By Linda Erskine

As I sat down with this, the last copy of the May issue of Landscape Trades prior to printing, my mind was mainly intent on finding those small typographical glitches that may seem small in the editing stage but appear mountainous in the printed form. And, after reading and re-reading the articles contained in this magazine sometimes four, even five or six times in a row, it is sad to say that the article’s content, in the final editing stage, can be somewhat lost in the final moments of commas, periods and dangling participles. This time through, however, was different.

     What stuck out most in my mind was not the fact that we have put together a compilation of articles geared to specific sectors, but in the common thread that we had chosen to highlight businesses, techniques and industries from across the globe. For a national magazine with an office based in Ontario, getting a national and even international scope can sometimes be a feat. You can’t write about those things you do not know, but through affiliations with our sister associations, industry advocates and comrades, Landscape Trades accomplished just that.

     Before putting this issue together, we knew very little about the horticultural industry in Chile, but thanks to Tom Intven of Canadale Nurseries and his account of his horticultural tour, we are that much more enlightened. Highlighting an extensive tour that visited nurseries, gardens, farms and wineries in this beautiful South American country, Tom’s personal account was so interesting and so in-depth that it warranted splitting the article in two, with next month’s article taking a look at Chilean garden centres, landscaping trends, cut flower production and wineries.

     The East Coast of Canada, while it is many miles away from where I sit today, is the breeding ground for many horticultural greats — in plant introduction and propagation and in the first attempt at large scale topsoil conservation. Join Wilf Nicholls of the Botanical Garden at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) and MUN’s spin-off company — New Found Plants, as they get set to introduce new, improved and under-used plant varieties to the industry in the Maritimes and abroad.

     Jack Wetmore shares his first-hand account of the topsoil conservation project conducted at a high school in New Brunswick, the first of its kind in that region.

     For the grower and indirectly the irrigation contractor, Landscape Trades searched for an international perspective and found it in Holland. Read about which irrigation techniques work best for the industry in the Netherlands on page 46.

     So what is next for Canada’s premier horticultural trades publication? Perhaps an article on the industry in Canada’s newest territory, or a retrospective look on past landscape design styles. Read on. No matter the topic covered, it is sure to be an interesting and enlightening read.