Mar 16
0

A daring cedar top rescue

By | Company News | No Comments

Tight tops

Ok, so the main headline is a bit dramatic. It’s about cedar tops, not about a real rescue. The point of this blog post is that, unless it’s requested, all cedar hedge tops should have straight, tight tops. That’s it.

Now, there are exceptions, like my friend Anthony. He shears the top of his cedar hedge into a wave because he is a musician and the hedge top flows like a melody. I guess. I don’t really know. It’s definitely playful but an exception nonetheless.

Why I lose sleep

The finished product.

Sadly, this is the finished product of experienced landscapers. I suspect they ran in with articulating shears and buzzed down the tops with one or maybe two strokes without using a ladder. That just screams “I don’t care!”.

Cedar tops should have tight, straight lines on top. The top should match the fence line and run parallel with it. When I see the angled top, I lose sleep over it. What happened to producing world-class work?

The fix

I knew I’d have to fix this mess because sleeping well is important for landscape professionals. The cedars also look awful from the road. When I walked by, I noticed it right away.

Unfortunately, between the time this shoddy work happened and my fix date, new owners moved in. Now, I had to fix the tops and explain the horrendous duplication. Obviously, it takes time and effort to fix the tops. It didn’t help that the new owners had their backyard stuffed full of outdoor furniture; and the owner had a list of requests, most of which would have reduced his deciduous trees by fifty percent. It was a nightmare.

Use a ladder so you see the top and run your shears over the top back and forth, several times. If you’re lucky, you’ll see last year’s level clearly. Don’t rush it. Let the shears do the work as you pass over several times. This gives you the straight, laser-like look on top.

Note that only the cedar tops are done this way. The sides are pruned lightly so they stay nice and green, not brown and full of hole.

After the fix.

Now, after the fix I can sleep at night. It’s not perfect but it will do, considering the condition of the cedars and the sharpness of my shears. The key difference is that I care. I always make an attempt at diligence. I can’t just buzz it down without seeing the top properly, and walk away. That’s not me. That’s not Red Seal journeyman work.

Always make sure your cedar hedge tops are tight and straight.

Mar 12
0

Delegate, don’t micro-manage

By | landscape maintenance, Training | No Comments

Easy delegation

Delegation can be super easy, if you do it right. In this blog post I obviously use a landscaping example, but it applies to other industries as well. The key is avoiding micro-management. But first, let’s consider my situation.

I had an open, leafy field and planted beds with a high-profile walkway running through it. Now, with the snow gone, it looked awful. It needed a quick blow but I had other, more pressing tasks to attend to. Backpack leaf blowing doesn’t have to be done by managers. We can easily delegate tasks like this.

The helper

Since I didn’t ask my helper for permission to talk about him, I will have to disguise it a little bit. If you read this, and think it’s about you, you’re mistaken. It’s just coincidence.

So, my helper isn’t a star on staff. He does his job at barely acceptable speeds, doesn’t stress and therefore, rarely looks like he’s out of breath. Think of him as a reliable drone. He shows up on time and does his job.

Knowing all this, I walked him over to my leafy park section and went over his task. Since the leaf pick-up afterwards would be up to him, we brought a tarp and a rake. Walking back and forth is inefficient so don’t do it.

I explained what I needed him to do: blow the entire area and make one or two piles for pick up. I also showed him the boundaries to avoid blowing neighbourhoods we don’t maintain.

Then, I let it go and walked away.

Don’t micro-manage

Avoid micro-management at all costs. Standing there and pointing to every leaf he missed wouldn’t make sense. Good or bad, the worker needs to do his work and learn from the feedback he gets. My worker isn’t a new landscaper; he has experience. But, sometimes, he gets treated like a new guy.

And to provide feedback, I had to go back later to check his work. And I’m happy to report, it was totally fine. Which is what I told him. The park was blown clean and the tarp was full of leaves, ready for pick-up by the road. Case closed.

All done!

Conclusion

Don’t be afraid to delegate tasks to others. When I show up on sites to help my foremen, they’re never shy about delegating the worst tasks to their manager.

Explain the task, show them the area, give them time parameters and walk away. Let it go. Trust them to do their job. If they mess it up, they will learn from it. If they do it well, they will appreciate the autonomy and extra fun. That’s why we have to give feedback.

Micro-management would just suck the life out of their work day. Avoid it.

Debris tarped up and positioned by the road for easy pick-up.
Mar 09
0

Instant plant ID!

By | Plants | No Comments

Under 1 minute

I love this! It took me less than a minute to reply to a message on WhatsApp asking what the tree species name was. Take a look. Do you know it?

What’s the tree species?

Does this close up shot help?

The answer is Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum). Now, I know this site really well and it also happens to be the only site in our portfolio planted with Sourwood. That’s why it’s easy to remember.

Of course, the fall colors are also stunning.

And while it looks good to answer the question quickly, it’s not a contest with prizes. Plant identification skills are important because to properly care for our landscape plants, we first have to know what they are. It’s our starting point.

Imagine how stunned I was when a fourth level apprentice in landscape horticulture told me he didn’t care about the plants I named nearby. It didn’t do anything for him. What? Horticulture is about plants. I would love it if someone would show me all of the plant species on site. Sadly, I’m the go-to guy and, as it turns out, it’s not really appreciated. It pains to write these lines.

First encounter

I remember my first encounter with Sourwood as if it was yesterday. It actually happened in 2014, when I worked for the City of Coquitlam parks department. My city gardener boss pulled up to a small city park and the only tree in the parking lot was a huge Sourwood specimen.

As was her habit, my boss quizzed me immediately, but I drew a blank. Now I have the city gardener boss-failure-Sourwood association burned into my brain. And that also frees me to learn other plant names; and there are many more to learn about. Recall that gardening starts with plants!

To have success in horticulture and gardening, you will have to learn about plants. That’s obvious. If you’re interested in one or both, it’s probably because you love plants. So, keep going and feel free to share your discoveries in the comments section.

My goal is to ace every plant ID inquiry on WhatsApp in under a minute!

Mar 05
0

How to reduce a Burning bush

By | Pruning | No Comments

Request

Alright then.

Late winter is a good time to reduce the size of your burning bush (Euonymus alatus). I got to do it last after a resident sent in a request and posted a note on her fence. She’s right, now in late winter is a good time to reduce the burning bush; and the buds were obviously there. The goal is to do the pruning before bud-break.

I quite like getting pulled from regular maintenance to do a pruning request; especially one that makes sense. I did my best conceal my smile after the site foreman left me there to do my thing.

The reduction was easy to gauge because the owner couldn’t see from her window and wanted the shrub at window height. As for the cuts, I only had my Felco 2 hand snips and I made do. But, it’s always nice to have a pair of loppers for the biggest cuts. That way you eliminate the risk of blowing your wrist.

Action!

Before.

Aside from reducing the height, I also pruned the shrub off the metal grate. And all green debris went straight onto two tarps which I then hauled out to the road for truck pick up. Note that this is a common procedure: get your own tarps out to where they can easily be seen and picked up. The last thing we want is to forget them and get called back to retrieve them.

Clean-up also included a quick rake so small debris doesn’t show. It was at this point that the owner came out, visibly happy. Now, I’m used to happy clients but I can’t say it like that, because I’m incredibly humble. I also can’t say no to gifts of chocolate so I grabbed both chocolates and happily risked coming into contact with Omicron.

After.

The last step

A final blow with a leaf blower completed the request; and this loud task is best delegated to junior crew members in need of machine practice time. Get this done quickly and always blow away from doorways.

Close the gate behind you gently and look forward to your next pruning request. This one was quick and easy.

If your burning bush is outgrowing its space, late winter is a great time to prune it.

Burning bush, literally burning in autumn.
Mar 01
0

Foreshore Equipment opens in North Vancouver

By | Landscaping Equipment, machines | No Comments

Private tour

The news today is frightening but I do have some good news to share. Landscape professionals and homeowners now have another store location to visit.

Foreshore Equipment has now opened a new location on the North Shore and recently I got a private tour. That’s how far I will go to produce an awesome blog. And the visit was also awesome. For landscape professionals it’s like kids walking into a toy store. So many new, shiny machines that could make you money in the field.

I usually freshen up my breath with Stihl candy but don’t bother asking for some. Stihl is protecting another long-time North Shore dealer so you won’t find any Stihl machines at this location. You can still order them but you won’t see them on display at this location. For now, at least.

Still, Foreshore carries all of the other major brands like Echo, Shindaiwa, ExMark and TORO. That covers your usual gas-powered machine needs. They also carry new battery-powered machines.

Here comes the future

Most landscapers in British Columbia still run gas-powered machines but battery operated machines are quickly coming online. You’ll see it at Foreshore, with a nice line-up of EGO and Husqvarna battery-powered machines on display. Who knows how long it will take for store shelf space to switch from gas-power domination to battery-powered.

I am seriously considering purchasing a battery-powered mower for my 2022 side-gig season. Since the Echo mower I’m looking at is light and and the handles fold, it should be easier to move around. Not having to buy fuel is a huge plus; since I don’t mow a lot, I can easily charge two batteries.

If you’re new to battery-operated machines, like me, stop by the store and ask away. I’m slowly changing my mind because sucking unhealthy exhaust is getting old now. I asked my questions and I have many more.

Question: What does brushless motor mean on a battery powered mower?

A brushless lawn mower is one where the motor can automatically adjust to the power needs of the job. The benefit is a mower that produces less heat, is quieter, and generates better performance.

Source: Lawn Legion

A good commercial battery-powered TORO mower.

Attachments

I also learned on my private tour that attachments are inter-changeable. So, if you own a line up of gas powered machines and attachments, you can use the same attachments with battery-powered engines. That saves you a lot of cash.

Location and service

Foreshore Equipment, North Shore location

I had no trouble finding the location but, due to ongoing construction in front of the store, I had to park in the back on Welch Street.

Most landscapers depend on good machine service. Gas powered machines constantly need fixing and tune-ups, so it’s nice to know a good go-to mechanic. Develop a relationship with one, and your business will run better.

Shop rates currently run just shy of $100 per hour so, if your house came with an old mower, recycle it and upgrade to something newer. Fixing an antique is a bad idea. Visit or call Foreshore Equipment for new mower ideas. They will walk you through your choices and get everything set-up for you.

Come visit

If you live anywhere near the North Shore, this is a landscape dealer you must visit. Check out their new website, call (604) 924-9400 or better yet, visit and tell them Red Seal Vas sent you.

Foreshore Equipment

Feb 28
0

LinkedIn adds horticulture to industry list

By | Company News | No Comments

Overdue move

“Horticulture to become a LinkedIn category” is what the headline read today (February 6, 2022). I believe it’s an overdue move but, to be honest, I had no idea this was a big deal.

I like LinkedIn because it’s a more business and industry related site; I don’t check in weekly to see whose birthday it is. LinkedIn is way more useful than Facebook. My contacts on the site are solid and they post relevant stuff to my favourite industries: horticulture, arboriculture, blogging and business. I’m definitely a fan.

Horticulture petition

I remember when I created my profile, I struggled to select my industry, because horticulture wasn’t on the list. I think I picked something environmental, which seemed close enough.

Today I found that some people weren’t that forgiving. Like UK-based Ian Stephens who created a petition on change.org and got lots of LinkedIn users to sign it.

He argued, correctly, that horticulture should have its own industry section on LinkedIn. And it took LinkedIn a while to listen. But listen they did and now Ian and the rest of us will get our own industry section.

Gotta love horticulture

I support the idea that horticulture should be more recognized on LinkedIn. When the pandemic hit two years ago, green professionals became border line essential workers. Knock on wood, I never lost a day of work due to COVID. And I quietly hope that streak outlasts the virus.

People stuck inside their homes during lockdown were extremely happy to see us taking care of their landscapes, as if everything was normal. Imagine if they were stuck at home and they could see their overgrown grass and weedy beds from their windows. That would just add to their stress.

This is based on actual comments from our strata (multi-family) residents.

LinkedIn rules

There’s lots to like about LinkedIn. You can meet people in your industry and find a new job much quicker than through other channels. Personally, I love the posts my connections publish on the site.

If you have deep pockets, try the Premium membership because it comes with access to LinkedIn Learning. The site is full of great courses; I’ve taken courses on business, SEO, blogging, and branding. Unfortunately, my pockets aren’t deep so I take advantage of the four free weeks I get. Then I cancel the membership.

People looking for work should definitely consider joining LinkedIn Premium. And now when you join, one of the industry sections will say ‘horticulture’. It’s about time.

Red Seal journeyman horticulturist and LinkedIn user Vas
Feb 27
0

Trees: late winter tweaks you can do

By | Seasonal, Trees | No Comments

Brrr

After getting some decent weather, I was annoyed with -4 degree Celsius weather at 8am with a cool breeze. Yes, the white peaks in the distance looked great but I suffered for the first hour on site. Such is the life a landscaper: outside all year, in all kinds of weather.

Since the site looked a bit stiff and frosty, I went for a walk so I could assess it and make a plan. I definitely noted enough leaf debris to keep me busy all day and that’s what I did. But there was more.

Tree adjustments

And by more, I mean easy tree work. Late winter is still a great time for tree work because the trees haven’t broken their buds yet. Once buds break in spring and the trees start to actively grow, it’s a bad time to prune them. However, on a frosty late February morning, it’s a great time to do some minor adjustments.

Dogwood

I don’t like to see branches growing back into the crown and rubbing with other branches. It’s disturbing. I like to see a nice crown with branches nicely growing out. Take a look at the picture.

This rogue branch caught my attention right away.

This is the after picture.

This looks much better. Most of the branches are radiating outwards and we don’t have any big branches rubbing together. And all it took was one quick cut with a hand saw.

Japanese maple

Japanese maples often have dead branches on the inside. They’re the shaded out, unproductive branches; and, lighter in color, they can sometimes be removed with your hands.

I used my snips to take out the dead from this specimen.

Remove the lighter, dead branches.

It was a nice, easy task on a frosty morning. You can almost feel the stiff, cold soil. So, I took my time and cleaned it up nicely.

The dead branches are gone, the maple still has it weeping form and Vas put in some time into his day in unpleasant, -4 degrees Celsius, conditions.

Conclusion

There is still time in late winter to check on your landscape and take care of little details. Like misbehaving or dead branches on your trees. Once the foliage comes out, it will be difficult to see the blemishes.

So, take a look around your gardens for little adjustments you can make. Start with your trees.

Feb 26
0

Why use raised garden beds?

By | gardening | No Comments

Raised bed advantage

I’ve written a blog post about a community garden which popped up this summer across from my building in Port Moody, British Columbia. So, there the advantage of raised beds is obvious: you can run a lottery and let people take charge of one raised bed each.

But why raised beds? It’s a good question someone asked in a Facebook group.

My hit list

I like raised beds because I hate bending over all day. I used to have a community garden plot and I had to get on my knees to take care of it. If you’re older, go with a raised bed.

Since the plot is nicely defined, you eliminate the risk of stepping on other plants and compacting the soil.

Another advantage is weeds are less likely to migrate into your raised plot or get delivered there by wind. If you do get some drifting in, you can easily weed them out.

I also feel like animals and insects aren’t as bad in raised beds. There is some effort required to climb up.

Raised beds also look neater. Freshly installed, without plants, some residents in my neighbourhood wondered why there were “coffins” on the lawn; today the raised beds are well-used and there is new fencing around the garden.

When thieves hit your raised garden plot, it’s easier to detect.

Other advantages of raised beds

Soil in raised beds drains better and warms-up faster. That helps your plants grow better. It’s also much easier to amend; and, I suspect you will have to amend it because store-bought soils aren’t great. When I rented my garden plot years ago, the group brought in compost every spring. It definitely helped and it was fairly cheap.

Raised garden plots are easier to plant, weed and harvest. But we’ve covered that already under bending over.

If you’re worried about invaders, it’s easy to install barriers on all four sides to prevent invasions.

Somebody also suggested that it’s easier to install cold frames over raised beds.

Port Moody Rec Centre community garden (2021).

Give it a go

It’s best to create a raised bed and see how you like it. When I had a regular plot, it worked out fine because it was very small; and I didn’t have it for long. A year into my community garden membership, a bigger -raised!- plot became available.

Feb 23
0

Snowblower 101 for beginners

By | machines, Seasonal | No Comments

Making the best of it

Nobody suffers more from January blahs than I do. I hate January because the landscape is very quiet and snow interrupts my work. I’m also terrified of driving on snow; so terrified, some have started calling me a “snow pussy”, but that’s off-topic.

When it snows, I’m usually stuck at home, creating new blog posts. But I also can’t say no. So, when people are short of laborers and they call me to come help, I do it. I have my daughter’s braces to pay off!

Snowblower

Using a snowblower is surprisingly fun. First fill up your gas tank. Then, put the key in, hit the primer button a few times, engage the choke and pull the cord. Once the machine is running and warmed-up, pull it out by selecting the speed or reverse. The left handle lever drives the unit; the right hand lever engages the blades.

When you’re ready to clear your sidewalk or driveway select the proper speed; 3-4 was ideal for me, 5 was great for moving from one area to the next, 1-2 are very slow and recommended for loading and unloading the machine.

Nozzle fun

The biggest question is where to direct the stream of snow. Slow down and think about it. Burying a public roadway is not a bright idea. Adjust the nozzle as you go. For example, I switched the nozzle stream from right to left when I got close to a bus stop bench.

Warning: there is a warning sticker on top of the nozzle, reminding you that sticking your hands in there can lead to amputations. Once, when an icy column fell out of the nozzle, it dislodged a brush resting on top of the drum, and shredded it into five pieces. You’ve been warned.

A note for prospective fathers

If you hope to father children in the future, watch for sidewalk imperfections. Sidewalks tend to lift around large landscape trees so use that as a hint.

I suspect I will not be having any more children and God gave me very average equipment, but still, not one of my collisions with the machine was pleasant.

Face your fears

Once you get used to the machine, it becomes a fun way to make money and lose weight. And it saves your back and arms from a beating. Normally, I don’t care for machines but this beast of a snowblower gave me hours of fun. And my daughter is happy to finally have her braces.

If you’re in the market for a snowblower, please visit one of the Foreshore Equipment dealerships. Tell them Red Seal Vas sent you!

Feb 19
0

Sweat the details like a pro

By | gardening, Tips | No Comments

Details

Yes, it’s OK to sweat the details in your garden. I’m writing this blog post in late January, 2022, and the snow is gone so we can do finesse work in the garden. And by finesse I mean clean-ups and pruning.

Since we don’t do lawn care in January, there is time to look for blemishes and eliminate them. Here’s how a professional sweats the details. Perhaps it will give you a little hint, if you’re not sure what to look for.

Cherry suckers

Cherry

We don’t really want these three shoots to get any bigger so eliminate them as soon as you can. This leaves the main cherry and whatever plants are growing around it. Grasses and hostas, I think.

Security signs

This is another quick job for your hand snips. Remove the rhododendron branches to expose the security sign. There are plenty of flowers up top so don’t worry about losing a few flowers; worry about burglars breaking in. It’s easy to miss details like this when you’re busy mowing.

Forgotten corners

Check every corner of your garden and look for neglected spaces. Here we removed the leafiness carefully, so as not to remove all of the bark mulch. In strata maintenance, it’s always good to cover the entire property, not just the high-profile “beauty strip”.

Easy clean-up

I sheared the side of this hedge; the tops were done by the neighbor who employs a retiree gardener. Do you see how nice and clean the stones are? That’s because I put down tarps before shearing. That made the clean-up a breeze.

If you let the cedar clippings rain down on the stones, you’re looking at horrific clean-up. Instead, put down tarps and save yourself the headache.

Slow down

Galanthus

Winter is a bit slower so enjoy the season. Look around, take care of details and take some pictures. Like I did last week when I saw my first bunch of snowdrops (Galanthus). To see them properly, I had to remove spent Hosta foliage first. And I must say, it was a nice hint of spring on a warm January Friday.

January is a slow month in the landscape. Every year I suffer from January blahs but you can still take care of some details in your gardens. Go take a look.