Blog
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3 Landscaping Pet Peeves
Some landscaping practices should be avoided. Below are my top three landscaping pet peeves. Tags left on Plants Why would anyone leave plant tags fluttering in the wind? Leaving tags on plants takes a beautiful landscape and makes it look like the side of the highway. Please remove all tags before leaving the job. I…
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Grape Hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum) Tough as Nails
Yesterday I pulled the car over to take a photo of a grouping of grape hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum). The temperature was in the low 40’s and by the minute the weather changed from overcast to partial sun, to rain showers, to snow showers. The grape hyacinth loved it. When I was a kid we had…
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Two Types of Leaders
Watching the news lately I’m noticing a pattern. So-called ‘leaders’ are not leading. These people in leadership positions have their self-interests in mind and not the greater good. There are two types of leaders. Those that seek power and those that seek to enhance the greater good. The ‘Leader’ Who Seeks Power This is the…
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Covered Bridge
Nothing says New England like an old barn or a covered bridge. This is the Covered Bridge at Southford Falls State Park in Southbury, CT. I took the picture while hiking last week.
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Silly Kitty
This post isn’t really about the cat, Chloe, in this picture. It’s about the plant label laying a little to her left. She pulled that label out twice the last week. Silly kitty!
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Qualifying Potential Customers
In any business, you’re never going to get every job. That’s a simple fact. Never get discouraged if you don’t get every job, or even half the jobs you look at. That’s a simple truth. Every year I talk to a lot of people about landscape work. Over time I’ve come to recognize the signs…
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Don’t Let Others Determine Your Worth
A recent email reminded me of a lesson I wish I learned sooner. A prospective client wanted my expertise pruning a hedge in a town 45 minutes away. I calculated travel and gave a rough estimate to see if we were in the same ballpark. They said the job was worth a quarter of my…
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Early-March Garden Inspiration
I woke early today, I don’t know why, perhaps because of Daylight Savings. Seeing the sunrise inspired me to wander the garden with the Pentax. The only other flower in bloom this week is Dorothy Wycoff Andromeda (Pieris japonica ‘Dorothy Wycoff’). It’s early-March with little else going on and Dorothy is covered with red buds.…
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Early-March Blooms
Last week, I wrote about the blooms on Arnold’s Promis Witch Hazel. It’s looking better than last week with flowers continuing to emerge. This week I’ve got a few more things in bloom. Nothing is knocking it out of the park but need I remind you it’s early-March with temperatures going down to the twenties,…