Dec 21
0

Watch where you plant!

By | Planting | No Comments

Think about your planting spots

Some planting spots are better than others. This is what I was thinking today on a visit to my client’s place. I had to remove remnants of a pruning job I did to keep mature Photinias from touching the house; and I also had to knock down some blackberries.

As you can guess, this isn’t a well-maintained landscape. The owner calls me to put out fires periodically; I wish she would pay for regular maintenance throughout the year.

Shrubs in lawn

To reach the Photinia debris I had to walk past the front lawn where one small rhododendron sat. It’s a sad-looking specimen. The reason it’s struggling is because it’s sitting in a lawn and competing with grasses for resources like water and food. Never underestimate your turf grasses.

Even if you cut out a small tree circle around the rhododendron, you will likely get no growth or very slow growth. And I’m not making it up. Even the legendary gardener Christopher Lloyd agrees on page 17 of his excellent book “The well-tempered garden“.

Sadly, this isn’t my first blog on this topic. In 2022 I published a blog about a struggling Pieris, now long gone. This poor shrub struggled with grass competition and lawn care machine abuse. It never had a chance without a circle cut out to warn workers to stay away.

Trees in plastic turf

Next door to my client lives a homeowner with three Chinese windmill palms (Trachycarpus fortunei). Two are planted in beds and doing fine; one sits in plastic turf! I’m not kidding. It looked all brown a sad with only a hint of green this past summer. Today I found it beheaded with only a “joystick” left.

Why the difference? Well, water falling on the turf runs off and in summer the plastic heats up. That’s why soccer fields are watered down in summer; and why pet owners do the same. A palm standing in plastic turf gets cooked; and surface roots can’t find the resources they need under plastic, assuming they are alive . It’s a terrible idea.

Toast!

Conclusion

Choose your planting spots well before installing trees and shrubs. Plants struggle to survive in lawns and plastic turf. Now you know.

Dec 19
0

Lessons from a gardener’s garage sale

By | Events, gardening | No Comments

Deals!

I know that some people frequent garage sales where they buy stuff they then flip for profit online. I’m not one of them, not yet. But this morning I made the forty-five minute drive into Vancouver to visit a garage sale put on by a retired professional gardener.

A few hours later flurries would come down so it was a cold morning but I had fun visiting another gardener and ISA certified arborist. This gentleman ran his own gardening company for over thirty years, servicing well-to-do residences in Vancouver. He never had more than four employees.

So now what, I asked him. It turns out he discovered his second act: he’s working as a tourist guide in Vancouver and sharing its history! That’s definitely less taxing physically; and he’s enjoying himself.

Greed and unaffordability

The current housing situation in British Columbia and the rest of Canada is horrendous. It turns that our retired gardener got a “renoviction” notice last fall to move out by February 2024. Thus the garage sale.

Having lived at the house for the past nine years means that his rent was probably very low and affordable. So the landlord is moving back in, allegedly. But I say they will eventually rent the place out at 35% more. And finding a new place to live for a seventy-plus retired gardener must be a nightmare.

Last year my own landlord openly, and illegally, emailed me with a 35% rent increase, saying I should be paying “market rates”. Oh, the beauty of greed! Laws only permit 3% annual rent raises. Yes, the market has gone nuts.

Here we go, 2024

So now I have to make more money to cover a huge rent increase, like the rest of Canada’s renters. That’s why I combed through the garage sale for items that would help my own one-man company. And I found some. Let’s see:

An 8′ landscape ladder in great condition for cheap was a huge score for me. I will eventually need bigger ladders like 10′ and 12′ but this baby will do for now.

Old tarps. Now I know that sounds a bit sketchy but new green waste tarps are fairly expensive. It was nice to score a few.

Used tarps are extremely useful.

I also scored a STIHL safety helmet with earmuffs and a shield. It’s nice to have a back-up unit; or I might sell it later. It has a nice ISA certified arborist sticker on it.

Five and ten litre jerry cans will also come in handy; and so will another hard rake in great condition. Wooden tools eventually break.

Afternoon flurries

By the time I got home the flurries were annoying so I changed my plans. I went home to compose blog posts like this. I still have Sunday and Monday to hustle.

It’s important to stay flexible and resilient. Careers end, rents go up, the weather turns ugly. Change is constant so get ready. I’m looking forward to 2024. Are you?

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Dec 17
0

Definitely say “Thank you!” to your landscaper

By | gardening, Landscaping, Seasonal | No Comments

Thank you!

It’s a long year outside in the landscape so it’s always nice when a resident shows up with gifts to thank us. Like today. While I was deep-edging and enjoying a beautiful sunny mid-December day a resident “woke me up” from my audiobook.

The lady handed me an envelope with sweets and a card with cash inside. The sweets didn’t last very long; before lunch is the most dangerous time for landscapers because blood sugar levels are low. So I took care of that problem very quickly; and there was enough cash to buy lunch at Tim Horton’s an hour later. That was really nice.

It doesn’t matter who maintains your complex or residential garden, say “thank you” just before the holidays. Your landscapers and gardeners work hard to keep your place looking great. They will definitely appreciate a simple ‘Thank you’.

Bitch, bitch, bitch

It isn’t always rosy like this. Sometimes things go wrong so I fully expect to get several complaints a year. Not that every complaint makes sense. When I was a new landscape foreman every complaint threw me off and many times I lost sleep because of it. Not anymore. Now I’m a working manager and most complaints can be dealt with. I no longer lose sleep over it.

Now it’s also easier to blame junior staff for mistakes…….

A long season

Every Christmas it hits me how long the season is. Landscapers sweat outside all year in heavy rain, 30+ summer temperatures and in freezing temperatures. Every spring is super busy, then comes hot summer weather. When school starts, leaves start to turn and fall and the clean up can drag into December.

December is always a bit sketchy because we never know what we’ll get. This year El Nino is giving us a mild start to winter so it looks like we’ll make it to Christmas without interruptions. I can’t remember the last time I did side jobs the week before Christmas; and I have tree work ready for the new year. I’m counting my blessings.

Conclusion

When you’re enjoying your Christmas holiday this year look outside at your garden or landscape. If it’s in great shape, don’t forget to say thank you to your maintenance workers. They spend a long year outside doing their best.

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Dec 14
0

Poor strategies from experienced workers!?

By | Lawn Care, Leaf clean-up | No Comments

Lessons learned?

It’s always better to learn from other people’s mistakes. That’s why I put together an online course which covers other people’s lawn care mistakes. It’s on sale for only $5 until January 1, 2024. Check it out.

This blog post covers two strategic mistakes committed by experienced workers!? How, you ask? I honestly don’t know why experienced workers work like amateurs. But I know that we can learn from their mistakes. It doesn’t matter if you’re a new landscaper or homeowner. Use good strategies to get things done efficiently. Every time.

Leaf clean-up

What’s wrong with this picture?

After all, the leafy pile looks tight, doesn’t it? Sure, but it should be blown onto the lawn for several reasons. One, it’s an obstruction. Think visually-impaired passerby with a seeing-eye dog or someone disabled using a motorized wheelchair. Your pile could cause trouble before you get to it. Remember, some disabled people ride around like pirates. They will finger you for making life difficult for them.

Two, it’s easier to rake up leaves on the lawn and, as a bonus, you don’t have to come back later to blow off remnants. You’re saving time and creating less noise and air pollution. If you’re mowing, the mower will suck up any remnants left on the lawn.

Now, I would expect senior landscapers with tons of experience to do better.

Lawn care

When you’re mowing, keep your tarps close by so you don’t have to waste time walking. But please don’t put your tarps on the lawn edge where they’re in the way.

Here you’re asking the line trimmer to stop and move your tarp!?

In the above picture I’m line trimming and I only have two hours to spend on this site. So it’s tight. The last thing I want to do is move tarps out of the way so I can edge the lawns. This is really dumb from another experienced landscaper; the kind of dude who frequently shoves his experience in your face.

Place the tarp near the lawn but not in the way. It’s slowing down the line trimmer for no good reason. It’s not like there is a lot of car traffic inside this complex. Always use the best, most efficient strategies to get your lawn care done. Click the button below to see my online course which covers the biggest lawn care mistakes. Learn from other people’s mistakes. The course is on sale for only $5 until January 1, 2024.

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Dec 13
0

On the pain of planting in clay

By | Planting, Trees | No Comments

Clay is a bitch

What’s wrong with this picture?

As soon as I saw this poor willow (Salix) planted way too high, I remembered the setting. The entire neighbourhood in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia sits on clay soils which are notoriously tough to dig through and keep the soils soggy because they can’t drain. And so I knocked on the door and asked the owner what happened: and just as I suspected, he gave up digging in the clay and planted the willow high. Good enough! I guess.

Is it good enough?

Is this planting good enough? I don’t think so. With one half of the root ball showing, many roots will desiccate and die. It also looks funny. But I totally understand because once I had to prepare three holes for cherry tree planting and it was a bitch. The clay layer is so tough, it’s easy to give up. I remembered it was solid but I should mention that all three cherries are doing well and flowering every spring.

A better solution?

My solution would be this: take another stab at the clay on the bottom of the planting hole with different tools. Then, once I would run out of energy and bad words, I would “massage” the root ball to make it smaller. It’s very likely that those two steps would allow for planting at grade, just the way we want it.

You can fight clay soils with organic amendments. Adding some to the planting hole and to the backfill soil would help over time. Sometimes you just have to accept the conditions you’re given and do your best. There is no point stressing but I do find the willow root ball sitting high very annoying. I would fight to plant it close to grade. The willow would be happier and I would sleep better at night.

Dec 12
0

Fountain grass rebel

By | Plants, Pruning | No Comments

Red Seal Vas rebellion

I love fountain grasses. I especially like Pennisetum alopecuroides which is described as a graceful ornamental grass with foliage that rustles in the wind. It also provides non-stop drama, like many of my crew members. And best of all, it requires very little care and this is the main topic of this blog.

Now, I know one site which signs on for ten or eleven months so there is always rush to get everything done before Christmas. Pruning must be completed, weeds removed, and one final blade put in on hard lawn edges. Inevitably, one suspicious landscape manager asks the crew to shave the fountain grasses into tiny mounds. Except the timing is wrong!

Remember how fountain grasses provide drama and rustle in the wind? Well, they can’t when they get obliterated into almost nothing. So let me repeat this: the timing is wrong. Fountain grasses should be sheared in late winter just as the grasses start to grow. Late winter, not early December, which is technically still fall.

With the weak landscape manager mentioned above out of the picture, I instructed the crew to leave the fountain grasses alone until late winter. And to seal the rebellion I also informed the strata council about the change. As soon as I mentioned fountain grasses covered in light frost, the female strata council member was sold. I know she will thank me later.

Sides

I won’t lie, there was some grumbling from homeowners about their cars brushing against the grasses. I know that nothing happened to their cars; the paint is still attached to their car bodies. But I did lightly shear the sides where the foliage looks like beige straw. This was one easy compromise to make.

Lightly sheared sides to shut up fussy car owners.

Lessons

What lessons can we derive from my rebellion? One, make sure you get your timing right. Look up your target plant and prune it when it’s best for the plant, not when some landscape manager thinks it should be done.

Two, don’t be afraid to change things up. We’re not AI bots. If the fountain grasses get obliterated every fall, leave them alone one year. Enjoy them and cut them back in late winter. That’s all you have to do to them all year.

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Dec 11
0

Watering will save your new cedars!

By | Planting | No Comments

Water is the key

It’s pretty sad but I have to say it, newly planted cedars (Thuja occidentalis) require frequent watering after planting. That’s the only way they can establish and thrive. And it sounds so simple and obvious you could be forgiven for thinking I’m wasting your time with this blog post.

And yet, it happens over and over. Every season I’m sent in to catalog and remove dead cedars from multi-family (strata) sites. Then, once the rejects are hauled off to the dump and turned into soil, I visit nurseries to buy new specimens. More time, more labour and more money.

Then comes the hole digging and planting. Obviously, not every site is easy to dig up so the labour involved in this step can be huge. Also, Red Seal Vas doesn’t come cheap but this isn’t about me. I want you to think about watering.

Proper planting

Every time cedars I planted die, I second-guess my planting technique. I always remove burlap before planting but people don’t like that because it voids nursery return agreements. Potted cedars are easier but you still have check the roots, planting depth and water each tree in properly.

Once I’m done, I beg the owners to please water the cedars. After all, you wouldn’t breast feed your baby for just a few days. My wife breast fed for years. Unfortunately, people are busy. And it shows when I show up on site months later.

Night and day

It’s clear what happened here and, shockingly, this is the owner’s patio where they play with their kids and legally smoke copious amounts of marijuana.

Other people on the same site try harder. These specimens look decent so obviously they listened to me. This gives me some hope and stops me from second-guessing my planting technique. It was always about proper, frequent watering. Young cedars are thirsty so water them for at least one year. But don’t drown them. If you’re not sure about moisture levels, stick your finger in the planting hole.

Conclusion

Water your newly planted cedars well and frequently!

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Dec 10
0

Are you still stressing over fallen leaves?

By | gardening, Mulch, Tips | No Comments

David Hobson’s opinion

This past October I travelled to Waterloo, Ontario to cheer on my son’s soccer team. They played in the youth U15 nationals, representing British Columbia.

Now, since they only played one match a day and the team didn’t hang out with parents, I had plenty of time to hang out.

I visited the St. Jacob’s farmer’s market, Canada’s largest outdoor farmer’s market. Safely absorbed by the market crowds, I bought a copy of the Waterloo Region Record newspaper. In it David Hobson wrote about fall leaves and how he deals with them “How about those leafs?” (Waterloo Region Record, October 7, 2023, section C8). Inevitably, this topic comes up every year so let’s see what David does in his own garden.

Easy does it!

David recommends bagging your leaves and leaving them outside exposed to the elements. By spring you should have layers of soggy, decomposing leaves you can add to your garden beds. He has done it for years and suggests you do the same. Start small. Even one bag of leaves is fine.

David doesn’t spread the leaves around in his own garden, except around shrubs where they get trapped and don’t blow away. Normally he makes a large pile of leaves, sometimes two metres across and just as high. The leaves should be wet for best results.

As the leaves begin to decompose, the pile shrinks by half. By early June he peels of compacted layers and adds them to his garden and vegetable beds. They stay there all summer and by fall those leaves are almost gone. They were used to build up soil just the way it happens in nature.

This is one reason I enjoy blowing leaves off multi-family complexes into woodland buffer zones. It’s good ecology and I cut down on green waste dumping charges.

If you like David Hobson’s ideas, try them out; and follow David online.

Stop stressing: blow it into one big pile and let it decompose!
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Dec 10
0

Hedge screens: Prunus vs Thuja

By | Planting, Plants | No Comments

Ask Red Seal Vas

I won’t lie to you, not every client follows my suggestion. But it does happen on occasion. Like when a young couple approached me about creating a screen along their front sidewalk. I was at their house to cut their neglected lawn; more weeds than lawn. So they asked me about potential plants for their sidewalk edge.

Now, cedar hedging is very common. The neighbours on both sides have cedar hedges (Thuja occidentalis); and I’ve seen studies from the UK showing how hard they work keeping pollution away from the house.

But given our warming climate, many plantings are now struggling to establish and survive. (See also my blog from December 11 about cedars and proper watering.) That’s why I hesitated when the young mother asked me for a good suggestion.

Portuguese laurels

Prunus lusitanica are very nice laurels with glossy leaves; they grow fairly fast and tolerate shearing. What we’re finding on our multi-family (strata) sites is that they tolerate summer heat much better; and establish better than cedars.

They also cost much more than cedars. Luckily, this young couple has the means to pimp out their newly built house. They paid and had the laurels installed. Obviously, the screen isn’t as tight as with cedars but that might be a good safety feature. There is an obvious screen but it will be difficult for pedophiles to hide behind it.

Next spring I will establish a deep edge between the laurels and the lawn for easier lawn care work and for nicer definition. As it is right now, I really like the laurels. I’m glad the owners went with my suggestion. I’m always happy to help!

Prunus lusitanica in front, neighbour’s cedars in the background.

Prunus lusitanica

Conclusion

If you need a hedging screen, definitely consider Portuguese laurels. They’re nice and glossy and they tolerate shearing and summer heat. But they will cost you more than cedars.

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Dec 09
0

People love trees on YouTube

By | Training, Trees, Videos | No Comments

Closest thing to viral

People love watching tree videos on YouTube! I found that out recently through my humble YouTube channel: West Coast Landscape Pro. Normally I post short videos of my work and things I see in the landscape; and I’m lucky to get one hundred views. So, imagine my surprise when one of my tree posts hit 4.6 thousand views and generated seven subscribers. That’s like Christmas for my channel.

Don’t leave stubs

The message is clear: don’t leave stubs on trees. Make nice cuts at the branch collar. In the video, the branch collar is a clearly visible raised section between the branch and trunk. Just beware that not every tree shows clear branch collars.

When you leave stubs the tree can’t cover up the wound. Eventually, the stub dies and it can act as a vector for disease to enter the tree. Once it’s inside, it’s hard to save the tree.

Also, always use a sharp saw to do your tree pruning work. In the video I’m using a brand new Silky Big Boy hand saw and it’s super sharp. It’s so sharp, it puts a smile on my face. Thank you Japan.

Impact

Not only did I get 4.6 thousand views, I also got comments. So I did what you are supposed to do: I replied to all of them. One especially was interesting, showing how even one short video can have slight impact on people.

After watching the video, one viewer promised to treat trees better when she goes camping and scours the area for firewood. She can now make decent cuts that the tree can over time cover up. I can only imagine what really goes on around camp sites.

Clear upsell

You can support my channel by viewing and subscribing; and by purchasing merchandise through my companion website: redsealvas.com. I appreciate your support. Also, remember to leave your comments so we can all learn something.