Education Archives - Page 8 of 9 - Proper Landscaping Inc.

Sep 04

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Get Inspired!

By Vas | Arborist Insights, Education, Events, Landscaping | No Comments

The Inspiration Garden run by the City of Coquitlam is a fun place to visit for all home gardeners and green professionals. I often bike by and stop to brush up on my plant identification skills. And I visit one of my favorite tree species, a specimen of Albizia julibrissin. Its flower fragrance has to be experienced. I can not describe it. It is blooming right now….

There are Ask the Gardener sessions on Thursdays from 6 and 8pm; the iGarden is staffed on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

If you find yourself in Coquitlam or have some spare time on Saturdays, stop by for a visit. It is located in Town Centre Park, on the corner of Guildford Way and Pipeline Road. Bring your questions, walk through the garden and test your plant knowledge. Or just sit down and relax.

Living wall, a developing trend

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Wisteria floribunda (Japanese wisteria)

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Aug 21

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Annual Cuts

By Vas | Arborist Insights, Education, Landscaping, Seasonal | One Comment

Every year I look for new experiences, both in my personal life and at work. This year I got a chance to work on annual cuts for the first time. This involves line-trimming meadow like fields and buffer zones using heavy-duty line. It can take days, and it will not be done for another year. Large areas are covered by Deere ride-on mowers.

Sometimes it feels like harvest time and the view can be great depending on your exact location. If you are working close to people, stop and let them pass.

Annual cut detail shot

Not a bad place to spend a day….

Stop to let people and pets go by…..

Heavy duty line

If time permits, harvest ripe blackberries (Rubus discolor) before pushing back the thorny invasive canes. There are other hazards! The tall growth can hide all sorts of objects and small animals. I recommend using a full face shield but they are awkward and expensive. Goggles, ear protection and pants are mandatory. Use a hat, sun screen and bring water.

Best Advice: if you are not using a full face shield, CLOSE YOUR MOUTH! Little voles usually run away from the noise but I did not expect to decapitate two garter snakes in the space of three minutes. And I hate snakes. Harsh previous experience has thought me to look out for improperly discarded doggy bags; the contents defy description after six months of sitting in a meadow. Then there is garbage and rocks which can become nasty projectiles.
It feels great once the work is safely completed.

Aug 14

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Follow local gardening guru Steve Whysall and learn!

By Vas | Arborist Insights, Books, Education, Landscaping, Resources, Tips | No Comments

Imagine my excitement last year when I discovered that my kids were having play-dates with Steve Whysall’s grandkids! Mr. Whysall has been writing about gardening for the Vancouver Sun since 1994. Look for his column on Fridays, usually on page C3. You are guaranteed to learn new things. I often rip out the section and file it.

Mr. Whysall has also published several books and organizes overseas garden tours. While the tours are attractive they are way over my family budget. I am, however, ready to plug what I consider to be his most useful book.

Best plant picks, slightly beat up and autographed, has served me really well. The book is a neat month by month guide for our West Coast gardens. I use it to practice plant identification and to review the list of garden tasks to be performed on a particular month. As the seasons pile up, I can run through the list of plants much quicker. Always learn about new plants and review them.

For more information visit www.stevewhysall.com. It is my humble opinion that the website could use an upgrade but it is still useful. If your family budget allows, please subscribe to the Vancouver Sun newspaper at www.vancouversun.com.

Aug 07

1

Industrial athletes…..

By Vas | Education, Resources, Tips | No Comments

I came across the term “industrial athlete” while reading an article on caring for your body in Arborist News (February 2013). All green industry workers work hard in the field all year and taking care of their bodies is critical to their work performance.
Some highlights. Many workers don’t eat enough, skimping on breakfast and skipping lunch because of the sluggishness they experience after eating. Proper hydration is important; excessive caffeine consumption contributes to dehydration.
Rest and recovery are important; and so is sleep.
Workers who take care of their bodies perform better and make a larger contribution to their company’s success. Review the article and take care of your body Properly!

Jul 24

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Meet My Hero….

By Vas | Arborist Insights, Education, Resources | One Comment

Linda_Chalker-Scott-recent Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott is my hero. She is an associate professor and extension urban horticulturist at Washington State University.

In her books The Informed gardener and The informed gardener blooms again she uses science to examine common garden and landscape myths. Warning: she explodes many common myths.

Sustainable Landscape and Gardens is more of a technical manual which can be ordered directly from Linda. Her latest book How plants work is a fantastic book for gardeners everywhere and green professionals. I finished the book while travelling in Japan in late May and my review will appear in a future blog.
Linda also writes in popular magazines and has published extensively in scientific literature. We have already seen reference to her technical paper on mulches in an earlier blog.

So why a hero?

She is a Ph.D. and gardener who uses sound science
She translates hard science into understandable and thus usable information for all gardeners and green professionals, and, this is important
She is “local”

If you are a gardener or green professional, you will love her work. If you read it and study it, it will make you a better professional or gardener. Google her today and thank me later. I hope to meet her at a future seminar…..

Linda-Chalker-Scott-books

Jul 17

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Hunting for japonicas in Western Japan

By Vas | Arborist Insights, Education, Landscaping, Resources | No Comments

I always wanted to do this: travel to Japan, explore on a bike and catalogue as many japonica/japonicum plants as possible. The list below is from my visit this past May to Niigata City, Niigata prefecture, Japan. It’s situated on the Japan Sea in what is known as the snow country.

Camellia japonica

Tilia japonica

Aucuba japonica

Please run through the list and see how many you know. BC residents should get a high score.

Spirea japonica
Fatsia japonica
Styrax japonica
Aucuba japonica
Pieris japonica
Camellia japonica
Callicarpa japonica
Cercidiphyllum japonicum
Hamamelis japonica
Tilia japonica
Alnus japonica
Gleditsia japonica
Carpinus japonica
Hypericum japonicum
Ligustrum japonicum
Eurya japonica

Jul 10

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Can-West Horticulture Expo 2015

By Vas | Company News, Education, Events, Landscaping | No Comments

This show is a must-see for all local green professionals. Walking through the trade show is always interesting. Sometimes there are plant identification quizzes and when you feel like taking a break, head for the beer garden.

There are always plenty of interesting seminars and most are good for education credits, if you are ISA and Landscape Industry Certified. If you are not certified, why not?

My favorite is the all-day Urban Forestry Symposium. The speakers are tree experts with Ph.D.s and the fee includes lunch. So not only do you get to learn new things about trees, you also get a chance to network and meet new green professionals. Priceless.

Most landscape companies have free or discounted tickets. Ask your employer to cover your time so you can attend some courses. I feel it’s time well-spent.

See you there!

New Location
Expanded Show
Stellar Education Program

Registration is now open!
www.CanWestHortExpo.com

Jun 26

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Pyracantha (Firethorn)

By Vas | Arborist Insights, Education, Landscaping, Security | No Comments

Recently I was asked to plant thirty nine Pyracanthas in New Westminster so it’s a good time to examine this evergreen shrub belonging to the Rosaceae family.

It’s related to Cotoneaster but its leaves have serrated margins and it has thorns.

White flowers come out in early summer and later berries. Pyracantha is a good alternative to artificial walls and fences. It’s also good for wildlife because birds can nest in it, the summer flowers are good for bees and the berries provide food.

Pyracantha is easy to grow and requires little maintenance. Pruning for shape can be done three times a year.

Here is the key feature: the dense thorny structure makes Pyracantha valued in situations where an impenetrable barrier is required. This is why I found myself in New Westminster with thirty nine prickly specimens. The planting happened along the outer parkade walls because of several recent break-ins. Watch out bad people!

Jun 19

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Something new from Western Japan

By Vas Sladek | Arborist Insights, Education, Landscaping, Resources | No Comments

On my recent visit to Western Japan I ran into three interesting plants, showing that plant identification work can be done even while travelling.
What plants have YOU discovered?

Bletilla striata (urn orchid)

This plant is very popular in Niigata city.

Callistemon speciosus

This is a shrub in the Myrtaceae family, endemic to Australia. It flowers in spring or early summer. The flowers look like bottlebrushes;
the obvious parts of the flower are stamens with pollen at the tip of the filaments.

Dahlia imperialis

8-10m tall, tuberous, herbaceous perennial; rapidly growing from the base after a dormant winter period, developing brittle, cane-like, four-angled stems with swollen nodes and large tri-pinnate leaves, those near the ground soon being shed
Flowers in autumn before the first frost.

Jun 12

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Japanese style body maintenance for green industry professionals

By Vas Sladek | Education, Resources, Tips | No Comments

When I found myself recently on the West Coast of Japan, I took advantage of the downtime for some much-needed body maintenance. You can easily take similar steps where you live or wherever your travels take you. How do YOU handle body maintenance?

Step one, look good. Haircut, shave and massage for roughly $15 and only minutes away by bike from my in-laws’ home.

Step two, exercise. Of course! Niigata city is protected from the Japan Sea by a pine forest or matsubayashi. The trails inside are perfect for running. I had a great time running here and stopping to check the local plant life. I never travel without my Salomon Speedcross trail runners.

Step three, massage. $30 per hour was a great deal and I got my back and shoulders done over several sessions. The clinic was clean and comfortable, the girl was cute and my Japanese language skills were good enough to negotiate everything.

Step four, hot springs. This is a must for every visitor to Japan. The hot water baths feel awesome and when the heat starts to get to you, sneak outside to the open air bath or rotemburo pictured below. For obvious reasons the female bath is discreetly walled off.

Step five, eat well. Japanese food rocks, from sushi and sashimi to a quick bowl of ramen. A $7 bowl of ramen always hits the spot and ramen shops are everywhere. Trying different versions of ramen is great fun.

Nicely recharged, I am now back at work! Don’t forget about your body maintenance.

Education