Costa Rica

Ever wanted to tour Costa Rica? Peggy Connors, one of the founders of APLD, has run tours for years. Never been there, but I hear it's beautiful. Check out Peggy's web site for more info:

Guided and Custom Trips to Costa Rica

A Program of Connors Landscape Design, Inc.

P.O. Box G, Duxbury, MA 02331

Tel: 781-934-5200 800-230-3826 Fax: 781 934 8134
Email: info@costaricanaturally.com

Website: www.costaricanaturally.com

More Green!

In my last newsletter, I discussed some of the huge opportunities out there for "green" marketing. In my 11/29/07 Blog entry I offered some ideas. It may be those exercises, or maybe it's the fact that this time of year I actually go into stores (not one of my favorite things for sure), but there seem to be a number of stores selling fabric shopping bags to "save the earth." In fact, one of my kids was selling them as a fund raiser.

My local Jewel is selling them too, suggesting, "Buy reusable grocery bags and help your environment every time you shop."

Likewise, Trader Joe's encourages us to "Save The World"!

So...I have done my part. I'm not asking for any thanks, admiration, or undue worship, but I have saved the planet 3 times in the last week!

Can you think of any way to ride this wave to help your business? Please share!

What are you selling?

So what is it that you have that other people are willing to shell out their hard-earned cash for? What is your business? This question is easier for some to answer than others. Are you focused on selling product, or solving people's problems?

I've been making my way through a book called Selling The Invisible by Harry Beckwith. It's an easy read and easy to pick up and put down too, which is why I nibble at it. The topic is sales in a service industry. Anyway, one of the key concepts is simple: Have something people want to buy. Sounds easy. They may not know they want to buy it yet, but it still needs to be something people will buy and something they will be satisfied with once they have it.

Okay, so back to the initial question: So what is it that you have that other people are willing to shell out their hard-earned cash for?

Do you sell landscaping? That would mean trees, shrubs, paving, walls,...inventory items. Or do you sell something else?

Take a look outside our industry.

Burger King: "Have It Your Way." It's not burgers they are selling, it's the convenience of customizing your order without a hassle.
The Care of Trees: "Our business is people and their love of trees." They could say "Come see us for all of your tree care needs," right?
Land's End: "Guaranteed. Period."
Caribou Coffee: "Life is short....Stay awake for it!"
Staples:: "That was easy!"

The above examples play on people’s desire to have something hassle-free that makes them feel good. It’s a wonder people in our industry have not caught on.

Look around and you'll see for yourself. Some do it better than others. I think it all stems from the mind set of the company. Consider the stereotypical landscape truck:

XYZ Landscaping

Trees, Shrubs, Flowers, Pavers, Black Dirt, Design

In other words, "Our business is to sell you stuff for your yard." Notice that design is often listed last, an afterthought.

There is a difference between selling inventory items and providing what people what they really want. Here are some angles that may or may not fit your business. Decide who your client is and solve their problems. Examples:

"For the busy professional..."
"Spaces for the growing family..."
"Extend the enjoyment of your home to the outdoors..."
"Improve you home's value by 15%"
“Enjoy your garden longer with year-round interest!”

You get the idea. Focus on the benefits, the "What's in it for me." People don't need this stuff, but if you can show them how it will improve their lives, they will WANT it.

But it's deeper than that. Lip service isn't enough. If you truly are in it to improve people's lives in some way, then that will show, and the sales will follow. Like Beckwith suggests: Have something people want to buy. If YOU believe these things, believe in your "product," not only is your integrity intact, but you will honestly work to help people achieve what you promised. That makes the little extras and enhancements that come up along the way seem more like "additional benefits" than "add-ons." That's the key.

Please share any other examples, in our industry, or outside, of companies selling benefits vs. product.

My Favorite Plants

Have you ever been asked what your favorite plant is? Last week I was contacted by a writer for the Chicago Tribune who has been doing a series on people's favorite plants. Now the question is, "Do I have a fave?" Normally, no. I like a lot of plants for different reasons. However, since the writer asked and may put my name in the paper, Of course I have a favorite plant!

So, what did I tell her?
Well, I was tempted to provide my favorite fictional plants. That is, they have plant-like names, but they are most certainly not plants! Actually, a few are less than tasteful.

Since this is my forum, I will share them with you.

Impetigo rosacea sounds like a plant. It's not. Definitely not. But if I’d offered it, I wonder if the writer, who may not be particularly horticulturally astute, would have caught it. I just started writing a fictional description of this "plant," but thought better of it and deleted. It got ugly.

I could have also suggested one of my other favorite non-plants: Chlamydia. Again, it sounds like a plant...Not likely this one would have slipped through.

But maybe Ginkgo balboa would have gotten by. I can't really give it a good description. Maybe a picture would help.

Okay, I know the suspense is just too much. What did I choose? I played it safe and went with a ground cover I like. It's called Waldsteinia ternata, or barren strawberry. It's used less commonly in my area than plants like Pachysandra or Euonymus, and grows in a variety of conditions. It doesn't look terrific as it comes out of winter, but, then again, not much does here deep in zone 5. So there you have it. Just be glad I didn't post pictures of all the fictional plants.

Just for grins, check this out for some others: Wiki

Green?

It's Not Easy Bein' Green (or is it?)

Late to the party as usual, our industry is missing one of the most powerful marketing opportunities in history: The Green Movement! Whether or not you are a "true believer," this is a boat not to be missed. The environment is hot (no global warming jokes please), and your clients want to know what you are doing about it.

Here are a few quick examples.

The 'Green Movement' is a BIG thing these days! Of course we, at XYZ Landscape Company have been at it for years.

We decided years ago that the landfills didn't need the grass clippings or leaves that we collect from our clients' properties, so we made a bold move in 19__. That is when we began to use mulching mowers during the times of year when there are no leaves to collect. The benefits to your lawn are well-known (list them), but we are also doing our part for the planet by keeping this "green gold" out of the landfills.

Likewise, when we collect your leaves in the fall, those too are recycled. Through a process of grinding and aerating this "waste" is turned into compost which is returned to the earth in the form of organic fertilizer!

These are just a few of the things we've been doing, long before "green" was cool!

In our continuing efforts to help the planet, we are researching less chemical-intensive ways to deal with pests and diseases, as well as ways to conserve fuel. We will keep you posted!

OR

Green is in! Of course we've been green for years. It's the "green industry" after all! We've been into recycling since ____. In our ongoing efforts to do our part for the environment, we thought we'd let our valued clients know that recent research in storm water management has given us some new, eco-friendly options. Namely, these are rain gardens and bioswales. These creatures may not be what you think they are. Essentially, these are potentially attractive methods to deal with storm water on your property, without channeling it directly into storm sewers. Not only do you get an attractive feature in your property, but you also get to do your part to replenish the aquifers. Please contact one of our consultants to find out if your property is a good candidate for this type of feature!

OR

Same pitch, but use it to mention that with every irrigation system our company installs/specifies, we include an electronic rain sensor, which shuts off the system during periods of rain, thus conserving water and saving the planet, yadda, yadda yadda.

OR

In an effort to increase communication with our clients and reduce the amount of paper that ends up in the landfill, XYZ Landscape Company has made the commitment to go to a paperless newsletter. Enclosed is a postage-paid postcard with your name already o it. If you would kindly provide us with your email address, we'll make sure you don't miss an issue! OR A representative from our company will be contacting you in the coming weeks to confirm your email address.

LASTLY (and the easiest one!)

Plant trees!

Is there anything new here? Nope. But why not get some added marketing out of things you're doing already?

Now it's your turn.

Please share real-life examples of how the green industry can get greener, and how we can use the green movement to improve or promote our businesses!

Does Your Creativity Go Beyond The Landscape?

Okay, we're supposed to be creative, right? How come we don't always apply our creativity to our businesses? Here are a few uncommon efforts I hope you'll enjoy. First is from Schmechtig Landscapes. They held a contest among employees to come up with wording for various trailers. Here are some of the results. Pretty cool, huh?

Next are the license plates on vehicles at Plant Specialists of Long Island City, NY whose roof garden I toured in 2003 while attending APLD's conference in New York. Very cool. In the same vein, my friend Chris Thomas, owner of The Thomas Company sports "Arboles" on his plate.

Lastly, landscape designers Marina and Jamie Berger of Pottering Around, go whole hog on their vehicle with a mobile demonstration garden!

If you have any ideas or examples to share, bring 'em on!

Misdirection

What does magic have to do with landscape design? Actually, design is design. A well-constructed magic routine is like a well-written paragraph. The process of creating it is a design process. No, I don't think that is a stretch at all. I call this "design thinking." Scroll down in this post for a bit more on design thinking.

Well, I really wasn't going to do this, but my sister "outed" me in her e-newsletter! My underground hobby is magic. Not Harry Potter magic, but close-up magic. It's a bit geeky I guess, but I enjoy it. Anyway, last fall, the Conjurors Corner magic club, of which I'm a member, held its annual magic contest. I've never entered before, but thought I'd give it a shot. It aired a couple weeks ago on local cable TV. So here for your entertainment pleasure (?), is my performance.






There were 10 contestants, so 5 are featured in each show. Here is the complete show if you are into torture. The next 5 contestants should be on in August.

No One Asked Me

But when they do, I'll be ready.

There's a Whole Foods going up in my neighborhood. Never been to one. Seems to me they ought to sell only doughnuts, Cheerios, Swiss cheese, bagels and Funyuns. But no one asked me.

Words are powerful things, especially in their subtlety. Did that sentence just demonstrate itself? Choosing the right word, or the wrong one, can seriously affect the message you are trying to convey. In an industry where we often need to explain ourselves to our clientele, how we communicate is as important as what we say.

Consider how other professions describe themselves. A garbage man is a "sanitation worker." It's not about garbage; it's about cleanliness. A stewardess is a "flight attendant" and there, not to serve drinks, but for your safety. The mailman is a "letter carrier," and your waiter/waitress is a "food server." For many years now my wife, a busy stay-at-home mom, has been listed on our tax return as a "domestic engineer." That's not a joke.

How do you view your own profession? What words do you use to describe it? What words do you use when talking to a client? You might talk to co-workers about a "site," but to the site's owners, it's better to refer to the site as their "home." Below I've listed a few common terms and phrases used in our industry, along with recommended alternatives.

Common	Better
Landscaper	Landscape contractor, Landscape designer, Landscape architect, Landscape professional, ANYTHING but "landscaper"!
Bushes	Shrubs
Customer (someone you sell stuff to)	Client (someone you advise)
Dirt	Soil
Maintenance	Management or Plant Health Care
Employee	Team member
Sales call/Salesman	Consultation/Consultant
Decoration or "For interest"	Use design language, not "decorating" language

Of course I don't "go golfing" any more than I "go tennising." I play golf or play tennis. Off track I know, but same course. Okay, one more while I'm at it: Life insurance? Think about it. If it were called "death insurance" would anyone buy it?

Back on the industry, the connotations of the words we use to describe ourselves and what we do play a large part in how we are perceived. The landscape architecture profession is a perfect example. A significantly large proportion of LAs are neither in the landscape industry, nor are they architects. Many, understandably, get upset when asked the proverbial "brown spot on the lawn" question at cocktail parties. The profession of landscape architecture is broad, and many practitioners restore wetlands, design city centers, plan parks and public spaces. If you believe what you see in Landscape Architecture Magazine, there are many that specialize in what I call "land art." Is "landscape architect" really the best title for this broad profession? I don't think so. Land planner, land artist, land sculptor or landscape engineer may be better. Feel free to share any you can think of. My view is that much of the confusion, disagreement and misunderstanding in this industry stems from this ill-conceived title. But no one asked me.

Cliff Miller may be on to something. His design/build company is called P. Clifford Miller Landscape Artistry. Words are powerful things. Choose wisely.

P.S. If the words you use are in Spanish, or you want them to be, check out The Bilingual Connection. My sister, Jeanne Miller, teaches Spanish and English to industry professionals in the Denver area. Check it out.

P.P.S. This post is a follow up to this one. See also The Words We Use, and a follow up to it.

Please post comments! Incidentally, today is 07/07/07.

First Aid?

To me, humor and creativity are close friends. Free association, right brain activity, it's all the same. If you consider yourself to be creative, you are encouraged to cultivate your sense of humor.

Okay, as I blogged earlier this year, I'm working for Schmechtig Landscapes this summer.
As with many companies, a First Aid Kit is readily available. See below.



Look little bit closer and:










This is hanging on the wall in the restroom, so fair enough. Keep looking...






Maybe I'm warped, but I laugh every time I see this.

American Academy of Landscape Design

A few people have said they cannot find "What's In A Name. " Click here: What's In A Name?

Loud and proud!

The Cicadas are here! Loud and proud! Now what? How does our industry respond? Colleagues in various other regions have shared with me that their broods arrived 2 and 3 years ago. One reader in Colorado, Jackie Burghardt, emailed a photo of one of their "dog day" cicadas. See the green beauty below left. Ours look a lot different, black with red eyes (right).

I'm no expert, but I really think these guys are cool. They grow underground for 17 years and emerge nearly simultaneously. Then they do it again. Very cool.

That said, the sound they make is overwhelming in some areas. Carrying on a conversation is impossible. They wake us up in the morning. You can hear them on through closed car windows on the highway.

As for our industry, the press and knowledgeable sources are not helping. Most recommend that people not plant for the 3, 4 or 5 weeks that these critters are around. Yeah, right. See for yourself:

Chicago Botanic Garden
University of Illinois

See these sites recommended by subscriber Jackie Burghardt:
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/Pubs/insect/05590.html
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2137.html

I did a quick, informal poll of landscape contractors in the Chicago area. Here are a few comments:

At Schmechtig Landscapes the policy is "business as usual." A pre-cicada letter was sent to all clients to preempt any concerns. So far, there are no problems to report.

---

We are going ahead business as usual. We are telling everyone not to worry. Our warranty is a relationship thing. We feel that when clients place there trust in us, we have to live up to that. Every situation is different, but as long as we do the right thing everyone wins. It's all about the relationship. Personally, I think this is exciting because it brings more attention to what we do in the green industry. And for whatever reason, I've always been intrigued by large "bugs" like praying mantis, cicadas, etc as they have human-like qualities that we can relate to.

Jeff
Jeff Korhan, CLP, ASLA
Treemendous Landscape Company®
www.treemendous.com
blog: www.enhanceyourenvironment.com

---

Tim, Yeah, sure.Technically my replacement policy covers only dead plants. Plants damaged for various reasons (except during the planting process) are not covered. But you and I know that our clients never read the guarantee or if they do they choose to ignore it, so we'll replace the plant anyway. Most of my clients fortunately are patient and will wait to see if a plant will recover. Ive replaced plants too soon in the past. My back yard is full of them!

Damage may be anything from a couple twig ends drying up to some scarring of some of the main trunks of a multistem which sometimes resembles hail damage after a few seasons. I don't remember seeing a whole plant dying because of it.

Glenn Szmurlo, The Green Side (773-631-3696)

---

Hi Tim,
Many of our clients live in areas where the 17 year nasty has not yet made an appearance (new development or areas where the insect has not migrated to), so for those clients our usual warranties apply. For affected areas, we have given the client the choice (and responsibility) to select their installation date. As we do not anticipate the cicadas causing a mortality issue for new plantings, the typical twig damage would need to be pruned or netting could be installed as a preventative. As usual the news media has made this into a mega issue. Seems to me we should celebrate this wonder of creation or just break out the chocolate sauce and enjoy a snack!

Best,


Bob

Robert S. Hursthouse, ASLA Hursthouse, Inc

---

Also "business as usual" are Milieu Design, Inc., Anderson Landscapes and Greenhaven Landscapes So, basically, despite press reports of doom and gloom, the landscape world forges on! Anyone with anything else to offer, please speak up!

Oklahoma Gardening

Okay, this is an old one. In 2004 I was the keynote speaker at Gardenfest, a summer garden festival run by Steve Owens, host of Oklahoma Gardening. Steve and his crew came to Glenview to do a pre-festival episode of O.G. with me. Here is the show that aired a week before Gardenfest 2004.



For more info on Gardenfest, see here.

Google video makes this much easier than it use to be.

More Cicadas!

The Cicadas are here!

A colleague told me he was on a property in Winnetka (a nearby suburb for those not in the Chicago area), and, using his words, "It looked like the ground was moving!"

Our brood (Brood XIII), is supposed to be the biggest in the U.S. There is a lot of anxiety about them, but I'm excited. In response to my last e-newsletter (sign up here), several folks in the Mid-Atlantic told me their brood(s) arrived 2 or 3 years ago. Same in Indiana. All I can tell you is that ours is arriving as I type!

My friend Pam Duthie sent me a link to the the following video which tells how these fascinating critters work. Really cool.

HGTV's Landscapers' Challenge follow up

This show aired in May, 2007 and features me, Tim Thoelecke, as well as two friends and local designers, Todd Hayden from Schmechtig Landscapes and Nancy Sauerberg from Nancy Sauerberg Design. Learn more about Landscapers' Challenge here. This episode is scheduled to air again on July 8, 2007.

Some key thoughts:
Notice that all three designs had a lot in common.
The $75k budget at first seemed like plenty, but in reality, it was about half what was needed. The owners got a significant "deal" on this project.
Did Nancy get cheated in the camera time department?
Notice how I start w/ a necktie, but it's gone by the end? The crew determined that the tiny Chicago Cubs logo on it was not permitted.

Anyway, for anyone who missed it, click below. I'd be interested in any comments or questions, which you can post by clicking below.

What's in a name?
At a social function recently, I ran into a friend who also is a former client. In the course of small talk, she asks, "So how's the gardening business?"

I politely responded and continued our conversation, though inside I was seething. We did a fairly large project for this woman, including a pretty substantial stone patio and a pretty cool water feature. Yes, there were plants too, and plenty of them. Furthermore, I know she is active in her garden club. One would THINK she would know that there is a difference between what I do and what "gardening" is.

Am I a gardener? Sure. But that's at home. My chosen career is landscape design.

What are you? Do you deliberately choose what vocabulary to you use when discussing your profession. If you don't, you ought to.

Are you a landscaper? Gardener? Landscape architect? Landscape designer? Landscape contractor? If you are a professional, you ought to use words that sound professional. It's all part of your image.

Put yourself in the shoes of someone not in our industry. What image does the term "landscaper" conjure up? Perhaps that is the image you want. For me, no.
What I do is equal parts art and science. In order to do what I do, and do it well, I need to understand bits and pieces of many other professions. Among those professions, I count civil engineer, architect, horticulturist, environmentalist, carpenter/woodworker, ironsmith, mason, plumber, electrician, and more. How many of those are "gardening"? One. Is gardening an important element? Certainly. But I'm not in the gardening business.

How do we communicate these things to someone not in the industry? I don't know. It's hard enough to communicate them to people IN the industry!

More on this topic later. The cicadas are coming.

HGTV's Landscapers' Challenge

Received word this week of an air date for the LC show I participated in 2 years ago! You'll have to tune in to see who won.

Click here for info on the show and air times.

It was definitely an interesting experience, especially since my competition was two friends! Nancy Sauerberg from Nancy Sauerberg Design and Todd Hayden from Schmechtig Landscapes were both on board and it was fun to compare notes later.

For anyone interested, the referral to the show came through our involvement with APLD.

Check your grocery store

The Chicago area is well represented in a new publication called Distinctive Backyard Ideas written by Barbara Ballinger and published by Harris Publishing. Of the 42 projects featured, SIX were produced by my company. I have no idea how often this publication will come out, but word on the street is they are working on another one.

A word to the wise: Although the photo on the cover is nice, they did ask me to submit something for the cover. Problem was that my digital photos were not of high enough resolution. For those of you who aspire to have your work published, it's a good idea to make sure you've got at least a 6 megapixel camera.

Another Book

I guess 2007 has been a good year for PR opportunities!

A couple years ago I was approached by Andrew Wilson, who was one of my teachers at the Inchbald School of Design in London 20 years ago, about a book he was working on. Well, it just came out, though it doesn't appear to be available in the U.S. yet.

The cover image to the left comes from Amazon.com (UK), so if you are interested right away, you can grab one there.

I have not yet had a chance to go through it cover to cover, but it's a very nice coffee table book. I appear to be the only American represented. It's nice to see my friend (and former classmate!) Sally Court represented as well.

A New World For Me

When April arrives, for the first time in my professional life, I will have a job!

Huh?

Yep. I'll be joining the team at Schmechtig Landscapes in Mundelein, IL. We're still working on a title, but I'll be heading up a design team there, so I'll be doing what I love (designing landscapes), without the business function that took so much of my time with Garden Concepts.

I've shared this with only a few people, so you can consider this an announcement. A few have asked why. Without boring you with too many details, it came down to this. I know when I made the commitment to start the AALD that I'd be back designing landscapes come spring, 2007. I could fire up Garden Concepts full bore, but when fall and teaching season arrives, then what? There are always loose ends. This solves that problem, among a slew of others.

In any case, I'm very excited. For those of you who don't know the Schmechtig team, it's worth a visit to their (our!) web site.

More Words

Here are a few more Words We Use.

From Robin Templar Williams, respected garden designer from England and Managing Director of the Garden Design School:

"Positive Line"
"Positive Space"
"Clear Direction"
"Clear Intent"
"Ease of Passage"
"Uninterrupted Flow"
"Seamless Transition"

Rob notes that these phrases are not unique, and he's correct. But they show how an experienced designer thinks. Every single one of these shows intent. Intent is active design. Many designers get hung up on decoration and use terms that reflect that. You often hear things like "This ____ is placed here to provide some 'interest' or 'variety.'" Or "I chose this plant because I really like it." Those are "decorating" terms, not "design" terms. If you can't see the difference, then let me know and I'll try to make it more clear. The point is, Rob is an excellent designer. Good designers place elements in the landscape with a purpose, a defensible purpose. The terms we use to describe this purpose are real indicators of how well we understand what we are doing.

Check Your Pubs

The mail man was very kind to me today!
If you don't subscribe to Landshapes, you ought to. An article I wrote for them last fall has finally appeared. Stephanie Rose and company do a really nice job. By the way, a subscription is free. Just sign up on their web site. My friends Rosalind Reed and Judy Nauseef also have articles in this issue.

Also in the mail was a new publication you may find at the grocery store called Distinctive Backyard Ideas, published by Harris Publications and edited by Barbara Ballinger. I'm looking for a link. When I find it, I'll post it here! Oh, there are 7 of my projects in it covering 24 pages! Chicago appears to be well represented in the publication. Let me know if you see it on magazine stands!

Words We Use and Survey Update

Survey Update
We've got quite a few survey responses and we're hoping for a few more. Thank you to all who took the time to fill it out. I really appreciate the positive comments as well as all the suggestions. I'll be posting some of the results here in the coming weeks. If you have not yet had a chance to fill it out, click here. It's only 13 questions and goes quickly. Thanks.

Words We Use
A few friends have provided some phrases and words they use when communicating design ideas to clients. Here's a sampling:

The first come from Bernard Trainor of Bernard Trainor + Associates in Pacific Grove, CA. Bernard will be one of the featured speakers at the upcoming APLD conference in Pasadena.

• “The landscape and architecture will merge together seamlessly.”
• “Trees will anchor the building to the larger (borrowed) landscape.”
• “The driveway is the most used part of the landscape so make it memorable!”

The following come from Pete Wodarz of Milieu Design in Wheeling, IL. Pete has helped me out in the classroom, and is one of the more talented designers I know.

• "We use these plants to create a tapestry of color throughout the season."
• "These elements combine to give the area a strong sense of place."
• "Creating a sense of mystery and a desire to explore further"
• "Framing the view"

Joel Lerner, author of Anyone Can Landscape (among many others) and president of Joel M. Lerner Environmental Design in Chevy Chase, MD offers these:

• "My job is to put you in touch with your property to make it reflect the essence of your personality -- LERNSCAPING(TM)."
• "Progressive realization, not seeing the whole picture at one time, is the way to add mystery (interest) to your design."
• "Creating garden rooms (is) a way of subdividing your yard, and subdividing tends to make a property look larger."
• "Make smooth transitions from one space to another, like using the edge of forest plantings to go from lawn to woodland."
• "More comfort in spatial enclosure"; "12-month interest"; "create smooth indoor/outdoor relationships."

You may have heard Jeff Korhan of Treemendous Landscape Company speak at an industry conference this off-season. He's been on the docket at a number of them this year. His professional speaking site is here. Also, visit his blog here. Following are a couple of his contributions:

• "A house is just a pile of lumber, bricks, fasteners etc. But a beautiful home is the arrangement of these elements to create something special, unique, and functional. It's the same with landscapes. Anyone can throw a bunch of plants together, but it takes training, talent, and time to arrange them for an intended purpose."
• "I've made thousands of mistakes and learned from them. So you, Mr./Ms. Client, don't have to take risks because I've already taken them for you. I'm not experimenting with your money."

If you have any you would like to share, feel free to post a comment here, or just send me an email at tim@aaldweb.com!

The Words We Use

Communication is what it's all about. If you can't communicate your ideas in a meaningful way, then those ideas can get lost. When we present our designs, our ideas, to a client, the words we use ought to paint a picture.

I'll start you off with a few that I use, and a few used by friends. Some are statements; others are just phrases. Please chime in with your own using the comment link below.

"When you walk out onto your patio, you should feel as if you are entering another room."
"A walk around the garden is a voyage of discovery."
"A view from every window."
"All other things being equal, an ugly landscape costs just as much to install as an attractive one." (the late Harry Schuster)

Please share some of your favorites!

Curriculum Survey

As any education junkie like myself knows, there is a skill to attending conferences. That would be a good topic for a future post.

Over the last few months, I've attended quite a few of them. One of my missions was to do some informal research. It is pretty clear that high quality design programs are hard to find. That is why we created the AALD.

Interestingly, a topic that many suggested is closely related to design, but is more business related. It may be summed up in the term "Practice Management." This can mean any of the following: Managing the paper trail; getting noticed and getting business; establishing and cultivating credibility; understanding insurance needs; design fees; managing clients; contracts, and more.

Please help us narrow this down and let your voice be heard. The survey is only 13 questions and will go fast. Thanks!

Click here!

Reflections on ANLA Management Clinic

I just returned from the ANLA's Management Clinic in Louisville, KY. It's been at least 10 years since I last attended this terrific green industry conference. If you have not ever been, you're missing out. I hope to make this an annual event from now on.

It's been held at the Galt House in Louisville for thirty-some years now. Attendance this year was somewhere around 1200. I met folks from Texas, California, Washington (DC and state), Florida, New York, Texas, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, Kansas, Iowa and Illinois. And quite a few from Ontario.

The keynote speaker most were interested in was William McDonough. Though I'm not yet a "true believer," his presentation was compelling and well-constructed. I really enjoyed the keynote the following day by Dan Heath, co-author of a new book called "Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die." As a designer and small business owner, I really find the concept interesting. I've started the book and look forward to making my way through it.

Quotes from the Clinic (some paraphrased):

"When get up in the morning and do something with intent, you are designing." (William McDonough)

"Leadership is doing the right things. Management is doing those things in the most efficient way ." This is not unlike "Leaders manage people. Managers manage tasks." I prefer "Managers have subordinates. Leaders have followers." In any case, the concept is important.

"We are all waves in the same ocean–different, but the same."

And a couple from Mid Am

"We are all teachers...all the time. We are constantly teaching everyone around us who we are and what we believe life is all about." (Dr. John Powers)

"We can either learn from someone or judge them but we cannot do both. One eliminates the possibility of the other." (Dr. John Powers)

Where Do You Start?

A student in a recent course asked a really good question. To
paraphrase, "When you begin a new design, where do you start?"

For me, and I think for many experienced designers, it's not a linear
thing. A lot of ideas, impulses and strategies occur simultaneously.
But what if they don't? Where, then, do you begin? And how do you teach
someone else where he/she should begin?

Next time you hit a dead end, try this. Find all the lines inherent
in the architecture: doors, windows, corners. Extend them with thin
lines into the landscape creating a Mondrianesque grid. Now see if
you can work within that framework. If you have important views from/
through the house, the place for a focal point will be shouting at you.

Any lines you place on the ground plane that relate to the grid will
automatically relate to the architecture. Then work from there.

Okay, it's pretty basic, but it's a start. Compare it to learning to
write. Remember the outline with Roman numeral I at the top? The grid
strategy is taking the design process down to its very basics. It's
not the end though. If you don't develop that outline into a cohesive
piece, with introduction, three examples and a conclusion, you most
certainly won't get that "A."

So, where do I start? It depends on how quickly something comes to
me. However, the end result can be deconstructed to find Roman
numeral I. That is, even if it doesn't start with an outline
or a grid, the end result still contains the structure I would have
had it begun that way. Make sense?

I welcome your comments.

Follow The Money

Friends and associates have urged me to Blog more often. That's probably a good idea. I'll continue to post copies of our e-newsletter, but will try to post other items of interest (?) too.

I'll start here with what I think is one of the biggest challenges in the Green Industry. It's getting reliable information. Information is easy to get. Knowing whether you can trust it is tricky though.

Here's what I mean. I'm not going to pick on any specific manufacturer, but you know who they are. Let's say you want information about the best way to design/install/specify paving. Who provides that information? Usually, the most readily available source is a manufacturer who sells a specific product. Is the information he/she provides reliable? Maybe. Maybe not. You can rest assured, though, that whatever they tell you will show their product in a good light. In fact, they may even present their product as the ONLY option.

So let's go one more step down the chain: The installer. After all, these are the guys who work with the products, deal with the suppliers and have firsthand knowledge of the product. They should know, right? Well, they SHOULD know. The question I have is, do they get incentives from the manufacturer to use their product over another? It's a good bet they do. Also, maybe they choose one product over another, not because it's better, but because their margins are better on it.

As a designer, and my client's advocate, my interest is not in my contractor's profit, though I do want him to make money. My interest is in making sure my project is as good as it can be and that my client is getting the best he/she can get.

I used paving as an example, but the same is true with other landscape elements like irrigation, lighting and even plants.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that suppliers, manufacturers and contractors as a whole are unreliable and intending to deceive. I'm also not saying that just because someone has a bias toward one product doesn't truly believe it to be the best option. I'm only saying that, as a designer, it's important to follow the money. It's always wise to verify with a neutral source, if you can find one.

Trust everyone, but cut the cards. (Finley Peter Dunne)