THE DIRT

Spring Issue 2018, Volume 44, Issue 1

2017 Industry
1
Award Winners page 7
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PRESIDENT

Ed Burke Marlys Eddy

Rocky Dale Gardens Vermont Technical College
806 Rocky Dale Road PO Box 500
Bristol, VT 05443 Randolph Center, VT 05061
802.453.2782 802.728.1207 COMMITTEES
ed@rockydalegardens.com meddy@vtc.edu
BUDGET AND FINANCE
VICE-PRESIDENT Ralph Fitz-Gerald COMMITTEE CHAIR
Horsford Gardens & Nursery Nate Carr - Church Hill Landscapes, Inc.
Ashley Robinson 2111 Greenbush Road 802.425.5222
Ashley Robinson Landscape Designer Charlotte, VT 05445
PO Box 28 802-425-2811 INDUSTRY AWARDS COMMITTEE CHAIR
Charlotte, VT 05445 tfitz_gerald@gmail.com Ed Burke - Rocky Dale Gardens
802.922.1924 802.453.2782
arobinsonld@gmail.com Marie Limoge
21 Densmore Drive #21 LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE CHAIR
SECRETARY/TREASURER Essex Junction, VT 05452 Gabriel Bushey - Crafted Landscapes, LLC
802-272-8744 802.233.8551
Nate Carr limogemp@gmail.com
Church Hill Landscapes, Inc. MARKETING & EDUCATION
287 Church Hill Road Sarah Salatino COMMITTEE CHAIR
Charlotte, VT 05445 Full Circle Gardens Ed Burke - Rocky Dale Gardens
802.425.5222 68 Brigham Hill Road 802.453.2782
nate@churchhilllandscapes.com Essex, VT 05452
802-879-1919 MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE CO-CHAIRS
DIRECTORS info@fullcirclegardens.com VJ Comai - Bartlett Tree Experts
802.425.6222
Gabriel Bushey EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Hannah Decker - Fairfax Perennial Farm
Crafted Landscapes, LLC 802.849.2775
176 South Maple Street Kristina MacKulin
Vergennes, VT 05491 Green Works/VNLA PROGRAM COMMITTEE CO-CHAIRS
802.233.8551 P.O. Box 92 VJ Comai - Bartlett Tree Experts
info@craftedland.com N. Ferrisburgh, VT 05473 802.425.6222
Toll Free: 888.518.6484 Ashley Robinson - Ashley Robinson
Hannah Decker P: 802.425.5117; F: 802.425.5122 Landscape Designer
Fairfax Perennial Farm, Inc. Kristina@greenworksvermont.org 802.922.1924
7 Blackberry Hill Road www.greenworksvermont.org
Fairfax, VT 05454 RESEARCH & AWARDS
802.849.2775 COMMITTEE CHAIR
perennialfarm@surfglobal.net VJ Comai - Bartlett Tree Experts
802.296.1797

THE D
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2
 PRESIDENT’S LETTER Ed Burke, Rocky Dale Gardens

Dear Fellow Green which plants are resilient to weather extremes inside
Works Members, and the disease and insects that result from them
is ever-changing. It can be frustrating for both this issue
Happy New Year VNLA our clients and us.
members! Though we’re Board of Directors 2
in the middle of winter, While we bite our nails over whether the Japanese
we haven’t been dormant Maples are going to die this winter, Peter Del The President’s Letter 3
at the Vermont Nursery Tredici’s article in this issue of The Dirt highlights
and Landscape the plants in our urban areas that will survive no The Buzz 4
Association. matter what the weather, (and human race) Green Works Announces
throws at them. While we face the changes that Green Mountain Habitat for
There is always a lot of work this time of year and climate change is bringing and we strive to bring Humanity Project
it coalesces around our Annual Business Meeting back and protect native ecosystems, the reality is
held during the Winter Meeting & Trade Show. With Deep Sadness
our urban areas are not the ecosystems they once
Here you’ll vote on the by-laws changes we are were. Tredici asks us to recognize the carbon 2017 Industry Award
proposing, the proposed 2018 budget, and the sequestration, temperature reduction, oxygen Winners
new slate of Board members that have agreed to production and food and habitat that these “novel Calendar of Events
serve on the VNLA board. You’ll find out who the ecosystems”, (as Tredici refers to them) create.
VNLA awards winners are as well as the Industry These ecosystems are made up of many of the Leonard’s Clippings 11
Award winners, when they present their winning common weeds and invasive plants that we
projects at the meeting. You’ll also hear about disparage today and are very adaptable to The Lab 13
the new initiative with Green Mountain Habitat extreme conditions. Observations from
for Humanity to develop a landscape plan and UVM Diagnostic Lab
installation for a charity project in Essex Though I look forward to the bloom of my tender
American Beauties Native
Junction. You’ll also notice in your Membership Redbud varieties (and will be disappointed when
Plants Creates Endowment
Directory that we’ve changed the member they don’t bloom but I hope they at least
window decals to highlight The Vermont Nursery survive!), Tredici has influenced me to look upon
The Idea Factory 16
and Landscape Association. * “weeds” and roadside ditch plants with a bit less
Garden Media Group
scorn and give them “amnesty”. In the face of
The annual business meeting gives us a chance to climate change, I find his study and conclusions a Garden Trends Report
acknowledge some great work by the board, valuable voice. While he encourages us to look 2018
Kristina and our VNLA members. We are pleased upon urban ecosystems differently, Tredici Amnesty for Plants
to host an inspiring keynote speaker, Thomas supports the efforts to restore “native”
Rainer who together with Claudia West, wrote the Ireland Landscapes,
ecosystems in non-urban areas as much as is
book, Planting in a Post Wild World. Read more reasonably possible and practical. Plants and Garden
inside this issue for the full schedule of events on Products
February 15 meeting. I heard Peter Del Tredici speak at New England
Grows this past December and was inspired to dig Strictly Business 22
While the days are getting longer, the temps deeper. His book Wild Urban Plants of The Becoming a Master at
remind us that there is plenty of winter left Northeast, A Field Guide would make a good What You Do
before we’re out in the field again. As I write winter read. And as we know, there’s plenty
New Member Profile
this, It’s been a long time since we’ve had such winter left.
prolonged below zero temps and my mind Favorite Business Book
Best to all,
wanders to the tender woody plants in my Recommendations
Ed
garden: will only the flower buds die or will the
*In 2008 we underwent rebranding when we adopted The Plant Lounge 26
whole plant die? It is going to be an interesting
the Vermont Nursery and Landscape Association as For the Love of
spring! Especially compared to last spring when
our new name (previously we were known as the Umberllifers!
after a pretty mild winter we had the best and Vermont Association of Professional Horticulturists.)
most profuse blooms on Rhododendrons and “Green Works” was developed as a “branding name” to
Classified Ads 27
many other flowering woody plants that many of use in conjunction with The Vermont Nursery and
us had ever seen. Landscape Association. The board now feels strongly
that The Vermont Nursery and Landscape Association Cover Photo: The Grass
What we can expect for temperatures and needs to take more of a center stage and “Green
Gauchos, LLC - 2017
moisture really has become a guessing game. Works” become less prominent in our logo.  We are
working to implement that change throughout our Industry Award Winner -
Working with tender species is still a gamble, but
collateral. Lovett Park Project.
3
 THE BUZZ
the low down on what’s up!
Green Works Announces Green Mountain
Habitat for Humanity Project
by Ed Burke
The VNLA is in the beginning stages of
working with Green Mountain Habitat
for Humanity on a landscaping project
for it’s latest endeavor on Park Street in
Essex Junction.
The board has agreed that every other
year, alternating with the Vermont
Flower Show, that we as an organization
can tackle a volunteer/charity project
that will involve donations of services
and materials from our membership.
This effort will offer the same
networking and morale-building
experience as the VT Flower Show while
also providing a valuable asset and
contribution to a Vermont community.
We chose to work with Green Mountain
Habitat for Humanity because we
believe in their mission to provide
affordable housing and because
landscaping is an area that is often
minimalized, overlooked and/or underfunded on much of the
housing of this nature.
Welcome New Green Works Members!
AP Farm
Graham Glauber
188 North Salem Road
Cross River, NY 10518
914-960-9296
802-362-4768
glaubco@gmail.com
Associate Member
Category: Educator,
Estate Horticulturist
This project in Essex Junction provides
us with an opportunity to work with
four families with divergent needs. The
property has a large empty backyard
bordering a tract of woodland, three
small storage sheds, parking and access
challenges and typical foundation
planting needs. The building is new
construction, three-family with a
separate carriage house as the fourth
residence.
We are looking for two key people, one
to oversee the design component and
one to oversee the implementation
component.
We are also looking for members to
participate in the design process and
for members who can offer services and
materials during implementation.
We would like to complete the design
before the end of April and implement
the plan and planting during the 2018
growing season. Please respond to Ashley Robinson or Kristina
MacKulin if you’re interested in signing up or would like more
information.
Good to Grow Wild Azalea Designs
Piquette Dipiazza Cindy Heath
PO Box 751 122 Daniels Road
Stowe, VT 05672 Plainfield, NH 04781
802-598-9953 603-675-9123
ipiquette@goodtogrowvt.com cheath58@gmail.com
www.goodtogrow.com Associate Member
Active Member Category: Educator, Garden
Category: Florist, Interior Plants, Writer, Landscape Install
Landscape Install Maintenance Maintenance, Organic Landcare
Professional
4
 With Deep Sadness . . .
It is with great sadness that we share excerpts from the obituary properties. No job, large or
small was completed with
below of longtime member Steve Tworig of North Branch
any less attention and skill
Landscape Co. Back in October, at Pam Tworig’s request, we
than the other. Throughout
shared this news with our members via email. Due to the nature of
his entire working career he
Steve’s illness, Pam wanted all our members to be aware of the
was well known and
risks of what working outside can sometimes cause.
respected for his extremely
On sharing this news in October we immediately heard back from strong work ethic.
many of our members who had known and worked with Steve in
the past, as well as members who met Steve this past August, 2017 Steve was a past board
at our Summer Meeting in Dorset. We would like to share a couple member of both the VNLA
quotes with you: (previously known as the
Vermont Association of
“Steve  joined the NENA board in 1996 and was president in 2001 Professional Horticulturists)
… so he was on the board for a total of 7 years.  He was a great and past president of the
member and represented VT very well. He was such a kind and New England Nursery Association. He was a certified arborist by
generous person”. the International Society of Arboriculture and also held a
certification in Tree Risk Assessment. In 1997 he was the esteemed
Virgina Wood, New England Nursery
recipient of the New England Nursery Association Young Nursery
Association Executive Director
Professional of the Year award.
“So sad and sorry to hear about Steve! I sat next to him at a
summer meeting. We talked about the trials and tribulations of Steve was an avid fisherman and hunter, never happier than when
running a business. He was so funny and irreverent!  I will cherish he was in the woods with his wife and son Stephen. He was
that memory”. passionate about growing things; trees from seedlings, perennials,
shitake mushrooms, the best, sweetest, and largest blueberries in
Sarah Salatino, Full Circle Gardens
the area, along with a multitude of succulent vegetables. 

MFORD, Vt. — Stanley Stephen Tworig III passed away Sunday,

When his son Stephen was born in 1995 no man could have been
October 22, 2017, at Dartmouth Hitchock Medical Center in
more blessed to be a father.   Steve's world changed the day he
Lebanon, N.H., after a six-week battle with a rare form of
became a dad and "Little Steve" as he is fondly called by his family
melanoma.
learned the art of sportsmanship and the skills of hunting and
fishing at a very early age. 
Steve, as he was known to his family, friends and colleagues, was
    
born in North Adams on March 1, 1961, son of Stanley Stephen
When he was unable to continue his active involvement in the
Tworig Jr. of Stamford, Vt., and his mother Julia Molloy Tworig,
landscaping business, he focused on honing the many artistic skills
who passed away March 1, 2002. He attended St. Joseph Central
and talents he possessed, and set out to learn a new repertoire of
High School in Pittsfield and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree
creative endeavors. Steve was an incredibly talented artist.
in Biology and a Minor in Art from North Adams State College.

Three years ago, he found a new best friend. "Cash," a handsome

Steve lived an energetic and diverse life, fully committed to any
Black Labrador Retriever became his constant companion and the
project, cause, or task he was involved with. For many years he was
two learned and excelled at the sport of Dock Diving. From the day
a landscape contractor at North Branch Landscape, a business he
Cash joined the family, with the exception of his brief trip to
started in 1986 with his wife and partner, Pamela Meisberger
doggie reform school, Steve and Cash were inseparable. In 2016
Tworig. A tiny business, begun with one piece of equipment, grew
they traveled to Dubuque, Iowa, and took 2nd place in the World
into a well-known nursery in Stamford, Vt., landmarked with the
Dock Diving Competition for the Iron Dog Warrior class.
flag painted on their barn after 911. The painting of this flag was a
simple, but by no means solitary expression of his fierce
Steve entered the hospital on September 12 and his devoted wife
patriotism.
and son never left his side.  Steve's doctor told Pam that he was
"The strongest man she ever had the privilege of treating." 
During the years that Steve was actively involved in the business,
Whenever Steve took on a task or faced a challenge he gave his all.
it was not uncommon to see the red North Branch Landscape
He never did anything halfway and strived to excel. Facing death
vehicles, with their signature maple-leaf logo, on large scale
may have been his greatest hurdle, and although melanoma took
commercial projects, as well as at residential and neighborhood

5
his life, it did not diminish his spirit or reduce his courageous
efforts in any way.   with his blueberries).  Steve also leaves a contingent of cousins
Steve is survived by his wife of 31 years, Pam, whom he married
June 14, 1986; his son Stanley Stephen Tworig IV; his dad Stanley
Steven Tworig Jr.; his sister Susan Tworig Cross and her husband
Corky Cross of Adams; two brothers, Jim Tworig and his wife
Becky and John Tworig and Kimberly Tworig from Delaware; his
aunts Irene McHarg, Rosalie Tworig and Mary Molloy; his uncle
Pat Anderson; his father-in-law Ray Meisberger; and his brother
and sister-in-law Andrew and Courtney Meisberger.  He will be
missed by his nephews Walter and Wesley Pecor, Justyn, Conner
and Brandon Tworig, Joshua Tworig; and his nieces Shannon and
Maggie Meisberger and Katelyn Tworig. He adored a spirited great-
niece, Julianna Pearl Chappell Pecor, who loved her uncle (along
from the Anderson, Lamont, Molloy, Rinaldi and Tworig families.  
Steve was predeceased by his mother, Julia Molloy Tworig;
grandparents Stanley and Bernice Tworig and James and Julia
Molloy; mother-in-law Mary Ann Meisberger; and his cousin
Michael Rinaldi.  
He will always be remembered by a community of friends, former
colleagues, and of course, his best friend "Cash."
Donations in Steve’s honor can be made to Ducks Unlimited or Pop
Cares. You can view the entire obituary at this link: www.http://
www.iberkshires.com/obituaries/12148/

Green Works Annual Winter Meeting & Trade Show

February 15, 2018
Program Highlights Include:

• Keynote speaker Thomas Rainer of Phyto Studio, • Getting Down to Business Roundtable
Washington, DC • Native Plants, A Plant Grower’s Perspective
• Green Works/VNLA Business Meeting, including
w/Peter van Berkum
awards ceremony
• Pest & Disease presentation by Ann Hazelrigg,
UVM We hope to see you there!!

Cobble Creek Nursery, LLC

C obble Creek Nursery will be specializing

in quality field grown B&B nursery
stock, having sold our container growing
operation. We would like to take this
opportunity to thank Sally, Jason and Sonya
for their years of loyalty and service and
to wish them well in their new endeavors!
John, Patti and Todd will continue to
offer the same high quality plants and
exceptional customer service you have
come to expect from Cobble Creek.

John Padua
991 Tyler Bridge Road, Bristol, VT 05443
phone/fax: 802-453-3889 / e-mail: cobcreek@gmavt.net

6
 2017 Industry Award Winners!
The Industry Awards Program is in its 9th year. We made Distinctive Landscaping – Charlie Proutt
some changes to the entry guidelines to make it even easier Charlotte, VT
for our members to participate. We eliminated all the Town Sanctuary
categories so that each entry would be judged on its own Excellence Award
merits using specific judging criteria and a scoring system.
The Grass Gauchos, LLC. – Josh Cohen
Each member business could enter up to three projects.
Burlington, VT
Lovett Park
This year we received a total of eight submissions. A panel Excellence Award
of professionals met in early January for a full day to judge
the entries. The judges included a landscape architect, AJLA - Anna Johansen, Landscape Architect
educators, professional landscape designers, and East Dorset, VT
hardscaping experts. As always, the judges remain Overlook Road Estate
anonymous. Honor Award

Distinctive Landscaping – Elizabeth Proutt

A big thank you to all who took the time to share and submit
Charlotte, VT
there work!! We always welcome more entries and this
Enhancing the Edge
program is a fantastic avenue to showcase the great work Honor Award
many of our members accomplish each year. On that note,
keep track of your projects in 2018 and consider making a Landshapes – Caroline Dudek
submission later this year. Richmond, VT
Burlington Hillside Retreat
Please view the winning project photos on the following Honor Award
pages, as well as a slide show on the Green Works/VNLA
website. Presentation boards of the winning projects will be diStefano Landscaping, Inc.
Colchester, VT
on display at the Annual Winter and Summer Meetings as
Bartlett Brook Apartments
well as at the upcoming 2019 Vermont Flower Show.
Merit Award

In addition, winners will present their winning projects at Holland’s Bloom – Edwin de Bruijn & Linda Bailey
the Annual Winter Meeting & Trade Show on February 15, Brattleboro, VT
2018. Winning projects will be featured on a upcoming Oak Street Garden
Across the Fence television show and in a Seven Days Merit Award
Newspaper insert, in April, 2018.
The Grass Gauchos, LLC. – Landon Roberts
Congratulations to the 2017 Industry Award Winners!! Burlington, VT
Bay Road
Merit Award

Participate in the
2018 Industry Awards Program.
Start Planning Now!

Get Certified in 2018!

Don’t delay and order
your study manual today!
www.greenworksvermont.org
7
2017 INDUSTRY AWARD WINNERS

Distinctive Landscaping – Charlie Proutt

Town Sanctuary
Excellence Award

The Grass Gauchos, LLC. – Josh Cohen

Lovett Park
Excellence Award

AJLA - Anna Johansen, Landscape Architect

Overlook Road Estate
Honor Award

Advertise inLandscaping
Distinctive 2017! – Elizabeth Proutt
Enhancing the Edge
Honor Award

8
 Landshapes – Caroline Dudek
Burlington Hillside Retreat
Honor Award

diStefano Landscaping, Inc.

Bartlett Brook Apartments
Merit Award

The Grass Gauchos, LLC. – Landon Roberts

Bay Road
Merit Award Holland’s Bloom – Edwin de Bruijn
Oak Street Garden
Merit Award

9
 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
February 15, 2018 March 21-25, 2018 New England Grows
Green Works/VNLA Winter Meeting Maine Flower Show November 28 - November 30, 2018
& Trade Show Thompson’s Point Boston Convention & Exhibition Center
UVM Davis Center Portland, ME Boston, MA
Burlington, VT www.maineflowershow.com www.newenglandgrows.com
www.greenworksvermont.org
July 30 - August 3, 2018 MANTS
Perennial Plant Symposium January 9-11, 2019
February 20-21, 2018
Raleigh, NC Baltimore Convention Center
Integrated Pest Management
www.perennialplant.org Baltimore, MD
Certificate Program
www.mants.com
Vermont Technical College August 22, 2018
Randolph Center, VT Green Works/VNLA Summer March 1-3, 2019
www.vtc.edu/ag-course/integrated-pest- Meeting & Trade Show Vermont Flower Show
management-certificate Shelburne Farms Coach Barn Champlain Valley Expo
Shelburne, VT
Essex Junction, VT
March 6-9-, 2018
Philadelphia Flower Show August 28-29, 2018
Pennsylvania Convention Center Griffin Greenhouse Grower &
Philadelphia, PA Retailer Expo
www.theflowershow.com DCU Center, Worcester, MA
www.griffins.com

10
 LEONARD’S CLIPPINGS!
by Dr. Leonard Perry, UVM Horticulture Professor Emeritus

In UVM Plant and Soil Science news from this fall: Here’s your biannual snapshot of the PSS department focus and
student interest, as shown by courses being offered this Spring
(and faculty or lecturers teaching them, with their current
• In the past few months, Director of the Agroecology and
enrollments). As of this writing in mid-December, with the main
Livelihoods Ernesto Mendéz, has visited Brazil on two
registration done, courses include: A Bug’s Life (Izzo, 129),
occasions: the first was for the 2018 Latin American
Drawing and Painting Botanicals (Masseau, 15), Plant Pathology
Scientific Society of Agroecology) Meeting and the
(Delaney, 13), Greenhouse Operations (White, 11), Commercial
second to present a keynote address at the 8th Annual
Plant Propagation (Starrett, 32), Permaculture (Izzo, 40), Soil
Agroecology Congress of the State of Santa Catarina.
Fertility and Conservation (Gorres, 31), Crop Innovation and
• Tucker Andrew, an MS candidate in Deb Neher's Soil
Breeding (Bishop Von Wettberg, 12), Small Farm Planning
Biological Indicators Laboratory (SEBIL), gave a talk at
(Bradshaw, 22), Biological Control (Chen, 10), Ecological
the Soil Metagenomics Conference, in IL this fall on
Landscape Design (White, 18), Soil/Water Pollution/
"Linkages between bedded pack and healthy and
Bioremediation (Faulkner, 17), Professional Development
mastitic cow udder microbiomes".
(Neher, 24), Ecological Foundations of Agriculture--online (Izzo,
• In early November, PSS hosted a screening of a new
9). Delaney is from Plant Biology, and Wettberg is the faculty
documentary. The Last Crop is an intimate exploration
member who began this fall. Of the above, lecturers hired for
into the lives of small family farmers in California’s
these courses (not full time faculty) include Izzo, Masseau,
Central Valley. It is an exploration into who grows what
White, and myself.
we eat and what it takes to be a farmer.
• In late October, 120 persons turned out to learn the
One of my main projects in retirement is continued teaching of
newest information about bees from Dr. Dewey Caron
my online courses for PSS which include for this Spring:
from U Delaware, hosted by the UVM Beekeepers and
Pollinators and Perennials—winter session (22), Home Hops
PSS.
Growing (25), Home Vegetable Growing (77), Indoor Plants (13),
• PSS continues its seminar series, with one speaker this
Garden Flowers (13), Flowers and Foliage (11), Perennial Garden
fall being Laura Lengnick on the topic of 'Cultivating
Design (24). These plus my continued press articles (online and
Food Systems for a Changing Climate'. Check out her
sent to media, available for your use too in newsletters), tapings
work here:  https://cultivatingresilience.com/about-
for Across the Fence, and a few consulting gigs seem to allow me
laura-lengnick/
even less time to get hands-on with flowers. On the consulting,
• The Certificate of Graduate Study in Agroecology
it has been a pleasure to continue working with your strong
(CGSA) is a 5-course, 15-credit low-residential program
association of such great members and leaders, and I look
developed and delivered by UVM’s Agroecology and
forward to this again in 2018.
Livelihoods Collaborative (ALC) in the Department of
Plant and Soil Science (PSS). Led by agroecologist and
professor Ernesto Méndez (faculty in the PSS
Department and the Environmental Program), the ALC
brings a unique vision to agroecology as a
transdisciplinary, participatory and action-oriented
approach.
• UVM now has a beekeepers club, advised by Mark
Starrett, and with an apiary and pollinator-friendly
garden which “sprouted up this August in the lush space
between the Catholic Center and University Heights
South.” In just a little over year in existence, it has been
recognized by the Student Government Association and
now has hundreds of members. “UVM has been certified
as the first Bee Campus in New England and the 17th in
the U.S.”

11
 187 Main Street, Colchester, VT 05446
(802) 878-2361 - www.claussens.com
Open 7 Days a Week Northeast Greenhouse & Nursery Supply
a division of Northeast Nursery, Inc. – Est. 1982

Specializing in Vermont Grown

Spring & Fall Bulb Plants ~ Easter Lilies ~ Bedding Annuals
Perennials ~ Hanging Baskets ~ Herbs ~ Vegetable Plants
Hardy Chrysanthemums ~ Poinsettias WHAT WE O F F ER . . .
+
Professional Growing Media +
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PRO-LINE

Northeast Golf & Turf Supply

a division of Northeast Nursery, Inc. – Est. 1982

Claussen’s carries the area’s largest selection of top-quality tropical WHAT WE O F F ER . . .

foliage and flowering house plants – for sale and rent.
+
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Turfgrass Seed
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We sell commercial plant material at competitive prices to local
landscapers, interiorscape designers, garden center and flower shops in
Vermont, New Hampshire and New York. Open daily, Claussen’s
provides friendly, experienced customer service, along with weekly
delivery service to all of our commercial accounts.
Visit us in person or online at www.claussens.com 5JN
.BEEFO

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UNBEEFO!OPSUIFBTUOVSTFSZDPN

12
 THE LAB
putting it under the lens . . .

Observations from the UVM Plant Diagnostic Lab

by Ann Hazelrigg, Phd.
Things are winding down in Quebec in 1915. As of 2002, the
pest has become established in
the Clinic so I thought I would over 20 communities along the
take this opportunity to talk coast of Maine and are likely to
about a unique sample this past spread since they can withstand
season. Earlier in the summer a cold temperatures. They are not
nursery called saying their mound builders but nest in
workers work being stung by decaying logs or soil, under
small ants when they were rocks in thick clumps of grass
repotting trees. The ants were or under leaves. They do not
aggressive, the burning stings invade homes. The size of their
nests can range from a few
were painful and the workers
hundred to ten thousand
were not enthusiastic about
workers and usually have
continuing to repot! After going
multiple queens.
back and forth a bit, the grower
sent me the offending ants. I The ants are often moved long
distance in nursery pots, in
sent them on to Dr. Alan
mulch or with soil moved from
Eaton, an entomologist at UNH
building sites. According to
who does a fair amount of ant
UMAINE Bulletin #2550, “at
identification. His id came back least one colony of European
a few days later as European fire ants was moved from a
Fire Ants (Myrmica rubra). The coastal Maine nursery to a
workers are red, about 3/16 of landscape located 20 miles
an inch long (queens a little inland, and that colony has
longer) and have two back- persisted through several
pointing spines on their middle winters. It is likely that
section which are easy to see infested containerized plants
with a dissecting scope or a brought from Europe to plant
in gardens of coastal Maine
magnifying glass. The ants have
Workers of the European Fire Ant, Myrmica rubra Linneaus, gathering estates are responsible for
two sections at their “restricted
and protecting various larval instars after the nest was disturbed. some of the original
waist” whereas most native Photography by H.A. Arevalo, University of Maine. infestations in the early half of
species have only one. the 20th century.” The ants can
also be moved by a process
The stings are painful and can be inflicted on humans, pets and called colony budding where a group of ants with a queen
livestock. The invasion of these ants can threaten native breaks off from the original colony to a new location. This
species that are important for seed dispersal, pollination and as process is effective in moving ants outward over time.
predators and prey for other animals. High densities of Managing these ants can be very difficult and eliminating
European fire ants (EFA) can also result in increased aphid established colonies may be impossible. Prevention is the best
populations since the ants feed on aphid honeydew and protect strategy. Be sure to inspect any nursery stock (in pots and
the aphids from predators. balled and burlap), soil, wood chips, compost or mulch that
These ants are native to Europe and central Asia and were comes into your nursery or landscape. Do not accept anything
introduced into the Boston area around 1900 and reported in that is suspect. Also, do not share or sell any plants or stock
that you suspect is infested. We don’t need these ants spread
13
all across Vermont! If you do find suspicious ants, you can send
them in alcohol to the UVM Plant Diagnostic Clinic for positive
identification. Manage EFA habitat by removing places where
ants can hide or nest, such as stones, boards, fallen leaves and
logs. The ants prefer moist areas, so increasing exposure to the
sun by pruning and thinning trees and keeping grass mowed
may help. Reducing irrigation if you are in a nursery may also
decrease moist habitats. Chemical control using baits can be
effective in eliminating colonies. Baits are preferred over the
use of chemical sprays since the ants will feed on the baits and
take it back to the nest to kill the rest of the colony. Baits also
tend to target the ants rather than beneficials. Although Your source for over 35 years
broadcast baits appear to be more effective for European fire • NATIVE PLANTS • FERNS & GRASSES
ants than bait stations, these application method allows for
• SHADE TREES • PERENNIALS
• FLOWERING SHRUBS • WETLAND PLANTS
more pesticide exposure to people, pets and wildlife and the • EVERGREENS • BROADLEAFS
environment. WE DELIVER WHERE YOU ARE
Information derived from: CONTACT US IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE
OUR WEEKLY AVAILABILITY & SPECIALS EMAIL
Bulletin #2551 European Fire Ant: Management for Homeowners -
www.extension.umaine.edu/publications/2551e/ Mailing: 24 Buzzell Road, Biddeford ME 04005
Bulletin #2250 European Fire Ant: A New Invasive Pest in Maine - Physical: 291 Waterhouse Rd, Dayton ME 04005
www.extension.umaine.edu/publications/2550e/ phone (207) 499-2994 • fax (207) 499-2912
email: sales@piersonnurseries.com
These bulletins were developed by Eleanor Groden, associate professor of www.piersonnurseries.com
entomology; Francis Drummond, professor of insect ecology/entomology;
and Lois Berg Stack, Extension professor of ornamental horticulture. Ant
graphic by Carrie Graham.

Prides Corner Farms

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You need a partner that believes in you
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www.pridescorner.com (800) 437-5168

14
 American Beauties Native Plants ® Creates
Endowment for Native Plant Research and More!
American Beauties Continues its
Tradition of Giving. Since the
inception of American Beauties Native
Plants in 2006, the brand has looked to
fund causes that promote native plants
in the landscape. Environmental
research and education are at the very
core of our mission. Through the effort
and support of our grower network,
Carolina Native Nursery, Civano
Nursery, Midwest Groundcovers, Prides
Corner Farms, Willoway Nurseries, and
our online retailer, Garden Crossings we
have made great strides toward realizing
this mission through the selling of
regionally important native plants to
independent garden centers and to
landscapers in each grower’s selling
area.
To further their research and education mission, American
Beauties has created a $25,000 endowment to fund native plant
research at the Horticultural Research Institute (HRI). HRI is
the research affiliate of AmericanHort, the national
organization supported by growers, retailers and landscapers
across the country whose mission is to promote and advance
the green industry in America. The creation of the American
Beauties Native Plants endowment fund occurred at the
Horticultural Research Institute (HRI) reception at the 2018
MANTS trade show in Baltimore, with a $5000 commitment
over 5 years to fully fund the endowment.
by Peggy Anne Montgomery
Partnership: $12,000 since 2015.
National Audubon Society: $1000
donation in 2018. University of
Delaware: $3500 donated in 2018 to Dr.
Douglas Tallamy for research on native
plants and pollinators.
To learn more about American Beauties
Native Plants and more ways American
Beauties gives visit:
www.abnativeplants.com.
Steve Castorani (L) of North Creek Nurseries and
Mark and Lisa Sellew (R) of Prides Corner Farms,
owners of the American Beauties Native Plants
brand, hold the plaque commemorating the founding
of the American Beauties Native Plant Research
Endowment. “I am honored that American Beauties
is creating a research fund focused on the vital role
of native plants. The American Beauties community
cares about making a difference and making our
world a greener place.” – Mark Sellew, co-owner of
American Beauties Native Plants and owner of
Prides Corner Farms, Lebanon, CT
Three Things to know about Van Berkum Nursery
1) We are passionate about what we grow, from New England
Woodlanders to Wicked Ruggeds.
2) We specialize in healthy NH grown perennials, personal service,
and extensive plant knowledge.
3) We have friends in low places. (ribbit).

“Native plants are critically important to our environment and

are a cornerstone in maintaining the balance of life on our
planet. Without them, life as we know it would cease to exist.
American Beauties Native Plants is determined to make the
public aware of the critical role native plants play in our lives,
as well the lives of the animals that depend on them. American
Beauties Native Plants is working with nurseries to increase
the awareness and availability of native plants in garden
centers, home gardens, and public landscapes throughout
America.” – Steve Castorani, co-owner of American Beauties
Native Plants.

American Beauties Native Plants Mission: To promote the

importance and increase the use of native plants in gardens
and landscapes throughout America.
Other Worthy Causes Supported by American Beauties Native
Plants: National Wildlife Federation: Over $270,000 since Van Berkum Nursery • 4 James Road Deerfield, NH 03037
(603) 463-7663 Fax 7326 • salesdesk@vanberkumnursery.com
2006 to support their Wildlife Habitat Program. Pollinator LLC

www.vanberkumnursery.com

15
 THE IDEA FACTORY
tips & trends, food for thought…
Garden Media Group
Garden Trends
Report - 2018
Natures’s Rx for
Mental Wellness
In today’s 24/7 connected society and public discontent,
depression and anxiety are skyrocketing world-wide. By 2030,
the World Health Organization predicts anxiety will be the #1
health issue, outranking obesity.
Analysts reported that the global wellness economy - wellness
tourism and real estate, the spa industry and workplace
wellness - reached $3.7 trillion in 2016 and is expected to grow
17% over five years.
And Gen-Y is the most stressed and anxious to date. According
to Ypulse, 81% of 13-34 year-olds are making mental health a
priority and want new ways to balance physical and mental
wellness- and clear their heads.
Thanks to celebrities such as British royals, mental health is no
longer a stigma. Prince Harry believes there has been a “dial
shift” in prioritizing mental wellness, urging young people who
constantly check their phones to slow down and process their
thoughts rather than rushing from one thing to the next.
In other words, take time to stop and smell the roses!
Wellness is no longer just about being healthy. It goes deeper,
embracing positivity, relaxation and self-care. a happy mind
leads to a happy body.
Meet Cornelia Han Oberlander!
Recognized as a national treasure in Canada Cornelia Hahn
Oberlander has been creating innovative landscapes for more than
sixty years. She is a leader in her profession, has worked with
preeminent architects throughout Canada and in the United States,
providing sustainable solutions in public spaces as well as private
gardens.
To learn more about Cornelia view her “Oral History” by visiting
www.tclf.org/pioneer/oral-history/cornelia-hahn-oberlander.
You will be inspired!
16
Being surrounded by air purifying plants, finding a quiet place
to meditate or eating a plant-based diet are all reflections of
wellness trends that have become status symbols for people
who make health a priority.
The new study of neuro-conservation from Dr. Wallace J.
Nichols, an evolutionary ecologist and research association at
the California Academy of Sciences, says being in nature and
around water shifts our brain towards hope and compassion
and away from stress and anger.
Research today reinforces wisdom of the ages - from Cyrus the
Great of Persia, who built relaxation gardens 2,500 years ago,
to Fredrick Law Olmstead, the father of American landscape
architecture - all types of gardeners continue to follow this
ancient prescription for mental and physical wellness. And
that’s good news for gardeners.
With this leading global consumer trend, the theme of the 2018
Garden Trends Report for 2018 is Nature’s Rx for Mental
Wellness.
The Report is broken up into eight sections:
• Climate Controlled,
• Social NEtwork,
• Imperfect Gardening
• Breathing Room
• Make a Splash
• Grow Your Own Protein
• Purple Reign
• Contact & Resources
To view or download the entire report please visit:
www.http://www.gardenmediagroup.com/trends.
Regarding Climate Change
“We are in the unfortunate situation of
being the first generation of
gardeners, ever, who cannot rely on
historical weather records to tell us
what our climate is, or what to expect
in the future.”
David Wolfe
Department of Horticulture
Cornell University
Your Landscaping Resource

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472 Marshall Avenue, Williston, Vermont

Spring/Summer Wholesale Hours:

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Phone: 802-658-2433 • Fax: 802-860-2936 • E-mail: wholesale@gardeners.com

17
 Amnesty for Plants
by Peter Del Tredici

Yank or spray all you put, the question is:

How does one define a
want, the dandelion is
native plant? Among
here to stay. And while
conservation biologists,
it’s considered an
a species can be
invasive species by
considered indigenous
some people, it is long
to the eastern seaboard
past time to formally
if it was present before
recognize the
the Pilgrims landed in
ubiquitous weed as a
1620 — everything
naturalized American
associated with
plant. This amnesty
European colonization
has been a long time
after this date is
in the making.
considered non-native.

In 1672, just 52 years

This definition skirts
after the Pilgrims first
two important
landed on Cape Cod, the
questions raised by
author of “New
Josselyn’s observations
England’s Rarities Discovered,” John Josselyn, described some
in 1672: Is there any length of time after which a non-native
21 species of plants that had “sprung up since the English
species can achieve native status? And second: Should there be
planted and kept cattle in New-England,” including the
a statute of limitations for plants after which it can be
dandelion, broadleaf plantain, and curly dock. In addition, he
considered a de facto native species? To put it another way:
listed 10 other European weeds that were already so common
Can the ubiquitous dandelion ever achieve native status or will
in New England that he considered them native to both sides of
it forever be considered an alien? Adding a layer of complexity
the Atlantic. It’s an amazing fact that all 31 of these species —
to these questions is the fact that modern molecular research
botanical descendants of the Mayflower, if you will — have
has demonstrated than many European weeds have undergone
today spread across much of the North American continent.
genetic adaptation under North American conditions, and are
now measurably distinct from their European ancestors.
The European invasion of North America was ecological as well
as cultural. Colonists not only brought personal belongings and
In thinking about the meaning of the term native in the context
enough food to survive the first year, but livestock and the
of our globalized world, European botanists are way ahead of
fodder to feed them plus propagules of their staple crops.
their American colleagues. They have subdivided the non-
Unbeknownst to these settlers, the seeds of the weeds that
native plants of their various countries into two categories:
Josselyn enumerated were embedded in the hay they brought to
“archaeophytes,” which were introduced with agriculture into a
feed their livestock and mixed in with the grains they sowed on
given European country from Central Asia, North Africa, the
the land they cleared. Europeans didn’t just bring their crops to
Middle East, or another part of Europe prior to 1500, and
the new world, they also brought their weeds.
“neophytes” which were introduced after 1500, mainly from
North and South America and Asia. The former category
A steady stream of immigrants — both plants and people —
consists of species whose origins have been obscured by their
poured into the American colonies throughout the 17th and
long residency in Europe; the later are species that came in
18th centuries. As the population of Europeans increased
following Columbus’ “discovery” of the New World. One result
dramatically in the decades following the American
of this categorization is that archaeophytes are given quasi-
Revolution, so did the pressure to expand westward. Forest
native status that classifies them as a legacy of European
clearing and fencing the land became the mark of Manifest
culture and, by extension, its ecology.
Destiny and agriculture a key to prosperity.
While the time frame for this European distinction — pre- and
This brief narrative of American history raises an important
post-1500 — does not work for the Americas, I propose a similar
ecological question that is relevant to the current, and often
type of categorization for non-native North American plants,
overheated, debate about native versus invasive species. Simply
with the date adjusted to account for our history. Any plant

18
that can be documented as growing spontaneously in North
America prior to 1800 should be considered a naturalized
earn your
“American archaeophyte” with all the rights and privileges associate degree:
associated with being native. This date provides a convenient
marker for the establishment of an independent US economy Landscape
and the beginning of its industrialization. Plants introduced
after 1800, including many ornamental species from Europe and Design &
Asia, should be classified as neophytes, to which the standard Sustainable
definition of non-native species applies. If such a neophyte can
be shown to spread aggressively into minimally managed Horticulture
habitats, then it should be considered an invasive species.
ENROLLING
While this discussion of nativity may see arcane to many NOW!
people, it is a way of acknowledging that globalization,
urbanization and climate change have permanently reshuffled
the world’s ecology. Scientists refer to the cosmopolitan
assemblages of species that occupy human-disturbed habitats as
“novel ecosystems” and estimate that they occupy roughly a
third of the earth’s land mass. Novel ecosystems are
widespread, biologically diverse, and capable of providing many
of the “ecological services” provided by native ecosystems. The
failure to recognize the value of these ecosystems or to
condemn them because they were not here when the Pilgrims
landed, is to deny the reality of what Americans have been doing
to the continent since they first arrived in the 1600s.
Globalization has created a world in which the classic
dichotomy that separates native from non-native species has Small College. Big Outcomes. | vtc.edu/landscape-design
lost its relevance. This is particularly true in cities where
people, plants and animals from around the world have come
together to create a unique metropolitan ecology. Using the
designation “American archaeophyte” to describe non-native
plants that have been in North America for over two hundred
years is a symbolic gesture that acknowledges the reality of an
environment irrevocably altered by humans. In a globalized
world, the boundaries that separate countries are being
breached not only by humans looking for a better life, but also
by plants and animals seeking new opportunities in a rapidly
changing world.

Peter Del Tredici is a senior research scientist emeritus at the

Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and a visiting lecturer
in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT. He is
also the author of Wild Urban Plants of the Northeast: A Field
Guide (Cornell Univ. Press, 2010).

This article first appeared in The Boston Globe, November 4, 2017

and was reprinted with the author’s permission.

19
Ireland Landscapes, Plants, and Garden Products
Dr. Leonard Perry, UVM Horticulture Professor Emeritus

This fall I had the chance to visit Ireland, where I was able
to spend a couple weeks with my wife and UK friends. The
focus was mostly on the sights and flavors of Ireland (if you
plan to visit and want to learn more on the awesome
Guinness experience and tour, or Irish whiskies, just let me
know), and tracing my wife’s roots (we didn’t find the end of
the rainbow but she did strike gold with her genealogy).
While not a garden trip (not really the time of year for such,
many gardens focus on early summer bloom such as
rhododendrons), I did manage to find a very unique Celtic
themed garden in county Galway—Brigit’s Garden
(www.brigitsgarden.ie).

The name refers both to St Brigit, the powerful 6th century

abbess of Kildare, and the pre-Christian Brigit, goddess for
many Celtic peoples across Europe. With Celtic history and
traditions so important in Ireland, this awarded garden is
well worth the visit if ever in the area, or even just checking
out online. Well sign posted are the various gardens
featuring some great design, medieval life and culture,
herbs for various purposes, the Celtic seasons, fairy garden,
Brigit’s Garden, County Galway, Ireland. Autumn (“Lughnasa”)
Celtic garden featuring thyme-covered mounds symbolizing
harvest baskets, also the constellation Orion which ancient
peoples saw as a warrior in the sky; stone raised beds in spirals with
various labeled herbs; standing stones enclosing two grassy circles
the first for dancing and the second for feasting at a huge oak table.
Three yews stand at the end, symbolizing the end of the season, the
moment of death.

In other Ireland horticulture, I made a point to visit several

Brigit’s Garden, County Galway, Ireland. Summer (“Bealtaine”) Celtic
garden. Copper flames are set into the path, symbolizing the fire
traditions of this season. Granite standing stones lead to a
ceremonial fireplace with throne crafted from 5,000 year old bog oak
and yew.
the largest sundial in Ireland (a calendar one, unique in that
it tells both date and time), natural areas, geologic
topography, and more, along with a nice café and gift shop.
top garden centers, mainly near Dublin. It was early
October and they were all set with extensive Christmas
displays. Often such stores have pet departments (even fish
for sale), household items for cooking, a few books (I was
surprised there weren’t more), and for the largest stores--
patio furniture. It is always fascinating to see what they
have in hard goods that we don’t, such as cane toppers (to
protect the eyes) which I use and we seldom see on this side
of the ocean. These come in ceramic decorative ones, or
small ones to put on individual small bamboo canes for
staking (you can find these if you look—as a substitute I use
colorful pencil erasers), but generally not the good quality
rubber ones that fit on half-inch canes or rebar (as I use for
staking—an idea I picked up years ago at Longwood
Gardens). I love the fact that you can count on almost all
full-service garden centers to have a nice café, making them
a real destination whether for lunch or just an afternoon tea
and fancy pastry.
Overall I was a bit surprised too at how many more hard
good items and the selection we seem to have in this
country both garden retailers and online. For instance they
also have lots of problems with rabbits and other small life,

20
but I saw very few repellents; almost no slug repellents for a tunnel veggies and products (such as jams) his wife made
huge problem in their damp country; and no bulb fertilizer from their garden, and the grounds were like a small
in the height of bulb planting season (a problem finding arboretum. One plant in particular that was spectacular on
such in the UK too I understand from our friends there). a trellis against a white stone wall was the red-leaved grape
But they did have lots of bulbs, often huge sacks with (Vitis vinifera ‘Purpurea’). This is often listed to USDA zone
hundreds of daffodils for mass plantings. Plants were 5 (safer probably zone 6), and has some red in the leaves
interesting—many different through the season,
cultivars of course, lots of darkening through the
heathers for fall sales in 4- summer to a rich maroon in
and 6-inch pots sprayed the fall with purple grapes
various colors or with glitter, (sweet flesh, sour skins). It
and many different cultivars is more seen in the UK,
and even colors (such as dark winning the RHS Award of
maroon) of mophead Garden Merit, and may be
hydrangeas. seen from sources there as
the Claret or Teinturier
South of Dublin, in county
grape. Imagine this
Wicklow, Avoca Garden
interplanted with the gold-
Center carried plants we
leaved hops and a yellow-
might see in zones 4 through
flowered clematis.
9—camellias, azaleas, palms
and bamboo to perennials and
While the Irish speak
peonies—really most any
English, all signs and many
plant you might imagine, and
documents are both in Irish
enough to make me want to
(Gaelic) and English, and in
live and garden there. Keep in
Above: A rainbow of potted heathers for Fall sales, Ireland. most of Galway all signs are
mind this relatively small Below: Red-leaved grape, Vitis vinifera ‘Purpurea’ (country Tipperary, strictly in Gaelic. I also
island country (to drive across Ireland).
found Ireland a country of
it takes the same time as
very friendly people; good
driving from Burlington to
drivers; easy to get around
Concord, NH) is quite
on the motorways, not so
tempered by the ocean and
easy to drive (on the left) on
Gulf Stream. So, even though
rural one-lane roads and
Dublin is about the same
two-lane roads that are the
latitude (lat. 54) as upper
size of many of our one lane
Quebec and lower Hudson’s
roads. It is a country of
Bay, it is quite mild (our
surprisingly varied natural
USDA zone 9a), without the
landscapes. Picture the
heat we find in our
seacoast of Maine with the
subtropical zone. So you’ll
Rocky Mountains in the
find perennials there you
background, with the
that don’t grow in our
appearance of Kansas wheat
warmest zones in central and
fields in the foreground, and
south Florida. In fact, the
you have the Connemara
daily temperature often
peninsula of Galway. Then there are the scenic cliffs of
varies by only about 10 degrees (F).
Moher in the west on the ocean, the rolling green hills of
Tipperary in the middle, and the dramatic Wicklow
If you do get to go abroad and want a great place to stay in
mountains (think England’s Yorkshire moors) an hour south
the central area, I can recommend the Kilmaneen
of Dublin in the east. This country is well worth a visit if
farmhouse B&B we used in country Tipperary. Run by a
you haven’t been and get a chance.
very hospitable and friendly couple, he was both a farmer
and horticulturist. Breakfasts featured fruits and high

21
 STRICTLY BUSINESS
no kidding …

Becoming a Master at What You Do

by Jacki Hart

The winding-down from a busy year transformed both their

communication and performance.
has always been a time to ask lots of
Without connecting all of the dots on
questions about the years’ results. Most
Who the company is, and Why it is,
particularly, self-reflective questions
energy will be spent unnecessarily on
that I ask myself. I believe that January
keeping everyone and everything all
is a great month to create some quiet
glued together. Usually, it’s energy
time for self-reflection. It’s a time of
that the boss doesn’t have to waste.
year to take stock of who you are,
where you are, and where you need to
If you take one thing from reading
grow to in order to reach your goals.
this column, I hope it’s realizing that
you’d never look back or question why
Clarity Precedes Mastery.
you spent the time to take this step,
The unknown author of this phrase was and get the cultural clarity your
really on to something big. To become business needs.
a master at what you do, there are a
few rungs to climb on the ladder. If You’re Aiming At Nothing.
• You first need to be very clear about
Familiar readers of mine know how to
what you believe in, who you are
finish the sentence in this heading…. ‘You’ll Hit It With Huge
and who you need to be. 
Accuracy’. What is your end game? At what skills do you need
• You also must know what mastery actually is…. What it
to be better? In what ways does your company need to improve
would look like when you’re a master at something – what
to achieve it’s ultimate success? How will the company ‘bench
you will know, say, do, teach and accomplish.
strength’ need to change? What will be different when you’re
• You must be able to recognize the gaps between here and
‘there’ – being a master at what you do? What will all of your
there. This is where the Clarity part takes place.
team be doing and saying differently? How will you all be
thinking differently in order to have the Mastery you strive
First Thing First.
for? What needs to change? What should stay the same to
To accomplish the first step, you need to define your Core support your vision of success?
Values. And your Businesses’ Core Values. Who are you? What
do you believe in? What are the non-negotiable beliefs that Mind The Gap.
guide your thinking and actions every day?
Think about ways in which you could quantify the potential
return on time invested if you intentionally improve to become
I’ve worked with dozens of business owners and their teams on
a master at what you do. There’s a price tag attached to
this project…. It’s a lot harder to do than you may think: it
training…. And that cost becomes priceless when the training
takes longer to complete than you think it should, and yet it’s
pays off and nudges your company closer to mastery. Ask
so incredibly powerful in bringing clarity to your whole team.
important questions to guide your training choices… align
It’s the single most effective way to get everyone on the same
your investment with your vision of success. Often it’s hard to
page, aligning attitudes and decisions with the direction of the
know what you don’t know… your business coach can bring a
company goals.
birds’ eye objective view to your gap analysis.

Of the companies I know who have fully engaged with this

From my friends at Kinergy Leadership, I share their 5 A’s of
step, the clarity it has brought for both the non-negotiable
Selecting Leaders – which may help you to get started:
behaviour and decision-making filters for the team has

22
 1. Assessment of Needs: What is needed to pursue mastery.
2. Assets on Hand: Who in the company is available and
‘right fit’?
3. Ability of Candidates: Who is able to be trained, and likely
to apply what they learn?
4. Attitude of Candidates: Who is willing to be trained and
‘step up’ their level of engagement?
5. Accomplishments of Candidates: Who gets things done?
You can also ask yourself some important gap filling questions:
Who do I show up as every day? Where do I need to grow to?
Who should I show up as, if I were a level closer to mastery at
what I do?
Managing Accountability
At Consulting By Hart, one of our great strengths is helping
teams to understand how to function properly, and to create a
culture of self-accountability as well as team accountability.
Supporting the outcomes of training and improving your
teams’ ability to align with your goals is completely dependent
on who holds themselves accountable and when.
We can help create an accountability program – to launch your
results of training and improvement to new heights! You don’t
have to figure this all out on your own. We can help. There’s a
rich right-fit resource for you to use here. Jump In and step up
your Mastery game.
About the Author: Jacki Hart
is president of Consulting by
Hart in Ontario, Canada. She is
an entrepreneur, advisor,
business consultant, and workshop facilitator with a career in the
Green Industry spanning 35 years. Jacki is one of Canada’s first
women to hold the North American Green Industry certificate for
business management excellence. Jacki also manages the
Prosperity Program and Peer to Peer Network for Landscape
Ontario.
Jacki writes for other trade magazines and will be a regular
contributor to our business column. CBH is a consulting firm that
“passionately believes that entrepreneurial success depends on
sustained forward momentum - across all areas of business - both
the visible and the invisible. To learn more about CBH visit
www.consultingbyhart.com.

Favorite Business Book Equipment & Tools for the

Recommendations! Landscape Professional
Member Aaron Smith of S & D Landscapes shared
a list of his favorite go-to business resource guide
books! Curl up next to that woodstove and dive
in! There is sure to be some great ideas and advice
amongst these pages.

The Pumpkin Plan, by Mike Michalowicz

Good to Great, by Jim Collins

Small Giants, by Bo Burlingham

Sprayers • Pruners • Saws & Extensions • Ladders • & More

A Clearing in the Distance, Orchard

LADDERS CALL or STOP BY
7am–5pm Monday - Friday
by Witold Rybczynski 7am –12 noon Saturday
You will always be able to talk
to a friendly, knowledgeable
person who can help
Happy Reading! 800-634-5557
8 Ashfield Road/Rt. 116 / P.O. Box 540, Conway, MA 01341 www.oescoinc.com

23
 New Member Profile: Good To Grow - Piquette DiPiazza

We asked new member Piquette DiPiazza of Good to Grow to
introduce herself via a member questionnaire we sent to her.
Please meet Piquette below and we welcome her!
My name is Piquette DiPiazza, and I am the Owner/Operator
of Good to Grow, a full service gardening company based in
Stowe, Vermont.
I enrolled in the UVM Extension Master Gardener course in the
winter of 2008 and that summer dug in, and Good to Grow was
born. Since then my business has grown to over 30 residential
and commercial clients and I have expanded our services to
include larger scale projects such as new landscape
installation, tree planting, vegetable garden construction and
other garden carpentry projects.

I grew up surrounded by In running my business the

agriculture, in a family made up of biggest challenge is finding
farmers, foresters, horticulturists skilled, reliable seasonal help.
and entomologists. Spending all Working in this industry in New
of my summers on the family England I have found is not for
farm, I learned from my everyone. The rewards of this
grandparents by watching them business and a long hard day of
work hard every day. My mother work is being surrounded by the
spent her free time in the beauty of Vermont. It can’t be
extensive perennial gardens after beat!
work and on weekends, sun up to
sun down. She saw my interest My best business tips to share
and nurtured it by putting me to are always communicate with
work. your customers. Listen to them
because I have found gardening
At age 15 my first real job was is personal and no two clients
with the Ministry of Natural are alike. Job schedules often
Resources in Canada, at the local don’t always go as planned due
Forestry station planting, to things like weather, material
counting, and pruning trees. Years availability and delivery. Be
later, after pursuing a career in honest, give answers and don’t
fitness I realized my love of make excuses!
working outdoors was calling to
me. My Favorite plant? I have yet to
discover a Fern I haven’t fallen
When recreation brought me to in love with.
Stowe, Vermont in 2000 I took a
job at a large private property as part of the grounds keeping Where would you like to be in five years? If you asked me that
crew. I quickly realized that working in the perennial gardens five years ago I would have told you where I am right now -
was where I was meant to be, and that talking with the running my own business with a diverse clientele allowing me
homeowner about their property and gardens, brought me to be creative while working hard at what I love! If five years
much pleasure. from now my business has continued to grow yet stay true to
my roots, I will be living the dream.
I began to think about staring my own perennial garden
maintenance business. In the winters I kept busy snowboarding I joined Green Works because it is a professional organization
and bartending at a busy Après ski bar on the Mountain Road for our industry. I look forward to getting to know more
in Stowe. I would often get asked the question ‘What do you do members outside of my local community, network with them,
in the summer?” “Garden.” I would reply. ‘Well we need a and learn from their experience.
gardener….” would often be the response. Over the years this
proved to be a great way to begin building my own clientele! My free time is spent with my husband, our 5 children and our
beloved dog Brushie. We garden, cook, mountain bike and hike.
My real down time is in the winter months when I ski everyday.

24
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hern
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25
 THE PLANT LOUNGE
wiry stems, hairy leaves and bodacious blooms. . .

For the Love of Umbellifers!

by Carrie Chalmers, Landscape Designer

While on a trip to England this past summer, my smoldering design potential. Growing to 5’ tall, the biennial Angelica gigas
has deep wine red flowers that unfurl in a striking manner.
love of umbellifers exploded into flames when I stepped into
Astrantia is more of a typical mounding perennial with small,
the white garden at Sissinghurst. Their gardeners are
long blooming umbel flowers. The variety ‘Hadspen Blood’ is
masterful manipulators of emotions, and a walk through the
an unusual garnet red color, though the range of flower colors
grounds felt like time travel to a magical dimension. The plant
with different cultivars
with the most power for
includes white, various
me in the White Garden
shades of pink, to deep
was a lowly annual that
red. Eryngium is a diverse
grew to an outrageous 5’
genus but all members
in the fertile Sissinghurst
have a distinctive, stiff,
soils and the damp, mild
prickly upright form that
English climate.
can look sculptural in the
Billowing, light, somewhat
garden. Flower color
transparent, and
ranges from metallic blue
haphazardly scattered,
to slivery grey to white
Ammi majus offered a
depending on the species.
powerful, emotional
Eryngium yuccifolium or
contrast to the dark green
Rattlesnake Master is a
yew hedges and 10’ high
North American native
brick walls. I once grew it
with understated, white,
as a cut flower, but it lived
ball shaped flowers. Its
in strict rows, out shown
strappy, spiny foliage and
by zinnias. Seeing it used
thistle like flowers make a
with strong effect and grown to perfection inspired me to not
strong architectural statement in plantings.
only see if I could improve on my last attempt, but to also
commit to using more beguiling members of the Umbelliferae
Many plants in the parsley family are a host and food source for
(Apiaceae) family.
the Black Swallowtail butterfly, serving an important
ecosystem function in the garden. One caution for gardeners is
Commonly called the celery or parsley family, you can often
that certain plants like Parsnip, Ammi, and Hogweed contain
recognize members by the umbrella like flowers-think Queen
chemical compounds in their leaves that make the skin very
Ann’s Lace. Many of the most commonly recognized members
sensitive to sunlight. Beware about exposing skin to bruised
of the family are herbs, such as dill, lovage, and parsley. I have
leaves and stems.
always loved growing parsley, not only for eating, but for its
deep green, tightly curled leaves that fill in the front of beds
beautifully. The acid yellow flowers and blue-green ferny
foliage of dill are a beautiful garden accent, and with its
propensity for self-sowing, contributes a spontaneity to garden
beds. Fennel, both bulb and the green and bronze leaf forms,
are stunning garden plants with beautiful foliage and form.
The white, bulbous stems of the bulb fennel are ghostly when
slipped into plantings, and rain drops cling to the leaves for
those that notice the quieter details of a garden.

Astrantia, Eryngium, and Angelica are the showiest of the

parsley family, and have quirky forms and flowers with great

26
 THANK YOU TO OUR 2017
VERMONT FLOWER SHOW SPONSORS

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Classified Ads . . .
Mature Trees for Sale: Must be able to dig and transport. Great for an
upscale project or to dig for re-sale. Below is a list of specimens available.
All plants are #1 grade. Other miscellaneous trees available. Email or call
Pam Tworig at: 413-281-2439 or pam@northbranchlandscape.com.
 
8 - 7'-10' Hamamelis virginiana’; 6 8 - 6' Lilac - Miss Canada(?); a few 6' Ilex
verticillata 'Winter Red' & males; 10-15 - 10'-12' Thuja occidentalis "George
Peabody"; 5+ - 12'-15' Picea abies; 10+ - 12'-15' Abies fraseri. The oldest and largest nursery
in the Northeast Kingdom!

Business for Sale: Dream of owning your own nursery and landscape B & B Apple Trees For Sale!
business?  Established landscape & nursery business for sale, located in
one of the Northeast Kingdom's most beautiful and desirable towns, 2”-3” caliper
Craftsbury Vermont. This is a one-of-a-kind, once in a lifetime opportunity.  New cultivars and heirloom
This turn-key business comes with nursery stock, equipment, tools, customer
list, 19 plus acres, and a 3 bedroom home. This is an oasis in a convenient varieties available
location.   The current owner is willing to help make the transition a smooth
one. Please call Stuart at 802-586-2856.   To view photos and for more Route 14 * Craftsbury, VT
information visit: www.northernvtrealestate.com/listing/4673133/2039-vt- 802-586-2856
rt-14-craftsbury-craftsbury-vt/ lapointnursery@gmail.com

27
 PO Box 92
North Ferrisburgh, VT 05473

A Professional Association for

Green Works’ mission is to support and strengthen the
Growers, Retailers, Garden Centers, Nurserymen
horticulture industry
and Women, Landscapeof Vermont by Contractors,
Designers and creating greater
awareness of the benefits
Landscape of landscaping
Architects, Maintenance Experts,and promoting
Arborists, Turf Specialists, Industry Representatives,
PO Box 92, N. Ferrisburgh, VT 05473 the professional services and products of our members.
P: 802.425.5117 | F: 802.425.5122 Allied Trades People, Students, and Educators.
E: kristina@greenworksvermont.org
28
www.greenworksvermont.org visit us atwww.greenworksvermont.org
www.greenworksvermont.org