Whether it’s plant blindness, concrete jungles or a lack of plant science curriculum in schools, a large portion of the public doesn’t even recognize the word horticulture. But a diverse group from the horticulture industry has been in the trenches for the last five years promoting plants, their value and making worthwhile connections with school-age children and young adults. Seed Your Future has brought together academia, public gardens, plant producers, associations and others to make plants a part of their lives and to consider horticulture careers.

Seed Your Future (SYF), which started as a kernel idea at an American Society of Horticultural Science conference, first wanted to find out why the number of students enrolling in college and university horticulture programs had dwindled. Once the idea became a full-fledged and funded movement, the group developed research plans. Since then, SYF has conducted three phases of research: one with the industry, which dealt with the problem of not having enough qualified applicants to fill jobs; one with the public to find out about attitudes toward horticulture and related careers; and one with middle school-aged children, their parents, teachers and guidance counselors to find out about curriculum in schools and if they understood the careers available to them in the horticulture field.

“With the research, we found there were misconceptions and stereotypes of careers in horticulture,” explains Susan Yoder, SYF’s executive director. “We learned that we needed to talk about the great diversity of careers — from arborist to zoological horticulturist and everything in between.”

In 2018, SYF launched BLOOM!, a campaign that uses language school-age children understand and connects plants with things they care about like fashion, technology and professional sports.

“We told the story of how drones can be used in the industry or how turf management involves horticulture science,” Yoder says. “Anything we do that’s youth focused needs to be contemporary and resonate with them. We don’t want to lecture them.”

Research found that 52 percent of phone survey participants ages 18–34 were not familiar with the word "horticulture." And focus groups with school-aged children revealed they thought the word horticulture was “weird.” They came up with their own term, “plantology,” saying it sounded cool.

With the help of Scholastic, SYF created a “plant power learning module” for grades 6-8. From “connecting with nature” to researching “green-collar careers,” BLOOM! Is filling in the gaps where schools stopped teaching plant science.

Research found that most students past middle school, and earlier in some cases, no longer receive any education about plants, according to Jeff Gibson, who’s on the SYF advisory council. He’s also the landscape business manager and university trials manager at Ball Horticultural.

SYF is currently reviewing the data from the first year of BLOOM!, and preliminary reports show that the campaign reached just under 1 million children last year and it garnered more than 1 million views on social media, including Instagram (@wearebloom), Facebook (We Are BLOOM) and YouTube (We Are Bloom!), according to Yoder.

“Our goal, with Scholastic’s help, is that at least every sixth, seventh and eighth grade teacher knows about BLOOM!,” she says.

SYF’s research also helped create the just-launched career resource tool (seedyourfuture.org/careers) and once again, focus groups had something to say about the terminology. One group in Chicago wasn’t impressed with the word arborist. Their suggestion: urban lumberjack.

“It goes back to rethinking old language and making it resonate with today’s youth,” Yoder says.

There are 102 careers on this list so far, coupled with videos featuring people in those careers and links to professional organizations. SYF’s plan is to keep building on that list and be the go-to resource for career questions and planning. Currently, there’s information about two- and four-year programs for those career choices, and SYF plans to add information about certifications and apprenticeship programs.

Kate Santos, regional director at Dümmen Orange, says she “stumbled upon this industry almost by accident and have often described it as one of the ‘best kept secrets’ out there.” Santos, who is on the SYF Leadership Cabinet, knows that it can no longer remain a secret.

“For our industry to remain healthy and continue to grow we need to get the word out. Seed Your Future provides the foundation and platform to communicate the secret of our amazing industry and inspire and educate the next generation about the countless opportunities there are working with plants,” Santos says. “The future workforce of our industry depends upon organizations like Seed Your Future, because it is so pivotal that career paths with plants are known and enticing to the next generation. The students today will define both the success and the future of our industry, and I don’t know about you, but I want to do whatever I can to make sure the best of the best choose plants.”

This June, SYF is hosting a summit at Longwood Gardens, which will provide ideas for colleges and universities to recruit students into horticultural programs.

John Dole is associate dean and director of academic programs at North Carolina State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and is a founding member of SYF. He currently serves on the SYF Leadership Council.

“I am ecstatic over how Seed Your Future is going. The original goals were to promote horticulture and promote careers in horticulture, and I believe Seed Your Future is doing that,” Dole says. “It has a strategic plan, funding, and an excellent group of wonderful volunteers and is making a big impact. Credit needs to be given to Susan Yoder, the dynamic executive director of SYF, the Leadership Cabinet chairs, Anna Ball and Paul Redmon, and the Advisory Council chairs, Charlie Hall and Sarah Cathcart — they are dedicated and amazing.”

While curriculum and careers make up an important part of SYF, it’s just as important to simply introduce children to plants and nature — to cure plant blindness.

“We must get more Americans connected with nature again,” Yoder says. “We need to have this broader level of engagement, not just about our industry and workforce, but also about the health and future of our planet from growing our food to researching diseases.”

Nursery Management’s inaugural Cost Savings Virtual Conference was designed to help you improve margins by presenting creative ideas, efficient practices and innovative products from fellow growers and green-industry experts.

Our editor Kelli Rodda began the conference with her opening remarks.

The first presentation was given by Chris Robinson, general manager at Robinson Nursery in Amity, Ore. On any given day, up to 20 employees stake trees at Robinson Nursery, and each one has a slightly different technique. Chris Robinson realized the variability had a negative impact on productivity and set a goal of developing a standardized process. Chris started focusing on process improvements six years ago. A second-generation nurseryman, he learned about Lean through the Oregon Association of Nurseries and believed the disciplined structure for eliminating waste could help him make his mark on the 600-acre nursery. In Chris’ presentation, he explained how the nursery uses Lean to increase efficiencies and save costs throughout the production process.

Next, Brian Decker, president of Decker’s Nursery in Groveport, Ohio, discussed his experience working with pot forks. Brian and his team have created several implements and processes to make production more efficient. Brian’s presentation covered the implementation of all facets of using pot forks to handle large quantities of container plants in the nursery. Some of the points covered include: Configuration of the fork unit; pot design requirements; fork lift requirements; nursery design requirements; labor/costs savings; and more.

The third presentation was given by Brian Groves, a professional engineer at Panoramic Farm. Panoramic Farm has made significant changes and capital investments to secure its future. The nursery invested heavily in automation equipment, including a soil mix system, potting line, printing barcodes onto pots, and using forklifts to move plants. These changes have put the emphasis on the importance of material flow/process flow. For instance: the nursery experiences consistency of potting with its potting line – the machine sets the tempo and each person has a dedicated job, which equals consistent results.

The virtual conference wouldn’t have been possible without our sponsors, Bailey and Bayer. Both took the opportunity to share how their companies help growers save costs in their own businesses. Alec Charais of Bailey explained how using JumpStarts potted liners can help growers save costs. And Aaron Palmateer discussed how selecting the right plant protection products can help improve cost savings at nursery operations.

To view the virtual conference presentations in their entirety, go to http://bit.ly/CSVC2019.

The construction sector is a worthy barometer for measuring the strength of the economy. While the building sector has enjoyed record growth since rebounding from the Great Recession, questions abound as to whether the construction market can keep its momentum as we move into 2019 and beyond.

Where we’ve been

Construction spending and employment are among two key benchmarks economists utilize to gauge industry strength. Looking at separate graphs from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of both construction spending and construction employment dating from pre-Recession levels in 2006 to October 2018, one can see an unmistakable pattern prevailing. The booming spending and high employment numbers enjoyed before the Recession are followed by a steep decline on both graphs, eventually bottoming out around 2011, followed by a steady and consistent climb up to the peaks the industry is presently enjoying.

According to this data, construction employment was at a 10-year high as of Oct. 2018, with 7.3 million workers employed. Using data comparing Oct. 2017 and Oct. 2018, employment in the nonresidential space increased by 4.4 percent, while residential employment increased by 5.3 percent year-over-year.

Coinciding with near-record employment numbers, construction spending was at an all-time high of $1.31 trillion as of Oct. 2018, which is 9 percent above the previous peak in 2006. Using data comparing Oct. 2017 to Oct. 2018, total construction spending increased 4.9 percent year-over-year, with private residential spending increasing 1.8 percent, private nonresidential increasing by 6.4 percent and public construction spending increasing by 8.5 percent.

According to Associated General Contractors of America Chief Economist Ken Simonson, this growth is indicative of strong nationwide construction activity across sectors, not just certain geographic hot spots that are enjoying success.

“Construction is growing at a moderate pace and is unusually well-balanced both geographically and by segment,” he says. “From October 2017 to October 2018, construction employment increased in 44 states and [Washington], D.C., according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Construction spending put in place increased at a 5 percent rate in the first 10 months of 2018 combined, compared to the same period in 2017, with nearly identical growth rates for residential, private nonresidential and public construction, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.”

What to watch for

Changes in legislation and regulation are key influencers that affect how the construction market responds.

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Chief Economist Anirban Basu notes that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, passed in Dec. 2017, appears to have been positive for the industry. He cites the increase in the amount that can be immediately expensed for certain types of purchases under the law, including equipment, from $500,000 to $1 million, as a driver of more activity.

“While it still might be too early to see the impact of the tax law in any data released by official government agencies, other sources provide some insight. For example, as of this writing, year-to-date sales of Ford’s F-series of trucks, commonly used in the construction industry, were higher in 2018 compared to the same time period in 2017. This likely is a result of the overall strength of the economy coupled with advantageous changes built into the new tax code.”

While the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act appears to have been a net positive for the industry heading into 2019, questions loom as to how recently enacted legislation and prospective regulations may influence the construction sector in the near future.

No crystal ball exists to forecast how 2019 and beyond will play out for the construction industry, but current leading indicators show “few signs indicat[ing] a looming recession.” – Anirban Basu

Looking ahead

No crystal ball exists to forecast how 2019 and beyond will play out for the construction industry, but current leading indicators show “few signs indicat[ing] a looming recession,” Basu says.

Basu points to the Conference Board’s Leading Economic Index, which he says has been a historically good indicator of future downturns over the last 50 years, to forecast that “economic momentum will persist for at least another two to three quarters.”

He also notes that ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator, which is an index used to show work that is under contract but not yet completed, is trending in a positive direction, portending a backlog of work in the pipeline for contractors across the country for much of 2019.

Simonson says that he expects economic tailwinds to continue to propel the construction sector for the foreseeable future, leading to growth in spending and employment, although potentially at a less robust clip than in 2018 thanks to factors such as rising interest rates and elevated building costs.

“I expect 2019 to be another year of moderate growth for construction. However, contractors should expect continuing uncertainty and probably higher costs relating to tariffs, even tighter labor markets and a possible downturn in orders from interest-sensitive owners, such as hotel developers and municipal-bond issuers,” he says.

Although Basu is optimistic that the industry will continue in a positive direction in 2019, he cautions that recessions are historically inevitable after prolonged periods of prosperity. He notes that contractors would be wise to keep this top of mind as the year progresses.

“... recessions often follow within two years of the peak in confidence. In 1999, the U.S. economy was booming,” Basu says. “That year, the economy expanded 4.8 percent. Within two years, the nation was in recession after the dot-com bust of 2000.

“Similarly, the economy was humming in 2005, thanks largely to a red-hot housing market. That year, the U.S. economy expanded 3.5 percent, the last time it achieved the 3 percent threshold. The housing bubble burst in earnest during 2006’s first half, and by late 2007, the nation found itself in a very deep recession.

“This is not to suggest that recession is necessarily coming in 2020 or 2021. But, contractors should be wary and remain vigilant with respect to cash flow management and balance sheet health during the year ahead. The average contractor is likely to be quite busy in 2019, but beyond that the economic outlook is decidedly murky.”

Fall 2018 in Georgia was superb for exacting picture-perfect, true-to-marketing, retina-saturating autumn colors from Acer palmatum and cultivars. One might ask, who needs a cultivar when run-of-the-mill seedlings radiate brilliant yellow, orange, red, scarlet, and purple, often a mixed mottle on the same tree?

I doubt any one knows the exact number of extant cultivars, however, 484 are listed as commercially available in the RHS Plant Finder (2017). Remarkable variation exists within the genome of the species as evidenced by dwarf shrub types, weeping, columnar, and small to medium trees. Stems and trunks variously colored and textured. Foliage may be lobed, filigree/dissected, and thread-like in green, yellow, variegated combinations, red, maroon and purple. Foliage is frost/freeze tolerant into the low- to mid-20s; the colder temperatures fostering the great fall colors. Fall color develops equally well in sun and shade environments, making it a useful understory plant. In its native Japan and Korea, it grows in the understory. In the Dirr and Coach Vince Dooley gardens, seedlings and cultivars are planted under water, willow, and white oaks, tuliptrees, and pines, displaying cultural tenacity not consistently credited to the species. Once established, the species displays reasonable drought tolerance, pH adaptability, and longevity. Avoid wet soils as trees require good drainage. Antiquarian trees (over 100 years old) are extant in landscapes from Maine to Georgia. In Newport, R.I., on the estates along Bellevue Avenue, trees that are 30 to 40 feet high, 50 feet wide, with 3- to 4-foot diameter trunks are in excellent condition. Zone 5 to 9 is the reasonable assessment of adaptability, especially with proper cultivar selection. A friend from Marinette, Wis., sent grafting wood of a pretty seedling in his garden that survived -37°F, so there is hope for Zone 4 (3) gardens. New hybrids with the cold hardy A. pseudosieboldianum have been recently introduced by Iseli Nursery and others.

Acer obsession

Once hooked on the lure/diversity within Acer palmatum, collecting becomes an obsession, with the next unique cultivar only $129.99 out of pocket. Coach Dooley developed a love for Japanese maples long before me, although I am now trying to catch up. Coach has 125 cultivars and 50 seedlings, spiced with Acer japonicum,A. shisarawanum, and a single, truly magnificent A. pseudosieboldianum, the latter I did not believe would be so successful in the Zone 8 heat. Coach bought his wife, Barbara, an Acer palmatum for an anniversary gift. As the story unfolds, coach said she kept looking for jewelry on the branches and all she discovered were leaves. We walked the garden 11-17-18 and again on 11-21-18, colors at their peak, with a few still green like ‘Katsura’ and ‘Mikawa-yatsubusa’. The majority of the so-termed red leaf cultivars were brilliant red and/or purple.

Japanese maples are frequently described as slow-growing small trees, in the 20-foot range. A Chinese proverb opines, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the next best time is today.” Coach’s love affair with Acer palmatum started in the late ‘90s. In fact, when I first visited his garden in 1995-96, I do not remember a single A. palmatum. The early additions like ‘Oshio-beni’, ‘Trompenburg’, ‘Glowing Embers’, ‘Katsura’, and many seedlings are now over 20 feet high. ‘Glowing Embers’, a seedling selection from the University of Georgia Botanical Garden, is now 30 feet high. Coach is still planting and added several more in 2018. He has a menagerie of maples in containers on the patio, carefully observing their performance, before moving them to the garden.

I asked Coach to develop a list of his top performers and/or those with personal attachments (see sidebar). My list, based on consistent aesthetics and performance in the nine-year-old Dirr garden, is also included. There are currently ~25 cultivars and ~15 seedlings in the Dirr garden.

I gave Coach a stray, dissected, green leaf seedling that, at the time, showed little promise. Fifteen years later it is one of the more unique A. palmatum in his garden, christened/labeled ‘Dirr Throwaway’. Serpentine habit, green stems like Firmiana simplex, and delicate fern-patterned green leaves which turn glowing yellow-gold-orange in autumn, enticed me to graft several. Does the world need another Japanese maple? Certainly not. But even a benchwarmer surprises and occasionally scores a touchdown. Mark Krautmann of Heritage Seedlings in Salem, Ore., suggested the name ‘Dooley’s Quarterback Keeper’.

In the southeast, persistent red leaf foliage color is the missing ingredient in all the red leaf cultivars. All red leaf types are green or nearly so by July in Zone 8. In New England, the upper Midwest, and the Pacific Northwest, the red color persists into fall. A study at North Carolina State University showed “redness” of ‘Bloodgood’ foliage grown at 57°F and 64°F night temperatures was two to seven tones darker than foliage at 72°F and 79°F. I have asked everyone who knows/grows the red leaf types for those with the most persistent coloration. In the southeast, ‘Hefner’s Red’ (‘Hefner’s Red Select’) and ‘Emperor 1’ consistently surface. To these, add ‘Nuresagi’, which has been the best for red leaf retention in the Dirr garden. ‘Fireglow’ and ‘Twombley’s Red Sentinel’ are also mentioned for holding red leaf color. The fall color is always brilliant red on ‘Emperor 1’. ‘Fireglow’ and ‘Hefner’s Red Select’ are of an intermediate size for red leaf uprights, 12-15 feet high at maturity.

Zone 8 considerations

The challenge for A. palmatum enthusiasts/breeders is to develop a cultivar with season-long red foliage under high day/night temperature conditions. A red leaf tree type like the dissected green leaf ‘Seiryu’ or weeping ‘Ryusen’ are worthy objectives. Both are well adapted to the heat of Zone 8. ‘Ryusen’ from seed produces upright and weeping specimens. All seedlings to date have green foliage. Japanese maples will “seed in” and are often found around older trees where the ground is undisturbed. I have collected many as has Coach Dooley from such habitats, with the thought that nature will provide the persistent red foliage of my dreams. Unfortunately, I am still dreaming.

There is a Japanese maple for every garden situation offering variation in habit, size, foliage, stem/bark coloration, and adaptability. Hale and Hines Nursery, a wholesale pot-in-pot grower in McMinnville, Ten., lists 40 A. palmatum cultivars in the 2017-2018 catalog. There are many specialist growers who offer a spectrum not often available from local retailers. The specialists often discover new forms and introduce them in local and regional markets. David Freed, owner of Garden Design Nursery in Madison County, Ga., introduced ‘Twinkles’ and Radiant, the former a more compact, finely branched, coral red stemmed type, 8-10 feet high; the latter strongly upright-vase-shaped, to 15 feet high with variegated green-white-pink-rose spotted and marble-cake patterned leaves and green-white-yellow streaked bark. David grafts all the cultivars in-house and monitors their adaptability for the Georgia climate. Coach and I visited on Dec. 7, 2018 and purchased six new cultivars for our gardens.

For more than 40 years, horticulturist, breeder, and author Michael A. Dirr has impacted the green industry through research, teaching, books, and plant introductions. Coach Vince Dooley is a former University of Georgia football coach and athletic director. He’s since become a garden enthusiast and plant collector who can ID plants and use the correct botanical names with the best of them.