American Academy of Landscape Design

Blog moved

2008-11-07T09:25:00.001-06:00

This blog has moved. Click here!

Survey Questions

2008-10-08T05:21:00.006-06:00

In my e-zine, I'm including short survey questions. If there is something you want to know, please share below! Thanks.

Details, Details

2008-10-06T15:48:00.008-06:00

Landscape Designers work all kinds of different ways. Some are design only, some design/ build. Some deal with all kinds of hardscapes, grading and drainage, and others stick to plants.I'm interested in how you handle the details in your designs. I'm not talking about notes on plans, but specifically "how to build it" details. Please take 12 seconds and fill this out. I'll post the results when I

Teleseminar

2008-09-29T14:52:00.012-06:00

On September 23 and 24, I participated in a teleseminar hosted by Chris Heiler of LandscapeLeadership.com. If you are interested in downloading the recordings, click here. It was an interesting experience and an opportunity to meet Jeffrey Scott. Our topic for the first night was "Understanding The Value of Design." The second night was entitled "Surviving in a Struggling Economy." Over the

A Nice Honor

2008-09-06T18:30:00.000-06:00

I'll be reviewing the APLD Conference I attended a couple weeks ago in my EZine in another week or so, but thought I'd share this now. At the conference, 11 colleagues and I were granted Fellowship by the organization.I am honored and proud to be among only 12 Fellows of APLD. Following is an excerpt from the official Press Release:Those individuals who qualify for Fellowship status must

More Tech Talk

2008-08-31T12:37:00.004-06:00

I love my new iPhone. Mostly. I migrated from a Treo 650, which is a pretty big change. Sort of. I've been using Palm OS PDAs for 10 years and been through at least 5 different devices. Since I made the commitment, the PDA and its desktop counterpart(s) have run my life, both personally and professionally. Suffice it to say there were a few adjustments when making the switch. Anyway, I'm

Technology and Landscape Design

2008-08-24T09:48:00.001-06:00

It's been awhile since I last posted. It's primarily because of the demands of the season, and this post will be brief for the same reason. I'm sure many others have discovered some of the new features in Google Maps. Briefly, if you enter an address, quite often there is an interactive street-level photo linked to it. So if you are headed out, for example, to meet a new client, you can do some

What Are You Worth?

2008-05-28T15:22:00.005-06:00

What is your expertise worth? Your time? Your knowledge? I think it's fair to say that each of us as a professional has a different value to different people. To someone who wants some bushes and a couple flats of annuals, I'm overpriced. But for someone who is looking for a complete landscape makeover, I'm the guy. Maybe you're in between. When you price yourself, do you put a price on your time

No One Asked Me (Again)

2008-04-17T09:02:00.002-06:00

I keep forgetting to blog this. It's no longer new or news, but it's still disturbing. Well, the logic, or lack thereof, is disturbing. The City of Chicago this year instituted a tax on bottled water. Hmmm...if it weren't punishment enough to pay for something that comes out of the faucet. Of course, it's a greenwashing strategy. It is not described as a tax on water, but a tax on plastic. They

Design and Voice Mail

2008-04-15T08:41:00.001-06:00

In my last post I criticized some bad system design. One was a poorly-designed voice mail system, and the other a poorly designed phone support system. Both result in a company's being perceived as user-unfriendly. On the other hand, you have different fingers. Also, there are a few who "get it." Take, for example, American Taxi. I use them all the time for travel to/from O'Hare airport. Their

I Don't Do Book Reviews II

2008-04-13T07:41:00.005-06:00

One of my favorite topics is design. In fact "design thinking" is a topic I've blogged about in the past. That's why Tom Peters' book Design appealed to me. Tom Peters is not in the landscape business and he's not a designer. But he knows design. Not I'm not saying he knows a good landscape design from a bad one. I have no idea whether he does or not. He uses the term "design" to describe a much

Book Review: Perennial Reference Guide

2008-02-21T17:00:00.004-06:00

I don't do book reviews. I guess the main reason is I've been around awhile and I no longer get too excited about the "next new thing," and I don't refer to books as much as I used to. I know enough plants to do what I do. I'll add a few to my palette every year or two, but I tend to stick with what works for me. Having said all that, Karleen Shafer asked me to review her book which is aptly

Reputation

2008-02-19T17:29:00.002-06:00

Our opportunities are created or destroyed based on what people think of us. Once a reputation is tarnished, it is hard to clean it up.ReputationThere IS one thing that’s yours alone,And it’s up to you to guard it.That thing’s your reputation—Be sure you haven’t marred it: When someone asks, “do you know him?”And you respond, “Of course,”Your curiosity’s aroused—Why? What thoughts are yours? Are

Poetree

2008-01-24T07:20:00.000-06:00

How is a poem like designing a landscape? Well, you can write your own metaphors, but the process of creating both is very similar. You take a bunch of inventory items: In the case of a landscape, that would be plants, paving, water, and the like; for a poem, words. Then you put them together. One of my favorite poems is Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken." The last 3 lines are the best known:Two

Sales and Customers?

2008-01-09T10:07:00.000-06:00

I've blogged this before. Here are a couple more thoughts. To repeat a previous thought:People do NOT like to be sold to. But they LOVE to buy!If you call yourself a sales person, that is how you will be perceived: As someone out to sell stuff. However, if you position yourself as an adviser, you have a better chance of gaining your potential client's trust. Of course you must also ACT as an

Don't Say It

2008-01-07T19:54:00.000-06:00

How do you describe your business? It's a tough thing. You need to say something about it, but if you say too much, it's self-defeating.Maybe you disagree, so if you do, please speak up.Here's a simple example. The moment you describe something as "classy," it's tainted. The person describing it as "classy" immediately loses credibility as one who might recognize or be accustomed to "classiness.

Costa Rica

2007-12-27T12:18:00.000-06:00

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 RicaA Program of Connors Landscape Design, Inc. P.O. Box G, Duxbury, MA 02331Tel: 781-934-5200 800-230-3826 Fax: 781 934 8134 Email: info@

More Green!

2007-12-17T10:30:00.001-06:00

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

What are you selling?

2007-12-07T11:39:00.000-06:00

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

My Favorite Plants

2007-12-06T17:08:00.000-06:00

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?

Green?

2007-11-26T15:24:00.000-06:00

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 '

Does Your Creativity Go Beyond The Landscape?

2007-09-07T16:47:00.000-06:00

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

Misdirection

2007-07-15T14:37:00.000-06:00

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

No One Asked Me

2007-07-07T06:03:00.000-06:00

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

First Aid?

2007-06-26T06:38:00.000-06:00

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

American Academy of Landscape Design

2007-06-13T09:11:00.000-06:00

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

Loud and proud!

2007-06-12T11:50:00.000-06:00

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

Oklahoma Gardening

2007-05-30T20:56:00.000-06:00

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!

2007-05-28T07:31:00.000-06:00

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

HGTV's Landscapers' Challenge follow up

2007-05-28T06:31:00.000-06:00

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

2007-05-25T15:44:00.000-06:00

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

HGTV's Landscapers' Challenge

2007-04-14T08:00:00.000-06:00

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

Check your grocery store

2007-03-22T08:42:00.000-06:00

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

Another Book

2007-03-14T13:28:00.001-06:00

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,

A New World For Me

2007-03-14T13:09:00.000-06:00

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

More Words

2007-02-21T09:56:00.000-06:00

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

Check Your Pubs

2007-02-20T14:52:00.000-06:00

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

Words We Use and Survey Update

2007-02-19T10:22:00.000-06:00

Survey UpdateWe'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 UseA few

The Words We Use

2007-02-15T12:03:00.000-06:00

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."

Curriculum Survey

2007-02-13T11:49:00.000-06:00

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

Reflections on ANLA Management Clinic

2007-02-05T10:06:00.000-06:00

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

Where Do You Start?

2007-01-29T15:33:00.001-06:00

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

Follow The Money

2007-01-23T17:30:00.000-06:00

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

Design Thinking and Holiday Greetings

2006-12-22T11:01:00.000-06:00

Following is our e-newsletter, sent on 12/22/06. You can subscribe here.People Are Drawn To Good Design"As consumers invest more time and money into what they buy, a growing number of companies are placing heavy emphasis on design."This quote kicks off the article entitled "With Good Looks Come Big Profits" at Inc.'s online magazine. Hey, we're in the design business! This is good news for us.

Who Is This Guy?

2006-12-02T14:13:00.000-06:00

Who is this guy?One of the reasons the Academy has an Advisory Board is to have reliable people with whom to discuss ideas. One of them suggested I do something I'm not accustomed to: Brag. Well, not brag exactly. He suggested that many people out there might want to know why they should trust their money and time to the American Academy of Landscape Design. What does Tim have to offer? Who

Exclusive Autumn Offer!

2006-11-13T09:27:00.000-06:00

Following is our e-newsletter, sent on 11/13/06. You can subscribe here. The holiday season is upon us and WE NEED STUDENTS! Keep reading to find out about how you can attend for HALF price.2-4-1 That's "Two For One!" Take advantage of this one-time deal. Sign

PLANET Recap, Free Magazine, Thoughts on Selling, Winter Courses

2006-11-07T09:24:00.000-06:00

Following is our e-newsletter, sent on 11/7/06. You can subscribe here.PLANET Meeting in Columbus It seemed all too familiar. The Convention Center, that is. In my mind, I had not been to Columbus since 1992 when I visited Ameriflora as a post conference tour with APLD. But we never visited the Convention Center in 1992. It finally clicked when I walked

ASLA Recap, Residential Design Thoughts, Fall/Winter Courses

2006-09-29T09:47:00.000-06:00

Following is our e-newsletter, sent on 9/29/06. You can subscribe here.ASLA Meeting in Minneapolis We have leaves on the ground here in the Chicago area. I’m fresh off a plane from Minneapolis where I attended the annual meeting of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Traditionally, ASLA has not been a big supporter