we do support the many organizations that, in turn, support us throughout the season. Several years ago, we implemented a donation request policy and a form, which is filled out by the requesting person/organization and is usually accompanied by their flyer or paperwork. The form takes away last minute requests and minimizes duplicate requests and fulfillment. All donations are tracked by one person through our main office. The office tracks, files, approves, or denies all requests received. Multiple requests are usually caught. The majority of donation requests for fundraisers, raffles or door prizes are fulfilled with gift certificates. We then track redeemed gift certificates. We find that only approximately half of the donated gift certificates are actually redeemed.

The owner handles any project or large monetary requests. Community service projects are always performed at our discretion and during a time that will not interfere with our busy season. We have participated in many community service projects over the years and will continue to do so. At the end of the year, all donations and projects are reviewed with the sales and management team. This way, we can all discuss the donation totals and can focus our support efforts for the future season.”

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Jodi Dawson, Oakland Nursery, Inc. “We provide many donations throughout the year. Our system is very simple. We require the organization to speak with our owner. If he feels that you qualify for a donation, then he will relay the message to a certain person to take care of when the item will be picked up. The owner is very generous with donations. I cannot remember a time that Paul Reiner has said no to any donation request. We will allow the recipient a maximum of $50, and they can pick anything they desire throughout the whole store or nursery. Our community is very important to our company. Donations allow us to give back and support the customers that support us.”

Tony Sciambi, Buckeye Resources, Inc. “If your company is making a profit, then you should give back to the community that is supporting you. It should be local and it should benefit places where you can make a differ-

ence. Giving back doesn’t always have to cost a lot. It could be a donation of product or your employees spending a few hours sprucing up underprivileged housing, city parks, a local food pantry, etc. If it would be a choice of either paying the government or a needy neighbor, then…”

Ron Wilson, W.A. Natorp Corp.

“Retailers can get bombarded with donation requests. But given the right fundraiser, raffle or cause, a simple donation can become one of your best friends. At Natorp’s, for the most part, one person handles donation requests to help maintain consistency. We will only fulfill requests from non-profit organizations who have submitted a request on company letterhead with the date of the event and contact information, and an explanation of how the donation will be used. All donation requests are processed within the same week of receipt. We do not give out cash donations. Most requests are fulfilled with gift letters, redeemable at the Nursery Outlet for either

a hanging basket or specific tree, or for $25–$50. The gift letters have an expiration date as well. We do this so that the person who wins the gift letter must come back to the Outlet to redeem it. In most cases, they will purchase additional items. We rarely turn down legitimate donation requests, especially those within our community. Interestingly enough, we never get back all of the gift letters sent out each year. We also print about 5,000 seed packs with our logo and a discount coupon on them.

These are donated to schools, classes, table settings at fundraisers, stuffers for sponsor bags, etc. This year’s seed packs were Feeding the Bees, Monarch Butterfly Gardens, and Sunflowers, which show our concern and support for the pollinator world.”

Donations, when handled wisely, can be a great part of your marketing program, as well as showing your company’s support of your community’s events, charities, fundraisers and memorials. B

The

Garden as Magic

by Bobbie Schwartz, FAPLD

A well-designed garden or landscape can beautify a space, make it more usable and more enjoyable.

But a creatively designed space will be magical.

Part of the magic will be a result of engaging the homeowner in such a way that he or she will want to appreciate the space up close. How can we, as landscape designers, make our clients aware that the designs we create for them are recreating the cycle of life?

If you walk through a forest and examine the soil, it is rich and loose. That is what we want in our created beds. Thus, we should caution our clients not to rake

22  The Buckeye

leaves out of the beds as part of fall cleanup. If the leaves are left in the beds, they will decay and return their nutrients to the soil, thus improving it. This is Mother Nature’s way of mulching.

Included in the cycle of life is attracting birds, butterflies, and other beneficial insects to our gardens. We need to know which plants supply sustenance at different times of the year. We also need to know which

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ones are attractive enough to be included in our designs and which need to be placed in an outof-the-way spot. Clients may say that they want landscapes that are environmentally beneficial but the reality of ragged foliage eaten by butterfly larvae sometimes changes their mindset. Many people are now aware of the need to plant Asclepias (Butterfly Weed) for the Monarch butterflies but there are many other perennials and herbs that attract beneficial insects. Among them are Salvia, Coreopsis, Monarda, Agastache, Penstemon, Ajuga, Rudbeckia, Echinacea, Leucanthemum, and Pycnanthemum. This list is merely introductory. A bit of research will give you many more choices.

Watching a fern frond unfurl is magical. A longer process is watching some perennial leaves increase in size. When Brunnera macrophylla foliates, the leaves are small. However, after it blooms, the leaves double or triple in size. I think of the development of a bud that becomes a flower that eventually becomes a lovely seedhead or a fruit as a six- or seven- month miraculous evolution.

Stems that burst out of the ground to become an unexpected sight are magical. Synelesis aconitifolia is a collector’s item that I purchased from Heronswood many years ago but I have never regretted the expense. It is one of the strangest perennials I grow. The emerging foliage is wrapped around the stem and you would never guess that the leaf is quite large and deeply divided. The bonus is a series of pink tubes atop a tall stalk in June. Adding spring blooming bulbs after a design has been implemented means that some blooms might burst through snow-covered ground for unexpected delight.

Textures can be magical, when one of them is unusual or when a variety of them play against each other and are made into a vignette.

Have you ever thought about the magical transformation of leaf color due to the temperature change? Many Japanese maples have the same color from spring through fall but Acer palmatum ‘Viridis’ is different. When it foliates in

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23

spring, the leaves are red, but when temperatures rise in June, the leaves become bronzy green. Then, when the weather cools in mid-fall, the leaves are a blaze of orange.

becomes golden when struck by morning sun. In summer and fall, red cultivars of Panicum (Switch Grass) or Imperata (Blood Grass) turn from bright to fiery when the sun lights them from behind.

Water is transformative. The notion of a birdbath may seem trite but when I see the robins having a ball in my birdbath, they make me laugh. I had no idea how much they splash and their delight is mine. The sound of the water as it spills over the side of the basin is also entrancing and soothing.

Time may be the greatest sorcery of all. Landscapes look immature when installed but three to five years later, a magical transformation will have taken place, assuming of course that what was planted was not infinitesimally small. Patience is essential although not easy to teach.

I love to walk outside after it rains and observe the droplets of water on leaves, especially on Alchemilla leaves that are beautifully pleated. Walk through a garden after Jack Frost has touched the plants and enjoy that special coating that is almost ice but not quite.

Light can be a source of wonder. In winter, the seemingly ordinary beige foliage of most ornamental grasses

I hope you will find ways to incorporate magic into designs.

Then, educate your clients to appreciate it. B

- Bobbie Schwartz, FAPLD ONLA Freelance Author, bobbie@bgthumb.com Images courtesy of Bobbie Schwartz

Turfgrass Sod Grass Seed

Fertilizers

Pre-emergent Herbicides

Post-emergent Herbicides

Fungicides

Growth Regulators

Soil Amendments

Wetting Agents

Aquatic Pond Management

Spray Additives

24  The Buckeye

Insecticides

Athletic Field Products

Ornamentals

Erosion Control

onla.org

2016 DIAGNOSTIC WALKABOUTS Join ONLA, OSU & AGI 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. The walks are offered six times during the season and cover the problems prevalent during that time of the season – no two will be the same. All walks are from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

August 11, 2016 Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens Akron, OH OCNT (1 CEU), ISA (2 CEU’s), ODA (.5 (Core),1 (6A), .5 (8)), LACES (2 HR. HSW), LIC (2 CEU)

September 8, 2016 BGSU Firelands Huron, OH OCNT (1 CEU), ISA (2 CEU’s), ODA (.5 (Core),1 (6A), .5 (8), .5 (3A)), LACES (2 HR. HSW), LIC (2 CEU)

August 25, 2016 Toledo Zoo & Aquarium Toledo, OH OCNT (1 CEU), ISA (2 CEU’s), ODA (.5 (Core),1 (6A), .5 (8)), LACES (2 HR. HSW), LIC (2 CEU)

September 22, 2016 Sunset Memorial Gardens North Olmsted, OH OCNT (1 CEU), ISA (2 CEU’s), ODA (.5 (Core),1 (6A), .5 (8)), LACES (2 HR. HSW), LIC (2 CEU)

Diagnostic Walkabouts are $45 for ONLA members and $65 for non-members. Register at onla.org

Increase Your Credibility: Get Certified!

Ohio Certified Nursery Technician (OCNT) Why? • Improve the skill and knowledge of green industry employees •

Have this improvement and professional qualifications recognized in the eyes of the public as well as within the landscape and nursery industry

•

Provide a means of professional development and increased worth to the employee

OCNT SPECIALIZATIONS: Garden Center The retail garden center is the information center on which homeowners have come to rely for dependable horticultural expertise. In order to provide sound scientific horticultural advice to customers, the garden center employee must be knowledgeable in a wide variety of subjects including proper plant usage, plant health, soils, turfgrass management, landscape design, proper planting and maintenance of nursery stock and more.

Grower The grower is the base of the green industry. In order to have healthy plants to sell, the nursery employee must be knowledgeable in a wide variety of subjects including plant identification, development and health; growing and harvesting techniques; plant nutrients; pest and disease elimination; plant maintenance and more.

Landscape The public, architects and contractors have come to rely on landscape contractors and installers for dependable landscape construction techniques and horticultural expertise. In order to provide sound scientific horticultural advice and proper installation, the landscape installer must be knowledgeable in a wide variety of areas including plant identification, plant usage, plant health, soils, turfgrass management, use of pesticides, construction techniques, design, sales and more.

Core Core is important to all aspects of the Green Industry. Plant ID, Professionalism, Safety & First Aid are examples of the Core chapters of which all nursery and landscape professionals should have knowledge.

MONTHLY TESTING Visit onla.org to find upcoming test dates and download your OCNT test application.

For more information on the OCNT program, email roni@onla.org or call 614.899.1195

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Return to: The Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association • 72 Dorchester Square • Westerville, OH 43081-3350 Ph: 614.899.1195 • 800.825.5062 • F: 614.899.9489

26 The Buckeye

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PEST Newsletter An excerpt from the Pest Evaluation & Suppression Techniques Bi-Weekly Newsletter

By David Shetlar, The Bug Doc, Urban Landscape Entomologist, The Ohio State University Extension

Carpenter Ants Release Swarmers!

Now is the time that several species of ants release their new reproductives which are commonly called swarmers. Ant colonies that have survived for a couple of years or more develop new queens and drones that have wings when they emerge from their pupal cases.

These swarmers are usually released at “events” that are often stimulated by rainfall or passage of storm fronts. What is interesting is that most species of ants, in different colonies, will release their swarmers at the same time. Biologically, this makes a lot of sense as it affords the best opportunity to mix up the ant’s gene pool.

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve received a rather steady trickle of carpenter ant winged reproductives in my light trap, but recently, I’ve noticed pavement ant and field ant reproductives in my trap. The emergence of the new reproductives is only the first step in a really precarious adventure. Most of the ant species actually mate during flight.

The females are often three to five times the size of the males and she can easily keep flying while the male copulates with her!

After copulation, the male drops away to die, and the newly mated “potential queen” needs to start a new nest. Carpenter ant females search for recently felled trees or trees that have bark damage. If they find a cavity, they will chew some of the nearby plant fibers to make a distinctive brood cell. These are roughly oval and perhaps 1.5 by 1.0 inches. Within this chamber, the female lays several eggs.

When the eggs hatch into larvae, the female then produces sterile eggs that are used as food for the tiny larvae. This feeding continues for three to four weeks when the first larvae are ready to pupate. The poor female has had to use all her body fat and even her wing muscle tissues to produce the eggs and food eggs.

When the first workers emerge, they are usually only half the size of normal workers, but they open up the brood chamber and begin searching for honeydew and other insects to feed the queen and a new crop of brood. The next workers are more normal in size.

remove them in order to enlarge the colony space. Occasionally, the entire colony will move to a new location where there is softer, rotting wood in which to excavate space to house the colony. The potential queen is now a real queen!

The pavement ants and field ant undergo the same procedure, except the potential queens make cells in the soil to use for their brood chambers.

All these ants also have to survive predators and other ant colonies that may send raiding expeditions to eliminate nearby competition! In short, most potential queens never make it to be a successful queen!

As usual, for carpenter ants and soil-inhabiting ants, I’m a fan of using baits rather than trying to inject the colonies with insecticides. In my experience, the Advion ant bait and Maxforce ant bait have provided me with the best success. Both can be obtained in professional formulations on the Internet and both are legal to be purchased by homeowners or professionals.

As the colony increases, the workers also chew the wood fibers and

Get timely advice, techniques and insights into the pest occurrences you face every day in your business with the PEST Newsletter, printed biweekly from mid-March to mid-October.

Order today and save! Use promo code PEST50 to save 50% on the remaining six issues in 2016. Order at onla.org

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Landscape Design Lessons from a Cutting Torch

By Reuben Huffman, Fullmer’s Landscaping, Inc.

I’ve been taught by a cutting torch. The cutting torch we use operates like this: First, you dial open the acetylene valve. Upon hearing the hiss of escaping gas, you strike a flint at the tip and out shoots a billowy, fluffy flame 8–12” long. The flame is impressive and pretty, but rather useless. Next, you barely open the oxygen to shorten and tighten the flame.

The acetylene is dialed open more, then the oxygen, now the acetylene again, and so on until the flame

is just right in length and intensity. Now, you’ve got a blasting flame that can cut right through steel.

Acetylene and oxygen. The two work together to do an amazing feat which neither can accomplish individually.

There are a lot of principles used in successful landscape design, but there are two I’ve never heard much about. These two seem to fight against each

other at first, until a synthesized harmony finally emerges. Too much of one and it makes the other pop and die out. But work them in and weave’em together and you get a landscape that will sing.

To sound sophisticated, I’ll reach for Latin to describe these principles. I’ll call the first principle vista prospectivus (a distant view) and the second sentio eventus (the felt experience). But what I really mean is Curb Appeal and The Landscape Experienced.

Vista prospectivus shapes my first impression as I pull up to a needy site. In my mind I can envision the foreground trees, the layered walls, the stacking stratum of plants in proportion and balanced with each other. I go to work at creating that distant view first. It makes a nice picture. Its lines flow and its visual weights work. It reads well from the golf course looking back at the house. It even looks good from an airplane, and will present well on Bing maps’ birds-eye view. It’s the big picture. It’s as if the acetylene is billowing its feathery flame.

But then I crack open the sentio eventus. I mean, someone will actually live here. These areas will be inhabited by people who move around, who need elbow room, who are 5’ to 6’ tall, who will need shade from the afternoon sun, who actually want to see the skyline beyond their property line. These are folks who just might appreciate the fragrance of a lilac on their rush from the car to the back door. Who, in a rare moment, may welcome the rounded cobbles on their bare feet. When they or their guests pull in the driveway and make their way to the front door, sentio eventus wants to nestle them, wrap them on either side with a pleasing flow that subliminally moves them up the walkway, shelter them from the slopes, comfort them. This is the oxygen kicking in,

sentio eventus: the felt experience 30 The Buckeye

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sharpening and subduing the acetylene, bringing it into a useful, pleasant experience.

Sentio eventus would call for a pair of weeping white pines to arch over the walkway entrance and then a colonnade of flowering crabapples paralleling the front walkway, blocking out the house and street, cuddling the walker, moving him or her further in, comfortable all the while. But vista prospectivus says “No way! That would totally block the building’s architecture from the street. We need those trees marching down the driveway instead, and then a matching row on the opposite side of the property.”

Here, the designer has to balance the fuels and strike a pleasing compromise of sorts that ends up working better than either sentio or vista could accomplish on their own.

Vista prospectivus alone will leave a nice looking place that is awkward and uncomfortable to live around.

Sentio eventus alone will result in a hodgepodge of pleasant experiences of shelter, scent, and pedestrian views, but disconnected from each other and lacking an overall, unifying theme.

Each designer probably leans one way or another, or perhaps doesn’t even think in these categories at all but frames the issues in other vocabulary. With the two dials on our design torch, we’re aiming for a landscape whose masses and flowing lines look good at 50 mph, but whose detail and proportions nurture and nestle you when you actually walk in and sit down. Brilliance is to harmonize the tension and satisfy both dynamics.

B - Reuben Huffman, Fullmer’s Landscaping, Inc. reuben.huffman@fullmers.com

vista prospectivus: a distant view onla.org

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Forest Health Pest Alert

Beech Leaf Disease Hosts and Distribution

Beech leaf disease (BLD) affects American beech (Fagus grandifolia) and possibly European beech (Fagus sylvatica) and no causal agent has yet been identified. BLD was discovered in Lake County, Ohio in 2012. It seems to have spread quickly, especially to the east, and has been documented in the northeastern Ohio counties of Lake, Ashtabula, Geauga, Cuyahoga, Portage, and Trumbull as well as Crawford County Pennsylvania. BLD has also been reported from other areas of Ohio, NW Pennsylvania, and SW New York.

Symptoms

Symptoms of BLD have only been noted on leaves and buds. Striping or banding on several leaves on an otherwise healthy-appearing tree is the first noticeable symptom. The striping is formed by a darkening between leaf veins giving the leaf a distinctive striped appearance. This striping is often most apparent when viewing from below, looking upwards into the canopy. The darkened leaf area is raised and slightly thicker than the rest of the leaf tissue. Eventually, lighter, chlorotic striping may also occur. This striping is present upon leaf-out in the spring. Most leaves will remain on the tree until autumn. Very little premature leaf drop occurs.

Later stages result in heavily shriveled, discolored, deformed leaves clustered near the branch tips as well as reduced leaf and bud production. Buds that are produced are small and weakly attached to the twig. Mortality has been noted, mainly in saplings.

Disease progression varies with tree size. In sapling-sized trees, the progression from a few striped leaves to severe decline is rapid and may only take one to two years. In larger overstory trees, disease progression has been slower, usually moving from 32  The Buckeye

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lower branches upwards. Some foliage and branches that appear to be unaffected may persist on an otherwise heavily affected tree.

Biology and Spread

BLD appears to spread rapidly. Incidence of BLD does not appear to be influenced by slope, aspect, or soil conditions. In established areas, the proportion of American beech showing symptoms has been nearly 100%.

Symptomatic trees may show a wide variety of other insects and pathogens, including beech blight aphid (Grylloprociphilus imbricator), European beech scale (Cryptococcus fagisuga), erineum patches produced by eriophyid mites (Acalitus fagerinea), and leaf fungi such as anthracnose (Discula umbrinella). All appear to be independent of BLD. B

Author contact info:

Author con

John Pogacnik, Biologist Lake Metroparks 11211 Spear Rd. Concord Twp., OH 44077 (440) 639-7275 jpogacnik@lakemetroparks.com

John Pogac Lake Metro 11211 Spea Concord Tw (440) 639-7 jpogacnik@

Tom Macy, Forest Health Program Administrator Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry 2045 Morse Rd., Bldg. H-1 Columbus, OH 43229 Clockwise from top left: advanced stages of BLD showing deformed Clockwise from top left: advanced stages of BLD showing deformed (614) 265-6705 Photo, left, top to bottom: Early leaf striping sympleaves, loss of leaves and lack of bud production, and branch dieback leaves, loss of leaves and lack of bud production, and branch dieback thomas.macy@dnr.state.oh.us resulting in a more open understory toms of BLD, later stages of BLD resulting in leathresulting in a more open understory

Tom Macy, Ohio Depar Division of 2045 Mors Columbus, (614) 265-6 thomas.ma

ery, curled leaves.

Photos, right: Advanced stages of BLD showing loss of leaves and lack of bud production, branch dieback resulting in a more open understory.

For more information, contact: John Pogacnik, Biologist Lake Metroparks 11211 Spear Rd. Concord Twp., OH 44077 (440) 639-7275 jpogacnik@lakemetroparks.com

This article was provided by:

Tom Macy, Forest Health Program Administrator Ohio Department of Natural Resources, 2045 Morse Rd., Bldg. H-1 Columbus, OH 43229 (614) 265-6705 thomas.macy@dnr.state.oh.us

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ONLA GOLF OUTING Friday, September 23, 2016 Bent Tree Golf Club, Sunbury, Ohio 10:00 am Shotgun Start 3:00 pm Awards & Cookout Fee: $100 per player Proceeds benefit the ONLA High School Landscape Olympics, November 3 & 4, 2016

Register by September 2, 2016, For more information, contact karen at karen@onla.org or 614.899.1195

Company Name ___________________________________________________________________________ Contact Name ____________________________________________________________________________ Address _________________________________________________________________________________ City _____________________________________ State __________ Zip___________________________ Phone (______)_______________________ Contact Email _________________________________________ PAYMENT INFORMATION:

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ONLA GOLF OUTING

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Friday, September 23, 2016 Bent Tree Golf Club, Sunbury, Ohio 10:00 am Shotgun Start 3:00 pm Awards & Cookout

PRESENTING SPONSOR— Opportunity to welcome golfers & distribute awards during awards ceremony $1900.00 (1 Available)

As an event sponsor you will receive: • One golf foursome: meals at event ($400 Value).

• Logo recognition on Event t-shirt, Event signage, ONLA Website and The Buckeye Proceeds benefit the ONLA High School Landscape Olympics, November 3 & 4, 2016

WELCOME SPONSOR— Opportunity to welcome golfers & distribute goodie bags with your logo co-branded on one or more: · Thermal Cooler Tote · T-shirt (all sponsors included) · Golf Balls · Coffee mug $1900.00 (2 Available)

Return this form, along with a check payable: ONLA, 72 Dorchester Square, Westerville, Ohio 43081

HOLE SPONSOR— Company name on tee sign at hole. $650.00 (18 Available) ​ BEVERAGE CART SPONSOR— Opportunity to drive beverage cart with company signage displayed $750.00 (2 Available)

Email: _________________________________________

​ AME SPONSOR— Opportunity to conduct game (cornG hole or dice) $750.00 (2 Available) ​ CONTEST SPONSOR— Hole in one, Longest Putt, Longest Drive, Closest To The Pin, Best Dressed Foursome $750.00 (5 Available) ​ ​COOKOUT SPONSOR— Company advertisement on table signage during cookout $850.00 (2 Available)

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DOOR PRIZE SPONSOR Everyone loves door prizes!

Name: ________________________________________ Company Name: _________________________________ Address: _______________________________________ City, State & Zip: _________________________________ Phone: ________________________________________ I am happy to support ONLA with the following sponsorship: ____________________________________ I am donating the following door prize: ________________ Estimated at: ___________________________________ PAYMENT INFORMATION (circle one)

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Sponsorship deadline is September 2, 2016. Contact Karen at karen@onla.org or 614.899.1195

MANAGING A LATINO WORKFORCE Part I: Cultural Traits and Management Styles

By Claudio Carlos Pasian, Associate Professor, Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, The Ohio State University

Who are Latinos? Latino is someone of Latin American heritage.

Hispanic, on the other hand, means “of Spanish or Latin American background.” For the most part, both terms are used interchangeably.

There are no definitive and accurate statistics about the origin of the Latinos working in U.S. horticulture.

These Latino workers come from all over Latin America, but anecdotal information and some surveys indicate that at least 60% are from Mexico.

cultural suitcase containing a set of values. These values originate from the family and country in which we were raised and can be influenced by the organizations we belong to or even the work place. Therefore, to facilitate good communication it is important to have an idea of the cultural baggage or customs of other individuals.

Typically, Latino workers in U.S. horticulture were raised in rural communities in Mexico and are young, most likely in their 20s.

Most often, they have a basic level of education with no knowledge of the English language or very basic English language skills. Some move to the U.S. permanently, others plan to stay here only for a few years to work and to send money back home.

In all my writings and presentations about this topic, I emphasize the importance of going beyond learning Spanish to communicate: learn about the culture of your Latino workers. In that vein, I want to share with you information about cultural traits and management styles I found in a book that should be a “must read” for everyone who supervises Latino workers. The book is called Management in Two Cultures.

Bridging the Gap Between U.S. and Mexican Managers by Eva S. Kras (Intercultural Press, Inc.)

According to cross-cultural trainer A. Saunders, “A very big barrier for a new project team where members are from different parts of the world is not language. It is the baggage each team member carries in his/her own cultural suitcase”. We all carry a

Kras’ book is based on a series of in-depth interviews she conducted with 72 Mexican and U.S. executives.

In her work, Kras describes U.S. and Mexican cultural and social traits and then describes, compares and contrasts the different management

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styles prevalent in the two cultures – without judging them. This will be my approach while presenting some of her work. You may agree or disagree with her findings and her interpretation. What is important is that you consider these terms when trying to improve your communication with your Latino workforce.

Communication is much more than language. It requires understanding the culture!

WHAT ARE CULTURAL TRAITS? Kras defines them as broad, strong, pervasive, and dominant generalizations about a culture. Obviously, such traits are not universal because each person is unique. The reality is that the perfect “typical” American or Mexican does not exist, and because of that, it is important to avoid stereotyping. We all want to be respected and appreciated as unique beings. The cultural and management traits described in the book are shown below.

Just as examples, let us choose two Cultural Traits, Etiquette and Personal Sensitivity plus two Management Styles, Supervision and Competition for a brief description.

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ETIQUETTE IN MEXICO Kras’ research found that courtesy in Mexico is extremely important. Mexicans consider courtesy as an indicator of education (“bien educado”) since they assume that good manners are taught in school.

First impressions are very important.

Poor manners can mark the relationship in a negative way for a long time; The informality that Americans like so much can be interpreted as such.

In Spanish, the way titles and pronouns are used indicate the level of formality. It is still common in Mexico to refer to a person of authority using a title such as “Señor” (Sir) or “Don.” Both “tu” and “usted” are translated in English as “you.” However, “tu” indicates that the two people talking know each other well, and are possibly the same age and rank. “Usted” is used when there is no familiarity or when rank is involved. Most likely, a Mexican worker will refer to the boss using

“usted”. American supervisors of Latino workers who are learning Spanish are advised to use “usted”, a sign of respect. It is better to err on the side of formality.

In Mexico, it is common at work to shake hands when workers begin the day. This is followed by greetings and chitchat about the weather, health, family, etc. Mexican bosses earn the respect and loyalty of their employees through courtesy and diplomacy.

A “good boss” never “toots his own horn” as it would be perceived as bad taste in Mexican culture.

ETIQUETTE IN THE U.S. Efficiency is king in the U.S. “Let’s get to the point” is the key attitude: “Don’t slow me down with stuff that is not job related.” When addressing issues, Americans appreciate the “unvarnished truth” and sometimes without much regard to sensitivities on the other side. Does this mean

C U LT U R A L T R A I T S

PERSONAL SENSITIVITY IN MEXICO Kras says it all in one sentence: “Mexicans are extremely sensitive to the world around them and have a marked capacity to empathize with the people with whom they interact”.

PERSONALITY TRAITS

• Family

• Work/Leisure

• Religion

• Direction/Supervision

• Education

• Theory vs. Practice

• Ethics

• Control

• Nationalism

• Staffing

• Personal Sensitivity

• Loyalty

• Personal Appearance

• Competition

• Etiquette • Status • Aesthetics onla.org

that Americans are insensitive?

No. It means that unlike Mexicans, Americans are expected to separate their emotions from their work. Yet, this very emphasis on objectivity can be interpreted as bad manners by other cultures. Outside of work, Americans are as sensitive and warm as anybody else. One way some Americans try to show friendliness is through informality. It is more common in the U.S. workplace to refer to a person of authority by first name instead of Mr., or to tell a joke to break the ice in an effort to establish rapport. However, for the Mexican employee, this behavior may achieve the opposite effect.

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Most prefer to save face and avoid confrontation. Never criticize your employees in front of other workers, much less if the employee is also a supervisor. While saving-face is a human characteristic found in all cultures, Mexicans have made an art of it to the point that they practice it even when not needed.

PERSONAL SENSITIVITY IN THE U.S.

As said earlier, Americans are expected to suppress emotions at work. Therefore, constructive criticism is not only tolerated but also expected in order to improve efficiency. In the U.S., to be tough at work is, more often that not, considered a virtue.

SUPERVISION IN MEXICO

Mexicans have great respect for authority. Orders given by a superior are seldom commented on and

much less questioned. Delegation of authority is not common. It is the boss’ responsibility to communicate well all that needs to be done and how. If a mistake is made, with this system it is the boss’ responsibility.

Typically, Mexicans value being part of a group and work – often carried out along side other members of the extended family – is an extension of the group.

SUPERVISION IN THE U.S.

Americans place a high value on individualism and in the workplace, the ideal employee works independently. American bosses appreciate being able to delegate authority and supervising workers who like to take ownership of the job. Problems that arise on the job are seen as challenges and it is acceptable to make minor mistakes without losing the boss’ support. In fact, meeting these challenges may represent a valued learning experience.

It is important to consider that these are broad generalizations. If you do not identify with some of the traits and management styles described, that is okay. Also, keep in mind that societies in general and people in particular change over time. Doing business with the U.S. and Canada through NAFTA is bringing change to many Mexicans and their business practices. However, this change may be less noticeable in people coming from small towns in rural areas, the source of most Mexican horticulture workers.

Also, remember that the poisonous effect of what we call “Hollywood” (the movies) is being felt all over the world and it is changing many traditional cultures – in my opinion, usually for the worst. B - Claudio Carlos Pasian, Associate Professor, Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, The Ohio State University, pasian.1@osu.edu

A Wholesale Distribution & Supply House

www.GrassSeedSupply.com

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866-530-SEED (7333)

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OHIO HIGH SCHOOL LANDSCAPE OLYMPICS November 3 & 4, OSU ATI, Wooster, Ohio

The Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association is excited to present the first annual Ohio High School Landscape Olympics (OHLO). The competition is open to any Ohio high school with a horticulture education component, and more than 500 students from 24 schools are participating.

Ten competitive events created to test students’ abilities to interact in a hands-on environment include Compact Excavator Operation, Hardscape Installation, Construction Cost Estimating, Irrigation Assembly & Troubleshooting, Sales Presentation, Landscape Maintenance Operations, Skid Steer Operation, Landscape Plant Installation, Plant ID, and Truck & Trailer Operation.

ONLA’s annual Career Exploration event will be held in conjunction with the Landscape Olympics on Thursday, November 3, 4:30–5:30pm at the OSU ATI Campus in Wooster, Ohio.

Help make this inaugural event a success, and inspire the next generation of Green Industry pros!

BECOME A SPONSOR

ATTEND THE CAREER EXPLORATION EVENT

Sponsorship opportunities include recognition on promotional materials, event signage, display space, and a complimentary booth at the Career Exploration Event.

Booth spaces are open to garden centers, landscapers, growers, arborists, arboretums or public gardens, gold courses, lawn care professionals and other Green Industry businesses.

• • • • • • •

Gold Sponsor - $5,000 Silver Sponsor - $2,500 Bronze Sponsor - $1,500 Opening Student Party Sponsor - $4,000 Breakfast Sponsor - $1,000 Lunch Sponsor - $1,000 Refreshment/Hospitality area - $1,000

Thursday, November 3, 4:30–5:30pm • Promote your company and the industry • Connect with potential employees • Meet with college and high school advisors, key hiring resources • Mentor students and help them learn more about a career in the Green Industry

Sponsorship Deadline: September 16, 2016

Registration Deadline: September 23, 2016

Learn more and register at www.onla.org

Exclusive Membership Benefits ONLA members are entitled to the following benefits and services, designed to reduce company expenses while addressing the specific needs of Green Industry businesses. ONLA strives to bring the most relevant and useful benefits and services to its members. To receive important member updates, please make sure your correct email is on file with ONLA. For more information about ONLA member savings, visit www.onla.org or call 614.899.1195.

Credit Collection - Cash Flow Management (CFM)

Online Training - LS Training

CFM’s collection system is geared to your individual operation, serving your specific business needs. With CFM, a trained collection specialist is assigned to bring in your past-due accounts before they fade away as bad debts.

Bill Bosch, bbosch@cfmcollect.com

LS Training, the training experts! LS Training was developed with the landscaper in mind. They have 23 high-quality online videos complete with online exams and field checklists. The employee watches the video, does the exam. Each video with exam takes 30 minutes to complete, then the hands-on portion, reviewing each piece of equipment with one of your experts, using a customized checklist. Arden Urbano, arden@landscapesafety.com

Credit & Debit Card Processing - Merchant Services Merchant Services will provide the ONLA membership with merchant accounts and credit and debit card processing. Other services include online reporting, check guarantee service and working capitol funding. Scott Norris, scott.norris@merchantsvcs.com

Energy Program - Growers Energy Solutions (GES) Grower Energy Solutions (GES) programs help manage your energy costs by bringing ONLA members together as one buying group. GES is an energy program that provides the opportunity to manage your energy needs and save on your natural gas & electric costs. Our programs can offer pricing to members located in all Ohio gas and electric utilities that allow third party supply.

Joe Perlaky, perlaky@bex.net

Fuel/Fleet Program - SuperFleet Save $.05 cents per gallon after on all fuel purchases at Speedway, Marathon and Rich Oil locations with no minimum purchase required. This card can be used for shops and services or can be restricted to fuel use only. Also receive discounts on oil changes and car washes. John Kennedy, jmkennedy@speedway.com

Health/Life/Income Insurance - TAH Benefits ONLA Insurance & Employee Benefits Programs has partnered with various insurance plans to offer a wide variety of benefit options for members including medical, vision, dental, life, and disability.

Our insurance representatives will help tailor-make a program specifically to fit your needs, including advanced plan designs, management techniques, and improved benefits administration that can result in substantial cost savings and reduction of employee benefits liability exposure. Jay Hazelbaker, onla@tahins.com

Legislative Advocacy ONLA provides legislative information and plans advocacy events.

Visit onla.org to learn about current elected officials, issues and legislation, candidates and upcoming elections, as well as links to media sources in your area.

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Property/Casualty Insurance - Best Hoovler McTeague Save on your property and casualty insurance with BHM. BHM’s group program is designed for ONLA members to save at least 15 percent with the best coverage rates for your liability, fleet and equipment. Marc McTeague, mmcteague@bhmins.com

Safety Services - American Safety & Health Management Consultants, Inc. American Safety & Health Management Consultants, Inc (ASH) fills the growing need for professional safety and health management services for companies of all sizes. ASH has the capabilities to provide Total Safety Management, from working on a single problem area to evaluating, developing and administering an entire comprehensive safety and health problem.

Gary Hanson, ashmci@aol.com

Soil & Plant Tissue Testing/Ag Hort. Consulting Services - CLC LABS Through CLC LABS, ONLA members receive various laboratory services at a 10 percent discount off list prices including testing of soil nutrients, soil texture, soilless media nutrients, plant tissue nutrients and irrigation water suitability testing, plus consulting services on all aspects of testing. Chuck Darrah, clclabs@aol.com

Workers’ Compensation - CareWorksComp The ONLA Workers’ Compensation Group Rating Program has saved its members over $21.4 million in the last 11 years. Through CareWorksComp, members are offered multiple savings levels, ranging from the BWC maximum to a lesser percentage, for companies with claims. Free, no obligation analysis of potential workers’ comp premium savings.

Shawn Combs, shawn.combs@ccitpa.com

For more information on ONLA member savings visit onla.org or call 614.899.1195

onla.org

2016 Calendar of Events View www.onla.org for more information.

O designates qualifying OCNT recertification events.

Advertiser Index Buckeye Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 buckeyeresources.com

NGLCO Summer Field Day August 9, Madison, OH

Burns JCB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

ONLA Golf Outing September 23, Sunbury, OH

Ernst Seeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Ohio High School Landscape Olympics (OHLO) November 3 & 4, Wooster, OH

Evergreen Seed Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

MGIX, the Midwest Green Industry Xperience, January 16–18, 2017, Columbus, Ohio

Fairview Evergreen Nurseries . . . . . . . . . 15

O Diagnostic Walkabouts August 11, Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens, Akron, OH August 25, Toledo Zoo & Aquarium, Toledo, OH September 8, BGSU Firelands, Huron, OH September 22, Sunset Memorial Park, North Olmstead, OH O OCNT Testing August 4, Hamilton, OH August 9, Madison, OH August 18, Westerville, OH September 15,Westerville, OH October 20, Westerville, OH November 17, Westerville, OH January 16, 2017 (Garden Center) Columbus, OH January 17, 2017 (Grower) Columbus, OH January 18, 2017 (Landscape & Core) Columbus, OH

burnsjcb.com ernstseed.com GrassSeedSupply.com fairviewevergreen.com Green Velvet Sod Farms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 greenvelvet.com Millcreek Gardens LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 millcreekplants.com Medina Sod Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 mediasodfarms.com Spring Meadow Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 colorchoiceplants.com Unilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC unilock.com

Ad Rates & Info Contact Alana Settle alana@onla.org, 614.899.1195

Classified Ads Propagation Manager, Acorn Farms, Zanesville, Ohio Tree Production Supervisor, Acorn Farms, Fredericktown, Ohio Greenhouse Coordinator, The Ohio State University, Wooster, Ohio The online classified service can be found on onla.org along with the complete postings. New ads will be added to the website as soon as they are submitted to ONLA. Ads listed here were current as of press time. For more information, please contact the ONLA office at 614.899.1195. ONLA reserves the right to refuse ads.

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The Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association 72 Dorchester Square Westerville, OH 43081-3350

PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO 1560 COLUMBUS OHIO

Address Service Requested

A GREEN EVOLUTION January 16–18, 2017

Greater Columbus Convention Center, Columbus, Ohio The Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association is proud to announce the launch of MGIX, formerly known as CENTS. MGIX is redesigned to provide greater value for nursery & greenhouse growers, retail garden centers, landscape architects, designers and contractors, turf and pest management professionals and arborists.

Connect, Learn, Innovate • Industry-leading educational sessions • An innovative & dynamic tradeshow offering • Networking opportunities and special events

CALL 614.899.1195 OR LEARN MORE AT MGIX17.COM