October/November/December VNLA Newsletter

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VNLA Newsletter October/November/December 2014 3

2014 VNLA Officers & Directors

OFFICERS President MATT SHRECKHISE Communications ‘08 Shreckhise Nurseries PO Box 428 Grottoes, VA 24441-0428 540-249-5761 [email protected] Vice President SONYA L. WESTERVELT Public Relations ‘10 Saunders Brothers Inc 2717 Tye Brook Highway Piney River, VA 22964 (434) 277-5455 [email protected] Secretary/ Treasurer Bill Gouldin ‘12 Strange’s Florist/Garden Ctrs 12111 W. Broad St. Richmond, VA 23233 804-360-2800 [email protected] Past President MATT SAWYER - Research Bennett’s Creek Nursery ‘07 5635 Shoulders Hill Rd Suffolk, VA 23435-1807 757-483-1425 [email protected]

Executive Director JEFFREY B. MILLER Horticulture Management Associates LLC 383 Coal Hollow Road Christiansburg, VA 24073-6721 1-800-476-0055 Fax: 540-382-2716 [email protected]

1 YR DIRECTORS

CHERYL LAJOIE Certification ‘09 Lancaster Farms 5800 Knotts Neck Rd Suffolk VA 23435-1353 757-484-4421 Fax: 7575-686-8637 [email protected] CHRISTOPHER BROWN ‘13 Lancaster Farms 5800 Knotts Neck Rd Suffolk VA 23435-1353 757-484-4421 [email protected] VIRGINIA ROCKWELL Legislation ‘12 Gentle Gardener Green Design PO Box 418 Gordonsville, VA 22942-0418 540-832-7031 (cell) 434-531-0467 [email protected]

MANTS’ Directors JOHN LANCASTER‘02 Bennett’s Creek Nursery 3613 Bridge Road Suffolk, VA 23435-1807 757-483-1425 [email protected] TOM SAUNDERS ’96 Saunders’ Brothers Inc. 2508 Tye Brook Hwy Piney River, VA 22964-2301 804-277-5455 [email protected] DANNY SHRECKHISE Shreckhise Nurseries ‘12 PO Box 428 Grottoes, VA 24441-0428 540-249-5761 [email protected]

2 YR DIRECTORS

TOM THOMPSON, Environmental Affairs ‘10 Natural Art Landscaping 3540 S Belmont Rd Richmond VA 23234-2912 (804) 674-5703 [email protected] DOUG HENSEL Beautiful Gardens ‘08 Great Big Greenhouse & Nrsy 2051 Huguenot Rd Richmond, VA 23235-4305 804-320-1317 [email protected] CRAIG ATTKISSON ‘13 Grower Guide Green Side Up Landscaping PO Box 2026 Glen Allen, VA 23058-2026 804-514-4610 [email protected] AARON WILLIAMS ‘14 Education Committee Williams Landscape & Design Inc PO Box 7001 Williamsburg VA 23188-7001 757-564-7011 [email protected]

Educational Advisors

DR. ROGER HARRIS VA Tech Horticulture Dept. Head Saunders Hall (0327) Blacksburg, VA 24061-0001 540-231-5451 [email protected] DR. JIM OWEN HARAREC 1444 Diamond Springs Rd Virginia Beach, VA 23455 (757) 363-3804 [email protected]

REGIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

Central Virginia Nursery & Landscape Assoc. Mary Petres (804) 249-4438 [email protected] Eastern Shore Nurserymen’s Association Stuart Burnley 757-442-3548 [email protected] Hampton Roads Nursery & Landscape Assoc Wes Bray (757) 422-2117 [email protected] Northern Virginia Nursery & Landscape Assoc Chuck Wood (703) 641-4790 [email protected] Piedmont Landscape Assoc Jessica Primm 434-882-0520 [email protected] Shenandoah Valley Nursery & Greenhouse Assoc. Matt Shreckhise 540-249-5761 [email protected]

Directors at Large MIKE HILDEBRAND ‘12 James River Nurseries 13244 Ashland Rd Ashland VA 23005-7504 804-798-2020 mchildebrand@ jamesrivernurseries.com

VNLA Newsletter 3October / November / December 2014

4 October/November/December 2014 VNLA Newsletter

Ad - Bennett's Creek Nursery ...................................... 59 Ad - Bremo Trees ......................................................... 60 Ad - Carolina Bark Products ........................................ 40 Ad - Eastern Shore Nursery of Virginia ....................... 33 Ad - Fair View Nursery ............................................... 40 Ad - Farm Credit .......................................................... 60 Ad - Goodson & Associates ......................................... 25 Ad - Gossett’s Landscape Nursery ............................... 53 Ad - Guthrie Nursery ................................................... 15 Ad - Hanover Farms ..................................................... 7 Ad - Hardwood Mulch ................................................ 25 Ad - Hawksridge Farms ............................................... 19 Ad - Johnston County Nursery Marketing Assoc ........ 36 Ad - Lancaster Farms ................................................... 29 Ad - Mid-Atlantic Solutions ........................................ 23 Ad - OHP - Marengo .................................................... 2 Ad - Pender Nursery .................................................... 51 Ad - Plantworks Nursery.............................................. 27 Ad - Shreckhise Nurseries............................................ 13 Ad - SiteLight Id .......................................................... 22 Ad - Turtle Creek Nursery ........................................... 11 Ad - Waynesboro Nurseries ......................................... 9 Ad - Willow Springs Tree Farms ................................. 54 Events - Calendar ......................................................... 58 Events - Green & Growin Show .................................. 52 Events - MANTS ......................................................... 41 Events - Mid-Atlantic Horticulture Short Course ........ 56 Events - Shenandoah Valley Plant Symposium ........... 50 Events - Southern Nursery Association ....................... 54 Events - South Carolina Horticulture Industry Marketplace & Seminars ............................. 55 Events - CVNLA Winter Symposium and 45th Annual Short Course 2015 ....... 50 Letters - A Big Thank You .......................................... 8 News - Living Legacy Tree Planting Project to Honor Veterans ........................... 49 News - Cooperative Extension releases E-book for Entrepreneurs ...................................... 18 News - Horticulture Department News ........................ 11 News - IPPS Southern Region Meeting ....................... 8 News - Last Call: Imperata "Red Baron" a Legal Noxious Weed .............................................................. 8 News - Local Gardening Couple connecting the World with Plants .............. 14 News - North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association New Executive Director ........... 53 News - Project EverGreen Kicks Off "Healthy Turf. Healthy Kids."™ Initiative .......................... 27 News - The 5th Triennial Maple Symposium of The Maple Society .................................. 16

Obituary - Ian Robertson ............................................. 33 Research - Controlled Release Fertilizers in Nursery Container Production ................. 39 Research - Office Plants Make You More Productive 39 Tips - Are You Registered with VDACS? It's the Law! ................................................ 28 Tips - Do You Know Your Association? .................... 15 Tips - Lean Management Highlights ........................... 24 Tips - Pollinator 411, or, the Good, the Less Good, and the Gorgeous 28 Tips - The True Value of Things ................................. 32 VNLA - "Plant Something" Member Marketing Program ..................... 26 VNLA - Certification Quiz #70 ................................... 31 VNLA - Certification Test/Class Schedule ................. 57 VNLA - Fall Board Meeting Highlights ..................... 47 VNLA - Strategic Plan for 2015 .................................. 47 VNLA - New Members ............................................... 7 VNLA - New VNLA Logo Introduced ...................... 26 VNLA - NO Research Auction/Gala for 2015 ............ 46 VNLA - Photo Contest Rules and Winner .................. 17 VNLA - Profile - Scott & Laura Matherly A&S Lawn & Land Care ........................ 20

Table of Contents

4 October / November / December 2014 VNLA Newsletter


VNLA Mission, Vision and Objectives for 2014

Mission Statement: To Enhance and promote Vir-ginia’s nursery and landscape industry.

Vision: to become the leader and resource for the Virginia nursery and landscape industry.

Objectives Educated, Available Skilled Labor Force - Goal: VNLA will continue to promote programs that will education, train and provide an available skilled la-bor force.

Effective Communication and Advocacy GOAL: VNLA will effepctively communication among staff, board, members, partners and the community.

Maximizing and Allocation Resources - GOAL: VNLA will secure increased funding from diverse sources and secure the necessary staff, board and committee members to run a dynamic organization.

Membership and Outreach - GOAL: Expand and communicate the value of membership.

Stewardship - GOAL: VNLA will promote adoption of Best Management Practices.

Strategic Marketing - GOAL: VNLA will promote itself as the leader and resource of the green industry.

What are members problems? How are we going to help them become

more successful?

Classified Ads

Support VNLA

Member Growers! Online at www.VNLA.org New Native Plant Section!

For a print copy call 1-800-476-0055 email [email protected]


Support VNLAMember Growers!

Online at www.VNLA.orgNew Native Plant Section!

For a print copycall 1-800-476-0055email [email protected]

4 July/August/September 2014 VNLA Newsletter

Ad - Bennett’s Creek Nursery ...................................... 63 Ad - Bremo Trees ......................................................... 64 Ad - Carolina Bark Products ........................................ 45 Ad - Eastern Shore Nursery of Virginia ....................... 39 Ad - Fair View Nursery ............................................... 45 Ad - Farm Credit .......................................................... 64 Ad - Goodson & Associates ......................................... 53 Ad - Gossett’s Landscape Nursery ............................... 41 Ad - Guthrie Nursery ................................................... 15 Ad - Hanover Farms ..................................................... 7 Ad - Hardwood Mulch ................................................. 47 Ad - Hawksridge Farms ............................................... 23 Ad - Johnston County Nursery Marketing Assoc ........ 43 Ad - Lancaster Farms ................................................... 37 Ad - Mid-Atlantic Solutions ........................................ 35 Ad - OHP - Marengo .................................................... 2 Ad - Pender Nursery .................................................... 61 Ad - Plantworks Nursery.............................................. 27 Ad - Shreckhise Nurseries............................................ 13 Ad - SiteLight Id .......................................................... 25 Ad - Turtle Creek Nursery ........................................... 11 Ad - Waynesboro Nurseries ......................................... 9 Ad - Willow Springs Tree Farms ................................. 51 Editorial - Another View: Bees .................................... 16 Editorial - Do you feel "”Special”? .............................. 18 Events - Virginia Horticultural Foundation 2015 Mid-Atlantic Horticulture Short Course .... 61 Events - Upcoming Events ........................................... 62 Legislative - Planet Quarterly Legislative Update ...... 39 Letters - CALS & Garden Gala .................................... 9 Letters - FFA Virginia President .................................. 13 Letters - Scoggins: Hahn Horticulture Garden Gala .... 9 Letters - Virginia FFA ................................................. 12 New - Bees and Growing Without Neonicotinoids ..... 36 News - Amy Puckett Recipient of David E. Laird Scholarship .......................... 10

News - Dr. Zhang Joins VA Tech HRAREC ............. 26 News - Governor McAuliffe Announces Administration Appointments ....................... 38 News - Governor McAuliffe Kicks-off New RMP Program in Weyers Cave ................ 57 News - IA & ASIC Release Revised Landscape BMPs ..................................................................................... 36 News - NVNLA Byron Wates Award ......................... 25 News - Overdevest Nurseries Teams with Celebrity Chef Jonathan Bardzik ................... 24 News - Recent Bee Kill Serves as a Reminder ........... 36 News – Riverbend Nursery Sold to Private Equity Firm ................................... 58 News – Dr. Holly Scoggins & Joel Shuman Honored at Gala ................... 28 News - The 10th Annual Garden Gala ........................ 28 News - VDACS Deputy Commissioner ...................... 38 Obituary - Bruce Nash ................................................. 13 Obituary - Fred Richardson ......................................... 14 Obituary - Kurt Bluemel .............................................. 15 Obituary - Max Quillen ............................................... 14 Research - Nutrient Runoff from Urban Lawns .......... 29 Tips - Become More Productive Immediately ............ 44 Tips - It's Not What You Know ................................... 48 Tips - Lobbying 101 Tips and Suggestions ................ 42 Tips - Nobody Said It Was Easy Networking ............ 46 Tips - Talking Points to Address Lawn Care Issues ... 45 Tips - Workers' Compensation Mitigation Strategies . 48 VNLA - “Plant Something” Member Marketing Program .......................... 19 VNLA - 2014 Virginia Certified Horticulturist ........... 8 VNLA - Minutes Summer Board Meeting .................. 49 VNLA - Bonnie Appleton Memorial Fund................. 27 VNLA - Certification Seal………………………... 8, 61 VNLA - Certification Quiz #69 ................................... 33 VNLA - Certification Quiz Article .............................. 29 VNLA - Summer Tour/Field Day Photos .................... 59 VNLA - New Members ............................................... 7 VNLA – New Certified Horticulturist ......................... 8 VNLA - New VNLA Logo Introduced at Field Day .. 19 VNLA – Newsletter Ad Specs ..................................... 60 VNLA - Photo Contest Winner and Rules .................. 17 VNLA - Profile - Dan Gregg, Grelen Nursery, Grelen Tree Care, & The Market at Grelen ... 20 VNLA – Research Gala/Auction Changes .................. 34 VNLA - Scholarship - Amy Puckett ............................ 10 VNLA - Scholarship - Robert Nance ........................... 11

Table of Contents

Fall Review Class and Test for Virginia Certified Horticulturist

Crozet, VA Monday’s, 5:30-8:30 p.m. October 20 – December 8

Exam, Saturday, December 13 Location TBA

VNLA Newsletter July/August/September 2014 5

Fall Review Class and Test for Virginia Certified Horticulturist

Crozet, VA Monday’s, 5:30-8:30 p.m. October 20 – December 8

Exam, Saturday, December 13 Location TBA

Classified Ads

VNLA Mission, Vision and Objectives for 2014

Mission Statement: To Enhance and promote Vir-ginia’s nursery and landscape industry.

Vision: to become the leader and resource for the Vir-ginia nursery and landscape industry.

Objectives Educated, Available Skilled Labor Force - Goal: VNLA will continue to promote programs that will education, train and provide an available skilled labor force.

Effective Communication and Advocacy GOAL: VNLA will effepctively communication among staff, board, members, partners and the community.

Maximizing and Allocation Resources - GOAL: VNLA will secure increased funding from diverse sources and secure the necessary staff, board and com-mittee members to run a dynamic organization.

Membership and Outreach - GOAL: Expand and communicate the value of membership.

Stewardship - GOAL: VNLA will promote adoption of Best Management Practices.

Strategic Marketing - GOAL: VNLA will promote itself as the leader and resource of the green industry.

What are members problems? How are we going to help them become

more successful?

Support VNLA

Member Growers! Online at www.VNLA.org New Native Plant Section!

For a print copy call 1-800-476-0055 email [email protected]

VNLA Newsletter 5July /August / September 2014


President’s Message I hope everyone has had a busy and prosperous fall season. It’s hard to believe that 2014 is almost behind us. I know we sometimes fret on the things we have left undone but I hope you take the time to reflect on this past year on all that you’ve accomplished. The VNLA also had a busy fall and I look forward to sharing some of what we have achieved and what to look

forward to in 2015.

At the end of September, Jeff Miller and I traveled north to New Jersey for the inaugural Northeast Nursery & Landscape Association Leadership Conference. There were representatives from Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey and our friends below the Mason-Dixon Line, West Virginia and Maryland. Leaders from R.I.S.E (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment) and American Hort were there as well giving updates on the legislative side of the industry. It was a very informative and interactive seminar, and Jeff and I brought back a lot of ideas and news to share with the VNLA Board.

At the beginning of October, Governor Terry McAulliffe proclaimed it as the “Fall is for Planting” month. The press release from the VNLA can be viewed on page(?). It is exciting for our industry to receive recognition from our state’s highest official. When news like this happens, please share it on your company’s website and social media pages to get the news out to the general public regarding our industry and the VNLA.

At the end of October, the VNLA Board held our Strategic Planning meeting in Charlottesville. Bob Fitch, with Nonprofit Leadership Solutions, conducted the meeting and we focused on ways in which we can become more responsive to our members and a more effective board. After the two day work-shop, I believe the board left with a re-newed passion for our mission; I certain-ly did.

In the coming year, we are looking forward to having the Virginia Certi-fied Horticulturalist test review online. We are also working on revising some of the curriculum and will be mak-ing other updates to keep the VCH as current as possible. We are in the be-

ginning stages of upgrading the VNLA.org website and mak-ing it more mobile friendly. This will make using the Grow-ers Guide on your mobile device easier when you’re on the go.

Hopefully, some of you are aware of the Plant Something ad campaign available to VNLA members. This is a joint project that 13 other state nursery and landscape associations have adopted. By implementing the Plant Something phi-losophy, residents can improve their home, their community and their quality of life. And with more people aware of the benefits of exterior design, we want to drive more customers to your Virginia retail locations and increase your transac-tions. The Plant Something Marketing Task Force is develop-ing materials and tools to help promote your nursery, garden center and/or landscape business and motivate your custom-ers to “Plant Something” today. Visit www.plant-something.org to see how other states are using this ad cam-paign and give us your suggestions for how the VNLA can develop this program to make your business more profitable!

Finally, as I prepare to end my term as VNLA president, I want to take this opportunity to thank the board for their work and time donated to the association. Thanks also to the many members who selflessly helped us throughout this year. My involvement with the VNLA is far from over and I look for-ward to working with many of you in the future and support-ing the mission of the VNLA.

Matt Shreckhise, President VNLA 2014 [email protected] 540-249-5761

We Want to Hear from YOU! Send your comments and suggestions to [email protected] 1-800-476-0055

Vol. 84, No.4; October/November/December 2014 Editor: Jeff Miller

Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association, Inc.

383 Coal Hollow Road; Christiansburg, VA 24073-6721 Internet E-mail Address: [email protected]

www.vnla.org (Association Info) https://www.facebook.com/VNLA1932

Twitter: @vnla1932 www.VirginiaGardening.com (Consumer Info)

Telephone: 540-382-0943 or 1-800-476-0055 Fax: 540-382-2716 Disclaimer: Published for your information, this newsletter is not an

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VNLA - New Members

Welcome to these New VNLA Members for 2014/15

First Name

Last Name

Company Name City ST

Richard Taylor Taylor’s Nursery Raleigh NC

John Bush Associate – Bush Lynchburg VA

Anne Under‐wood

Student – GWU

Fredericks‐burg VA

Dale Deppe Spring Meadow Nursery

Grand Haven MI

Alexis Fergu‐son

Sublime Landscaping & Power Washing LLC

Richmond VA

Timmy Colbird Centra Health Altavista VA

Eric Sours White House Natives Luray VA

Ad Hanover Farms

Do you need an official seal for your landscape plans? If you are a Virginia Certified

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News - Last Call: Imperata “Red Baron” a Legal Noxious Weed

For the last two and a half years, I have written about noxious weed legislation that was being developed in Vir-ginia, specifically about one “weed” that the nursery and landscape industry grows, sells and plants – Imperata

“Red Baron”. The noxious weed legislation refers to it as cogon grass and is most worried about it as it pertains to forage for livestock, but it is Imperata.

The legislation that will make this plant illegal to grow, sell, plant or possess is 2 VAC 5-317 – you should look it up and read it. It has gone through the entire legislative process (sometimes twice) and now sits on the governor’s desk waiting for his signature. It’s pretty much a done deal. If you want to know why “Red Baron” is on the list of noxious weeds in Virginia, just do an internet search for “cogon grass”.

The long and short of it is: If you grow this stuff, stop.

If you sell this plant, do it quickly. If you plant Imperata, find a substitute.

I’m not privy to what the Governor is going to do with this legislation, maybe he won’t sign it, but there isn’t any rea-son he wouldn’t; the folks at VDACS can’t start enforcing the noxious weed regulation until he does sign it, so consider this as your “last call”.

Photo Credit: Charles T. Bryson, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org - See more at:

http://www.invasive.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=1115008#st

hash.yYNz8BW6.dpuf

-provided by Tom Thompson, VNLA Environmental Affairs Chair, [email protected]

Letters - A Big Thank You For helping make CALS Homecoming

a success!! I’ve heard many positive comments about the event: how much they enjoyed visiting with those of you hosting ex-hibits, seeing old friends for the first time in many years, the delicious buffet, and the band just to name a few.

This event would not be possible without our sponsors (Smithfield, CALS, VCE, First Bank and Trust Company, and Virginia Beef Industry Council), our exhibitors (both here on campus and across the state), the help of outstand-ing alumni volunteers, or the alumni and friends who join us.

Thank you to everyone! Enjoy the rest of the fall! Mrs. Jamie Lucero, Director of Alumni Relations, Office of Alumni Relations, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Virginia Tech, [email protected], www.cals.vt.edu/alumni

News - IPPS Southern Region Meeting Jake Shreckhise

I would like to sincerely thank the VNLA for sponsoring my trip to the International Plant Propaga-tor’s Society (IPPS) Southern Re-gion annual meeting. My experi-ence could not have been more rewarding. Your support enabled me to make invaluable connec-tions with nurserymen and re-searchers, tour innovative nurse-ries as well as a first-class research facility and partake in educational

sessions that addressed the issues of today’s nurserymen. The acquaintances and knowledge I acquired during this trip will be advantageous as I continue to carryout applied research in nursery crop production and my future teaching and production endeavors in horticulture.

Tours All our stops on the tours were very well done and in-formative; however, two of the presentations at the North Carolina State Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center (MHCREC) stood out. Craig Adkins, with NC State University Cooperative Extension presented NC State’s research on boxwood blight. He discussed and provided extension documentation on how to identify, pre-vent and manage this incredibly destructive fungal disease. To summarize, Buxus sempervirens cultivars, such as Eng-lish boxwoods, are the most susceptible to boxwood blight.



Symptoms include circular, brown leaf spots with darker margins, black stem lesions, and leaf drop. Currently, there are no known cures for infected plants; nonetheless, good sanitation practices and pre-emptive fungicidal sprays can significantly help prevent disease spread.

Dr. Jeanine Davis and Kelly Gaskill gave the second fascinating presentation at the MHCREC on hop pro-duction in Western North Carolina. Ac-cording to Dr. Davis, hops have been tradition-ally bred for the Pacific Northwest and thus re-quire long days to bloom. Consequently, shorter day length in lower lati-tudes (i.e. North Caroli-na) limits large scale

production. At the MHCREC, Dr. Davis’s research team is performing a hop varietal trail in search of day-neutral hop varieties that can be cultivated for production in Western North Carolina. Although the hop vines had been cut back prior to our arrival, I took photographs of the 18 foot trel-

lises on which hops vines are trained to maximized yield.

Asian Hemlock Trial

Other noteworthy tours included the Asian hemlock trial (MHCREC), the North Carolina Arboretum and VanWingerden International, Inc. At the MHREC, Dr. An-thony LeBude is evaluating the landscape adaptability of Asian hemlock varieties. Since the Asian hemlock species are tolerant (Tsuga sieboldii) or completely resistant (Tsu-ga chinensis and Tsuga diversifolia) to hemlock wooly adelgid, Dr. Lebude is searching for varieties that can tol-erate the climate in the mountains of Western North Caro-lina.

Ad – Waynesboro Nurseries



The North Carolina Arboretum dis-played exceptional fall color and their bonsai collection was outstanding.

Lagerstroemia x ‘Natchez’

(crapemyrtle) bonsai

VanWingerton International Inc. using automation to prune roses

VanWingerden International, Inc. is a 40- acre wholesale greenhouse operation with state-of-the-art mechanization, in-cluding a no-touch pruning device facilitated by a conveyer.

Educational Sessions Over a three-day period, nearly twenty educational presen-tations were given. Many discussed issues directly related to nursery crop propagation and production. Dr. Joel Kroin discussed the “do’s and don’ts” when using foliar applica-tions of IBA; John May shared weed control tactics for trou-blesome weeds in the Southeast; and Dr. Lee Bloomcamp entertained us with her pun-filled yet informative talk, “Fifty Shades of Green: Explicit Details on how to Whip Fungus Gnats and other Propagation Pests into Submission Using Soft but Serious Biocontrol Programs.” In addition, a few presenters lectured on equally important topics that di-gressed from the traditional production-related issues. One particularly interesting lecture to which I could relate was Brienne Gluvna’s, “Bridging the Generation Gap.” Accord-ing to Ms. Gluvna, social media (i.e. Facebook and Twitter) is one of the most effective ways for growers to connect with the younger generation. Aside from utilizing social media, increasing IPPS membership of new, young growers would also improve intergeneration communication. One way suggested to help achieve this goal is subsidizing mem-bership fees for starting-out growers and interns. Gluvna as-serts that membership fees for recent college graduates can be the limiting factor for joining IPPS and taking advantage of networking opportunities at annual meetings. I can cer-tainly attest to this claim. Had I not been sponsored by the VNLA to attend the IPPS Southern Region Annual Meet-ing, I probably would not have paid out-of-pocket for what turned out to be the best networking experience in which I’ve ever participated.

The unique opportunity of having some of the most influen-tial nurserymen and horticultural researchers at one meeting was priceless for me as a graduate student. This trip was an exceptional learning experience and reinforced my passion for the nursery industry. It was truly a privilege to attend the IPPS Southern Region annual meeting, and I could not be more grateful for the VNLA giving me this opportunity.

[Editor’s Note: The VNLA contributed funds to help cover Jake’s expenses on this trip.]

Sincerest regards, Jake Shreckhise, VA Tech Horticulture Graduate Program, HAREC, VA Beach



News - Horticulture Department News Change in leadership at the Hahn Horticulture Garden

Holly Scoggins who has prevailed over the Hahn Horticul-ture Garden as director for the past 12 years will be stepping down from her position as di-rector as on January 1, 2015.

Robert McDuffie, one of the original planners of the garden and longtime instructor in our Landscape Design option for Horticulture majors will be assuming leadership.

Holly oversaw design and con-struction of the Peggy Lee Hahn Garden Pavilion from its

inception, made possible by a generous gift by Peggy and T. Marshall Hahn, Jr. Holly has worked with determina-tion on a multitude of improvements that have elevated the garden to a showpiece. Under her direction the garden ex-panded from 2 to 6 acres, including the installation of the Jocelyn Couture Nowak Memorial Terrace Garden, the Amphitheater, and the Meadow Garden.

She oversaw the planning and execution of the annual Garden Gala fundraiser hosted with grace and wit each June for the past many years. Holly will remain in the Hor-ticulture Department where she will continue to teach her popular courses on herbaceous perennials, ornamental plant production and greenhouse management and direct a research program focused on ornamentals. She will also continue to serve as the Herbaceous Plants Curator for the garden.

Robert brings to the garden a wealth of experience gleaned from his many years of teach-ing landscape and leading tours of hundreds of gardens around the world. He is excited about this new career direction and expects to continue to teach landscape design and offer gar-den tours to far off places, while continuing to improve the Hahn Garden.

Ad – Turtle Creek Nursery

Robert McDuffie



Alex Niemiera receives the Award for Excellence in Career Advising

Congratulations to Alex Niemiera for receiving the 2013-2014 Award for Excellence in Advising from Career Services. As our undergrad-uate coordinating counselor, Alex works with many of our undergrad-uates to try to conform their under-graduate experience to their career objectives. In addition, Dr. Niemiera teaches many courses for

the Horticulture Department, including Woody Landscape Plants I and II, Horticulture Science and Industry, CALS First Year Seminar Course, Plants, Places, Cultures Glob-ally, and Environmental Factors in Horticulture.

New Master Gardener Website

In September, the VCE Master Gardener Program unveiled a new website with improved features and an updated look. Users can connect and stay updated with VCE Master Gar-dener Facebook posts through the live feed displayed on the home page. Through a password-protected area, coordinators can access resources, including certificate requests, down-loadable marketing tools/templates, and social media guide-lines. Some familiar features have been retained, such as Master Gardener College news, Coordinator Endowment up-dates, and local unit contact information. Past and current editions of the “In Season” newsletter will still be available to users through the site. We intend for the website to be visual-ly engaging while providing users with a more seamless nav-igation through content.

Check out the site: https://blogs.lt.vt.edu/mastergardener/

Undergraduate News Learning from Alumni Hokie Horticulture Alumni, Mark Maslow, Southern Land-scape Group, Chapman Williams, Williams Brothers Tree and Lawn and Sonya Westervelt, Saunders Brothers, visited the Career Practicum class to offer sage advice on the “Do's and Don’ts” for student transitioning from college to career.

Group photo of the Career Practicum class

with Horticulture Alumni (Photo by Barbara Leshyn)

Visit from VA Tech President Sands Student representatives of the Horticulture Club had an op-

portunity to meet Presi-dent Sands during his visit to the College of Agriculture and Life Sci-ences on October 30th. Elizabeth Wilson, James Rockwell and Amy Puckett (pictured) repre-sented the department well. They spoke of the different degrees offered by the department, the Horticulture Club and proffered Dr. Sands a boutonnière to wear for the rest of his visit.

Amy Puckett presenting President Sands with a boutonnière.

(Photo by Barbara Leshyn)



Normand Adams speaking to represent CALS undergraduate recipients of scholarships, at the

CALS Scholarship Banquet.

Normand Adams speaks on be-half of scholarship recipients at the CALS Scholarship Banquet Normand represented CALS undergraduate scholarship recip-ients who collectively received nearly $1 million in awards. The banquet was held on October 30th and students from all over

the college received scholarships, including several from Horticulture! (photo by Jamie Lucero)

Grants and Funding Clean WateR3 - Reduce, Remediate, Recycle – Enhanc-ing Alternative Water Resources Availability and Use to Increase Profitability in Specialty Crops

Jim Owen, Assistant Professor of Horticulture at the Hampton Roads AREC, has been awarded funds for the first year of an $8.7 million, five year

USDA/NIFA/SCRI competitive grant as part of a national team of 21 scientists from nine institutions working to en-courage use of alternative water resources by the nation’s nursery and floriculture industry. The team will develop and apply systems-based solutions to assist grower deci-sion making by providing science-based information to increase use of recycled water. This award will be man-aged by Project Director Sarah White of Clemson Univer-sity. The trans-disciplinary Clean WateR3 team will de-velop these systems-based solutions by integrating socio-logical, economic, modeling, and biological data into a user-friendly decision-support system intended to inform and direct our stakeholders’ water management decision-making process. Others from VT involved in the project include: David Sample, Asst. Professor of Biological Sys-tems Engineering, Laurie Fox, Horticulture Associate and Saurav Kumar, Research Associate of Civil and Environ-mental Engineering.

Developing Organic and Integrated Management Strate-gies for Pest Control in Annual Strawberry Production

Jeff Derr and Jayesh Samtani at Hampton Roads AR-EC were recently awarded a USDA Specialty Crop Com-petitive Grant "Developing Organic and Integrated Man-agement Strategies for Pest Control in Annual Strawberry Production" Amt. funded $28,817.

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Appalachian Trail Update Roger has passed by Buena Vista, Virginia and is narrow-

ing in on Glasgow. Now that he is back on his home turf and the ankle injuries are mostly healed (October 30), the hiking is easier and he is getting about 20 miles a day. It's going to be a push to finish the entire Appalachian Trail (2,200 miles) by the end of the year, but it certainly looks possible. The fall color has been absolutely fabulous in the mountains as he came through Shenandoah National Park and his spirits are high. Roger appreciates all the good wishes he's received so far.

A ghost spotted passing though Blacksburg on October 31st!

Photo by Alex Niemiera

News - Local Gardening Couple is connecting the World with Plants

Bill Blevins and his wife Tracy, a Master Gardener, faced a gardening dilemma.

“At each successive house we had a big garden,” Bill said. “We’d install plant tags, make notes, take pictures and even post online. Each time we moved, we left behind a beautiful garden for someone else to enjoy, and all we had was a jumbled mess of notes and photos scattered all over the web and in journals in our basement.”

Bill wanted a database where he could keep all his plant notes and photos “I realized it would be great to have a database accessible by phone, so I could have it with me in the yard,” he said. “I knew what I wanted to do, but I didn’t know how to do it.”

At lunch with friends one Thursday, the conversation gave Bill the idea of using QR codes on plant tags to connect to static webpages that would allow him to add photos and take notes for each individual plant. One friend at that lunch was a National Park Service ranger trained in horti-culture. “If you build this, the National Park Service would love it,” Bill’s friend said.

The very next week Bill’s company was cosponsoring Startup Weekend Fredericksburg. He asked his boss if he could participate. “I figured I could represent my company and make this pitch just for fun. Maybe someone would

help get my database started.”

That was January 2014. Bill received more than a little help. “A group of crazy talented people put together a basic product over the weekend,” Bill said.

It was a great start, and Bill and Tracy kept at it nights and weekends. They captured the interest of friends in the gar-dening community and Plants Map became a full-time business in April 2014. They hired their first employee in September. Nick Cadwallender, former president and pub-lisher of the Free Lance-Star, will serve as senior vice president, strategic part-nerships.

Plants Map is a mobile friendly web-site that al-lows individ-uals and or-ganizations to create a webpage for each of their plants, includ-ing photos, notes, growing information and links to favor-ite reference pages and videos. It’s not an app, so there’s nothing to download.

Plants Map users can purchase interactive plant tags that enable access to the online information for that plant. In the same way, public gardens can engage visitors through their mobile devices to like plants in the collection and learn more about the organization.

Plants Map is social gardening. Users can share their profile, garden, collections and plant pages with others on Plants Map, and via other social networks including Face-book, Twitter and Pinterest. Organizations can produce a Network Map of members, supporters, volunteers and or-ganizations. Plants Map is free for individuals, nonprofit organizations and schools.

The Village of Gridley, Ill. was one of Plants Map’s first clients. Residents of the village donated 40 trees for the park, each in memory of a loved one. A tag on each tree links to the webpage for that tree, which gives the history of the tree and tells for whom and by whom it was donat-ed.

Spotsylvania Greenways Initiative recently installed tags on 30 trees along Salamander Loop.

Bill and his team are working now to enable organizations to upload plant inventories to the site. They’ve imported the USA National Phenology Network list of plant species to Plants Map. “This will enable citizen scientists to file all



their data on Plants Map, and allow the net-work scientists to review the data submitted for each individual plant,” Bill said.

Plants Map does not want to be the scien-tific database of record. They want to be the social link to the scientific databases. “Our goal is to create the world’s largest social da-tabase for plants,” Bill said. “This story by Susan Larson was first Published In

Front Porch Magazine." Reprinted with permis-sion.

Provided by Matt Shreckhise

Tips - Do You Know Your Association? Taking things for granted is almost unavoidable in these days of intense activity and increased competition for our time and attention. Don't lose touch with your Association, and ask yourself what priority it has in your schedule.

1. Do you regularly send news items or other material to the Associa-tions for publication?

2. Do you promptly read Associations literature when it comes to you?

3. Can you name the Officers without looking them up?

4. Have you attended any meetings?

5. Do you regard dues as an investment, not just a deductible business expense?

6. Have you suggested a topic or speaker recently?

7. If you serve on a committee, do you attend meetings and do your share of the work?

8. Have you, in the past six months, invited a non-member to join?

Think about it...you'll only get out of it as much as you put into it! From VNLA Newsletter 1989

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their data on Plants Map, and allow the net-work scientists to review the data submitted for each individual plant,” Bill said.

Plants Map does not want to be the scien-tific database of record. They want to be the social link to the scientific databases. “Our goal is to create the world’s largest social da-tabase for plants,” Bill said. “This story by Susan Larson was first Published In

Front Porch Magazine." Reprinted with permis-sion.

Provided by Matt Shreckhise

Tips - Do You Know Your Association? Taking things for granted is almost unavoidable in these days of intense activity and increased competition for our time and attention. Don't lose touch with your Association, and ask yourself what priority it has in your schedule.

1. Do you regularly send news items or other material to the Associa-tions for publication?

2. Do you promptly read Associations literature when it comes to you?

3. Can you name the Officers without looking them up?

4. Have you attended any meetings?

5. Do you regard dues as an investment, not just a deductible business expense?

6. Have you suggested a topic or speaker recently?

7. If you serve on a committee, do you attend meetings and do your share of the work?

8. Have you, in the past six months, invited a non-member to join?

Think about it...you'll only get out of it as much as you put into it! From VNLA Newsletter 1989

Ad – Guthrie Nursery



News - The 5th Triennial Maple Symposium of The Maple Society

Moonrise: A.s. MoonriseTM, 2016 Maple of the Year

(Photo courtesy of Munn Nursery)

The Symposium was held October 23-24, 2014 at the Mor-ris Arboretum at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadel-phia. The Morris, established in 1932, on the 92 acre former estate of John and Lydia Morris, seems a world away from the bustle of the city. A collection of more than 25,000 well labeled plants graces the Morris’ thoughtfully arranged walkways, lawn areas and elegant buildings. Tony Aiello, Director of Horticulture and Curator, kept attendees on track as we were enlightened by talks from a star-studded line-up of speakers from Europe, Canada and the United States.

Ed Shinn: Keith Johansson (c) Metro Maples & Peter Gregory

(r) presenting Peter Gregory Award to Ed Shinn (l)

Day 1: Cor Van Gelderen, of PlantenTuin Esveld, Boskoop, The Netherlands, proposed a new system for Acer palma-tum classification designed for easier interpretation of form. Piet de Jong, retired director of the Botanic Gardens of the University of Utrecht and Station for Nursery Stock at Bos-koop, The Netherlands and co-author of Maples of the World, presented recent classification research and dis-cussed the inconclusive DNA results derived in studies at-tempting to understand the relationships in maple species. Dan Crowley, Dendrologist at Westonbirt, The National Ar-boretum, Tetbury, Gloucestershire, England, expanded on these classification inconsistencies by highlighting various collected trees growing in arboreta that suffered initial mis-identification and his efforts in creating a taxonomic revi-sion of the section.

Peter Gregory (c) with Matt Nichols (l), President

TMSNAB and Tim Nichols (r), executive board TMSNAB,

co-owners Nichols Nursery & MrMaple.com

Day 2: Tony Aiello, aforementioned Director of the Morris, discussed the history of the maple collection at the Morris and shared his experiences in wild maple collection in Asia, demonstrating the complexity of these important efforts. Richard Olsen, Research Geneticist at the National Arbore-tum, Washington D.C., addressed the need for urban toler-ant, non-invasive maple species and the breeding programs at the USNA and other institutions in creating trees for our modern landscapes. Dan Benarcik, Horticulturist at Chanti-cleer, Wayne PA, reminded us all that we should not lose sight of the most important goal of creating and properly siting beautiful trees as integral elements in the tapestry of landscape design. Douglas Justice, Associate Director of Horticulture and Collections at UBC Botanical Gardens, Vancouver, British Columbia, brought us images of wild-provenance maples at UBC collected in Pan-Asia and demonstrated why UBC possesses ideal conditions for test-ing the diverse plants displayed in their gardens. Justice also pointed out why much of the confusion in the labeling of collected samples as discussed in the presentations of Crow-ley and de Jong was likely due in part to recurring juvenile foliage growth on various specimens which muddied proper classification.

Attendees were treated to walking tours of gardens each af-ternoon, where the knowledge shared by the speakers could be processed and applied while viewing the beautiful col-lections. We explored the Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College, where the collection of over 4000 plants is de-signed as an idea and inspiration garden for public educa-tion and is perfectly integrated into a small college campus. Attendees also had the opportunity to tour the grounds at the Morris Arboretum, which, as mentioned at the outset, is an expansive and wonderfully executed display worthy of a day long visit.

Post tours on October 25-26 included visits to three private gardens which incorporated notable maples and fabulous design as well as a visit to Chanticleer, a “public pleasure garden” in Philadelphia. Chanticleer is an aesthetic experi-ence, setting the imagination of visitors afire with its artful array of color, texture and form.

[Continued on page 18]



VNLA - Photo Contest Rules

The contest is open to any photographer (amateur and professional) except mem-bers of Board of Directors of VNLA and their families. En-tries are limited to VNLA members and their staff. Each photographer may enter up to three (3) digital images per Newsletter deadline (see #6). E-mail images to [email protected]. Include your name, phone number and oc-cupation. One winning entry per pho-tographer per year. You may re-enter non-winning entries. Please e-mail images sepa-rately. Feel free to elaborate on any story surrounding the photograph. Photos should be 300 dpi high resolution. All photographs submitted must have been taken within the past five years. All photographs must be re-lated to the Green Industry. The subject can be located in a nursery, back yard, or in a landscape--just so it is obvi-ously related to the green in-dustry profession. Deadline for submission is 5:00 p.m. on the Newsletter Copy Deadline, which is the 15th of January, April, July, and October. All submissions become the property of the VNLA. Model Release forms are re-quired with each photograph which contains a clearly identi-fiable person. Release forms are available from the VNLA office, on request, and are also available for download from the VNLA website at Model re-lease in MS Word format or Adobe PDF format. Judging is done by the VNLA Communication Committee.

All decisions are final

Winner of the Oct/Nov/Dec 2014 Photo Contest

Photo Winner:

Lynn Govoruhk, JW Townsend Inc., Charlottesville

Butterfly on Zinnia

Win $50, submit your photos! Good Luck and Happy Photographing!

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[continued from page 16]

Maple Society members enjoying post tour

The formal session of the Symposium closed with a banquet on the grounds of the Morris Arboretum. Keith Johansson of Metro Maples, Arlington TX, and outgoing president of The Maple Society North American Branch, along with past recipient Peter Gregory, renowned maple expert, co-founder of The Maple Society, former manager of Wes-tonbirt, author and editor of recent editions of J.D. Vertrees’ Japanese Maples, presented the 2014 Peter Gregory Award to Ed Shinn of Wall NJ for his exceptional devotion to the Society, to its membership and to Maples.

The Society also announced that the 2016 Maple of the year will be Acer shirasuwanum Moonrise, introduced by Carl Munn of Munn’s Nursery, Brooks OR. Look for more information on this amazing cultivar soon so you will be ready for the 2016 season.

The Maple Society is comprised of a diverse group of hob-byists, growers and scholars from around the globe. For membership information or to learn more about the 2017 International Symposium in Poland or the North American Branch Annual (TMSNAB) meeting slated for Oregon in 2015, visit www.themaplesociety.org or The Maple Soci-ety Facebook page.

Additional Links

The Morris Arboretum http://www.business-services.up-enn.edu/arboretum/index.shtml

The Scott Arboretum http://www.scottarboretum.org/

Chanticleer http://www.chanticleergarden.org/

U.S. National Arboretum http://www.usna.usda.gov/

UBC Botanical Garden www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/

Westonbirt www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-855W5H

PlantenTuin Esveld http://www.esveld.nl/engels.php

Utrecht University Botanic Garden www.uu.nl/EN/bo-tanicgardens/about/Pages/default.aspx

(Photos 2-4 courtesy of Tim Nichols)

By Elizabeth Mundy, Vice President, TMSNAB, President, Acer Acres Inc., Beaverdam VA

News - Cooperative Extension releases E-book for Entrepreneurs

Virginia Cooperative Exten-sion recently released a new e-book, "Question and Answer Guide for Starting and Grow-ing Your Own Business," to provide Virginia business owners with essential infor-mation in an easily accessible way.

Scott Tate, senior economic-development specialist in Vir-ginia Tech's Office of Eco-nomic Development and for-mer Extension community-viability specialist, and Crystal Ty-ler-Mackey, Virginia Cooperative Extension community via-bility specialist, authored the publication.

The e-book covers entrepreneurial basics, business plans, legal considerations and more. The publication can be ac-cessed on the Virginia Cooperative Extension publication Web site at http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/. It also is available via Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader and Apple products.

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is the first col-lege at Virginia Tech to offer e-books, which complement the hundreds of peer-reviewed publications written by Exten-sion specialists each year. Virginia Cooperative Extension plans to release a new e-book each month.

"E-books reflect our commitment to reach larger and more diverse audiences," said Edwin Jones, director of Virginia Co-operative Extension. 'These peer-reviewed publications, writ-ten by Extension specialists, provide another valuable tool for putting knowledge into the hands of the people."

With a network of faculty at two universities, 107 county and city offices, 11 agricultural-research and Extension centers, and six 4-H educational centers, Virginia Cooperative Exten-sion `provides solutions to the problems facing Virginians to-day," officials said.

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Profile - Scott & Laura Matherly A&S Lawn & Land Care

Scott and Laura had a small maintenance company in the 1990's that serviced the Petersburg/Colonial Heights area. As Scott worked full time driving a tractor trailer, Laura was left to handling operations, so when a desire to build the family became a focus, they sold the business in 1998. (Can't do it pregnant!) Scott continued to drive a truck while Laura handled bookkeeping and accounting for a small business, and their second child was born in 1999.

By 2001 both Scott and Laura were homeless and unem-ployed...technically. They had just sold their house in Dinwiddie County to move to a new property in Powhatan when Scott was laid off from the union truck company. Then 9/11 came and Laura was laid off as well. Living with Scott's brother and having only a piece of land, they had to make decisions about how best to proceed for the family. Laura secured a position in middle management for a foodservice company in late 2001 and told Scott to "build his dream of being self-employed" so that we could better control our future. Scott started out with passion and quickly grew the company, having to hire associates to support the growing business. In 2009, as a result of a cor-porate buyout, Laura was laid off from her position at the foodservice company. It didn't take Scott long to convince her that, though she was welcome to join the company, she didn't really have a choice!

At the end of 2009, amidst the recession, A&S was down 16% in gross sales. Though their customer base was dwin-dling, smart choices and reducing costs where possible helped keep the business going. By 2011 customers were returning and the company had grown 29%, and by 2013 grew another 30%. Focus on slow and steady growth is their main objective so not to lose sight of customer ser-vice. "We grew to this level one customer at a time and continue to build slowly. We don't want to grow too quick-

ly where our associates are overwhelmed and our perfor-mance suffers."

Since joining the company in 2009 Laura has inspired the company to grow by expanding the landscape design, in-stall, and property maintenance portion of the company. "We like being the trusted company that customers go to for almost anything outdoors. If they have questions or concerns regarding the health of their landscape, have ex-cessively wet or dry areas, or other concerns, they can come to us. When they are considering adding a hardscape or pool, we'll discuss how changing the landscape will im-pact the rest of their property. This can be critical for deci-sion making regarding the design. The last thing we like to hear is someone saying "I wish I would have known" about certain landscape nuances before they make the change. Should the customer desire something that is out-side of our comfort level, then we refer them to other pro-fessional contractors who can handle the work.

Existing customers will approach us about adding a new ornamental bed or making changes to an existing bed, so we work with them to create this new space. Laura will make suggestions for the plant stock but likes to use the customer's favorites as well if they are suitable for the space. Good designs result from good communication be-

tween the customer and ourselves, incorporating favorite shrubs, colors, or even heirloom plants that have been lifted from a family home. Our goal is to see a smile on our customers' face once the project is completed; they trust us to handle the project so that it meets their expectations.

Outdoor living areas are becoming almost

essential for families and are starting to become popu-



lar with some of our commercial clients. We work with property managers to develop landscape solutions that ap-peal to the tenants as well as their clients, providing areas of interest instead of the standard row of meatball shaped shrubs. From creation to installation we think about how this landscape plan will affect the customer in 2 years, 5 years, and longer, and we want to be there to care for the plant stock, too, as it matures.

A full offering of turf and shrub services makes A&S just another landscape company, but our passion, integrity and unique business approach sets us apart from the others.

Scott and Laura are married, to each other O We find that our relationship is better when we work together and we just celebrated 20 years of marriage.

Humor is absolutely important! Looking at the light side of life is key. We enjoy Gardening to include vegetables, fruits, edibles and we will harvest and store foods for use in the winter, etc. We currently grow tomatoes, peppers, greens, bok choy, asparagus, lettuces, malibar spinach and mushrooms (among other stuff) for personal consumption. Cooking, our next favorite!! Scott will hunt deer and we like to play with different marinades for our own venison jerky. I enjoy looking for healthy alternatives in cooking and incorporating as many fresh ingredients as possible.

We like to canoe with friends and camp as well on longer canoe trips. Music is a huge passion in our family, and we love to travel, especially to Europe. I get a lot of creative inspiration from observing the landscape abroad.

Laura spent almost 20 years in a corporate environment which brings experience for building Business Strategies, Human Resources,

Accounting, and customer service to the company. She has a background in Marketing and Brand Development for a Foodservice company that gave her great experience in design by offering a different perspective on blending col-

ors, textures and weight when creating landscape designs.

Scott is the guru on turf renovation and has great knowledge of small en-gines and handles al-most all of the mainte-nance for our equipment in-house. Scott's cus-tomer service and genu-ine personality has al-lowed him to maintain some of the same cus-tomers for 10 years.

Additional Information:

High School attended: Scott: Shady Spring, WV and Laura from Westfield, NJ Graduated 1985

Graduated in 1986 from Laura: Wesley College, Dover DE

Scholastic honors and activities:

BSBA Marketing, Member of American Marketing Associa-tion, Internship with UPS

Current Job Title: Managing Owner @ A&S Lawn and Land Care since: 12/2012 and with the company since April 2009

Turf/Grounds Mainte-nance: About 65% of our business broken down to

• Residential 45% • Commercial 55% Landscape Design/Install: About 35% of our business and growing

Market Niche: Our niche is that we approach each property (commercial or residential) as a unique set-ting and customize a plan to overcome challenges in that set-ting. We don't offer a one size fits all program based on sq. ft. Then we look at the long term

Business Philosophy: Work honestly and with integrity. We educate customers about why we are using a particular tech-nique or herbicide, etc. so that they understand. Our goal is to keep customers for the long term, not get what we can on one job and hope they call us back.

Best Idea You Ever Stole: Using leave-behind cards after pesticide applications - the communication effort is a great customer service plus!

Members of:

VNLA - since 2010 CVNLA - since 2010 VA Turfgrass Council - since 2013

Other Organizations:

VA Dept. of Agriculture - we have (4) certified pes-ticide applicators on staff; we can treat Turf, Orna-mental, Aquatic, and Right of Way

VNLA - Laura is Virginia Certified Horticulturist Favorite Plant

Laura's: Harry Lauder Walking Stick (Contorted Fig) Scott's: Knockout rose



Laura: No favorite!! (at our wedding the flowers were of every color possible, and we were married at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond.) Scott: Purple

Dislikes: Juniper

Best Habit: Telling our customers that we appreciate their business and being genuine about it.

Worst Habit: Not sure!

Hobbies: Mentioned above...

Dream Vacation: Hiking in Hawaii to see the landscape, or to England to walk through formal gardens...anything that is horticulturally interesting!

Hero: Scott

Favorite Quote: "If you keep doing what you are doing, then you will keep getting what you are getting"

Aspirations: To become Certified Arborist and Certified Landscape Designer

E-mail [email protected], Edited by Sandy Miller

Horticulture Research Gala and Auction The VNA Research Committee would like to

thank those who have supported the Research Galas for many years.

While we are committed to continuing to grow our support of research and remain a powerful catalyst

for our industry, we will not be hosting a Gala/Auction during MANTS in 2015.

We are excited to announce that the VNA Horticul-ture Research Foundation is planning an event later in 2015 that will feature presentations and interac-tion with the researchers. This will be an informa-

tive as well as social event to raise awareness, stim-ulate conversation, and generate support for future

research. To support this upcoming event or to get involved, please contact: [email protected] 1-800-476-0055

See funded research projects at: http://www.vnla.org/Research

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LEAN HIGHLIGHTS Compiled by Sarah Vanek

7 Forms of Waste Waiting

Defects/Rework

Inventory build-up

Motion

Transportation

Overproduction

Over-processing

5S

Sort—clean out the junk

Set in Order—establish and clearly document a permanent and logical home for every item

Shine—as a method of inspection

Standardize—create a routine

Sustain—perpetuate the cycle

Benefits of Standardization

Work is done correctly, safely, and efficiently

Outcomes are consistent between cycles and between individuals

Problems are easier to detect and address

Workers appreciate clear expectations

Workers appreciate being in a position to be able to do their work well

Standardized work creates a baseline for continuous improvement

Kanban Every supplier-customer

connection must have a clear YES/NO signal for requests and responses

Separating Normal and Abnormal Work

Team Leader:

Writes standardized work

Handles abnormal work

Team Members:

Perform normal (standardized work)

Identify abnormal work

Abnormal conditions become visible and are quickly contained

The process is able to continue running smoothly

4M’s of Stability MAN: Do you have enough

trained workers to perform the current processes?

METHOD: Are basic work instructions and work standards in place?

MATERIAL: Is there enough material on-hand every day to meet production needs?

MACHINES: Is equipment reliable enough to meet customer demand?

Destabilizers Equipment failures

Defects

Rework

Shortages of materials or information

Absenteeism

Low worker morale

Trystorming Just give it a go!

“Best is the enemy of better”

Problem-Solving Ask Why?...Why?...Why?...

Address the true root cause

Requirements of Just-In-Time Production

Stability

Established Flow

Standardized Work

Pull

Small lot production (One-piece flow)

Establishing Basic Flow

GOAL: Thoroughly evaluate the current conditions, then create a highly streamlined operation

TOOLS:

Time Measurement Sheets

Yamazumi Charts

Spaghetti Diagrams

Material and Information Flow Charts

Problems with Batch-Processing

The quantity processed in earlier steps may not match the number needed in later steps

Products are less likely to be what the customer wants

Rework to make it correct

Reduced sales

Product is ready long before the customer wants it

Degradation of sitting inventory

Cost of inventory maintenance and storage

***One-piece flow is not a recommended starting point for Lean


VNLA Newsletter 71November / December 2007VNLA Newsletter 65September / October 2007

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November/December 2007 VNLA Newsletter 70

Designing With Elegant Silvers, Striking Plants for

Every Garden; Saturday, January 19, 9:30 - 11:00 am

Silvers are the shimmering chameleons of the plant king-

dom. Their silvery appearance is caused by water-conserving hairs, scales, powder, waxy coatings or air

bubbles. The beauty and drought-tolerance of familiar

downy silvers such as lamb's ears and artemisias have long

made them favorites in the herb garden and perennial bor-der.

Karen Bussolini will discuss and show beautiful slides of the many inventive ways gardeners across the United

States have used these stalwart plants in containers, bor-

ders or the larger landscape. She will pay special attention to the use of silvers for our hot and humid summers, pro-

tective adaptations, and using color and texture to create

exciting combinations. She will also touch on historical

uses from medieval times to modern xeriscaping. $20 members / $30 non-members.

Copies of The Unsung Season and Elegant Silvers will be available for purchase at each lecture, and the author will

sign copies.

Down to Earth Gardening; Saturday, February 2, 8:30

am - 4:30 pm

A horticulture symposium on gardening smarter, problem solving and going green with the best new plants

Join Horticulture magazine and Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden for a day-long garden symposium featuring these

topics and speakers:

Gardening Smarter, Problem Solving and Going

Green: Nan Sinton

Down to Earth Gardening with keynote speaker, Ireland's

Helen Dillon -It's more than putting plants together and

making pictures in the garden. See how to rethink, re-

design and manage change in a smaller space

The Elements of Organic Gardening with David How-

ard, head gardener to HRH The Prince of Wales. Explore the process of creating an organic garden the Highgrove

way.

Conifers to Fit Your Space with Richard L. Bitner. See

how to choose conifers that fit smaller gardens, and add

year-round interest to problem sites.

Plants that Go Green with Bill Cullina

Registration fees: $129 regular rate / $119 for Horticulture subscribers and Lewis Ginter members. Registration avail-

able through Horticulture magazine only at

www.hortprograms.com or call toll-free 1-877-GDN-PROG (1-877-436-7764)

Tree Care Symposium February 15

Professionals in tree care, green industry professionals,

and advanced gardeners are invited to attend the Tree Care

Symposium, Friday, February 15, 2008, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm. To receive a detailed program, email regis-

[email protected]

A Workshop for Professionals on Designing with Stone

Gordon Hayward, garden designer and author; Friday,

March 7, 9 am - 1:30 pm (9 am - 12 pm workshop, 12-1:30 pm lunch & conversation with Gordon Hayward)

Walls and walkways, terraces and steps, benches, boulders and bedrock, water and stone, standing stones and sculp-

ture - stone is at once beautiful and useful in the landscape.

In this day-long workshop for professionals, you will learn

how to design with stone to create a lasting framework as well as a wide range of stone features, ornaments and de-

tails that will add a sense of age and permanence to your

client's garden. Gordon will also discuss the practical is-sues of setting walkways, terraces, and walls, how to set

boulders and standing stones, and how to site any number

of stone garden features to underpin the garden's itinerary. $75 Garden and VSLD, VNLA, and AS LA members/ $85

non-members. Presented in cooperation with the Univer-

sity of Richmond School of Continuing Studies Landscape

Design Certificate Program. Recent Alumni and current students of this program should contact the Program Spe-

cialist, Gary Ray, for a special offer.

Small Buildings, Small Gardens, Saturday, Mar. 8, 9:30 - 11:30 am

Join acclaimed garden designer and author Gordon Hayward for this discussion about structures in small gar-

dens. Hayward looks closely at how gardeners can use

small buildings and built structures such as gazeboes and

arbors, pergolas and bridges, fences and decks to help find just the right place for new gardens. Learn how these

structures ease the design process by helping you see how

to develop new gardens in relation to existing or new structures. Built structures in our gardens are magnets for

family, guests and visitors. Learn how structures help

viewers frame their relationship to the garden. Finally,

when you see how built structures in your garden provide anchors, centers and starting places for good garden de-

sign, you will gain confidence in designing your own gar-

dens. $25 members / $35 non-members.

Gordon Hayward's book Small Buildings, Small Gardens

will be available for purchase and signing.

For more information or to register contact Phyllis Laslett at

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden; [email protected]


VNLA - “Plant Something” Member Marketing Program

We are very excited to provide you with tools and marketing materials for Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association’s new marketing campaign, Plant Something. This campaign is designed to communicate the benefits of planting trees, plants, flowers and vegetables to Virginia residents.

By adopting the Plant Something philosophy, residents can improve their home, their community and their quality of life. And with more people aware of the benefits of exterior de-sign, we want to drive more customers to your Virginia retail location and increase your transactions.

This Plant Something Marketing Task Force is developing materials and tools to help promote your nursery, garden cen-ter and/or landscape business and motivate your customers to “Plant Something” today. This is a joint project that 13 other state nursery and landscape associations have adopted.

Go to www.plant-something.org and see how other states are utilizing this program and give us your suggestions for how the VNLA can use this program to make your business more profitable!

If you are interested in participating with the Task Force to customize this program for VNLA members, contact the

VNLA Office at 1-800-476-0055, [email protected]

VNLA - New VNLA Logo Introduced at Field Day

The VNLA has been working with Access Inc, a public relations firm in Roanoke, Virginia on several initiatives. Jeremy Butterfield, from Access, was at the VNLA Field Day to learn about the VNLA, our members, and our Field Day to help us better tell the story of what the VNLA and its members do for the industry and the state.

One of the first things we tackled is a new VNLA logo.

The new VNLA logo has many features that speak to our organization, woven into a simple, yet impactful graphic icon.

The green and brown colors are from an earth tone palette that represents the earth we work in and the plants we seek to grow, nurture and create into inspiring designs. The spade and tree represent the full cycle of our professional efforts and the fruit of our labor.

The typography is a modern iteration of our traditional naming convention and is crisp and easy to read.

The logo in its entirety is easily scalable and clearly rep-resents our organization at any size, from billboard and to business card.

The combination, although it speaks of many aspects of the Virginia Nursery and Landscaping Association, is simple, clean and easy to work with. We feel the make is modern and distinct and speaks to our mission and vision.

We would like to thank the members of the committee who guided the creation of the logo and provided valua-ble input during its development.

Presentation by Matt Shreckhise, VNLA President at the VNLA Field Day lunch



News - Project EverGreen Kicks Off “Healthy Turf. Healthy Kids.”™

Initiative

Cleveland (October 20, 2014) – Despite windy conditions and the occasional rain drop, Project EverGreen www.projectevergreen.org kicked off its “Healthy Turf.

Healthy Kids.”™ Initiative October 7 in Cleveland, Ohio with the revitalization of the soccer field behind the Mi-chael J. Zone Recreation Center.

With a host of special guests including Cleveland City Councilman Matt Zone, for whose grandfather the center is named after, and City of Cleveland Parks Maintenance Commissioner, Richard Silva, in attendance, Cindy Code, executive director of Project EverGreen, told attendees the revitalization of green spaces benefit children, adults and entire communities.

“Returning the field be-hind me to a status that allows neighborhood youth and adult sports teams to once again safely practice, play and enjoy the space is what this initi-ative is all about,” said Code. “Having access to

safe and healthy playing surfaces are vital for our kids’ enjoyment and development.”

Studies have confirmed there is significant value in having children spend time outdoors playing, and Project Ever-Green’s “Healthy Turf. Healthy Kids.” initiative was cre-ated to restore and revitalize green spaces for kids to play, exercise and connect including sports fields and parks.

The initiative is done in collaboration with the Sports Turf Managers Association (www.stma.org) and the Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance (www.tgwca.org).

“Not only do yards, parks and sports fields promote a healthier lifestyle, they also contribute to economic growth, community development and improve the envi-ronment,” added Code.

The project involved aerating, fertilizing, and overseeding the playing surface as well as removing rocks and bricks

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embedded in the soil. Local contractors lending support to the program included Morton’s Landscape, Schill Grounds Management, Weed Pro and Weed Man. The total estimat-ed cost to renovate the 120-yd. x 60-yd. field was $15,000.

“These fields receive a lot of use and as is the case with fields across the city the need for renovation is there but the funding isn’t always available,” said Silva. “Project

EverGreen’s initiative will make this field safer and attractive for the kids to play on.”

“The center is a special place for this community and for me in particular with the center being named for my father and in

the ward I serve,” said Councilman Zone. “Initiatives like ‘Healthy Turf. Healthy Kids.’ will go a long way to ensure the long term stability and viability of this field and this center.”

Plans call for additional “Healthy Turf. Healthy Kids.” projects in select cities across the United States in 2015.

About Project EverGreen Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Project EverGreen is a national non-profit educational organization committed to preserving and enhancing green spaces in our communities where we live, work and play. Project EverGreen’s revitaliza-tion projects result in beneficial green spaces that provide positive settings for kids and adults alike to relax and connect with their community and enjoy the outdoors.

www.facebook.com/ProjectEverGreen

Cindy Code, Project EverGreen, 440.290.4521, [email protected]

www.facebook.com/ProjectEverGreen

Tips - Are You Registered with VDACS? It’s the Law

The office of Plant Industry services is responsible for a number of agricultural and horticultural issues, specifically the Plant and Pant Products Inspection Law. This law re-quires nurseries and dealers to register with VDACS, which initiates an inspection of the plant material in an effort to help prevent the introduction and spread of dis-ease and insect pests of nursery stock. We have issues each year with trying to get all of the nurseries and dealers in the state to register with VDACS.

http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/plant&pest//index.shtml Debra Martin, Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey

& Nursery Program Coordinator

Tips - Pollinator 411, or, the Good, the Less Good, and the Gorgeous

Everywhere you turn, there’s another blog, another Face-book post, another news article about climate change. Even the climate change deniers have switched to com-plaining that we don’t know why it’s changing. From the perspective of a landscape designer, this is a major chal-lenge; we don’t know if the plants we’re specifying for that lovely perennial border are going to cope with too much rain, or no rain, or if that community will permit wa-tering in an ongoing drought.

But we’re not the only ones who live here on this changing world, and we really have to take that into account when designing. Many of those other dwellers – most of them insects – have an enormous impact on our landscapes and on our very lives. Did you know that one in three mouth-fuls of food or drink is only possible because of pollina-tors? It matters to us and our clients that the landscapes we’re designing are beautiful, but it’s becoming more ap-parent that beautiful is not enough.

The push for the use of native plants is not just plant snobbery; it’s a recognition that we need all those un-seen, unacknowledged neighbors so we can continue to live here.

Unless you like bugs (like me!), pollinating insects are not something you think about every day. We and our clients worry about bugs, but usually only in terms of what damage the bug is doing. If we worry about the health of the bugs, it’s the really visible, friendly insects like bum-blebees and butterflies that get the headlines. There are a lot of other native insects, however, who play a role in the pollination that’s so essential to our well-being, and get-ting to know them will hopefully lead you to think of the insects, too, when designing landscapes. (You might also be interested to know that only about one percent of all 4 million insect species interact with humans in negative ways, and that studies have shown the overall value pro-vided by the world’s insects to be $57 billion – that’s bil-lion with a B.)

We have grown a lot as a culture. We use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) now instead of indiscriminately tossing around poisons (well, not as much, anyway) – but remember that IPM means controlling pest numbers, not destroying the pest. That’s not just an acknowledgement that we can’t effectively destroy a pest without poisoning ourselves. It’s also an awareness that what is, today, a pest may very well be a pollinator once it grows up. Or it might feed those oh so important pollinators in either their larval or adult forms. And it’s a reflection of the fact that, when we zap all the pests, we often zap the insects that prey on



them…and pests multiply far, far more quickly than preda-tors. Use poison, and you might very well end up with a rebound population of pests larger than the one you initial-ly “took care of,” without predators to keep them in check.

Wasps and Bees

There are four major classes of pollinating in-sects: bees and wasps, flies, but-terflies and moths, and beetles. Bees (both native and imported) are con-sidered the most important pollina-tors, because they

deliberately gather pollen and nectar to feed their young, rather than just transferring what they happen to have bumped up against. Honeybees are the bees most people are familiar with, but native bees are far more efficient pollinators than the imported honeybee; they forage over a longer period of daylight, in weather which keeps honey-bees in their hives, and they visit many different plants in a given foraging trip, thus increasing the pollination across many species at the same time. One study showed more

than twice as many hours’ foraging for blue orchard bees—33 hours—compared to honeybees pollinating in the same area (15 hours). It takes only 250 female orchard bees to pollinate an acre of apples–a task it would take 15,000 honeybees to accomplish! Bumblebees are often the first bees active in the spring and the last still active in the fall. Bumblebees also have the ability to “buzz-pollinate,” vibrating their bodies to shake pollen from the plant’s anthers. That’s what they’re doing when you hear them making a racket down inside a flower!

Native Bee

There are about 500 species of native bees in Virginia, including about eighteen species of bumblebees. Most are solitary bees; they do not form colonies, which gives the added advantage (to us!) that, lacking a colony to de-fend, they tend to be far

less aggressive than honeybees. Instead, they nest in the ground, in bunchgrass clumps and brush piles, or inside woody stems of plants. Bumblebees also favor abandoned mouse burrows. Not all types of soil are favored by the

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ground dwellers. If you happen to find an area of the sandy, south-facing soil they like, and there are bees nest-ing there, do your best to conserve the area as it is; any sort of deep disturbance of the soil can destroy the bees’ nests before they can reproduce.

The area covered by an individual bee depends largely on its size. Large carpenter bees and bumblebees can travel a mile or more from their nest. Mining bees and leafcutter bees might forage 400-500 yards out. Small bees like the sweat bees and the smaller carpenter bees only go about 300 yards. The tiniest bees might be limited to no more than a couple hundred feet.

Wasps are relatively weak pollinators, lacking both body hair and the long tongues possessed by bees, but they do carry grains of pollen from plant to plant as the adults feed on nectar or hunt other insects to feed their young. Wasps’ real value to the gardener is as a predator of pest insects from aphids to cicadas.

Flies, members of one of the largest insect orders on Earth, are the most frequent visitors to flowers. They are often important pollinators for specific plants, includ-ing some human food plants (strawberries, onions, and carrots, yum!). Lacking a sting, many flies mimic bees or wasps in their shape and coloration. To tell them apart, remember that flies have one pair of wings (bees and wasps have two) and shorter, clubbed or down-turned an-tennae; bees’ and wasps’ antennae are longer and uniform-ly shaped. Most flies we see are syrphid flies, though we may also encounter bee flies and tachinid flies. Their mouthparts are short, limiting them to the disk-shaped flowers (e.g., Queen Anne’s Lace, the wild relative of the carrot). Many flies are predators of other insect species.

Butterflies and moths, even more than bees, are the insects most people recognize and, while they are not the most important pol-linator, they are certain-ly the most conspicuous and one of the reasons most often cited for wanting a native plant garden. Their pollinat-ing is by virtue of brush-ing up against the pol-

len-bearing anthers while they sip nectar with their long, long tongues. Moths, the less visible of the two, are actually repre-sented in much larger number—more than 10,000 species in North America compared to about 800 for butterflies—and are far more important as pollinators, especially for plants which bloom at night. You may very likely have seen a large, hovering shape sipping at coneflowers and thought it was a hummingbird, only to realize it was a moth—a hummingbird moth!

Beetles, our final category of native pollinators, comprise the greatest diversity of pollinators with nearly 30,000 spe-cies in North America alone (and more than 340,000 world-wide). Because they are an ancient creature and very likely the first insect pollinators of prehistoric flowering plants, they are adapted to flowers which still retain their ancient, open bowl characteristics, like magnolias and water lilies. Flowers which are pollinated by beetles often give off a characteristic odor to attract them. In addition to their pollinating duties, beetles are important because their larvae burrow tunnels in decaying wood which wood-nesting bees’ later use. One of my favorite beetles, the soldier beetle, looks a lot like a fire-fly. Other important (for our purposes) families of beetles include the long-horned beetle with hugely elongated anten-nae; jewel beetles, whose bodies are amongst the most bright-ly colored in the insect world; scarab beetles, including one of the most important pollinators of native magnolias, the flower scarab; and blister beetles, whose name is very apt if you’ve ever tried to pluck the adults off tomato plants. As adults, many of the beetles listed above feed on nectar and pollen, and in doing so, promote pollination. They’re also great pred-ators of other insects, including pest species. Blister beetle larvae hitch rides on foraging bees, returning with the bee to the bee’s nest, where they then feed on bee larvae; their num-bers are an indicator, therefore, of the relative health of the local bee population.

Chris Coen, Want to know more about what these various in-sects look like, or how to identify them in the wild? Check out

the Xerces Society, dedicated to the preservation of invertebrate species, at www.xerces.org . Various Xerces Society publications

formed much of the basis for this article, including their book, Attracting Native Pollinators.

There are also a lot of great photos of pollinators at http://www.restoringthelandscape.com/p/insects.html

Complete the Quiz on page 31 and

get 1 CEU for your Virginia Certified

Horticulturist Re-certification!


Complete the Quiz on page 31 and

get 1 CEU for your Virginia Certified

Horticulturist Re-certification!


VNLA - Certification Quiz #70 If you are a Virginia Certified Horticulturist, answer

the following questions from the previous article, mark your answers on the card insert and mail or fax back to

the VNLA office towards your recertification CEU’s for your Virginia Certified Horticulturist.

Pollinator 411 Prepared by: Nanette R. Whitt, VCH

1. The number of mouthfuls of food or drink that is made

possible by pollinators is: a. One in two b. One in three c. Two in three 2. Of the four million insect species, what percentage in-

teracts negatively with humans? a. Ten percent b. Seven percent c. Three percent d. One percent 3. In this article, IPM refers to a. Integrated Pollinator Management b. Integrated Pest Management c. None of the above 4. How many major classes of pollinating insects are

there? a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 d. 4 5. The least effective pollinators are: a. Bees b. Beetles c. Wasps

6. Which is the most efficient pollinator: a. Native bees b. Honey bees 7. An acre of apples can be pollinated by how many

honey bees? a. 250 b. 500 c. 1000 d. None of the above 8. Native bees in Virginia are less aggressive than hon-

eybees. a. True b. False 9. The most frequent pollinator visitor to flowers are: a. Bees b. Butterflies c. Beetles d. Flies 10. Which are more important as a pollinator? a. Moths b. Butterflies c. All of the above 11. Flies have how many sets of wings? a. Three b. Two c. One 12. Which pollinator is adapted to flowers with open bowl

characteristics? a. Wasps b. Beetles c. Bees d. Butterflies 13. One indication of a healthy bee population is the num-

ber of: a. Scarab beetles b. Butterflies c. Blister beetles d. Wasps 14. Which pollinator is going to save our food sources? a. Honeybees b. Native pollinators



Tips - The True Value of Things

After one of my recent speaking engagements during which I challenged participants in the audience to think about the real value that their firm provides to the market-place, I received quite a few emails from folks asking about how to create a compelling value proposition that would accentuate a growers’ competitive strategy in the face of this less-than-stellar economic recovery. To answer that, let me preface my remarks with an observation: too many companies enter the marketplace today without hav-ing fully defined their customer value proposition. Instead, growers tend to market a nice list of "powerful" benefits (which ironically, their competitors most likely state they have too).

Let me start by saying that the underlying purpose of a value proposition is to identify and satisfy an unmet need that your target market possesses. An effective value proposition describes what you do in terms of tangi-ble business results for the customer. However, it's more than a statement of offer or a buy-line. It's a commitment to deliver a specific combination of resulting experiences, at a particular price, to a group of specifically targeted cus-tomers, more profitably and better than the competition. In short, it’s about being different, but in a good way.

In marketing lingo, differentiation exists when customers (under conditions of competitive supply and faced with a range of choices): (a) perceive that product offerings do not have the same value and (b) are prepared to dispose of une-qual levels of resource (usually money) in acquiring as many of the available offerings as they wish.

In layman’s terms, customers (both end consumers and business-to-business) generally use five major attributes in making a decision about what products/services to buy and from whom to buy them from including quality, price, ser-vice, convenience, and selection. Value represents the tradeoff between the benefits derived from this varying mix of attributes relative to the sacrifices (dollars) made in getting them.

So the key for firms in the green industry is to provide greater value to customers. The interesting thing is that the difference in value that customers perceive (when comparing your firm to competitors) can either be real or perceived through various signals you relay through your marketing efforts.

For a customer value proposition to be uniquely per-suasive, it must be distinctive, measurable, defendable, and sustainable. It is critical to define and support the value proposition in such a way that your customers will pay more for your product/service offerings than the com-petitions’ services, or substantially more customers will desire your products/services over those of your competi-tors. Developing a value proposition is the most difficult and time-consuming of all marketing activities. That's probably why so many companies go to market without one clearly articulated.

Basically, your job in defining your value proposition is to uncover the value that your company offers (and which your customers and prospects will want to buy); your job is not to develop a long list of benefits. Why not? Because, again, your competitors will more than like-ly have the same list! So the question becomes very clear. How do you differentiate in a way that encourages more customers to buy from you or are willing to pay more based in your value proposition? Answer this and I assure you that your firm will be one of the ones that will not on-ly survive future economic downturns, but remains profit-able while doing so.

But as we move into the future with brighter economic prospects (yes, my optimism still remains), even more ag-gressive marketing will be needed to ensure that we are considered as necessities in our consumers’ lives and not mere luxuries. Now is exactly the time to make those stra-tegic marketing investments to articulate our value propo-sitions, both as individual firms and through industry-wide efforts (e.g. America in Bloom).

Speaking of America in Bloom, now in its thirteenth anni-versary, the program has countered early naysayers by ef-fectively not only conveying the industry’s message of beautification, but one of economic development, provi-sion of environmental amenities, and enhancement of health and well-being as well. Over 220 cities and several million citizens have been exposed to AIB’s message; un-doubtedly benefitting the countless local businesses in those trade areas. One such business owner has stated pub-lically in several settings that they had experienced rough-ly a 8 percent increase in business during the periods their city had participated in America in Bloom. While this alone is impressive, it is exciting to consider that as AIB continues to expand, even more synergistic benefits will likely result.



in preserving their local cultural heritage, enhancing the en-vironmental aspects of their spaces, and, of course, beauti-fying their surroundings. It was an incredibly gratifying ex-perience to watch their excitement in being recognized and affirmed!

Of all of the numerous meetings I attend each year, this one is a favorite of mine, not just because of the positive atti-tudes, but because of the verification that the programs’

sponsorship dollars have indeed made a difference in the lives of citizens all across America and have furthered the use of flowers, shrubs, and trees around the country!

From Charlie Hall, Professor & Ellison Chair, Department of Horticultural

Sciences, Texas A&M University, 2133 TAMU |College Station, TX 77843, 979-458-3277, FAX: 979-845-0627,

[email protected]

Obituary - Ian Robertson Ian Robertson, a master hor-ticulturalist, internationally known garden designer, ed-ucator, author, and occa-sional broadcaster, passed

away peacefully at his home in Char-lottesville, Virginia, on November 4, 2014.

Most recently principal at the horticul-tural and landscape design firm Ian Rob-ertson Ltd. (1993-2014), Robertson left his mark on public and private gardens throughout the world. Among his best-known works are several of the original gardens at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, Virginia. The Henry M. Flagler Perennial Garden, in particular, displays his visionary design sense, appreciation of color throughout the seasonal changes, and knowledge of how plant communities evolve over time. In a recent article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Frank Robinson, presi-dent and CEO of Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, described Robertson’s work as “rich tapestries of color and texture” and “astounding beauty.”

While the world has lost a master gar-dener, Robertson’s legacy remains in all of the seeds he planted both in the ground and the minds of future horti-culturists and designers.

To honor this legacy, donations can be made to the Ian Robertson Horticulture Scholarship Fund at the PVCC Educa-tional Foundation, 501 College Drive Charlottesville, VA 22902-7589.

A fundraiser to honor Ian Robertson and to support the scholarship will be held June 7, 2015, in the gardens of Waterperry Farm in Free Union, VA.

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Joseph Murray

An Opportunity for Improving an Impoverished Landscape

We’ve all seen it when driving through rural areas – for-ests with carved-out corridors containing the community’s electric supply. Over time these corridors vary in appear-ance from scorched earth to the dense and rapidly growing weedy vegetation signaling that this corridor is ready for the next cyclical installment of mechanical and chemical vegetation management. In addition to often being aes-thetically unappealing, many of these utility rights-of-way corridors act as vegetative vacuums and facilitate the spread of invasive plant species.

I want to be clear: I’m faulting neither the utility com-panies nor the contractors they employ for vegetation management for creating and maintaining utility rights-of-way corridors. On the contrary, I’m highly ap-preciative that they’re “keeping my lights on.” I recognize that vegetation management in utility rights-of-way is usu-ally the single largest cost faced by utility companies. In rural areas, this reality results in a vegetation management cycle balancing reliable distribution of electricity with a 6-8 year pruning cycle. Although the possibility exists for retaining compatible vegetation, unless the property owner routinely manages the incompatible vegetation through selective management, the natural resultant growth will threaten utility facilities; thus, utility line-clearance crews will employ aggressive non-selective management practic-

es to provide what they believe will be enough clearance for power lines for the next 6-8 years.

Perhaps there’s an opportunity for horticulturists and ar-borists from the commercial sector to step-in into the utili-ty rights-of-way on our clients’ properties to assist in man-agement of this unique landscape in a more sustainable manner. Why us? Foremost, we have the knowledge to match the right plant in the right place for the right func-tion. We also have the appropriate equipment and skilled employees for managing vegetation (provided it’s located a safe distance from electrical facilities). Realizing our work can be potentially dangerous, we operate in a culture of safety, follow our industry’s best management practices, and adhere to applicable ANSI and OSHA safety stand-ards. And finally, we already have established relation-ships with our clients.

Working closely with the property owner and utility vege-tation manager, we can create landscaped areas within the utility rights-of-way that are aesthetically pleasing while improving soil quality, mitigating storm water runoff, and providing wildlife habitat. Add this to all of the other eco-nomical, societal and environmental benefits that can be achieved from a well-landscaped area, and we have a win-win opportunity.

My focus in this article is to suggest a strategy that works with natural plant succession from an adjoining natural forest. Sometimes an arrangement may be worked out with the utility company for the installation of an orchard, a series of raised beds for gardening, or a formal landscape planting within your client’s utility right-of-way corridor. However, many rural utility com-panies do not permit “planting” of woody plants, necessi-tating the need to work with the natural distribution of plants already present. In my opinion, an added benefit of the latter is that natural succession allows for slow migra-tion of vegetation preceded by gradual changes below ground in the soil’s physical, chemical and biological properties that will ensure the right plants end up in the right place. Thus, the entire plant community will be resil-ient in the face of droughts, invasive pests, and other stress agents.

Utility ROW as an Edge Environment Succession is a natural process in which successive stages of plants colonize the soil following a major disturbance, like fire. Typically, pioneer species (grasses and herba-ceous plants) are first to become established on disturbed land. After a year or two, pioneer species are overtaken by

Feature - Creating and Managing Native Landscapes Within Utility Rights-of-Way



woody vegetation, including a sequence of trees starting primarily with conifers and ending with deciduous trees until a stable climax community is achieved (oak-hickory in the Appalachian forests for my client’s property de-scribed in this article). In contrast, when a right-of-way goes through a forest, it creates an abrupt transition be-tween the maintained vegetation within the right-of-way and the forest. Within a typical rural right-of-way, the veg-etation is repeatedly cut back and managed; thus, only ear-ly successional plants exist while the adjoining forest con-tinues with its successional stages until the forest eventual-ly achieves a stable climax community.

Through the Season Progression from May, July, September, November

Although sudden transitions between plant communities may occur naturally in the presence of a permanent envi-ronmental feature (think extremes in topography such as cliffs with a significant change in elevation), the proximity of two plant communities representing different succession stages located next to each other is not common in nature. Lacking any natural physical transition, the sharp division

of vegetation created by utility rights-of-way traversing through forests is completely dependent upon the actions of humans for its existence.

Scientists recognize that “edge environments” between forested and non-forested land create steep gradients of wind flow, moisture, temperature, and sunlight between the open land and interior of the forest. I’m particularly excited that the utility right-of-way traversing my client’s property is oriented west to east, bathing the south-facing side of the right-of-way in sunlight while plunging the north-facing side in shade. Since south-facing edges may receive up to 10 times more hours of sunshine per month than the north-facing edge, the vegetation reflects that commonly found in environments with direct sun, dry sandy soil, and the absence of snow accumulation. On the north-facing side, the environment supports vegetation more at home in the shade as soil moisture remains high through the year. These edge environments on my client’s right-of-way ensure a rich diversity of habitat for soil mi-croorganisms, plants, and animals.

Planning In my opinion, the most important step in the process of managing vegetation in your client’s right-of-way is plan-ning. Three questions may facilitate clear communication: first, what are the purposes of the spaces making up the right-of-way? Second, what is the plan for access for the utility company and their contractors? And third, how will you manage the vegetation to achieve the standard vegeta-tion height restriction and width requirements on your cli-ent’s right-of-way? With these questions addressed, ar-range a meeting with the utility’s vegetation manager, your client, and yourself for a site evaluation to discuss the pro-posed joint management plan.

Site Evaluation The utility’s vegetation manager considers the width of the right-of-way and the anticipated height of the vegetation within the right-of-way based upon voltage carried by ex-isting lines, as well as possible increases in the near future that may influence the next cycle of vegetation manage-ment. Secondly, the vegetation manager considers how the proposed vegetation control methods may impact sensitive or protected areas and species. The property owner con-tributes the intended use of the site within the right-of-way as well as the adjacent land and, with your assistance, identifies compatible and incompatible vegetation. Mark-ing incompatible plants with red plastic tape and/or docu-menting incompatible plants on a management map may assist landowners with target removal and monitoring. I strongly recommend that you summarize the results of this site evaluation meeting and formally send a copy to the utility’s vegetation manager and your client.



A right-of-way may consist of multiple smaller spaces, each with a unique purpose. Once the purpose for each particular space has been determined, future decisions on desired plants and maintenance are easier. Draw a map of your client’s right-of-way including areas adjacent to the right-of-way, especially any roads, lawns, drives, etc., to help you envision access routes for you and representatives from the utility company.

For the right-of-way I’m maintaining for my client, the purpose was fourfold:

First, to provide habitat for pollinators; Second, to provide an opportunity for leisurely strolls

when walking to the mailbox; Third, to observe wildlife; Fourth to harvest blackberries, blueberries, and elder-

berries. Planning for the pollinators proved to be relatively easy since wildflowers emerge naturally over time. To assist in the establishment of the desired wildflowers, we removed competitive vegetation and avoided year-end cutting until after wildflowers dispersed their seeds. For leisurely walks, we prepared a serpentine pathway to observe the diversity of plants in the right-of-way and to access the berry-producing shrubs. The serpentine path also

facilitates visits to plants along the south- and north-facing edge environments. On a summer day, one can observe prickly pear, yucca, and blackjack oaks basking in full sun in parched sandy soil on the south-facing side of the right-of-way before the path takes one into the cool shade of the north-facing side inhabited by mosses, ferns, and dog-woods comfortably at home in moist, loamy soil. To im-prove our chances of observing wildlife, habitat is created by leaving dead branches and logs on the ground, and by

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retaining standing dead trunks with heights low enough to avoid any threat to utility lines.

Access Routes In the planning process it’s important to consider how workers will maneuver equipment in the right-of-way to access the utility facilities for repairs/upgrades and, if needed, prune trees and remove incompatible vegetation. Discuss potential access routes with the utility’s vegetation manager during your face-to-face meeting. Include these potential access routes on your map and only allow annual, biennial and/or non-woody perennial plants to grow in these areas. In rural and remote areas, the utility arboricul-ture standards allow for the use of mechanized equipment for pruning. It is prudent to drive to a site to see examples of mechanize equipment in action so you can plan for ap-propriate access routes.

Planning for Compatible Vegetation

Natural hedge habitat, composed of black haw

and hawthorn emerging in the right of way

When deciding what type of vegetation will grow in the right-of-way, I elected to work primarily with native com-patible vegetation with respect to maximum growing heights. I was fortunate that the seed source for vegetation in, and around, the right-of-way is as varied as the weather conditions and animals capable of delivering seeds. My earliest efforts involved removing incompatible vegetation I could safely cut while staying a safe distance from the utility facilities. Trees that required properly trained utility line clearance arborists to remove were tagged with rib-bons for removal the next time the right-of-way is sched-uled for line clearance work. A commitment was made during the first year to dedicate the greatest amount of time and energy to removing invasive plant species: Japanese stiltgrass, oriental bittersweet, Japanese honeysuckle, au-tumn olive, Japanese barberry, multiflora rose, and crown-

vetch. As everyone with experience battling invasive plant species knows, we never truly “control” these invasives, but the time and effort devoted to manage their attempts at spreading has already been greatly reduced.

Early in the planning process my client expressed a strong desire to manage the vegetation in the right-of-way with-out the use of herbicides. As a consequence of this deci-sion, I use a power trimmer with a variety of cutting at-tachments for selectively cutting back incompatible vege-tation and year-end cutting of annual wildflowers. When I need a chainsaw I first consider my personally safety and then any risk to the utility facilities (wires, poles, guy wires). Whenever working in a right-of-way, be mindful of safety - perhaps even more so than when working in a typ-ical urban landscape. Do not perform any unfamiliar pro-cedure or one which places you in a situation that can cause an accident – either from the equipment you are us-ing or from getting too close to the overhead electric lines. Should a conductive object (the tree) connect the electric line with the arborist’s saw, the arborist may be subjected to a fatal electric shock when pruning a branch or felling a tree even at a considerable distance from the tree through indirect contact. Individuals standing close to an “electri-fied” tree can experience an electric shock as the step po-tential travels across the surface of the ground. It’s possi-ble that as a tree or cut branch approaches the line it may become energized by an arc of electricity jumping from the power line to the tree, or tree part. Leave the felling of trees and pruning of branches to the qualified line-clearance tree trimmers the next time they’re on the right-of-way as part of the pruning cycle.

Maintenance

Keeping the mowers off of the right of way

An attractive, functional, and sustainable right-of-way landscape does not happen naturally. Maintenance of a distribution right-of-way requires planning, work, and



most importantly, an understanding of the potential electri-cal hazards present.

It’s common for homeowners to plant a tree close to their house and claim they’ll prune the tree to manage its height, only to later realize the tree has grown beyond their ability to prune or remove. In reality, one shouldn’t need to man-age a tree’s height (size) if the tree has been properly matched to its site. The routine reduction of a tree’s crown is neither a cost effective nor biologically sustainable man-agement practice for homeowners. In situations where the tree does not match the site, homeowners might give seri-ous thought to replacing the tree with a more appropriate tree species.

It is also common for homeowners to contact their electric utility provider to request that their right-of-way be placed on the company’s no-spray and limited removal/pruning list without fully appreciating the capacity of the vegeta-tion in, and around, the right-of-way to grow aggressively. Unlike the rest of a home’s landscape, the majority the trees “volunteering” to grow in the right-of-way are inap-propriate for that site. Furthermore, the homeowner will find that options for managing trees that have grown close to electric lines in a distribution right-of-way are severely limited because of electrical hazards present.

Failure to properly maintain vegetation in a right-of-way may result in several outcomes - none desirable. Over-grown vegetation may bring down a power line, resulting in power outages. A downed power line presents a very dangerous situation because it sends electricity through the ground and conductive objects (chain link fences) that may cause fatalities to those who come in contact with the elec-tric current. [Note: Stay at least 30 feet away from any downed power line.] If a downed power line contacts combustible material it can start fires. Overgrown vegeta-tion also makes it more difficult for utility lineman to re-pair the downed power line. If the utility company has to return to the property to reclaim the management of the right-of-way, they may resort to similar land clearance practices used when the right-of-way was first established.

Utility companies hire specially trained contractors to im-plement vegetation management strategies - often involv-ing a combination of pruning, removals, mowing, and herbicide applications. Where possible, the intended out-come of vegetation management is to encourage a low-growing plant community to provide environmental bene-fits (prevent erosion, mitigate storm water runoff, support wildlife, etc.) while helping to compete against fast-growing trees that threaten overhead lines. Although it’s easier to achieve the desired goal if the vegetation is man-aged on an annual basis, utility companies extend their management cycles to multiple years in order to balance the cost of vegetation management with the ultimate goal

of providing reliable and safe electric service.

Utility contractors tasked with managing the vegetation in utility rights-of-way should follow the applicable OSHA Standards that pertain to working in close proximity to electrical hazards. The performance of utility contractors is further influenced by the ANSI Standard of Integration Vegetation Management and Best Management Practices published by the International Society of Arboriculture.

Being a Good Steward of the Land In addition to being a good steward of the land, property owners taking an active role in maintaining the vegetation in their rights-of-way also play a part in improving the environment of their commu-nity. Since dis-tribution rights-

of-way exist all across the United States, there are wonder-ful opportunities for property owners to have a significant impact as they manage invasive plant species, improve water quality, decrease storm water runoff, improve the welfare of pollinators, and improve air quality on a nation-al scale!

Maintaining a right-of-way does take time, but it’s the right thing to do. The rewards for proper land manage-ment are innumerable. When it comes to a distribution right-of-way traversing through one’s forest, the property owner can support safe distribution of electricity while providing important habitat for plants and wildlife. Joe’s educational background includes the completion of a Master’s of Science in Plant Pathology from Virginia Tech, Masters in Teaching from the University of Richmond, and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Radford University. Joe is an ISA certified arborist, certified utility arborist, and a Tree Risk Assessment Qualification instructor. Joe, a former college biol-ogy professor, is a trainer for the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture and an independent con-sulting arborist (Tree Literacy, LLC). When Joe is not hiking or participating in research projects along the Appalachian Trail in the Blue Ridge Mountains, he morphs into a tree biology edu-cator, traveling around the United States teaching and learning about trees and people.

Joseph Murray, Tree Literacy, LLC, 8703 Muddy Run Road, Williamsville, VA 24487

Pollinators visiting thistle


Pollinators visiting a thistle


Research - Office Plants Make You More Productive

Green Power New research illustrates the positive potential of plants at work. Not only are they aesthetically pleasing, but they may also help boost your productivity and mood.

If you want to be more productive at work, try investing in a plant for your desk or office. Researchers in the United King-dom recently found that employees are 15 percent more pro-ductive, not to mention happier, when working in an office surrounded by greenery.

The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychol-ogy: Applied, looked at whether employees perform better in "lean" office spaces, those that are sparse on foliage, or green offices and discovered leaner is meaner.

"Whatever the environment is, generally speaking, it's a bet-ter environment if it's enriched, and plants are a very cost-effective way of enriching your space," one of the study's au-thors, Craig Knight of the University of Exeter, told Reuters.

To determine the effects of plants on workers' productivity and psychology, researchers conducted several studies. In two of them, participants were divided into separate office spaces - one lean with no plants and another that was outfitted with greenery. After three weeks, employees in the green spaces reported increased workplace satisfaction as well as better concentration and perceived air quality compared to those working in the lean spaces.

A third study explicitly measured productivity and found workers in green spaces were 15 percent more productive than their counterparts working in a lean office space.

Part of the explanation behind these findings could be that plants help clean the air and make "a fantastic difference psy-chologically," helping make workers more cognitively, emo-tionally, and physically engaged in their work, Knight said.

Plants in the office have also been shown to help reduce stress and negativity among workers. According to a 2010 Australian study, employees working in offices with plants showed a 37 percent decrease in tension and anxiety and a 64 percent decrease in negativity over the course of three months, as opposed to workers without plants, who showed no changes in either of those categories.

"Modern offices and desks have been stripped back to create sparse spaces. Our findings question [the] widespread theory that less is more—sometimes less is just less," Alex Haslam, one of the authors of the U.K. study, told The Guardian.

BY Katie Bascuas (Fuse/Thinkstock)

Research – Controlled Release Fertiliz-ers in Nursery Container Production

Project Title: Understanding the Short-term Release Pat-tern of Controlled Release Fertilizers in Nursery Container Production

Authors: Tyler C. Hoskins and James S. Owen, Jr.

Abstract Current management practices that seek to conserve ferti-lizer and water resources are largely based on macro-scale research that have investigated season-long trends in nutri-ent leaching. However, little focus has been directed to-wards understanding the basic principles behind how water and fertilizer (i.e. solute) move through bark-based sub-strates during the short time span of a single irrigation. The movement of water and fertilizer salts through a saturated pine-bark packed column were evaluated in conjunction with a container study which investigated the effect of controlled release fertilizer placement on the leaching pat-tern of fertilizer during an irrigation event. The saturated column revealed the significant role of macropores, which enable water and nutrients to very quickly move through and be displaced from the column, and served to better interpret the results of the concurrent container study. The leaching patterns from containers under different fertilizer placement methods revealed distinct nutrient release pat-terns for each placement. In general, leachate nutrient con-centration decreased with prolonged irrigation, with the highest concentrations occurring in the initial leachate vol-umes. Growers can use these trends to predict the amount of fertilizer salts leached under different irrigation practic-es in an effort to conserve resources and meet environmen-tal regulatory standards.

Introduction Nurseries that produce containerized ornamental crops in certain regions of the U.S. face challenges on the availabil-ity of high-quality water and regulatory scrutiny regarding the water that leaves nurseries (Beeson, et al., 2004). In response, many are interested in minimizing the quantity of agrichemicals, such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) that leave production facilities. The increased use of con-trolled release fertilizers (CRF), improved irrigation man-agement and nutrient monitoring techniques (i.e. pour through, saturated media extract, in-situ sensors, etc.) have helped improve overall production efficiency, nutrient use efficiency (i.e. percent of applied fertilizer that is used by the crop) and reduce the loss of agrichemicals that have a negative environmental impact. These improvements have been largely influenced by our understanding of how nu-



trients are released from CRF to substrate (Adams et al., 2013) and season-long patterns in CRF nutrient release (Newman et al., 2006). Consequently, we understand sea-sonal trends in nutrient leaching and CRF performance quite well. However, one area that has attracted little re-search, but may provide valuable information, are the trends in which fertilizers move through and leach from containers during the short time-span of a single irrigation event, when using CRF. By investigating how irrigation, substrate and CRF interact, we may be able to glean in-formation about CRF performance and the movement of nutrients caused by irrigation that can potentially lead to improved management practices and aid in conserving ex-pensive fertilizer resources.

Therefore, the objective of this research is to explore the patterns in which nutrients move through and leach from a pine bark substrate during and immediately following an irrigation event. We first explore how water and fertilizer move through substrates. Using this knowledge we will then interpret trends in nutrient leaching from containers within a single irrigation as affected by CRF application method.

Materials and methods Two experiments were conducted at the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Vir-ginia Beach, VA. One investigated solute (dissolved ferti-

lizer salts) transport through a saturated column and the other measured the nutrient leaching patterns from nursery containers during irrigation. Each experiment used a sub-strate (0.32 g•cm-3 bulk density) comprised of 9 parts bark and 1 part sand (by vol.), amended with 1.8 kg•m-3 (3 lb•yd-3) crushed dolomitic lime (Rockydale Quarries Corp., Roanoke, VA) and 1.8 kg•m-3 (3 lb•yd-3) pelletized dolomitic lime (Kelly’s Limestone LLC., Kirksville, MO), and was potted into trade gallon (2.7 L) nursery containers (Myers Industries), Middlefield, OH).

Experiment 1: Saturated solute transport Once potted, containers were placed on an outdoor gravel pad and were subjected daily to a 15-minute over-head irrigation (0.5 in / hr., SE = 0.06) for one month. Five containers were pooled into one composite sample. A 30 cm column was packed using a modified version of the NCSU porometer procedure (Fonteno, 2003) as described by Hoskins et al., 2013b. The physical setup (Hoskins et al., 2013b) was such that the column could be infiltrated with either deionized water (DI water) or a fertilizer solu-tion containing nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassi-um (K) with an electrical conductivity (EC) of 0.33 mS•cm-1 by switching a three-way valve. The column was slowly saturated from below before conducting the exper-iment in the following sequence:

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Poreflush:PassDIwaterthroughthecolumnuntileffluent(drainage)ECisstableat0mS•cm‐1toensureallexistingsaltsfromthesubstrateporesaredisplaced.

Step1:Withoutpause,switchvalvetoallowfertilizersolutiontoflowthroughthecolumnandgeneratetwoporevolumes[PV,i.e.volumeofwaterheldintheporespaces(1.04L)]ofef‐fluent.

Step2:Withoutpause,switchvalvebacktoallowDIwatertoflowthroughthecolumnandgenerateanadditional3PVofeffluent.

This sequence was repeated three times using a newly packed column for each repetition. The flow rate of water through the column before step 1 was 4.6 ± 0.9 mL•sec-1 and the final flow rate after step 2 was 4.4 ± 0.9 mL•sec-

1.

A total of thirty-eight samples were collected sequentially in 150 mL increments and were analyzed for EC. Mean and standard error were calculated and are reported graph-ically in figure 1 as the relative EC (C/Ci), where C repre-sents the actual effluent EC for a given sample and Ci rep-resents the EC of the input solution. This graph is called a breakthrough curve (BTC), depicting relative concentra-tion as a function of cumulative effluent volume, as pore volumes (PV). In addition, theoretical piston flow was cal-culated based on the porosity of the substrate and column dimensions (Skaggs, 2002) to be used as a reference tool for understanding the BTC.

Experiment 2: Nutrient release patterns from containers during irrigation

At pot-up, fallow (i.e. without a plant) containers re-ceived a 5-6 month 16-6-11 (16N–2.6P–9.1K) plus micronutrient CRF (Harrell’s LLC, Lakeland, FL) using one of four applications methods at the manu-facturers recommended “medium” rate per container for the following methods: topdress at 9 g (0.32 oz.), incorporated at 13.47 g (0.48 oz.), mid-profile 13.47 g (0.48 oz.) and a control receiving no fertilizer. Top-dressed containers received the pre-weighed CRF on the substrate surface. Mid-profile containers had an even layer of CRF in the middle of the container. The incorporated treatment contained CRF that was even-ly distributed throughout the substrate. Containers were placed in a greenhouse where they were hand watered daily with approximately 1.2 L of water for two weeks. Containers were brought into the lab for data collection. Average substrate moisture content was 44%

volumetric water content (VWC) at the time of data collec-tion. Each container was irrigated with DI water using a custom platform (Hoskins et al. 2013a), which applied wa-ter at an average rate of 300 ml•min‐1 (4.7 gal•hr‐1) through a diffuser mounted 27 cm (10.6 in) above the substrate surface to ensure uniform wetting of the substrate surface. As each container began to leach, the effluent was frac-tioned sequentially by collecting (in order) five 50 mL (1.7 oz), five 100 mL (3.4 oz), five 200 mL (6.8 oz) and two 500 mL (16.9 oz) aliquots equaling 17 samples and 2.7 L (91.3 oz) of leachate per container. Samples were analyzed for EC using an Orion 4 Star benchtop meter equipped with a DuraProbeTM 4-Electrode Conductivity Cell (Ther-mo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA). The experiment was a completely randomized design with 4 replicates per treatment (n = 16).

Soluble salt concentrations (measured by EC) of individual leachate samples allow for the development of concentra-tion curves, which show salt concentrations (i.e. nutrients) as a function of the cumulative volume of leached. Fur-thermore, we are able to calculate the area under the curve (AUC) for each treatment as an indicator of the total salt load and the load at various increments along the curve. AUC data were subjected to one-way analysis of variance (α = 0.1) (Marini, 1999) and Tukey’s HSD when appropri-ate. All data were processed in JMP® Pro version 10.0 (SAS Institute Inc., Carey, NC).

Results and discussion Fertilizer movement in substrate

The resulting BTCs (Figure1a&b) of this experi-ment are presented in two parts. Figure1a can be most closely be related to a liquid feed fertilizer application where dissolved fertilizer salts are entering a substrate of low fertilizer concentration. Here, fertilizer salts travel through the substrate and arrive at the base of the column very early (0.4 PV; 450 mL) and do not reach full concen-tration until 2 PV, indicating the complete displacement of all pore water. Figure1brelates most closely to irrigating a container fertilized with CRF, where clean water is enter-ing and displacing substrate pore water of relatively high fertilizer concentration. Here we see similar trends, but in the opposite direction of figure1a. Drainage concentra-tion decreased very quickly (0.3 PV; 300 mL) and was not fully displaced until 1.6 PV. Lastly, figure1a&b both show a substantial leftward shift of the BTCs when com-pared to the piston flow model.

To adequately use the piston flow model as a reference tool for understanding these BTCs, it is important to know that piston flow is a theoretical model where a sharp boundary called a “front” exists between the infiltrating solution and the pore water. At this front, we assume no



mixing or chemical interaction. As the input solution is introduced and effluent is simultaneously drained, the front moves downward, to the outlet like a piston through a cyl-inder. Therefore, the arrival of any of the infiltrating solu-tion at the outlet requires the complete exchange (dis-placement) of all pore water (1 PV). The early arrival of fertilizer salts, and slow displacement of all pore water highlight substantial differences between our BTCs and the piston flow model.

It is well known that water transport is affected by pore or channel size and the degree to which they are intercon-nected (Ma, 1997). Substrates with an array of particle siz-es contain an array of pore or channel sizes where water can more easily flow through large pores, explaining the early solute arrival in Figure1a&b. Conversely, smaller pores and channels slow the flow of water causing water to arrive after the piston, hence the slow displacement in fig‐ure1a&b). This makes sense considering the highly po-rous nature of this bark-based substrate and those com-monly used in the nursery trade. The early arrival of infil-trating solution and leftward shift of both curves can be attributed to the dominant role of macropores and large channels in this substrate. Therefore, it is very important to carefully manage irrigation when applying liquid fertilizer so not to unnecessarily lose fertilizer that quickly channels to the base of the container.

Nutrient release patterns from nursery containers during irrigation

Analysis of the leachate generated during the irrigation of fallow containers, reveals distinct patterns in how nutri-ents leach with respect to the CRF placement. The general trend is for the first portion of leachate to have the highest fertilizer salt concentration, followed by a steady decrease in concentration as irrigation progresses (Figure2). This is consistent with the aforementioned leftward shift of the saturated column BTC (Figure1b), where the large po-rosity of the substrate causes most of the fertilizer salts in pore water to be displaced very early.

Using the AUC of each nutrient release curve as an indica-tor of the cumulative or total nutrient load leached, it is clear that the overall nutrient load is affected by CRF placement (p < 0.0001). The total nutrient load produced by each CRF placement method can be ranked from high-est to lowest as follows: mid-profile, incorporated, top-dressed then control (no CRF). This order holds true at each pore exchange. Table1 shows differences between AUCs at each pore exchange. For each fertilizer place-ment, the leachate salt load decreases with each successive pore exchange. The average reduction in AUC between PV 1 and 2 was 64%, and 27% between PV 2 and 3.

Growers can use this information as a tool to estimate the amount of fertilizer that may be leached under a given set of circumstances. The quantity of water applied to the con-tainers in experiment two exceeds recommended practices, but allows us to leach the maximum amount of fertilizer salts. Therefore, the total AUC can be thought of as the “potentially leachable fertilizer salts” that could be leached if a large amount of water was applied to a crop. We can then use the salt concentrations and respective AUCs in the figure2 release curves to estimate the percentage of fertilizer salts that could be leached from a single container if different amounts of leachate were produced (Figure3). For example, if only 50 mL of leachate were generated during irrigation, 3% of the potentially leachable fertilizer salts are leached from the container, leaving 97% in the substrate. In a less efficient irrigation event, such as the leaching of 450 mL of water, 43% of leachable salts are lost, leaving 57% in the substrate. This demonstrates some of the merits of irrigation management practices that keep leachate volumes low.

ConclusionThis data shows that fertilizer salt concentration in leach-ate varies with the volume of leachate and the CRF appli-cation method. The saturated column BTCs are a neces-sary tool to help understand how fertilizer salts are leached from nursery containers during irrigation. The detailed profile of how fertilizers are leached can serve as a valua-ble tool for growers; allowing for more informed manage-ment decisions that will aid in conserving both fertilizer and water resources, while maintaining or improving pro-duction efficiency.

An additional implication of this research is that under conditions where excessive volumes of water are applied to a container, such as a heavy storm or mismanaged irri-gation, the amount of nutrients that can be leached are lim-ited to those which have already been released from the CRF. After the majority of nutrients have been leached early on, the release rates are minimal. This is an inherent benefit of CRFs as they maintain a nutrient reservoir with-in individual prills and limit nutrient leaching to that which has been already released to the surrounding pore water.

See referenced tables on the next 2 pages



Literaturecited

Adams, C., J. Frantz and B. Bugbee. 2013. Macro and micronutrient release characteristics of three polymer-coated fertilizers: Theory and measurements. J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci. 176:76-88.

Beeson,R.C.,Jr.,M.A.Arnold,T.E.Bilderback,B.Bo‐lusky,S.Chandler,H.M.Gramling,J.D.Lea‐Cox,J.R.Harris,P.J.Klinger,H.M.Mathers,J.M.RuterandT.H.Yeager.2004.Strategicvisionofcontainernurseryirrigationinthenexttenyears.J.Env.Hort.22:113‐115.

Fonteno,W.C.andC.T.Harden.2003.ProceduresfordeterminingphysicalpropertiesofhorticulturalsubstratesusingtheNCSUporometer.

Hoskins,T.C.,J.S.Owen,Jr.,A.X.NiemieraandJ.Brindley.2013a.Nutrientmovementinabark‐basedsubstrateduringirrigation.Proc.SNARes.Conf.58:7‐12.

Hoskins,T.C.,J.S.Owen,Jr.,J.S.FieldsandJ.Brindley.2013b.Fertilizermovementinnurserycontainers:whathappensduringirrigationn?CombinedProc.Intl.PlantProp.Soc.(inpress.)

Ma,L.N.andH.M.Selim.1997.Physicalnonequilib‐riummodelingapproachestosolutetransportinsoils.Adv.inAgronomy.58.

Marini,R.P.1999.Arenonsignificantdifferencesre‐allynotsignificant?HortScience34:761‐762.

Newman,J.P.,J.P.Albano,D.J.MerhautandE.K.Blythe.2006.Nutrientreleasefromcontrolled‐releasefertilizersinaneutral‐pHsubstrateinanoutdoorenvironment:I.Leachateelectricalconduc‐tivity,pH,andnitrogen,phosphorus,andpotassiumconcentrations.HortSci.41:1674‐1682.

Skaggs,T.H.andF.J.Leij.2002.Solutetransport:theoreticalbackground.In:Dane,J.H.a.G.C.Topp.(ed.),Methodsofsoilanalysis.SoilSci.Soc.ofAm.,Madison,WI.

Tables and Figures

Table 1. Area under the curve (AUC) indicating the total salt load at various leachate collection intervals (pore exchanges) for three fertilizer application methods and control (no fertilizer).

Pore exchangez

Treatment Total 1st 2nd 3rd

Mid‐profile 269.3 ay 175.2 a 59.9 a 40.4 a

Incorporated 199.9 b 127.6 b 45.4 b 33.2 b

Topdressed 179.5 bc 112.7 bc 41.5 bc 30.6 b

Control 154.4 c 92.9 c 36.6 c 29.9 b

p-valuex <0.0001 <0.0001 <0.0001 <0.0001 z Areas under the curves for pore exchanges 1,2 and 3 were calculated based on 0 to 950, 950 to 1750 and 1750 to 2750 mL of cumulative leachate collected, respectively. y Letters within columns not followed by the same letter indicate significant differences according to Tuk‐ey’s HSD (α = 0.1). x Differences reported based on one way analysis of variance (α = 0.1) for AUC values within columns.



Figure 2. Soluble salt concentration (measured by electrical conductivity) in ef‐fluent leached from trade gallon nursery containers throughout an irrigation event as affected by controlled release fertilizer application method. Bars repre‐sent the standard error for each measurement. The control received no fertiliz‐er.

Figure 1. Breakthrough curves (BTC) showing the relative concentration (electrical conductivity) of effluent drained from a saturated column as a) fertilizer solution is infiltrated into the column saturated with deion‐ized (DI) water (step 1) and b) DI water is infiltrated into the same column now saturated with fertilizer solution (step 2) immediately after step 1. Solid line represents the theoretical piston flow model. Standard error bars present.

a

b


Horticulture Research Gala and Charity Auction

The VNA Research Committee would like to thank those who have supported the Research Galas for many years.

While we are committed to continuing to grow our

support of research and remain a powerful catalyst for

our industry, we will not be hosting a Gala/Auction

during MANTS in 2015.

We are excited to announce that the VNA Horticulture

Research Foundation is planning an event later in 2015

that will feature presentations and interaction with the

researchers. This will be an informative as well as social

event to raise awareness, stimulate conversation, and

generate support for future research.

$488,000We have raised more than

To support this upcoming event or to get involved,

please contact us [email protected]

See funded research projects athttp://www.vnla.org/Research

to support horticultural research.

Horticulture Research Gala and Charity Auction

The VNA Research Committee would like to thank those who have supported the Research Galas for many years.

While we are committed to continuing to grow our

support of research and remain a powerful catalyst for

our industry, we will not be hosting a Gala/Auction

during MANTS in 2015.

We are excited to announce that the VNA Horticulture

Research Foundation is planning an event later in 2015

that will feature presentations and interaction with the

researchers. This will be an informative as well as social

event to raise awareness, stimulate conversation, and

generate support for future research.

$488,000We have raised more than

To support this upcoming event or to get involved,

please contact us [email protected]

See funded research projects athttp://www.vnla.org/Research

to support horticultural research.


VNLA – Fall Board Meeting Highlights

Fall Board Meeting Synopsis Wednesday, November 5, 2014, Staunton, VA

As a result of our recent Strategic Planning Meeting and Board Training, the board has adopted a new format for meetings using a consent agenda which will expedite rou-tine reports and allow more time for discussion and plan-ning. Reports are sent to the board before the meeting and unless there is a request for action or a motion on a recom-mendation, they are listed on the consent agenda and all ap-proved as a block. The board has also adopted a more struc-tured use of “Robert’s Rules of Order” to keep the meetings more efficient.

Action items:

The board will be conducting a self-evaluation and ex-ecutive director evaluation before the end of the year.

Approval was given to continue working with ACCESS Advertising & Public Relations in Roanoke to develop a new newsletter cover design, membership brochure, and booth display.

WOTUS – members will be kept up-to-date on the issue of Waters of the U.S. as appropriate.

Pollinator Stewardship – a motion passed to establish a policy position to use the AmericanHort position on Pollinator Stewardship and use research institutions as information resources and to make this information available to members. (Available on the www.vnla.org)

Certification revisions and additional modules will be developed over the next year and a writer will be funded to help use the Landscape for Life/SITES Curriculum and the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program best practices as a framework for the certification curricu-lum. A peer review task force will be established to vet the information, examples and exam questions and will have this completed for the 2016 Certification review classes and testing.

A new online woody plant ID module is being devel-oped by Dr. Alex Niemiera, VA Tech Horticulture De-partment for Certification training by the end of 2014.

A new Virginia Certified Horticulturist certificate is be-ing updated to expedite printing and distribution.

As a cost savings for the Certification Manual, the “Pro-nunciation Dictionary of Plant Names” and the “Com-mon Pests” booklet will not be included in the future

after the current supply is exhausted. This is infor-mation that is now easily accessible on the internet and is not part of the testing.

A mobile-friendly version of the VNLA website is be-ing developed and should be online in early 2015.

A Go-To-Webinar trial subscription will be setup for presentations of webinars for educational updates for members and as another option for CEUs for Virginia Certified Horticulturist.

A Young Innovator Entrepreneur Award will be estab-lished and nominations will be accepted for 2014.

In 2015, the VNLA will be supporting “The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Living Legacy Tree Plant-ing Project” (http://www.hallowedground.org/) in lieu of distributing plant gift baskets to legislators.

For the 2015 VNLA Strategic Plan, the Guide to Vir-ginia Growers will become a revenue generator and will be available on mobile devices.

The next VNLA Board meeting will be on Tuesday, January 13, 2015, 1-5 p.m. in Room 334 in the Baltimore Conven-tion Center, the day before MANTS opens.

Prepared by Jeff Miller, Exec. Dir.

VNLA - 2015 Strategic Plan In order to best serve members and the state’s nursery and landscape businesses, the Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association Board of Directors and other organizational leaders met in October 2014 to develop a long-range plan that provides for a dynamic and sustainable organizational future.

Participants Matt Shreckhise, President

Sonya Westervelt, Vice President Bill Gouldin, Secretary-Treasurer

Matt Sawyer, Past President Christopher Brown, Director

Craig Attkisson, Director Virginia Rockwell, Director

Doug Hensel, Director Aaron Williams, Director

Dr. Jim Owen, Advisory Director Amy Ordonez, NVNLA

Jeff Miller, Executive Director

Facilitation by Bob Fitch, Nonprofit Leadership Solutions www.npleadershipsolutions.com



New Mission: To enhance, promote and advocate Virginia’s

nursery and landscape industry professionals. The Strategic Planning Team decided to augment the current mission in a small, but significant manner. The addition of the word “advocate” calls attention to VNLA’s crucial role in leg-islative and regulatory matters. The word “professionals” is meant to define the professional nature of the association’s members and the aspiration to further professionalize the busi-nesses and individuals in the industry.

STRATEGIC FOCUS AREA #1 Reliable Revenue Streams

Considerations VNLA is heavily reliant upon revenue from MANTS for

our operations and programs. MANTS is facing significant new competition. In addi-

tion, while MANTS has bucked the trend, green industry shows overall have seen significant declines in the last decade in support from exhibitors, sponsors and attendees.

VNLA allows most of its programs to operate at break-even because overhead for running those programs is cov-ered by MANTS revenues.

ASAE operating cost study may help identify where we are unbalanced in revenues and expenditures.

GOAL: VNLA will diversify its revenue streams to protect the association’s long-term stability and enhance the ability to grow pro-grams and services. Dues will remain affordable for very small members, but

more progressive tiers will allow larger members to pro-vide a greater level of support to the association. Further-more, regular dues increases will provide a stronger sec-ondary revenue stream to complement MANTS revenue, plus potentially avoid the need for a sharp increase at some point in the future.

The Growers Guide will continue to be a valuable member service, but will move towards 21st century usability via a mobile app. Furthermore, the Guide will move from being a net expense to a net revenue generator.

Certification programs will generate greater revenue for the association while continuing to be a valuable profes-sional improvement and marketing tool for members.

Sponsorship packages will provide greater value to spon-sors and greater net revenue for the association. Further-more, this approach should also save staff time in the sell-ing process.

Strategic Focus Area # 2 - Member Relevancy and Connections.

Considerations VNLA’s responsiveness to member needs is not as timely

as desirable. VNLA has an opportunity to pursue a deeper level of re-

search on member needs and develop a more sophisticated demographic profile of members and prospective mem-bers.

VNLA underutilizes its potential volunteer base. VNLA members are under-informed about the work

VNLA does for them, i.e. the value to their businesses. VNLA has weak social media and online resources to

serve the next generation of industry professionals. VNLA has room for improvement in its connections with

local associations.

GOAL: VNLA will improve its relevancy and value to members by improving the timeliness of its response to member needs and improv-ing its communications with and connections to members and other stakeholders. Members will be able connect and utilize valuable VNLA

services and information anywhere and anytime. New educational forum will serve a greater number of

VNLA members and be a tool to recruit prospective mem-bers

Members will better comprehend the value of VNLA membership. (Member’s perception of value and member needs to be measured annually via survey.)

Better knowledge of member demographics will help as-sociation define needs and deliver timely programs and services.

Strategic Focus Area # 3 - Governance and Organizational Transition.

Considerations Does our current structure and policy manual fully outline

responsibility, authority, and delegation between the board and the executive, and the board and committees?

Jeff Miller will be retiring as VNLA executive director several years from now. Is VNLA’s current executive di-rector succession plan sufficient to help guide us through this transition?

What association management structure do we want after Jeff’s retirement? ASAE operating cost study and salary survey may help identify what we should reasonably ex-pect to be paying for overall staffing and the executive di-rector salary.



GOAL: Ensure VNLA’s governance and man-agement structures are proactive in anticipat-ing and fulfilling member needs Policies and practices will manage and reduce organiza-

tional risk; plus improve responsiveness/action on issues and ember needs; and ensure high caliber board members in the future.

Smooth, orderly transition followed by the ability of the next executive director to hit the ground running. For a detailed copy of the plan, contact the VNLA Office

at1- 800-476-0055, [email protected]

News - 2015 Living Legacy Tree Planting Project to Honor Veterans New Veteran-Focused Exhibitor Rallies Horticultural Industry Around American Heritage at MANTS 2015

Living Legacy Tree Planting Project to Honor Veterans of the Civil War Through Beautiful and Environmental Na-

tional Memorial Baltimore, Md. – The Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS?), the premier green industry marketplace for busi-nesses, is excited to welcome The Journey Through Hal-lowed Ground Partnership, Living Legacy Tree Planting Project to the show floor this year as a new exhibitor. The JTHG Partnership is a little unconventional in terms of the standard vendors that MANTS usually attracts; the nonprofit organization is interested in educating and engaging attendees from the horticultural industry about their efforts to plant trees in honor of fallen soldiers from the American Civil War.

The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership, Living Legacy Tree Planting Project is a bold initiative that commem-orates the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War. Through this program, one tree will be planted for each of the 620,000 soldiers who died during one of the most defining mo-ments in American history. Upon completion, the Living Leg-acy Project will create the first 180-mile landscaped allée in the world and the only allée dedicated to memorializing the American Civil War. Phase one kicked off in November 2012, with trees being planted at Oatlands Historic House and Gar-dens, located near Leesburg, VA.

“The Living Legacy Tree Planting Project is coming to MANTS because MANTS is the Oscars, it’s the Pulitzer Prize, it is the place to be!” said Cate Magennis Wyatt, Founder and President, The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partner-ship. “Everyone in the horticultural industry knows MANTS is a critically important show to be present in if you have a product that should be shown, and we feel strongly that this product should be known by all of the show’s attendees.”

“We work closely with many exhibitors and attendees of MANTS who have been critically important partners in bring-ing this project to fruition. Our hope is that through MANTS,

we can not only educate those in the horticultural industry but also engage nurseries and green industry companies across the country who might want to be a part of creating this national treasure.”

The JTHG Partnership is taking special care to ensure that the native selection of trees is appropriate to the diverse landscapes along the historic corridor in which they are working, and re-main sensitive to the local ecology, scenic views, and develop-ment patterns.

The organization is currently seeking donors to help fund the $65 million initiative. Donors may select a soldier to honor, as the trees will be geo-tagged to allow Smart Phone users to learn the story of the soldier, providing a strong educational compo-nent to engage interest in the region’s historical heritage and literally bringing the tree to life.

“We are extremely excited that the Living Legacy Tree Plant-ing Project has decided to display on the MANTS show floor in 2015,” said MANTS Executive Vice President, Vanessa Finney. “We are always eager to find new and exciting prod-ucts and services to present to our attendees and I think guests of this year’s show will be deeply moved by the organization’s mission. We are thrilled some of our colleagues are already involved with the project which honors the fallen with such a beautiful national memorial that aligns with our industry’s in-terests. We think the Journey Through Hallowed Ground will be a great addition to the show this year.”

In addition to the JTHG Partnership, MANTS welcomes 84 new exhibitors to the show floor this year. The new exhibitors not only differ in the geographical locations in which they come from, but also the products and services they will be showcasing. MANTS attendees can expect to see a variety of specialties including seeders and greenhouses, and new com-panies showcasing things like turf products, stone veneers and pottery.

The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership:

The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising national and interna-tional awareness of the unparalleled history in the region run-ning from Gettysburg, PA, through Maryland and Harpers Ferry, WV, to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in Char-lottesville, VA. With more history than any other region in the nation, the Journey Through Hallowed Ground was recognized by Congress as a National Heritage Area and offers authentic heritage tourism programs and award-winning educational programs for students of all ages. The Journey Through Hal-lowed Ground Partnership is dedicated to encouraging both Americans and world visitors to appreciate, respect, and expe-rience this cultural landscape that makes it uniquely American. To learn more visit www.hallowedground.org/.

For the latest information visit our website or call us at (410) 296-6959. www.mants.com Twitter.com/MANTSBaltimore



Events - Winter Symposium and 45th Annual CVNLA Short Course 2015

Sublime + Sustainable: Horticultural Artistry in Action

February 11, 12, and 13, 2015

Massey Conference Center, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

The artistry of beautiful place-making within a framework of sustainability is on brilliant display this February at Cen-tral Virginia's annual horticulture symposium, offering val-uable continuing education for green business owners and their staffs, landscape architects and designers, Master Gar-deners, and seasoned home gardeners. Continuing educa-tion hours are offered for each day, along with book sales and signings and opportunities to network with industry col-leagues.

Friday is devoted to Pesticide Applicator Recertification in categories 3A, 3B, 8, 10, and 60. Net proceeds from the three-day event help build CVNLA’s scholarship fund for students pursuing horticultural careers.

$55/day includes continental breakfast, lunch, and all ses-sions Check lewisginter.org for details as they develop

Dates: February 11, 12, & 13, 2015

Where: Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

Attendees: Green business owners and their staffs, master gardeners & sophisticated amateur gardeners & people who need pesticide recertification

Checks are to be made payable to the CVNLA and mailed to: CVNLA, 11349 Saddlewood Lane, Rockville, VA 23146. All checks are due January 1, 2015

Special Features: CEU credits, exhibits, pesticide recerti-fication, and lunch with the speakers Registration begins in November. Check www.lewisginter.org for details.

In addition to the two years of credit for pesticide recer-tification, the short course is eligible for CEU's for Vir-ginia Certified Horticulturist!

Presented by Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

Central Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association Virginia Cooperative Extension

Events – Shenandoah Valley Plant Symposium 2015

540-942-6735 www.waynesboro.va.us

[email protected]

Save the DateMarch 20, 2015

Join us on the first day of Spring8am-4pm

$80.00 early registration fee until Jan. 16

4th Annual

Be inspired by nationally renowned experts as they present their favorite

ideas and solutions for all your planting problems. It will be just what the doctor (or horticulturist in this case) ordered as

winter ends and the spring planting season begins. This event offers

something for everyone from the novice home gardener to

experienced horticulturist. The proceeds will supplement

the horticulture program’s budget to provide more

for the community.


VNLA Newsletter July/August/September 2014 61

Events - Virginia Horticultural Foundation 2015 Mid-Atlantic

Horticulture Short Course

We are pleased to announce the 2015 Mid-Atlantic Horticul-ture Short Course, for January 20-23 in Newport News, VA.

Offering 6.5+ hours of CEUs daily, we continue to host quality presenters & provide topics for all levels of horticul-ture: from work crew to project foreman to front office. Last year over 800 attendees benefited from our program, earn-ing thousands of CEU credits from 16 professional organi-zations, and 116 attendees tested for professional certifica-tions during our event! (See the attached Snapshot for more 2014 demographic data.)

The 2015 Mid-Atlantic Horticulture Short Course will see improvements in our registration and program format. New registration is per day only; simply register for the days each individual will attend. This shortens time spent & saves re-sources, it follows that we are GREENER than EVER in 2015 with only digital program booklets & online registra-tion, enabling registration to open in mid-October.

New “Product Showcases” are planned spotlighting innova-tive technologies and new products for the Green Industry. These are held during an extended lunch break, and may add to daily CEUs earned! Information regarding key invited speakers, planned workshops & CEU organizations are in-cluded on the attached press release. Please use this infor-mation, plus our 2015 promotional image for inclusion in your industry calendars and announcements.

I can be reached for further comment or details about the Mid-Atlantic Horticulture Short Course. The Virginia Hor-ticultural Foundation is dedicated to horticulture education for the industry and the public, as a non-profit organization serving the Mid-Atlantic region.

Dawn M. Alleman, Education Program Coordinator, Mid-Atlantic Horticulture Short Course - providers of CEUs ,

Virginia Beach, VA Mobile (757) 647-0110 GMT Office (757) 523-4734 EST Fax (757) 366-9604

Ad - Pender Nursery

VNLA Pender ad half page_VNLA pender half page ad 1/15/14 11:21 AM Page 1

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News – Virginia Agribusiness Banquet & Town Hall Meeting

ia Green Industry Council members install plants and flowers for the Virginia Agribusiness Council Banquet.

(front) Lorene Blackwood, (l‐r) Bill Bonwell, Gwynn Hubbard, Peggy Seay, Cary Gouldin

James River Nurseries installing plans and sod from Brookmeade Sod Farm

Town Hall meeting at Grelen Nurseries, Orange, VA

VNLA Newsletter 81January / February / March 2014

V

James River Nurseries installing plants and sod from Brookmeade Sod Farm



News - North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association Announces

New Executive Director The North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association (NCNLA), has announced the selection of Corey Connors as its new executive director. Connors will fill the vacan-cy created by Ross Williams’ retirement, December 1, 2014. The selection was made after a national search and selection process by NCNLA.

“We are very pleased to announce this appointment,” re-ported Michael Dickey, President of NCNLA. “Corey will bring leadership and vision to NCNLA’s programs and a deep sense of commitment to serving the green industry. His successful experience serving national trade associa-tions as an advocate and coalition builder will guide NCNLA into a new era of service to our members.”

Connors served as Director of Legislative Relations for the American Nursery & Landscape Association from 2007 – 2010. In that capacity, he worked closely with state nurse-ry and landscape associations across the country including the NCNLA. He provided leadership for many important regulatory and legislative issues through the ANLA Light-

house Program. Since 2011 he has served as Senior Direc-tor of Government Relations for the Society of American Florists. His primary responsibilities at SAF have includ-ed advocacy and outreach, coalition development, and strategic planning. He created and managed the coalition to develop and support legislation addressing ACA com-pliance issues for highly seasonal employers and chaired the national Main Street Business Coalition. Connors re-ceived his Master of Arts degree from George Washington University and Bachelor of Arts from Clarion University.

“I am thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to work with North Carolina’s nursery and landscape industry again. I look forward to working with our dedicated volun-teer leaders and staff to tell this industry’s great story: the products and services that NCNLA members provide offer far more value than meets the eye. They are essential in-vestments that provide cost-effective, meaningful solutions to the consumer.”

The North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association (NCNLA) represents growers, landscapers, retail garden centers, suppliers, horticulture students and educators. NCNLA’s ultimate goal is to benefit its members’ eco-nomic, professional and personal growth. More infor-mation about NCNLA can be found at www.ncnla.com.

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Tips – from SNA Connect with SNA Members

SNA provides you with a network of industry professionals to make your search for horticultural products and services easy. To locate a company or a person, Search the SNA Online Mem-

bership Directory. http://sna.org/page-975969 Or, to locate a product Search the SNA Member Products Directory. Can't find what you're looking for? Send us an email at [email protected] , or give us a call at 678.809.9992. We're here to help!

SNA Career Network

The SNA Career Network is provided as a service to the industry. For current listings of open positions, follow the link provided. http://sna.org/page-1506352 Got a job list-ing? We can list your position to help you find that perfect person! Simply email us at [email protected]

We invite you to join thousands of industry professionals in Atlanta for this one-of-a-kind regional event!

SNA 2015 is a fusion of the Southern Plant Confer-ence, SNA Research Conference, the SNA Annual Busi-ness Meeting, and SNA State Officer’s Conference with the SNA Regional Marketplace to bring one unparal-leled event – all under one roof!

Plants, Products, People.

SNA 2015 will bring the brightest minds in horticulture together... breeders, growers, retailers, landscapers, re-searchers, manufacturers, distributors, and service provid-ers, from across the Southeast. It’s the perfect platform for networking, learning, launching new products, and culti-vating new business relationships.

Marketplace, Education and More.

This regional marketplace will showcase the best plants and related garden products. The product mix will include ornamental trees and shrubs, color, related landscape and outdoor living products, garden gifts and accessories, sea-sonal products, and more. Educational sessions geared

specifically for growers, retailers, and landscapers will help you set your business on a more profitable course. Full of takeaways, these sessions offer innovative ideas, and sound practical advice for personal and business growth. You'll discover the latest plants and industry trends, ways to increase profit, and solutions to some of your toughest issues.

Conveniently Located. Easy In and Out.

The Georgia International Convention Center (GICC), conveniently located adjacent to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlan-ta International Airport and minutes from downtown At-lanta, is Georgia’s newest and second largest convention center featuring more than 400,000 SF of meeting space – all on one level. The ATL SkyTrain, a free light rail train linking the GICC to the airport and rental car center, cou-pled with excellent transportation connections from across the U.S., and a wide array of affordable nearby ho-tels and restaurants offers participants added convenience.

SNA 2015... Bringing the Best of the Southeast Together Plants. Products. People. Marketplace,

Education and More.

“The SNA Regional Marketplace is not just a trade show but a regional ‘event’ that provides the perfect platform to connect the industry across the Southeast. The fusion of The Southern Plant Conference, the SNA Research Con-ference, and the regional marketplace is a very positive mix that draws the brightest minds in horticulture together creating a dynamic synergy resulting in a unique hybrid event. Everything is new at SNA… new plants, new prod-ucts, new techniques, new technologies, new trends, and new business. SNA is all about plants!"

SNA 2015 is produced and managed by the Southern Nursery Association, a not-for-profit 501(c)(6) organiza-tion dedicated to promoting the horticultural industry in the Southeastern U.S. as well as advancing commerce and trade, horticultural research, professionalism, and industry interests.

Unlike for-profit trade shows, proceeds from this annual event support and benefit SNA members and the horticultural industry. Your participation in this annual event helps support your business and out industry!


SCHI 2015

Trade Show Badge FREE with any

Paid Educational Program

Registration

South Carolina Horticulture Industry

MARKET PLACE & SEMINARS

275+ Booth Trade Show

20 + Seminars Booth AuctionTurf Management

Landscape Design &

Graphics Workshop

SC, NC, GA Pesticide Applicators'

Re-Certification Credits

Join us! S outhC arolinaN ursery &L andscapeA ssociation

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WWW.SCNLA.COM803-743-4284

FEBRUARY 4-6, 2015

Myrtle Beach Convention Center, Myrtle Beach, SC

SCHI 2015 NEW Cover Design.indd 1 9/8/14 9:02 AM

2015Mid-AtlanticHorticulture

Short Course

January 20-23

aT THE

MarrioTT CiTy CEnTEr in nEwporT nEws, Va

prEsEnTEd byINVITED SPEAKERSIan Baldwin Business Adviser for Garden & Hardware Retailers

Katie Dubow Social Media Marketing Specialist, Garden Media Group

Bernie Erven Professor Emeritus, Ohio State University

Mike Goatley Professor Turfgrass Specialist, Virginia Tech

Jason Grabowsky Arboriculture & Urban Forestry, Rutgers University

John Kennedy Business & Customer Service Consultant

Bryce Lane Teacher & Horticulturist, NCSU Emeritus Lecturer

Christopher J. Luley President & Pathologist, Urban Forestry, LLC

Jeff McManus Director of Landscape Services, University of Mississippi

Marta McDowell Landscape History & Horticulture, NY Botanical Garden

Timothy Sims Chief Ranger, Booker T Washington National Monument

Eric Wiseman Associate Professor, Urban Forestry, Virginia Tech

SPECIALTY WORKSHOPS Bonsai, Grafting, Insect ID, Plant Propagation, Willow Garden Art

HORTICULTURE SKILLS TRAINING IN SPANISH Dia de Habilidad en Horticultura en Español (Monday Jan. 19 - offered as a pre-conference event ONLY)

CEUS, CERTIFICATIONS AND PESTICIDE CREDITS ASLA / LA CES; APLD; Crew Manager & Advanced Crew Manager; GCSAA; ICPI; ISA; Landscape Industry Certified; SAF; PGMS; NCMA; Certified Horticulturist of VNLA, DCR, VA DPOR, VSLD

(757) 523-4734 www.mahsc.org

We’re GREENER than EVERIt’s the digital age, so we will NOT print a program booklet this year. All our classes

will be available for online viewing & download. We’re saving trees, time & money.

The Virginia Horticultural Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

REGISTER PER DAY ONLY NO INDIVIDUAL CLASS

REGISTRATION Registration is now open

for early-bird savings.

ALL DAY LEARNING = MAX CEUS 6.5 + CEUs on tap daily plus workshops day & evening!

NEW PRODUCT & EqUIPMENT DISPLAYS & DEMOS

Mid-day showcases: experience new products & gear.

REGISTER TODAY

NEW IN 2015


2015 Virginia Certified Horticulturist Review Class/Test Schedule

TestClassSchedule2015.xlsx 12/6/2014 10:54 AM

Region Review or Test

Dates 2015 Location Time Fees

Mmbr

Fees Non

Mmbr

Class/Test Registration

Deadline

Hampton Roads

VCH TEST

1/21/2015 Wednesday

Mid-Atlantic Horticulture Short Course, Marriott at

City Center, Newport News

6-9 pm $ 55 $ 250 January 7, 2015

Hampton Roads

Rev

iew January 20-

February 24 Tues/Thurs

Lancaster Farms' Conference Room,

Suffolk6-9 pm $ 125 $ 150 January 7, 2015

Hampton Roads TEST 2/28/2015

Saturday


Suffolk8am - noon $ 55 $ 250 February 13, 2015

Hampton Roads TEST 6/10/2015

Wednesday


Suffolk6-9 pm $ 55 $ 250 May 27, 2015

Northern VA

Rev

iew

None for 2015

Northern VA TEST 3/5/2015 Thursday Meadows Farms,

Chantilly5:30 - 9:30

pm $ 55 $ 250 February 19, 2015

Northern VA

LeesburgTEST 5/20/2015

WednesdayMonroe Technology

Center10 am - 2 pm $ 55 $ 250 May 7, 2015

Richmond

Rev

iew

Jan. 26 - March 16Henrico County

Government Complex

6:30-9:30 pm $ 75 $ 150 January 13, 2015

Richmond TEST 3/16/2015 Monday

Henrico County Government

Complex6-10 pm $ 55 $ 250 March 2, 2015

PLA, Central VA

Rev

iew January 26 -

March 8 Mondays

Minimum 8

Charlottesville, TBA 5:00 - 8:00 pm $ 125 $ 200 January 12, 2015

PLA, Central VA TEST 3/21/15

Saturday Charlottesville, TBA 10 am - 2 pm $ 55 $ 250 March 6, 2015

SWVA Lynchburg

Rev

iew

TBA Lynchburg TBA

SWVA Lynchburg TEST TBA Lynchburg TBA

Make Your Buisiness Stand Out! Sign Up Your Staff to Become Virginia

12/2/14

You MUST pre-register with the VNLA Office, 2 weeks prior to the review class and/or the test.

For updated information, go to the VNLA website Certification page at www.vnla.org/certification

VCH Certification Study Manuals are available from the VNLA Office for $135.00 including tax and shipping (may vary depending on postal zone);

Horticopia Professional Education Edition download is available for Plant Identification review for $108.00 including tax and shipping. Check or credit card

Order online at www.vnla.org



January 5-9, 2015, GREEN & GROWIN SHOW, Greensboro,

NC, www.ncnla.com

January 7-10, 2015, Jan 7 - 9, 2015, CENTS Trade Show, Columbus, OH, www.onla.org

January 14-16, 2015, MANTS Trade Show, Baltimore Conven-tion Center, www.MANTS.com

January 15, 2015, VIRGINIA AGRIBUSINESS LEGISLA-TIVE BANQUET, Old Dominion Bldg, Richmond Raceway Complex, www.va-agribusiness.org/

January 20-23, 2015, MID-ATLANTIC HORTICULTURE SHORT COURSE, Newport News Marriott at City Center, www.mahsc.org

January 26-30, 2015, VIRGINIA TURGRASS CONFERENCE, Fredericksburg, VA contact: www.turfconference.org

January 27-29, 2015, NEW JERSEY PLANTS TRADE SHOW, Edison, JN www.njplantshow.com

January 28-31, 2015, GULF STATES HORTICULTURAL EXPO, Mobile, AL, www.gshe.org/

February 4-7, 2015, NEW ENGLAND GROWS, Boston, MA www.newenglandgrows.org

February 6-9, 2015, MAC EVENTS HOME AND GARDEN SHOW, Richmond, VA http://macevents.com/show.cfm/eventID/124

February , 2015, SHENANDOAH VALLEY NURSERY & GREENHOUSE ASSOCIATION Winter Short Course, 8-3:30 pm at the Workforce Center, Blue Ridge Community College, 540-665-5699, [email protected]

February 11-13, 2015, CENTRAL VIRGINIA NURSERY & LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION SYMPOSIUM/WIN-TER SHORT COURSE, “The Science and Art of Placemaking”, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, http://www.lewisginter.org/adult-education/sponsored-symposiums.php

Feb 18, 2015, PIEDMONT LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION SEMINAR, Paramount Theater, Charlottesville, VA http://www.piedmontlandscape.org/seminar.html

February 28, 2015, VSLD WINTER MEETING, at Maymont, Richmond, 10am-2pm www.vsld.org

March 20, 2015, SHENANDOAH VALLEY PLANT SYMPOSIUM, Waynesboro, VA, Sponsored by the Waynesboro Parks & Recreation Dept. in conjunction with the Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association www.waynesboro.va.us 540-942-6735

April 17-18, 2015, Middle Atlantic Chapter - American Rhododendron Society, Raleigh, VA www.macars.org

August 12-15, 2015, SUMMER GREEN ROADSHOW, in Hickory, NC Https://ncnla.memberclicks.net/summer-green-road-show

Virginia Certified Horticulturist 2015 Exam Schedule

Newport News, MAHSC, January 21, 6-9 pm (Deadline 1/7/15

Suffolk, Lancaster Farms, February 28, 8 a.m. - noon (Deadline 2/13/15)

Fairfax, Meadows Farms, Chantilly, March 5, 5:30-9:30 pm (Deadline 2/19/15)

Richmond, Henrico County Gov’t Complex, March 16, 6-10 p.m. (Deadline 3/2/15)

Charlottesville, Location TBA, March 21, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (Deadline 3/6/15)

Lynchburg, at TBA, TBA. (Deadline TBA )

Leesburg, Monroe Technical Center, Northern VA, May 20, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., (Deadline 5/7/15)

Suffolk, Lancaster Farms, June 10, 6-9 p.m. (Deadline 5/27/15)

For a Current Calendar of all Green Industry Events, go: http://www.vnla.org/Calendar

NEW Interactive Calendar!

Upcoming Events

Are You a Professional Virginia

Certified Horticulturist?

January 15, 2015, VNLA ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP BREAKFAST MEETING, Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel, Baltimore, www.vnla.org [email protected]

*************************************

NO RESEARCH AUCTION/GALA FOR 2015 MANTS

January 21, 2015, VIRGINIA CERTIFIED HORTICUL-TURIST EXAM, at the MAHSC, Newport News Marriott at City Center www.vnla.org 800-476-0055


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email: [email protected]

Prsrt. StdU.S. Postage

PAIDBlacksburg, VAPermit No. 107

383 Coal Hollow Rd.Christiansburg, VA 24073-6721

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

October/November/December VNLA Newsletter

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