Category

Education

Jan 25
0

Van Dusen Botanical Gardens are worth a visit in winter

By | Education, Gardens | No Comments

Winter gardens

Last weekend I took a winter plant identification course at the Van Dusen Botanical Gardens in Vancouver; and I took full advantage of free access to the gardens. The $30 course consisted of one hour in-class session and one hour outdoors. As soon as it ended and the group disbanded, I went back in.

And it was glorious! It was sunny at lunchtime on January 11, 2025, and there weren’t any crowds to fight through. It became a nice mental break for me because I’m normally on the go during the season, usually seven days a week. Now I had the gardens almost to myself so I walked it. Here’s what I saw.

Observations

Close to the main building I saw ornamental grasses nicely tied up. This not only looks like a fun project, it allows the grasses to remain standing. In regular strata landscape maintenance work, these grasses are sheared into oblivion as soon as they start to flop; and then there is nothing to look at. Nothing moves in the breeze.

Moving on, I came to a patch of evergreen ferns and, I’m proud to say, I didn’t need the plant tag because I knew the botanical name well: Asplenium scolopendrium or Hart’s Tongue fern. It’s an interesting fern, well-worth adding to your garden.

For the longest time I couldn’t remember its botanical name so I started writing blogs about it until the name stuck. Asplenium has something to do with the sun and once I get that part out, scolopendrium follows. Learning botanical names is a struggle which is why I paid $30 for a winter plant identification course!

As you walk through the gardens, you notice tons of leaf mulch. This is a botanical garden, not a strata multi-family property where everything is blown clean with backpack blowers. The leaf mulch protects the soil and whatever creatures over-winter under it.

You will also notice that most perennials are still standing. This allows birds to enjoy the seeds and it gives us something to look at. If you get lucky, you’ll see the stalks and flower remnants covered in frost.

You don’t have to cut everything back as soon as it’s spent. It can wait until spring. It definitely wouldn’t make sense in a botanical garden because visitors need to see something in winter.

Conclusion

If you’ve never been to the Van Dusen Botanical Gardens then definitely find the time to go. Summers are more exciting and much busier but I thoroughly enjoyed my winter visit. It’s a great place for a walk, alone or with your friends and loved ones. There is a cafe and you can buy souvenirs in the gift shop.

To see YouTube shorts from Van Dusen Botanical Gardens please click here. Don’t forget to like and subscribe to my West Coast Landscape Professional channel.

Dec 21
0

“Becoming a gardener” book review

By | Books, Education | No Comments

The question

Can you become a gardener or is it some talent you were born with? In years past, I often wondered the same thing and the answer is obvious. You can become a decent gardener, if you work at it. If you actually go out in your garden and get dirty.

Catie Marron‘s 2022 book “Becoming a gardener” is yet another book born during the pandemic when people were shut in their homes. In some parts the book reads like an essay from school; it’s clear she did a lot of reading and research, covering people who wrote about gardens and famous gardeners. The pandemic was a great time for reading and research.

Catie Marron (Source: Goodreads)

I bought the book in audio format on Audible.com at 85% off the regular non-member price. This worked out to less than five dollars which is a steal. It runs just under three hours at 1.2 speed and there aren’t any issues with the narration. It’s a well-produced audiobook complete with a downloadable pdf file.

Gardening

Marron moves to Connecticut, surrounds herself with mentors, gets all of the necessary garden tools and goes for it. Buy year two, she’s growing vegetables and sharing them with food banks. Not bad at all. So, it can be done.

Towards the end of the book, Marron starts to share her new knowledge and she is very subtle about it. It’s sprinkled here and there.

As I write this review, I have trouble recalling Marron’s larger life lessons. That’s because I am distracted by the pdf print out. In one section it covers your annual garden tasks which is handy, even after you adjust for her location in Eastern United States.

Then there is a literary section on garden writers which can introduce you to new works. I know some of the writers like Michael Pollan. The others I will have to discover.

Lastly, there is the bibliography where you get to check out Marron’s sources. This is gold for less than $5.

Conclusion

Complete beginners will enjoy this book. I listened to it at 1.5 speed in under three hours while I worked outside landscaping. That’s how I like it when there aren’t any crew members around. Work, earn and learn at the same time.

The accompanying pdf file is an awesome resource you should consider mining. However, I would hesitate to buy this book at full price. I scored it on Audible.com at 85% discount.

See my books on landscaping at Amazon. Click here.

Oct 21
0

When landscape professionals volunteer

By | Education, Events, Planting | No Comments
Learn from Red Seal Vas, take online courses from Green First! Academy

Volunteering post-COVID

I love volunteering when it involves tree and shrub planting but when I volunteered recently in Pitt Meadows, it was my first time since before the pandemic. After the pandemic I’ve been super busy working as my housing costs shot up and my teenagers started growing and driving.

So I was all excited when I found time to join a group of volunteers from the Lower Mainland Green Team in Hoffman Park, right in Pitt Meadows, just off Harris Road. I had driven past the small park many times but this was my first visit there.

Well-organized!

I must say that the event was extremely well organized. The plants were all nicely laid out, tools and gloves were available and the check-in was smooth: digital and on paper! Timbits and coffee also helped. The only weird part was the introductions with personal pronouns; this is the new, post-COVID world, and my discomfort clearly highlights my advancing age.

I gave my name and city and left it at that. I’m clearly a dude but if you somehow can’t tell, I won’t be offended.

After introductions came planting demo by Ashton, a beautiful blond who ran the show, and her experience showed. I would possibly include a note on backfilling tree planting holes so that air pockets are eliminated but we don’t have to worry. All of the plants are native and I’m confident they will do well in the park.

Ashton with a volunteer

Planting!

There is something beautiful about installing new native plants in a public park. I found a corner and went to it, planting mainly vine maples (Acer circinatum) and Red-osier dogwoods (Cornus sericea). Then there was salal (Gaultheria shallon) and bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum).

After planting we top-dressed the planting area with new soil and then it was time to pull out ivy and blackberry from the park. This is where I quietly excused myself, not to avoid labour but to drive to White Rock where I garden for rich people.

Benefits

Volunteering is amazing! It feels good to give your time for a community project. The experience can improve your resume, improve your network, and teach you about native British Columbia plants. Even I learned something new: I didn’t know the scientific name of bracken fern and one plant was completely new: Tellima grandiflora (Fringecup). This is one of those herbaceous perennials which works the soil nicely.

The best volunteer project for a landscape pro and ISA certified arborist

Do it, if you can

There are many of these projects planned in the Lower Mainland so sign up and have some fun. I will stop by Hoffman Park next spring to see how the plants are doing. Maybe I will turn it into another blog post. I highly recommend this experience.

Online course from Red Seal Vas: 35 landscape field lessons!!

Mar 13
0

Why micro-management sucks

By | Education, Management | No Comments

No fun

Just last week the landscape manager we worked with had a bad micro-managing day and nobody had fun. I knew it would be a struggle when the manager looked at two of us and referred to us as “you” while assigning tasks.

When you’re the leader you have to trust your team to complete their work properly. For example, I took out a wheelbarrow from the truck so I could use to transport full green waste tarps. Hauling them over my shoulder all day is exhausting. As soon as the wheelbarrow came out, the manager told I didn’t need it unless I was going out to the boulevard to collect tarps.

What’s this? I need permission to use a wheelbarrow? Unbelievable.

Later on it got even worse. We had to do bedwork on a sloping bank which required good maneuvering with small rakes. Then we happened to reach one opening and as soon as we did, my co-worker got a speech on using proper tools. Big piles require bigger rakes. No way. Who knew?

It wasn’t practical to switch tools for one section. I simply kicked my larger piles onto my tarp and moved on. This is my 25th season in the field, I think I can handle rakes. But micro-managers are loud and always right.

This worker is learning on the job with servant leader Red Seal Vas

3 requirements for workplace happiness

To feel good at work, you must:

Be competent and skilled enough to complete your work-technical skills,

Be sold on your company’s mission- believe!

and Have some autonomy! This is what micro-managers don’t understand.

Problems with micro-management

Here’s a list of problems with micro-management.

  1. Reduced Employee Morale:
    • Constant scrutiny and interference can lead to a significant decline in employee morale. When employees feel that their work is not trusted, it can result in decreased job satisfaction and motivation. (We went home shaking our heads.)
  2. Decreased Productivity:
    • Micromanaging often leads to a slower decision-making process and stifles creativity and innovation. Employees may become hesitant to take initiative or make decisions, resulting in a decrease in overall productivity.
  3. Lack of Employee Empowerment:
    • Micromanagers typically have a hard time delegating tasks and responsibilities. This lack of empowerment can hinder employee development and growth, as they are not given the opportunity to take on new challenges and responsibilities.
  4. High Turnover Rates:
    • Employees who feel micromanaged are more likely to become dissatisfied with their jobs and may seek employment elsewhere. This can lead to high turnover rates, which can be costly and disruptive for the organization.
  5. Impaired Creativity and Innovation:
    • Micromanagement tends to stifle creativity and innovation. When employees are not given the freedom to explore new ideas or approaches, the organization may miss out on valuable opportunities for improvement and growth.
  6. Increased Stress and Burnout:
    • The constant pressure and scrutiny from a micromanager can lead to increased stress and burnout among employees. This can negatively impact both their mental and physical well-being, as well as their ability to perform effectively.
  7. Wasted Time and Resources:
    • Micromanagers often spend excessive time overseeing minute details, which can result in wasted time and resources. This time could be better utilized in strategic planning, problem-solving, and other high-impact activities.
  8. Poor Team Dynamics:
    • Micromanagement can create a toxic work environment, leading to poor team dynamics. Trust is eroded, and team members may become resentful of each other and their manager, hindering collaboration and cooperation.
  9. Inhibited Employee Development:
    • Micromanagers may not provide opportunities for skill development or professional growth. This lack of support can hinder employees’ long-term career advancement and overall job satisfaction.
  10. Ineffective Communication:
    • Constant micromanagement can disrupt open and effective communication. Employees may become hesitant to share information, feedback, or concerns, fearing unnecessary scrutiny.
  11. Missed Opportunities for Learning:
    • Mistakes and failures are part of the learning process. Micromanagers who intervene excessively may prevent employees from learning valuable lessons that come from overcoming challenges and making decisions independently.
  12. Undermined Trust:
    • Micromanagement erodes trust between managers and employees. When employees feel that their every move is being monitored and questioned, it creates an atmosphere of suspicion rather than collaboration.

Back for more!

Since I’m stuck working with this micro-manager in winter, I will see how it develops. I might be able to offer hints now that I’ve penned this blog post but I’m not hopeful.

Learn from other people’s lawn care mistakes in my online course!

Jan 22
0

What it’s like to work with landscape apprentices

By | Education, Pruning, Training | No Comments

The idea

Apprentices in landscape horticulture attend classes for six weeks, usually in winter, when it’s slow. Then for the rest of the year they work under a journeyman in the field. That’s where I come in. I work with them in the field as they learn hands-on skills and more. The set-up is sound and it gets results when the journeyman wants to teach and the apprentices wants to learn.

Dogwood lesson

Today my apprentice started thinning out a mature Red-twig dogwood shrub and he did a good job. However, we still had the same problem. Only the top section was showing the classic red twigs, which is why this shrub is planted. Normally the red twigs show really well in the winter landscape. Not this specimen.

Because there were some concerns about privacy on the patio, I knocked on the door to check with the owner. And she didn’t care: whatever I wanted to do was fine by her. Sadly, because I joke around a lot, my apprentice didn’t believe me when I relayed the owner’s message. There should be complete trust between the teacher and apprentice!

Old wood goes

Now that privacy issues didn’t matter, I got the apprentice to remove all of the mature wood which look gray or brown, not red. He used a hand saw and loppers to do this work.

Once the old wood was gone, all we had left were the young, red canes. And we should get more next season. Assuming the coming blast of cold doesn’t kill the shrub. (Disclaimer: another manager approved the work; I wouldn’t prune dogwoods with -17C temperatures coming later in the week.)

Before:

Mature dogwood with red twigs up top.

After:

Old wood is gone and my apprentice is smiling!

Training

I love working alongside apprentices in the field but, sadly, I don’t get to all of them. The hands-on work they do is priceless, plus I add extra knowledge when it applies. Then the rest depends on their own work and six weeks of study.

When they come back from school they are more knowledgeable and confident. And that makes me and every landscape boss extremely happy.

Online course on lawn care mistakes from Red Seal Vas, enroll now!!
Dec 04
0

A Christmas gift for homeowners and landscapers

By | Education | No Comments

Holidays!!

With barely three weeks away from Christmas, I feel like all homeowners and landscapers should be rewarded. To thank you for reading this blog, I’ve dropped the price of my online course to just $5 until January 1, 2024.

If you don’t know the background, I will share a little bit here. In my twenty-five seasons in the landscape industry, I’ve seen my share of lawn care mistakes. I’ve made them; and I’ve tried to correct them in others. Then it hit me: why not assemble the biggest mistakes in one course and make it available to a wider audience.

Learn from other people’s mistakes

Obviously, landscape apprentices work with me all year and they learn from their mistakes. But why not learn quickly from other people’s mistakes? My Lawn Care Mastery 101 online course covers the biggest mistakes people make. And sadly, some experienced workers could benefit from a refresher.

This past summer I witnessed an experienced worker run over a tree stump. He had been doing it every week and somehow he cleared it every time. And then he didn’t. You can read the details in my course but I should mention that bent mower shafts are expensive to replace; and the affected mower is never quite the same. Which is why I always recommend only running your mower over green grass. Lawn care should be stress-free. The goal is to create a beautiful lawn for your home or for your clients, not to cause hundreds of dollars in damage.

Colliding with fixed objects kills your blade and bends the shaft.

Biggest mistakes

My course covers the biggest mistakes. Some are horrific like bending your mower shaft or scalping your lawn down to dirt. Other mistakes aren’t as critical because grass grows back in one week or so. If you cross your mow lines one week, you will get a chance to make corrections the week after. If you run through my course you won’t have to worry about mistakes. And it will only cost you $5. Check it out and get ready for next year’s lawn care season.

Happy holidays!! I appreciate every single reader of this blog. And check back soon because I will be giving away copies of my latest e-book in January 2024.

Lawn Care Mastery 101: biggest mistakes online course ONLY $5

Oct 14
0

Garden professor takes on myths

By | Education, gardening | No Comments

Link of gold

Usually, surfing online is an awful time-waster but not today. While checking my Facebook feed I came across a recent video recording of a presentation given by my mentor Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott. You might have read my earlier blog about Linda. In it, I call her my hero because she covers gardening as a scientist. This means that her findings and writings are based in science, not gardening hearsay. When I read about her experiments with mulch flammability I was extremely jealous. I would love to torch different mulches in the name of science.

Linda uses science to bust persistant gardening myths. You can listen to her presentation below. I can almost guarantee you that you will learn something new. It’s also possible that you too are holding on to gardening myths. Let Linda dispel it for you.

My mentor

Before the pandemic hit, I almost got to see Linda at a trade show in Abbotsford. I have several of her books -highly recommended-and I follow her because she writes on topics that apply to my everyday work as a landscape professional.

Let’s see some examples. I know a strata site where one of the residents buys lady beetles every year with after-tax dollars to deal with aphids. It sounds like a plausible idea until you realize that the lady has no way of keeping the lady beetles on her tree. There are more trees on her site. Linda has an extension paper that deals with this topic. (Spoiler alert: don’t do it!)

Now, what about landscape fabric? It’s sounds great! Put it down, cover it with soil or mulch and never weed again. Not so fast. The fabric clogs up and doesn’t let water through; and when the soil decomposes, thin layers can actually make life very cosy for weeds. Landscape fabric is a waste of money. (Now you know!)

Get to know Linda

Gardening is fascinating. There is always something new to learn and I have a lot of respect for garden professionals. But there are many opinions that aren’t backed up by science so why not let Linda show you the way. You can thank me later. She’s an awesome lady and she lives in our corner of the world, in the Pacific Northwest. That’s a huge bonus.

I’m not a garden professor but you can buy my e-books and learn!

Sep 06
0

Great news for Red Seal journeyman horticulturist candidates

By | Education | No Comments

The wait is over

Finally, as of September 2023, you can access the Red Seal journeyman horticulturist exam preparation workshop online. Simply buy your study manual ($30 plus tax) online and get free access to on-demand one hour video recording. In the video, Egan Davis covers the crucial material people mess up on the Red Seal exam. This is absolute gold, especially for people challenging the exam. Apprentices who go through all four levels are in better shape but I still recommend this course to anyone planning to sit the Red Seal exam.

Old style

In 2014 I did it the old way, in the classroom. The preparation workshop took place at Kwantlen Polytechnic University and it took all day. It was also nice to see the group discussions which is one thing you can’t do with online, on-demand recordings. Some of the people in class were teachers from Kwantlen Polytechnic University; and I got to see them absolutely “smoke” the test in record time. In contrast, I stayed for the full four hours and left the exam room hungry and dehydrated.

The session cost $100 and the manual covered material that people mess up on the test. I thought it was gold for someone challenging the exam. I’m one hundred percent convinced I wouldn’t have passed without this course. For one, it showed me what exactly was on the test; and two, it gave me more confidence. I still have my notes from that day.

My mentor, Egan Davis

The teacher, Egan Davis, is a plantsman and overall a great guy. Just Google him and see. He ran the UBC horticulture program and then moved to a municipal job. I’ve also attended many of his presentations. I distinctly remember the last lecture I saw him deliver because it was just as the pandemic was hitting. Some of the attendees in the small lecture hall were already fist-bumping which confused me. But not for long. Soon my day-job employer would face pressure online to shut down his business; he didn’t!

Davis knows a lot about plants and his overall great knowledge shows in the exam preparation workshop. He’s knowledgeable and confident. Once you grab his email address, you have a mentor for life.

Just do it!

If you want to challenge or take the Red Seal exam, this workshop is for you. And now you can do it from the comforts of your home. Buy the study manual and watch the one-hour video anytime you want. I highly recommend it because the study manual covers material people mess up. It obviously can’t cover in one hour what apprentices learn in four levels.

I recommend this workshop to everyone: challengers with work experience and apprentices who have gone through all four levels. Good luck!

Improve your knowledge with my Lawn Care mistakes course!!
Aug 02
0

Kids on a rampage!

By | Education, Pruning | No Comments

Playground in flames

Well, not literally in flames, because there is a fire ban in British Columbia. But we did find damaged cedars in a playground enclosure. And that’s to be expected. Kids play and sometimes, without adult supervision, plants suffer. Like the cedars (Thuja occidentalis) inside the playground. Or trees sporting carved initials or broken branches. Take a look. This was no accident.

It’s unlikely this damage is left over from winter, nor was it likely done by large predatory animals roaming through Langley. I suspect kids did this and only video footage can confirm this. However, I couldn’t just knock on the door and ask for the security footage. I’m not a detective. I’m a landscaper so I do it my way.

The fix

Now, we normally shear cedar hedges from the fall as the weather cools. Assuming it does, of course. It’s already been a crazy hot summer. Not just in British Columbia but globally. So I wasn’t about to shear these poor damaged plants. That would just stress them out considering the 30 degree July heat. Plus we had time.

Out came hand snips and we lopped off the cedar tops just below the damaged stems. It was easy work without noise or air pollution.

Since the far left cedar wasn’t damaged, we had a decision to make. Do we leave it taller than the others or do we take it down to keep the hedge even? The final picture shows that we decided to level it as well to keep the hedge even.

Damage controlled, for now!

A younger landscape pro Vas would try to hunt down the little bastards responsible but a slightly older Red Seal Vas is super mellow. I believe the kids still learned something from their interaction with cedar tree tissues. The damage is fixed and this fall we’ll shear the hedge nicely, including the top. It will push out and, assuming there won’t be anymore insults, recover nicely.

Now I just wish the kids would water the plants.

Feb 25
0

Do you know the new rules of networking?

By | Education, Magazines | No Comments

New networking rules

When you go to a networking event or work party, it’s normal for people to ask “What do you do?” But this will only lead to work talk and it’s unlikely you will find out any details about your new contact. You will miss out on what David Berkins calls “multiplex ties” in his Harvard Business Review article (Special Issue, Fall 2022, pp.26-27).

If you ask better questions, you can find out that your new contact goes to the same gym or plays online chess on the same server. Perhaps your kids go to the same school or you both like stand-up comedian Bill Burr. These multiplex ties connect you better and can lead to a deeper connection.

Better questions to ask

Here’s a list of questions you can ask instead of the tired “What do you do?”

What excites you right now?

What are you looking forward to?

What’s the best thing that happened to you this year?

Where did you grow up?

What do you do for fun?

Who is your favorite superhero?

Do you support a charitable cause?

What is the most important thing I should know about you?

Meeting Red Seal Vas

Now let’s pretend you’re meeting me at a party and you ask me the second question on the list: what are you looking forward to? I will happily tell you that my day-job boss is moving his landscaping company to a four-day week. It’s a bit of a test but why not try something new? There’s logic to the move.

The four work days will run longer to nine hours per day. If I show up on time and my attendance is perfect, I will get paid for forty hours. Workers who slip up, call in sick a lot or show up late won’t get the full forty hours.

The most exciting part is having three days off. In summer, I suspect this will be gold. I can go visit my sister on her ranch outside Kamloops and drive back on a Monday when traffic is lighter.

I’m also excited about having more time for my landscaping side-gigs. Last year when it got busy with weekend activities and clients demanded service, the weekend was packed. Now with the extra weekday off, there will be less pressure on the weekend. And the potential to make extra income will go up. Now that’s something to look forward to.

The company’s truck fleet will rest for one extra day and there will be fewer staff on the payroll which should improve the company’s finances. The only question mark is how the workers will handle a slightly longer day physically.

Conclusion

Memorize all or some of the questions above and use them next time you meet new people. You could discover that your new contacts have a lot more in common with you.