You might be surprised to hear that I have a night job as a stand-up comedian. I think I am really good at it since every time I’m up on stage, I always get a big reaction! Let me give you an example of one of my jokes: Two bags of polymeric sand walk onto a patio, and belly up to the installer. They each ask for a glass of water, but the installer looks at them and says “I can’t serve the two of you; you both look all washed out and in a haze!”

Okay, so if you are laughing at that, your sense of humor is in far worse shape than mine. If you're not laughing, then you know all too well that polymeric sand is really no joking topic.

Putting in jointing sand is typically the final stage of the project. We all know how easy it is to install - and sometimes to fail at. With all the new and improved polymeric sands flooding the market, how many have you tried? If you’ve answered none, then you are not alone. You have found the one product that works for you and have had success with. It’s hard to change the final step right before getting the final payment. However, many of these new products will outperform the “old” sands and save you time in the process. The key element is the watering procedure.

The most time-consuming step is that watering process. Many of the old products tell you to lightly mist a small area 2-3 times. That’s several opportunities for a mistake to happen. You have to also take into consideration the temperature, humidity, even if it is sunny or cloudy. Most of the new sands only require only a single watering application. Depending on the manufacturer, this could be due to polymer weight or reduction of dust particles. Now you have a few less chances to have an error. Make sure you apply enough water to fully saturate the joint, otherwise the joint will wash out at some point. I tell contractors to use the “shower” mode on the hose, and rinse off the bricks. The rest of the installation process is the same, but please read the instructions thoroughly. Even though the process may be similar, there could be slight differences between the manufacturers that could have consequences if not followed. Don’t be “that guy” that reads the directions after your IKEA cabinet is built upside down and inside out!

If you have a question about a process or a product, please call or stop in. If we don’t know the answers, we know the people that do. Let us help you solve whatever problems come your way over a cup of coffee, and maybe some really bad humor... I guess I won't be quitting my day job any time soon.

The ELD Mandate is a law requiring all over the road semi drivers to have Electronic Logging Devices (ELD) in their trucks. The device keeps track of the driver's road time and regulates how many continuous hours of driving they can perform and when they must take breaks from the road. This is nothing new for the drivers, except that the logs are now electronic - and they can't be fudged. The law went into effect in 2015 but the actual deadline for compliance was December 2017, so this shipping season is the first that we are noticing the effects of it since now every driver has to play by the same rules.

How does this affect you?  Well, it may mean that if you are getting a direct-shipped load of plants delivered it will arrive when the driver's hours allow him to be there. In the past we always liked to have delivery as early as possible in the morning when all of your crews were there to unload, however it now could be any time during the day. It just depends on how the driver's logs work out. To help avoid any problems that this might cause, we still will require the driver to call you 24 hours in advance and also to keep you informed if anything changes.

Another issue is the question of how soon will plants arrive at the nursery? Loads that would load on one day and deliver the next can now take two days to get here depending on the available hours of the driver. So please be patient with us. We will call you when the plants actually land so you don’t have people waiting around for material that won’t show till the next day. Remember that the ELD Mandate affects every hauler on the road today and we all will have to adjust to this new reality.

On my commute to work I pass a recently landscaped site that has a lot of plants still sporting their plastic tags.

I say "recent" but I really mean SEVERAL MONTHS. Seeing those tags flapping in the wind really detracted from a very nice landscape job!

Nursery growers and re-wholesalers put tags on plants for identification, not for decoration. I can see leaving the tag on for a few days on a residential job so the homeowner knows what was planted. But you probably gave them a landscape plan with everything identified on it, making those bright plastic tags unnecessary. On some commercial jobs I’ve seen tags left on for years, until they weathered off. It's not a good look.

Not only does the tag look bad, it is unhealthy for the plant. Plastic tags can girdle branches on trees, and large portions of smaller shrubs. I have personally removed tags that have become embedded in the bark as the plant grew. It does take a few extra minutes, but having your crew take those tags off will make your install look as professional as it should. Have them do this as the parting site-cleanup as they remove scraps of burlap, lengths of tagging ribbon, and snarls of tying twine. You want your client - and all his friends and neighbors - to admire your work without distraction.

There aren't too many landscapers that get by without a good wheelbarrow. This essential tool has been improved upon in many ways and there are a lot of variations these days. Modifications have been made to make the wheelbarrow even more versatile and user-friendly than ever before. Some features increase the weight capacity while others improve the stability and maneuverability of the traditional one-wheeled wheelbarrow.

One of our more popular wheelbarrows is the Excavator. The metal tub and all-welded frame makes it a real workhorse on landscape job sites. The front of the Excavator has a unique design that eliminates catching on the ground when maneuvering. Flat free tires are also available for sale that will fit this model.

Are you interested in boosting your sales and barely break a sweat? How about adding decorative lighting the easy way? Idea: add lighting to a patio, an outdoor kitchen, pergola, gazebo, deck or any outdoor living area. Here are two products that can enhance just about any project you have going - or refresh a completed one.

Decostrand from Halco Lighting Technologies is an LED-friendly weatherproof decorative lighting strand that can create a distinctive look to nearly any outdoor space. It operates from a standard, 3 prong 120 volt electrical outlet, so there’s no need to splice into an existing landscape lighting system, and is available in two lengths: 26’ with 12 lamp sockets, and 50’ with 25 sockets.

They are 100% LED compatible. You can lamp them with our 2 watt 150 lumen Halco lamps in either 2700k (natural white) or 2200k (warm white). Other lamps are available as special orders.

A variety of reflector options are available in antique brass, silver, copper, as well as textured bronze and black and multiple strands can be connected end-to-end up to ten strands, based on 4 watt LED lamps.

DecoStrands qualify to receive our current lighting tier discounts for additional savings.

Click here for the manufacturer fact sheet.

From Alliance lighting we bring you the iTimer (Intelligent Astronomical Timer). This little device can make something old seem new again, or satisfy a techie’s hunger for the next latest and greatest doo-dad to show off to the neighbors.

Through the IT app, the unit synchronizes with the time in your region through the global astronomical clock. You may set up your device to turn on and off from sunset to sundown, or to operate for a set amount of hours per day, but in my opinion, the BEST option about this is that you can have it operate at specific times of the day, on whatever day you choose.

For example, let’s say that you want your device on at 7pm and off at 11pm Monday through Thursday, but you want it on from 8pm to 3am on Friday and Saturday, and on Sunday you'll take it easy on the neighbors and have it on at sunset and off after 6 hours. Yes, you can easily set up your iTimer this way. Another neat option: you can have turn your connected device on and off a little bit before sunrise and sunset, without ever updating the time. And of course, you can also control the power manually from your phone, regardless of what day or time it is.

But there is one more benefit that I’d like to add: if you have an existing landscape lighting system, you can still use the iTimer - simply set your system to the always ON setting, and plug the transformer into the iTimer.

These two products will have an immediate impact on both new projects and previously completed jobs. They are fairly inexpensive and easy to install and set up. Both of these products are set up on display and for demonstrations at our Hardscape Center, so please stop in and check them out.

The new season brings new projects, landscape designs and the opportunity to bring new plants to your landscape plans. One of the best things about working for a large wholesale nursery supplier is the spring, and seeing all the new plant varieties we are bringing in. Here are just a few of my favorites.

Aronia melanocarpa Low Scape® Mound: White spring flowers followed by purple berries. Glossy foliage and compact mounding habit make it ideal for mass planting, edging, or groundcover. Bright red fall color make it a full season winner. Grows 12-24"h x 18-24"w.

Deutzia x rosea ‘Nikko Blush’: Compact, low growing form with soft pink flowers in the spring and deep burgundy fall color. Perfect for foundation plantings or a low hedge.

Hydrangea serrata Tuff Stuff ™ and Tiny Tuff Stuff ™: Hardy, re-blooming reddish-pink lacecaps that bloom on old and new wood, from early summer to frost. Blue color with acidic soils, and pink with alkaline. Bud hardy, bloom reliable and a real beauty! 

Spiraea Double Play® Candy Corn™: Bright candy apple red foliage emerges in spring and matures to a bold yellow. New leaves the rest of the season are blaze orange. Great for mass planting, borders or hedges. Grows 18-24"h x 18-30"w. 

Physocarpus Little Devil™ ('Donna May'):  This compact Ninebark has dark burgundy-green foliage. Small purplish-white flowers in late spring. Low maintenance and mildew resistant.

New Knock Out® and Drift® landscape roses:

Coral Knock Out® ('Radral'): Good bloomer, unique deep coral color. Upright to rounded habit. New foliage is bronze red. Blooms spring through fall.

Peachy Knock Out® (Radgor'): Pink petals with yellow centers, giving a peach effect. Blooms abundantly from spring through fall.

White Knock Out® ('Radwhite'): Single flowers are crisp white. Dark green foliage, new growth almost black. Blooms spring through fall and maintains a compact habit.

Lemon Drift® ('Meisentmil'): Newest addition to the Drift® series. Compact, rounded groundcover rose. Bright yellow flowers. Grows 1.5' h x 2'w. Great disease resistance and drought tolerance.

These are just a few of the new woody shrubs available this year. So before you draw up your new landscape designs, consider these new offerings for 2018.

In early February, my wife and I traveled to Mexico on our honeymoon, to a resort just about an hour south of Cancun. Ladies and gentlemen, I have to tell you that it is an absolutely beautiful region to vacation in. If you have never stayed in an all-inclusive resort, I highly recommend doing it at least once during your lifetime. Want breakfast, lunch, or dinner? You’re covered.  Want a drink or 12? Oh yeah, covered again! Whatever it is you need, the staff is there to accommodate you to the best of their ability, which will more than likely exceed one’s expectations. And all with a smile on their face and a hand on their heart.

Which leads me to the point: How good are we at Customer Service?

That trip opened my eyes in regards to servicing customers. Personally, I feel like I’m pretty good at it, as is all of our staff, but this resort operates at an entirely different level.

To me, it’s the accumulation of the little things that can turn someone’s day around and make them feel welcomed and looking forward to patronizing your business. I’m sure that we all started out that way at the beginning of our careers, but maybe we’ve strayed away from our roots and the principles that got us to where we are today.

Thank you to our friends south of the border for helping me remember that we can all be better at what we are doing, whether it’s been three days or three decades.

Did you hear? The Pantone color of the Year is "Ultra Violet". Interestingly, both the Landscape Perennial of the Year and the 2018 Shrub of the Year feature violet tones in flower or leaf. Take a closer look, you won't be disappointed!

Purple, violet, lavender, or wine - this color brings in a whole new concept to plant choices and themes for spring. You can work this color into bold designs with yellows, whites, or reds, or create a soothing palette using grays and cream to soften. The choices are abundant when incorporating textures, shades, and different heights to the landscape.

2018 Perennial Plant of the year - Alium ‘Millenium’

What a smart choice for spring. Deer and rabbit resistant but loved by butterflies and bees, this mounded compact allium is a beautiful addition to any landscape. 'Millenium' offers glossy green foliage and rosy purple 2” globe flowers with a maximum plant size at 20” x 15”. It is a perfect size to be a border plant, blend into rock gardens, or alone in a clump to offer texture and color. Easy to grow in moist soils, happy in part shade to full sun, and requires low water needs.

2018 Landscape Plant of the Year- Weigela Spilled Wine^®

This petite delight is a beauty in most landscapes. Dark wine-colored foliage pops against other plantings and structures. From the first leaves of spring the foliage remains dark and intense all season long. Not preferred by deer but enjoyed by butterflies and hummingbirds, the. tubular magenta flowers bloom for a long period beginning in late spring. Easy to grow, this compact bush measures 2-3’ tall x 2-4’ wide. This is an improved, compact version of the popular Wine & Roses^® Weigela and the wide, low habit can be useful almost anywhere in the landscape.

Simple, large and easy. Three words that never seem to happen together. How many of your larger-scale projects end up in backyards that have little or no access? How often do you have the ability to stage your product right next to where you are working? Of course the small walkway or front porch is easy, but typically not very profitable. Wouldn’t it be great to have a large project with easy access, something with a simple design but yet with options for creativity and style? What if I told you that you could have all of this... Have you thought about a driveway?

Most driveways have easy access, areas nearby to store and stage the materials and typically have a simple design. You might say that’s a hard sell and that most of your customers are looking for outdoor living areas, patios with fire pits or attractive spaces for outdoor entertaining. Who would want to spend a lot of money on “just” a driveway? Consider this: I have a large patio, and if I get to use it once a week, it was a good week. How many people are on their patios every day, sitting around bonfires and entertaining?  Now, how many times in a day does a driveway get used?

Selling a driveway paver job can be difficult. For most, a driveway is a necessity like a washing machine, refrigerator or cell phone. But when you are out shopping for that “necessity”, do you go to the least expensive with no features? Or do you look at the brand new, fully loaded and really cool product? Maybe the customer who has the touch screen console on their refrigerator, or uses their state-of-the-art smartphone to control their landscape lighting or a remote controlled fire pit might be interested in a custom made driveway. Come visit us at Christensen’s Hardscape Center and let us help you drive up your success.