In the horticulture industry, one of the hardest jobs out there is that of the landscaper. Whether they maintain commercial properties, sprawling estates or the landscapes of middle-class homes, the crews and their captains are on the move constantly, installing, maintaining and selling (and striving to keep) clients. If you want a landscaper’s business, helping them with any job in that list will be a gold star for you.
To find out what would make a landscaper’s job easier we spoke with two people in the landscaping field: Bruce Hellerick, senior horticulturist in the New Jersey and Pennsylvania area for the national Brickman Group, and Amanda Thomsen, a property manager for a medium- to large-sized landscaping company that works with some very-high-end clientele in Chicagoland. Both deal with crews and clients every day and have a very good sense of how breeders and suppliers can better meet their needs.
We’ve compiled their needs and have found some ways breeding companies are addressing the solutions. In Part I, we discuss bulletproof plant characteristics and easier ordering procedures.
Problem: Low Maintenance
Bruce: “We need varieties that are easy to care for—minimal pruning, no deadheading, no insects, no diseases … Put the plant in the ground and you basically don’t have to worry about it.”
What’s working now? “Most petunias, but the Easy Waves are a real hit now,” Bruce says. “Some newer begonias are great and some of the newer zinnia varieties that are mildew resistant.”
Solution: Bulletproof Varieties
Here are some varieties that address needs for bulletproof, low-maintenance plants in the landscape:
From Ball Horticultural Company
- Whopper begonias
- Redhead, Wasabi, Henna and Indian Summer vegetative coleus
- Divine New Guinea impatiens, SunPatiens impatiens (both resistant to downy mildew)
- Titan and Cora hybrid vincas
- Wave, Shock Wave and Tidal Wave petunias
- Serena, Archangel and Angelmist angelonias
- Dakota Gold helenium
- Foliage items such as Silver Falls dichondra, Little Ruby alternanthera, Purple Lady iresine, Silver Mist helichrysum
From Suntory
- Sun Parasol Garden Crimson mandevilla
- Surdiva scaevolas
- Sunrosa roses
- Sungelonia angelonia
- Surfinia petunias
- Senetti pericallis
- Summer Wave torenias
- Tapien verbenas
- Ilumina Lemon Mist scoparia
- Silver Leaf Yellow helichrysum
From Proven Winners
- Supertunia Vista Bubblegum petunia
- Supertunia Indigo Charm/Sangria Charm petunia
- ColorBlaze Keystone Kopper and ColorBlaze Marooned coleus
- Luscious Citrus Blend lantana
- Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Red ipomoea
- Graceful Grasses Purple Fountain Grass pennisetum
- Senorita Rosalita cleome
- Snow Princess lobularia
- Diamond Frost Euphorbia
Problem: On-the-Go Ordering
Amanda: “Making online ordering easier! With a phone!” Amanda notes that often her buyer will place a “must have quickly” order for what the grower’s website says it has in stock only to find out a day or two later that they no longer have those plants. Landscapers need access to real-time inventories.
Solution: Control the Market
“Phones are now time-trackers, presentation devices, estimating tools and increasingly, cash registers,” says Ball’s Jeff Gibson. “The first grower or retailer to figure out how to link to and sell from a live plants inventory, accessible by smartphone to the landscape customers, will rule their region.” GP
LOOK FOR PART 2 in our February issue, where we discuss waste, landscaper education and more.
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