The Curmudgeon in Winter – Bigfoot is hiding under your bed – by Dr. Dirt

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o you ever wake up at 3am, tortured by thoughts of a boss or employee (we’re avoiding relatives here) who makes your life miserable, so while trying to get back to sleep, you go through the initial stages of denial, anger, sadness, etc., failing most miserably, so you crawl out of bed, groan, limp to the coffeepot which you didn’t clean yesterday, and in your too-early-in-the-morning haze on the way to the sink, you spill yesterday’s coffee grounds on the floor, stepping in same on the way back, but in a minor victory over the fates, you finally get the water bubbling through the dark roast, then you realize you are talking out loud to yourself about the generally downhill progress of the world and the particularly miserable state of your own particular miserable life? And you realize with a morbidly fascinating mixture of excitement and revulsion that, yes, you are turning into Andy Rooney. Your eyebrows have grown two inches, seemingly overnight. Jowls are beginning to f lop below your chin. Your hair resembles Ms. Frankenstein’s fright-wig after a bad night. Your mouth is locking into a permanent frown. Your voice has gone up in pitch, with a mocking, whiny tremolo. Grumpiness rules. Everyday incidental annoyances take on heavyweight influence. Yesterday’s mosquito bite is today’s scabies. Children’s bright yells down the street are amplified to harpies’ screams, even as your hearing has pathetically diminished. The fresh sugary smell of your neighbor’s new-mown grass serves only to remind you it’s time for you to mow your own lawn, and didn’t you just do that? Teenaged boys are walking around with their pants around their knees

and their butts hanging out. The shirt you just put on has little prickly hair trimmings all around the neck and back – a hair-shirt that you know you just washed. You are almost clipped in a crosswalk by a cellphone-blind SUV driver, who adds insult to nearinjury by honking and flipping you off. Current popular music pulls across your eardrums like fingernails on blackboard. The Sunday Times costs six dollars, when you can even find a hard copy. “Hard copy” now refers in general to anything you like and can no longer find at any store. Twelve-year-old girls are dressed like streetwalkers, and where, you wonder in disbelief, are their parents? Cars have stopped using their turn signals, except in Florida, where turn signals never turn off. Movies you’ve been awaiting for a year finally come to your local cinema but are gone in three days, while movies you won’t be watching in ten years when they’re on free TV stay on the local screen for what seems like months. Most of the people around you in most any setting are talking loudly to themselves with blue cockroaches stuck in their ears. When you sit still, half of you hurts; when you move, the other half hurts. To a large degree the world has become an irritant. And perversely, in a flashback to age six, your response is to irritate the world back. You plant a thorny hedge where kids cut through your yard. You drill holes in the exhaust systems of your car and lawn mower to produce a few extra decibels. You spike your remaining hair and tint it green, just to provoke your spouse and children. You stream re-runs of Sesame Street to pick up pointers from Oscar the Grouch, the

Are you turning into Andy Rooney?

ur-curmudgeon. You paint your house with pink and black stripes to face Neighbor 1 and green and purple dots to face Neighbor 2. At the office you take up atonal whistling, and you spray canned cigar smoke around the desks of people who annoy you. In the car you stop using your turn signals on even-numbered days, and leave them blinking constantly the rest of the time (left or right, at random). You

move your waste recycling bins to the front yard, and you move your home compost operation near your neighbor’s dining room windows. And by now, yes, you are truly Andy Rooney’s twin. You start watching Rooney re-runs to improve your technique. You are positively enjoying being Andy Rooney’s twin. You gain pleasure from it. You realize if you continue to have too much fun at this, you may become actually cheery. You get depressed. You hope for an early spring. Dr. Dirt makes a curmudgeonly nod in the direction of John Hart, Professor of Horticultural Technology at the Thompson School of Applied Science, University of New Hampshire, Durham.

NHLA Newsletter, January 2011xxxx13

Sidenotes, Cont’d from p. 11 20 years it has become potable, swimmable, fishable, good clean water where Atlantic Salmon run. Nature can usually cure itself, if man stops trashing it. My generation posed many great questions and issues, but sadly stopped solving them as we raised kids and became interested in making a living and even accumulating. Most of those questions have been answered, and the technology is in place. All that is lacking is the political will to bring some of these solutions into play, like renewable energy. Dean Kamen has a small machine that would purify water for a village of 5000 people, and yet we send jets of plastic bottles of water. As a dramatist, I love irony, as a person I often abhor it. I feel conf ident of the near future. It is my contention, in spite of humanity’s ability to self destruct, it lacks the ability to wipe out biota. I have taken to calling

myself “Biotaman” lately. I am falling in love with germs and building my immunity system. I am sure it is the sterile folks who will be apprehended by the Gigantic Staff Infection in the air. Have also found, having a foot in each world, time spent out of the body can be good for the soul and productive for an artist. I no longer read more than one newspaper a month. Pretty much skip the “news” (world gossip) on tv. I read detective books and watch Law and Order. Without the bi-polaric banter of canned politics, things are becoming quite lovely. You should have seen the sunset I saw tonight in the wide open sky. My spirit is intact, and my soul as rebellious as ever. It is a good life and I wish you all a wonderful holiday season and the best New Year ever. v

HOUSE BILL Cont’d from p. 9 side you are on, then the debate will be decided without you. You will be allowing other people to decide your fate and the fate of a large part of our industry, without you. It is not that hard to get involved. Go to www.nh.gov , click on Government and click on General Court. On the left side of the page, click on the House of Representatives, click on standing committees and scroll down to Environment and Agriculture. Click on it and you will find a list of all of the committee members and their contact information. This is the committee that reviews bills that directly affect the landscape and nursery industry. When the new bill is proposed in January, you will be able to read it and follow it from this site. You can find the schedule of committee meetings (they are open to the public) and most

importantly you can contact the committee members by phone or email and have your voice heard. Generally they are eager to hear the opinions of the people in the industry and the people who are affected the most. You can also attend the working sessions, and see the representatives in person, and see up close how our government works. If you have more information or an opinion about this issue, get involved and write an article for the newsletter. We would love to hear from you. Stay tuned, I will update the board of directors and the association when the new bill is introduced. E

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NHCLP Review Course and Exam

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Certification Review Course will be held in February. This course reviews information in the Certification manual for people who are planning to take the NHCLP Exam. It is also open to non-exam takers. The Certification exam, both written and ID portion, will be on March 5, 2011, 9:00 am, at Putnam Hall, The Thompson School UNH. Preregistration is required.

NHCLP Review Course: When: Feb 21, 23, 28, and March 2 Time: 6-9 pm Where: Thompson School of Applied Science, Putnam Hall Rm. 5 Cost: $75.00 for four sessions or $25.00 for one session. Please bring a check to the first session you are attending if you have not already registered. Instructors: Paula Kovecses,

Dana M. Sansom Material covered: February 21—Botany, Soils, Fertilizers, Composting; February 23—Plant Identification, Plant Nomenclature, Plant Hardiness, Native and Invasive Plants; February 28—Turf, Planting Instructions, Plant Maintenance, Safety;     March 2 —Landscape Design, Hardscape, Bidding and

Estimating. Registration: Please register with Paula Kovecses at 603529-9634 or email pakovecses@ twigthewayitgrows.com. Cancellation due to snow will have a recorded message on 603529-9634 For information on the course, the exam and about forms, contact pakoveses@twigthewayitgrows. com, or call 603-529-9634.

Recertification Credit Opportunity We are now offering two credits for attending the NHLA Winter Meeting and two credits for the Spring Meeting.

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NHLA Newsletter, January 2011xxxx17

18xxxxNHLA Newsletter, January 2011

North American Rock Garden Society Holds Annual Meeting in New Hampshire

E

xciting flora in New England? Come see for yourself ! An old New England farmer once said “My best crop is the rocks I harvest from my field.” He was perhaps exaggerating to make a point, but not by much.  In northern New England, the rocks left by the glaciers can be a nightmare when planting a new garden. And each spring brings forth a new crop. So what’s one to do? Rather than be cursed as an obstacle, the presence of rocks provides New England gardeners with a unique opportunity to create a garden perfectly suited to its site. Come see for yourself! From the magnificent White Mountains in the north of New Hampshire and the rolling Green Mountains of Vermont, through the Lake

Districts and many historic and quaint regions, New England is filled with rock gardens of beautiful flora and unique species. Join us for the NARGS 2011 Meeting, June 17-19, at Colby Saw yer College in New London, NH. One afternoon will be spent at the The Fells, the historic Lake Sunapee estate of statesman John Hay. His son, Clarence Hay, was one of the original and prominent members of The American Rock Garden Society (ARGS), the predecessor to NARGS. Clarence worked with Italian stone masons to build an extensive rock garden during the 1920-30s from rocks located elsewhere on the large property. The result is an extraordinary natural-looking creation. For over 30 years

Clarence maintained an extensive index card file in which he meticulously noted scientific name, cultural information, source of plant material, and field observations for 600 different species and cultivars of alpine plants. Clarence died in 1969. Following decades of neglect, volunteers and a small staff continue renovations of the impressive Clarence Hay Rock Garden. Meeting Highlights Colby-Saw yer College is a classic colonial campus in New Hampshire’s scenic Lake Sunapee Region. This tree lined campus is nestled in the quaint New England town of New London. The Fells has one of the largest privately developed rock gardens in the Northeast. Built in

a natural dell, this unique rock garden contains a multitude of micro climates providing ideal conditions for a large variety of species. Indian Tree Hill. The hundreds of alpines, dozens of dwarf conifers, countless bulbs, interesting ground covers, native and exotic woodland species, unusual trees, and many old favorites make this garden very special. Thirty years of loving care has gone into this private garden of Paul and Patsy Highberg. The nationally recognized Barrett-Fenderson Garden features specimen trees; and many mature, rare, and unusual woody and herbaceous plants in a variety of environments. 1. The private Fry garden is Continued on p. 21

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NHLA Newsletter, January 2011xxxx19

2011 NHLA Elections NHLA Annual Elections take place at the Annual Meeting (see pages 4-5). Participate in your professional association. Be sure to Vote! If you cannot attend the January 25 meeting, please return the ballot below.

Ballot: 2011 NHLA Board of Directors PRESIDENT: (Vote for one) ■ Dave DeJohn, David DeJohn Landscaping ■ Write in____________________________

DIRECTOR, 2 years (Vote for one) ■ John Crooks, John’s Landscaping of Madbury, NH ■ Write in_______________________

VICE PRESIDENT (Vote for one) ■ Peter DeBrusk, Tuckahoe Turf ■ Write in____________________________

DIRECTOR, 3 years (Vote for one) ■ Write in_______________________ We are still looking for someone for this position. If you are interested, call Guy Hodgdon. We will email the name of the person running so you can enter as a write-in if you wish.

SECRETARY/TREASURER (Vote for one) ■ Pat Marston, Labrie Associates ■ Write in________________________ Signature_________________________________________ Company_________________________________________

Winners of this election will join current Board Director Mike Graves, Northern Nurseries, and past-president Alan Anderson, A Tree Health Company, Inc., dba Urban Tree Service.

If you do not attend the January 25 meeting, please return this ballot to the Business Office no later than 5:00 p.m. on January 24, 2011. All absentee ballots must be signed to be counted. Send to: NHLA Business Office, 50 Debbie Lane, Eliot, ME 03903 or FAX to 1-207-439-8628.

Your source for HERBACEOUS & WOODY WETLAND PLANTS NATIVES, FERNS & ORNAMENTALS C ON TRA C T G ROWI N G A VA I L A B L E 24 BUZZELL ROAD, BIDDEFORD ME 04005 phone (207) 499-2994 fax (207) 499-2912 email: [email protected]

~ WE DELIVER TO YOUR AREA! ~

20xxxxNHLA Newsletter, January 2011

V

Minutes of the November 2 NHLA Board of Directors Meeting

Present: Pres. Dave DeJohn, Jennifer Roth, John Crooks, Diane Perkins. Absent: Mike Graves, Peter DeBrusk, Cris Blackstone. Professionals: Jon Batson, Paula Koveces, Guy Hodgdon. Others Present: Pat Marston. 1. Dave opened the meeting at 6:50 pm. 2. Minutes of the October meeting were reviewed. Diane motioned to approve the minutes as written. Seconded by John. Unanimously approved. 3. Jen reviewed the Treasurer’s Report. Our current checkbook balance is $11,949.22. The savings account stands at $ 3,026.77. Diane motioned to approve the Treasurer’s Report. Seconded by John. Unanimously approved. 4. Guy distributed the nonrenewal list to the Board for them to contact. He also reported that he has sent the revised membership application to Carolyn for printing.

5. Carolyn was not present to report on the newsletter. 6. Jon reports that the Education Committee continues to work on the following meetings: Jan. 25, 2011 – Winter Conference with NHPGA, March 16 – Spring Conference with UNHCE. The Twilight Meetings will be confirmed next. He reported that there were about 40 people in attendance for the Rain Garden meeting. The idea of forming an ad hoc committee to plan the next Jan. Joint meeting was discussed. 7. Paula reported that the Certif ication Committee did not meet this past month. Dates for the exam and the review sessions have been set. 8. Nominations for the next Board were discussed. 10. The meeting adjourned at 8:15 pm. G

H

NHLA Welcomes...

Diane Hardy James McGuinness 221 Wash Pond Road McGuiness Tree Service Hampstead, NH 03841 21 Bedford Street Tel. 603-329-7097 Nashua, NH 03063 Student Tel. 603-882-0686 Jon Singleton Carroll Concrete 8 Reeds Nill Road Newport, NH 03773 Tel. 603-863-8219

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Why Van Berkum Nursery? • Over 800 varieties of perennials grown “lean and mean” in NH • 20 years of experience working with landscapers and designers • A weekly availability list plus a list of what looks best for garden center sales

NARGs Meeting, Cont’d from page 19 truly unique… a splendid paradise of more than 40 garden areas connected by staircases, pebbled or grass walkways, and spread over 12 acres. 1. At the Eshqua Bog Natural Area, visitors can experience the unusual and rare natural history of this plant community firsthand. Enjoy the splendid bloom of the Cypripedium reginae during mid to late June. 1. The Philbrick-Cricenti Bog was recently recommended in the NY Times travel section. A mile-long network of trails runs through this so-called kettle hole bog. Pitcher plants, sundews, calla Lilies, and many more plants

• Fast delivery to northern New England and fantastic, knowledgeable drivers

welcome the June visitor. The meeting includes vendors, silent auction, plant show, awards, meeting, and key note speakers. Post conference trips, not included in registration, feature the Garden in the Woods and a Mount Washington excursion. Plus there are opportunities for side trips on your own after the conference. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to discover the f lora of beautiful and quaint New England ! More at: http://nargs. org. w

• An informative website with sections for professionals and your clients. Join us on Facebook!

• Specialty lists such as New England Woodlanders, Wicked Ruggeds and more

• Display gardens and the invitation to bring your clients to choose plant lines

• Hefty true gallon containers for over 100 varieties for instant impact

• Prepricing tag program for garden centers, plus custom tags with our own photos and info

• An incredibly experienced staff that truly works as a team, making it easy to help you

• We propagate most of our plants, giving us good selection all season

• A great 175-page catalog with many lists to help you and your customers design gardens

• Many environmentally friendly practices, several which we’ve been doing for years

• We’d love to have you visit anytime!

Van Berkum Nursery • 4 James Road, Deerfield, NH 03037 (603) 463-7663 Fax 7326 • www.vanberkumnursery.com

NHLA Newsletter, January 2011xxxx21

V

Minutes of the December 7 NHLA Board of Directors Meeting

Present: Pres. Dave DeJohn, Jennifer Roth, John Crooks, Diane Perkins. Absent: Mike Graves, Peter DeBrusk, Cris Blackstone. Professionals: Jon Batson, Carolyn Isaak. Others Present: Pat Marston. 1. Dave opened the meeting at 6:40 PM. 2. Minutes of the November meeting were reviewed. Diane motioned to approve the minutes as written. Seconded by John. Unanimously Approved 3. Jen reviewed the Treasurer’s Report. Our current checkbook balance is $16,733.33. The savings account stands at $ 3,026.77. Diane motioned to approve the Treasurer’s Report. Seconded by John. Unanimously Approved.

4. The board reviewed the revised non-renewal list submitted by Guy and decided to give it until Dec. 15 to contact people again before dropping their memberships. 5. Carolyn brought the revised member applications and reported that the December Newsletter has been mailed. There will be another single issue in January and then a double issue for February/March. She also requested that the nominations slate be submitted to her in time to make the January issue. 6. Jon reported on the meeting he attended with the NHPGA board to finalize plans for the Jan. 25, 2011 – Winter Conference, at which Cathy Neal’s proposal to form an ad hoc committee to plan the next Jan. Joint meeting

was presented and discussed. NHPGA has mailed registration forms for the Jan. Conference to their membership as well as vendor packets. We will be mailing registration notices to our membership this week. Jon also reported on the progress of planning the March 16 – Spring Conference with UNHCE and possible twilight meetings. Jon also presented the idea of video recording sessions at our conferences for posting online; the board discussed this issue and how it might be done. Carolyn suggested that, to ensure good quality, it might be helpful to elicit the aid of UNH students to do the recording. 7. Paula was not present to report for the Certification Committee.

8. Nominations for the next Board were discussed. 9. The board discussed Pete’s article, which will appear in our Newsletter, about the issues and progress of HB1456 which aims to ban pesticide use. John reported on the meeting that he, and a few other NHLA members, attended with the pesticide board and reported that there will be another meeting on December 14 in Room 201 at the State House in Concord, for our information. He said the meetings were helpful in communicating the needs and perspectives of green industry professionals. 10. The meeting adjourned at 8:00 pm. G

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“Of winter’s lifeless world each tree

Now seems a perfect part; Yet each one holds summer’s secret Deep down within its heart.



~Charles G. Stater

Copy for the NHLA Newsletter must be received on the 1st of the month prior to publication date. Ads are due the 10th of the month prior to publication.

Calendar • JanUARY 12-14, 18-19

• February 21, 23, 28 & March 2

NOFA 5-day Accreditation Course in Organic Land Care, Parker River National Wildlife Refuge in Newburyport, MA, www.organiclandcare.net.

NHCLP Review Course, see p. 16

• January 25 Joint Winter Meeting, NHLA, NHPGA, see page 5

• January 25-26

• March 3 17th Annual Ecological Landscaping Association Conference and Eco-Marketplace : Staying A head of the Curve, MassMutual Center, Springfield, MA, www.ecolandscaping. org/conference.html.

RINLA Winter Meeting, Crowne Plaza, Warwick, RI, www. Rinla.org

• March 5

• February 1

• March 7-10

Deadline for applications for 6-month Atkinson and Lovejoy Conservation Fellowship, NE Wildflower Society: internships in native plant cultivation, nursery production, plant/land conservation, and adult education. Info: www.newfs.org/ calendar

New England Regional Turfgrass Conference and Show, RI Convention Center, Providence, RI, see page 14.

• february 2-4 New England Grows, Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Boston, MA, www.newenglandgrows.org/

• February 9 Estimating Workshop with Jim Huston of J.R. Huston Consulting LLC, Urban Forestry Center, Portsmouth, sponsored by NHLA. Info: www.nhlaonline.org/news-events/calendar. cfm. See page 2.

NHCLP Exam, see page 16

• March 16 NHL A-UNHCE Annual Spring Conference, see pages 6-7.

• June 17-19 NARGS 2011 Meeting, Colby Sawyer College in New London, NH, see page 19.