By Wendy Jespersen, Lee Ann Knudsen and Sarah Willis

The landscape industry is always at the mercy of Mother Nature, and 2005 was no exception. The weather proved to be both a curse and a blessing, depending on which sector you look at. Record setting summer temperatures played havoc with many horticultural businesses, while frequent snowfalls kept maintenance contractors hopping. Across the board, the bottom line looks healthy and most LO members are optimistic about next year’s season. In our look back at 2005 you’ll find one common thread, regardless of sector — everyone has something to say about the weather.

Garden centres hit by hot weather
Susan Richards, garden centre manager at New North Greenhouses in Sault Ste. Marie, says “The weather in 2005 got too hot, too fast. The May 24th weekend was fairly good, but then it got way too hot and stayed hot! We generally don’t get the extended hot humid weather you see in Southern Ontario – so our customers aren’t used to it.” Richards reports few repeat visits from customers, as it was too hot to garden through the summer.

Not only was the summer too hot, but the autumn was unusually warm as well. Sault Ste. Marie didn’t experience a frost until Thanksgiving. “People don’t plant as much fall colour up here,” says Richards, explaining that the season is shorter. “Last fall homeowners were able to enjoy their annuals until Thanksgiving and then assumed winter was just around the corner, so few people planted mums, bulbs or other fall items. We had some beautiful fall plants this year, but sales were down.”

Not only did the weather present an enormous challenge in the summer, but local road closures made it difficult for customers to get to New North Greenhouses. And Richards adds, “We are about 20 minutes out of town, so when gas prices went sky-high in the fall people thought twice about taking unnecessary trips.”

Surprisingly, after a hard, cold winter with little snow cover, “It was pretty much an average year for returns,” says Richards, who was surprised the store didn’t have more returns and speculates customers may have attributed their plant death to the extremely cold weather, and not brought it back for replacement.

When asked about next year, Richards says she is just hoping for an average year in 2006. “When your whole business is dependent on the weather, you don’t want too many extremes.”

Weather was also a limiting factor for Grobe Nurseries in Breslau. Perry Grobe says that once the heat spiked up in June, customer visits to the store died off quickly. “The extreme heat made a big difference to us, people are less inclined to work in their garden when it is so hot, so the summer slowdown occurred sooner than usual last year,” he says.

The Region of Waterloo threw its local green industry a curve ball early in 2005 by introducing a by-law allowing lawns to be watered only on one day of the week. The initial by-law also stated that all other watering was to be done by watering can, but was quickly amended to allow homeowners to water plants with a hose on an additional day of the week. The region went so far as to charge homeowners for watering their lawns outside the limits of the by-law. Grobe thinks this overreaction so early in the season caused some homeowners to limit the amount of planting they did, thinking they wouldn’t be able to water their flowering plants. However, Grobe reports strong sales in specialty annuals and larger size annuals. “Container gardening is still going strong, and fortunately people seem to be adding to their garden with containers, not substituting containers for garden plants.” Perennial sales continue to grow at Grobe Nurseries, where Grobe will be allocating more space than ever for perennials next spring. “Fall was fairly strong for us,” says Grobe, “even though there was an abundance of mums on the market.”

In their many years in business, the Grobes have learned that the store’s performance at Christmas is a precursor to the mood for the following year. “So far it looks like it will be a great Christmas, so we’re looking forward to a good year,” says an optimistic Grobe. “After four years of unbelievably wild weather, I am playing the odds that the weather will be better and am looking forward to a gentle spring.”

Hot, hot, hot for grounds management
“It was a great year!” That was the enthusiastic response for Mike Malleck of Clintar Groundskeeping Service in London. “We had great people, satisfied customers and lots of snow.” While the winter was great for the grounds maintenance company, the summer presented a few more challenges. “We adjusted our schedules according to the weather. Employee safety is always a priority, so in 33 degree humid weather, we make sure not to overdo it,” Malleck explains.

Fuel prices also presented a challenge for Clintar but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been, says Malleck, who breathed a sigh of relief when the fuel prices came back down. “We solicited customer opinions and it was our decision to take a short term hit. We are better off to increase prices across the board rather than institute a fuel surcharge because customers don’t like surcharges and they are hard to administer.”

The top-of–mind issues for Clintar are three-fold. “Our challenges are still finding and keeping good people, training and monitoring staff for adherence to safety procedures and finding ways to provide a high level of service to budget conscious customers,” explains Malleck. “We are constantly re-inventing to come up with more efficient ways to do things.”

Jacki Ciphery of Waters Edge Landscaping in Port Sydney says 2005 was a very strong year in cottage country. “It’s been really exciting,” she says. “We’ve had lots of new planting projects and an excellent season for sales.” The challenge for Waters Edge is similar to other firms — finding and maintaining a strong labour force. “This was the first year we hired a high school student, and it was a nice surprise that it worked out so well.” Fuel was less of an issue for Waters Edge in 2005 because Ciphery had the foresight to order extra fuel for the yard when the price was low. “We managed to ride it out,” she says.

“All signs point to another busy year,” says Ciphery. “We have noticed some customers cutting back a bit, so we are responding by taking on more clients and decreasing the frequency of visits.” What’s popular with clients? “Our irrigation business had doubled,” she notes. Plans for next year are the same as every year. “We are never done. We are always looking for ways to improve processes, communication and service. It’s a constant evolution,” says Ciphery.

Growers tough out a drought
J.D. Everest of Everest Nurseries in Hepworth calls 2005 a tough season. The nursery set out 50,000 trees this spring, and lost a fifth of them to drought. Business was further slowed by depressed demand from landscape contractors, who were not doing a lot of planting in the dry months. However, Everest says things did pick up in the fall.

Everest Nurseries specializes in caliper trees and a few shrubs, and sells mainly to wholesalers in the Toronto area. As far as trends go, Everest has had declining call for ash trees and Norway maples, in response to the emerald ash borer infestation and the designation of Norway maple by some U.S. states as an invasive species. On the upswing are native species, including sugar maple, birch, white spruce, white cedar and hackberry.

The nursery’s orders for next year are looking strong. High demand stock includes natives in general, lindens and Autumn Blaze maple. Last summer was “a very good season for us!” according to Alice Klamer of Blue Sky Nursery in Beamsville. She credits higher-than-anticipated sales to several factors: hiring a new sales rep, instituting a scheduled delivery program, using custom labels with pictures, hosting an open house and publishing a colour catalogue. Klamer says Blue Sky has always had a good product, but these extra efforts at serving customers have really paid off.

Perennials are a key part of Blue Sky’s business. Klamer’s customers responded well to new varieties, some of which were quite expensive. She says that grasses were very hot.

Things got tense this summer, when water levels got dangerously low in the nursery’s two ponds – but the rains came in time. Since irrigation was constant, the result was an excellent growing season with no stress on the plants. Klamer experimented with a novel algae control method in her ponds, a pair of swans. The test was a success, and her territorial swans even keep the geese away. For 2006, Klamer already has some “amazing” orders, and will be busy filling demand. All her labels will be bilingual. She specifically credits Blue Sky’s success to her employees, “a strong team, with diverse skills, who are very committed to making the company soar.”

Landscape designers
By all accounts, landscape designers are still busy playing catch-up from a very hectic summer season. Greg Scarlett of Urban Landscape Solutions in Oshawa says 2005 has been a great year. “We are still busy in November!” He credits working with a great group of contractors for his success. “It’s been fantastic working with a group of professional contractors, seeing the designs come to life and keeping the customers happy,” he explains. Scarlett also appreciates the trends which have consumers clamoring to create outdoor rooms, kitchens and entertaining spaces. “Everyone wants to extend the season,” he says. Landscape lighting has also increased in popularity, notes Scarlett. “People work long hours, so they need outdoor lighting to be able to use and appreciate their landscapes.” Plant availability continues to challenge designers, notes Scarlett, with some sizes being difficult to find.

Ron Swentiski of Trillium Associates in Richmond Hill says that 2005 was “busy, busy, busy and more busy.”

“I think all of the gardening shows on TV help drive consumer demand,” he explains. “However, consumers are still uninformed in terms of horticulture matters or design.”

After hiring an intern from Humber College, Swentiski was able to accomplish more during the 2005 season. “It worked out great and I will probably do it again,” he says. What was hot last year? Swentiski says that lighting and irrigation are really gaining in popularity. “The clients don’t know exactly what it is, but they love the idea of not having to water or turn lights on and off.”

An ongoing challenge for designers is to promote the field in general, says Swentiski. “You see a lot of things that are great from a construction standpoint, but not so great from a design standpoint. We need to promote designers and get them involved in the jobs in the first place.”

Demanding schedule for contractors
“There were definitely challenges,” says Frank Frieburger of Frieburger Landscaping in Kitchener, of last year’s landscaping season. Because of the soaring temperatures everything took longer, notes Frieburger. “All the jobs were already quoted and we planned for a certain number of hours, but you can’t push your guys in the heat.” Frieburger tried to have everyone on site by 7:00 a.m. and liked to provide swim breaks whenever possible.

How did Frieburger deal with the increase in fuel prices? “We ate it,” he explains, “but we will be reviewing our contracts and making adjustments.” Echoing the ongoing industry labour challenge Frieburger says it’s a priority to look after his employees. “Full-time wages are important, and we continue to battle the stigmas that undervalue our industry.”

The market still looks strong in Kitchener-Waterloo, says Frieburger. “New home building may be slowing, but if people are staying put, they are looking for outdoor renovations. And a lot of what we do is rip-out and re-do,” he explains. What’s on tap for next year? “We’re getting into ponds and water features, but the big thing is maintaining them. There’s no point in putting them in if you can’t keep them clean,” says Frieburger.

Kevin Forestall of Forestall Landscaping in Guelph says the warm fall has been great for business. “A lot of people had trouble finding landscapers in the summer so they waited, and the weather has been great for fitting them in during the fall.” Forestall is now lining up contracts for spring, both in Guelph and in Toronto. Flagstone installation is still really hot, especially in Toronto, says Forestall. “We expect to be busy right up until Christmas,” he says. “It’s been a great year.”

Good year for irrigation
The irrigation business in the Ottawa area has been good for two years in a row, according to David Lepine. He says abundant rainfall last year did not depress demand. Lepine calls customer education key to his business, especially in technical areas like drip irrigation and auto-fertilizing. Besides taking the time to teach customers, Lepine relies on word-of-mouth recommendations to drive sales. His strategy is working, and he will be adding a team next season to meet demand.

In this climate of high demand, Lepine embraces a conservative pricing policy. He says 60 per cent of his typical bid is for cost of material, and while he claims that some contractors bid jobs at ten times their material cost, “what goes around comes around.” Lepine believes in the Certified Irrigation Technician effort, and has even named his business David Lepine CIT Inc. Staffing is his biggest business challenge. He tries to get his employees to take ownership of the business in two ways. First, recalls due to errors are performed by the responsible employee. Lepine also builds positive motivation through profit sharing.

Interiorscapers wait and see
Having been in business for 23 years, Mark Strait of Strait’s Tropical Interiors in Stouffville has a loyal, established clientele that stands him in good stead. “The year 2005 was not our best, but it was a good year,” he says.

Strait’s clientele is mostly commercial with a few high-end residential accounts. There isn’t a lot of new building construction going on, so Strait has taken advantage of established relationships to increase his business. Working in downtown condominiums has led to a seasonal off-shoot, landscaping penthouse roof tops for some of his customers. “It makes an interesting change from dealing with tropicals 365 days a year,” he says.

While not directly affected by the severe hurricanes that hit southern U.S., the horrific weather has had an effect on the interiorscape industry. “I can’t get 25 per cent of the material I specified for a large job I’m working on,” notes Strait who attributes the shortages directly to the hurricanes last year. “Some growers didn’t rebuild after Hurricane Andrew in the early 90s,” he says and predicts we’ll see more growers walk away from their farms this time as insurance premiums and rebuilding costs skyrocket. “We put in thousands of bromeliads over the course of the year on a cyclical basis,” says Strait, explaining that bromeliads last about three months in an interior planting. “The grower I buy from in the Niagara Peninsula says, because of the hurricanes, he can’t get product to me until spring 2006. Luckily I’ve been able to find other sources.”

Strait says Florida growers lost an estimated $500 million. However, after accounting for rebuilding costs, the damages will be in the billions of dollars. “It will be interesting to see how plant material shortages play out in 2006,” he says and admits it’s worrying.

Designing, selling and installing interior landscapes is a challenge, but Strait says more people recognize that plants are the earth’s lungs and acknowledge the environmental and aesthetic benefits of including live plants in a home or office environment. “Customers want live plants in their surroundings.” But Strait recognizes there may be some places where nothing will grow, so he offers a silk and dried service that is sometimes combined with live seasonal colour rotation. “I wouldn’t touch silks 20 years ago, but the quality is so good now that they are a consideration in extreme low light conditions.”

Lawn care reports strong season
Despite what he called “funny weather” this year, Reid Cowley of Custom Cutters in Peterborough reported a season that was not much different from normal finance-wise, and did not require any layoffs. It’s a stark contrast for Cowley, who was dealing with floods a year ago. His own basement was full, as he waited for his clients’ properties to emerge from under the water.

Cowley has expanded his maintenance business from 130 properties to 170. The reason he cites is that, “the business is there.” He felt the pinch of fuel costs this summer. In 2004, his highest monthly fuel bill was $1,500. His September 2005 fuel bill was $2,600, only partially due to an additional truck.

When asked about trends in the lawn care business, Cowley offered the observation that professional, long-term business owners, “guys like me,” tend to be over 50, and he does not see a lot of younger people coming into the industry for the long term. Cowley has been in business for 15 years.

Tanya Van Cott of Schoonhoven Landscape Maintenance in Picton reported no big weather problems affecting lawn care this season. In fact, she reported a “really good season.” Despite the good year, the Van Cotts are selling the lawn care portion of their business, but not because of any problems. They see an abundance of good opportunities in landscape construction, and have decided to specialize in that area.

Many light snowfalls make for profitable year
“Last winter goes in the books as being very windy with a lot of early morning snow falls,” says Willem Tiemersma of Willand Grounds Maintenance in Thornhill. “It was a terrible year for the timing of snow clearing or salting.”

In his area Tiemersma says there were a lot of one- to three-centimetre snowfalls that started between 2 and 4 a.m. Light snowfalls are generally managed by salting only. The snow removal and salting routes Tiemersma uses are six to seven hours long, so if his crews can begin by midnight, they finish in time to miss the morning rush. However, when a snow event begins at 3 a.m. it is difficult to complete a salting route by 7 a.m., when condominiums, stores and office buildings want their parking lots and sidewalks safe to navigate.

Snow and ice management contracts specify whether or not the cost of salt is included. With 30 per cent of Tiemersma’s contracts signed as salt-inclusive, he says it was a good year because of all his salt-exclusive contracts.

Staffing issues remain a challenge for most snow removal contractors. Tiemersma pays some crew members a weekly stand-by fee to be ready to go, but even then they aren’t always available and it generally requires twice as many phone calls to get a crew on the road for each snow event.

John Fulford of Gerrits Property Services in Pickering agrees that 2005 was a difficult year for snow removal. “We had plenty of staff, but the timing of the falls was tricky.” Fulford remembers the season began with the Christmas 2004 snow storm, which saw 10 cm fall and freeze within an hour. “That fall took days to clear, and we never really caught up.”

Fulford has switched to prewet salt which he says is easier to use. “It doesn’t freeze on the truck and we have seen less vegetation damage,” he says. Prewet salt starts to work more quickly, so crew members generally don’t need to apply as much. In an effort to remain proactive for insurance reasons, Fulford keeps a careful eye on the weather and pre-salts his sites if snow is predicted. “If I’m wrong, I’ll eat the cost, but it’s not worth getting behind in the event of a snow fall.”

One disturbing note is that, despite his proactive efforts, Fulford saw a sharp rise in insurance claims last year. “As more people become aware they can sue for slip and falls, it will get even worse.”

The Snow and Ice Management Commodity Group of Landscape Ontario is working to protect contractors and educate property managers, but there is still communication work to be done with the insurance company who finds it less costly to settle a slip and fall claim (at the contractor’s expense) than use the contractor’s carefully maintained records to show due diligence in court.