"Raising the bar on consumer expectations"

Dennis Higbie
Director of Horticulture and Pest Management
Walt Disney World
Orlando, FL

Walt Disney realized the significance of horticulture before he broke ground at Disneyland in California and from the very beginning placed great importance on the landscapes in his park. Providing a great environment for our guest is critical for the success of our parks, and we count on the businesses in the horticulture industry to provide the products and services to make that possible. A short list includes nurseries, irrigation companies, landscape contractors, landscape architects and fertilizer providers. Almost all of them are members in the FNGLA.

The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, which began in 1994, has taken our guest expectations to a new level. Never before was horticulture given a starring rather than supporting role in the show. For the first time, there were large numbers of guest who were asked to come to Walt Disney World to see the great horticulture show we were able to provide. From the beginning it was a great success. From the beginning the FNGLA was a part of the show. A majority of the plant material at the Festival comes from Florida nurseries, and many of the participants in the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival are based in Florida. Since a high percentage of the guests visiting the Festival live in Florida, the industry helps to make our show relevant by presenting our guests with plants and products they can use at their homes.

Obviously, not all of the guests who come to Epcot during the 60 days of the Festival are drawn by the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. Many of them, especially those from out of the area, get lucky and have the show going on during their vacation. However, there are a great many guests who do come just for the Festival, and their goal is to see a great horticulture show, enjoy the park, and take home knowledge they can use to improve their personal landscapes. Their interest level is large and spans the various aspects of the industry. A great many of them are relatively new to the area, and they have discovered the unique challenges Florida presents to gardeners and are looking for solutions to their problems. From bedding plants to containers, hanging baskets to irrigation, these guests want to learn it all. An area of increased interest in the past few years is environmentally sensitive gardening, particularly techniques which help conserve water.

Over the past 13 years our guests have become much more educated and savvy about gardening. What impressed 10 years ago would hardly raise and eyebrow today, and that is a real testament to the horticulture expectations of our guests, and the public as a whole. While it is true that the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival has helped raise our guest expectations, the industry as a whole has made tremendous strides in this area. The result of creating more educated and demanding guests is that our quest for higher quality and more spectacular shows never stops and this trend can also be seen industry wide. However, one thing that we learned long ago is that our guests keep returning if they are given a great show, and your customers will return if they are given high quality services and products. As long as everyone in the landscape industry keeps this fact in mind, the customer base will continue to grow.

Finally, if you have never visited the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, 2007 will be a great time to come. The show runs April 5-June 3 and our goal once again will be to exceed our guest’s expectations. And make sure you stop by the Growing Future Gardeners garden which is presented by our friends at the FNGLA and is designed to ensure a future generation of great gardeners.

"We’ve come a long way, baby …"

Judy Drake
Sunscapes Landscape Designs
Jacksonville, Florida

It wasn’t too many years ago that it was illegal for a landscape designer to sell a landscape plan. Through the efforts of a number of designers, then Florida Rep. Jim Fuller of Jacksonville introduced legislation to change the law. The (then) FNGA, as well as the Florida Builders Association, supported our cause and we were successful.

Many designers take these hard earned efforts for granted, but I believe we have an obligation to work with and reach out to landscape architects. As the trade association representing Florida’s vast nursery and landscape industry, FNGLA is our bridge for doing exactly that.

I also believe we have an obligation to “be the best that we can be” in response to the privilege we have been given. I’d like to suggest three ways we can do that.

Become certified. You will learn a great deal through the process of certification, and when you can declare yourself a “FNGLA Certified Landscape Designer,” you will place yourself above the crowd.

Learn, learn, learn. FNGLA offers wonderful educational opportunities through the Short Courses at FNATS and TPIE. These courses, which include low voltage lighting applications to new plants in the landscape, are all taught by nationally known individuals. They all give wonderful opportunities to expand your mind and your resources.

Take advantage of the Landscape Design Tour. The Landscape Division of FNGLA sponsors a Landscape Design Tour each spring. It provides an opportunity to see some of the best gardens in the state while networking with other designers. This tour will challenge and stimulate you to create better designs.

So, get off your duff! It’s not too late to register for the FNATS Short Course. All of these opportunities will really pay off – not only in your skills, but also in your bank account. See you at FNATS in Orlando!

"Tires ain't pretty"

Kevin Reily
Rockledge Gardens, Inc.
Rockledge, Florida

Each day when I wake up I thank God that I'm not going to work to sell tires. "Tires ain't pretty" and plants are beautiful. I have been involved in our business, a retail garden center, for 32 years and with my wife Theresa even longer. Yes, there are days when I seem to take 2 steps forward and 3 steps backwards, but I can't think of any other industry in which I would rather be involved.

Yesterday's garden center could have been operated on auto-pilot. Today's garden center definitely needs constant molding and nurturing. Because we have been in business for a zillion years does not guarantee anything. Operating an independent garden center in Florida is more challenging than ever. This includes keeping the consumers interested in our products and services. We must raise the bar. Buying tires might be a necessary evil. Some would argue that buying plants is not necessary. We as an industry, garden centers - growers - landscapers - designers and allied, must work together communicating the message “Gardening Is Fun!”- “Gardening is not a four letter word!” – “Gardening enhances the quality of life!”

Theresa and I have found great resources in networking with other garden center operators as well as our vendors. We can bounce and borrow ideas, tweaking them to make them work for us. We learn what is coming down the pike as far as new products, new ideas and new regulations. We have done this by participating in the Garden Center Group, Garden Centers of America and FNGLA along with attending trade shows such as FNATS and TPIE.

So now at the end the day I am thanking God for the days we are able to take 3 steps forward and only 2 backwards.

"No Whining Allowed"

Tomas Aiello
Aiello Landscape, Inc.
Hobe Sound, FL

I first joined FNGLA’s Landscape Contractors Steering Committee in 1984. I had just started working at Rood Landscape, having moved to Florida from the Baltimore, Maryland area. I was so excited to get involved with (then) FNGA and attend my first Landscape Contractors Division meeting with industry colleagues and meet all these great Contracting Giants who were among this group. I couldn’t wait! What would we discuss? Landscape Awards, Landscape Architect-Contractors Round Tables, Estimating Seminars, Etc..

Well, yes these topics were all on the agenda, but what I didn’t know was that the ‘Giants’ of the industry would basically sit around and whine about, Customers, Contractors, Getting Paid, Being Sued, etc. You name it, they whined about it.

Two weeks ago at FNGLA’s first Practical Field Exam for FCLT (FNGLA Certified Landscape Technician), there were many Contracting Giants there, and some - some, not all – were still whining about Customers, Contractors, Getting Paid, Being Sued, etc.

Gee, not much has changed in 22 years.

What is the problem here? I’ll tell you what the problem is. We, contractors, - some not all, - have become spoiled, fat, soft, unappreciative WHINERS. We live in the SUNSHINE STATE for Pete’s sake. It’s sunny and beautiful almost everyday. No snow, no freezing, not too much rain. Okay, sometimes we get a little wind over 120 mph. It blows in, it blows out, two hours tops, and the sun is shining again. Some of us work on the coast so we get to see the ocean or gulf everyday. Things could be worse.

Remember too, that IMAGE IS EVERYTHING. Project yourself as a Professional, act Professional and deal with other Professionals. We deserve it. Project yourself as a bum, act like a bum, deal with bums, and be paid like a bum. If you buy cheap, old broken trucks, then you will probably attract cheap, old, broken down clients. Buy new trucks, put your employees in uniforms and look like a Professional to be paid like a Professional. Determine the best size for your company, then go ahead and do the best possible job you can do.

There is plenty of work in our state right now. Big, small, commercial, residential, new or renovations – it’s all out there. We all have plenty to do. Don’t be hung up with growth of 5%, 10%, or 20% every year. Focus on profits of 5%, 10%, or 20% every year. Breaking even is for people who have nothing better to do. None of us need more practice. I know I don’t. Pass on a job every now and then. Check out your potential clients; they check us out. Call other subs for references and information. What’s their pay schedule? Do they pay on time? Do they pay twice a month? Do they hold retainage? (Who invented this word? Not a landscape contractor.)
You’re working hard. You deserve to be paid.

Ask for deposits. No, better yet, require deposits. Mark up your subs. Why manage their work for free, you’re the one doing the coordinating. Anyone can be low bidder. How many can be middle or high bidder and still get the bid based on reputation? I don’t know about you but I would rather do $1 million in sales and make 10% net, than work myself into the ground to do $10 million in sales and make 1% net, because I don’t need to be doing this just for the practice.

Find out who the best clients are in your area (i.e. Landscape Architects, General Contractors, Developers) and go after their work. You’ll feel more appreciated. Separate yourself from everyone else. Work hard to establish yourself as the best Landscape Contractor and not the cheapest. We work in a great place and get hired to create lush, tropical paradises. Celebrate the opportunities by creating not only beauty but value for your clients, and they’ll be glad to pay accordingly.

Or just keep being low bidder, buying old trucks, installing cheap plants, buying cheap beer, and chasing down your money. But for Pete’s sake, STOP WHINING!

Now excuse me, while I drive to the beach in my new BMW (yes, the top is down) to drink down a few cold Corona’s. It’s Friday. I just made a deposit at the bank.

"September 28th can’t come soon enough"

Robert E. Bowden
Director
Harry P. Leu Gardens
www.LeuGardens.org

One of the great things about living in Florida is the astonishing diversity of plants that we as plant enthusiasts have to work with. From the rolling hills of the Florida Panhandle to the sugar sand beaches of the Florida Keys, the assortment of plants for use in residential gardens and commercial landscapes is virtually limitless. Incredible leaf and stem textures, forms that boggle the imagination and flowers in every shade of the rainbow make for a wonderful plant palette with which to create outdoor living spaces.

Gardening, whether it’s in a small residential back yard or in a large corporate campus, should be enjoyable work. For those of us living in Florida, however, we know that it can also be very difficult and demanding even in the best of locales. And behind all of the mysterious textures and exotic colors are the thousands of people that produce the plants that we work with. For that reason, I guess that’s why I enjoy FNATS every September.

We work with plants everyday and I can share my experiences with a person in a FNATS booth and they know what I am talking about. Forget the hearsay and the rumors about the qualities of a particular selection -- the person in the booth has the hands-on, no-nonsense experience that we need out in the field. Often ten minutes with a grower can give you all information you need and might have taken several hours of research on the internet.

As a manager of a public garden, I know our guests expect to see the best plants for Florida when they visit. They want to see them growing in combinations that can be re-created in their gardens at home and they want to see the latest and the greatest plant introductions. They want to see environmentally sensitive plants too– plants that don’t require pesticides and/or lots of water. Perhaps because we have so many we sometimes don’t think about it much, but Florida really is the storehouse for some of the finest growers of plants in the world. Without my traveling around the world looking for new plants, growers throughout Florida bring them to our doorstep to see. That’s where FNATS really shines.

September 28th can’t come soon enough.