When horticulturists in your company begin to "talk shop," do you sometimes feel like you're standing on foreign soil? Do you frown in puzzlement when they toss out phrases like vascular bundles, air layering and sucker growth? If so, you're not alone. The language of horticulture, while sometimes confusing, is essential for effective communication. To tackle [...]
Over the years, rising overhead costs have forced interiorscapers to delay replacing plants in order to control expenses. Old plants, hanging onto life by one or two leaves, will ruin an account; but, aging plants, maintained properly to stay full, can be beautiful for many years. To extend a plant's life without sacrificing plant quality, it [...]
Great managers inspire their plant technicians Managing interior plant technicians can be very stressful. It takes a lot of effort to make sure your technicians are knowledgeable about their work and servicing the accounts with ease. Good leadership is essential, but what are the characteristics of a good manager? Here are 20 characteristics of [...]
It's important to learn botanical nomenclature Chamaedorea seifrizii, Dizygotheca elegantissima, Dracaena deremensis ‘Warneckei,' Yucca elephantipes, Nidularium innocentii var. lineatum and Aspidistra elatior Those Latin names can be technical tongue twisters; difficult to pronounce and remember! Learning scientific names can seem more like an obstruction than a useful tool to the new interior plant technician. In truth, a basic understanding [...]
Be on the lookout for yellow plant leaves What’s going on when you find yellow leaves on the plants in your care? The truth is that there will always be yellow leaves, it’s only natural. There are so many reasons for yellow leaves! Determining the cause and then attempting to stop the problem will lessen [...]
What are your goals? Ready, Set...Goals! Goals, promises and objectives are all words that can make some people start to squirm. What is it about these words that can prompt all kinds woes? Goal setting doesn’t need to be a long drawn-out, soul-searching process. It's as simple as writing down on a piece of paper [...]
5 Signs it's Time to Replace Plants Maybe it's time for new plants? Many of us choose plantscaping because we love plants. When a plant suddenly dies in our care we grieve the loss, for in some unique way we have lost a friend. Perhaps harder yet for us is when a plant has [...]
Customer Care Matters Nurture your clients like you would your plants You may think that taking care of the plants in your accounts is of the utmost importance, but it's just as important to care for your customers. Clients will have questions, concerns and requests. Take the extra time to talk to them and [...]
It's valuable to save time and energy When you’re in the janitor’s closet and you’ve just finished hooking up the water machine to the sink so it can fill, what do you do for the next three to five minutes? Do you stare at the sink remembering your weekend? Maybe just stand there holding [...]
Check Schefflera for cyclamen mites Cyclamen mites! Where did they come from? In the past, infestations of these tiny pests were rare and most commonly found on African Violets. The easiest solution was to remove the infected plant to prevent the spread of these mites. Recently, there has been an increase in cyclamen mite [...]
