We also talk about Zapier.com, an interface that helps you transfer data between different software systems - for example between CRM and estimating system. Service Autopilot, Jobber, Aspire and LMN are also discussed....and we ramble on about a few of the problems that contractors and designers face in estimating and billing projects with a few troublemakers - Bill Peregrine of Earthdance Organics, Will Anstey from Devonshire Landscapes and Rick Perry from Fallingwater Gardens.

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Have you ever looked closely and been struck by the beauty in a carefully hand fitted stone wall? Do you find certain kinds of garden layouts more appealing than others? Of course you do, and while we can't say that everyone completely agrees, there is a certain consistency in taste that arises generally - and importantly - throughout the world. When you think about it, there is a general throughline within which we agree on this. Thinking about this, I came across a number of studies in which survey research was done internationally - related to different landscape paintings and how different people experienced various outdoor views. And what struck me was that the result of this was an unexpected consistency, in which a singular view was selected by a disproportionately large number of those surveyed as being the most appealing.

Think about this. A singular type of view was consistently preferred. Why is this? This is a crucially important subject within the context of basic human understanding - and surprisingly I've never really heard of this subject spoken about much in the fields of landscape architecture or landscape design. We've all read about the 'rules of design' of course, from finding Fibonacci's spiraling ratio repeated in everything from a flowers corolla to the Crab nebula. We've wondered at the proportions of Leonardo's 'Vitruvian Man' - and some of us have studied architecture and the Palladian ratio of column sizing - and scratched our heads over what makes Frank Lloyd Wright's work so visually stunning - or Japanese gardens to be so contemplative and sublime. The incredible thing to consider here - is that studies will generally show that a disproportionate number of respondents will favorably choose a singular type of view over any other. Why is that? As someone who designs outdoor spaces, I feel like I generally know what I like, but the esoteric question here is, why do I like it? ... is it that I'm trained to find certain types of alignments more beautiful than others? Or is there something deeper and more instinctual at play? Let's talk about this in this - what defines universal beauty in the landscape...

References:

Jay Appleton and Prospect Refuge Theory: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494424001178

Kaplan & Kaplan's Preference Model: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0169204613002375

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Do you have occasional client problems?

Why is it important to try to try to anticipate client behavior?

You need to have an awareness about the real Impact client disfunction can have on your business.

A lack of understanding can create put stress on staff and resources, and cause time to be wasted

Without an ingrained and practiced understanding, you will suffer potential time and financial losses and your professional reputation may suffer...

But you can also make lemonade out of lemons - by correcting a problem before it becomes an issue.

It almost goes without saying that you could have absolutely screwed something up - and that can set a client off.

Let's assume for our purposes that this is NOT the issue - and that you will generally rise to the occasion, take responsibility and notify all parties immediately of any SNAFU. (Of course you will! That's why you are loved by all!)

This Episode of the Green Meridian podcast is brought to you by StickyBid.

Visit Stickybid.com

One of the best ways to get started or reach that next level with your business is through the first impression you make, and how "polished" your communications are. In just a few seconds, StickyBid can build your business an emotionally compelling "Sell Page" that you can pair with every estimate you send. StickyBid makes it easy and fast to build customized estimates that are branded with your logo. You can even create templated line items for specific designs, consultations, installations, care services, materials or extra charges - regardless of project type.

Stickybid helps landscaping designers, landscape installation and outdoor care professionals reel in more customers, close more jobs and manage client communications - using a really easy to use simplified CRM, estimating and invoicing system - basically an integrated tool that you can use right from your phone. Your invoices and automated followups are delivered to your clients - personalized and with your logo. Estimating and billing can be done while you are on the go - faster - and with an online payment system that quickly improves your company cash flow and records client work approvals. It’s a really innovative and simplified tool that lets you create polished estimates and visual “sell pages” in as little as a minute. It also has CRM features for managing leads, tracking customers, and creating and sending invoices right from the Stickybid platform.

Check it out. This is a subscription product, but it's being offered for FREE right now to GM podcast listeners and members of the Green Meridian Group.

You can get access at https://stickybid.com/ and sign up now at no charge. Use "StickyBid2T".

Just go to Stickybid.com and generate your new, branded sell page in less than a minute!

__________________________________

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Joan Didion's essay: "On Self Respect"

https://sites.gatech.edu/alexburgin/on-self-respect-by-joan-didion/

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Our guests include: Mark Guthrie of Puget Sound's Saving Water Partnership, Bryce Carnehl, Specification Marketing Manager Hunter Industries, Sergio Lopez, Business Development Manager with Horizon Online, Trent Allen, manager of Mist'er Rain, a landscape irrigation installer in the Puget Sound region - and some surprise guests with strong opinions!

Check out Mark's handy irrigation "Weekly watering tip" email link here:

https://www.savingwater.org/lawn-garden/watering-irrigation/weekly-watering-schedules/

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References:

1. ASLA Survey: Continued Increase in Demand for Nature-Based Solutions to Climate Change1
2. American Society of Landscape Architects: Biodiversity & Climate Action 101 for Landscape Architects Webinar Series2
3. ASLA Survey: Significant Increase in Demand for Climate Planning and Smart Practices3
4. Landscape Design In Our Time of Climate Change4
5. Climate Change Mitigation and Landscape Architecture5

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Working with the firm Field Operations, Andrew is responsible for the overall implementation of this incredibly complex and expansive urban renovation, that includes redirecting urban streets, installation of thousands of native plantings and reconstruction of the Seattle seawall, as well as two of the existing waterfront piers and the creation of a new ferry terminal. With an overall massive renovation to the Pike Place Market area and new interactive ecological displays that will allow the viewing of salmon habitat and the reestablishment of kelp forests, the Seattle Waterfront project is an incredible integration of the urban environment with the reestablishment of wildlife habitat and public education about natural ecologies.

(See a past episode where we talk to 3 Senior designers with Field Operations)

Before leading the design and project management of Seattle’s Central Waterfront and Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion, since 2010, Andrew managed the open space portion of Princeton University’s Lake Campus and the Princeton University Bridge project. His previous work includes the Qianhai’s Guiwan Water Finger Park in Shenzhen, China; Cleveland’s Public Square; and Tongva Park and Ken Genser Square in Santa Monica, CA.

Prior to joining Field Operations, Andrew was a designer with EDAW (now part of AECOM), where he worked on various high-profile projects, including Washington D.C.’s Marvin Gaye Park, the National Museum of American History, the Moultrie Courthouse, Woodland Park, and the Potomac Yard Linear Park, as well as New York’s World Trade Center Streetscape. Andrew earned his Master of Landscape Architecture degree with distinction from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture degree with honors from Purdue University. 

Join us as we speak with Andrew and discuss these unprecedented scope and complexity of The Seattle’s Central Waterfront and Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion projects!

Some additional links:

https://waterfrontseattle.org/construction/construction-overview

https://waterfrontseattle.org/waterfront-projects/alaskan-way

https://www.theurbanist.org/2023/09/30/seattle-waterfront-park-makeover-promises-new-greenway-native-plants-and-public-fishing/

https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/in-waterfront-park-the-seeds-of-a-better-seattle/

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We talk here with Dave Hunter, the founder of Crown Bees. You can learn more at Dave's website: https://crownbees.com/. Mason bees are solitary bees that are native to North America. They are excellent pollinators, and they are very easy to attract to your garden. Mason bees are very different from honey bees. Honey bees are social bees that live in colonies, while mason bees are solitary bees that live on their own. Mason bees are also much smaller than honey bees. They are about the size of a housefly, and they have black bodies with a blue or green sheen. Mason bees are important pollinators. They pollinate a wide variety of plants, including fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Mason bees are also very efficient pollinators. They can pollinate a plant in just a few seconds.

If you are interested in attracting mason bees to your garden, there are a few things you can do. 

• First, you need to provide them with a place to nest. You can do this by building a mason bee house. Mason bee houses are very simple to build, and there are many plans available online.
• Second, you need to provide mason bees with food. Mason bees eat pollen and nectar. You can provide them with food by planting a variety of flowers in your garden. Mason bees are especially attracted to blue and purple flowers.
• Finally, you need to provide mason bees with water. You can do this by placing a shallow dish of water in your garden. The dish should be filled with pebbles or marbles so that the bees can land on them.

Mason bees are one of our most important beneficial insects. Excellent pollinators, they are very easy to attract to your garden. 

If you are interested in learning more about mason bees, have a listen!.

Also check out these busy bee resources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason_bee

https://crownbees.com/pages/mason-bee-characteristics-and-identification

https://thebeeconservancy.org/

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We are talking today to three Senior associates: Alejandro Vázquez in New York City A graduate of Univ of Pennsylvania, Fla International Univ. Responsible for project such as The Underline’s 0.5-mile-long Phase 1 in Miami. South Main Innovation District in Houston, Texas, London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Miami Beach’s Lincoln Road District, Chicago’s multi-phased Navy Pier. 2021 Forefront Fellow with the Urban Design Forum, exploring how to foster food equity in every New York City neighborhood through the built environment. Alejandro is meticulous and creative thinker who brings unparalleled thought to his craft and a collaborative approach to his projects, resulting in public spaces that are vibrant, distinctive, and highly memorable. Alejandro is also fluent in English, Spanish, and Catalan.

We are also joined by Justin Jackson. in Philadelphia. Justin is a graduate from Harvard, and the Univ of Georgia. His work includes the Georgetown Canal Plan in Washington, D.C., Met Park in Arlington, VA, he managed the master plan for the Kennedy Center’s public space in Washington, D.C. ,and also managed the Arlington National Cemetery Southern Expansion project. working at botanical gardens and arboretums throughout the eastern U.S. also a member of ASLA and the American Public Gardens Association.

Our third guest is Seth Rodewald - Bates, in San Francisco. Seth is a graduate of LSU and Stephen Austin University. Seth has been working on Pier 70, a 28-acre mixed-use development and waterfront park, and the Presidio Tunnel Tops—both in San Francisco. He also was a landscape architect for Glenstone, a contemporary art museum near Washington, D.C., past intern at the Chinati Foundation in Marfa. Seth has a passion for large-scale site-specific art. He has worked on numerous campus, waterfront, urban, and mixed-use projects throughout the U.S. and abroad, and is adept at both resolving intricate design problems as well as overseeing construction. Seth taught at Stephen F. Austin State University, Boston Architectural College, Louisiana State University, and Tulane University. Seth is licensed in Mississippi and Louisiana.

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Ken is an Associate Professor and the Chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture. He also has an adjunct appointment in the Department of Urban Design and Planning and is core faculty for the PhD in the Built Environments Program and the Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Urban Design and Planning within the College of Built Environments.

He primarily teaches seminar and studio courses in theory, ecology, and urban design.

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From insurance concerns to contract clauses and safety in the form of training, today we cover a range of facets of risk management. Hosted by my associate Bill Peregrine, he references a graphic that takes the idea of risk management and breaks it into easy to understand parts. We'll cover topics such as: Identifying and assessing risks Developing and implementing risk mitigation strategies Managing and monitoring risks Responding to and recovering from incidents The importance of risk management in the landscaping industry The different types of risks that landscapers face How to create a risk management plan How to communicate risk to clients and employees How to use risk management to improve your landscaping business.

We'll also be interviewing some business owners from the landscaping industry, to get their insights on risk management. Whether you're a landscaper, a business owner, or just someone who wants to learn more about risk management, this podcast is for you. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show! -

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Thanks to all that joined! 

The books we discuss include:

Design with Nature, by Ian McHarg

Bringing Nature Home and Nature’s Best Hope. by Douglas Tallamy and Rick Darke

A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold

Landscape Architecture, by John Simonds

The Death and Life of Great American Cities, by Jane Jacobs

Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, by Michael Dirr, Hon. ASLA

Exotica Pictorial Cyclopedia. by Alfred Graf

Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness by Ingrid Lee

The Creative Act. by Rick Rubin

Meditations. by Marcus Aurelius

Gardens are for People. By Thomas Church

Trees for Gardens. by Martin Crawford

American Roots

Modern Plant Hunters.

The Garden Color Book.

Home Landscaping Northwest. by Don Marshall

Gardening with Nature, by James van Sweden

The Education of a Gardener, by Russell Page

The Brother Gardeners: A Generation of Gentlemen Naturalists and the Birth of an Obsession,by Andrea Wulf

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don’t,by Jim Collins

Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, by Simon Sinek

Project Management for Design Professionals, by William Ramroth

Ready, Set, Practice: Elements of Landscape Architecture Professional Practice,by Bruce Sharky, FASLA

Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, by Roger Fisher, William L. Ury, and Bruce Patton

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, by David Allen

Design on the Land, by Norman Newton

Landscape Architectural Graphic Standards, by Leonard Hopper, FASLA

Site Engineering for Landscape Architects,by Steven Strom, Kurt Nathan, and Jake Woland

Time-Saver Standards for Landscape Architecture,by Charles Harris, FASLA, and Nicholas Dines, FASLA

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Have a listen!

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It's one thing to be confused about an image of a celebrity and whether it is real , it is a whole separate issue to be generating false information accidentally and issuing that out as fact to your clients or your employees. With this in mind, you need to understand the general limitations of artificial intelligence and how best to manipulate the questions and data that you are inputting so that you can receive the most accurate information but you can find. For the most popular source, you might be using check GPT and in so doing you will need to come up with a strategy of prompts . Your prompt or your initial question format is going to guide the message that will be received from ChatGPT. You will want to keep careful records of your image submittals, prompts and your questions and answers so that you can finally tune your inquiries to receive the best and most accurate information. These strategies will help you enhance productivity, improve customer service, and streamline various aspects of your business.

So let's talk about the top 20 ways that you can incorporate artificial intelligence into your landscape business.

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On this episode, Kryssie tells us how she puts it all together. Listen to Kryssie's podcast "The Process Driven Designer" at: https://open.spotify.com/show/17tt3PywHMGUrQH7F0ZANW?si=dfa99858efe14002

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Clients are torn between selling -only to buy a home priced way above market - or renovate where they already live. There are barely a dozen homes for sale in any region anyway, You can hear a melodramatic undertone in the Wall Street Journal. It's just plain confusing. So that's the gist of this episode: What's a landscape pro gonna do?

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With this evolution in thinking , most of us would also agree that we hope to not only take pride in the work that we are doing - but feel a certain confidence in the work of our representative organizations will make in their own efforts to provide information to residential and commercial clients about the benefits are our green industry work, in industry lobbying efforts to direct legislation toward stewardship of the environment - and of course in keeping with best practices. With this in mind, and knowing that there is so much that needs to change in all facets of society , not just in our little corner of the world - I want to take a few minutes here to try to encapsulate a top ten list of items that we should focus upon in order to direct positive change.

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This can result in all kinds of problems and points to the necessity of having a really good contract and a good record of approvals for substitutions and extra work. In thinking about this, I was drawn to an article that I read a number of months ago that I thought was very to the point and enlightening. The article - by Blair Enns , is in his "Win Without Pitching" manifesto - and is called "The Polite Battle for Control". I think this is a good way to put it.

I'm not particularly a big fan of business books or sales pitch techniques, but occasionally I see a well articulated way of thinking that resonates with my thinking. I had never really thought about the initial part of the sales cycle this way, but it encapsulates a good way to think about the approach. You are trying to assert your expertise and ability to make creative and conscientious on - budget decisions for the client - and in some cases, certainly you are talking them off the ledge about constructing an unbuildable idea or making a bad decision about an off budget alignment of items to be chosen.

In some cases it has to do with reaffirming the proper use plant materials, despite the fact that the client wants a Maidenhair fern planted out in the full sun in August - or in other cases it has to do with size or positioning an element in the landscape - or spending excess amounts of the budget on an unnecessary item.

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For my part, I've mentioned this before, but I came from the nursery industry -and as such this gave me a unique perspective toward the work overall. Like a lot of folks, I oriented myself first to the plant material. That was the spark that gathered my initial interest and that focused my passion at the outset. I did spend a few years working for commercial firms and doing planned unit development, hotel and resort and retail design planning. I found the work to be somewhat cold and sterile. I felt like I had come quite far from working in a greenhouse too, where I had originally become first interested in the potential of the career -and I longed to make the change back into the greener aspects of the work. I took a bit of a detour in the late 80s, to learn some specialty computer rendering work that was fairly edgy at the time. By 1990, I was doing digital imaging work and learning new applications for presentation rendering, a field that was relatively unheard of at the time - and led to some interesting work with Sunset magazine, The Los Angeles Times, the ABC Home Show and ultimately toward future employment.

But in the end, I gravitated back into the residential design field , to the work that inspired my original passion. I think that there is some advice that I could have been given, that was not available to me in my early days. With the perspective of decades now in the work - and the ability to see the arc of my own career more clearly, I wanted to take a few minutes to advise my past self - and in so doing perhaps those that are starting out in their careers and landscape design as well.

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I'm not expecting to appeal to all of my industry peeps here. Don't hear this as a blanket condemnation. Recognize that our world has significantly changed over the last few years. If you don't agree, you're not really paying attention. We are awash with misinformation. I'm not talking about politics, or the developments in Artificial intelligence, our self-driving autonomous future or the rantings of an ego-maniacal rapper or space billionaire. I am talking about the quietest and most subtle of changes. Fundamental and measurable shifts in the upper atmosphere, results of research showing shattering diminishments in insect populations, dramatic pattern changes in oceanic fish migrations and destination changes for the world's bird species - and most tellingly, the rampant scouring of ever larger tracts of the earth for agriculture and development. When I was younger, I remember having an awe inspiring respect for the big picture designers that plied the trade, Ian McHarg, Tommy Church, Grant Jones and Rich Haag, to name a few. Some leaned in on an environmental ethos, others were designers of specialty niches or focused on the sweeps of form and geometries that I was trying to learn. I also had made naïve assumptions about the green industry folks that I would be fortunate enough to be able to work around.

Like many of us , I came to the career with an initial focus on the plant material and the wonders of flora. I had assumed that we we're all unified as stewards of the land - and if I was able to successfully learn my craft, I might one day find myself in the rarefied atmosphere of those that understood and were able to carefully and successfully sustain and remediate the negative effects of human interaction. I expected an environmental dialogue, an eco - logical back and forth with the Earth as a constant, a backstop to keep the conversation rational. I found out over time that this was not really the case. For a lot of folks it's just a business like any other. You roll out - you do your thing - you come back home. You don't concern yourself with the big picture issues , the touchy feely - crystal gazing - tree hugging aspects of being in the green industry - at least I think that's the way some might see it.

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If you are a landscape designer, you will agree with me - that it's a difficult job. We discussed in another episode the problems with landscape design education And how academics can be improved and needs to change in order to educate beyond coming slate of landscape designers and all of the many facets of our fascinating work. Because the formal education is so lacking, over the years I have assembled a simple but comprehensive program that breaks the work out into a dozen components, I call "The dozen things we do ". As we interview and onboard new designers - I have always said that it's a difficult position to hire for. We are basically looking for a Unicorn. Not only do you need someone who is able to draw in CAD and is well versed in plant materials, but the candidate also needs to be articulate in construction materials and production technology. He or She must be able to work in an estimating and presentation system , and be presentable and of course articulate with suppliers and clients. I tell my design staff that they need to be someone that a client will be comfortable giving a $50,000 check to because that is the kind of person that we are seeking. In our particular firm, the designer will sell and in part manage the work. I think that designers can appreciate this kind of arrangement , as it keeps their head in the field and the plant material usually the source of their passion initially in pursuing their career, while also taking on the more pragmatic considerations of project assembly and estimating and of course billing. These are things that are not discussed in an academic situation typically and we are seeing difficulties I think because of that. This is not necessarily the kind of talent that you just find in any individual.

With this in mind, as I've said - I've developed a fairly cohesive training system that I call "The dozen things we do". We will be discussing this simplified list today in the podcast and in so doing - we will talk about how we can consolidate our thinking and improve our output by compressing and compartmentalizing our work in an easy to understand way.

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More than you might get in 4 years of landscape architecture school - or two years at your local Community college. Grab a pen and put on your earbuds, here we go! I am of course just kidding. This podcast summary is more like just a year of LA school - a year that likely wont be offered, because you will be busy worshiping at the altar of the cult of personality of famous landscape architects, rather than gaining much practical knowledge. If you are in a landscape architectural program, don't mention that you might be leaning in on residential design. You will likely be treated like a red-headed stepchild thereafter and relegated to the hort program - if they have one, where designers - it appears - go to die. Or frankly - are resurrected and integrated into the fascinating world of flora in an innovative Hort program - god forbid, something many landscape architects think wistfully of later in their careers - while chained to desks, drawing parking lots and planned unit developments.

I know , that's harsh, but I have an axe to grind, a tool that we never discussed as part of my landscape architectural program- because - well, why get your hands dirty? As we noted in the prior episode, 

In Part one we covered:

1. Consulting & design,

2. Demo and hauling (with transplanting),

3. Grading,

4. Soils and mulches,

5. Drainage and

6. Boulders & Stone. In this episode,

Part 2 - we will be talking about:

7. Paving & Steps,

8. Carpentry,

9. Planting,

10. Irrigation & Lighting,

11. Water features, and

12. Landscape Care.

The final bonus round is #13. Garden art. So, lets get started!

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With the misplaced meaning of our national holidays, we have also lost a large and meaningful piece of our botanical past. Within your garden and grasp lies a deeper, botanical layer of meaning and myth long forgotten, as surely as we don’t recognize the ancient Roman festival of ‘Saturnalia’, the distant Roman precursor to Christmas. It’s fascinating to consider the hidden folklore that surround plants that we see every day. In my own small way, I’ve tried to merge these hidden histories into my efforts, in theatrical gardens and in select projects in which a client will work with me to embrace the spirit of place.

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Look up these links online:

The Myth of Biodynamic Agriculture (pdf)

The Myth of Folklore Gardening (pdf)

The Myth of Compost Tea Part I: Pest Control (pdf)

The Myth of Compost Tea Part II: Disease Suppression (pdf)

The Myth of Compost Tea Part III:

Disease Suppression (pdf) (EPA Statement (pdf) on Pesticidal Use of Myths, Miracles or Marketing?

Compost Tea (pdf) (References)

The Myth of Soil Amendments Part I (pdf)

The Myth of Soil Amendments Part III: Compost (pdf) https://puyallup.wsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/soil-amendments-2.pdf https://puyallup.wsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/mycorrhizae.pdf

The Myth of Weed-Killing Gluten (pdf)

The Myth of Pretty Mulch (pdf)

The Myth of Landscape Fabric (pdf)

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These are difficult days for project managers. Impediments and slowdowns, resistance and friction are put into your daily design and construction activities in forms that we didn't have to think about in the past. Our problems are ongoing and multifaceted, from the limitations of the availability of products and ongoing material and supplier issues, to the continuing difficulties in finding labor (and god forbid depending upon talented reliable individuals) have all changed the way that we need to orient ourselves to our daily activity on and off the project site. When you mix in the fact that we are operating in a moderately strong economy and subcontractors are difficult enough to coordinate in the best of circumstances - only to be completely missing in action in recent times, this only compounds the ongoing problems for the successful and proactive project manager.

Keeping in mind that we are focused here on custom home design build projects, where the design build contractor is coordinating her own schedule, how can we organize our thinking around project management and choreograph our work, to a point where our projects are running smoothly - and we are experiencing a minimum of stress - and so that we can focus more on our creativity - and our personal time with family and friends? I think it boils down to automation of some of the tasks that are repeated, the use of templates for common recurring correspondence, a certain type of careful but simple personal organization and a tight and easily amended calendar of activity . Let's talk a bit about what it takes to plan a successful project before it gets underway…

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This can lull them into feeling that they have a sense that they know what they're doing with regard to marketing.

But do you, really? The phone is ringing, appointments are being made! When business is going well, trust in your smart marketing decisions can give you a false sense of security. Believe me, I've been there. Nothing gives you a false confidence in the inevitability of your success than to actually be riding the crest of a wave - being busy - only to be blindsided by a sudden recession. In the sucking undertow, when you find yourself scrambling to find new work you then have an agonizing reappraisal about how smart you actually were. This has happened to me on a number of cycles over the last 25 years - and I have come to believe that I really don't know as much as I think I do about business economies, sales and what makes the phone ring. So don't be overconfident about things just because you're busy. Gather your acorns while you can - and build a strong and resilient business while you have the ability to do so. Maintain flexibility and discipline. Hone your message to highlight your special abilities, carefully innovate and demand good graphic styling, work your correspondence with articulate wordsmithing and build a responsive, interactive business model.

I think there are some methodical things that you can do that are relatively simple and Easy to resolve as long as you can get started and work methodically a little at a time. Let's talk about marketing and some easy and affordable steps that any landscape company can make.

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Years ago, I was asked to weigh in on a new landscape architectural practice law. There was a proposed state legislation at that time that would have made certain kinds of residential landscape design illegal unless the practitioner had an LA license. You'd think that I would be for it. After all, as an LA myself - it would've made my livelihood even more exclusive. But I couldn't in good conscience support it - because I don't honestly believe that there is such a marked distinction between the two trades. Oh, to be honest, I wish there were - but the facts just don't bear this out. The fact is, there is a wide discrepancy in knowledge and ability in both directions. You can of course find a very professionally skilled PHD - level landscape architect that can detail out a sophisticated plan set - and contrast this with a landscape designer that is finding planting selections at random from The Sunset Western Landscaping Book and scrawling ideas on the back of a napkin…..

But conversely - a client might invest thousands on a completely useless package from a licensed landscaper architect that doesn't spend much time outside - only to build an on-budget paradise later - with the help of a garden designer that has years of experience in horticulture. My point is that no one has a hammerlock on knowledge - and these distinctions between the two similar- but differing disciplines are where we want to drill into today.

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It's pretty shocking when you visit a nursery these days. If you take a moment to stop by your local plant wholesaler, you'll see a wide variety of new hybridized plant materials . Even the most experienced horticulturalist can be dumbfounded by new plant varietals that were unknown just weeks before. When you are called on as a fundamental part of your trade to "know" plant materials, this can pose a vexing problem, because these plants are coming at us very fast and furious now and it's really hard to keep up. Have you seen all the new varieties of perennials and ornamental shrubs? Hydrangea alone can send your mind reeling. New cultivars and improved varietal perennials are nothing new of course. Virtually every plant you specify that is not a true native will be a product of cross breeding or hybridization. But we have seen an exponential spiral in the frequency of these new releases. Marketing brochures and advertisements fill the nursery trade magazines from large horticultural firms such as Monrovia, Proven Winners and First Editions.

It's not just that the plethora of choices are confusing, but your projects can suffer because of this. You'll specify a special dwarf, free flowering perennial - and then in a few months find that it has been "improved and renamed" by the time your work is going in the ground. Within a few months of your specification, there will be an entirely new plant available in its place … and the beautiful plant that you used to specify is suddenly not available anymore. A plan or plant list that you drew up six months ago needs to be altered to accommodate the new hybridized material. The initial blush on this - is that it is a fantastic certainly to see the cosmetic improvement in all of these botanicals. But upon a closer consideration, we need to be aware of how this is changing the nature of our outdoor areas - and what it means for landscape designers to be specifying material that does not naturally occur in the environments in which we live.

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Working with a building contractor or architect can present new opportunities and pose challenges for your landscape design or design/build business. As a designer or design build contractor, you have certain obligations that need to be met - and sometimes they are in conflict with a building contractor or architects efforts in order to best serve the client. You might be interjecting a snag in the timeline, an adjustment in layout or a change in grade that wasn't anticipated - and is welcomed by the client, but rankles the other parties. It is important to be able to guide the conversation in a positive and helpful manner. Setting the baseline understanding of your creative, problem solving authority for everything outside there foundation can be a good way to define the work - so long as you can walk the walk. For some, this is what had been called "the polite battle for control. " At the same time there are opportunities to expand your business relationship and it is important to be able to recognize these moments and capitalize on them in order to advance your business and build your network of contacts.

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First of all, I graduated with a degree in International Studies originally - I thought that I was going to join the state department - but my problem back in those days was that I simply couldn't pass the foreign service exam. Out of desperate necessity, and perhaps because there was a higher being guiding me - I found work in a hardware store. I found that I had a good aptitude for - it the knowledge of all the hardware and miscellaneous assemblies and components has been very useful to me. Even now I can probably tell you the nut size of a bolt by a look at the thread or tell you what kind of plumbing fitting is needed to manage a drainage assembly. Anyway, I remember like it was yesterday a moment in which my life turned.

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I remember growing up in Florida, you’d occasionally see some old duffer give up on his front yard completely. He’d rip out all the turf, pour concrete and paint it green. Voila! A solution made of paint and protest. As our summer in the northwest wanes, I know many of us have turned to our turf with trepidation and yes, mulled over the unthinkable: turf a-la astro or a faux field of green. Those new artificial grass products pose a quandary for eco-minded landscape professionals and for organically minded consumers. It distills down to "It's fake, but looks great vs. it’s real but looks terrible". You’ve seen the faux stuff, yes, but have you seen it lately? Oh, it’s good. The best local vendors, "Synthetic Turf Northwest" and “Dreamturf” sport it in a variety of styles, including a new “tri-color” pattern with just a hint of (dead grass) tan - that looks just natural enough not to throw off the neighbors. In the end, its really a form of outdoor carpeting.

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Throughout all of this, I have struggled to understand what fires and sustains the passion to create. Where does the passion to design originate and what sparks your creativity?

You can learn more about Garcia Lorca by searching online. Read the autobiography, The Artful Dodger to get a sense of Nick Bantock’s creative work.

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Years ago I was asked to design gardens and landscaping for a rustic log home in a remote area. Deer were constantly on the property foraging the vegetation, killing much of the owner’s ornamental planting. Researching the problem (and with a number of distracting jobs in the hopper), I quickly specified “deer-proof” plants from a list that I found in the Sunset Western Garden Book. A week after installation, I got a call from the client. “They’ve eaten everything” – and they had, almost all of the plants from the list. I realized then my mistake, one that has informed my thinking ever since. I had not “geomanced the site”, didn't understand the deer life cycle and I really hadn’t brought any eco-analytical skills to the task at hand. On the second round, we installed carefully specified natives and ornamentals that, though sometimes foraged, survived to offer seasonal color and re-establish habitat. There is a lot to know about these big fellas, so best to study up. You can find Pacific Northwest deer-related lists and more info at our episode link: http://green.kingcounty.gov/gonative/Article.aspx?Act=view&ArticleID=18 , http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/deer.html.

(BTW, if you think deer are bad, we had a client last year that needed to keep BEARS out of his garden. Our solution? While carefully watching out for those pesky critters we built a 6 foot+ heavy guage galvanized steel mesh fence. You can see it at our website at classicnursery.com …) Natural Deer Deterrent: 2 beaten and strained eggs— strain them to remove the white strings surrounding the yolk, which otherwise will plug up your sprayer). 1 cup milk, yogurt, buttermilk, or sour milk, 2 tsp. Tabasco sauce or cayenne pepper 20 drops essential oil of clove, cinnamon, or eucalyptus, found in small bottles at health food stores 1 tsp. cooking oil or dormant oil, 1 tsp. liquid dish soap Top off the tank with water and pump it up. Shake the sprayer occasionally and mist onto dry foliage. One application will last for 2 to 4 weeks in dry weather.

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We plant a lot of trees, from little conifers to specimen trees planted with a Vermeer. When I design with trees for a home, I think of trees as part of the microclimate, as habitat, as a familial symbol, an heirloom, a focus of harvest or a gathering place. While we can specify trees for shade, visual buffer, fruit or as visual accent, nothing personalizes a large tree more than building a treehouse within it. Recently I've seen articles and heard radio spots describing treehouses, fantastic elevated deck structures inspiring a childlike wonder. For me treehouses hold a boy’s fascination borne in my grade school fort and the lost summer days of childhood...

TREEHOUSE RESOURCES treesolutions.net: Scott Baker, of Seattle-based Tree Solutions Inc. Services. treehouses.com: 

Site with tips & guides to build. treehouseguide.com:

Site with tips & guides to build, articles and blog. treehouseworkshop.com: Construction, how-to and educational resources. treehouses.org: "Treehouses & Playhouses You Can Build," by David and Jeanie Stiles (Gibbs Smith, $19.95). thecoolhunter.net/treelife

KNOW THE BUILDING CODE (from Seattle P-I reporter Cecelia Goodnow) Seattle's building code treats treehouses as play equipment, so permits generally aren't required. But exceptionally large ones could spark land-use issues, so check with the Seattle Department of Planning and Development (seattle.gov/dpd) if you plan to exceed 120 square feet. King County generally doesn't require permits for family-fun treehouses of 200 square feet or less. But you'll need a permit if you intend to live in your treehouse or use it for commercial ventures. (metrokc.gov/permits)

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As one that speaks to scores of homeowners each year about fertilizer, herbicide and pest controls, I try my best to articulate best practices regarding weed control, despite the unnecessary battle that green industry trade magazines wage against those that choose to minimize chemical sprays. Many of the green industry magazine pundits would have us remain inscrutable, sufficing to impart our knowledge in the arcane language of Latin with some pharmaceutically herbicidal complexity thrown in. (“Yes, grasshopper, you need a mix of epimidium and “kill it all3” for this weed. You have a long road to travel to wear the green belt”). It’s sad, but true.

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Mr. Steele’s list of handy to the designer field tools from 1921 - included: ‘A folding     pocket Kodak’ with an extra spool of film Sheets of cross section paper 100ft. steel tape Reflex compass Day & night prismatic compass Eureka steel tape repairers Six inch hand level 100ft. of chalk line Steven’s line level Rubber bands, paper clips, pen points, pocket leveling rod Soil acidity indicator, 2H, HB, 3B and  4H pencils Matches Architectural & engineering scales, The latest issue of Landscape Architecture “to beguile weary hours on the train” and Two nursery catalogs.

This list got me thinking about all the in-field measuring, drawing, marking and communication tools that I have used in my day, from charcoal pencils and cb radios in the good old days, to the laser levels and cellular tech of our digital age. At one point long ago I got a little carried away with my “kit”, outfitting a conversion van with a drafting table and desk, a portable printer and fridge. In that bygone era I would pull off at a scenic spot and draft away while gabbing with the crew on the cb. I could swing open the rear doors to access a pull-out drawing easel, surveying paint and a variety of homeowner giveaway catalogs. There’s something in our work that speaks to this need to have all your stuff with you, to be able to pack it into a satchel and open up your magic bag of tricks for your client.

These days, it’s all faster, cooler and more calculated though, a bit more precise, but less hand crafted, I think. We’ve gone from shape and mold to cut and paste and I’m not sure that we’re the better for it...

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The measure of success in what we do as landscape designers is for the most part determined by our ability to creatively conceptualize a space. Designing, specifying and finally building spaces are another story. Our accomplishments as designers hinge on our aptitude with a wide range of materials and systems of measure. Among the benchmarks of a projects success are tolerances for structural stability, dimensioning for human comfort and prudent horticultural spacing to allow for growth. It’s controversial to say, but I believe that many college design programs simply don’t adequately address the issue of dimension, volume and measure. Instead, schools disproportionately spend time having students churn out cloudy conceptualizations of space in plan view. Scores of designers will graduate annually without a basis in the measure of things. So, in the limited space that our blog allows, what are some of the key dimensions that come up often in residential landscape design? Off the cuff, some rules of thumb follow…

Links to some dimensioning details and tables:

Play courts: http://www.sportsknowhow.com/

Deck tables: http://www.blocklayer.com/deckcalculatoreng.aspx

Plant spacing: http://www.premiumplantplugs.com/Spacing-Calculator-30.html

Time saver standards for landscape architecture is the final word on this subject. 

In CD or book form, it’s worth a look: http://www.amazon.com/Time-Saver-Standards-Landscape-Architecture-Charles/dp/0070170274

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I know that it’s not fair to lump landscape designers into just two categories. I did after all, leave out “Mr. I just graduated and will dump everything I know into your yard” and “Ms. Unemployed from Allstate but always wanted to try landscape design” from the list. Am I being too harsh? Seriously though, there are a lot of good designers out there and thankfully, most residential landscape designers of notable quality, I will bet are APLD members. (I am purposely not including the other – ahem – design organization). But what’s a client to do when every third designer is a hack? Am I overstating? Or am I right? And why is the quality of work so polarized?     Let’s face it. The creative, pragmatic, budget respecting landscape designer is a rarity. Why can’t landscape designers get it together and most importantly, what’s a client to do? To start, homeowners should research designers more carefully. After all, the outdoor investment in some instances may be the largest purchase they make, outside of the home (no pun intended). In the homeowners favor, there are some excellent designers out there, many from ASLA or APLD, the professional landscape design organizations. Clients should make sure to have a good rapport with the designer that is chosen and a budget that is clearly stated, look at a portfolio with a lot of built work, ask a lot of questions. Insist on a contract and communicate in writing. Commission a plan that comes with an accurate estimate and a revision included. Yes, there are many considerations, but the most important is that the designer and homeowner are both focused on the same point out there on the horizon with clear documents describing both the process and the scope of work.

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It's amazing what a kid will do when they are bored and books and art supplies are laying around.) Anyway - the trip! With the fleeting thought of the nuclear family in mind, we set out to take what may be one last 'just-us' trip - and saw some amazing architecture, wandered in lovely gardens and spent some fine time together. It got me thinking about our modern hectic world, and the fact that we don't take enough time to walk where we need to go - and pause long enough to enjoy the landscape around us. The eroding time we have with our family is much like the effect of time on the gardens we create, as - without attention - our environments become unruly and chaotic. nd so, I was conscious and am still - about my need to be more of a Flaneur - refining and redefining my focus.

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Our last effort , "La Palabra Pintada" was a collaboration with New York Times bestselling author Nick Bantock - author of the "Griffin & Sabine" series - and was built in part as an homage to the Alhambra. The fact is, history really interests me - and I think for many - the fascinating, magical underpinnings of our work, from hardscape layout and architectural geometries, to horticultural systems and selections - are based upon a bedrock of history and as a part of that - magic. While we can only just touch upon the subject here, there are varied and arcane ways of looking at the earth, each view fascinating, unique and inscrutable, instilled with a grain of truth and a basis in faith.

Years ago, I was placing large form boulders with a rock setter on a site. Before digging into the earth with the backhoe’s large articulating arm, he reached in his pocket and pulled out a metal wire, then slowly walked through the site holding both ends of an untwisted coat hanger, formed into a “Y” shape. “What are you doing”, I asked. “Dowsing”, he replied. “This will show us if there is water below grade”. “Uh-huh”, I snorted. “No really, he said. “I’ve been doing this for years. I keep the dowsing tool under my seat in my truck”. Sure enough, we dug later where he indicated - and I'll be damned if there wasn't an unexpectedly high water table right where he pointed. OK, so I consider myself a bit of a pragmatist. Not a lot of “woo-woo” at my end. But last night, I looked in wonder at the beautiful moon and thought again for the thousandth time, “how much do I really understand?” We take for granted the changing of the seasons and the moons pull upon the tides. We celebrate holidays rooted in ancient tradition that we really know little about - and use plants that ancient peoples thought had magical powers. Who am I to feign to understand? Given this, what if we were more open to the hidden knowledge from these ancient systems - that purport to help us sense the spirit within a place - or the comfort that a client may feel? What are some of these ancient systems?

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Do look closely at the long term cost when you look at this type of solution - because you can definitely assemble an easy and inexpensive set of tools that you can build to flex and grow with your company over time. To make things easy to follow - lets start by splitting your office systems into five easy parts: 1. Communication & CRM, 2. Planning & presentation, 3. Estimating & proposals, 4. Scheduling & Project management, 5. Billing & accounting. I know that some sales pundits in the green trades will tell you that price is the key factor in successfully marketing to high end residential accounts. I don't necessarily believe that that is true. I think establishing a good rapport with your client is the basic key to success. This might mean that you are responding and communicating quickly, but it also means that you're providing good information - in detail and with clarity. In my view this center's around automating processes that you do on a repeated basis. We will talk more about that in this and other episodes, but the purpose here is to just go over some basic tools that you can use easily and economically. This is of course not a panacea for every office - I am just going to go over a number of things that I'm aware of and that I've used in the past...

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From administrative office staff to designers and of course our production people, our folks wear a lot of hats. Office staff are juggling all of the many accounts and administrative tasks - from HR functions to accounting and marketing and lead choreography. Our designers often serve in part as project managers - not only seeing people and prequalifying potential clients but also putting together estimates and plans - and implementing the project with our production staff….. And our production people are working outside in all kinds of weather, pushing rocks up the hill in the rain - as I say. It's not necessarily a pleasant job - but we look for folks that can see the craft inside it all… We hope to instill a sense of enthusiasm with our production staff and hope that they can see the beauty in what they are able to assemble and get a sense of accomplishment from the ability to create habitat and remedy some of the negative effects of development in creative endeavors with plants and rock and rock, light and wood and water. Entering my curmudgeonly years, I know it's almost a trope to say that "folks don't want to work very hard anymore". This may or may not be true. I expect back in the biblical times there was some old codger who yelled at his son for writing on papyrus - when he could have been hammering out his message on a stone tablet.

Such is the nature of progress. As in all things, moving forward can be a mixture of positive and negative. You gain something - you lose something. What we gain in automation - we perhaps give up in attention span.  All that noted, today's topic speaks to all of this and is about the labor force - or lack of it. So let's get started...

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This raises a number of important questions for our typical client, a single family homeowner wanting a residential landscape design completed. What should a client look for in a design package? How do design packages differ typically? What are some common mistakes that designers are making when pricing services? What are some of the pitfalls of offering project management as part of your landscape design effort? How can designers diversify their offerings and streamline design marketing? And - god forbid - How can designers maximize income when offering design services?

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One very particular concern I think is the nuance of the Client dynamic. Importantly, you will want to protect yourself clearly and contractually - by carefully describing what you are providing and conversely, what you wont do, as well as payment, dispute resolution and your warranty provisions. Be careful in your documents, being what I call "specifically vague". Being specifically vague means supplying comprehensive information, but also allowing for change, substitution and importantly - flexibility.

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Me, I complain whether I have too much work - or not enough. It's kinda like the weather, I like whatever weather we're NOT having. But I do know which world I would rather live in. If you are successful, god forbid - folks are gonna call. The only thing worse than having too much business- is not having business. Having known the latter, I will take the former. With that in mind, lets spend a few minutes talking about how you choreograph your time. You want to be able to jiu-jitsu your work in order to be able to create a maximum impact with the least amount of effort.  To me, this is resolved by recognizing repeated tasks , simplifying and predicting next steps - and then automating this work, so that it is easily accessed and importantly - is quickly responsive - with a set beginning and a clear ending.

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What I'm articulating badly is - designers have a real problem that stinks up our reputation. So today, let's address the elephant in the room, the bull in the china shop - or what I might call in my own subtle way "the turd on the table"... the fact that Designers have a helluva time with budgeting projects. Hey, let's give credit where credit is due. We do amazing things with hardscapes and plant materials. But the lack of a budget understanding leads to all kinds of embarrassment and acrimony, costs a lot of time in revision and recrimination - and underscores the divisions we see most often between designers and contractors. Budgets and pricing for our work meet at the nexus of product, personnel and production. 

Depending upon your viewpoint, you may see this issue from differing angles....

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From a small nursery office to a large landscape architectural firm, from the inside track of an interiorscape company, to the retail aisles of a supplier, I have plied the trade - and from the fast paced world of a computer imaging company doing industry trade shows, to my own small sole proprietorship, I have been in various facets of the green industry for over 40 years. I'm now managing a design/build operation with about 50 people on staff - and this is either the nirvana of my sweet spot ...or Dante's third circle of hell - depending upon the time of week you might ask me.

But this work is like having kids - I think - the most horrible and wonderful thing that can happen to anyone lucky enough or stupid enough to get into it.  

So, why do we choose to work in this, the most difficult of trades - and what makes it so complex?

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