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TheConcernGrowing

PUBLICATION

THE OHIO LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION

TURNING PREPARATION INTO PROGRESS

BRANDON BARKER

J. Barker Landscaping Company

March is a month of transition for the landscape industry. After months of planning, budgeting and preparing, the season begins to take shape. Equipment is being finalized, crews are returning and schedules are quickly filling with spring services, installations and property preparations. The work we put into preparation during the winter months now begins to show its value.

For many companies, March marks the shift from strategy to execution. Plans developed in January and February are now being tested in real-world conditions. Routes are refined, crews are mobilized and clients begin to see the first signs of the season ahead. While the pace is still building, this month often sets the tone for everything that follows.

One of the most important elements of a successful start to the season is communication. Clear expectations between leadership, managers and field teams create consistency and confidence. Crew leaders should understand priorities, safety standards and production goals before the first major push begins. When teams know what success looks like, they are far more likely to achieve it.

March is also when leadership becomes highly visible. Owners and managers who spend time in the field during these early weeks help establish culture, accountability, and momentum. Simple actions such as checking equipment readiness, reviewing job sites with crews or reinforcing safety expectations can have a lasting impact throughout the season. A strong start in March often translates to smoother operations in May and June.

Another important focus this month is safety. Early season conditions can present unique challenges, including wet soils, unpredictable weather and crews getting back into the rhythm of daily operations. Taking time to reinforce safety procedures, equipment inspections, and proper jobsite protocols now helps prevent issues later. Safety culture is not built in a single meeting; it is reinforced through consistent leadership and attention to detail.

This month also highlights the importance of frontline leadership. Crew leaders play a critical role in translating company expectations into action. They manage production, guide team members, maintain quality standards and serve as the direct connection between management and the field.

That’s why I encourage members to take advantage of the Crew Leader Training events taking place this month in Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati. These trainings are designed for crew leaders and emerging supervisors and focus on communication, accountability, production efficiency and team leadership. Strong crew leaders directly impact job quality, safety performance and employee retention.

continued on page 6

COVER: Landscape Ohio! Awards submission in the category of Residential Installation, submitted by KGK and Company.

PERENNIAL FOCUS Cerastium tomentosum ‘Yoyo’

FISCAL

FEATURE

OHIO’S PROFESSIONAL GREEN INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION

OHIO LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION

9240 Broadview Road

Broadview Heights, Ohio 44147

Phone: 440-717-0002

Toll Free: 1-800-335-6521

Web: www.ohiolandscapers.org

REGULAR WRITERS

Michael J. Donnellan, M3 Wealth Management

Jim Funai, PhD, Cuyahoga Community College

Shelley Funai, Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens

Brandon Barker, J. Barker Landscaping Company

Patty Lampert, Ohio Landscape Association

Bobbie Schwartz, FAPLD, Bobbie’s Green Thumb

ADVERTISING INFORMATION

Submission deadline: 10th of the month, prior to the month of magazine publication. For advertising and ad specs, please call 440-717-0002, and ask for Patty Lampert.

DISCLAIMER

The Ohio Landscape Association, its board of directors, staff and the editor of The Growing Concern neither endorse any product(s) or attests to the validity of any statements made about products mentioned in this, past or subsequent issues of this publication. Similarly, the opinions expressed in The Growing Concern are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Ohio Landscape Association.

OFFICERS

President

Brandon Barker

President – Elect

Matt Malone

Treasurer

Tom Rieder, LIC

Immediate Past President

Ryan Drake

DIRECTORS

Jeffrey Ardo

Jason Deuble, LIC, OCNT

Amy Gatoo

Gil Kupetz

Jess Kronenberger

Garrett McNeill

OLA STAFF

Executive Director

Patty Lampert

Membership Coordinator

Melissa Roberts

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

UPCOMING OLA MEETINGS, EDUCATION SEMINARS & EVENTS

MARCH

2026

MARCH 25 & 26, 2026

CREW LEADER TRAINING (Cleveland)

Led by David Hupman of Natorp’s Landscape, this training will give crew leaders leadership skills such as how to coach and train, customer service skills, production management. See page 23

APRIL

2026

APRIL 3, 2026

DESIGN CLINIC WITH DR. LAURA DEETER at Secrest Arboretum

Learn about design principles, elements, and form composition. Put what you learn into practice with hands-on sessions designed to keep your creativity flowing throughout the day and into the coming season. See page 15

APRIL 9, 2026

HARDSCAPE HANDS ON TRAINING at Kurtz Bros.

Join “Paver Pete” and learn about outdoor industry trends, specialized tools, modular systems, and more. Attendees will have the opportunity to create custom builds of firepits, planters, seating walls, kitchen islands, and water features in outdoor spaces. See page 29

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

SAVE THE DATE

JULY 8, 2026

COLUMBUS PLANT ID

JULY 15, 2026

CLEVELAND PLANT ID

AUGUST 6, 2026

GOLF OUTING

SEPTEMBER 25, 2026

PLANT HEALTHCARE

OCTOBER 8, 2026

LANDSCAPE OHIO! AWARDS

DECEMBER 4, 2026

DORMANT PRUNING

SCAN THE QR CODE TO SEE A FULL LIST OF EVENTS AND REGISTRATION.

The OLA is delighted to welcome the following new members to the association:

REGULAR MEMBERS

QualCut Lawn Care 1536 Murial Dr. Streetsboro, OH 44241 (330) 485-3173

David Intihar

continued from page 3

In addition to these leadership trainings, the OLA will also be hosting a “Basics of Landscape Design” class in April. This course offers a great opportunity for team members who want to strengthen their understanding of design fundamentals, plant selection and layout principles. Whether someone is new to the design side of the industry or looking to expand their knowledge, educational opportunities like this help elevate individual skills and the professionalism of our industry.

March is also the time to maintain a focus on operational discipline. As the season ramps up, it can be easy to fall into reactive patterns. Staying consistent with job costing, scheduling and equipment management will pay dividends throughout the year. The companies that maintain structure during busy periods are often the ones that finish the season with the strongest results.

Client relationships also come back into focus this time of year. Early spring communication with property managers and homeowners helps set expectations for the season ahead.

Confirming service schedules, identifying enhancement opportunities and addressing concerns early builds trust and strengthens long-term partnerships.

From an Association perspective, March is an exciting time because it represents the beginning of the work our industry is known for. Our members help shape the environments where people live, work and gather. Landscapes enhance communities, support environmental stewardship and create spaces that people value every day.

As the season begins, I encourage everyone to approach the coming months with purpose and professionalism. Support your teams, communicate clearly, and stay committed to the standards that define our industry. Preparation may have started the year, but progress begins now.

Let’s carry the momentum of the winter months into the field and work together to make the 2026 landscape season a successful one for our companies, our teams, and our Association.

Walk Before You Build.

Walk Your Plans changes everything

Walk life-size landscape plans with your clients before installation begins. Avoid costly change orders, protect your timeling and deliver a better client experience, every time.

Schedule your free demo or consultation today:

409-9509

CERASTIUM TOMENTOSUM

‘Yoyo’

There are several species of Cerastium but very few are generally available. The only one I have found and used is C. tomentosum. Although native to Sicily and Italy but hardy to zone 2, it is a great perennial for Ohio gardens, particularly as a silvery groundcover. It is evergreen (evergray) to semi-evergreen depending on the winter weather.

In May, this perennial is covered with small white flowers, thus the common name of Snow-in-Summer. It should actually be called Snow-in-Late -Spring. Because the woolly foliage only grows six inches high, I use it as an edging or front of the border plant. It would also be perfect in rock gardens or dry laid stone walls with planting

pockets. The white flowers are held on eight to twelve inch high stems and have five to ten petals. Each stem can have multiple flowers. While the species grows quite rampantly, the cultivar ‘Yoyo’ is more compact. I have no idea why the cultivar was named ‘Yoyo’ because it does not bounce.

continued on page 10

BOBBIE SCHWARTZ, FAPLD

Bobbie’s Green Thumb

Cerastium tomentosum ‘Yoyo’ in late May, growing at the edge of a client’s perennial garden.

continued from page 8

The key to success with Cerastium is full sun and very well drained soil (add lots of enlarged aggregate if your soil is clay). Thus, it is an excellent candidate for xeriscapes. Happily, this low maintenance perennial is deer resistant and probably also rabbit resistant.

I’m guessing that if you install this perennial in April, it will be blooming for you in May.

PERENNIAL FOCUS

Bobbie Schwartz, FAPLD, owner of Bobbie’s Green Thumb in Shaker Hts., Ohio, is a landscape designer, consultant, freelance writer, and lecturer whose specialties are perennial gardens and four season landscapes. In addition to being an Ohio Landscape Association (OLA) member, she is an active member of the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association (ONLA) and Perennial Plant Association (PPA). Bobbie is a Past President of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD).

Top Photo: Close-up of flowers of Cerastium tomentosum ‘Yoyo’. Bottom Photo: Cerastium tomentosum foliage.

MICHAEL J. DONNELLAN M3 Wealth Management

ESTABLISH INVESTING GOALS

When investing, you should establish short, intermediate and long-term goals. Review these goals frequently to make sure your current investments are helping you reach those financial goals. Your goals could be a vacation, a new car, a new home, college education for your children, starting your own business, retirement or a number of other possibilities. Of course, everyone wants to reduce his or her taxes and secure a comfortable retirement.

You can’t plan a trip without knowing your destination. The same applies with your financial goals. You won’t know how much to save unless you know specifically what you are saving for. Take the time to dream. Put your goals on paper and visit them frequently. Setting specific goals gives you and your financial professionals the information needed to build a structured savings and investment plan, the surest way to turn your goals into reality.

After you know how much you need in the long run, you can break your goal into monthly contributions. A good financial calculator or online compound interest calculator can help in this area. For example, assume you have a goal of saving $1 million for retirement in 35 years. In order to reach your goal, you would need to set aside approximately

$700 per month, assuming a 7% annualized return. The first step is the biggest and most difficult to make. Once you get started by making the first investment or savings deposit, the hard part is over.

It will be helpful to make real and attainable goals as well as devise practical ways to help achieve those goals. Understanding your risk tolerance is crucial when setting investment goals as it informs you of how ready you are to face any arising issues and then plan according to what you can achieve. Time and portfolio volatility should always be considered when determining your risk level. Financial professionals have tools available to help determine risk tolerances and time frames.

continued on page 14

continued from page 12

Once you have a clear picture of what your goals are, you need to assign price tags. When determining the cost of your goal, look beyond today’s costs to what it may cost in the future. Although inflation rates are no longer in double digits, inflation has not gone away. If you don’t factor the impact of inflation into the price tag of your goal, you may come up short. This is particularly important for long-term goals. With an inflation rate of 3%, something that costs $10,000 today will double in cost in 24 years.

The longer it takes to reach your goal, the more significantly inflation will impact the price tag of that goal. Fortunately, when you are saving for the future, time is on your side. The longer you give yourself to reach a goal, the more your earnings can generate earnings. Waiting five years to start saving for a long-term goal could mean you will have to double the amount you have to save each month.

Even disciplined individuals may find it hard to stay on financial track when life throws a hardball in their direction. Job loss, divorce, sickness, discrimination, or other headwinds can set life on an unexpected course that negatively impacts earnings and savings power. Volatility can also take its toll on the financial markets and your savings, as they did in 2007 and 2008 when American investors lost trillions of dollars in their retirement accounts and in early 2020 when the pandemic roiled markets.

Bear markets and crashes may be inevitable over the decades between your first contribution and retirement age, despite

statistics that confirm impressive long-term equity returns. Many investors don’t have the stomach for those volatile periods, often ignoring sound advice and dumping longterm positions at bargain-basement prices. It’s easy to tell ourselves we’ll stand firm when the next crisis comes long, but you won’t know for sure until it happens.

Monitor your investment progress and fine tune the investment plan as you navigate your financial journey. There will be ups and downs but setting up a plan, establishing good habits, adhering to your set goals and monitoring the plan should set you up for success.

As always, talk to your financial professionals and tax advisors to determine your specific needs and goals.

Scenarios illustrated are hypothetical in nature, results may vary. Investing is subject to risk which may involve loss of principal. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

The M3 Wealth Management Office does not provide legal or tax advice. Consult an attorney or tax professional regarding your specific situation. The information herein is general and educational in nature and should not be considered legal or tax advice.

Michael J. Donnellan specializes in stock selection and retirement planning. Feel free to contact him with any questions or comments.

M3 Wealth Management Office

17601 W. 130th Street – Suite 1, North Royalton, Ohio (440) 652-6370 | donnellan@m3wealthmanagement.com

EVENT INFORMATION

FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2026

SECREST ARBORETUM

155 Secrest Welcome & Education Center 1680 Madison Avenue Wooster, OH 44691

SCHEDULE

REGISTRATION & BREAKFAST

8:00 - 8:30 am

MORNING SESSION

8:30 - 12:00 pm

LUNCH

12:00 -1:00 pm

AFTERNOON SESSION

1:00 - 2:00 pm

COST

MEMBERS: $149

NON-MEMBERS: $199

Please call Patty at 440-717-0002

Visit the OLA Calendar on our website, OhioLandscapers.org

BASICS OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN

You will learn about design principles, elements, and form composition. A basic understanding of these ideas will help you generate more interesting designs and landscapes; and learning about all of them will allow a designer to create great designs. Put what you learn into practice with hands-on sessions designed to keep your creativity flowing throughout the day and into the coming season.

*Please bring a pencil and ruler.

YOU WILL PRACTICE WITH:

• Design elements such as line, form, texture and color and ideas on how to manipulate them.

• Design principles such as rhythm, balance, scale, etc and ways to think about arranging the things in our landscapes.

• Putting the principles of color theory into practice with container gardening.

• Form Composition and how can you apply that to a landscape to create more cohesive designs

WORKSHOP TOPICS:

• Design concepts and basics

• Color theory

• Put designs into practice

• Form building and creating designs around a shape, with Q&A afterward

DR. LAURA DEETER, Professor of Horticulture at The Ohio State University

Laura Deeter received her PhD in horticulture from The Ohio State University after studying road-salt tolerance in herbaceous perennials under the late Dr. Steve Still. She is currently a Professor of Horticulture at The Ohio State University in Horticulture and Crop Science and the Sandy and Andy Ross Endowed Director of the Chadwick Arboretum. She has taught a multitude of horticulture classes including: Landscape Design, Sustainable Landscaping, Plant Health Management, Landscape Construction, and Ecology, to name a few. She was awarded the ATI Distinguished Teaching Award three times and many other distinguised awards. She speaks on a variety of topics ranging from taxonomy and nomenclature to shade gardens, design, color, and specialty gardens and plants. She gardens at home with two dogs and “The Perfect Little Kitten”.

OSHA AND PERRP SEVERE INJURY REPORTING

Did you know that both private companies and public entities in Ohio are required to report certain severe injuries to OSHA or PERRP? In the event you are unaware, OSHA enforces safety in the private sector and PERRP enforces safety in the public sector. The requirements are similar for both agencies, but the reporting structure is different.

REPORTABLE INCIDENTS

• Fatality - as a result of a work-related injury or illness. For both organizations, fatalities must be reported within 8 hours of being made aware.

• Inpatient hospitalization - Employee received inpatient service of a hospital or clinic for care and treatment as a result of a work-related incident.

Does not include:

• Treatment in an emergency room or urgent care facility that does not result in admission to the inpatient service of a hospital or clinic

• Admission to inpatient service of a hospital or clinic that occurs more than 24 hours after work-related incident

• Loss of an eye - Physical loss of an eye, including enucleation and evisceration.

• Amputation - Loss of a limb or other external body part. Includes:

• A part (like a limb or appendage) which was severed, cut off, or amputated, whether completely or partially

• Fingertip amputations with or without bone loss

• Resulting from irreparable damage

• Amputations of body parts which were reattached Does not include:

• Avulsions

• Deglovings

• Scalpings

• Severed ears

• Broken or chipped teeth

TIRES & TRACKS FOR ALL YOUR EQUIPMENT ALL YEAR LONG

Landscaping crews work on real ground – not perfect conditions. All Lift Tires & Tracks helps you reduce downtime, improve performance, and get more life out of your equipment by matching the right tires and tracks to how and where you actually work. From turf to mud to snow, we deliver traction that holds up season after season.

We supply tires and tracks for landscaping, construction, forklifts and more:

>> Skid steer loaders

>> Compact track loaders (CTLs)

>> Mini excavators

>> Compact wheel loaders

>> Compact utility tractors

>> Mini skid steers/stand-on loaders

>> Snow-removal equipment

>> Forklifts, aerial equipment & more

DEDICATED TO KEEPING YOU ON TRACK Call or text Ray Schentur 440.289.9501 | rschentur@alllift.com AllLift.com/GroundGame

continued from page 16

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

PERRP

Public employers must report a fatality or severe injury by one of the following methods:

1. Report Online

Submit either a Fatality Reporting Online Form (PERRP-7) or Serious Injury Reporting Online Form (PERRP-8), depending on the situation

2. Report by Phone

- Call the Public Employment Risk Reduction Program (PERRP) 24-hour hotline at 1-800-671-6858 and press option 1, and

- Complete the Fatality Reporting Online Form (PERRP-7) or Serious Injury Reporting Online Form (PERRP-8)

Notification forms can be completed and submitted:

1. Online

• Fatality Reporting Form

• Serious Injury Reporting Form

2. Emailed to

• Fatality reporting forms should be emailed to: perrpfatality@ohio.gov

• Severe injury reporting forms emailed to: perrpinjury@ohio.gov

OSHA

Private employers must report the incident by one of the following methods:

• By telephone or in person to the OSHA area office that is nearest to the site of the incident.

• By telephone to OSHA: 1-800-321-OSHA (6742).

• By electronic submission using the reporting application located on OSHA’s public web site at www.osha.gov

OSHA and PERRP both state that an incident does not have to be reported if it:

• Resulted from a car accident on public street or highway (except in a construction zone).

• Occurred on a commercial or public transportation system (airplane or bus)

• Involved hospitalization for diagnostic testing or observation only.

Be sure to visit the websites for the full reporting requirements.

• OSHA’s full regulations for reporting can be found under 29 CFR 1904.39

• PERRP regulations can be found at Ohio Administrative Code Section 4167-6-10

few final thoughts regarding severe injury reporting.

1. When reporting the incident, be sure to document the day and time it was reported

2. In the event you are unavailable to report a severe injury, be sure to identify a back-up or two.

3. Finally, the best way to minimize dealing with the reporting, is to ensure your safety program and training are up to date.

If you have any questions regarding your Severe Injury Reporting requirements, please contact Andy Sawan, Risk Services Specialist at Sedgwick at 330-819-4728 or andrew.sawan@sedgwick.com.

Deer Damage

Protected Tulips

IDENTIFYING AND REPORTING SUSPECTED CLAIM FRAUD

The word “fraud” carries a heavy connotation with it and making a fraud referral to the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation can feel a bit overwhelming. What should you do if you suspect that a fraudulent claim has been filed against you? The Bureau of Workers’ Compensation has an entire division devoted to analyzing and investigating fraud concerns. The Special Investigations Department was created in 1994 with the sole purpose of reviewing potential fraud in the workers’ compensation system.

According to the Bureau’s Special Investigations Department Annual Report from 2025, they received 2,164 fraud allegations and ultimately closed 1,395 cases with 56 resulting in convictions for an identified savings of $91 million dollars. It is important to understand the activities that are most associated with potential workers’ compensation claim fraud:

COMMON FRAUD CLAIMS

• Collecting disability benefits while receiving compensation

• Cash payment for work performed “under the table”

• Claiming to be injured while at work when the injury happened elsewhere

• Exaggeration of disability complaints to extend disability

• Falsifying documents related to a claim application

Employers are often notified of potential fraud either from coworkers who witnessed or heard about the suspected incident or through personal observation, such as seeing a post on social media. Should you suspect one or more of the above activities you should contact the BWC Fraud unit to report a concern. You can do this either through the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation’s website or by contacting the BWC Fraud department directly at 1.800.644.6292.

For more information, contact our Sedgwick program manager, Dominic Potina at 614-579-4723 or email at dominic.potina@sedgwick.com

JIM FUNAI, PhD

Cuyahoga Community College

SHELLEY FUNAI, LIC

Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens

X PYRACOMELES SPP.

BOXWOOD REPLACEMENT

Folks, they’ve made a new plant. In the battle to find a boxwood (Buxus spp.) replacement, researchers have created a new soldier for the landscape. Why replace boxwood you ask? Better questions, how many disease and insect issues are you willing to try to outsmart? With boxwood leaf miner (Monarthropalpus flavus), boxwood psyllid (Psylla buxi), boxwood blight (Calonectria sp.), and now boxtree moth (Cydalima perspectalis) set to destroy boxwood plantings, we’re not willing to spend anymore time on these plants.

SAs is our custom in the landscape, once we find a good plant we like to overplant the species until we’ve built a bridge across the nation for a new pest or disease to run rampant across the population. Much like the yews of the past, boxwood serves as an ideal formal landscape plant. Also like the yew, that formal planting was mimicked in many an urban and suburban landscape with foundation plantings sculpted into geometric shapes.

The answer to these landscape challenges is not singular. We need a design approach that knows when formal hedging

makes sense and when more naturalistic plantings can take the lead. We need plant health care programs that address all issues including soil constraints rather than spray and pray. We also need diversity in plant materials.

So, this month we are taking a look at a new intergeneric hybrid called Pyracomeles. Successful breeding between firethorn (Pyracantha spp.) and Osteomeles species. You are likely familiar with firethorn, but Osteomeles is an unknown member of the Rosaceae family around Ohio. With flowers that are small, white, and five-petaled – reminiscent of continued on page 24

EVENT INFORMATION

MARCH 25, 2026 & MARCH 26, 2026

INDIANA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY

4100 Rockside Road Independence, 44131

SCHEDULE

REGISTRATION AND BREAKFAST

8:30 - 9:00 am

CLINIC

9:00 - 12:00 pm LUNCH

12:00 - 12:30 pm

CLINIC CONT.

12:30 - 2:00 pm

COST

MEMBERS: $199

NON-MEMBERS: $249

Please call Patty at 440-717-0002

REGISTER

Register to attend by March 13, 2026. Class size is limited to 50 people. Visit the OLA Calendar on our website, OhioLandscapers.org

March 25 Registration

March 26 Registration

CREW LEADER TRAINING CLEVELAND

This training is not about how to plant a tree or mow grass. This training is intended to give crew leaders leadership skills. How to coach and train, customer service skills, production management. We will learn from each other in role play, and table topics for discussion.

THE PRESENTATION WILL COVER:

1. Production Planning

2. Customer Service

3. Leadership Skills i.e., Coaching, Training, Problem Solving

DAVID HUPMAN, LIC Landscape Consultant at Natorp’s Landscape

With over 40 years of experience and having trained crew leaders to get ready for the next level of management David brings a wealth of knowledge to give crew leaders the leadership skills they need. Having served in many leadership roles such as Landscape Manager, Account Manager, Production Specialist and Branch Manager with national companies David will help crew leaders develop the leadership skills they need to be effective leaders in the field.

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hawthorns, the fruit of these species is edible. However, as the botanical name hints, Osteo = bone and meles = fruit (melon); these fruits have very thick skins. There are at least three major species, one from Hawaii, and two from Eastern Asia.

While this hybrid series of plants is “new to the market” the truth is the first record of a successful pyracantha cross with Osteomeles is from 1920’s Paris, France from the VilmorinAndrieux plant and seed company. They had several successful crosses and the plant has been popular in French gardens since.

For our market here, these plants appear as new. The most widely available cultivar is ‘Juke Box’. If you’re shopping at the nursery, this plant is going to look like a little meatball boxwood or Japanese holly. It’s use is the exact same. At most, these will grow to 3’ and take sheering quiet well. This hybrid appears to have lost its flowering and fruiting ability so you get a semi evergreen meatball for the landscape.

It is important to note that zone 6 is the coldest these plants like, so for most of the state we’d recommend keeping these out of direct winter wind. They prefer highly drained soils but show decent tolerance to clay heavier soils though we’d expect a slower growth and smaller mature size. Do pay close attention to what you are looking at, as there is also a plant out there called ‘Gem Box’ that looks quite the

same. However, this is a cultivar of our native Ilex glabra, or inkberry holly. Growing to the same size range as ‘Juke Box’ it seems these two plants are interchangeable for effect in the landscape.

There are some cultivars of x Pyracomeles that maintain the ability to flower and fruit, and to us, look like another cotoneaster in the landscape. It reminds us of the arboretum at Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic where there is an extensive collection of cotoneaster plants from around the world.

‘Berry Box’ is a cultivar that will get these flowers and beautiful fruits, but be aware, it is showing a hardiness of zone 7 so many of us in Ohio are likely not able to plant this one.

Our best suggestion for the boxwood blights? Limit formal hedging to where it truly makes sense in a formal garden or entry. Diversify the plant choices selected for these gardens. Switching between appropriate cultivars of boxwood, inkberry, yews, plum yews, and perhaps even x Pyracomeles can help us significantly push back against plant pest issues.

As for now, we can’t help with the awkward name x Pyracomeles, other than to say, we don’t pronounce the “X”. We’ll probably stick with the cultivar names for these plants.

Jim Funai, PhD, is full-time faculty at Cuyahoga Community College, a NALP accredited associate of applied science in horticulture degree program. He has a PhD in Landscape Engineering and Forestry and is a Licensed Arborist. Shelley Funai is Grounds Manager at Stan Hywett Hall and Gardens in Akron, Ohio, which offers a historic estate designed by Warren H. Manning and a manor house museum. She is Landscape Industry Certified in Ornamental Plant Care.

CULTURE IS NO ACCIDENT

WHY DESIGNING AN INTENTIONAL CULTURE IS CRITICAL TO YOUR BUSINESS GROWTH

Company culture isn’t an optional aspect of your business. It already exists, whether you put effort into shaping it or not. The question is, do you have a work culture that complements your personal values? As a leader, it is on you to build the culture you want to see in your organization because how you define your culture also impacts you and your team’s decision-making.

THE BUSINESS CASE FOR CULTURE

Culture isn’t just a vague concept. It can result in tangible change. For instance, Paul Fraynd, CEO of Sun Valley Landscaping, based in Omaha, Nebraska, and Ashly Paladino, COO of Sun Valley Landscaping, based in Omaha, Nebraska, shared during ELEVATE that creating their intentional culture required establishing their ‘Core,’ which includes their purpose, vision, mission and values.

Their purpose serves as their why, and their vision sets where they are going, while the mission is what they do, and the values outline how they do it.

The cost of turnover is extremely costly, and since creating this intentional culture, Sun Valley has shifted their turnover from 140% to < 45%.

Culture can also serve as a recruiting advantage as your current employees are more likely to talk positively about your organization and make others curious about applying. Sun Valley now offers a living wage for 93% of their team and their recruiting expenses are down by 75%. They’ve also gone from having 15 safety incidents per year to 0.

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Carbon

Delivery

Curbside

Sturdy

hauling

Landscape Body:

• Easier to maneuver on residential streets and tight job sites

• Lower operating costs with fewer tires and better fuel e ciency Ideal hauling capacity for mulch, soil, gravel, and debris

• Hydraulic dump body saves time and labor on every job

Drives like a pickup — works like a dump truck

continued from page 26

5 HABITS TO BUILD CULTURE

If you want to be more intentional about the culture at your business, you need to be disciplined and follow five habits.

1. The first habit is to believe it. You need to have a why that goes beyond profits as your leadership philosophy permeates every part of the business. Your culture is shaped by what leaders decide matters the most.

If you’re uncertain what you want that to be, ask yourself what you want your culture to say about your legacy as a leader and what you’d want your team to say about your current company culture.

2. Once you know what you want your culture to look like, you have to get in the habit of modeling it as what you do means far more to your team than what you say. Your culture is directly shaped by what behaviors you tolerate, celebrate and correct. You must stick to your values even in periods of crisis or high stress if you want your culture to last.

3. The third habit is to communicate it. A strong culture requires language, mantras, rituals and repetition in order to be accepted. Over-communicate and bake your culture into everything you do from onboarding to promotions and recognition.

4. This leads to the fourth habit of reinforcing your culture. Your culture becomes real when it is integrated into your systems and processes. Who you hire, fire, promote and discipline should all be based on your company culture. The best way to reinforce your culture is to celebrate employees when they are doing things the right way.

5. Lastly, you have to live out your culture every day in the small moments. How you dress, drive, park, speak, and greet clients and teammates all serve as indicators of your company culture. While as a leader you determine what you want your culture to be, every member of the team’s decisions either reinforce or degrade it.

As you reflect on your culture, consider what company values aren’t showing up enough in daily actions and where you need to strengthen your culture.

This article was written by Jill Odom for the National Associations of Landscape Professional’s blog, “The Edge”. This information came from a session during the 2025 ELEVATE conference and expo. Don’t miss ELEVATE in Tampa, Florida, on Nov. 8-11, 2026.

EVENT INFORMATION

APRIL 9, 2026

KURTZ BROS. INC 6415 Granger Rd Independence, OH 44131

SCHEDULE

REGISTRATION & BREAKFAST

8:30 - 9:00 am

MORNING SESSION

9:00 - 11:30 am LUNCH

11:30 - 12:15 pm OUTDOOR BUILDING

12:15 - 2:30 pm

COST

MEMBERS: $99

NON-MEMBERS: $149

HARDSCAPE HANDS ON TRAINING

WITH PAVER PETE

In the morning session, you will learn about outdoor industry trends, safety, specialized tools, efficiency of modular systems, and segmented retaining wall construction. In the afternoon you will have the opportunity to create custom builds of firepits, planters, seating walls, kitchen islands, and water features in outdoor spaces. The afternoon session will be done in groups of 10 to allow for interactive learning and hands-on building of 10 X 10 outdoor features. Bring your questions for Paver Pete! The class is limited to 50 attendees, so register early.

DISCUSSION TOPICS WILL INCLUDE:

• Safety on the Jobsite

• Segmented Retaining Wall Construction

• Hands on Building of Outdoor Features

PAVER PETE BALOGLOU

“Paver Pete” Baloglou is a Sales Coach and the Director of Education and Information for Techo-Bloc, a premier manufacturer of hardscape products in North America. With 30+ years in the industry, including work on hardscape projects from inception to completion, manufacturing, and distribution, Pete knows how to build jobs. His consulting services include Job Pricing, Marketing (Traditional and Digital), Helping Clients Buy (Sales Process and Cycle), and Construction of patios, walks, drives, pool decks, permeable pavement, and retaining walls (SRW).

Pete holds a degree in accounting from the University of Maryland, is a published author, has appeared on numerous home improvement shows (including Hometime, Mancave, Hometeam, Extreme Makeover), is a CMHA certified instructor and past committee member, has hands-on experience in almost 40 states and 5 countries, and was a lead instructor for 19 years at contractor showcase event that reached over 14,000 installers/ business owners per year.

HOW I DO IT:

USING PUNCH LISTS TO SECURE FINAL PAYMENT

If you struggle with collecting your final payment from clients after completing design/build projects, implementing a punch list walkthrough can help mitigate this issue.

This was the case for Local Roots Landscaping, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While early on they didn’t have a punch list process, after implementing around seven years ago, it has made a noticeable difference for their business.

Rob Friedenberger, director of operations for Local Roots, says the biggest impact from adding punch list walks to their process has been improved cash flow, as they can ensure final payment. After going through the punch list items, the client knows their next step is paying the final invoice.

“From a client standpoint, it gives them notice that you’re completing the job, you’re wrapping things up,” Friedenberger says. “You can get a sense of their perspective on the project. If things were great, it’s the perfect time to say, ‘Hey, if you’re super happy with your project, would you mind giving us a quick Google review?’” Friedenberger adds that it also gives clients the sense that you take pride in the quality of your work.

PUNCH LIST PROCESS TIPS

For Local Roots, the client conducts their punch list walk with the project manager before final completion. “The project manager just sets up a time with the client,” Friedenberger says. “They have a checklist that basically is a Google Form they go through. They check it off as they’re going through different things, making sure that everything is done. They’re keeping an eye out for things that need to be addressed.”

With the Google Form, the project manager can check boxes for issues that come up as well as leave more detailed notes. Friedenberger says they use the checkboxes to get data metrics on a common punch list issue.

“We have weekly trainings on Tuesday mornings, and if we start to notice a trend where they start coming up a lot, that’s when we address them,” Friedenberger says. “It’s not frequent that we have to.”

Friedenberger says their punch list Google Form is always evolving and changing, and as their crews improve, they’ve been able to narrow their scope of what they’re looking for.

“The nice thing with the project manager doing the walkthrough is they can identify why it’s a punch list item,” Friedenberg says. “Is the crew going fast? Or was it a defect? Or is this just part of the process, or is it a lack of training?”

What you should include on your punch list will vary based on your services. Friedenberger says some of the basic elements he looks for are if the polysand is applied consistently, if the pavers have any visible chips or stains or if there are any exposed wires from the landscape lighting. He adds you should consider who is installing the project as well, so if something isn’t an individual’s strong suit, that item should be added to that project’s punch list.

During a punch list walkthrough, Friedenberger says anything from inconsistent mulch to a plant not meeting a client’s expectations can come up. “Really, that’s what punchless walks should be,” he says. “It shouldn’t be dealing with any major issues. It should be almost preference things more so and just minor touch-ups and clean-ups.”

Once the items have been identified, Local Roots strives to address them while the crews are still on site, so these tasks are added to their daily schedule. Local Roots opts to cover the punch list process via overhead recovery and allocates about 2-3% of the total job time for handling these final details.

MINIMIZING PUNCH LIST PROBLEMS

One way Local Roots reduces the number of punch list items they need to address is by keeping live tabs on their jobs through daily photo updates. They share these pictures through their white-label app with customers. Friedenberger says this allows them to manage subjective requests throughout the project.

“They get an update in the morning before the crews are off,” he says. “They get an update during the day of progress, and an update at the end of the day with pictures. Even if our clients are not around, they can see that progress as it’s going, so they can provide that feedback live and say, ‘Hey, that wasn’t what I was expecting.’”

For subjective issues that crop up during the punch list walk, Friedenberger advises asking the client how they’d like to see the issue resolved and providing a professional suggestion as well. “Generally, they go with our recommendations,” he says. “If the communication is good on the front end, they learn to trust us, and those problems usually vanish.”

Friedenberger suggests conducting punch list walks with subcontractors as well as. He says it’s all about communication and paying attention to detail. “If we do have a subcontractor that’s doing hardscape work or something like that, then absolutely, we still follow our same punch list procedure, just as they’re wrapping up,” Friedenberger says. “That’s the ideal time. Just that way we’re not demobilizing, remobilizing all that stuff and keep them on site.”

Friedenberger recommends that other design/build companies utilize a punch list process and digitize it if they haven’t already. “The data is what drives us to make changes,” he says. “If you walk around with a clipboard and you make a punch list, that’s great. That’s going to get the job done, and you’re going to end up repeating that cycle.”

This article was written by Jill Odom for the National Associations of Landscape Professional’s blog, “The Edge”.

CATCH THEM BEFORE THEY’RE GONE!

Landscape Ohio! Awards submissions are open until March 27 at 5:00 pm. We are also collecting nominations for the “Lifetime Dedication and Outstanding Contributions To The Landscape Industry” Award. Nominations for the 2026 Recipient are due March 31, 2026. Please submit information to Patty@OhioLandscapers.org. This award is the highest honor that the OLA bestows on an individual. It is to honor service to the landscape industry as a whole (not service to the OLA specifically). This person is not honored for their company’s success, but for what they give to others.

Information Needed for Lifetime Achievement Award:

• Your Name, Title, Company, Email Address, Phone.

• Person you are nominating, Title, Company, Email, Phone, Actively Working/Retired/Deceased.

• How long have you known your nominee?

• How do you know this person?

• How has this individual gone above and beyond to give back to the landscape industry?

Save the date for these upcoming events.

• July 8 - Columbus Plant ID

• July 15 - Cleveland Plant ID

• August 6 - Golf Outing

• September 25 - Plant Healthcare

• October 8 - Landscape Ohio! Awards

• December 4 - Dormant Pruning

Thank You to all of our members, sponsors, advertisers, committee and board members who support the OLA Community and make it possible for all of us to be a part of this incredible industry!