...through "Guerrilla Art"

I have a friend who earns his living in an unusual field – he is a graffiti artist, commissioned to place his art on buildings. When we met, he oversaw pest management at the greenhouse we both worked at. Since then, his hobby has become his passion and livelihood. He has travelled the country splashing his art on the walls of Miami, Chicago, Kansas City and more. If you’ve been in Detroit or Toledo, you may have seen his work.

I’ve always thought of landscape color plantings as a form of “Guerrilla Art”, which is a term applied to certain forms of street graffiti. There are a lot of similarities if you think about it. Graffiti and landscaping are out in public space for everyone to see and enjoy (or critique). Also, the color theory needed for public space is the same. Both need to consider sight lines for how the art will be viewed. Both need to adjust for mere moments of attention versus minutes or hours of retrospection in a museum or walking garden. If people are speeding by on a freeway, the audience needs to be able to see large blasts of color to interpret the art. Bigger and bolder is most often better. And planning for surroundings is essential to get the cohesive aesthetic the artist is trying to achieve in the outdoor arena.

Do you consider yourself an artist? Most landscapers I know would not. However, it’s hard to deny that the masterpieces they create in yards and public spaces are works of art. I would argue that the medium you use is the hardest to work with, since it is living (or must incorporate the living, if you’re creating a hardscape). Further complicating your living artwork is timing. If you work in annuals, this is less of an issue, but perennials, flowering shrubs and flowering trees all need to be installed with their bloom season in mind. Perhaps you should start listing “Artist” on your business cards… or “Guerrilla Artist” if you want to be edgy.

When I met my friend, he was in a phase of his life where he didn’t express to others that he was an artist, but the transition has transformed his work into his passion and he can’t hide his creative prowess any longer. Obviously, we don’t all need to quit our jobs and become graffiti artists to capture or recapture our passion. We can continue to be artists in our current jobs and turn our love of landscape into artwork the public can enjoy.

For some helpful color theory tips to elevate your art, check out Makenna’s article from last year.

I’ve always thought of myself as traditional. I’ll be the first to admit, in my personal life, I am not an “early adopter”. For example, I finally started feeling comfortable using my iPod right about the time that Apple decided to begin discontinuing them. I find comfort in the familiar and have turned into a bit of a curmudgeon when it comes to trying something new.

However, the agriculture industry was all shaken up by last year's introduction of the Cosmic Crisp apple. I sat up and took notice, mainly because I love Honeycrisp apples but think they are expensive and difficult to find. I like this variety so much that a few years back, I did some research on them. It turns out that Honeycrisp are difficult for an orchardist to cultivate and ship to stores. Not just a little difficult… really strenuous. It only wants to bear fruit every other year. Because of its thin skin, about 35-40% of the harvest is damaged and cannot be sold. And on top of that, the labor to harvest is increased through preventative measures to carefully pack to prevent damage in shipping. The final straw is that cold storage is difficult and generally only viable for 9 months.

So, what does all this mean for apple producers? A whole lot of hassle on a consumer favorite apple that just keeps growing in popularity.

Enter the Cosmic Crisp. Bred for superior taste, appearance, shelf life and disease resistance, this variety took the things that made other apples difficult to sell or produce and tried to solve them. It seems they have succeeded. Taste tests with consumers have gone well and cold storage tests have gone even better with more than a year of storage capacity.

My status as an early adopter might have to change, because I tried Cosmic Crisp the first season they arrived in grocery stores, last fall. I’m such a fan that I’ve been looking for them ever since. Unfortunately, quantities are limited and more expensive. So, I really didn’t solve my Honeycrisp riddle, merely moved it to a new focus. However, I have hope that the Cosmic Crisp will improve in both availability and price, since they are not facing the same production issues that the Honeycrisp are still struggling to overcome.

In our industry, we see hundreds of new plants come onto the market every year. Breeders are striving to improve the flaws in each genus. Are they succeeding? Yes. How do we know? We’re “taste-testing” them individually and watching what the experts at University trials are reporting. Your team here at Christensen’s does their research on all the plants we offer. We’re happy to point you towards the best options for your installation.

Did you find some great new people to add to your team? Those first hours with a new employee can set the tone for your entire working relationship, so read on for some tips on making the most of them. Time invested at this beginning point might not seem like a big deal to you, but can mean the world to a tentative new employee.

Many company owners and upper management have been at their company for many years or even started their own company. It can be easy over the years to forget the “new job jitters.” Here are few thoughts from a new employee to help supervisors make the transition go smoothly. 

I think the most critical piece of advice would be, “Don’t overwhelm new employees with meeting everyone all at once.” It can be difficult to process names and positions all in the first day, when everything from the location of the facilities and parking to the technology might be new. If you’re a small company with a handful of employees, meeting everyone might be possible, but anything over 7-10 people could be too much to remember, especially if all of those people are wearing masks.

Additionally, instead of having meetings with other employees, have them shadow your existing staff. This will help create their own bonds, allow them to learn your company from many perspectives and understand the nuances and company culture.

Make the paperwork seem less important than the new employee. The easiest place for a company to start with a new employee is to overwhelm (and bore) them with the paperwork. While the forms and handbooks are important, taking some time getting to know the employee and getting them acquainted with the position will make them feel like you see them as a person, not as a number.

Give them an idea about the rules you’re strict with and the ones you’re flexible on. Communicating the nuances of a company culture can be difficult to do in a handbook. Giving verbal examples, such as, “lunch is at noon and it is important for you to go on time” or “lunch is usually around noon, but if you’re caught up in a project, you can be flexible with your time” helps a new hire to understand your expectations of their behavior. Most new hires are eager to fit in and providing as much communication with them will help them quickly assimilate to your company.

Remember that in our cyclical industry, a new employee might feel new for a whole year. Continue to be patient with their inquiries and think of them as new until they have seen how the seasonality affects their job.

Spending some extra time with a new employee can help improve your turnover rate, which helps with your bottom line. A recent survey from BambooHR showed that as many as 31% of new employees leave in the first six months, citing the top reasons being poor onboarding experiences, a lack of clarity surrounding job duties and expectations, or a less than stellar boss.* Since interviewing, hiring and onboarding new employees can be costly and time consuming, improving on a new employee’s starting experience is an investment in your company and its future.

* https://blog.bonus.ly/10-surprising-employee-retention-statistics-you-need-to-know

In recent years, I’ve often heard that we should leave the first round of dandelions to grow and flourish for the benefit of early food for bees. You don’t need to tell me not to mow… done! That’s an easy way to help out our little winged friends.

As the movement to promote bees increases, it’s a good idea to have a pollinator plan ready for customers interested in this topical form of conservation.

For starters, since honeybees begin foraging when temperatures approach 50°, your plan needs to begin early. Minor bulbs such as Crocus, Winter Aconite, Snowdrops and Chionodoxa are valuable food sources on those first warm spring days when little is in flower. A few weeks later the Red Maples pitch in, followed by showy spring bloomers like Forsythia, Redbud, Amelanchier and Magnolia.

Mid-to-late spring has no shortage of excellent choices, as most of our ornamentals bloom then. As things taper off into summer, Monarda, Dianthus, and Echinacea offer long blooming periods that keep the bees happy. Late summer is more challenging but Rose of Sharon and Caryopteris are two species that bloom almost into autumn.

At the tail end of the season plants like Aster, Helianthus and Sedum are excellent fall bloomers. The beginning and end of the season are the most critical, as there are fewer food sources than during the peak of the season. If you’ve incorporated annuals into your design so much the better as they will go until either killed by frost or removed.