2014 State of the Industry Report: All’s Well That Ends Well

Though the spring of 2014 was basically nonexistent and many feared the worst for retailers in the landscaping business, this State of the Industry Survey, located in this GardenCenter article, reported that 72 percent of stores experiencing increased sales in 2014.

Garden Center Magazine, 2014

Record cold temperatures. Severe snow and rainstorms. A delayed start to the season for much of the country. Things weren’t shaping up for many retailers quite as they would’ve liked them to earlier this year. However, by the time summer was through, our research painted a different picture. More than 540 retailers weighed in on our State of the Industry Survey, and the season ended well for most, with 72 percent of stores experiencing increased sales in 2014.

When it came to what was selling and what wasn’t, there were a few notable departures from last year’s results. Tree and shrub sales showed marginal increases despite a flat housing market, a phenomenon we can attribute at least in part to the harsh winter weather that destroyed many well-established trees and shrubs, even in southern locales. Perennials also made a strong showing this year, with 68 percent of retailers reporting an increase in sales, in contrast to 51 percent in 2013.

As we attended trade shows, visited garden centers and chatted with others in the industry, the vibe has been more positive than in year’s past, with hope for the future. Over the following pages, you can take a look at how your peers did this year, compare that with how your business fared and keep it in mind as you plan for next year. Managing editor Michelle Simakis and I share our commentary throughout the section.

Survey says...


To read the full article and view survey results, follow this link.

Don’t Fear The Winter Season

While warmer months bring prosperity to outdoor work, the colder months are generally slower. This article by Total Landscape Care provides a few tips for companies to bring employee's spirits out of their winter slumps. 

Total Landscape Care

Winter can be a tough time for many landscapers. Your entire season could depend on how much snow falls or if rain will wash out a day of productivity.

Winter is seen as a necessary evil for many landscaping businesses.

Between balancing seasonal employees, making sure you land in the black and basing your entire business around the weather is extremely difficult.

During the summer and spring, the grass will always grow and flowers will always need to be planted. However, winter means three, four, five or even six months of uncertainty.

Add Holiday Lighting
Adding extra services to your offerings can be a great way to get your company through some slow times. If the snow is not cooperating, or if you live in an area that doesn’t receive snow, adding a service like holiday lighting can be a great way to add some extra cash. However, don’t take holiday lighting lightly. It’s a hefty service, and you should be sure that you have the manpower and availability to offer extra services.

Continue reading this article here.

Got Leaves? Put 'Em to Work

Getting your garden ready for the spring starts in the fall. This Mother Earth News article teaches you everything you need to know about the uses of leaves and how to winterize your plants.

Mother Earth News

'Tis the season for harvesting leaves, the most abundant free source of organic matter available to most gardeners. Microorganisms in soil and compost transform leaves into bits of organic matter, which helps the soil retain nutrients and moisture. By themselves, leaves contain small amounts of 16 plant nutrients.

You can stockpile leaves in a bin or pen to use later as compost or mulch, but you don't have to wait until leaves decompose to put them to work. With some shredding assistance from your lawn mower, you can give your leaves useful jobs right now.

1. Turn lawn into garden. Prepare sections of lawn you want to develop into garden beds by smothering them with leaves. First scalp the grass by mowing as close to the surface as possible. Then cover the space with several thicknesses of newspaper or cardboard, and cover the base layer with two inches (or more) or compost or manure. Top with 3 to 4 inches of shredded leaves.

2. Winterize hardy vegetables. Use shredded leaves to limit winter injury to kale, leeks, carrots and other hardy vegetables. Surround the planting with a low fence or burlap enclosure and fill it with up to 12 inches of shredded leaves. Mulch garlic and perennial onions with up to 6 inches of shredded leaves mixed with the season's last grass clippings.

Continue reading this article here.

First 2014 Human Cases of West Nile Virus Confirmed

Landscapers and any outdoor workers alike need to be taking the proper precautions to prevent West Nile Virus. This Total Landscape Care article discusses the first 2014 case of West Nile Virus, as well as ways to protect yourself from it while working outside.

Total Landscape Care

The West Nile Virus is spreading as the first signs for 2014 appear.

The first 2014 case was confirmed when a Pennsylvania man was hospitalized due to the virus and has since recovered. The second case took the life a 75-year-old Louisiana resident.

The Dallas County Health and Human Services confirmed a third human case of West Nile Virus for the season on Monday.

Landscapers need to be on the look out and be using proper protection while working outdoors, especially as more West Nile Virus cases are confirmed.

Landscapers should be using DEET-containing insect repellents and covering exposed skin with lightweight clothing.

Continue reading this article here.

LM150 Lessons Learned: Carol King

When it comes to business growth, would you do it all over again if you had the chance? Would you know where you went wrong the first time and what needed to change? With information from those who have gone before, it's easier to plan your steps for the future. 

Landscape Management Magazine

Hindsight is 20/20, and I’m always brighter after the fact.

As we’ve morphed into a $9 million to $10 million company, we compete on the commercial maintenance side against large, national and regional companies who sell contracts to hotel chains, restaurant chains and large property management groups. It’s dawned on me we can’t work in certain areas because they’re tied up with negotiated relationships. It takes a certain market segment away from you.

CarolKingConsequently, if we had it to do over again, we might have developed a more niche-related company to have a smaller footprint and closer control. It would have been years ago, probably in the late 1970s or early 1980s.

Companies that accomplish this increase their margins and retain their customers better because of the relationship factor. The one thing the national companies may not be able to do, versus a family business or one-market business, is be close to customers, react quicker to their needs and maintain a relationship-based business.

For instance, homeowner associations (HOAs), condominiums and multi-housing sites for the residential side are not prone to being rolled up by national companies because they’re all locally controlled.

There are opportunities to target a specific market. Spend your marketing dollars in that one area and become a preferred provider or a boutique company. You’ve just got to find the one you’re comfortable with. It always has to come back to who and what you want to be and where you want to head. You need to make these decisions when you’re in the $1 million to $2 million revenue point.

Follow this link to read the full article.

OSHA Launches Summer Campaign To Prevent Heat Illness

As the summer months arrive, OSHA is taking a stand to raise awareness against heat illnesses. This CleanLink article details how they are educating employers and employees on preventative measures and cautionary actions. 

Kirrus, Flickr.com

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has announced the launch of its annual Campaign to Prevent Heat Illness in Outdoor Workers. For the fourth consecutive year, OSHA's campaign aims to raise awareness and educate workers and employers about the dangers of working in hot weather and provide resources and guidance to address these hazards.

Workers at particular risk are those in outdoor industries, such as agriculture, construction, landscaping and transportation.

However, cleaning professionals may also be at risk of overheating while performing regular cleaning tasks such as emptying trash, sweeping parking lots, or washing windows outdoors — or during duties in facilities with inadequate air cooling systems.

"Heat-related illnesses can be fatal, and employers are responsible for keeping workers safe," said U.S. Secretary of Labor, Thomas E. Perez. "Employers can take a few easy steps to save lives, including scheduling frequent water breaks, providing shade and allowing ample time to rest."

Thousands of employees become sick each year and many die from working in the heat. In 2012...

Click here to read the full article.

How To Keep Crews Safe from the Sun

June is upon us and the sun's strength is growing. As we see and feel the warm rays, be conscious of the dangers that can come from overexposure. This Total Landscape Care article not only informs on melanoma but also gives advice for preventative measures to help ensure the safety of you and your team during the summer months. 

Total Landscape Care

As the landscaping season rolls on, the workload isn’t the only thing that increases.
The amount of hours landscapers and crews put into a day extends throughout the hotter months, but with longer hours comes the inevitable exposure to UV rays.

Time and time again the topic of sun exposure is addressed in landscaping businesses nationwide, but the question is, how much of that discussion is put into practice out in the field?

The Breakdown
According to a recent article from the Skin Cancer Foundation, in the past two decades, there has been a 20 percent increase in the number Hispanics with an incidence of melanoma.

The Department of Labor states that Latinos account for almost one in four workers in the construction industry. Additionally, there are more than 500,000 Hispanic workers in the landscape industry in the United States, according to the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

In 2014 alone, the American Cancer Society estimates approximately 76,100 individual will be diagnosed with melanoma (43,980 in men and 32,210 in women). The organization estimates approximately 9,710 people are expected to die of melanoma (6,470 men and 3,240 women). The Skin Care Foundation reports one person dies of melanoma every hour.

“Overall, the lifetime risk of getting melanoma is about 2 percent (1 in 50) for whites, 0.1 percent (1 in 1,000) for blacks, and 0.5 percent (1 in 200) for Hispanics,” the American Cancer Society states.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has provided a way for individuals to learn about specific skin cancer statistics for every state in the U.S.

What is melanoma?
There are different varieties of skin cancer, and not all of them are as dangerous as the infamous melanoma.

For instance, basal and squamous cell skin cancers are called non-melanomas, which are found on the outer layer of the skin.

To read the full article, follow this link. 

How To Develop Your Own Safety Program

This Total Landscape Care article focuses on the fundamental building blocks of developing your own safety program. Of course, writing a safety program and implementing it are two different things entirely, but with the help of these tips, you can be on your way to creating a well-working safety program. 

Total Landscape Care

There are many small landscapers out there looking for safety training information on a daily basis, which leads one to believe their company safety programs might not be as up-to-date as they would like.
If you’re using an inadequate or outdated program, it’s time to step up and develop your own – one that’s specific to your business that mirrors your scope of work. So, how do you go about creating and implementing a new safety program? Depending on the resources available to you, there are several paths you can take.

Outsourcing
If you have the budget, you can have a safety consulting firm build a custom program for you. They’ll take input from all levels of your firm, develop simple-to-follow work procedures and conduct periodic evaluations. You can also work with your insurance carrier and with local associations to develop a semi-custom program for your firm.

Adapting
If you’ve inherited or purchased your company, there was probably already a program in place. Perform an objective assessment of the program, determining what areas are workable for your firm today, and what areas need to be updated. If you need help, consider OSHA’s free onsite consultation program. The services are separate from the enforcement division and will not result in penalties or citations. As part of the consultation, OSHA will identify workplace hazards, provide advice on compliance and assist in establishing injury and illness prevention programs.

To read the full article, visit totallandscapecare.com. 

Sales Process for Selling Hardscapes

According to this Green Industry Pros article, landscaping is a huge way to improve the worth and value of your home. Investing in larger projects like retaining walls, paver patios, outdoor kitchens, fire pits/fireplaces, or a paver driveway are ways see the most return on your investment. 

Arnold Masonry and Landscape, Flickr.com

With the housing market getting better but still historically weak, it's important for landscape contractors to encourage existing homeowners to invest in landscape upgrades. Northwest Indiana contractor Mike Arnold of Creekside Landscaping couldn't agree more.

"It is so important for contractors to convince homeowners and other property owners that it is vital to their property’s worth that they invest in great landscaping," Arnold says. "If the property owner's goal is to ultimately sell the property, a fresh landscape design is a sure ticket to quick selling. An old and outdated exterior gives a negative first impression and leaves a bad taste before prospective buyers even enter the building. Then, if landlordship is the property owner’s forte, curb appeal is a must for retail, and good luck getting a quality renter in your apartments or homes without paying attention to your landscape layout."

Hardscaping fits the bill

According to Arnold, one of the best ways to bring a property’s landscape from eye sore to eye candy is through hardscape design and installation. "If done right, most of your landscape budget will be targeted toward a sophisticated mix of retaining walls, paver patios, outdoor kitchens, fire pits/fireplaces, and maybe even a paver driveway," Arnold points out.

The financial value of this option is clearly in the cost of the materials and the extensive labor to install. But the value in the eye of an estimator is its permanence and capacity to be an outdoor living space. "If installed correctly, these structures will last a lifetime," Arnold says. "At Creekside Landscaping, we firmly believe that our customers should consider hardscapes because we understand the primary concern of every homeowner: growing the value of an investment."

To read the full article, click here.

API: Be Safe, Prevent Accidents, Call 811 Before Digging

We're all eager to get to spring yard work! Don't be afraid to tackle the job on your own, but be safe and do this first. According to this ISHN article, it's vital that you check to make sure you're not hitting a utility line, especially if you have not hired a professional contractor.

yael.benari, Flicker.com

The American Petroleum Institute (API) is helping to promote the seventh annual National Safe Digging Month by reminding all Americans to always call 811 before any digging project.

“Dialing 811 before you put the shovel in the ground will keep you and your neighbors safe,” said API Pipeline Director Peter Lidiak. “Striking a single utility line can cause injury, repair costs, fines and inconvenient outages. Every digging project, no matter how small, warrants a call to 811.

Keeping pipelines safe

“The thousands of miles of pipeline that safely crisscross this country supply Americans with the energy they need to fuel their daily lives,” said Lidiak. “To keep this infrastructure safe and reliable, we need the public’s help to prevent accidents resulting from excavation damage to pipelines.”

To read more, click here.

10 Most Common Lawn Care Myths

April is here and that means Spring will soon follow! Make sure you're not falling prey to myths about "good lawn care." Learn about the top 10 myths from this totallandscapecare.com article. 

Lawncare Orlando, Flickr.com

Spring is in the air, and with April being National Lawn Care Month, PLANET, The Professional Landcare Network, has debunked a few common lawn care myths. “Our job as landscape professionals is to help advise and emphasize ways to save time and money on lawn care and, oftentimes, that means we need to dispel some fairly persistent myths,” says Glenn Jacobsen, Landscape Industry Certified, president of PLANET. PLANET asked its professional landscape members to name the 10 most common lawn care myths:

1. Myth: The best time to replace the lawn is in the spring, as plants get ready to bloom.
 Reality: Sowing seed in the spring sets one up for potential problems, as heat sets in during the
 summer months and weeds compete for space. The best time to sow seed is in the fall when the
 temperatures are more consistent and highly competitive weeds, like crabgrass, have gone dormant.

2. Myth: Water new plants every day to prevent them from drying out.
 Reality: Overwatering kills as many plants as lack of water. It is better to make sure you are wetting
 the entire root system of a new plant and then allow the soil to dry to the point that it is only moist.

3. Myth: To have a healthy lawn, dethatch in the spring.
 Reality: Thatch is a layer of living and dead plant material, including the crown, roots and stems of
 the turfgrass plant. The brown on the surface at the beginning of the spring will slowly recede into
 the background all by itself as new leaves emerge. While dethatching is a common and sometimes
 necessary practice, it should be done only when thatch is excessive.

4. Myth: It’s a good idea to remove clippings after mowing.
 Reality: There is a misconception that grass clippings contribute significantly to thatch. Grass
 clippings are mostly water and decompose rapidly, returning significant amounts of fertilizer to the
 lawn. Research shows that up to one-third of applied fertilizer can be recycled by simply returning
 clippings.

To read the rest of the top myths, click here.

Popular Outdoor Design Trends for 2014

With many of the new 2014 landscaping trends requiring some heavy lifting, keep Power Pusher's electric wheelbarrow in mind. Take a look at a few of the up-and-coming techniques you might see this year according to this article from GreenIndustryPros.com 

Glenn Switzer, Flickr.com

Consumers are spending money on residential landscapes, especially those used to relax and socialize. Commonly known as outdoor living spaces, these types of landscape projects, along with sustainable and low-maintenance landscaping, are the most popular among consumers in 2014, according to a survey conducted by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).

Landscape architects who specialize in residential design were asked to rate the popularity of different landscaping elements. Roughly 94% said "gardens and landscape spaces" were either somewhat or very popular. Coming in second at 92% were "kitchens and entertainment spaces". Third was "outdoor recreation" at 76%.

Additionally, the following specific residential landscaping elements were noted as being "in demand" this year:

Lighting – 98%
Seating/Dining Areas – 97.7%
Fire Pits/Fireplaces – 95%
Grills – 94%
Installed Seating – 90% (includes benches, walls, ledges, steps and boulders)

To continue reading about more common 2014 trends, click here.

Taking Charge of Chinch Bugs

Make sure your yard stays green this year by avoiding the chinch bug. Learn preventative measures from this totallandscapecare.com article.

Rego Korosi, Flickr.com 

Give a chinch an inch, and they’ll take a yard. This old southern saying about chinch bugs speaks to the destructive nature of these pests that threaten turf in the South and Southeast. Even though chinch bugs are found throughout the United States, it’s the southern chinch bug that has notoriously evaded control by developing resistance to some of the most commonly used insecticides.

However, a ton of products are available to rid this pest from commercial turf and residential lawns. If you’re not getting the results from the product you’re using and you live in Florida, there’s a chance that chinch bugs have become resistant to it. Most likely, though, you simply need to evaluate and adjust your method of application.

Doing Damage: 
Experts consistently describe the cost of controlling the southern chinch bug in the millions. In Florida alone, $5 million annually is spent on control and on replacing chinch-damaged turf. Richard Duble, professor and extension turfgrass specialist at Texas A&M University, calls the southern chinch bug the most destructive pest of St. Augustinegrass lawns, with more than $50 million spent each year for its control.

Click here to read the full article.

Glove Selection Guideline

 

Public Domain Photo at flickr.com

The right kind of glove can be very helpful in preventing exposure to toxic chemicals. Discover some glove guidelines from this excerpt at ISHN.

Skin contact is a potential source of exposure to toxic materials; it is important that the proper steps be taken to prevent such contact.

Most accidents involving hands and arms can be classified under four main hazard categories: chemicals, abrasions, cutting, and heat. There are gloves available that can protect workers from any of these individual hazards or any combination thereof.

Gloves should be replaced periodically, depending on frequency of use and permeability to the substance(s) handled. Gloves overtly contaminated should be rinsed and then carefully removed after use.

Gloves should also be worn whenever it is necessary to handle rough or sharp-edged objects, and very hot or very cold materials. The type of glove materials to be used in these situations include leather, welder’s gloves, aluminum-backed gloves, and other types of insulated glove materials.

To read the full article, visit www.ishn.com. 

5 Questions Landscapers Hate to Hear

by Ryan Milani, via flickr.com

This article on TotalLandscapeCare.com makes it clear that potential landscaping clients sometimes misunderstand the process of hiring a landscaping professional. How do you handle client expectations, or try and educate them about what the process involves?

Are there questions you dread? Here are landscaper Ben Bowen’s top five inquiries he doesn’t like hearing:

1. Are you guys expensive? I don’t know. “Expensive” is totally relative, and I have no idea what you are using as a reference. I can’t honestly say “Yes” or “No”.

2. What does something like this cost? First of all, I am horrible with ballpark figures. Second, I know you say you won’t hold me to it — but you kind of will.
Read the full article on TotalLandscapeCare.com. 

Landscaping for Safety

Pathway by WordRidden via flickr.com Creative Commons License

An article in Total Landscape Care turned our attention to the topic of landscape maintenance for safety.  Considering the safety of visitors, as well as workers, should be a priority for building managers and project heads.

Lighting
Lighting should be an important consideration for any landscape design. Particularly for those who enjoy entertaining into the evening hours, footpaths at entryways and main pathways should be well-lighted and free of obstacles. In areas with less traffic, consider motion-activated lights. These devices not only provide illumination for family members and guests, they’re also a burglary deterrent. Landscaping itself tends to discourage thieves, since a well-maintained lawn suggests the home’s occupants are attentive to what happens on the property.

Level surfaces
Paved walkways and other hardscapes on a property should be constructed with safety in mind. Materials should be textured to reduce the risk of slipping. Also, materials that easily crack, such as concrete, can result in uneven areas that can cause tripping. Avoid the use of materials better suited for indoor spaces, such as ceramic tile, and use real stone, pavers or decking instead.

Read the entire article on TotalLandscapeCare.com. 

Make Fall the New Busy Season

This is an excerpt from a Total Landscape Care article.

For many landscapers, their workflow starts to slow down when the leaves hit the ground — but why?

Of course, there are areas of the country that have already seen snow, but for many, the weather still works in their favor, making fall a great time to add new features and plants.

Plant, trim
Fall is the perfect time to cut down perennials, clean up flower beds, plant new trees and seed lawns, says Dean Savarino, owner of Dean’s Landscaping, to The Times Media Company.

“Anything you plant does a lot better when you plant it in the fall, before everything goes dormant,” he tells the publication.

To read the full article, visit Total Landscape Care's website.

3 Steps to Better Estimates

This is an excerpt from a landscaping estimates article published on Greenindustrypros.com.

Without completely knowing their costs, landscape contractors can't possibly arrive at an accurate bid number. And without that, they can't possibly earn the profit they need to sustain their businesses.

Contractors need a reliable, repeatable and consistent bidding system. By knowing all costs associated with each job, the bidding process will run more smoothly.

Information related to material prices and hourly labor costs should be readily accessible. Some contractors keep binders of information in their trucks. Others use management software back at the office, many times syncing up to a mobile device such as a smartphone or iPad. However you do it, having this information available on the fly is helpful. Not only can it help you to improve the accuracy of your estimating, but it can help speed up your estimating process. Remember, in many instances, the faster you can get an estimate into the prospective client's hands, the better your chances of getting the job.

Producing an accurate estimate requires two things: 1) Knowing how much it costs you to perform each task, 2) Knowing the exact parameters of the job you are bidding on.

Read the full, "3 Steps to Better Estimates" article at Green Industry Pros' website.

Staying Safe While Landscaping

As an OccupationalHealth & Safety article, "Landscaping Safety: Tips to Help Prevent Injuries,” points out, landscaping is a dangerous job.  Many worker fatalities occur because of car accidents, while others are injured while operating or repairing machinery.

In 2011, 167 landscaping professionals died on the job, which was 34 more than 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

As the article suggests, awareness and prevention lead to the safest work zone possible, including utilizing the proper equipment, properly using it and safely maintaining it. Equipment and practices that improve efficiency can also make it easier to stay alert and monitor surroundings, because as these unfortunate reports show, it’s important to not only mind your own work, but others’ work as well.

With these concerns in mind, Power Pusher’s E-750 ElectricWheelbarrow is capable of effortlessly moving up to 750 pounds and was designed to make landscaping easier and safer.

New Power Pusher Electric Wheelbarrow Model Makes Hauling Easier

Power Pusher has expanded its electric wheelbarrow capabilities with the E-750 Electric Wheelbarrow, featuring a heavy-duty, high-density plastic tub. It transports heavy loads with ease and is designed to improve operator safety and productivity. It eliminates the ergonomic challenges and unnecessary production delays associated with traditional wheelbarrows.

Along with its stainless steel model, the new high-density plastic model is capable of effortlessly moving up to 750 pounds at speeds reaching three miles per hour. The electric wheelbarrow enhances production speed and efficiency.

Featuring a heavy-duty construction, the E-750 has a bed capacity of nine cubic feet, allowing users to haul larger loads in a single pass. Its power dump feature provides an added safety benefit. Activated with push-button ease, users can eject materials without excess strain from manual dumping. It is engineered to tackle diverse applications, and it is capable of hauling a range of landscaping and construction materials, including:

• Rocks
• Bricks
• Sand and Concrete
• Fertilizer
• Sod
• Soil
• Mulch

The E-750’s 24v battery-operated motor can run for a total of five miles on a single charge. Its quiet motor can be used indoors without the noise disruption and fumes common with gas engines.