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.

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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

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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)

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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

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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!