The Landscape Contractor magazine June 2016

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In Beds

June 2016

CONTENTS

Excellence In Landscape Awards Project

8

FOCUS: Pest ID: Diagnosis, Care, Prevention Getting After Grubs— 10 The case for chemical treatment vs. organic methods Frightening Behavior from EAB 18 EAB is developing an appetite beyond ash trees

Spring Hort Advisory 22 Jim Fizzell talks pests and weather

10

Garden Speak 26 Crazy for Clematis The New German Style 40 Cassian Schmidt adapted from his talk at iLandscape The Story Behind the ILCA Logo Change New logo reflects industry and environment

52

18

Member Profile 60 Perfect Turf LLC Plant All-Stars 62 Syringa reticulata Japanese Tree Lilac

EN ESPAÑOL

Getting After Grubs— Control y eliminación de larvas – ¿Medios químicos o naturales?

34

On the cover...

Hinsdale Nurseries Inc. received a Gold Award for this 2015 Residential Landscape Construction project.

The Landscape Contractor June 2016

26

40 3

CONTENTS

DEPARTMENTS

ILCA Calendar From Where I Stand President’s Message Classified Ads Advertisers Index

Photo Credits ILCA Awards Program 1, 8-9 Richard Hawke 28-30, 34, 38 Chicago Botanic Garden 10-, 12, 14-15 Walters Gardens 29, 38 Nina Koziol 26 Midwest Groundcovers 32-33

Calendar

4 5 7 57 61

AUGUST August 4, 2016 Summer Field Day Midwest Groundcovers/Midwest Trading Virgil, IL

Rick Reuland The Morton Arboretum

20, 40-45 62

The official publication of the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association (ILCA), The Landscape Contractor is dedicated to educating, advising and informing members of this industry and furthering the goals of the Association. The Landscape Contractor carries news and features relating to landscape contracting, maintenance, design and allied interests. Publisher is not responsible for unsolicited material and reserves the right to edit any article or advertisement submitted for publication.

Publication reserves right to refuse advertising not in keeping with goals of Association. WWW.ilca.net Volume 57, Number 6. The Landscape Contractor (ISSN # 0194-7257, USPS # 476-490) is published monthly for $75.00 per year by the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association, 2625 Butterfield Road, Ste. 104S, Oak Brook, IL 60523. Periodicals postage paid at Oak Brook, IL and additional mailing offices. Printed in USA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Landscape Contractor, 2625 Butterfield Road, Ste 104S, Oak Brook, IL 60523. DISPLAY ADVERTISING SALES: Association Publishing Partners, Inc., Ph. (630) 637-8632 Fax (630) 637-8629 email: rmgi@comcast.net CLASSIFIED ADS, CIRCULATION AND SUBSCRIPTION: ILCA (630) 472-2851 Fax (630) 472-3150 PUBLISHER/EDITORIAL OFFICE: Rick Reuland, rmgi@comcast.net, Naperville, IL 60540 Ph. (630)637-8632 PRODUCT DISCLAIMER: The Illinois Landscape Contractors Association, its Board of Directors, the Magazine Committee, ILCA Staff, The Landscape Contractor and its staff, neither endorse any products nor attest to the validity of any statements made about products mentioned in this, past or subsequent issues of this publication.

ILCA Staff

Magazine Staff

Executive Director Scott Grams (630) 472-2851 sgrams@ilca.net

Rick Reuland Publisher/Advertising Sales (630) 637-8632 rmgi@comcast.net

Education Manager Julie Nicoll jnicoll@ilca.net

Debbie Rauen Advertising Sales (817-501-2403) debbie.landscapecontractor@ yahoo.com

Events Manager Terre Houte thoute@ilca.net Office Manager Alycia O’Connor aoconnor@ilca.net Membership & Marketing Coordinator Marissa Sikirdji msikirdji@ilca.net

ILCA 2625 Butterfield Road Ste. 104S Oak Brook, IL 60523 (630) 472-2851 • Fax (630) 472-3150 www.ilca.net

v Becke Davis Senior Writer treethyme@aol.com Patrice Peltier Feature Writer patpeltier@charter.net Meta Levin Feature Writer meta.levin@comcast.net Barbara Dutton Feature Writer Nina Koziol Feature Writer Jim Fizzell jjfizz@aol.com

4

SAVE THE DATE! September 15, 2016 ILCA Golf Outing Village Links of Glen Ellyn

The Landscape Contractor June 2016

From Where I Stand — Culicidae. The mighty mosquito. Human beings

have a love/hate relationship with the mosquito. Yes, it brings pestilence, plague, annoying bites, ruins picnics, and makes it impossible to sleep in a tent. On the other hand, they, um, provide sustenance for bats? That sounds like a fair tradeoff.

Ok, human beings have a hate/hate relationship with mosquitos. Yes, I’m sure if I went on their Wikipedia page or talked to my local entomologist, I would learn they serve some important role in our fragile, interconnected ecosystem. But, I don’t care.

I hate mosquitoes, and outside of the bat and entomologist community, I assume you hate them too. In fact, I put mosquitos on par with the stomach flu, ISIS, cold sores, and the collected works of Nickelback when it comes to universal and complete derision.

Mosquitos have been pestering the denizens of earth for at least 80 million years. Dinosaurs, invertebrates, vertebrates, mammals, and humans have all wagged their tails, covered themselves in mud, or slapped their necks because of those little buggers. Mosquito is Spanish for “little fly.” This is not to be confused with mojito which is Spanish for “awesome.”

I joke, but mosquitoes do serve a vital role in both the aquatic and land-lubbing food chains.

They breed in water so their larvae provide an important food source for small fish and other sea creatures. Further, they are the primary food source for many small terrestrial animals, birds, and bats. Those of course, then become food for larger creatures, who then become food for us. So, the next time you are about to dig into a delicious tilapia fillet, just remember the 440,000 people who die each year of malaria who made it all worth it. Yum! In most developed countries, mosquitoes have transitioned from carriers of death to unwanted outdoor guests. Yet, each year, some new disease crosses the border and threatens our health and livelihood. Many communities are still dealing with West Nile Virus and now Zika is running roughshod over South and Central America as it heads north.

Mosquitoes move fast, breed quickly, and spread disease like junkies sharing hypodermic needles.

When a client calls a landscape contractor, they do so because they want to realize a vision. That vision is more than a patio, fire pit, or flower beds filled with perennials. That vision is really an extension of a lifestyle. No landscape client dreams of standing at their sliding glass door admiring their new stone outcropping.

They don’t think about how cool the new mylar cover will look on their fire pit. They don’t get excited about flipping off the landscape lighting before heading up to bed. They dream about interacting with their new landscape, not viewing it behind glass doors and screens.

Successful landscape companies aren’t selling landscape materials that come together to form landscape features. Successful landscape companies sell outdoor parties with pitchers of sangria, the smell of grilled meats, and gregarious laughter spilling over the top of the rustic cedar fence line. Clients dream of spending their summers outdoors meeting new, exciting people and becoming new, exciting people.

I wager that most landscape clients will have their first outdoor gathering within 7-30 days of a recent landscape installation.

Now, this may range from a intimate backyard BBQ to a huge graduation party with catered food, circus tents, and fire eaters.

Drinks will flow, food will be served, and the gregarious laughter

will...SLAP. SLAP-SLAP-SLAP. SLAP, “Darn, the bugs are really out tonight.”

“Yeah, we had such a wet spring.”

SLAP SLAP SLAP “So, where was I, ok, so we just got back from Disney World and [SLAP], darnit, another one.”

SLAP “Well, at least the 6 inch diameter around the citronella candle is mosquito free.”

SLAP SLAP “I don’t think those tiki torches are doing the trick.”

SLAP SLAP “Mmm, you know, the Deep Woods Off really brings out the flavor of this mai tai.”

SLAP “Hey, how about we all head inside?”

Fantasy, meet reality.

The other party guests, now huddled around a countertop eating brie and drinking white wine wonder if all the landscaping was worth it. Hmm, maybe they should consider a 3-seasons room.

The 3-seasons room. The archenemy of the landscaper. In an instant, a client’s desire for outdoor enjoyment gets co-opted by carpenters, roofers, and window installers. The landscaper is frozen out of the picture. He’s left to stand on the sidelines while walls go up, roofs go on, and clients sip their Sunday coffee watching nature through a window screen. The greatest 3-season room salesman who ever lived is the teensy-weensy mosquito.

Yet, any architect will admit that a 3-seasons room is a money pit. Statistics show they will only return 46% of the original cost at resale. It requires all the permitting and costs of adding an addition. The client cannot claim the additional square footage at resale. Most communities now require extensive storm water mitigation for any addition.

I understand that 3-seasons rooms are not just brick and mortar mosquito nets. They allow for a few extra months of outdoor enjoyment. They also allow for outdoor enjoyment when the weather is rainy and cold. Here is the kicker - 3 seasons rooms are not the outdoors! They are damp, moldy, poorly insulated rooms that smell like summer camp cabins. They are not majestic patios with sangria, grills, and gregarious laughter.

So, how does the landscape professional take the 6-legs out from under this winged, 3-seasons room salesforce? With mosquito abatement, of course.

Municipalities have been spraying for mosquitoes for decades. I distinctly remember my municipal spray truck driving down my street belching out plumes of a misty, greenish mist. I also distinctly remember throwing up the red popsicle I just finished eating about 30 seconds later. I am sure my village’s mosquito abatement efforts made some impact on the bloodsucking population. With that said, I lived next to a lake and two weeks into the summer my skin could be read like braille.

It is clear that one cannot rely on village abatement methods alone. In 2005, a company was formed to help outdoor lighting installers avoid bites while working. A product was developed called a barrier protection spray and eventually that product became commercialized and then franchised. Mosquito Squad was

The Bloodsuckers

The Landscape Contractor June 2016

5

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born. Since 2005, competitors have sprung up offering similar services. The gist is that a crew will spray a client’s landscape.

The barrier protection lasts for 21 days and is intended to stop mosquitoes dead. They also have an all-natural version that repels, rather than kills but must be applied every 14 days. The costs for abatement is surprisingly reasonable. For a 1/2 acre lot, a consumer can expect to pay about $300-400 per year for a summer-long program.

Most spray services use a variety of chemicals with lots of syllables and about as many environmental groups opposed to them. Most companies offer organophosphate or some combination of synthetic pyrethroids. The Centers for Disease Control and the US EPA both have said that these pose little risk to humans if used according to the product specifications. However, pyrethroids kill insects indiscriminately whether a butterfly or a skeeter. Most mosquito spray companies claim they avoid flower beds where pollinators gather and that the sprays dry quickly. Nonetheless, environmental concerns persist.

I’m not here to choose sides. I am here to illuminate to landscape companies just how impactful mosquito control can be to the longterm health of the industry. After the challenges of ongoing landscape maintenance, I would say most homeowners would identify mosquitoes as the next biggest complaint about interacting with their landscapes. This industry has figured out the maintenance piece, even embraced it. Landscape contractors have offered, for a fee, to maintain the landscapes they just installed. It’s half the industry and a service performed by over 90% of ILCA members. Yet when it comes to mosquito abatement, it’s viewed as the client’s problem.

I don’t see mosquitoes ever getting the positive PR that pollinators get. I cannot envision a summer where we willingly let mosquitoes land on our bodies like we are the buffet line at the Golden Corral. I don’t see us lying on expensive outdoor furniture saying, “drink, drink my creatures of the night!” A well-prepared landscape contractor will understand they are selling a vision that begins, not ends the day the last man leaves the jobsite.

Contractors should discuss mosquito abatement options with their clients. Landscape maintenance crews can even play a part by removing weeds where adult mosquitoes thrive, mowing the grass regularly, and finding and tipping areas of still and standing water where larvae can breed. That is a billable service that links the landscaper to the pest control applicator. A landscape company should also offer up mosquito abatement contacts as an extension of services. I know of a few landscape companies who have even taken mosquito abatement in-house.

Illinoisan wait 6 months for summer. We wait for that first April day where the temperature cracks 50 degrees and fool ourselves into thinking it’s here. We sit under blankets around fire pits in November trying to suck every last minute of enjoyment from our landscapes. Customers are begging for solutions to help them avoid cutting an evening short because a pithy debate about politics couldn’t be heard over all the neck slapping.

The value of mosquitoes lies somewhere between becoming the Illinois state bird and death incarnate. Where it lies on the spectrum is up to the entomologists. For everyone else, the backyard grill masters, the hostesses with the mostesses, the kids on the slip and slides, and the backyard guests who make our summers meaningful, we need your help. The glow of the firefly, the chirp of the cricket, the buzz of the honeybee just isn’t the same through a 1/2 inch screen in a dank and soulless 3-seasons room.

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6

Fax 608.884.4640

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Scott Grams May 18, 2016

The Landscape Contractor June 2016

President’s Message — Ahhh Spring…

President

Rusty Maulding Nature’s View (815) 592-7582 rusty@naturesview.info

Vice-President

Mike Schmechtig Schmechtig Landscape Company (847) 566-1233 mschmechtig@schmechtiglandscapes.com

Secretary-Treasurer

Lisa Fiore Kositzki Don Fiore Company, Inc. (847) 234-0020 lfiore@donfiore.com

Immediate Past President Kevin Vancina Vancina Landscaping, Inc. (815) 726-2300 kvancina@sbcglobal.net

Directors

Mark Breier National Seed Co. (630) 963-8787 mark.breier@natseed.com Lisa Fiore Fiore Nursery and Landscape Supply (847) 913-1414 lisa@cjfiore.com Jose Garcia Natural Creations Landscaping, Inc. (815) 724-0991 info@naturalcreationslandscaping.com Dean MacMorris Night Light, Inc. (630) 627-1111 dean@nightlightinc.net Kevin Manning K & D Enterprise Landscape Management, Inc. (815) 725-0758 kmanning@kdlandscapeinc.com Tom Lupfer Lupfer Landscaping (708) 352-2765 tom@lupferlandscaping.com Maureen Scheitz Acres Group (847) 526-4554 maureen.scheitz@acresgroup.com Donna Vignocchi Zych ILT Vignocchi, Inc. (847) 487-5200 dvignocchi@iltvignocchi.com

www.ilca.net

That magical time of year when young kids get home from school and bolt for the great outdoors. Spring is when families resume taking walks and gather on patios, decks and front porches. Spring, that time of year when on a picture perfect day, everyone wants to play hooky and play a round of golf, go to a park, or do anything to be outside relaxing, soaking up the warm 75 degree weather before bugs abound. Smiles all around. Except for maybe the landscape contractor.

Those in the landscape business are experiencing something much different. Take a day off? No way, there’s work to do. Soak up the sunshine, well maybe while you are hurrying between client appointments, setting up crews and scrambling to get back to the office to get that proposal turned around.

Then there’s the stress of a burgeoning new season.

You are burning through cash faster than Trump can change his position. Crews are still trying to get into a groove and productivity is off. Worse, it’s creating additional overtime because the work has to get done. The phone is ringing, your cell is chirping from texts, email has ramped up to a frenetic pace and people continue to reach out in a dizzying array of new social media ways that may be convenient to them, but you can’t remember anymore how many different ways you have to check messages, let alone get it done. Oh, and everyone wants it done today and if you don’t get back quickly enough, someone else will and that income is lost.

Stressed… maybe just a little. But then in a sanguine moment you remember why you do this. A client sends a genuine letter of thanks. You watch a leader emerge from your staff after you finally delegated more. You see a wife, dropping off a husband for work and realize you are supporting a family. You check in on a project and the only question is “How soon can we walk on it?” They are excited to play, relax or roll out the grill in that space and act like kids on Christmas morning. They just can’t wait!

We make a difference in people’s lives. We provide the backdrop for some of those most special moments in life. I had a friend and client text me out of the blue one day stating her daughter was getting senior pictures taken and the photographer wanted to know where, there might be magnolias in bloom. We recently had sub-freezing temperatures, and as to be expected, the magnolias had all turned a pretty unattractive brownish black, looking more like something out of a Tim Burton film than a gorgeous flowery pink. So after breaking that news, I suggested a location where there was a grove of ornamental pears bursting into their glory. She was very grateful and they now have that moment captured for a lifetime.

This was all made possible because a landscape designer or architect had the foresight to layout that space. A landscape contractor scurried around to get the work, installed it correctly and ensured it would be well cared for on a busy spring day a decade ago. And this landscape contractor had a sanguine moment while bouncing around between crews and clients to take in the beauty just long enough for it to leave an imprint.

While it’s extremely difficult to take a day off in the spring and live like “normal” people, we can take moments from time to time and allow the work we do to have an imprint on our lives as well. Be open to that and you will have the best of both worlds.

Be well.

Rusty Maulding April 18, 2016

The Landscape Contractor June 2016

7

Premier Landscape Contractors, Inc. • Colonial Revival Lemont

Inspired by

the client’s frequent trips to Martha’s Mimicking the pattern and detail previously established on Vineyard, this renovation project’s primary goal was to create a the stone base of the home, individually hand chiseled pieces of landscape to compliment this Colonial Revival style home.

Valders veneer were used to construct the garden walls. Reclaimed The front landscape was specifically designed to offer street pavers border a reconfigured bluestone patio and create a expansive views of a layered horizontal foundation planting that garden walk that separates the garden into four equal quadrants. nestled itself around the base of the home, allowing it to be the Each section of the walk connects to a prominent feature of the star of the show. Flowering borders that rotate with the seasons garden. The central paver transition space is backed by a concreate a strong foreground, while a clipped yew hedge forms the centric hedge of low growing boxwoods, delineating annual and barrier needed to separate the billowing panicle hydrangeas in perennial. The relocation of an arbor, in conjunction with a new the background. evergreen hedge, creates the desired partition between relaxed conThe axial design of the herringbone front walk, is punctuated versation and open lawn activities. A brick masonry water feature by a bluestone transitional space and formal cast limestone urn. with a reclaimed antique cast iron tub from 1916. This anchors the This creates an axis by which all other landscape elements are garden and terminates the perennial adorned paver walk opposite symmetrically mirrored. The owners wanted a rear entertainment the home’s fireplace, centered within the main seating area. space separated from the adjacent four car garage and recreationWhether spending an evening with friends or a quiet moment al lawn. A series of intimate gathering spaces were designed with alone, this quaint garden space offers our clients the perfect ambiarchitectural features to establish the character of the garden and ance to pause and reflect on life’s special treasures. a robust mix of perennials, grasses, hedges and annuals.

The Landscape Contractor 9 June 2016

Focus — Pest ID - Diagnosis, Care, Prevention

Getting After Grubs – Chemically or Naturally?

In the battle to vanquish grubs, landscape care professionals express viewpoints about effectiveness and environmental desirability of methods.

By Barbara Dutton

Sustainability

, efficiency, and customer preference guide philosophies and, in turn, business models to support grub control services. The Landscape Contractor presents perspectives relative to considering differing approaches to subduing grubs – specifically grub larvae, which can attract foraging animals that by digging for food can ruin patches of lawn – specifically grass roots.

Offering only “eco-friendly, chemical-free, 100% organic lawn care,” Dig Right In Landscaping, based in Westchester, Ill., advertises its exclusive Back-to-Nature Lawn Care Program, which takes an organic approach to grub control.

According to company owner Jeff Swano, “a cornerstone” of his organization’s approach Jeff Swano It’s all fun on top of the grass, but what lurks below? to lawn care is to “understand the science behind it all.”

When it comes to grubs and other lawn insects, he explains, this means “knowing what their reproduction and lifecycle is.” This knowledge, according to Swano, has led him to use “beneficial nematodes” – or microscopic organisms that eat larvae – to tackle a host of predatory insects, not just grubs.

“We put them down, they go in 10 The Landscape Contractor June 2016

hungry and they get right to work eating on harmful insect larvae,” he says. “It’s pretty cool and is payback to grubs.” Using traditional chemicals to fight grubs, he continues, “is antithetical to our way of doing business.”

Swano is concerned that chemical-based grub control, used for what he calls “an unethical in pursuit of grub-free lawns,” works by having plants take up grub poison, which is then ingested by insects feeding on turf grass and in turn passed along to other life via the food chain. What else might eat turf grass?” he asks, citing a potential chemical threat – known as bioaccumulation – to birds and mammals, including children. “Squirrels and raccoons will also eat grubs, so you’re poisoning the environment while poisoning the grubs.”

An adamant customer Advocating an organic response to grub concerns, Swano endorses “keeping nature in check instead of grabbing the chemical bottle.” “We’re seeing the marketplace demanding less chemical use,” he relates, “because customers are becoming more educated and want to reduce their exposure to toxic chemicals.”

After addressing a pest problem and employing techniques to bring an injured lawn up to good condition, Swano asserts that (continued on page 12)

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Focus — Pest ID - Diagnosis, Care, Prevention proposes an approach to turf recovery that involves raking, (continued from page 10) tamping down and watering. natural practices can be effectively utilized to maintain a lawn.

Neumann, who is a member of the ILCA Sustainability “Once you get it back in control, you can continue to control Committee, says that an inipests organically,” he says. tial step in analyzing a lawn “I’ve seen it with my own degradation problem for an eyes; it’s fantastic!” “adamant customer who Expressing similar trepiwants solutions,” is to deterdation about chemical grub mine what is causing it. “Is control, Steve Neumann, the true problem where the owner at Logic Lawn Care, grubs are eating the roots so Evanston, much that they are decimating Ill., says the lawn?” he asks, or is it “Insecticide animals tearing up a lawn to goes after all eat grubs? other living things, includA good stand of grass ing beneficial To control a grub populainsects. And,” tion, Logic Lawn Care uses he adds, “If Steve Neumann an organic bacterial product clover is presthat is certified by the notent then the bee population, for-profit Organic Materials too.” His company, which Review Institute, Eugene, specializes in natural lawn Ore., which determines what care solutions, offers organic, “input products” are preventative and curative (continued on page 14) grub control “when needed,” Damage left by skunks digging for the tasty morsels below.

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The Landscape Contractor June 2016

Focus — Pest ID - Diagnosis, Care, Prevention (continued from page 12) permitted for use in organic production and processing. This organic approach, explains Neumann, is not marketed to all of the company’s clients. “It’s a little more expensive, and we would rather see money spent on aeration, seeding and fertilization, nutrients for grass, and amendments for soil that are necessary to have a really thick lawn,” which he indicates is a bulwark against pests.

“The best defense against grubs – and skunks – is to have a good stand of grass in the first place,” he says, contending that insecticide “kills some of that life which in soil is super important. We’d rather err on the side of caution, and focus on growing a good healthy grass.”

While cognizant of organic options, Dennis Clarke, tech manager with the Property Improvement Division of landscape architecture design, build

and maintenance company Scott Byron & Co., Lake Bluff, Ill., reports that the lawn care business for which he works primarily uses chemicals to battle grubs, finding this perhaps more conventional remedy to grub infiltration to be a reliable one.

The chemi- Dennis Clarke cal regimen his company uses, “gives you a longer window if the season is a little off,” he says, judging the “systemic” solution good at addressing “timing” factors associated with unpredictable weather patterns or season shifts.

“When roots are ready,” says Clarke, who is a member of the ILCA Sustainability Committee, “grubs will feed on them and die.” (continued on page 16) (continued from page 14)

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The Landscape Contractor June 2016

Focus — Pest ID - Diagnosis, Care, Prevention As far as organic alternatives, Clarke reports using Milky Spore – which he describes as a non-toxic biological control method – only when requested by a customer, as he believes “it is very hit or miss on effectiveness.” Additionally, he notes, “it is a bacteria that kills grubs but only works on Japanese Beetle grubs, not other species.”

Clarke also finds nematode application to be lacking. “Nematodes are used to attack grubs but they are not winter hardy in our zone and must be applied annually.” The chemical material on which his company relies, however, offers what he sees as dual benefits: The neonicotinoid product, he relates, “is effective for about one year, so it would persist into the summer. Also,” he argues, “it is effective against all grub species.”

A known factor As president of Lupfer Landscaping, Lyons, Ill., Tom Lupfer leads a family business that provides grub treatment to aid in protecting grass roots and creating attractive lawns. A recipient of an ILCA Gold Tom Lupfer Award for sustainable landscape maintenance, and whose business offers green meth-

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The Landscape Contractor June 2016

ods that are characterized as sustainable for the environment, Lupfer, too, sees a place for chemical-based applications.

“A chemical means for grub control is established,” says Lupfer, an ILCA Board member, who, for now anyway, relies on the known quantity that chemical applications afford. “It’s a known factor,” he says. “My techs are trained in how to apply granular product, and we have the equipment to do it, so it’s an easy fallback,” he explains, conveying that he is “patiently watching” industry directions. “I have to be convinced before I make a change,” he declares.

Though in addition to lawn care, Lupfer offers ancillary services that encourage sustainability – notably beekeeping, menu garden and chicken coop development – he maintains that his goal is, “not to be the most environmentally” motivated company the business can be. “I’m as sustainable as my clients will allow me to be,” he says, pointing to customer satisfaction as a driving factor in decision making with regard to services and methods offered.

“Right now I have one house a year that gets grub damage,” Lupfer reports. “If that increases, my clients won’t be very happy.” Customers, he explains, seek out his turf management services to attain lawns that are weed free, greener and that, basically, “look better than their neighbors’.” Hence, as far as his business model goes, he explains, “It’s as sustainable as I can make it while still competing on the open market.”

A third way While continuing to serve clients in a manner that has met success, Lupfer indicates that he is “open to the possibility of changing,” and will look to the market – such as client demands, and remain mindful of responding to industry directions – including increased regulations. “I just need proof,” he opines, conveying an approach to customer service that takes into con-

sidering pleasing clients – and educating them as approaches evolve. “I have to push my clients slowly and gently on the road,” he remarks.

Clarke’s company also works to respond to client concerns when it comes to attending to lawns. “The main driver is when you’ve got grubs, and you have animals, that’s when you get the phone calls,” he relates, describing client concerns. “Predators really are devastating,” he says of skunks and other critters that prey on grubs. “Our main goal is to keep them from getting big enough,” he says, adding that lawn care includes efforts to keep grubs from eating at roots closer to the surface where the insects can more easily be detected by critters that smell them.

While Lupfer admits that he himself doesn’t care for a particular chemical treatment commonly used to fight grubs, his clients continue to demand the product. He sees, however, an approach that takes into consideration both chemical and natural methods, and is looking to incorporate a new model into his operation.

“I think there’s a third way, says Lupfer, who is evaluating an option to provide clients with what he terms “grub insurance.”

The model, he explains, involves charging customers a fee in lieu of a charge for a seasonal chemical grub application. The fee would be for withholding grub treatment, and instead would cover repairing damage incurred as a result of skipping the application – that is, when an integrated pest management inspection finds that, “Oops, there’s grub damage.”

Such damage repair, indicates Lupfer, can actually be an enormously effective response. “Where I’ve repaired lawns is some of the most beautiful grass I’ve seen,” he says of the results of dethatching, raking, seeding and mulching to yield new grass.

Looking at lawn care from multiple angles with regard to curtailing grubs and preventing lawn damage, Lupfer says, “I’m exploring all options.”

The Landscape Contractor June 2016

17

Focus — Pest ID - Diagnosis, Care, Prevention

Frightening Behavior from Emerald Ash Borers Concern has been expressed that the invasive emerald ash borer, which made news with its destructive attack on that tree population, has also been feasting on another species of tree.

by Barbara Dutton

Pesky borer offspring associ-

ated with destruction to the emerald ash community also appear to be chewing on the white fringetree, says a member of academia who has been looking for clues about the dining proclivity of the predatory insect. He along with another scholar in the field now wonder whether the beetle could very well have had an undetected presence in the latter tree for as long as the insect has been observed noshing on the ash.

Don Cipollini, Jr., Ph.D. of Wright State University, who is director of environmental sciences, and professor of biological sciences at the Dayton, Ohio institution, delivered a presentation at the 2016 iLandscape conference, titled, “When Tree Pests Don’t Follow the Rules: Lessons from Emerald Ash Borer and Beyond,” offers up evidence that the beetle has been attacking this more recently identified victim.

“It appears that emerald ash borer is eating more than ash trees,” declared Cipollini in a news announcement from the university where he directs an environmental sciences doctoral program.

“This biological invasion is really something to worry about,” he went on to warn. “It’s having drastic ecological and economic consequences, and you can’t always predict what’s going to happen.”

As professionals charged with watching for danger to trees and treating trees harmed by these hazardous insects, landscape contractors should be aware of the potential threat posed by the beetle –

18

technically known as Agrilus planipennis – to the intermediate, ornamental white fringetree, or Chionanthus virginicus, a member of the same family as the ash tree.

For some perspectives on how these insects are affecting tree populations and challenging the landscape industry, The Landscape Contractor spoke with Dr. Cipollini, and with Entomologist

Phil Nixon, an extension specialist with the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign (UIUC).

Pieces of evidence Cipollini relates that his discovery of evidence that white fringetree has been bothered by the borer “wasn’t an accident,” explaining that after becoming suspicious that the pest wasn’t restricting its eating habits to ash trees, he began a focused examination of a relative of the ash that he observed to be plentifully The Landscape Contractor June 2016

present in their proximity. “I happened to know where a number of trees were planted and built up this inventory in my head,” says Cipollini about the direction he took to investigate borer activity within the white fringetree population.

“There was a variety of pieces of evidence,” he recalls of the early period of his journey of discovery. “The first day I decided to go look for emerald ash borer in a close relative – as a starting point – of the ash tree, it only took me about 30 minutes to find evidence.”

After spotting exit holes and other indications of attack on a white fringetree Cipollini continued to “search for signs of attack,” by debarking the tree finding live larvae, and eventually, a dead adult borer.

After exploring several local sites – including residential ones he’d noticed in his comings and goings, Cipollini expanded his search to look for other outdoor spaces to study – moving to arboreta, cemeteries and public parks.

In doing so, he made an observation: “It was looking like anywhere there are some white fringetrees in the vicinity of ash trees of sufficient population, you will find some evidence of occupation of some, if not all white fringetrees.”

As he continued to observe sites in Ohio in late 2014 and early 2015, he found “characteristic exit holes, and feeding galleries” – S-shaped patterns in the flesh of a tree – further bolstering the conclusion that he was forming about (continued on page 20)

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Focus — Pest ID - Diagnosis, Care, Prevention (continued from page 18) this other emerald ash borer conquest.

“That’s the bulk of the symptoms you look for,” says Cipollini, who also collected stems from the white fringetree to study in the lab to determine whether the pest had completed in the species of tree the cycle moving from egg to larvae to adult. “It is necessary to show we’ve found all life stages,” he explains about the research methodology.

Making a living In analyzing the evidence that the borer is now nibbling on the white fringetree, Cipollini articulates a supposition that this phenomenon is what he calls a “host range expansion. The emerald ash borer comes here, decimating ash,” he recounts. “It turns out that the white fringetree smells enough like an ash tree,” he continues, explaining that, in this way the beetle determines that another menu item indeed suits its taste.

“I would not call this a new adapta-

20

tion, or a host shift,” continues Cipollini, suggesting that the insect hasn’t “jumped” from the ash to instead eating on a different tree, but rather has expanded its appetite, having found something with similar characteristics. “They can smell, sense and make a living off of the white fringetree, he says, indicating that the borer is still eating ash trees, having not run out of them in a given location. “It looks like they simply can sense and basically find white fringetrees, lay eggs and complete the development, and could do so all along without us noticing.”

Nixon, who is with UIUC’s Department of Crop Sciences and has followed antagonistic adventures of the beetle in the Midwest since the pest’s presence was documented in Michigan back in the late ‘90s, considers that the possibility exists that the borer has expanded its pursuits to a tree other than the emerald ash, and agrees that such activity is consistent with expansion. “The white fringetree might not be a primary host,

The Landscape Contractor June 2016

but might appear where there’s a concentration of ash,” he says, “so it might be spilling over.”

On the watch Whether the borers are present in a critical mass on the white fringetree, or how long they might have been there, however, are questions for which answers in assessing the situation in Illinois are “a little more difficult to tease out,” poses Nixon, who served on an emerald ash borer readiness team sponsored by the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Ill. One reason he identifies is that, while the white fringetree is native to the state, it’s not as prevalent in landscaping applications as may be elsewhere. “It would be hard to notice because there are not many around,” he says. “I don’t see it much.” Nixon surmises that the white fringetree might not be new territory for the emerald ash borer. “Just like American ash,” he says, “it’s very possible it’s been in white fringetree from

very early times.”

Cipollini indicates that he will be watching developments out of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to see how research data on borer activity will guide regulation relative to industry practices.

He is convinced, however, that the industry and the general population need to be aware of the threat he’s identified. “I hope that, at this point, people recognize it’s real,” he says. “With that recognition people can be on the watch for trees with symptoms.”

Cipollini explains that characteristics of the white fringetree enable it to more easily heal and recover from borer attacks. “It’s more shrub-like,” he says, “with multiple stems and can withstand pruning.” Watching the tree and applying selective pruning he lists as one treatment against borers; alternatively a tree can be treated with pesticides in the same manner as an ash tree. “A concern,” he points out, however, is that the white fringetree has “showy flowers visited by pollinators,

and fruit that birds and mammals eat. So to avoid non-targets,” he notes, “a treatment protocol might be bark-specific spray, and not a systemic treatment if you care about pollinators.”

What clients want Confident that landscape professionals in Illinois are prepared for the prospect of borer infestation within the white fringetree population, Nixon offers words of caution, but also prudence in determining an approach to battle beetles. “The ash tree,” he observes, “is popular with new home developers, so for many residential suburban areas, so you have to be ready.

You’d be hiding your head under your blanket otherwise.

“Treating trees or replacing trees are both good options,” Nixon notes. “It depends on what clients want.” He does, however, caution against overreacting to a potential threat. “It doesn’t do a lot of good to try and protect trees that are not a known host,” he says, expressing the

importance of avoiding an “over application of pesticide.”

Though Nixon is hesitant to sound the alarm at this point, he acknowledges that, “In an area where emerald ash borers are located, and where there are white fringetrees in landscaping, it would be prudent to treat them along with the ash trees to save them.”

As for Cipollini, he will continue to look for activity associated with the insect’s suspected forays into the white fringetree population of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, as well as work to gauge the potential for adaptive behavior by the pest.

“We are looking at several other relatives of the ash tree for susceptibility,” he reports. Motivated to further monitor the activity of the emerald ash borer, and to better understand its modus operandi, Cipollini declares, “Our work continues.”

The Landscape Contractor June 2016

21

Special Feature —

Jim Fizzell’s Hort Ad The questions of the day — Spring 2016

What’s Going On With This Weather?

by James A. Fizzell

The winter and spring of 2015-2016 have been strange to say the least.

The ever-present El Niño (ENSO), and the unpredictablity of the Arctic Oscillation (AO) have wrecked havoc on long-range prognostications. After a brief sojourn into negative territory allowing arctic cold to drift south, the AO briefly moved to positive but has returned to negative where it may be stuck for the foreseeable future. A negative AO usually portends cooler weather in this part of the U. S. Total moisture has been right on the money.

Total snowfall for season at our facilities was 34.3 inches. Much of that fell in the early-season, November storm that left about a foot of heavy, wet snow.

Much of the winter precipitation fell as rain due to the elevated temperatures.

Rainfall for the winter months was 5.9 inches, for the period from November through March it was 14.36 inches in our rain gauges.

After a warmer-than-average March, April came in like lion, windy and cool.

Temperatures were running as much as 20 degrees below normal and more. Snow was still falling with flurries on four of the first eight days of the month, accumulating more than an inch on April 9.

22

From this point on, our Weather guru, Greg Soulje*, expects a moderating trend. The El Niño continues to weaken, but slowly. Some weather prognosticators are saying the northern jet stream will quickly migrate north of the Canadian border, and the southern jet to dominate. Maybe, but not so quickly, says Soulje, The remainder of spring, he says, will be about normal temperature-wise, a little cooler in early May with lake effect breezes keeping the shoreline communities cold. Lake temperatures are still in the 40’s. It may be wet, with precipitation mostly in the form of pop-up showers and storms. As the spring progresses there will be larger windows of warmth.

The summer looks to be unspectacular with temperatures about normal, and drier as the season progresses. Soulje thinks the northern jet stream will be setting up for a Northwest to Southeast summer flow which will reduce the possibility of any extremes. There should be no lingering heat waves and the weather should be mostly favorable for outdoor activities. Moisture should be adequate with timely rains and no drought expected.

Soulje expects a La Nina to develop in late summer, September and October, with late summer and fall tending warmer and maybe drier, good for maturing crops, The Landscape Contractor June 2016

and good for fall work, but no drought.

There may be an early frost he warns.

All in all, Soulje thinks this season will be kind of a “blah” one, no extremes either temperature-wise, or moisture-wise.

Conversely, the US Weather Service sees the spring and summer as hot and dry. They are predicting a rapid change from the El Niño conditions to a La Nina. The Old Farmer’s Almanac says summer will be hotter and slightly drier than normal, with the hottest periods in mid- and late-June and mid- and lateAugust. September and October will be drier and much warmer than normal according to the Almanac.

We shall see!

visory The mild weather has affected our plantings. Many things seem to be ahead of schedule, but if the present cooler weather develops, this earliness may disappear. How do we know when to do what?

Almost all the timing for controlling pests is way off. But by how much?

Most of us have become familiar with recommendations to apply crabgrass preventer when the forsythia is in bloom. This is one example of phenology, the use of plant development to determine the corresponding development of the target pests.

Phenology has been applied in some respects for ages. My long-gone friend, vegetable grower Nick Skoufis, brought some of these practices from the old country. Never set out tomatoes until the catalpa leaves are the size of your hand, he said. Or, plant corn when oak leaves are mouse-ear-size.

Phenology took a big step into our industry with the publication of Don Orton’s Coincide**. Don was a nursery

inspector here in Illinois, and kept meticulous records which were the basis for his treatise. It is the consummate guide for coordinating host plant development with insect and disease development.

Now, for instance, instead of following instructions for spruce spider mites that say, “Apply April 15, and repeat three times at weekly intervals”, we can apply once when the Magnolia stellata is in early bloom.

Phenology derives its accuracy by the effect of ambient temperatures on the development of the plants and pests. As the season begins to warm up, degree days begin to accumulate. Degree days are determined by averaging the high and the low temperature for the day. Usually for our purposes, a base of 50 degrees is used assuming that plants and pests start developing when the average daily temperature exceeds about 50 degrees.

Instead of doing the math every day, we can rely on the plants to do it for us.

This spring, degree days accumulated very early, thus the advanced season. To be sure your pesticide application timing is accurate, make it when the indicator plant is in the correct stage.

For an example of how this system works, the next primary indicator plant is Vanhoutte spirea. At full bloom, treat for elm leaf beetle, pine sawfly, and pine needle scale, and for apple scab. At

full to late bloom, treat for lilac borers and oystershell scale; finished blooming, bronze birch borer; most blossoms brown, peach tree borers, viburnum borers.

If you are mathematically inclined, you can keep track of the degree days.

The University of Illinois does this as well, and reports the accumulated degree days every week in the Home, Yard, and Garden Newsletter. These are based on 50 degrees F. You can subscribe to it on line at: http://hyg.ipm.illinois.edu. (continued on page 24)

The Landscape Contractor June 2016

23

Special Feature —

Hort Advisory (continued from page 23)

The mild winter follows two winters of record cold and snow. A couple of years ago the summer was a scorcher, reminiscent of the 1930’s and more recently the 1950’s.

Thirty years ago we suffered from a terribly hot and dry summer from which many plantings never recovered.

These phenomena are common in this part of the U. S. We live in a tough part of the country. Any suspected climate-changes pale in comparison to the differences from one part of the country to another. Weather does change, but climate stays pretty much the same. We know it will be cold in Minnesota in winter, warm in Alabama. It will be dry in Colorado and wet in Appalachia.

When the landscape contracting indus-

try was in its infancy here, nearly all the plants were locally grown. Plants that survived in the nursery could be relied upon to survive on the job site. Today, plants can be shipped from anywhere in the country to a job in a matter of a few days. This is wonderful for our industry, especially where there is a huge job and local production can’t supply the needs for plants.

However, there are some dangers.

It is important that the plants brought in from other production areas are completely hardy here. We usually recommend that plant material be grown within 100 to 150 miles north or south of the job site, but equally important is where the plant propagation material originated. Thus, it is also important to select trees grown from seed collected in this climate.

While all redbuds for instance look the same, they are native plants . . . in Illinois, in Minnesota, in Arkansas, and as far south as Central Florida. (Zone three to zone 9) Obviously, the plants that sur-

vive Georgia or Florida winters are different from those that can stand the cold of Minnesota (or here in Chicagoland).

White pines from northern Wisconsin are not the same as those growing in our White Pines State Park at Oregon, Illinois. Many other species that grow in Illinois have equally large native ranges. These species have developed many subtypes or geotypes, based on their geographic location and on the climate in which they evolved.

In the forestry industry, pine trees that are to be grown at an elevation of 5000 feet, as an example, are always started from seed collected at that elevation. No matter where the seedling nursery is located, the seed source is always the same as the site where the plants eventually will be planted.

In horticulture, we have not been selective at all. Horticultural selections might be made in Eastern Pennsylvania, named, and widely planted in Northern Illinois, expecting them to thrive. Parts of Eastern Pennsylvania have the same climate

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The Landscape Contractor June 2016

as Chattanooga, and acidic soils as well.

Seed might be collected wherever it can be found, then the liners grown in Oregon for instance, and shipped to a completely different climate for growing-on. Seed for rootstock on which named cultivars are grafted could come from anywhere.

So it is increasingly important to select plants from populations adapted to the environment where they eventually will be planted. This means seeds, cuttings, etc. to produce plants for North Central states with our vigorous climate and alkaline soil, should be selected from plants growing here.

A huge help in this regard is the Chicagoland Grows program. It is a joint effort between the Chicago Botanic Garden, the Morton Arboretum, and the nursery industry. Plants that have made it through their evaluation process can be trusted to do what they are expected to do.

We know that some of these selections will find their way into the trade

nationally because some of the biggest propagators want things that have a national market. Nevertheless, for our uses, these cultivars give us a chance to obtain plant material that will not suffer from alkaline soils, will not die to the ground in winter, and will not expire from our cold winters or hot, dry summers. *Greg Soulje Professional Meteorologist, Hinsdale, IL ** Coincide, The Orton System of Pest and Disease Management, Donald Orton, 1989, 2007. Labor of Love Conservatory, Wheaton IL., 302 p.No one knows for sure how the weather will turn out. We shall see. If it isn’t as bad as expected, preparation is still the best insurance.

The Landscape Contractor June 2016

25

Garden Speak — Practical Plant Evaluations

Clematis

Crazy for Clematis

By Patrice Peltier

The hardest part

of using clematis in the landscape may be in choosing which one to grow. Just ask Richard Hawke, plant evaluation manager and associate scientist at Chicago Botanic Garden. He grows more than a dozen in his home garden.

“Few flowers offer such a kaleidoscope of colors and a myriad of exquisite shapes,” Hawke says. “They are indispensable in any size garden.”

Since 1990, the Chicago Botanic Garden has evaluated 224 different clematis. As a group, clematis proved generally floriferous, vigorous and healthy with more than half the taxa receiving good to excellent ratings.

Here’s what Hawke has to say about some of the trial’s top performers.

‘Madame Julia Correvon’ will wow you with its nodding, backward-twisting, claret-red tepals surrounding golden stamens. Beginning in late spring, the plant is covered in sweetly scented blossoms for more than a month, blooming sporadically thereafter until frost. An early-blooming C. viticella type, it makes a nice companion for Rosa ‘New Dawn.’

This is one of the clematis Hawke couldn’t’ say “no” to for his own garden.

Blue Angel™ ‘Blekitny Aniol’

is positively heavenly in full bloom, according to Hawke. He loves the pale center and ruffled edges of the rosy blue blossoms that measure 4.5” in diameter.

“This is one of the most prolific bloomers I’ve ever seen,” he says. “Hundreds of flowers blanket the stems each summer.” An eastern exposure is best for this—and other—clematis with lightcolored flowers that fade in strong sun light. Use this clematis where you need a vigorous grower. Hawke describes it as having a Jack-and-the-Beanstalk growth rate.

26

The Landscape Contractor June 2016

Picardy™ ‘Evipo024’ is a good choice for a container or a small space. Although it grows to only 5 feet, Hawke says its packs a big punch. Its 6-inch diameter vivid, violet red flowers cover the plant starting in late spring, reblooming into late summer.

Rüütel™ ‘Kiviruut’ has seven-inch

Pink Champagne™ ‘Kakio’ is a clematis to keep in mind for narrow spaces. “I grow this in a cramped space less than a foot wide next to my garden gate,” Hawke says. “The stems shoot straight up, making a beautiful pink exclamation point.” The plant’s 5-inch diameter flowers have bright pink tepals with pale centers and bright yellow stamens.

flowers featuring deeply grooved tepals with ruffled edges and similarly colored stamens. Hawke likes the monochromatic look. “When I first saw the crimson flowers of Rüütel in 2009 I was like a wide-eyed kid experiencing a Christmas miracle! It’s truly a luscious color,” Hawke exclaims. This clematis blooms from early June to mid-July.

Rüütel grows only six feet tall, making it perfect for small patios where its striking blossoms can be viewed up close. Rüütel is an easy-care Group three clematis.

The Landscape Contractor June 2016

27

Garden Speak — Practical Plant Evaluations “Clematis are good choices for northern landscapes,” Hawke writes in his Plant Evaluation Notes.

“There is a clematis for just about any situation.

Choose wisely and be rewarded with extravagant blossoms for many years.”

Note: For additional information on this—and other—plant evaluations at Chicago Botanic Garden, go to http://www.chicagobotanic.org/research/ornamental_plant_research/plant_evaluation.

‘Viola’ makes a statement with its 5-inch diameter, dark pur-

ple flowers from late spring to midsummer. A vigorous grower, ‘Viola’ reaches 10 feet tall with little assistance—unlike some other large-flowered clematis. Picture it offset by a silvery blue conifer or growing intertwined with a white or rosy-colored clematis for major garden impact, Hawke suggests.

‘Wada’s Primrose’ offers something you don’t often find in a clematis: yellow flowers. Six-inch diameter, creamy yellow flowers with yellow stamens cover the plant from late spring to early summer. “This plant is the very definition of flower power,” Hawke says. He also likes the “verticality” of this plant’s habit as it grows to eight feet tall.

28

The Landscape Contractor June 2016

Top-rated Clematis Clematis

Flower Color

Flower Coverage Excellent

Flower diameter 6”

‘Bees’ Jubilee’

Mauve-pink with darker bar Pale rosy blue

Excellent

4.5”

Mauve pink

Excellent

4.5”

Dark purple

Excellent

4”

‘Madame Julia Correvon’ ‘Margot Koster’ Picardy™ (‘Evipo024’)

Claret red

Excellent

4”

Rosy pink Violet-red

Excellent Excellent

4.5” 6”

‘Piilu’

Purple and pink Pink

Excellent

5”

Excellent

5”

Rüütel™ (‘Kiviruut’)

Purple-red

Excellent

7”

‘Södertälje’

Deep magenta

Excellent

3.5”

Starburst™ (‘Roblom’)

Magenta

Excellent

7”

‘Ville de Lyon’

Cherry red

Excellent

5”

‘Viola’

Dark purple

Excellent

5”

‘Vyvyan Pennell’

Excellent

7”

‘Wada’s Primrose’

Rosy lavender, double Creamy yellow

Excellent

6’

‘Warszawska Nike’

Red-purple

Excellent

6”

Blue Angel™ (‘Blekitny Aniol’) ‘Comtesse de Bouchaud’ ‘Etoile Violette’

Pink Champagne™(‘Kakio’)

Bloom Time₁

Height

Midspring to late spring (r) Late spring to midsummer Late spring to late summer (r) Midspring to late summer (r) Late spring to midsummer (r) Early summer Late spring to midsummer (r) Early summer to midsummer Midspring to early summer (r)

6’

Pruning Group₂ 2

12’

3

8’

3

10’

3

9’

3

10’ 5’

3 2

6’

2

7’

2

Midspring to early summer Late spring to midsummer (r) Midspring to early summer Late spring to midsummer (r) Late spring to midsummer Midspring to midsummer (r) Late spring to early summer Late spring to midsummer

6’

2

12’

3

8’

2

8’

3

10’

3

7’

2

8’

2

8’

3

1 Sporadic flowering after initial bloom period 2 Group two vines form flower buds in previous growing season, flowering in spring and early to midsummer.

They should be pruned minimally to remove dead stems in late winter. Group three vines form flower buds on new stems and can be cut back to healthy buds near the base of the plant in late winter to early spring.

The Landscape Contractor June 2016

29

Garden Speak — Practical Plant Evaluations

Clematis tips •

Unlike many plants, clematis actually benefits from having its crown buried. Planting the crown about 4 inches below the soil surface helps stems regenerate from dormant buds below the soil if the top of the plant is damaged.

•

Many clematis grow so quickly in spring that they need to be trained early in the season to form a pleasing shape rather than mounding on themselves.

•

Clematis climb by twining their leaf petioles around supports, so they grow best on small-diameter supports they can easily wrap around.

•

Don’t limit clematis to climbing on fences, arbors and pergolas. They also look lovely rambling over and through trees and shrubs and/or twining with other vines.

•

You can extend the show by growing clematis with different bloom times on the same structure.

Clematis ‘Piilu’

Clematis ‘Starburst’

‘Piilu’ offers bicolored flowers with

pale purplish pink margins and deep pink central bars. “This is one of the most floriferous clematis I’ve ever grown,” Hawke says. The plant’s threeto four-inch wide, open-faced flowers bloom from mid-June to early August over the entire plant. “The early flowers are supposedly semi-double, but I’ve only seen single flowers on our plants,” Hawke reports. ‘Piilu’ is a strong climber to six feet tall with a narrow but full habit. For pruning purposes, ‘Piilu’ is listed as either Group one or two, which means that it would flower earlier if there is no winter injury to the stems.

30

The Landscape Contractor June 2016

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Control y eliminación de larvas ¿Medios químicos o naturales?

En la batalla para eliminar larvas de escarabajos, profesionales del cuidado d expresan puntos de vista sobre la eficacia y conveniencia ambiental de los m

Por Barbara Dutton La sostenibilidad, la eficiencia y las preferencias de los clientes guían las filosofías y, a su vez, los modelos comerciales que respaldan los servicios de control de larvas. The Landscape Contractor presenta perspectivas relacionadas con las diferentes estrategias que se pueden considerar para contener a las larvas – específicamente las larvas de los escarabajos (gusanos blancos), que pueden atraer a los animales que buscan comida y al excavar pueden arruinar pedazos de terreno – específicamente las raíces de las hierbas.

Ofreciendo únicamente “cuidado de céspedes ecológico, libre de productos químicos, 100% orgánico”, Dig Right In Landscaping, con oficinas centrales en Westchester, Ill., anuncia su Programa de Cuidado de Céspedes “Vuelta a la Naturaleza”, con un enfoque orgánico del control de larvas. Según el dueño de la compañía, Jeff Swano, “una de las piedras angulares” del enfoque de su organización sobre el cuidado de céspedes es “comprender los aspectos

científicos del mismo”.

En lo que respecta a los gusanos blancos y otros insectos del césped, explica, esto significa “conocer su ciclo de vida y reproducción”.

Según Swano, este conocimiento lo ha llevado a usar “nematodos beneficiosos” – u organismos microscópicos que comen larvas – para hacer frente a una gran cantidad de insectos depredadores, no solamente larvas. “Los ponemos en el terreno hambrientos y de inmediato comienzan a comerse las larvas de insectos perjudiciales”, afirma. “Es un método eficiente y eficaz contras los larvas”. Usar productos químicos tradicionales para combatir larvas, afirma, “es contrario a nuestra forma de actuar”.

A Swano le preocupa que el control de larvas a base de productos químicos, utilizado para lo que él llama “un método antiético de liberar los céspedes de larvas”, funciona haciendo que las plantas absorban veneno para larvas, el cual es ingerido por los insectos que se alimentan de césped y pasa a otras formas de vida a través de la cadena alimenticia. ¿Qué otras especies comen hierba para césped?” se pregunta, citando un peligro químico potencial – conocido como bioacumulación – para aves y mamíferos, incluyendo niños. “Las ardillas y los mapaches también se alimentan de gusanos del césped, por lo que al envenenar las larvas se

–

de céspedes métodos.

prácticas naturales se pueden utilizar eficazmente para dar mantenimiento a un césped. “Una vez que se recupera el control, se puede continuar controlando las plagas de forma orgánica”, afirma.

“Lo he visto con mis propios ojos, ¡es fantástico!”

Expresando

envenena el medioambiente”.

Un cliente insistente Abogando por una respuesta orgánica a los problemas relacionados con las larvas, Swano propone “mantener la naturaleza bajo control en lugar de recurrir al frasco químico”.

“Actualmente, el mercado demanda menos productos químicos”, asegura, “porque los clientes se están educando más y desean reducir su exposición a los productos químicos tóxicos”.

Después de resolver un problema de plaga y emplear técnicas para reparar un césped afectado, Swano afirma que las

inquietudes similares sobre el control químico de larvas, Steve Neumann, uno de los propietarios de Logic Lawn Care, Evanston, Ill., afirma que “Los insecticidas afectan a todos los demás seres vivos, incluyendo los insectos beneficiosos. Y”,

agrega, “si hay trébol, también habrá población de abejas”. Su compañía, que se especializa en soluciones naturales para el cuidado del césped, ofrece control orgánico, preventivo y curativo de larvas, “según se necesite” y propone un enfoque a la recuperación de la grama que involucra rastrillar, apisonar y regar.

Neumann, miembro del Comité de Sostenibilidad de ILCA, afirma que un paso inicial para analizar un problema de degradación de los céspedes para un “cliente insistente que exige soluciones” es determinar qué la causa. “¿Es el verdadero problema que las larvas se

Enfoque: Sección en Español — comen las raíces hasta el punto de diezmar el césped?”, se pregunta, ¿o es que los animales desgarran el césped para comerse a las larvas?

Una buena defensa de grama Para controlar una población de larvas, Logic Lawn Care utiliza un producto bacteriano orgánico certificado por el Instituto de Revisión de Materiales Orgánicos, Eugene, Ore., una organización sin fines de lucro que determina qué “insumos” se permiten para uso en productos y procesos orgánicos.

Este enfoque orgánico, explica Neumann, no es comercializado a todos los clientes de la compañía.

“Es un poco más caro y preferimos ver el dinero gastado en aireación, siembra y fertilización, nutrientes para la hierba y las modificaciones del suelo necesarias para tener un césped realmente grueso”, lo cual considera un bastión contra las plagas.

“La mejor defensa contra los larvas – y zorrillos – es tener una buena defensa de grama”, asegura, alegando que el insecticida “mata parte de esa vida que en el suelo es tan importante. Preferimos errar por precaución y enfocarnos en cultivar una grama saludable”.

Si bien está consciente de las opciones orgánicas, Dennis Clarke, gerente de tecnología de la División de 36

Mejoras a la Propiedad de la compañía de diseño, construcción y mantenimiento de arquitectura paisajista, Scott Byron & Co., Lake Bluff, Ill., informa que el negocio de cuidado de céspedes para el que trabaja utiliza principalmente productos químicos para combatir la infiltración de larvas, considerando que este remedio es confiable, aunque más

convencional.

El régimen químico que su compañía emplea, “permite una ventana más amplia si la estación resulta un poco irregular”, afirma, considerando la solución “sistémica” buena para resolver factores de “temporización” asociados con patrones climáticos imprevisibles o cambios en las estaciones. “Cuando las semillas están listas”, afirman Clarke, The Landscape Contractor June 2016

miembro del Comité de Sostenibilidad de ILCA, “las larvas se alimentarán de ellas y morirán”.

Con respecto a las alternativas orgánicas, Clarke informa que utiliza esporas lechosas, un método que describe como de control biológico no tóxico – únicamente cuando lo solicita un cliente, por considerar que tiene una “eficacia fortuita”.

Adicionalmente, afirma que “es una bacteria que mata las larvas pero únicamente funciona en los escarabajos japoneses, no en otras especies”.

Clarke también considera que la aplicación de nematodos es un método deficiente.

“Los nematodos se utilizan para atacar a las larvas pero no son resistentes al invierno en nuestra zona y se deben aplicar anualmente”. No obstante, el material químico que utiliza la compañía, ofrece lo que él considera beneficios dobles: El producto neonicotinoideo, afirma, “es eficaz durante un año aproximadamente, por lo que persiste hasta el verano. También”, alega, “es eficaz contra todas las especies de larvas de insectos”.

Un factor conocido Como presidente de Lupfer Landscaping, Lyons, Ill., Tom Lupfer dirige un negocio familiar que ofrece tratamiento contra larvas como ayuda para proteger las raíces de las hierbas

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Enfoque: Sección en Español — y crear céspedes atractivos. Ganador del Premio Oro de ILCA por mantenimiento para paisajismo sostenible y cuyo negocio ofrece métodos verdes caracterizados como sostenibles para el medioambiente, Lupfer también ve un espacio para las aplicaciones a base de productos químicos.

“Se ha establecido un medio químico para el control de las larvas”, afirma Lupfer, miembro de la Junta de ILCA, quien, al menos por ahora, confía en la cantidad conocida que las aplicaciones químicas permiten. “Es un factor conocido”, afirma. “Mis técnicos reciben capacitación sobre cómo aplicar productos granulados y contamos con los equipos para hacerlo, por lo que es un recurso de respaldo de fácil aplicación”, explica, agregando que “pacientemente observa” las tendencias de la industria.

“Tengo que estar convencido antes de hacer algún cambio”, declara.

Si bien además del cuidado de céspedes, Lupfer ofrece servicios auxiliares que promueven la sostenibilidad – especialmente, apicultura, jardines menú y desarrollo de gallineros – sostiene que su meta no es que su compañía sea “todo lo ambientalmente” motivada que le sea posible. “Soy todo lo sostenible que mis clientes me permiten ser” afirma, señalando que la satisfacción de los clientes es uno de los factores principales en la toma de decisiones relacionadas con los servicios y métodos que ofrece.

“Actualmente tengo un cliente al año cuyo césped sufre daños por larvas”, informa. “Si esto aumenta, mis clientes no estarán complacidos”. Los clientes, explica, buscan el servicio de mantenimiento de la hierba para lograr céspedes libres de malas hierbas, más verdes y que, fundamentalmente, “tengan una apariencia más atractiva que la del vecino”. Por consiguiente, en lo que respecta a su modelo comercial, explica, “Es todo lo sostenible que lo pueda hacer, compitiendo al mismo tiempo en el mercado abierto”.

38

Una tercera vía Mientras continúa atendiendo a clientes de forma exitosa, Lupfer indica que se mantiene “abierto a la posibilidad de hacer cambios” y atento al mercado, incluyendo las demandas de los clientes, para responder a tendencias en la industria, como un número creciente de regulaciones. “Solo necesito prueba”, opina, proyectando un enfoque del servicio a los clientes que tiene en cuenta complacer a los clientes – y educarlos a medida que las estrategias evolucionan.

“Debo empujar a mis clientes lenta y gentilmente por el camino”.

La compañía de Clarke también trabaja para responder a las inquietudes de los clientes en lo que respecta al cuidado de los céspedes. “El principal factor impulsor es cuando se tienen larvas y se tienen animales, es entonces cuando se reciben las llamadas telefónicas”, cuenta, describiendo las inquietudes de los clientes. “Los depredadores realmente son devastadores”, afirma, refiriéndose a los zorrillos y otras sabandijas que se alimentan de larvas. “Nuestro principal objetivo es evitar que crezcan demasiado”, dice, agregando que el cuidado de los céspedes incluye esfuerzos para evitar que las larvas se coman las raíces más cercanas a la superficie, donde los insectos pueden ser detectados más fácilmente por las sabandijas que los olfatean.

Lupfer reconoce que si bien, en lo personal, no se inclina por un tratamiento químico específico usado comúnmente para combatir larvas, sus clientes continúan demandando el producto. Observa, no obstante, un enfoque que tiene en cuenta los métodos tanto químicos como naturales y está tratando de incorporar un nuevo modelo en sus operaciones.

“Pienso que hay una tercera vía”, afirma Lupfer, quien está evaluando una opción para ofrecer a los clientes lo que él llama un “seguro contra larvas”. El modelo, explica, involucra cobrar a los clientes una cuota en lugar de cobrarles por la aplicación estacional de un

The Landscape Contractor June 2016

producto químico contra larvas. El cargo sería por retener el tratamiento contra las larvas y en su lugar cubriría reparar el daño incurrido como resultado de omitir la aplicación – es decir, cuando una inspección de control de plagas integrada detecta “daño por larvas”.

Tal reparación del daño, indica Lupfer, podría ser realmente una respuesta considerablemente efectiva.

“Los céspedes que he reparado tienen la hierba más bella que he visto”, afirma sobre los resultados de escarificar, rastrillar, sembrar y cubrir con mantilla para producir nueva hierba. Mirando el cuidado de los céspedes desde múltiples ángulos con respecto a contener a las larvas y prevenir el daño a los céspedes, Lupfer asegura que está “explorando todas las opciones”.

Plans are already underway for the 2017 edition of ILCA’s Green Industry Guide

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debbie.landscapecontractor@yahoo.com The Landscape Contractor June 2016

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It Happened at iLandscape

Ach du lieber!

I KNOW this style of planting.

By Patrice Peltier

The “new German style”

of planting isn’t completely new to many ILCA members. They’ve been listening to Wisconsin nurseryman and garden consultant Roy Diblik talk about it for years. That, of course, doesn’t mean there isn’t lots more to know. Cassian Schmidt built on that knowledge by elaborating on the science behind these design, planting and maintenance practices during his iLandscape presentation, “Inspired by Nature—The ‘New German Style’ of Planting.”

Schmidt, director of the Hermannshof display and trials garden near Heidelberg, Germany and professor in the Geisenheim University department of Landscape Architecture, admitted to a standing-room only audience that even in Germany, the “new” German style isn’t brand new. It has been developing since the early 1980s. He described the naturalistic style as being inspired by the informal way perennials intermingle naturally in communities. Selecting plants with

40

appeal throughout the seasons, and putting it all together with an eye towards maintenance are other elements of the style.

Lebensbereiche

Lebensbereiche, which means “sphere of life,” is at the heart of the new German style, Schmidt explained. Professor Richard Hansen of Weihenstephan applied the phrase to garden habitats. Hansen suggested plants could be grouped into ecological planting habitats including: woodland margin, woodland, steppe and rocky steppe, dry open ground, moist open ground, water margin, water, and traditional English-style mixed border.

The new German style starts with plants that are adapted to a single ecological habitat. It doesn’t matter if they’re natives, cultivars or exotics, Schmidt explained. “The perennials are combined in a very naturalistic style. Each species is arranged in informal and intermingled groups according to their

The Landscape Contractor June 2016

natural sociability to evoke a meadow-like effect,” Schmidt explained, noting this is quite unlike the conventional English-style border.

Schmidt went on to explain that “natural sociability” refers to how plants arrange themselves in nature. “For instance, in a prairie baptisias always grow as widely spaced individuals, but asters grow in drifts, so if I’m planting, I’m only going to plant one baptisia in an area but I might plant a grouping of asters,” he explained.

“Although natural plant communities are often used as a template for designing plant associations in the garden, they are never exact copies,” Schmidt continued.

Seeing the future

Since the 1990s, research efforts at Hermannshof and elsewhere in Germany have focused on predicting the success (continued on page 43)

The Landscape Contractor June 2016

41

It Happened at iLandscape

42

The Landscape Contractor June 2016

(continued from page 41) of plantings and on decreasing the costs of maintenance, Schmidt explained. And the results of those findings, have, in turn, influenced the development of the “new German style.”

Although the naturalistic style is based on the informal way perennials intermingle in plant communities, it’s not aesthetics or even cultural requirements alone that guide these plant selections, Schmidt explained. Plant selection is informed by the “survival strategies” of plants as studied by J. Philip Grime of Sheffield University.

C-S-R

In 1985, Grime introduced what he called the C-S-R System, which divides plants according to three types of survival strategies: stress tolerance, disturbance tolerance or competition. In reality, most perennials show a combination of two or even three of these strategies, but usually with a tendency to one dominating strategy, Schmidt explained. As an example, he explained that hostas could be categorized as “stress tolerant competitors” because they combine shade tolerance (S) with vigorousness (C) and longevity (C).

Plants with a stress tolerance strategy, the “S” in the system, are slow-growing, mostly semi-evergreen or evergreen, shorter perennials or subshrubs that compete poorly but are long-lived plants. They are found in dry habitats, poor soils, along water and in deep shade — environments that stress plants, Schmidt explained. Plants in this category include Achillea, Salvia, Sedum, Iris, Dalea, Sporobolus, Schizachyrium, Asarum, Liriope, Epimediums and evergreen ferns, as well as most low carexes.

Plants with a competitive strategy — the “C” in this system--are tall, vigorous, fast-growing, long-lived plants. These plants are found in sunny or lightly shaded locations in prairie or meadow-type plantings or even in moist to wetland sites.

Plants in this category include Echinacea, Monarda, vigorous Hostas, Delphinium, Hemerocallis, Persicaria, Miscanthus, Panicum, Andropogon, Eupatorium, Rudbeckia, Helianthus and tall Asters.

The third group, known as ruderals — the “R”-- are shortlived, fast-growing, pioneer plants that are tolerant of disturbances. “What are these plants?” Schmidt asked the audience.

“These are the weeds.” Plants in this group also include (continued on page 44)

The Landscape Contractor June 2016

43

It Happened at iLandscape (continued from page 43) annuals, biannuals and short lived self-seeding perennials like Aquilegia, Silene, Linum, Gaillardia, Rudbeckia hirta.

“You as the gardener, you are weeding, raking, cultivating.

You are creating disturbances. You are following their strategy,” Schmidt told the audience with a chuckle.

At Hermannshof, research was done on how much maintenance is required for plantings with different survival strategies. The findings included: • Ruderals in traditional borders required an average of 15-25 minutes per square meter per year to maintain.

• Competitives planted in rich soil required 9-15 minutes per square meter per year of maintenance.

• Stress tolerators in dry sunny sites or in dry shade needed only 1-8 minutes/square meter per year.

44

“More stress on the plants is less stress for the gardener,” Schmidt told the audience after summarizing these findings: • Environmentally stressful habitats such as dry soil in full sun or dry soil in shade can help reduce the amount of annual maintenance by providing conditions that don’t favor weeds. “The dry shade garden takes the least maintenance, but the plant palette is limited. That is the problem,” Cassian related.

• In rich soils, only competitive, highly vigorous, longlived perennials can suppress weeds for low maintenance.

• Naturalistic, diverse, highly dynamic plantings need less maintenance than conventional, static borders.

Armed with this information, Schmidt began setting up research plots to determine the best maintenance practices for different kinds of plantings.

The Landscape Contractor June 2016

“Gardening is guiding the natural processes of plants, and that requires being able to predict things,” Schmidt explained. “We wanted to understand how we can decrease maintenance costs without sacrificing quality.”

One way Schmidt discovered was to introduce machinery to do tasks such as the final cutback of plantings. “A lot of people think perennials are sensitive.

It’s not true,” he said. “You can use machinery, depending on timing.”

Schmidt pioneered techniques such as mowing a planting in late winter, chopping up the stems and leaving the

plant materials to act as self-composting mulch. “This keeps nutrients in the system. You usually don’t need additional nutrients,” he explained.

When you’re maintaining plants that are stress tolerators, you need to write “not necessary” next to “irrigation” and “fertilizer” on your task list, Schmidt cautioned. “You can ruin a planting with too much maintenance,” he noted. “Every planting has a different maintenance plan. To think about the management of a planting is very important.” (continued on page 46)

The Landscape Contractor June 2016

45

It Happened at iLandscape (continued from page 45) Another technique Schmidt pioneered at Hermannshof may also be familiar to Diblik followers: the gravel garden, although Schmidt calls it “mineral mulch.” Dry habitat plantings can be planted through a 2.5-3 inch layer of “mineral mulch” such as pumice, crushed stone, grit, gravel, sand or recycling materials, Schmidt explained.

This approach prevents weed seeds from germinating while creating a “capillary break” that keeps the soil cool and limits water evaporation. “We’ve found the plants grow one-third taller than in unmulched plots,” Schmidt explained.

When maintaining plants in beds mulched this way, the plants are mowed in late winter. The debris is raked from the beds to maintain the low level of soil nutrients, according to Schmidt.

“These are steppe plants. This is a stress system: low nutrients; no water supply. Stress reduces maintenance (continued on page 49)

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The Landscape Contractor June 2016

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The Landscape Contractor June 2016

(continued from page 46) because weeds don’t like stress,” Schmidt explained.

Many North American native prairie plants have been embraced by the new German planting style. Schmidt explained that this is, in part, because many European plants bloom in early spring through early summer, leaving little of interest in the mid-summer to early fall garden.

“European gardens planted exclusively with natives stop blooming in late June--of course with some exceptions,” he explained. “The North American prairies, the tall grass communities, are so interesting to us in Europe because the plants are very adaptable and because they provide late summer and fall interest.”

In fact, Schmidt reported that a group of universities and research institutions, including Hermannshof, have been evaluating 34 planting modules for diverse habitats, many that include prairie plants. (continued on page 50)

It Happened at iLandscape (continued from page 49) A number of these are being brought to market by the German perennial growers association (BdS).

“Nowadays, in Europe, the term ‘prairie planting’ is incorrectly used as a synonym for any kind of meadow-like, naturalistic style of planting,” Schmidt admitted.

At Hermannshof, several modules have been created that provide a formula for the prairie look. The modules include 1-10% of what are called “structural plants” those over 28 inches tall.

Companion plants, which range in height from 14- to 28-inches, make up 10-40% of the plan. Ground cover plants represent 30-50% of the mix, and filler plants, which are short-lived, self-seeding species are 5-10%. The modules also include 20-50 bulbs scattered per square meter.

“The plants are set out by layer, with the structural plants going in first,” Schmidt explained. “There’s no grouping. It’s a random planting with six to nine plants per square meter.”

Does the new German planting style sound a bit familiar, dear readers? Sehr gut gemacht. You’ve been paying attention!

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Special Feature —

The Story Behind the ILCA Logo

By Meta L. Levin

A logo tells a story

.

It represents an organization, what it does, its members and its culture. All of which explains why redesigning the

the leaf in the center of the C, which was used for 25 years. “Twenty-five years is long time,” says Scott Grams, ILCA executive director.

green equals maintenance with a subtle nod to iLandscape and the brown is the soil. There is a line between the initials and the title, which is growth (ILCA growing off the line).

ILCA logo was such an important process, one that engendered much discussion, soul searching and thought.

“We needed to start at the core,” says ILCA Board Member Donna VignocciZych.

The new ILCA logo answers the major questions: who we are, what we do, the environment in which we operate, and our corporate image. Not so coincidentally, the redesign and its attendant introspective review coincided with the website redesign. In fact, the website design firm that ILCA hired offered to make a graphic designer available to help with the process at no extra cost – clearly an offer that ILCA could not and did not refuse.

The end result is only the fifth logo in ILCA’s 56-year history. Previous logos have ranged from a seal, to a triangular design, a leaf, and the green ILCA with

Vignocci-Zych agrees. “The logo felt dated to me. We needed to make it fresh and modern without losing the past.”

Initially Grams and the board thought that they would limit the work to just a color change, but as they got into it, the decision morphed into a full blown redesign. “We went through 13 or 14 rounds,” says Grams. They considered everything from what Grams described as “modern colors” to all shades of green and even red, white, and blue. “In the end we chose the colors that we see in the industry: green space and the brown of the soil.”

And, yes, they considered marrying it with the iLandscape logo design, but in the end came back to the green and brown.

It does have meaning: the leaf is meant to represent plant installation, the I with a slash between the brown and

“It is recognizable and easily understood,” says ILCA President Rusty Maulding. “It’s straightforward and stylized, something that the public would recognize.”

There also is an element of fun in it, says Vignocci-Zych, who has a marketing background. The new ILCA logo seems to say, “We are fun; we are a reprieve from the seriousness of life.”

Maulding had the honor of unveiling the design during the 2015 Annual Meeting. It was a so-called “soft” opening and Maulding was pleasantly surprised about the reaction. “I was a little concerned, but it got good applause,” he says.

Grams and the Board is well aware that ILCA members use the logo on their trucks, their stationary, their business cards and in any number of other ways. To that end ILCA will replace

52

The Landscape Contractor June 2016

Change magnets with the old logo at no charge.

They also will send out new decals.

The logo will be phased in on everything else.

“We know that our members are proud of the logo and we wanted it to look professional,” says Grams. He hopes the members agree that it does.

Editor’s note: the new ILCA logo is available in a graphic format for inclusion on advertising, brochures, catalogs and signage. This digital file is availble by calling the ILCA office, 630-4722851 or visit www.ilca.net/download.

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The Landscape Contractor June 2016

Member Profile Perfect Turf® LLC

230 Gerry Drive Wood Dale, IL 60191 (888) 796-8873 www.perfectturfinc.com

by Meta Levin

Ten years ago

Dave Sternberg bought a new house, installed a putting green, and started a new career.

It wasn’t intended to be that way.

Sternberg was a successful marketing consultant until he bought the new house and had to remove some trees.

He decided that the spot where the trees once stood would be perfect for a putting green, so he asked a friend to help. The friend, in turn, liked the idea and asked Sternberg to help him install one in his yard. Both used synthetic turf.

By the time they finished, friends and neighbors were interested and when they completed those installations they had a new business, Perfect Turf LLC, based in Wood Dale, IL. The friend, who still is a friend, no longer is Sternberg’s business partner, but the company is booming.

As a manufacturer, Perfect Turf LLC designs, produces, and sells synthetic turf nationally and has a few specialty crews to do installation on unusual projects. Primarily, however, they refer to installation contractors and landscape contractors who they have trained and know can do the job right, says Sternberg, “We design our own product and contract with different manufacturing facilities to make it,” he says.

Perfect Turf then buys large quantities, which it stores in warehouses in four locations around the United States.

The company also has three landscape supply distributors in Alsip, Chicago and Mundelein.

“We started in April 2006, but by the end of the year it had gone from being part time to a full time business,” says 56

Sternberg. Even the recession didn’t slow them down. “We were trying to be everything to everyone, but in our case that was good.” When the residential business slowed down, the park district, municipal, and commercial jobs picked up, and when that slowed down, the residential increased.

Along the way the company grew from the original two people, to 10 employees. Matt Scavo has been Sternberg’s business partner for the last five years. Scavo functions as the company CFO, ensuring that Perfect Turf is on solid financial footing. He also takes care of one of the company’s large, national accounts. “Whatever he does, he does well,” says Sternberg.

Whoever calls the office first hears the friendly voice of Bonnie Spialek, Perfect Turf’s office manager. “People love her,” says Sternberg. “She’s a genuinely nice person.” A four-year veteran of the company, she has been “a big part of our growth and success.”

Initially, most customers wanted to use the product for putting greens, but that has evolved to more demand for landscape grass for hard to maintain areas, dog runs, play grounds, roof tops, and a number of other residential and commercial uses.

As Perfect Turf has grown, Sternberg has found ways to give back to the community. He is regularly approached by dog shelters and non-profits. “We help where and when we can,” he says.

Perfect Turf exhibited at iLandscape this year. “We were swamped,” says Sternberg. “People were three deep at the booth.” This underscores the The Landscape Contractor June 2016

increased popularity of the synthetic turf, he says. “Landscape contractors used to be negative, but now it really has a place in the industry.” Regular surveys show that a growing number of landscape contractors are familiar with the product and its uses.

Perfect Turf is now an ILCA member. Sternberg hopes to share information with his fellow members and train them to use and install the artificial turf.

The company already runs regular training workshops for landscape contractors, as well as providing educational lunch and learn sessions for landscape architects and engineers.

Sternberg works to stay focused on the Perfect Turf mission statement. “Our mission is to be the leading synthetic turf company as measured by customer satisfaction and loyalty,” he says. He believes that the company is successful by that gauge. “We have a 99.9 percent customer satisfaction rate.” His years of consulting has taught him that “long term success is all about the satisfied customer.”

WHEN WHEN THERE’S THERE’S WORK WORK TO TO DO, DO, THERE’S THERE’S DITCH DITCH WITCH WITCH

BUILT TO WORK - ORANGE DELIVERS The Ditch Witch line of Mini Skid Steer’s and the ALL NEW CX-Trencher’s are built with one thing in mind; getting your work finished. And Ditch Witch Midwest is there every step of the way with our work boots on. Our parts, service and sales staff are all there to help you complete your jobs quickly and efficiently.

After all, We’re In This Together.

LOCATE LOCATE FIRST, FIRST, WORK WORK SAFE. SAFE.

Ditch Witch Midwest The Premier Sponsor of the 2016 ILCA Golf Outing

PROUD MEMBER

Ditch Witch Midwest | 124 N. Schmale Road | Carol Stream, IL 60188 | 800-243-1328 | www.ditchwitchmidwest.com

New Members CONTRACTOR MEMBERS

SUPPLIER MEMBERS

Chicago Lawn & Landscape, Inc. Dan Pastar 6959 N Milwaukee Ave, 2nd Floor Niles, IL 60714 Phone: 773-331-8123 dan@chicagolawnandlandscape.com www.chicagolawnandlandscape.com Specializing in paver patios and walkways, real estate sales curb appeal, sprucing up ugly parkways, and complete hardscape and softscape services.

Harrell’s LLC Michael Hall 301 N Vernon Ave Newark, OH 43055 Phone: 740-644-9020 mhall@harrells.com www.harrells.com

Weed Man Lawn Care Brandon Burns 188 Shepard Ave Wheeling, IL 60090 Phone: 847-459-9333 brandon.burns@weedmanusa.com www.weedmanusa.com

Ecoturf Midwest Inc. Tom Miller 789 Golf Lane Bensenville, IL 60106 Phone: 630-350-9500 Fax: 630-350-9555 tom@ecoturfmidwest.com www.ecoturfmidwest.com Ecoturf Midwest is a family-owned company located just west of Chicago. All of its products are produced and sourced in the U.S. From the most durable, contractor-friendly biodegradable stakes to the revolutionary Staple Ease™ driver, Ecoturf provides premium quality products to the landscape and erosion control industries.

2016-2017 ILCA Dues Renewal Save the stamp, renew online!

Make sure to renew by June 30th for the 2016-2017 membership year.

To renew online, go to: www.ilca.net/member-login and enter the email address tied to your ILCA membership and password. If you haven’t logged into the new site yet, click “Need a password” and enter the email address tied to your ILCA membership.

Then click “Find My Account” and your password will be emailed to you. If you don’t know the email address that is tied to your ILCA membership, please call the office at 630-472-2851 or email Marissa Sikirdji at msikirdji@ilca.net.

Did you know? You can set up automatic recurring billing online. Don’t worry

about renewing your annual membership, put a credit card on file and your dues will be deducted automatically on June 30th every year!

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The Landscape Contractor June 2016

Classified Ads HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

Spray Technician - Plant Health Care

Construction Foreman

Laborers Needed

Rosborough Partners, Inc. is seeking an experienced Spray Technician. Responsibilities include handling and applying pesticides according to label specifications, loading materials and scheduling routes to achieve efficient use of time. This position also requires the ability to neatly organize and store inventory with a minimal amount of space and during peak season- April 1 thru July 1, the ability and willingness to regularly work on Saturday.

Requirements for this position are: Operator/Applicator license in turf, ornamental and mosquito.

Class C Driver License.

Horticultural knowledge and landscape industry experience.

English & Spanish fluency is a plus.

Prefer 3 to 5 years of experience.

Chicago Specialty Gardens, Inc. (CSG) is an award-winning landscape design/build firm headquartered in Chicago. We specialize in the design and installation of contemporary urban rooftop gardens and city landscapes. We seek an experienced Construction Foreman to join our team.

Job Description: The Construction Foreman is responsible for overseeing a small installation crew on landscape,hardscape and rooftop garden projects.

The Construction Foreman: • Ensures that all installation work is performed in accordance with industry and company standards.

• Ensures that each crew member is trained appropriately for each designated job assignment.

• Follows directions from Construction Manager.

• Communicates well with all crew members, suppliers, supervisor, and clients.

• Strives to improve job skills and develop the potential for upward mobility, and leads by example.

• Tracks and records all job expenses and hours worked accurately.

• Maintains clean and safe job sites.

Experience working in city buildings and rooftops is a plus. Two years of Construction Foreman experience or equivalent is required. Valid driver’s license is required. Bilingual (English/Spanish) is a plus. Compensation is BOE. Working season runs roughly between March 1st and December 15th.

Contact: Rick Connolly (Construction Manager) rick@chicagoardens.com

Please email resume to: resumes@rosboroughpartners.com ACRES GROUP CAREER OPPORTUNITYSPRAY TECHNICIANS in Plainfield!

Acres Group, one of the top 20 professional landscape contractors in the nation, is seeking Spray Technicians to manage application route assuring quality standards and production timelines are met, mix & apply chemicals, complete turf & ornamental applications, respond to and rectify customer inquiries. Join our industry leading team! To view full job descriptions and apply online, visit us at www.acresgroup.com or contact Joel@ 847-487-3257.

Laborers needed. Excellent growth potential. Job entails installing exterior and Christmas lighting.

Must be willing to climb ladders. Drivers License is a plus but not necessary. Three years experience in a landscape based business is preferred.

Email resume to: jane@accentslighting.com FULL TIME MECHANIC Golf Course and Sports Field Contractor seeking experienced equipment and truck mechanic at Marengo shop. Class A CDL required to transport equipment between jobs. This is a salaried position with benefits.

Please forward resume to mlohmann@lohmann.com

CLASSIFIED ADS CLOSING DATES & RATES June 2016 issue ads: April 15, 2016 June 2016 issue ads: May 15, 2016 PLEASE NOTE: “HELP WANTED” AD SALES ARE LIMITED TO ILCA MEMBER COMPANIES Magazine Cost is $5 per line Minimum charge $50 Optional Website Cost is $7 per line Minimum charge $70 (About 6 words/line) Use the online submission form located at www.ilca.net Call Alycia O’Connor (630) 472-2851

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES JAMES MARTIN ASSOCIATES, INC. Vernon Hills, IL & Boulder, CO

James Martin Associates, Inc. is a leader in the Landscape and Snow Management industry.

We have been providing services to our customers for over 37 years.

Irrigation Technicians

We are seeking candidates for the following positions:

Account Managers

Business Development

To be considered for any of these opportunities, please forward your resume and salary history to b.mcelroy@jamesmartinassociates.com or call Beth at 847-876-8052.

Landscape Architecture • Construction • Maintenance • Snow Management

www.jamesmartinassociates.com

The Landscape Contractor June 2016

59

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

Landscape Designer/Sales

CLASSIFIED ADS CLOSING DATES & RATES

Landscape Designer- 1-3 years experience. P.A. Likes, Inc. Is currently seeking a Landscape Designer for high-end residential and commercial work. The successful candidate will work directly with our owner and be directly involved with all aspects of the landscape project. Duties will also include customer service for existing landscape and maintenance clients. The candidate must be personable with strong knowledge of hardscapes and plant materials. Strong organizational skills and project professionalism is a must. Ability to use Dynascape, Microsoft Office, Photoshop, Sketch Up, and Quickbooks a plus.

Education Requirements: Bachelors or Associates Degree in related field preferred.

Please email resume and cover letter to paul@likesinc.com Or fax: 630-904-8732

April 2015 issue ads: March 15, 2015 June 2016 issue ads: April 15, 2015 June 2016 issue ads: May 15, 2015 PLEASE NOTE: “HELP WANTED” AD SALES ARE LIMITED TO ILCA MEMBER COMPANIES Magazine Cost is $5 per line Minimum charge $50 Optional Website Cost is $7 per line Minimum charge $70 (About 6 words/line) Call Alycia O’Connor (630) 472-2851 or use the online submission form located at www.ilca.net

Christy Webber - Project Manager CW is seeking a dynamic Project Manager with the ability to estimate projects, secure materials, develop a construction plan, direct staff, perform documentation and continue developing successful working relationships with internal and external customers. Qualified candidate will take project from cost development to final project sign off. 4+ years of field experience with a background in the green industry a plus. Competitive pay and benefits.

Send resume to: jobs@christywebber.com

CLASSIFIED ADS CLOSING DATES & RATES June 2016 issue ads: May 15, 2015 July 2016 issue ads: June 15, 2015 PLEASE NOTE: “HELP WANTED” AD SALES ARE LIMITED TO ILCA MEMBER COMPANIES Magazine Cost is $5 per line Minimum charge $50 Optional Website Cost is $7 per line Minimum charge $70 (About 6 words/line) Call Alycia O’Connor (630) 472-2851 or use the online submission form located at www.ilca.net

60

The Landscape Contractor June 2016

HELP WANTED

Advertisers 1st Choice Equipment ............................................53 Agrecol..............................................................6 Bartlett Tree Experts .............................................52 Beaver Creek Nursery ..........................................43 Cardno ...................................................................22 Carlin Sales...............................................................6 Chicagoland Gardening .........................................61 Compost Supply .....................................................23 Dayton Bag & Burlap .............................................24 Doty Nurseries LLC ................................................6 Goodmark Nurseries ..............................................47 Green Glen Nursery ...............................................63 B. Haney & Sons, Inc. ............................................25 Hinsdale Nurseries, Inc. ......................................14 Homer Industries ....................................................21 James Martin Associates .........................................62

Attention Landscape Contractors: Remember to Support ILCA Supporters!

These include:

• Members & Advertisers who supply goods and services • Members who sponsor ILCA programs and events

Where will you find them?

• ILCA Membership Directory & Buyer’s Guide • The Landscape Contractor magazine advertising • The Landscape Contractor magazine reports of events with sponsor acknowledgments • www.ilca.net member lists – Finding a Landscape Contractor & Suppliers to the Trade

JKS Ventures ..........................................................22 Kramer Tree Specialists ..........................................25 Lafarge River Stone ..............................................49 Lemke Stone ...........................................................41 Longshadow Planters .............................................11 McGinty Bros. ........................................................57 Midwest Groundcovers ............................................2 Midwest Trading .....................................................12 Mobile Fleet Express .............................................24 Ornamental Growers Association ..........................19 Perfect Turf ............................................................55 ProAp .....................................................................51 ProGreen Plus ..........................................................6 Rainbow Farms Enterprises ....................................50 RealDyne ...............................................................46 Rocks Etc. .............................................................48 Snowfighters Institute ...........................................52 Stockyards Brick Co. ...............................................15 The Care of Trees .................................................... 6 The Mulch Center ...................................................46 Spring Meadow Nursery .........................................31 Unilock, Inc. ...........................................................64 Xylem, Inc. ............................................................48

The Landscape Contractor June 2016

61

All-Star Plants

Syringa reticulata Japanese Tree Lilac

Members of the Ornamental Growers Association of Northern Illinois will be the exclusive provider of content for the Plant All-Stars page during 2016.

By Mike Cook Some plants — just like All-Star athletes — make everyone around them look better. What’s a plant you can use — and recommend — with confidence? We’ve asked ILCA members — who are also members of the Ornamental Growers Association of Northern Illinois — to share their thoughts on proven performers.

I think Syringa reticulata or Japanese tree lilac is worthy of All-Star Plant status. It is available in both tree form and as a multi-stemmed small tree. Personally, I think it’s weird that the tree form is in so much more demand than the multi-stemmed version. As someone who’s grown it both ways, it just doesn’t seem as happy to be a single-stemmed tree.

There is a lot of size variance in the plant. Some can be very fat — as wide as they are high. Some are narrow and more upright. Pictured is a Japanese lilac I planted close to the nursery office 20 years ago. It is 18’ wide by 15’ tall. This makes it a pretty nice screening plant. Or looked at another way, it may be too large to be planted on a smaller residential lot. At maturity it is said they can reach heights of 30’ with a width of 25’.

Japanese tree lilac will be the focal point of the landscape in early to mid-June when the large, pure white flowers appear. It is a great time for the Japanese lilac to bloom as the crab-apples and most other flowering shrubs have finished. The flowers can last for a long time depending on weather and wind, as long as three weeks. This plant shines in front of a green back-drop of spruce or white pine.

As the flowers decline and fade away, the plant looks a bit naked until the dark green leaves fill in. The leaves are clean and free of diseases. This fact alone makes this plant more desirable than many flowering crab-apples on the market. Growing it commercially, I cannot remember the last time I had to apply a pesticide to remove any type of insect, scale or borer. This is a pretty tough plant doing well in full sun with well drained soil.

There is a cultivar named ‘Ivory Silk.’ It’s a bit smaller in stature, more narrow and upright. Otherwise, all of the above characteristics apply to it as well. This qualifies ‘Ivory Silk’ as a good street tree, especially under power lines as it will only reach 20’ tall.

Mike Cook

Syringa reticulata Japanese Tree Lilac facts— Size: 30’ tall with spread of 25’

Foliage Dark green semi-glossy foliage, turning faded green to yellow-green in the fall

Flowers Large white fragrant blooms in early to mid June

Culture Plant in full sun for best flower production.

Performs best in well-drained soil with average fertility, but is highly adaptable to poor or compacted soils and various soil pHs. Drought tolerant.

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Mike Cook is a graduate of Illinois State University. He managed Rosehill Creek Nursery for 24 years.

The Landscape Contractor June 2016