Snowstorm takes the wind out of President's message the ... · Kerry Scott on “Finding Labor:...

Winter 2016

The phrase “timing is everything” certainly rang true forWVNLA’s 2016 Winter Symposium. The lure of a fantastic line-up of speakers, a recently renovated conference facility and arevamped format that encouraged interaction couldn’t hold upto weather at its worst, in the form of Winter Storm Jonas.Because they were traveling on Jan. 21 when skies were clearand sunny, all but one of the out-of-town speakers arrivedwithout incident. Returning home was another story. Most ofthem settled in for a stay that lasted throughout thesnowbound weekend.

Many out-of-town attendees cancelled in advance of theJan. 22 storm. Understandably, the number of people whomade it to the symposium dwindled steadily during themorning, as the snow piled up outside. By lunchtime, it wasclear that even local travel was rapidly approaching the ill-advised stage, and the 2016 Symposium came to an abruptclose.

The speakerswho gamely gavetheirpresentationsduring themorningincluded BryceLane of NorthCarolina StateUniversity;Debra Knapke,aka The GardenSage; TresFromme of3.Fromme Design; Jody Shilan of FromDesign2Build; andKerry Scott of MASLabor.

Jody Shilan on “Avoiding Site Analysis Paralysis”Longtime landscape design company owner and industry

consultant Jody Shilan asked attendees to answer some keyquestions about how they approached potential clients: Are youcompensated for your experience and/or education? Do you havea business card available at all times? Are you prepared for siteanalysis when you arrive at a potential job site? Do you takepictures of a job site?

Based on his experiences with his own company and his 40years in the industry, Shilan recommended the following:

• Charge for your site visits and designs. No feespaid, no work done.

Debra Knapkediscussed the use ofedible plants in thelandscape.

As we sit squarely betweenwinter and spring, I hope thisnewsletter finds you healthy andbusy.

Winter has thrown a few curveballs this year, but then again,

when has itnot. TheWinterSymposiumwascoincidentallyduring theworst snowstorm of thewinter.Attendancewas down andone speakercould notmake it to thevenue.

WVNLA refunded all monies tomembers that registered but couldnot attend due to the weather.Mother Nature reminded us, again,that in our industry, we are not incontrol of all the factors. That beingsaid, I have put in an order onbehalf of all of us for rain onSaturdays and Sundays after 7p.m., only through the fall. We willsee how that goes.

Winter can cause both problemsand opportunities in our line ofwork, but it always melts away to anew season of production. Andinstallation. And shipping. Anddelivery. And fertilizing. Andpruning. And watering. And doingoffice work. And. And. And. Springhasn't started yet and we can feeloverwhelmed if we think too longabout what is to come. It could besaid that those of us in the nursery

WVNLA PresidentNorman Cole

(Please see PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE on page 3)

President's messageSnowstorm takes the wind out ofthe Winter Symposium's sails

(Please see SYMPOSIUM on page 2)

West Virginia Nursery & Landscape Associationwww.wvnla.orgWinter 2016

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• Have your business card handy at alltimes. This demonstrates your preplanningskills and could lead to another job.

• Be sure to have all your tools andsupplies packed when you arrive for siteanalysis. Lacking some key item will resultin lost time and delays in preparingproposals.

• Take many pictures, at all angles, ofthe job site, both before and afterinstallation. "Before" pictures help indesign detail and "After" pictures helpdevelop a portfolio for presentations to newclients.

Kerry Scott on “Finding Labor: H-2A andH-2B”

Kerry Scott provided an overview of thechallenges of finding legal H-2A and H-2B guestworkers. As the system continually evolves and therules change, his company, MASLabor, works withclients to navigate crucial hiring issues, includingtiming, filing, fees and more. Although he admittedthat the system is complex and frustrating, Scottsaid that his clients usually find the effort to useH-2A and H-2B employees worthwhile. In hisexperience, these workers have shown anoutstanding aptitude, desire and work ethic.“Employers will tell me they wish they’d done this10 years ago,” Scott said.

The smallnumber of peoplein his sessionallowed Scott toaddress theirindividualconcerns.

Bryce Lane on “Understanding Garden Soils”In his informative and entertaining workshop,

North Carolina State University professor andgarden talk show host Bryce Lane explained thechemistry and physics of soil composition and theroles of healthy soils. With memorable visuals (abasketball, tennis ball, and grains of rice), Lanestressed the importance of soil texture to water andnutrient retention. He also emphasized that

adjusting pH can significantly improve soilfertility. “Proper bed prep is the key,” he toldparticipants, advising them to (1) cultivate and (2)incorporate, or if these aren’t possible, (3)invigorate with two to three inches of mulch over athree- to five-year period.

Debra Knapke on “Edible Ornamentals”“I’m asking you to consider the world as you

design,” garden designer and lecturer DebraKnapke of central Ohio told symposium attendees.Knapke named a seemingly endless array of treesand shrubs that offer food perennially, and shediscussed the uses of their barks and berries, aswell as their other appealing features. Forexample, Knapke said, the shag bark hickory is agorgeous tree and the nut meats are edible.Crabapples are great for jams and jellies, staghornsumac berries make a tasty lemonade, andchokeberries make a delicious wine. Knapke alsodistributed a list of edible ornamentals thatincluded their functions, characteristics, and edibleparts.

Tres Fromme on “On-Site Drawing”Fromme, who is a skilled artist as well as a

landscape designer, shared the many uses he findsfor drawing, especially in his design work for theAtlanta Botanical Garden. He prefers not to usecolor in his drawings because, he said, detailsemerge more clearly in black and white. He useshis drawings to communicate with both clients andother artists. He illustrated this point by showingan artful sculpture of a spitting fish an artistproduced from one of his sketches. Words alonecould not have conveyed the concept to the artist aswell as his drawing, Fromme said.

Drawing is also a conduit for thinking forFromme, whose doodles crystallize into a solidplan, often before he’s thought the plan through.He also evokes sensory experiences with hisdrawings. His illustrations for a public cactusgarden in the Southwest are one example.

“Keep every drawing. You never know whenyou’ll want to go back and steal your own idea,” headvised.

Bryce Lane on “Landscaping on the Edge”In this workshop, Lane led his listeners

through trending topics in horticulture. In today’smarket, he said, you have to consider thatproperties are getting smaller, baby boomers aregetting older, and empty nesters are downsizing.Gardening is going green, with a push towardsustainable practices and gardening with apurpose. Edible landscaping, greening of urbanareas and community gardens are hot topics.

(Continued on next page)

SYMPOSIUM (continued from page 1)

Tres Fromme oftendoesn't use color in hisdrawings becausedetails are clearer inblack and white.

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West Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association www.wvnla.org Winter 2016

SYMPOSIUM (continued from page 2)Many people who fall in the Gen X and Gen Y

categories often find the idea of gardening moreappealing than the actual gardening. They are lessDo-It-Yourself and more Do-It-For Me, an obviousboon for landscapers.

Marketers for the garden industry encouragethe promotion of the health and well-being benefitsof gardening, its back-to-nature elements and“petscaping.” That’s right, landscape design aroundthe family pet. The market is huge, Lane said.About 65 percent of American households have atleast one pet. Americans spend $60 billion dollars ayear on them.

Lane covered a lot of territory, showing colorfulphotos to illustrate layered landscapes featuringnative plants, wildlife attractors and ecosystemrestoration, all of which appeal to “Save the World”gardeners. In addition, plants placed for shadingand heating have practical appeal. He showedexamples of plant and rock gardens that can replaceturf in landscapes to reduce the need to water.

After hearing these impressive presentations, itwas especially disappointing to learn that theafternoon speakers would not be heard. TomVasale’s wisdom on “Specialty Pruning,” Jan Bills’sthought-provoking ideas on “How to Make SocialMedia Work for You,” and Jody Shilan’s answers tothe key question “Are Your Proposals Saying,‘Please Don’t Work with Us’?” would have to waitfor another day.

Article by Julie Robinson, with contributionsfrom Bud Cottrill (on Shilan’s presentation) andSheila McEntee (on Lane’s soil and Knapke’spresentations)

industry have the winter break from the crazinessof the busy season so we may forget howoverwhelmed we feel during the season and don'tgive it up completely. I hope your biggest problemthis year is how to get everything accomplished –that's a good problem to have.

There are a couple bits of news regarding theWVNLA. First, we are pleased to announce andwelcome two new board members, David Hill ofThree Trees Design and Landscaping, Inc. in SouthCharleston and Jason Testman of Terra Care, Inc.of Charleston. Second, our summer employeetraining event, which is held a different locationeach year to better serve our members, will be inMorgantown this year at a to-be-determined date inJuly.

As we move closer to another spring season,remember that the WVNLA is here for anyquestions you may have or ideas you wish to share.Please don't hesitate to contact myself or JulieRobinson.

Norman Cole IIIWVNLA President

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE (continued from page 1)

We welcome a new WVNLA member. Site Tech,LLC in Philippi was approved for membership at arecent board meeting. Site Tech offers landscapeconstruction and maintenance. Contact ownerBrett Robinson at 304-703-7625 [email protected].

We are also pleased to have Crede Lawn andLandscaping in Scott Depot return as an activemember. Contact owner Dennis Crede at304-757-2567.

Welcome new member

Certified ProfessionalHorticulturist program news

Best wishes to Eamon Barker of Flowerscapewho recently received his Certified ProfessionalHorticulturist after acheiving a passing score on theexam and plant identification.

A makeup exam for anyone who was unable totake the Jan. 21 exam due to inclement weatherwill be given on at 3 p.m. March 15 in Charleston.For more information, email [email protected] call 304-553-1234.

Lane showed a multilayered landscape that provides protection andcover for birds to nest and rest. The staggered heights of perennials,shrubs and trees are attractive as well as functional.


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By Dr. Sven VerlindenAssociate Professor of Horticulture, WVU

WVU Horticulture is growing!We hit an all-time high enrollment of 40

undergraduate students in the fall semester andare teaching a dozen or so horticulture coursesevery year. We now have five horticulturists onstaff that are involved in research and teaching:Dr. Sven Verlinden, Dr. Nicole Waterland, Dr.Dave Davis, Dr. Michael Gutensohn, and Dr. KangMo Ku. Both Gutensohn and Ku joined the facultylast summer with research and teachingappointments. WVU also employs two morehorticulturists through extension, Dr. Lewis Jettand Dr. Mira Bulatovic-Danilovich.

Division Director Dr. Matthew Jenks, whojoined the staff in 2014, also has a horticulturebackground and has a keen interest in waxes onplant leaf and stem surfaces. The Horticultureprogram has come a long way from 2002 when wehad only two faculty members. We appreciate thesupport of our division director for this growth.Inquiries into the horticulture major are up andeverything points to continued growth. We hope tocontinue on this positive trajectory in the future.

As always, I would like to thank WVNLA for itssupport of our research and teaching missions. Ourparticipation in PLANET student career days, nowrenamed NALP (National Association of LandscapeProfessionals) could not happen without yoursupport. We again have a team of 20 studentssigned up to participate in this event held atMississippi State University in March. This yearwe hope to again improve our standings and tobreak into the top 15 ranking. Davis and Verlindenare faculty advisors not only for this event, but alsofor the WVU Horticulture Club.

Other programs supported by WVNLA are alsogoing strong. Our Western Europe study trip,organized by Dr. Peter Butler (LandscapeArchitecture) and Verlinden (Horticulture) hasattracted more than 20 students this year. WithWVNLA’s support, we offer an affordableeducational and international experience to DavisCollege students and others. The trip is a three-week tour of the landscapes and gardens ofBelgium, The Netherlands, France, and new thisyear, Great Britain. The cost to the students is$5,000 including airfare. Perhaps a trip like thiscould be offered to the WVNLA membership!

We are very proud of our students that havewon scholarships from WVNLA in the past and thisyear is no exception. Amanda Hamilton is a stellarstudent with interests in landscaping and public

garden management and will undoubtedly makeboth the university and WVNLA proud to havesupported her in her career. Thank you again foryour support of the students in the horticulture andlandscape architecture programs at WVU.

Unfortunately, Verlinden and Davis were notable to travel with the students in a garden centermanagement course to the WVNLA WinterSymposium due to the inclement weather that day.However, the horticulture program and studentswould like to share and present on all our activitiesat a future WVNLA meeting. We would also like tocontinue our participation in WVNLA educationalevents, which are always a treat for our students!

In short, these are exciting times for WVUHorticulture and we hope to carry on andstrengthen our ongoing relationship with theWVNLA.

Meet Dr. Kang Mo KuDr. Ku joined the Division of Plant and Soil

Sciences inAugust. Hestarted teachingfall semester lastyear and will beteachingPrinciples ofPlant Sciencesevery fallsemester. Ku isdeveloping a newgraduate studentlevel course(tentatively PlantResearchMethods) whichwill cover basicplant scienceresearch skillssuch as chromatography, colorimetric assay,scanning electron microscopy and other researchmethods.

His current research includes the study ofbioactivity of glucosinolates, especially as anti-insect herbivory compounds. He is also working toenhance the biosafety of produce. His work hassuggested that the attachment of foodbornepathogens is associated with epicuticular wax onthe produce leaf and stem surfaces. Dr. Ku is tryingto understand these food pathogen contaminationmechanisms thereby developing better agriculturalpractices and improving public health and safety.

Dr. Kang Mo Ku

WVU Hort program on the rise with staff and student increases

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Introducing Michael GutensohnDr. Gutensohn joined the ranks of the faculty in

the Division of Plant and Soil Sciences in Augustand will be teaching Principles of Plant Sciences inspring semesters and graduate level horticulturecourses throughout the academic year.

Gutensohn’s research centers on thebiosynthesis,biological functionand application ofplant volatiles.Plant volatiles arenot only importantin the scent offlowers or the flavorof fruits, but also forthe attraction ofpollinators (whichin many cropsdetermines the yieldand quality offruits). They alsoplay a role in the

defense of plants against pests, either by repellingthe pest or by attracting enemies of the pest. In hisresearch he is studying how these plant volatilesare formed by plants and how we can improve thesevolatiles in plants so that we obtain for examplegood tasting fruits of high quality, as well as cropplants that are better protected against pests andthus can be grown in more sustainable ways.

Dr. Michael Gutensohn

His father and a partner started the business in1947 as a landscape nursery with field-grownplants. In 1955, the partners opened a gardencenter inHuntington.Mark Springersold the gardencenter in 2012and now runsLavaletteNursery as alandscapebusiness on theoriginal site inLavalette.

Springerjoined WVNLAshortly after hegraduated fromWVU, and hehas been amember ever since. Over the years, he found manymentors in the organization besides his father,including Carson Turner, Jim Monroe Sr., NormanCole Jr., Bill Beckett and many others. Thoserelationships are just one of the many benefits hecounts as a member of WVNLA.

“A few minutes talking to an experiencedprofessional who has been there and done that cansave you hours of mistakes. Most everybody in ourindustry is very open to helping others in thebusiness,” he said. “It’s great to be a part of anorganization that has a common goal to better themembers’ businesses. We are a small group but wehave accomplished a lot.”

For nearly 20 years, Springer has been one ofthree WVNLA members who serve on the Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS) board.WVNLA co-owns the show along with the nurseryand landscape associations of Maryland andVirginia. The profits from the successful showprovide the bulk of WVNLA’s funding.

“WVNLA has been blessed with ourinvolvement with MANTS. We have been goodstewards of the financial rewards and used themfor many worthwhile projects. We have to makesure we keep doing that in the future,” he said.

Springer is a Certified ProfessionalHorticulturist who also passed the WVNLAperennial plants exam, which is not currently beingoffered. He and his wife, Diane, have been marriedsince 1982 and have two adult children. Theirdaughter, Emily, is married to Patrick Hagan andtheir son, Eric, is married to Amanda Springer.

President Norman Cole recognizedMarkSpringer as West Virginia Nursery & LandscapeAssociation’s “Outstanding Member of the Year” atWVNLA’s annual meeting Jan. 22. Springeraccepted the award and said he was surprised thatno members of the board had slipped to tip him offin advance. The award reads as follows:

“It is with gratitude that we acknowledgeMark’s many years of service as a board memberand as WVNLA’s treasurer. As a long-term boardmember, Mark has exhibited great judgment,insight, thoughtful consideration and strongleadership. The organization achieved securefinancial footing during his term as treasurer.Mark has also served as a longtime MANTS boardmember, representing WVNLA.

Springer graduated in 1978 from WestVirginia University with a bachelor of sciencedegree in landscape architecture. He immediatelywent to work for Lavalette Nursery in Lavalette,which was then owned by his father, Bill Springer.

Longtime WVNLA and MANTS board member honored

Mark Springer - Oustanding WVNLA Member


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Are Highland Landscaping and HighlandNursery in Buckhannon owned by the samefamily? Yes, Bobby Gompers opened HighlandLandscaping, LLC in 2001 and is the soleproprietor. His wife Susanne, who has an art anddesign background, produced computerized designfor customers at a time when that technology wasstill relatively new. Bobby and his mother BrendaLilly share ownership of Highland Nursery, LLC,which opened in 2011.

What is the scope of both businesses?Highland Landscaping has a solid reputation forproviding quality service and expert knowledge infull-service landscape design, installation, andmaintenance for residential and commercialproperties. The company also offers hardscapedesign and installation, such as natural stone

walkways,retainingwalls,outdoorkitchens,fire andwaterfeatures.Bobby isalso acertifiedpesticideapplicator

and will offer those services in the near future.Highland Landscaping offices are located inTennerton.

Highland Nursery is a retail garden centerlocated on a five-acre farm in Buckhannon co-owned by Jim Gompers and Brenda Lilly and theirson Bobby Gompers. In the beginning HighlandNursery offered bulk mulch products, top soil, treesand shrubs. Today we have one of the area's largestselections of annuals, perennials, trees and shrubsand offer a relaxing experience for customerslooking for design ideas and for the perfect tree orplants to fit their landscape needs. HighlandNursery will soon offer workshops on planting tips,basic tree and shrub care, how to select, plant andcare for fruit trees and how to incorporate ediblesinto garden plantings.

What do you like about working togetherin related family businesses?We love workingtogether in both of our businesses. We have alwaysbeen a close family, but working together hasbrought us even closer, because we spend more

time together doing things that we all enjoy.Because we live and work in a rural community,our customers to get to know all of our family. Theyenjoy coming in and seeing the dynamics in ourrelationships. It's not unusual to find one of thegrandchildren helping out with watering on awarm summer day. Our customers also know theycan reach any of us if they have a need, whether itbe for a landscaping questions or for somethingthey are interested in picking up from the nursery.

What are challenges for growers andlandscapers in Buckhannon? Starting andrunning a successful business is always achallenge. One of our biggest challenges in thisregion is the extreme weather conditions whichdictate the window of opportunity to get manythings accomplished, from growing to maintainingtop quality products. Our winters are brutal, withheavy snow and winds. We experience intense heatin the summer as well as high winds, drought andflooding. This means we have to be mindful ofplant selections when designing a landscape forsustainability.

Pest management is another challenge.Landscaping is an investment of time and money,and there is nothing more frustrating than seeingit get eaten or destroyed by wildlife. We arealways searching for new plants and trees to helpour customers select plant varieties that are lessappealing to deer.

How haveyour customers/market changedin last ten years?Customers arelooking for ways toexpand theiroutdoor livingspace. Today,homeowners havemore informationavailable to themvia social medianetworks such aslandscape websites, HGTV,Pinterest, DYI and more, that provides them withbasic understanding and ideas of what their homeswith a new landscape design could look like. Tastesvary greatly with every customer, so we havebecome better listeners to help them achieve theend result they desire. (Continued on page 7)

Highland Nursery's garden center entrance

Bobby Gompers and Brenda Lilly

Member spotlight: Businesses are family affairs at Highland

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Hamilton grew up in Raleigh County andgraduated from Woodrow Wilson High School. Shewas chosen for the award based on her excellentgrades, involvement in student activities andglowing teacher and employer recommendations.

Hamilton’s interest in plants started when shewas a child. She loved playing outdoors and in herfamily’s gardens, where they grew lots ofvegetables, herbs and flowers. In high school,Hamilton excelled in biology. Her teacher, Ms.Clark, encouraged students to excel and toconsider careers in the sciences. For Hamilton, sherecommended agronomy or horticulture.

“After some investigation of what the field ofhorticulture included, I fell in love. It was theperfect mix of biology, chemistry, art and hands-onwork,” she said.

Hamilton encourages other students toconsider careers in the green industry. “Anystudent who doesn’t want to spend their workingcareer in a cubicle from 9 to 5 should considerhorticulture or the green industry,” she said. Shefinds cultivation particularly rewarding.

In addition to succeeding in her course workand being involved in activities such as theHorticulture Club at WVU, Hamilton has held twoenriching internships. At The Greenbrier resort,she developed an interest in public groundsmaintenance. She credits her employers there withgiving her both hands-on skills and lessons aboutmanagement.

“I learned that every garden had a history anda value to cherish. I learned how to cherish itthrough my coworkers and the guests at the resort,who would approach us just to tell us howbeautiful the grounds were,” Hamilton said.

Her second internship was with Bob’s Marketand Greenhouses in Mason County. This large-scale production facility gave her a newperspective on the industry’s demands andchallenges. After working there, she saw “what ittakes to produce the petunias, and all the handsrequired to grow and harvest the seeds we buy inpaper envelopes each year. We saw why the costskeep rising and all of the sacrifices our very ownplanet makes just so we can enjoy these delicatedelights.”

After she graduates in 2017, Hamilton hopes toland a job maintaining public or historic grounds,or a botanic garden. She is interested in helpingpeople understand a garden’s history and howplants connect to the past, the environment and topeople.

Amanda Hamilton chosen to receive 2016 WVNLA scholarshipCongratulations to Amanda Hamilton, who

was recently selected as the 2016 recipient of theMarcus W. Rennix Memorial Scholarship. A juniorhorticulture major at West Virginia University,

Amand

Amanda Hamilton enjoyed this view in Paris when she visited as part ofWVU's Western Europe Study Trip in 2015.

What trends in gardening andlandscaping do you think will be popular thisyear?With so many new varieties in annuals andperennials, people are excited again about plantingand gardening. Customers are looking to add morehardscape projects and destinations to theirlandscape, so that they can extend the season withmore outdoor living spaces. This year, customerslike the idea of designing a landscape with a theme,something that matches their personalities and lifestyles, yet keeping in mind a design they can add toover the years. Because lighting technology hasimproved so much through the years, many folksare adding more lighting into their landscapeprojects. Lastly, people want to get back intogardening with a purpose – wanting to make ahomesteaders garden in addition to an ornamentalgarden.

Any additional information you would liketo include? We have learned a lot over the last 15years, there is nothing easy about this industry andthere are challenges around every corner. But withhard work, continuing education and goodpartnerships in the industry, success can beachieved. We are having a great time and arelooking forward to a prosperous spring – not onlyour businesses, but for everyone in the WVNLA.

HIGHLAND (continued from previous page)

West Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association www.wvnla.org [email protected]


Officers & Board of Directors

President:Norman Cole – [email protected]

Vice President:Bud Cottrill – [email protected]

Secretary:Tim Forren – [email protected]

Treasurer:Mark Springer – [email protected]

Past President:Bill Mills – [email protected]

Board Members:Scott Barnitz – [email protected] Bartholomew –[email protected]

Pat Biafore – [email protected] Hill – [email protected] Jett – [email protected] Saunders – [email protected] Schwartz-Barker –[email protected]

Jason Testman –[email protected]

Executive Director: Julie Robinson

P. O. Box 20284Charleston, WV 25362

Dates to Note

March 15 CPH exam, Charleston.March 12-20 Chicago Flower & Garden Show.

www.chicagoflower.comMarch 17 Sustainable Landscape Conference,

University of Connecticut.www.2016slc.uconn.edu

April 8 Production Green House Tour,Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square,PA. www.longwoodgardens.org

April 20-21 Interior Plantscape Symposium,Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square,PA. www.landscapeprofessionals.org

June 14-15 National Lawn & Garden Show,Bloomingdale, IL. www.nlgshow.com

June 22 WVNLA Board of Directors meeting,Sutton.

July 9-12 Cultivate’16, Columbus, OH.www.cultivate16.org

Aug. 2-4 Independent Garden Center Show(East), King of Prussia, PA.www.igcshow.com

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