Ad Placement Is Everything

Advertising is a funny thing. As essential a tool it is to get the word out to a specific target audience, it is often the first budget-item casualty for businesses when times get tough.

Now is not the time to be bashful. Luckily, there are plenty of cost-effective ways to boost your company profile. It's true, the economic downturn has forced companies to become more creative in their marketing strategies ... but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Thinking outside the box will continue to raise the sales and marketing bar. So one must be ready with concepts to rise with and above others in your competitive set.

The photo above is a good example of creative, effective ad placement. For this Sarasota-based landscape firm, there's nothing like letting your work do the talking.

Gardening On A Budget

A colleague of mine recently forwarded me an e-mail he received about how to effectively manage gardens and landscapes on a tight budget. A timely topic of interest amid today's economy-conscious society. The e-mail contained tips from Steve Jacobs, president of San Diego-based Nature Designs Landscaping.

The content seemed mostly aimed at the end-consumer. However, there were a few points of interest I think are good reminders for those in the landscape industry, such as:

• Plant perennials instead of annuals. Annuals are short lived, use excessive water and must be replaced, while there is a large selection of drought tolerant perennials that can live for many years and offer plenty of beautiful color.
• Eliminate lawn where you are not using it. Lawns are one of the most intensive maintenance and water consuming plantings in a landscape, requiring weekly mowing, edging and recurrent irrigation.
• Prune naturally instead of formally. When you prune for the natural growth habit of the plant you will reduce the amount of pruning needed per year, resulting in decreased costs. Hedging and balling your plants will create a need for frequent pruning, and the tools and/or professional landscape maintenance services that goes with it.
• Identify and rectify irrigation problems.
• Select drought tolerant plants. These plants, like the Mediterranean and native variety, will use less water and can require very little maintenance.
• Put the right plant in the right spot. Install plants that can grow to maturity where they are planted with minimal care or pruning. Such “zone appropriate” planting will ensure the plant or tree won’t outgrow its space and need to be frequently pruned or, worse, relocated at risk of losing the plant all-together.
• Apply fertilizer modestly. Fertilize only as needed based on the requirements of your individual plants.

Basic stuff, yes. Good info to keep in mind, you bet.

Safety First

Flying debris, sharp power tools, frequent exposure to loud, obnoxious noises and various chemicals are just some of the daily hazards landscape professionals deal with (see Florida for snakes, gators, and hurricanes, too). This time of year, the hot weather conditions can be particulary challenging for those who work outdoors for a living. The storms are nothing to mess with either.

Even though Florida is known as the "Sunshine State," it's also the lightning capital of the world. If you live here, you can pretty much set your watch by the thunderstorms that blow up around the same time every afternoon during the rainy season.
Landscapers are often, if not always, out at a jobsite during this time of day. There have been plenty of times that I've driven by a group of landscapers mowing, trimming, etc.. in the middle of these monsoons. I guess there are some jobs that just won't wait.

Unfortunately, the bevy of metal-based equipment and tools used also are great lightning rods. Case in point: Just recently, a South Florida landscaper was struck and killed by lightning while mowing a lawn at a Coral Springs apartment complex. According to the Weather Channel, there were seven reported lightning deaths across the U.S. (including the one in Florida) during the week of May 31-June 6 alone. Three out of the seven were garden/yard/landscape-related activities. Frankly, I'm surprised this kind of thing doesn't occur more often.

According to statistics, farming/ranching and tree-cutting-related jobs rank as some of the most dangerous occupations. OSHA has a web page dedicated to landscape/horticultural service hazards and solutions. There's some basic info there, but there also are some items that put some of on-the-job dangers in perspective.

As a weekend warrior, I might not be able to totally identify with what landscapers endure on a daily basis. But as a journalist who covers the Florida nursery and landscape industry, I do appreciate and respect the risks taken. Keep up the good work and be careful.

Remote Control Mowing

A Roomba with teeth is the best way to describe the Automower from Husqvarna. The battery-operated, self-charging 260 ACX is touted for "semi-professional use" in public spaces that have low-noise requirements like hospitals, hotels, and office locations (Apparently no noise requirements around my office building. Our mow, blow, and go guys take no prisoners in our parking lot every Tuesday morning around 7:30 with every piece of equipment available cranked up to full song).

The Automower doesn't need any supervision. According to Husqvarna, if anything should happen during operation, this mowbot can send a text to your cell phone asking for help.

What will they think of next? I wonder if it is smart enough to avoid anything the dog may leave behind.

Tuned Into Landscaping

There aren't a lot of television shows I watch on a regular basis, but I'll have to admit, I do enjoy DIY Network's and HGTV's lineup of landscape-reality programming. OK, most are far from reality---especially budget wise---but they do entertain me nonetheless.

After watching, I do find myself inspired to go out in my yard and try some of the things they were doing on the show. My inspiration usually turns into reality once I'm actually standing in my yard. I soldier on to cut the grass, weed, and prune to the best of my ability. Aahh, another successful project completed---at least for this week.

Although scripted, I think these kind of "reality" shows do have some value to the landscape industry. Anything that promotes the hard work behind and the value of landscaping is good thing in my book.

If you haven't yet, check out some of these shows:

-Yard Crashers (probably my favorite--they filmed a show that aired recently from this year's Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival)

-Super Scapes (If I only had the budget these people have to work with)

-Get Out, Way Out! (See comment above)

-Desperate Landscapes (Describes a few yards in my neighborhood)

-The King Of Dirt (New show--don't have an opinion yet)

Happy viewing.

A Little Help Here

A little help goes a long way, even for DIYers like myself. When going to big box stores-be it for parts, paint, or tools, I usually have questions and hope for the right guidance. I expect the same when I'm shopping for garden supplies and plants.
Given this, I was pleased to hear that in an effort to help Orange County Utilities get the water-conservation message to consumers, the Florida Nursery, Growers & Landscape Association (FNGLA) is heading a training program for big-box garden center employees around the Orlando area during the month of June. The course is a modified version of Florida Certified Horticultural Professional and the Florida Yards & Neighborhoods program. Word is that more than 100 garden-center employees from area Home Depot and Lowes are signed up for the four sessions.

The curriculum will cover topics such as:
* Soil conditions
* Plant selection
* Efficient watering
* Mulching
* Fertilization
* Weed and pest control
* Maintenance

Kudos to FNGLA for reaching out with an initiative like this. And huzzah to HD and Lowe's for being receptive to this continuing education opportunity. This only can help open the lines of communication between the middle man and the end user. I shake my head when I see things like bottle or coconut palms on sale at box stores around my Central Florida neighborhood. A training program like this should be able to help prevent a lot of dead plants and frustrated customers.

FNGLA is planning to make this a model for a training program that could be utilized by other utilities companies across the state.

With this kind of much-needed and essential training, "You Can Do It, We Can Help" (I know it's HD's old slogan) never rang more true.