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I receive many advertisements about products, techniques, and learning opportunities that pertain to my profession. Often the seminars advertised are far away and expensive. However, an opportunity showed itself a few weeks ago that seemed tailor made for me. Green Roofs for Healthy Cities was presenting “Green Roofs 101” in Nashville, just a few minutes drive from my office. I have a project coming up in which a green roof is a major component, so, I signed up, thinking it would be “beneficial.” I never dreamed that it would be fascinating....

Pick up a few new clients this season? Inherit a nightmare or two along with them? I think my favorite was a vest-pocket park with an eight-zone controller mounted on a giant cottonwood. The power cord and station wires twisted around the trunk and disappeared into the ground below. It’s amazing what’s out there, and how “out-there” some folks are.  ...

Pavers and hardscape projects have been gaining popularity in the United States during the past two decades. Compared to Canada and Europe, the installation of pavers and retaining walls is relatively new for the United States landscape industry. “Originally pavers migrated from Europe into Canada and then spread throughout the United States,” said Gretchen Spear, director of marketing and communications for Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI)....

Senior landscape designer Fred Southard loves incorporating groundcovers and creeping perennials into his commercial and residential landscape projects to reduce noise and maintenance while increasing his customers’ satisfaction. According to Southard, who works for Green Thumb Landscaping and Maintenance in Salem, Ore., these options reduce the number of annual maintenance visits from 38 with turf-only projects to 12. “The more urban the area, the more this sort of thing comes into play,” he said. “Ultimately, it requires less maintenance and it is less noisy for the site owners.”...

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, adults are bright-green, metallic beetles, approximately three-eighths to five-eighths inch long. They are identified by their flat backs, green wing covers and rounded, purple abdomens. Larvae are creamy-white in color, flattened and segmented. They reach a length of approximately one inch....

If you are searching for an add-on service that complements your existing landscaping business, one option is pest control services. MosquitoNix is an automated mosquito-controlling system. Offering MosquitoNix is a service that provides comfort to homeowners, and allows landscape professional to create long-term relationships with their customers because the misting systems need to be refilled throughout the mosquito season. landscape-business.com recently spoke with Ken Davidson, director of franchise development for MosquitoNix, about the MosquitoNix technology and how it can benefit landscape professionals....

Objectives: Develop a protocol to optimize irrigation scheduling based on evapotranspiration demand (ETo). Reduce water usage by injecting wetting agents into the irrigation line. Monitor changes in turf quality. Analyze plant tissues to monitor any abnormal element accumulations. Measure crop coefficient of the Bermuda grass maintained under fairway mowing conditions.  ...

Water is one of Earth’s most precious resources and its availability is vital to the green industry. Recent increases in the price and availability of water have focused greater attention on landscape irrigation water conservation.  Automatic irrigation controllers can waste water if programmed incorrectly or left to operate regardless of the current weather conditions. “Smart” controllers are available that automatically adjust programming based on weather or site conditions. Whether your irrigation system is controlled by a Smart or standard controller, you still need to program it correctly so it can satisfy the landscape’s water requirement and not waste water....

The protection of water sources and the implementation of methods to limit the pollutants that enter the waterways is an issue at the forefront of government and industry discussions worldwide. It affects all aspects of the landscape industry; backflow devices are required on irrigation systems to protect the entrance of pollutants into the potable water systems and best management practices (BMPs) in the construction and landscape industry are required to control soil erosion and storm water runoff....

Last week my friend David, a member and advocate for the National Association of Home Builders, asked me to give a presentation to a local chapter. He wants me to discourse on and discuss some landscaping issues to enlighten and persuade chapter members to install better landscapes. Homebuilders sometimes lose their focus after the house itself is complete, and do not pay attention to finishing out the project in a nicely done but perhaps generic way....