LAND DESIGNS UNLIMITED LLC

A Patient Craftsman Creating Exceptional Landscapes

Category: On The Stump

Look Out Any Window

I woke today before 6 am and walked around the yard. The alarm didn’t wake me, the sun told me it was time to greet the day.

I saw a hummingbird gathering itself on the arbor, as it does every morning at sunrise. The hummingbird wraps its feet around the wire on the top right-hand side.

A raven I’ve been watching, and who’s been watching me, sat on the power line surveying his territory. I took this picture of him a couple of years ago flying with a peanut. The raven is in the center of the picture.

The world was fresh after thunderstorms last night.

As I was thinking about the day I heard Bruce Hornsby singing “Look Out any Window.” If you haven’t heard the song it’s worth a listen.

A few years ago, I spent a lot of time going for long walks in the forest. I believe some people call it hiking but it sure feels like going for a walk in the woods.

I’d like to share a few pictures as I continue looking out any window.

I discovered the upper block of the Paugussett State Forest that year and recommend it to anyone who enjoys hiking or being in nature. I spent hours exploring the forest and learning where the trails lead.

The highlight of that summer was when I packed a lunch, some water and snacks and hiked the entire Lillinonah Trail. I didn’t hike for speed, I hiked for the enjoyment of being in nature.

That day I stumbled on a tree covered with moss and red fungus. I’ve never seen fungus that red before or after that day.

I hiked Southford Falls several times that summer. The trail that goes along Papermill Pond is a pleasant walk up. The trail along Eightmile Brook is almost straight up near the end and I avoid climbing that way.

While walking in Southford Falls I stumbled upon these cards. It didn’t feel right to take them as I thought others might enjoy them, so I took a picture. I was at a low point and want to thank whoever left these cards in the forest.

Perhaps I took the advice written on the cards.

I’ve been working toward finding work that allows me to be more creative and sharing my passion for gardening, landscaping and nature.

I’m not a fan of graffiti, however, I read this at the top of the fire tower and it reminded me of the trials and tribulations of young love. Click on the image to open, use the back arrow to return to the post.

Matt, I hope they saw how special you are and reciprocated your affection. However, please understand you can’t make someone love you, and sometimes you have to let go to move forward.

I’m saying this because I wish someone said the same to me when I was your age, or perhaps someone did and I chose not to listen.

Have patience, give it time and you’ll find the right person.

Thank you for looking out any window with me.

June 10, 2021
First Shade Day 2021

This year First Shade Day landed on May 6, 2021. If you are confused as to what First Shade Day is please read my first post on First Shade Day. I almost pulled the trigger on First Shade Day a week ago but the shade wasn’t quite deep enough.

It’s been a very odd year so far.

We started with a warm spell in early April that had me, and the plants, convinced it was going to be an early spring. For the most part, it has been, we escaped the typical heavy frost or snowstorm in early April.

The weather over the last few weeks has turned cooler and windier though I suppose that is typical for a New England spring. Expect the unexpected.

My nose has been telling me that the pollen this year is off the charts. My home is surrounded by Sugar Maple trees which have been dropping pollen like crazy. We had showers today and you can see the pollen gathering on the edge of the puddles.

I hope you’ve been having a wonderful Spring!

May 16, 2021
No One Wants an Adequate Landscape

How often do people call and say, “John, I want you to design an adequate landscape for me. It doesn’t matter the plants or materials you use. Make it look adequate.”

The short answer. Never.

When I meet clients I meet people who want to make their home more beautiful.

Clients want interest in all seasons. Clients want low maintenance. Clients want a functional landscape.

People want the best!

Never in my life has someone called and said, “I want an adequate landscape.”

You, and your landscape, deserve more.

Never settle.

April 13, 2021
Daffodils Poking Through the Snow
Last week I noticed a sure sign Spring is coming; Daffodils were poking through the snow where I had shoveled access for the oil delivery.

I admit, for me, January is one of the toughest months of the year. As a plant lover, I thrive on sunshine, and there is very little sunshine in January.

Luckily, by the time February rolls around the signs of spring returning start to show.

Signs of spring I’ve noticed over the years include:
- Daffodils poking through the snow.
- The sun shining later and brighter than in January.
- Falling snow is fluffier yet more sticky.
- The temperature rises to the mid 40’s more often.
- Mud, and lots of it, where the snow has melted.
- Birds singing more often, and a happier toon.
- I start singing more often, and a happier toon.
These poor Daffodils were literally growing under a foot of snow, as you can see below.

What are some of the signs of spring for you?
February 26, 2021
It’s All About Self-Expression – INFJ Personality Type

I was watching a video on Myers-Briggs Personality Types today and learned that my type has an artistic side. Well duh! The speaker mentioned INFJ‘s often draw, paint or play an instrument. This left me feeling a bit perplexed.

I’ve never felt a desire to draw or paint. Yes, I took piano lessons for a while but it just wasn’t for me. So how is it that I’m a ‘creative‘?

I don’t see myself as a creative person. It goes back to when I was a child. Being creative was looked at as having some sort of terminal disease. Being an artist was an unacceptable career choice.

Today, yet again, I thought, “Where is your creativity? All you do is spread topsoil, dig holes, and spread mulch. Who can’t do that?”

Luckily, I caught myself before it spiraled out of control.

I don’t think I’ll ever find a way to communicate what I do effectively. There’s more to it than digging and mulching.

Designing, installing and maintaining landscapes is my form of self-expression.

I look at a space and figure out how to make it look best.

I’ve spent a lifetime learning about plants and observing how plants perform in landscapes. I’ll never stop learning.

Bloodroot growing on the edge of a road.

Trillium growing in the forest.

A beautiful stream with boulders flanked by hemlocks.

Part of the design process, for me, is to stare at a space and let my mind wander, almost subconsciously, and see what pops into it. My Myers-Briggs Type’s dominant function is intuition.

Before I learned my personality type I talked about how a design vision appears almost immediately when I walk onto a property. I’m not kidding when I say that. I see the big picture and then work down to the details.

Am I an artist? Yes, yes I am.

The landscape is my canvas, my tools are the brushes, and plants are the colors.

Once again, I’d like to say, “Hi! My name is John and I’m an artist.”

For what it’s worth, they say INFJ types can be good writers too. However, it’s very draining.

January 29, 2021
First Shade Day 2020

First Shade Day this year was on May 12th. I returned from the grocery store and looked across the lawn to see a deep, crisp shadow.

First Shade Day is the day you notice deep shade for the first time every spring.

This is my second post about First Shade Day. Last year was a warm spring and I was full of activity around the garden. This year we’ve had a brutally cold last few weeks and I’m behind in tasks around the yard. I’ve been working on getting the perennial weeds out of the gardens, re-edging beds and transplanting perennials and shrubs which were long overdue to be divided or moved.

The weather has been so overcast, so cold and so miserable it’s been hard to find the motivation to go outside.

I’ve been focusing on one part of the garden or one task and celebrate getting something done rather than striving to push through and getting burned out. Little by little I’m getting there.

We’re in the middle of the Covid-19 Pandemic. It’s an exhausting time. I’m in a constant state of alert when I leave the house. A trip to the grocery store is an effort to get in, get what I need, and get out. In the old days, I would make small talk at the grocery store, but we’re all so serious I’ve stopped trying.

I do what I can to protect myself and my family. I wear a mask, nitrile gloves and use a liberal amount of sanitizer when I get back to the car.

I’m happy to say here in CT sanitizer is showing up on the shelves again. I almost cried when there was a display of large bottles of sanitizer at BJs yesterday.

I find the most at peace when I get out and do some work in the yard, or someone else’s yard. I don’t wear my PPE then, as long as I’m away from people, and I get lost in my work. It’s like there is no pandemic.

Last week I visited a garden center and picked up annuals for a client’s property. I love, love, love the pinks of those geraniums and pansies. The plants are massed in the garage because we’ve had a freeze warning the last three nights.

I’ve been doing a lot of ‘subconscious’ thinking on my future as well. I love landscaping and landscape design and everything about this field but I have yet to find a way to make a decent living at it.

I have yet to reap the rewards of my education and experience.

I keep pointing at the change in the economy since the stock market crash of 2008 as the reason for my difficulties. I liken the crash to someone pulling the rug from under my feet and falling to the ground after they did it. Whatever momentum I had was gone.

Perhaps I’m where I am because of who I am.

I’ve always been detail-focused which is great if you’re a rocket scientist but not so good if production is the way to make earn a living. I take the time to make sure gardens have color in all seasons and flowing and crisp edges. I choose plants based on how they’ll perform in the garden and not whether they’re in stock at the nursery.

So what am I getting at?

Over the last few years, I’ve been transitioning to a different model. Why not focus on what makes me different as opposed to what makes me like everyone else? There will always be companies who can do the job cheaper, however, few can do it better.

Perhaps I should spend more time designing landscapes and consulting about landscapes and less time digging holes. Could I design landscapes for people all over the country from here in Connecticut? Could I design landscapes that other companies install? Could I design landscapes for homeowners to install with helpful links to videos I’ve made about planting and mulching?

Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing the fruits of my labor. I’ll never refuse a planting or landscape maintenance job if someone wants my level of service. I have yet to find a way to properly communicate what that difference is besides the photos on this website.

I’ve also been trying, unsuccessfully, to publish more blog posts. There are a handful of you that enjoy reading my ramblings and I appreciate you. If I could write more, and year-round, it would be another avenue to explore. I find writing goes best for me when I’m in the right state of mind, which is usually a warm sunny day. I have yet to find a way around that obstacle.

I enjoy making videos about landscaping and hobbies I enjoy. I find gardening videos difficult to make because in gardening there are so few absolutes. The soil, the sun, the weather are all a crapshoot. No matter how well I try to explain something, especially about pruning, there will always be more questions. I suppose all I can do is my best when creating videos.

This post is meant to celebrate First Shade Day and explain the direction I’ve been heading the last few years. I don’t know where I’ll end up but I do know the following.

If you change nothing. Nothing will change.

May 14, 2020
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 easiest to spot. This person has the loudest voice in the room and you can hear them talking over everyone else. There’s no such thing as a two-sided conversation with this type of leader.

These people keep their power by making ‘jokes’ at the expense of their subordinates. They point out flaws in others to take the focus off of themselves.

It’s my way or the highway!

Why do these people take leadership positions? Because being a leader means you have more power, more status and more money. It’s not about the greater good, it’s about money and power.

They drive fancy cars or brag about their money. It’s not the cars or the money that show their flaws. There’s nothing wrong with driving a nice car or earning a good living. However, when they brag about their cars or money they think it means they’re better than others. They’ll never get it.

If you work under a ‘leader’ like this what can you can expect? Opportunities to advance or long hours and thankless tasks?

The Humble Leader

Humble leaders are difficult to spot because they don’t seek the spotlight, they don’t want to be the center of attention. Humble leaders want to advance the goals of the organization and those working with them.

Humble leaders are approachable and want to talk with their peers. They want to know what’s going on in the organization. They want to know how they can help.

Humble leaders appear not to be leading because they do it so effortlessly. They know to praise in public and critique in private. They never ask someone to do something they wouldn’t. They seek to train their future replacement.

I’ve witnessed two of the most humble, and powerful, leaders since my son joined the Boy Scouts of America.

While my son was in Cub Scouts the Committee chair was as selfless a person as they get. He was easy to talk to, ran a well-prepared meeting and was always available if there was a problem.

Now that my son is a Boy Scout the Scoutmaster is also a humble leader. He’s a soft-spoken man who is very approachable and somehow has his finger on everything going on in the troop. If you need help with something he knows who to point you towards.

I’m amazed at how well the scoutmaster works the crowd when there’s a meeting. He talks to everyone in the room like they were friends forever. It’s a great way to keep abreast of what’s going on in the troop.

Who has more power?

Power seeking leaders raise their voice and make a scene to get their way. Nothing is ever their fault.

When I was young I confused false confidence for power. True confidence doesn’t have to yell or make a scene.

Powerful leaders don’t have to raise their voice or make a scene to get their way. They get their way because those working with them respect them and don’t want to let them down.

Next time your watching the evening news, at a company meeting or visiting a friend’s house think about the type of leader you’re watching.

Do they demean others? Do they seek to assist their subordinates? Do they try to show their power with fancy things?

The answers to these questions will tell you a lot about the type of person, and the type of leader, they are.

*** Note, I wrote this post over two years ago. My son is no longer a Boy Scout but the message is timeless and worth sharing.

April 4, 2020
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 of a serious client.

First, serious clients make it easy to get in touch with them because they want to talk to you. Serious clients don’t hide information or ‘forget’ to fill out fields on your contact form. They aren’t being devious in any way.

Second, serious clients have a specific project. When they talk about a project they know what they want and when they want it done. If you visit someone and they’re ‘thinking about a project’ or ‘considering options’ they’re doing just that. It’s up to you to decide how to proceed.

Third, serious clients have a realistic budget, even if they don’t reveal it. You can sense they want the pain of an outdated landscape to end, they want the yard to look nice for the graduation party, they want to relax on weekends. They’ve hired other contractors and have a general idea of what skilled labor costs.

Landscape work is skilled labor. I can show you plenty of landscapes installed by unskilled labor if you don’t believe me.

Finally, and I’ve only figured this out recently, serious clients have time to talk. If you’re meeting with a couple and the husband isn’t available don’t ignore it. If the husband is home but pulls weeds or fiddles with something else that shows his lack of interest. There are exceptions, especially with society’s hectic pace, but use your judgment if a spouse is trying too hard not to be available.

I find husbands who don’t smile, even just a little, to be quite revealing. But you can make your own decision about that.

Just as potential clients are interviewing you to see if you’re right for the job, you’re interviewing potential clients to see if they’re right to work for.

Go get ’em.

March 19, 2020
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 quote.

I don’t want to offend clients, or future clients, here. If I’ve worked for you or visited to discuss a job, please know I’m not referring to you.

Unfortunately, there are some people you’re never going to please. You’re never going to have a low enough price, quick enough availability, etc. It’s good to recognize these situations early and use your time talking to clients who value your expertise and time.

Don’t be afraid to politely say no.

Don’t let others determine your worth.

Just because someone is only willing to pay a quarter of your quote doesn’t mean you’re worth a quarter of your quote. It’s them, not you. There will always be people who want you to lower your price and give away the farm.

Of course, if you don’t get any jobs that’s a sign too. I suggest reading a book on sales discussing closing ratio and what it means to your business.

Keep your head high and your shoulders back when looking at jobs. You’re the expert and deserve your quote!

March 16, 2020