Here is a link to our latest editorial column in Kansas City Home Improvement Resource - March and April 2008. I wrote on the types of maintenance that clients could do themselves at their homes, or work that should done by a professional lawn and landscape firm. Of course, most of our clients have us provide them comprehensive services, but for those that want to do some themselves, this could be a good resource.

It’s funny, I’ve already gotten great responses from the story - including a few friends I haven’t seen in quite a while….

Happy Spring! It’s 70 degrees outside today!

When digging into a new garden, what are the first steps to take?

A design should be a reflection of what your family’s needs are, the architectural style of the home and how much time you are willing to spend maintaining your landscape. If you thought step one was buying plants and digging in the ground, you might find yourself overwhelmed. All too often homeowners have a bunch of plants that they thought looked good when they purchased them, but there is no harmony to their placement in the landscape. You need a plan.

What mistakes do people often make when prepping for spring?

Not properly preparing the soil before planting. A soil test should be conducted every three to five years. You should not be adding amendments to your soil without a soil test first, because you may already have the proper nutrients. Another common mistake is working in the soil when the ground is too wet. You should be able to grasp a fist of soil in your hand, squeeze it to make a ball and then crumble it your hand. If it’s too wet to crumble, it’s too wet to work in the soil. People often add too much mulch or use improper mulching techniques. Perennial beds should receive no more than two inches of mulch. Trees and shrubs can receive three inches, but avoid piling it up against the trunks or base of the shrubs.

What should be done if a hard freeze hits some early blooms?

The good news is the plant will probably not die if it is hardy in our area. For a light frost, putting a bed sheet, blanket or drop cloth over your plants will protect them for a night or two. However, if temperatures during the day get above freezing, you should remove the cover so they can absorb light and heat. Don’t forget to re-cover them in the early evening before the temperature begins falling again! Your best option for blooms that have already opened is just to cut the blooms off, bring them inside in a flower vase and celebrate spring early!

What measures can help prevent pests and diseases?

The best defense against pests and disease is a healthy plant. A healthy plant is like a healthy person — they have a better immune system to fight off certain environmental factors. If the plant is stressed out, (i.e. under-watered or not planted in the right environment) it is more susceptible to pests and diseases because it lacks the energy to fight off stresses. Make sure the soil has plenty of moisture in it. To determine how wet the ground is, get down and check it out (with your bare hand!). Pull back the mulch and then dig at least two inches into the soil. It should be damp, but not wet. If there is a proper amount of water in the soil, the plant is going to have a higher tolerance for adverse environmental conditions.

Two weeks ago, Highland Outdoor welcomed its newest team member, David Rowan, to its staff.  David and I met several years ago at an industry event being held by the Professional Landcare Network.  I was immediately impressed with David’s ability to meet a variety of PLANET members, and to network appropriately with them.  Once I saw his design elements, his creativity, and his presentation, I was excited when David approached me during this past off season about his desire to join our team.

Please welcome David, the newest member of our incredible team.  I’m excited to experience all of what David has to offer our cleints - and I have already witnessed him in action as he’s been trained the last few weeks.

Here is David’s bio, as written for our website.  Drop him an email at david@highland-outdoor.com.

Welcome aboard, Dave!

David Rowan
Landscape Designer/Project Manager

David Rowan brings experience and knowledge to the Highland Outdoors’ landscape team, with particular interest in natural horticultural landscape design and installation and native plant restoration projects.

David has served in a wide variety of roles within the green industry, from a groundskeeper at Eagle Knoll Golf Course in Hartsburg, Missouri to landscape designer of a multi-million dollar design build firm in Saint Louis, MO and many field installation positions in his edification.

David holds a bachelor’s of Science in Horticulture and Landscape Design from Kansas State University, and is a member of the Pi Alpha Xi National Honors Society for Landscape Horticulture. As a student at KSU, David attended a horticultural tour of Holland to study Dutch landscape Architecture and floral production, which included tours of the famous Hetloo Palace, Tropenburg Arboretum, and The Floriade, the Netherlands’ flower exposition that happens once ever ten years. David also was a participant for KSU in the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA), now know as PLANET, Student Career Days where he help his team place 11th of 54 teams student teams across the country in only their third appearance of this prestigious event for Green Industry students.

As a Professional, David was selected to attend the American Nurserymen & Landscapers Association (ANLA) annual Management Clinic in Both 2003 and 2005 as a scholarship recipient. David co-designed a landscape mater plan for a “Wild Times” Interactive ADA/Dementia-accessible Garden at the Heisinger Home nursing care facility in Jefferson City, which planned to bring the residents and their families together in a natural landscape setting on the bluffs of the Missouri River.

David is studying to become a Certified Landscape Professional (CLP), through PLANET.

In his free time David enjoys spending time with his family and friends at his family’s recreational farm, playing golf, and bird hunting with his German Shorthair Pointer.

One of the greatest things about all of our team members is our ability to do service projects alongside our work here at Highland Outdoor.

Last month I was so blessed to be able to take my 3rd trip Panama on a mission’s trip through the Assembly of God Church in Paola, KS.  I flew into Panama City and traveled for 5 hours into the mountains of Chiriqui to share with an indigenous tribe called the Guaymi Indians.

Upon arriving at the conference that is held every February, I was greeted by more than 3,000 Guaymi Indians with smiling faces coated in dirt and runny noses.  The Indians are always so curious and spend a lot of their time “watching” us as we are there for 4 days.  The Guaymi are ministered to throughout the year by what they call “gringos” but are still intrigued with our pale skin and foreign language every year.  Most of the children walk around barefoot with one or two pairs of clothes if they are “lucky”.  Their diet consists of rice and beans and the average family income is around $500-$1,000 a year depending on what type of farming they do.  If you can imagine 12 “gringos” standing around a self made kitchen cooking macaroni and cheese or making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with children and parents staring at you because they are so hungry.  Try to imagine if you will the guilty feeling that would conjure up in the pit of your stomach as you are constantly being watched while eating anything.

The most rewarding part of the trip was being able to give to these gracious people who have nothing - no cells phones, no toilet - a house made of twigs and cloth.  With the little that they do have, their faith is very strong.  Anyone going on a mission’s trip probably has the thoughts in their mind that they are a huge blessing to these people, but in retrospect, these people in fact are far more of a blessing to us than we are to them.  They taught me life long lessons without them even realizing, touched my heart in ways they will probably never know, and have made me aware of how much I have-which leads me to the question of  - Do the material things that I have really make me happy? I have come to the conclusion that my possessions don’t really matter and that is not what should make me happy, instead I am grateful for what I have and have learned that serving others is what makes me happy more than anything.