Category

Resources

Jul 17
0

Hunting for japonicas in Western Japan

By | 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.

Cammelia Japonica
Camellia japonica

Tilia-japonica
Tilia japonica

Aucuba japonica
Aucuba japonica

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

  1. Spirea japonica
  2. Fatsia japonica
  3. Styrax japonica
  4. Aucuba japonica
  5. Pieris japonica
  6. Camellia japonica
  7. Callicarpa japonica
  8. Cercidiphyllum japonicum
  9. Hamamelis japonica
  10. Tilia japonica
  11. Alnus japonica
  12. Gleditsia japonica
  13. Carpinus japonica
  14. Hypericum japonicum
  15. Ligustrum japonicum
  16. Eurya japonica
Jul 03
0

Adding Summer Colour

By | Arborist Insights, Landscaping, Resources, Seasonal, Tips | No Comments

Adding summer color to your garden can be quite easy. Look what happens when you use a simple two plant combination. Blue Salvias work great with Impatients. You can pick your favorite colors and have some fun arranging them. The taller Salvias go in the back. Make sure everything is well-watered. Next season change things up with a different combination or add other plants.

2015summer-056 photo 1 photo 2 (1)

Jun 19
0

Something new from Western Japan

By | 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?

IMG_7267

Bletilla striata (urn orchid)

This plant is very popular in Niigata city.

IMG_7328 IMG_7386

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.

Japan2015 1045 Japan2015 1050

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
0

Japanese style body maintenance for green industry professionals

By | 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.

IMG_7045

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.

IMG_7349

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.

IMG_7572

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.

IMG_7229

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.

IMG_7072

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

Jun 05
0

Learn about soils online for free!

By | Education, Resources | No Comments

blog-classThere is still time to join a free online soils course called Soils: Introducing the world beneath our feet, starting July 6, 2015, and taught by Dr. Carly Stevens from Lancaster University. It’s an online course with videos, articles, audio, discussions and assignments. Students will take part in activities that explore the soils where they live. No prerequisites or experience required, the course is open to all.

To register follow this link: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/soils

2015 also happens to be International Year of Soils! Visit www.fao.org/soils-2015/en to learn more about this precious resource.

See you in class!

May 29
0

Your Safety Equipment

By | Arborist Insights, Company News, Landscaping, Resources, Seasonal, Tips | One Comment

Safety has to be taken seriously. Employers have to comply with WCB regulations that aim to protect the health and well-being of all employees. Are the contractors you hire thinking about safety?

saftey

A) safety goggles
B) gloves
C) high visibility vest
D) water and stain resistant work pants with extra pockets
E) STIHL Landscape Pro steel-toe, lawngrips

And do NOT forget hearing protection when working with or around machines. Some companies pay for annual hearing tests.

Stay safe!

May 22
0

Garden Giant Gunnera

By | Arborist Insights, Company News, Landscaping, Resources, Seasonal, Strata Maintenance, Tips | No Comments

Gunnera manicata is one of the biggest and most spectacular herbaceous plants. It requires a lot of space and is best used as specimen plant in damp bog gardens or beside ponds.

The fat growth buds clustered in the crown are prone to frost damage so cut back the leaves in the fall and pile them over the buds for winter protection.

A B

Picture A is from fall 2014; picture B is from spring 2015.

Apr 26
0

Is Your Viburnum tinus Full of Holes?

By | Arborist Insights, Landscaping, Resources, Strata Maintenance, Tips | One Comment

Healthy Vuburnum tinus are great plants with fragrant pinkish white flowers. But sometimes your plants get attacked by the Viburnum leaf beetle ( Pyrrhalta viburni) in numbers and soon all you see is tons of holes in your leaves. The larvae attack in spring and adult beetles in late summer.

Now what?

The cheapest solution is to renovate the plants by cutting them back hard at the base and waiting for new growth to emerge. A more expensive but better long-term solution is to remove the plants and plant a more suitable substitute.