Things Your Landscaper Wishes You Knew:

Here are some intersting tidbits that the average homeowner doesn't realize about us landscapers...

• Chances are, I love your dog and I’m more than happy to spend a couple minutes scratching his ears when I get there. But I hate pooper-scooping as much as you do. If you want me to do that, it’s going to cost extra, unless you’re my all-time favorite client.
• The nicer you are to me on a regular basis the better deal you get. If we like you, we’re going to do our best for you and go out of our way to make sure you’re a happy customer. You want that Christmas tree hauled off? No problem. If you’re a terdball to me? Sure, we’ll take it. Next week. And charge you a disposal fee. You want that extra visit to blow your patio off before a party? If you’re nice: I’ll be there. If you’re a jerk: I’ll try to squeeze you in… oh, and next week we’re leaving 20 minutes early.
• Best ways to earn points towards being the favorite client that gets impeccable service at the best price: 1. don’t treat me like ‘the help’. 2. offer me a cold beverage on a hot day or a hot beverage on a cold day. Or let me use that bathroom off the garage. Don’t: walk by like you don’t see me, laugh and say you wish YOU could work outside, (yeah? Oh, cause you think I’ve got an easy job? Spend a day in my boots and tell me if you still think so), and don’t give me orders that conflict with what your spouse says. I’m either listening to the one who signs the check, or the one who’s the nicest… depends on my mood.
• Don’t just blow off the girls. Chances are we have a better eye for detail than the dudes who make up most of the landscape industry. And we’re better listeners to your concerns.
• You get what you pay for. In this industry there’s always a dude in a rusty pickup truck that will charge you less than I will. He’s also probably not insured, doesn’t have proper licenses, and he probably got laid off in another industry and thought “hey, I have a lawnmower, I can do this.” What that means is he’s going to do a crappy job because he doesn’t know what he’s doing. It also means that I’m going to charge extra when you call me back because I’m going to have to fix everything that he messed up. Oh sure he can cut your grass, but he probably doesn’t even know what kind of grass it is. So how can he make sure it’s as green and lush as I kept if he doesn’t know what it needs?
• We don’t like spiders either.
• We especially don’t like bees, so give us a heads up if you’ve noticed a hive since the last time we were there.
• If you pick up the kids’ toys in the yard, we’ll have more time for getting work done. If I have to spend 20 minutes piling toys on the patio so I can mow the grass, that’s 20 minutes I didn’t spend on weeds. But hey, you paid for the time; you decide how I spend it…
• If you have a dog that doesn’t like strangers or has a bad attitude, please keep him inside during our scheduled visit time. We don’t want to have to knock on the door every week to have you round him up. If you aren’t home and he’s in the back yard I’m not going back there. Mowing your grass isn’t worth being mauled by a dog, thanks anyway. Oh, and please check to make sure we’re gone before you let him out. There’s nothing like being trapped in a back yard with an aggressive dog….
• There are trade organizations, like MALTA in Atlanta, that I could be a member of. In theory: the more of these that I belong to the better my reputation and the more I’m held accountable by my peers. So I should be a safer bet than someone who doesn’t choose to interact with the industry in this way. But there are exceptions to every rule: I may also try to keep my overhead lower by avoiding membership dues to things like this.

Knowing these facts can help you build a more productive working relationship with the people who tend your landscape.  Think that it's not important?  Do you know that good landscaping can increase the value of your home by 15%?  You spent a lot of money for that landsaping whether it was there when you bought the place or not. Don't you want to know what those folks are doing to protect that investment?  I know if I had people walking around my house, working in my yard once a week, I'd want good communication and no ill will between us. But maybe that's just me...

Jessica Watters, GCLP                      Horticulture Technician, Chattahoochee Technical College

Things Your Landscaper Won't Tell You:

• I’ve peed in your yard... multiple times. Unless you’ve said “the basement/garage door is open, feel free to come in and use that bathroom in the corner there” we’ve gone number 1, and if necessity dictates, number 2 in your yard. Because depending on the company I work for I may not be allowed to make any unscheduled stops- and my truck has GPS tracking. Gotta do what you gotta “do”…
• If you’re rude to me, you get worse service. Why would I do my best for you when you don’t appreciate it?
• If I’m not insured and I get hurt on your property…. Guess who’s footing the bill. Hint: not me!
• If I’m applying any chemicals (even Round Up) in your yard someone in the company has to have a Pesticide Applicator’s License and the company has to have a Commercial Applicator’s license. Am I going to get in trouble if I’m not properly licensed? Only if you ask to see my license, which is supposed to be in my wallet, and then tell on me if I can’t produce it. This is an attempt by the Department of Agriculture to prevent people from applying chemicals improperly. The test to get licensed is pretty difficult, but you want someone who knows his stuff well enough to pass- these chemicals are no joke.
• If you aren’t home, I may eat my lunch on your lovely patio, by your lovely pool. I may even put my feet in the water. If I have a poor work ethic, I may be on the clock while I do that.
• I probably don’t know how to prune properly. There’s a lot of technique to pruning, and it usually doesn’t involve any equipment with a motor on it. Landscapers who know how to prune will have a pair of pruners in a holster on their hip, and they won’t be shearing all of your shrubs every two weeks. If you want this kind of detail work and don’t see those red handles sticking out of a leather holster, find another company. (You will pay more for this knowledge though.)
• The company I work for may be based on quantity not quality. I may have as many as 15-18 customers to visit in a day. That means I’m running behind my mower while the other dude starts blowing and we’re out of there as fast as possible and on to the next job. What about your weeds, you ask? Weeds? We didn’t see any weeds… You’re going to have to pay a little more to get a company who’ll spend the time to do the detail work needed to give you a great landscape: weeds, pruning, maintaining your flower beds, etc.
• Just because I’m a landscaper, doesn’t mean I can do landscape design. Ask to see my portfolio with references if you’re thinking about upgrading your property. If I don’t have one, look elsewhere.

Coming soon: "Things Your Landscaper Wishes You Knew"

Jessica Watters, GCLP                       Horticulture Technician, Chattahoochee Technical College

The Jack-o-Lantern: A brief history.

     Have you ever stopped to wonder why you carve a scary face into that pumpkin every October, besides the fact that it’s fun? No? Well, here’s why:

     The story of the jack-o-lantern comes originally from Ireland. There once was a man called “Stingy Jack” and he was a dirty trickster. There are several versions of how he did it, but somehow he struck a bargain with the devil that he would not take Jack’s soul for a year. When Jack died an old man, Heaven wouldn’t have him and the Devil was still angry that he’d been tricked into the bargain and wouldn’t let him in either. Jack was left to wander between Heaven and Hell. He asked the devil how he was supposed to see because it was so dark and the devil laughingly tossed him a burning ember from the fires of hell. This Jack put into a carved-out turnip that he’d had in his pocket. Thus “Jack of the lantern” wandered for eternity. On All Hallows Eve, when souls like Jack’s were said to wander the earth, the superstitious Irish would place carved potatoes and other vegetables with candles on their window sills and doorways to scare away these spirits from their homes. It was only when the tradition came to America with Irish immigrants did the vegetable change to the larger, more easily carved pumpkin, Cucurbita pepo- which was native to the Americas.

Random Pumpkin Facts:

• The  largest pumpkin ever grown (on record) weighed 1,140 pounds
• Pumpkins are members of the squash family and are fruits.
• Pumpkins were once used to cure freckles and snake bites.

Jessica Watters, GCLP                                Horticulture Technician, Chattahoochee Technical College

The Landscaper's Bane: Poison Ivy

Poison Ivy: the mortal enemy of green thumbs everywhere. Every landscaper, gardener, dude who’s weedeated in shorts, and kid who’s played in the woods has inevitably encountered poison ivy, Toxicodendron radicans. And boy they knew about it!

Interesting facts you may, or may not know:

• You grew up hearing your mother say ‘leaves of three, let it be!’ She was mostly right! Poison ivy always has a compound leaf with 3 leaflets, though other plants also have this leaf arrangement.
• It spreads by reseeding- birds love the berries so they are carried far and wide, by creeping roots, and vines that put down roots as they grow.
• It can be a creeping or climbing vine or a shrub.
• It has oil that causes the rash when you contact the leaves, and if you encounter the roots or cut the stem, you’re in a heap o’ trouble cause that releases a crap-ton of oil.
• Some people say they’re immune… they just haven’t gotten it yet. I do admit that there are, obviously, varying degrees of susceptibility.
• If the oil stays on your skin for longer than a half hour, you’re doomed.
• The oil on surfaces such as your gloves, clothes, or garden tools can be just as potent years later as if you’d just touched it.
• You can get it in the winter even though it doesn’t’ have leaves.
• If you burn poison ivy and inhale the smoke… well, I’ll send flowers. (It can be fatal in severe cases but it’s likely you’ll survive with some severe lung irritation and an ER visit.)
• If you come in contact with poison ivy, wash in cold water with a dish soap to remove the oil.  Warm water will open your pores and allow the oil to penetrate... not good.
• No creatures besides humans suffer from the rash from poison ivy.

 A similar plant to poison ivy is poison oak. I grew up with my mother telling me that 5 leaves was poison oak. What she thought was poison oak was really Virginia Creeper- Parthenocissus quinquifolia, bottom photo, which is completely harmless (See update below).  Poison oak is Toxicodendron pubescens, top photo. and looks nearly identical to poison ivy, but does not climb and grows only in shrub form. It also has more deeply lobed leaves.

What to do when you get the rash from poison ivy or oak:

• If it is severe or on your face seek medical attention. 
• There are several prescription or over the counter topical creams to aid the healing.
• Don’t pop the blisters. The juice won’t make it spread, but it’s gross. It could also get infected.
• Hot showers can ease the itching for several hours… it also feels instantly better. Run the water as hot as you can stand it and let it run over the rash, it burns, but at least it isn’t itching!
• Go to the beach. That salt water does amazing things… rubbing alcohol also dries it up pretty well.

Well, there you go: some interesting tidbits on your favorite plant to hate, poison ivy.

Oh, wait.  How do you get rid of poison ivy growing in your yard?  See below. 

Seriously though, several applications of a non-selective or a broad-leaf weed killer should do the trick.

UPDATE:  Thanks to the heads up from a reader I've done some research and it appears that while Virginia Creeper doesn't have the rash-inducing oil on its leaves like poison ivy, it is fairly common for people to have a severe allergy to it.  So, pull Virgina Creeper with caution.  I've never gotten this rash, but apparently it happens.

Jessica Watters, GCLP                             Horticulture Technician, Chattahoochee Technical College

Green Roofs: How cool?

     One green concept that has fascinated me for quite a while is the green roof. I am astounded that you don’t hear more about them! A green roof is exactly what it sounds like; it’s a roof that is planted with vegetation.  Please see the photo to the right of a French museum, taken by Simon Garbutt. They’ve actually been around for centuries in Northern Scandanavia and Europe. Checkout the photo of a traditional farm village in Norway, bottom. Did you know, it's estimated that 10% of Germany's roofs are 'green'?

     One of the key benefits of a green roof is temperature reduction of roofing material. As you may know, the majority of buildings in urban areas are roofed with black asphalt and homes are roofed with dark asphalt shingles- they get hot! This combined with asphalt roads and few trees produces a pocket of hot air that surrounds the city, called the Urban Heat Island Effect. This area of hot air has even been known to change weather patterns!

How do green roofs reduce Urban Heat Island Effect, you ask? Well, imagine you’re walking barefooted on a July afternoon in Atlanta. You leave your front door and walk across your lawn; it feels nice on your tootsies. The temperature of your lawn is roughly the same as the ambient air temperature. Now, you decide to cross the asphalt road… “%&*@!” ...and your feet are blistered.  Black asphalt can easily reach temperatures of 175 degrees! It is exactly the same with most roofing materials; while a green roof is the same temperature as the air, perhaps even a couple of degrees cooler because of evapotranspiration, the black asphalt or shingles are significantly (80+ degrees!) hotter. Evapotranspiration (ET) is the process by which plants use water and evaporate it from their leaves- same concept as you sweating, the moisture evaporating cools your skin. Imagine how much of a difference this would make if most of the buildings in a city were to have green roofs… we’re talking an 80 degree difference on quite a bit of surface area here!  The photo to the left is a satelite image of New York City, the top being thermal imaging and the bottom being the vegetation.  Notice where the green is the temperature is cooler?  Point made, thank you.

     Another benefit of green roofs is storm water retention. During heavy downpours storm water is a major problem in most urban areas. Storm drains cannot handle a huge amount of water all at once and it causes flooding and puddling. Not to mention all the pollution that storm water washes into the sewers and directly into streams and lakes. A green roof with 4” of substrate (the stuff the plants grow in- regular soil is too heavy) will retain as much as 60% of rainwater. That’s awesome: a green roof will eliminate over half the runoff than what would’ve come off a conventional roof!

     Also a huge advantage is the return on investment that buildings with green roofs get: they lower cooling costs by as much as 30% annually, heating by 10%, and they have double, even triple the lifespan of a shingled roof! Plus, they look really neat!

     The biggest downfall of a green roof is the initial cost of installation. But the fact that energy costs are reduced so significantly and that the roof won’t have to be replaced near as often cancels that out in my opinion! One other drawback is that it is difficult to retro-fit a building to have a green roof, the weight of the substrate and plants is significantly higher than a conventional roof and most buildings are not designed to carry that load. BUT it can be done! The Atlanta and Chicago Citys Halls have installed a green roof on parts of their buildings! See Chicago City Hall, Below.

With all these benefits, why aren’t I hearing more about green roofs? I want to see them everywhere! They’re so much prettier than a nasty old black tar roof, too!

      

Jessica Logan Watters, GCLP               Horticulture Technician, Chattahoochee Technical College

Beneficial Bug: The Writer Spider

     The writer spider (Argiope aurantia) goes by several names: garden spider, writing spider, black and yellow garden spider, among others.  Whatever you call them, they are both creepy and pretty at the same time.  This spider can be quite large and is usually found hanging in the center of her web, upside down, with legs together in pairs so it appears that there are only 4.  A particularly interesting thing unique to this genus of spiders is how they construct their web. They create a zig-zag looking design right in the middle where they hang out.  This structure is called a 'stabilimentum' and its purpose is not certain.  Some think it is to camouflage the spider from prey, and others think it is to make the web more visible to larger critters like birds and moths that could fly into the web and destroy it. 

     The spider that you see in the center of the web is the female, the male is much smaller and he often hangs out near, or even in, her web once he finds her. 
     In the fall they lay eggs in one or more sacks (left- this photo is courtesy of Sheri Newell) that look like an onion bulb.  She then dies with the first frost and the babies emerge in the spring and disperse to make their own webs. Now, you may be thinking that this is triggering something from your childhood.  It should be! Charlotte from 'Charlotte's Web' was a writer spider.  Do you remember how her babies left when the wind caught a small bit of web that acted like a parachute?  Well that's really how they do it!

     Another piece of trivia about this spider is an old wives' tale that I heard growing up.  If you come across a writer spider's web and see your name spelled in it... you're doomed!

     Well, how are they beneficial you ask.  They eat bugs.  They are fairly indiscriminate eaters, but do eat mosquitoes, flies and such.  While they don't dine specifically on problem insects like the lady bug does, they are without doubt a great addition to your garden. 
     Their bite, by the way, is similar to a fire ant sting and they have to be severely harassed to actually bite you- they usually just drop out of their web to the ground.

Jessica Logan, GCLP     Horticulture Technician, Chattahoochee Technical College

    

Carolina Wren- The Teakettle Bird

This post comes courtesy of Dub Strickland.  It's not 100% horticulture-related, but we like things in nature other than plants, you know.  Thanks Dub!

The Teakettle Bird

     “teakettle-teakettle-teakettle” “teakettle-teakettle-teakettle” Ounce for ounce the Carolina Wren is the loudest little bird you will ever hear. Thryothorus ludovicianus is about 6 inches long and weighs less than an ounce. He usually keeps his tail about 90 degrees to his body. His upper parts are a reddish brown while the under parts are a buff color. He has a distinctive white supercilium (eyebrow) and a whitish throat. There are several varieties of wren in the United States but the Carolina Wren is a common year round resident in the eastern United States and the one I most commonly see in my yard.

    

They are listed as secretive birds that “creep through vegetation foraging for insects.” But my feeling is they are almost sneaky. They are very territorial so the male does not hide much and with his loud call you will know where he is most all the time. The female on the other hand can be very secretive when it is time to sit on a nest and feed the young. I walked into a little used area of the basement late one morning to find 5 little wrens learning to fly from a nest that was in a half closed cupboard on the wall. She had to wedge through the crack in the door to take care of them.

     They prefer to eat insects but in the winter they are frequent visitors to my suet feeders and the peanut feeder. They also eat more of the mealy worms I leave for the Bluebirds than the Bluebirds do.

     One last thing. Since they don’t migrate this cold weather is hard on them. Clean your bird houses out and put a handful of shredded paper or other dry fluffy nesting material in it. They might thank you.

Dub Strickland

Georgia Master Naturalist
Sautee Nacoochee, GA
dub@wildflyers.com

Beneficial Bugs: The Lady Bug

There are many different critters and creepy crawlers that you’ll find in your garden.  What most folks don’t realize is that a lot of them are good guys! Now, I’m not asking you to cuddle up to some freaky spider or to think scorpions are cute; the critter we’re talking about today is much easier to love- the ladybug! It’s also known as a ladybird or lady beetle. There are hundreds of varieties of ladybugs and they range from the red and shiny ones that you know and love to plain brown guys that you’d never label as a ladybug. Nearly all of the ladybug species are considered to be ‘beneficial insects’.

     Ladybugs are considered beneficial insects because they eat the bad guys! They eat aphids, mites, and scale insects- all of which are harmful to our gardens and crops. In fact an Asian ladybug was imported for its voracious appetite for scale insects- it saved the pecan crop from cottony cushion scale! One drawback of these imported ladybugs is that they’ve taken over food resources from the native ladybug species. Native lady bugs are severely outnumbered by Asian and European ladybugs to the point that conservationists fear for the survival of several species of ladybugs. Now don’t hate the intruders; they’re still doing a good job eating bad bugs.

     Ladybugs especially like aphids and they eat them in every stage of their development, the photo of the ugly bug (left) is actually a larval lady bug. I know you’ve seen this guy and said “Ew! Look at that weird bug”! Well, don’t squish him ‘cause he’s one of the good guys!! Don’t let your gut reaction be killing every bug you come across, by spray or by shoe (exceptions being roaches, ticks, and mosquitoes, of course).

     If you’re spraying for insects in your garden you may want to think twice. Nearly any pesticide you spray is going to kill ALL bugs. This includes all the good guys; ladybugs are especially sensitive to pesticides. If you leave them to it, your ladybugs and other good guys will probably keep your pest populations under control. Now you’re wondering how to get the good guys back into your yard after you’ve been annihilating every insect or arachnid you saw for the past who-knows-how long. Well, it’s going to take a couple of years for the ecosystem to regain its balance in your garden and unfortunately the bad guys will reestablish first. There is something you can do however: you can buy ladybugs online. What??! I know! How cool is that? You can just buy a bag (they’re usually shipped as larvae but you can buy adults, too) and release them into your yard! If you do go this route try and find a vendor who sells the native species: we may as well go the extra mile since we’re already being environmentally-minded here.

In conclusion: don’t kill ladybugs! Instead of using a chemical spray, use beneficial insects to control your pest insect populations. And lastly, if you purchase them try to find a native species.

Jessica Logan GCLP, Horticulture Technician, Chattahoochee Technical College

Valentine's Day: A Brief Guide to Giving Roses

     Well, I was going to summarize the history and meaning of giving roses on Valentine's Day. In doing some research I discovered there are many, many different explanations and stories about how and why Valentine's Day and the giving of roses came about. They range from Roman gods to young single people in French society to Middle Eastern myths about birds picking their mates on February 14th. Of course, the history that we are most familiar with is the one of St. Valentine who was a Catholic priest. He was found guilty of performing marriages during a time when the Roman emperor had banned marriage. Saint Valentine was put to death on February 14th in 269 AD.

     What does this mean for you? Well, for guys it means: buy her something pretty or you're in trouble. For ladies it means: I'd better get something pretty or he's in trouble. Valentine's Day is also jokingly called "Singles Awareness Day" where people without significant others would rather vomit than see any more pink and red hearts in store displays.
     What does that flower really mean? The giving of a rose has different meanings depending on the color and the number given.  Giving a single rose is generally a gesture of new love or infatuation.  The giving of a dozen or more represents commitment and devotion.

         Red means passion and sincere love

         White- innocence and purity, young love

         Pink - thanks and appreciation

          Yellow- Joy, Welcome home, delight, friendship and in Victorian times it meant jealousy! 
     Roses aren't the only flower suitable for Valentine's Day: be creative! Tulips are fabulous, daisies are sweet... plus these non-rose alternatives will be cheaper!  Personally, gerber daisies are MY favorite... hint, hint.

The rose pictured above is from my garden, called 'Double Delight,' it's white and dark pink... so it can mean whatever you want it to I guess!

Jessica Watters, Horticulture Technician, Chattahoochee Technical College

Poinsettia: The Holiday Flower

Have you ever wondered why Poinsettias are used only during the holidays? Where did they even come from?

Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) are native to Mexico where the Aztecs used it as dye and to control fevers. In this ideal habitat poinsettia will grow to be a 10’ tall flowering shrub! It was brought into the States by the US Ambassador to Mexico John Poinsett in 1828 and is currently the number one selling potted plant in America.
Shockingly, despite 8 decades of popular thought, the poinsettia is NOT poisonous!!
The colorful red, white or pink parts are not actually flowers, they’re bracts-modified leaves! They surround the tiny yellow center which is the actual flower.
The story behind why Poinsettias are used so frequently near Christmas is that when Christ was born, 2 children were walking to Bethlehem to see Him. They had no gifts to bring so gathered up green leafy weeds to have something to offer. They humbly laid them at Jesus’ or Mary’s (there are 2 versions) feet where they sprang into beautiful red flowers- poinsettias.

Jessica Logan, Horticulture Technician - Chattahoochee Technical College