Ninety people, including many representatives from lawn care, landscaping and pesticide companies, with additional support from farming and golf course sectors, mobilized March 3, 2022 at the State Capitol for the hearing on SB22-131. Landscape industry professionals came to oppose the bill which they believed lacked scientific evidence with respect to pesticides and what Jason Schmidt of Weed Man Lawn Care called “a blatant disregard to the harmful effects of rolling back preemption.” Following a 10-hour hearing, the bill was defeated at 11 pm by a vote of 6-1.

The industry opposition effort was under the auspices of Green Industries of Colorado (GreenCO) whose legislative committee directs lobbying efforts on behalf of the interests of the seven organizations which comprise its membership. Colorado Arborists and Lawn Care Professionals (CALCP) took the lead in this effort.

That’s exactly what several panelists shared from their own personal experience at the Women in Green luncheon during ProGreen EXPO. Each woman has been in Colorado’s green industry +/-20 years--and they all spoke candidly about the challenges and individual “superpowers” that helped build successful careers in industries that remain predominantly a “man’s world.”

While each woman’s superpower was unique, a common thread voiced by all was that diligence, doing the hard work to move up, and determination have been critical to their advancements within a workforce still underpopulated by women at a ratio of about 10 to 1.

Read more about the superpowers these women credit for their success.

“How can contractors even bid a job now?” was one nurseryman’s reply when we asked what landscape companies should expect for plant availability and costs this year. His perspective was similar to others in our small poll of wholesale and re-wholesale nursery folks. Overall, they said supply is down for container trees and shrubs, especially conifers. Costs are up due to a few factors, but primarily the “staggering” cost of getting plants to Colorado. One shared his freight costs are up 30-40%.

Here's what landscape companies need to know. All nursery pros had the same message for their customers: “Be flexible and substitute to get the job done.” The example one gave was for contractors to tell the client, “Yellow would look good there,” without specifying which plant in yellow should be used. They said customers need to be educated and understand that to get the specific plant they desire may take 2-3 years. With adequate substitutions, however, customers can have a complete and growing landscape this season.

 As Plant Select® celebrates 25 years, here are some notable numbers.

Year founded                                                  1997
Total number of plants                                     172
Natives to North America                                  81
Total plants sold in last 5 years            11,516,099
Typical new plant introductions per year         5-8
Plant Select demonstration gardens                68
Licensed propagators                                     104
Licensed garden retailers                                 67
Books published                                                 2
Members and volunteers who’ve
    contributed to Plant Select’s success       1000+

Scythe Robotics, Longmont, founded in 2018 by Jack Morrison, Isaac Roberts and Davis Foster, is dedicated to providing a sustainable solution to a huge challenge facing the landscape industry. The company’s mowers—aka robots—address workforce issues such as the chronic labor shortage while avoiding contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.

Scythe’s founders see autonomous mowers reducing the need for humans to operate a mower on landscape maintenance projects—a relatively low-skill task—and free them up for more skilled maintenance tasks that can be performed while the robots are mowing. Landscape maintenance projects can be done in less time with less noise, lower emissions and fewer crew members—less labor.

Autonomous mowing gets more attention
Three years after Scythe caught the attention of ALCC and other members with their ELITE Award submission for Innovation, the company has grown to over 30 employees and wanted to add 10 more by the end of 2021. Scythe announced in June 2021 that the company raised over $18.5 million in venture capital funding allowing it grow and continue to improve the product. Colorado Green spoke with Billy Otteman, marketing director at Scythe.

Westminster High School’s (Westy’s) Landscape Career Pathways program is a full-steam-ahead pipeline to landscape industry jobs thanks to high-energy team teachers Heather Crabtree and Lucas Naeger. For a few years now, they have been attracting students to classes and careers that most Westy students never new existed.

Often lured by the school’s greenhouse, students soon discover horticulture and an array of green industry jobs in horticulture, irrigation, installation, equipment maintenance and more. Their program is growing strong with new work stations to learn industry skills—but what Crabtree and Naeger need most now are industry pros. They need volunteers who can step into classes to demonstrate nuances of specific skills and “share their passion about their careers.” Internship opportunities would be another plus.

“HGTV drove people to want curb appeal and it gave them permission to do projects themselves,” says Black Forest Landscape Design’s owner Dan Lee. For 20 years, what he calls the “cultural phenomenon of HGTV” has powered his business. Up to 75% of the homeowners for whom Lee provides consults and landscape designs do all or part of the work themselves.

Among fellow licensed landscape architects, Lee thrives on a market niche most designers might not consider. But a strong connection exists between him and his clients during and following their projects. They send him photos weekly while work is in progress and even years later. And they are loyal and repeat clients. In 2021, Lee found that about 60% of his clients were returns from people he served during 2002 to 2012 as original clients or their children or parents.

As 2021 was wrapping up, Colorado State University (CSU) revealed “Top Performer” perennials from its trials. During the herbaceous perennial trials—part of CSU’s continuous and tireless research programs that test if plants are suited to Colorado—plants are observed over a three-year period. For the 2021 trials, 126 varieties were planted in 2019. To be rated as a CSU Top Performer, plants have to have had great survival percentages after two winters and three growing seasons, and received excellent ratings throughout the three growing seasons.

“I love bringing the feeling of nature into the spaces people live in,” says Johnny Moore, designer at Tree of Life Landscapes, Mead. Moore created a design with four seasons of immersion and mystery for a client who wanted to remove most of the sod and create perennial gardens more suitable to the Colorado climate.

“Our vision was to create four seasons of interest. Color in the spring, summer and fall and in the winter a lot of texture and different hues of brown. There is a lot of richness and depth to the winter textures that can’t be seen in other seasons. Leaving the seed heads allows the birds some winter food. We are creating more than a garden. It’s an environment for not only us but the other inhabitants.” To Moore’s point, this property has earned National Wildlife Federation habitat certification.

The in person ProGreen EXPO event we've been waiting two years for is almost here. And, that’s not the only good news. For the COVID weary—all of us—know that COVID safety does NOT require proof of vaccination or a negative test result to attend the event. The only requirement for entry to the Colorado Convention Center is wearing a mask or face covering. 

Check out the schedule and notice the new networking events in addition to the classes, several offered in Spanish (ofrecido en español) as well as many with continuing education credits (CEUs). As always, exhibitors will showcase new and innovative equipment and products, and amazing plants. Take advantage of your ALCC member discount and register today at https://www.progreenexpo.com/Register.

Education begins Tuesday, Feb. 1, at 11:15 a.m. and runs until noon Friday and the EXPO opens Wednesday, Feb. 2, at noon and runs during conference hours until noon Friday