“I really didn’t want to do this project,” admits Geister, branch manager and business development at Environmental Designs, Inc. (EDI). “This project involved planting and maintaining annuals in planters outside two Centerra industrial buildings—16 at each.” The planters weren’t working as planned and McWhinney, the Centerra development management and investment company, knew.

Drains in the planters were not functioning and in 2019, the year before EDI took on this challenge, runoff from the planters was so high that standing water with algae could be found several feet away from the planters, plants were in poor health and the “rotting stinking mess” resulted in tenant complaints.

Also, the way the buildings are situated can create heat and a wind tunnel effect, which have an effect on water needs of the plants in the planters.

For the EDI team’s effort, they received ALCC’s Gold ELITE Award for Sustainability.

Rising to the challenge

“We have a good team,” Geister asserts. “It has rock stars. We agreed that ‘we can do this.’” To start, they removed all the soil to see how the planters drained. Then they removed existing components, installed new lines and added 360-degree adjustable drip bubblers to each planter. They refilled with aggregate and soil.

Using Rain Bird Xeri-Bubblers, Geister and senior Irrigation tech, Alejandro Arenas, improvised, installing the bubblers instead of using more traditional micro-sprays. “They are super simple to regulate above the soil line. It takes just a twist to adjust water.”

Based on his learning from this project, Geister would say this to colleagues, “There is amazing technology out there. Think out-of-the-box. Be innovative when using these products.” Before testing the new components, the team also cleaned the drains as best as possible.

“I love bringing the feeling of nature into the spaces people live in,” reveals Johnny Moore, designer at Tree of Life Landscapes, Mead. The beauty and joy of nature that speaks to Moore, is something he wants to capture when he designs.

“When we first talked with this Boulder- based client about her yard, she didn’t have a detailed vision for her landscape renovation,” says Moore. “What she did know is she wanted to remove most of the sod and create perennial gardens more suitable to the Colorado climate. My work as a designer is often to help clients realize a vision they can’t articulate.”

Four seasons of immersion and mystery

The perennial garden Moore designed in 2017 included removal of all sod on one side of the driveway and a portion on the other side. “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 design includes a walking area throughout. The walking area serves three functions: it ties the areas in the design together, it provides immersion from within the garden among the plants to enjoy them up close, and thirdly and importantly, it provides ease of maintenance.

Prince Bandar Bin Sultan, when eighth in line to the Saudi Arabian throne, built a 60,000-square-foot house, in Aspen Colorado, in 1990 that needed a landscape on a par with his palatial retreat. It was an opportunity Landscape Workshop, Inc., then based in the Denver area, felt prepared to tackle. “It was a good fit for us,” says Tim McMichael, now the president. “It put us on the front end of development when Aspen was on the cusp of breaking out and we were lucky to be in the right place at the right time.”

Leading up to this opportunity, Landscape Workshop had been a fast-growing company founded in 1979 by landscape architect Jim Pitts, McMichael’s father. By 1986 Pitts had grown the firm from a team of three to one of largest landscape installation companies in Colorado. With experience from large projects such as Southwest Plaza shopping mall and The Pinery, Landscape Workshop was confident taking on a big job in the mountains. At the time, there were no companies in the high country that could match their experience. Landscape Workshop gained a What does it take to please a Saudi prince in Aspen? Jim Pitts, founder of Landscape Workshop, Inc., with his wife and their great grandchildren who may someday be part of the company team. Landscape Workshop knows how it’s done foothold in the Aspen market and soon operations moved to Carbondale.

 Westminster HS students show landscape skills at Pickens Tech

ALCC hosted the second “Passport to Certification” testing for high school students at Pickens Technical College on May 25. Six students from Westminster High School participated in test problems designed to evaluate their landscape knowledge and skills. The testing event included four hands-on test stations, and four written and identification tests.

Four industry volunteers served at the testing stations to evaluate students: David Brooks, Land- Care Management, judge at the controller station; Bret Eastberg, City of Westminster, judge at the lateral repair and head adjustment station; Lyle Fair, Environmental Designs, judge at the tree planting and staking problem; Kyler Neumann, Aurora Public Schools, at the plant layout station. Thank you to industry volunteers, Colorado Community College System, Westminster High School and Pickens Technical College for helping to put on the test event!

Greeley West students attend SLM class, earn certificates

Seven Greeley West High School students and their instructor, Samantha Pierce, attended the March 30 Sustainable Landscape Management (SLM) class. Pierce had approached ALCC earlier in the year with an interest in having her students attend an SLM training.

“SLM is a great fit for high schools— the curriculum is entry-level. The class covers a lot of topic areas, but at a high level,” says Melissa Emdin, ALCC’s programs and education director. The outcome was a significant success. All students took and passed the post-class exam, and earned the SLM certificate. Given the success of this session for high school students, ALCC hopes to work with other Pathways schools to bring SLM to their students.

Drought is no stranger in Colorado and as we move into the hot summer months, water remains top-of-mind for both homeowners and commercial property managers when it comes to keeping landscapes healthy while not wasting water.

More than 60% of naturally flowing water leaves the state and of the 40% remaining, landscapes use only 3% of Colorado’s water. CSU research states the benefits from that 3% are tremendous. Quality landscapes increase property value, reduce temperatures, absorb carbon dioxide emissions and more. The message for all is to preserve this limited resource by thoughtfully installing and maintaining landscapes that will thrive in our harsh climate.

Conserving water is good business

Irrigation equipment supply companies have stayed at the forefront of water conservation for many years as drought persists in Colorado and other western states. Their leadership in drought mitigation has been persistent. By far, it precedes Jan. 1, 2021, the date when Colorado legislation went into effect mandating that all sprinkler spray bodies sold must be pressure regulated and perform to water efficiency criteria specified by EPA WaterSense.

Even before legislatures and regulatory agencies nationwide called for more efficient water use, irrigation equipment manufacturers were already designing products to meet or exceed mandates.

Irrigation supply companies are the conduit to green industry companies who install and maintain irrigation equipment for their customers’ landscapes. Vendor equipment innovations coupled with supplier support— and their backup resources—ensure that irrigation done right is a win for businesses and the environment.

The caveat

Colorado Green reached out to four local suppliers for their insights on managing water during what may be a water-challenged season. Each person interviewed echoed the same caution: To function optimally, components must be installed and operated properly. This is precisely why staying on top of innovative products and selling them to customers is not the endgame.

Plan to attend the Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association’s second annual Buyers Expo, August 18, from 10 AM – 2 PM, at the Adams County Fairgrounds in Brighton.

The CNGA Buyers Expo offers exhibitors an opportunity to showcase plant material and related products in person. You’ll be able to meet with more than two dozen of the region’s top suppliers of trees, shrubs, perennials, bedding plants, grasses, houseplants, succulents and much more. It’s one stop shopping in a convenient, easy access outdoor setting. For buyers, you can secure the plant and horticultural supply inventories you'll need for your retail or landscape operations for the remainder of the year and into 2023.

An ‘All You Can Eat’ BBQ lunch buffet is included with your registration. To see the full list of exhibitors and to register, please go to: https://bit.ly/3RCRZAj

The challenge of finding seasonal workers in the landscape industry and other seasonal industries has been an ongoing challenge for at least a couple of decades.

Mari Medrano, human resources director at CoCal Landscape, Denver has more than 20 years’ experience working with foreign workers on H-2B legal guest worker visas. In spring 2021, Medrano wrote the article, H-2B: An Employer Perspective for Turf magazine and in spring 2022 her article received first place from the Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association.

This editorial/opinion article highlighted her real-life experiences, and subsequent learning, from two decades of working with foreign workers on H-2B visas. She said the process is time-consuming and there are no guarantees a company will be granted workers from the program. “If you think you know what you’re doing, this program— with constantly changing government regulations and attacks from H-2B opponents—will knock you to your knees. It’s anguishing, hair-pulling, frustrating and dumbfounding, but also very fulfilling and rewarding,” she wrote.

Medrano thinks of the people who depend on her to get those visas, most especially the ones who have returned over many years. On top of the pressure to complete the process correctly and quickly, she also feels a personal burden for the workers and their families who depend on the visas.

The diverse plant palette you once enjoyed with consistent availability and a range of sizes may not only be up in the air this year, but for years to come. What to expect going forward depends on more complex scenarios than how rising fuel costs in 2022 drove up freight costs and then plant costs.

Behind-the-scenes insights came from two reps for wholesale plant growers and the owners of three wholesale nurseries along the Front Range: Wholesale grower reps Kent Broome (Rocky Mountain Horticulture Services) and David Dickey (DWD Plant Sales) joined Front Range nursery professionals, Dan Wise (Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery), Stanley Brown, Jr., (Alameda Wholesale Nursery, Englewood) and Matt Edmundson (Arbor Valley Nursery, Brighton) to share perspectives.

What’s up with plant supply?

Wholesale growers and nurseries have risk-taking in their DNA. They live or die by the weather as it’s either their best friend or their worst enemy. As Stanley Brown, Jr., notes, “Hail and drought will always be factors beyond our control. Hail can destroy an entire operation in an afternoon.”

Then there’s demand. Wholesale growers say they do their best to assess future demand and plant trees and shrubs accordingly. And sometimes information they get changes. “There is a disconnect between the supply side and the demand,” shared Matt Edmundson. For example, “Cities wanting more diversity in their tree canopy specify trees and after those trees are in the ground for a while, they change from one oak variety to another. We growers can’t hit a switch for instant change.”

Ewing celebrates 100 Years

Saving water is their mantra. Ewing Irrigation & Landscape Supply, Inc., hit the 100-year milestone this year with celebrations in branches from coast to coast and among the Ewing family members who have led its successes across four generations. For more than 25% of those years, Ewing has had a major presence in Colorado through selling irrigation products, exhibiting at ProGreen EXPO, supporting Day of Service projects and more.

Ewing’s first Colorado store offered irrigation supplies beginning in 1996 with the Highlands Ranch location, which is still operating. Most recently, Ewing chose Colorado as the launching point for expanding its products into Ewing Landscape Materials, which offers a full range of bulk landscape materials and hardscaping products. Ewing’s first bulk supply location in the country opened here in March 2018.

According to Scott Atwell, regional manager for Colorado, offering additional products that meet more than irrigation needs “rounds out our opportunity to become a one-stop shop for our customers.”

DBC Irrigation Supply marks 75 years

John Alderman, the man behind this Colorado company’s ongoing success, admits he didn’t understand irrigation when he got into the business. When the original Denver Brass & Copper Company was founded, the inventory consisted of plumbing pipe and industrial supplies. By 1995, the company was already refocusing as an irrigation supplier when Alderman closed on the purchase.

“Now I appreciate what irrigation can do for the environment and our communities,” alluding to water shortages in Colorado due to growth and drought. “We are up to the challenge of spreading water more effectively across a wider population,” he confirms. Now a “recovering accountant,” he has a passion to help the industry deliver water efficiently via water-saving products and training.

AmericanHort recently announced the election of four new members to the board of directors, including Matt Edmundson, president at Arbor Valley Nursery in Brighton.

The official welcome and installation took place at Cultivate’22 during July, in Columbus, Ohio. “We are excited to welcome these leaders who come from various segments of the green industry and encompass diverse experiences, skills, and backgrounds,” said Ken Fisher, president & CEO of AmericanHort.

Edmundson is a second-generation nurseryman and a third-generation owner of Arbor Valley. He has served in various leadership roles in the industry including Colorado Nursery and Greenhouse Association (CNGA), for which he currently serves on the board, the Colorado Horticulture Research and Education Foundation and the GreenCO legislative committee. He is an associate member at ALCC.

AmericanHort, a national organization, has the mission of unifying and cultivating successful horticulture businesses across the numerous segments of the industry—including greenhouse and nursery growers, retailers, distributors, interior and exterior landscaper professionals, florists, educators and more—and for the industry to enhance people’s lives through the benefits of plants.