Parks and other green spaces play a vital role in the health of cities and in the health of the people who inhabit them. The trouble with city green spaces, however, is that they can be expensive to maintain and install. Landscapers are trying to figure out a cheaper way …
Awareness of the benefits of pollinators is at an all-time high. Bees are no longer thought of as potentially painful nuisances, but as integral parts of the food chain. Landscapers need to know how to install pollinator-friendly features in landscaping and how to avoid anything that could harm pollinators. Homeowners …
Mulch sales have increased slowly but steadily over the last decade, particularly as home improvement and DIY landscaping have become more popular. The industry is slow to change and trends move at a glacial pace for the most part. Still, landscapers should keep on top of new developments in order …
According to the ASPCA, just under half of all households in the United States have a dog and roughly one third have a cat. Overall, there are nearly 200 million pets sharing our homes, yards, and communities with us. When it comes to landscaping, pets have unique needs. To meet …
In the fall of 2008, the UC Davis Arboretum upgraded and expanded its teaching nursery. This particular nursery is not aimed at educating students, however. It is designed to make UC Davis expertise available to the public because people want to know how to care for their property and, by …
If predictions hold true, water will become an ever scarcer resource as the climate becomes drier for many people. For landscape businesses, offering drought tolerate solutions makes sense regardless of how climate predictions pan out. After all, most people want their yards and businesses to look great without having to …
For growers and nurseries, obtaining a plant patent can help to protect an investment, guarantee revenue, and increase brand prestige. Unfortunately, it isn’t always clear when a patent should be obtained and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) doesn’t exactly make the application process crystal clear. The investment of …
Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson, was instrumental in bringing about a nationwide ban on DDT and sparked the environmental movement that led to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). New science, however, has demonstrated that many of the claims made in Silent Spring were either exaggerated or …
In recent years, best management practice (BMP) guidelines and corresponding regulations have focused heavily on container nurseries. Using the right nursery equipment as well as implementing BMPs can actually help nurseries save money by reducing costs. In some cases, nurseries that implement BMPs can receive state assistance to defray costs. …
If you operate a nursery or tree farm, you probably–hopefully–are visited by many customers during peak seasons. Like any business, you have to be concerned about safety risks for your customers, however, and how to minimize them. From the sharp edges of landscaping equipment to the endless stretches of hose …