Ruppert Landscape Appoints Kang President & COO
Jessica Schwartz
It’s National Pollinator Week! What Are You Planting?
It’s National Pollinator Week, the 13th consecutive year of bringing greater awareness to the critically important issue of pollinator conservation. Pollinator Partnership (P2) founded the initiative in 2007 which has now grown into an international celebration of the valuable ecosystem services provided by bees, birds, butterflies, bats, and beetles. Landmarks across the U.S. and Canada will be lit in pollinator colors (yellow and orange) while numerous virtual gatherings, webinars, responsible planting sessions, socially distant garden and farm walks will be held. To find activities in your area, click here. Here are some facts from P2: About 75% of all flowering plants rely on animal pollinators and over 200,000 species of animals act as pollinators. Of those, about 1,000 are hummingbirds, bats, and small mammals. The rest are insects such as beetles, bees, ants, wasps, butterflies, and moths. Worldwide, approximately 1,000 plants grown for food, beverages, fibers, spices, and medicines need to be pollinated by animals in order to produce the goods on which we depend. Foods and beverages produced with the help of pollinators include blueberries, chocolate, coffee, melons, peaches, pumpkins, vanilla, and almonds. P2 offers variety of free eco-regional pollinator friendly planting guides. Simply type in your zip code here to download gardening advice specific to your area. Here are some general tips: Habitat opportunities abound on every landscape – from window boxes to acres of farms to corporate campuses to utility and roadside corridors – every site can be habitat. Utilize plants native to your area (or ...
Ornamentals Feature: Spring Planting
For most landscapers without big plowing operations, Spring signals the start of the busy season. While there’s much to do in terms of mowing and maintenance, it’s also the one of the best times for establishing new trees and ornamentals before the heat and stress of summer sets in. When To Plant: Watch Your Frost Risk As an avid gardener, I’m a clock watcher. Well, a temperature watcher really. At the first sign of Spring, my (supposed) green thumbs are itchy to get out there and start digging in the dirt. As a landscaper, you’re anxious to get out there and generate income, not to mention please early bird clients. But I do my best to restrain myself since Spring is a fickle season and a 65 degree day can plummet to a freezing night with little warning. Some plants, particularly those showy annuals clients love, simply don’t like freezing temperatures and can wilt or die when exposed to just one frost. So I wait and I watch. I know the risk of frost must be past to dig in many of my pots and plantings. Here in New Jersey, Mother’s Day is the general rule of thumb for when you can start gardening with abandon. To determine when your region is no longer at risk of frost, the popular gardening site, Dave’s Garden, offers a handy search tool I found when researching the other end of the planting season—first frost and fall establishment. Simply type in your area code ...
