A girl, a shovel and about 10,000 bulbs*

My New Years Resolution as it applies to garden projects: Plan ahead, Slow down and rely on my friends at the Barn.

At my old job, there were two schools of thought on business personalities. You were either "Aim, Fire, Fire, Fire, Fire" (kindof how my brother hunts) or "Aim, Aim, Aim, Aim, Fire" (kindof how my husband approaches a home improvement project). I was always more like my brother, but I am thinking when it comes to gardening a little more Aim could be a huge help.

So, long after a sane person would plant bulbs, after the first minor snowfall, I decided we absolutely, positively needed to plant the front of the garden center with bulbs to add some color for spring. After consulting with no one, I set out Saturday morning with the idea that I would knock this project out quickly and feel like a real landscaper!

I gathered my supplies, roped a yard boy into helping me and went to work. Both he and I quickly realized our project was in trouble. First, I had no plan. My assistant realized this almost immediately and quickly disappeared, never to return. I always thought he was a pretty smart guy, but this proves he is much more intelligent than I originally gave him credit for. Looking back, the incredulous looks pretty much everyone gave me as I announced my plan was a polite heads up I chose to ignore. And I think I did start crying when I told Heather I was done and she sweelty informed me that there was an entire cart of tulips left.

A number of hours later, I was able to collapse on my couch and I realized although I was tired, I felt good. It wasnt as hard as I thought, and while I am scared of the results, and a little nervous for next spring, I learned a lot of lessons that I can apply to next year.

First, the Barn has some great people with a lot of experience, and I should have relied on that. Second, if I had spent about 10 minutes deciding where and how to plant the bulbs, before I just started digging, it would have been a lot easier. Third, don't bother using anything else besides a good old fashioned shovel. Seriously.

*slightly exaggerated!

Give a wave to your snowplow guy!

Hey, this storm looks like trouble and for those of you whose snowplowing we do, look for us in your driveways, ahead of Santa's arrival, salting, plowing and shoveling a path for your familys safety and comfort. I have to admit, the first big snow storm of the year is always a big rush of excitement around here. The phones are buzzing with customers getting signed up, renewing contracts and making sure we will be there. The rush wears off though, as we and our families realize we might not make those holiday parties or will arrive, late, cold and tired, as soon as we can.
In the meantime, we are taking good care of our customers and are proud to do it. We wish you all a very safe and merry Christmas and if you happen to see us in your driveway, give us a wave!

TKSR

Sustainability?

Due to a lack of material from Tom & Tom, this blog will feature a guest blogger - me, Julie, Tom's daughter and Tom's sister. I figured I might as well post myself, rather than ghost write for them because as anyone who knows them both would have to admit, you can tell the difference.

Sustainability is a big buzz word in our industry this year. You are going to be hearing a lot about sustainability, and I have to speak on behalf of most of us here: we are a little confused.

Personally, my husband works from home, with no commute, and I didnt even buy my first car until I was practically 30 years old. Professionally, I feel at least partly responsible for the fact that the Barn sells about 10K trees and shrubs per year - and what is more sustainable than that? Unfortunately, I am guessing many of our customers are claiming those trees towards minimizing their own carbon footprints, so I suppose my green self-esteem is a little exaggerated.

But back to our confusion. Can we be more "sustainable"?

In order to get our heads wrapped around this thing, we are dedicating our winter, our educational classes, training and time to make sure we can be as sustainable as possible. As a company, we know we should lead the green movement - not lag behind, because we do this job out of love and with passion and that love is a job benefit that not many people get to experience.

Some of this is simple and you will see it at the garden center. Look for plant labeling to include drought tolerance, notes on natives and more. Check out our organic selection of fertilizers and pesticides. Our landscape team is ready to design your rain gardens and outdoor living areas to work with nature, not against.

We have two upcoming projects in our Sustainability initiative. First, an all day sustainability conference, including classes, as part of the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association's annual winter conference. The second is joining MELA - the Midwest Ecological Landscaping Association. We are all very excited about both and I look forward to sharing what we learn with our customers in 2010.

JJ

Winter Plans - is spring already around the corner?

Every April, we are bombarded with calls and emails from customers looking to get plans in place and jobs on the schedule. We LOVE to hear from you guys, but I would love to suggest adding "Call the Barn." to your To Do list this winter! There is nothing I would love more than to come out, get a plan together and have your home on our schedule first this spring. It is disappointing to us and to new and old customers to hear that we can't get to your project as soon as you would like - so don't delay. We work year round and are waiting to hear from you.



As for some personal updates, The Barn had a fun filled potluck at the store yesterday. The biggest surprise - all the kids!! How did it happen that in just 2 years it seems like everyone had babies. It adds a lot of fun and energy to the party. Next year, we will have to see if Santa can stop by. We also do a beer swap - the highlight of many of our landscape guys day. It was great to see all our employees and wish them Happy Holidays.

Happy holidays and best wishes for a prosperous and happy 2010 to you!

TKSR

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends, customers, family and employees!! We are planning a happy weekend full of friends, food, and fun. Thursday is Turkey and guess what?? Saturday is a big day for me - 60!!! At least I remain, as always, younger than my sister and wife!!

TKSR

Trick or Treat!

Well, this is really late in posting but we have been busy. First I would like to post some pics of an important tradition in the Barn/Kusmerz family: Pumpkin Carving. The first pic is of the founder of the Barn, Len Kusmerz with his kids Tom and Sharon. The second is of the current generation, proudly presenting their pumpkins.

The second item of note regarding the Barn family is the most recent edition. Paige Julianne Kusmerz was born on Halloween! She is happy and darling, enjoying life with myself, Danelle and big brother Jack. So far, she sleeps most of the time. We are keeping our fingers crossed that it remains this way.

Enough family talk! I know you are more interested in our landscape projects and updates. Here is a simple update you can do that makes a world of difference. It is a pet peeve of mine: ugly outdated pots and planters on doorsteps and patios. I left a nice restaurant last night and was sadly disappointed that such an upcale restaurant would have dead mums and other withered items in their front pots. Simple Winterscapes are easy to do. You can even trim some of your own berried stems or evergreen cuttings to fill in the dead spots. Or top by the Barn and let us do it for you, or choose from our selection of greens and berries. Don't delay! You never know when I will be stopping by to check in on your landscapes!!

Finally, I would like to let everyone know that the Garden Center's manager, Heather, is back part time from maternity leave. Welcome back, Heather!

TKJR

Little Cate's Patio

This project started and ended with a bang.
The original focus was to just clean and seal the existing patio ... the end result, well, just look at the final pictures. I will not go into full details but let's just say that it included some tricky materials, some wonderful (and understanding) clients and a company willing to stand behind it's finished product to complete the project with a result that exceeded not only our clients, but my own, expectations.

Here is a before shot.
Some of the highlights include natural bluestone steps, holland ashlar pattern patio and of course the firepit and seat wall. The material consisted of Paveloc's Creta seat wall to give a natural look to blend better with the thermal bluestone cap stones. The firepit was lined in firebrick and refractory mortar to provide a safe burning structure that will last for years to come. Also please note the solid brass accent lighting added to the seat wall and surrounding patio which allows a busy family to enjoy their outdoor escape regardless of the time of night.

Here are some of the after shots.

As for the name of this posting, let's just say little Cate was just a small bump in a belly when the original planning for the project was started and we had it completed with only two days to spare.

Good luck to Cate and her family, I know they will enjoy their new outdoor living space for years to come!

Here some additional images.

A Fall Festival Overload

If anyone ever needs any help locating and discerning the best fall festivals, including dates, times, activities, food and entertainment schedules, just let me know. Every fall, our weekends are filled with these fun outdoor activities. My wife is an internet guru when it comes to apple festivals, hay rides etc.



At the Barn, we are still busy working on landscape projects. If you havent seen the customer story we are working on, check out our website. This will be a long term project for a customer that has been a long time friend of the Barn. With similar ideals and tastes, we are a good match.



All I can say with this cold weather is that now is the best time of year to install a fire pit or outdoor fireplace. Many that know me would say bonfires are about my favorite outdoor activity, besides hunting. If you need any pointers give me a call. Last year I installed a fire pit on my patio and even without all the bells and whistles that you can add on, it truly does act as another room in our house, espcially when we entertain. My wife would say the best thing about it is that its size does limit the tendancy I have to get a bit carried away with the size and scope of my bonfires.

Have a good weekend, everyone.

TKJR

Michelle Obama & Cookie Monster

My son is in love with cookie monster - when he was younger he would talk about "cook mon" all the time. So I was happy to come across this. Michelle Obama will be making her debut on Sesame Street in November, speaking on none other than our favorite topic: Gardening!
She will be kicking off the 40th anniversary season of Sesame Street with a discussion and demo on vegetable gardening and healthy eating. If you have kids (or not) and did not plant a garden this year, I urge you to try it in 2010. Even a small container garden can produce enough tomatoes for a family.
Political views aside, it is great to see a politcian (or their wife in this case) promoting our industry and the ease and fun associated with growing a vegetable garden.
Now, I am off to find some cookies. Oops, I mean vegetables.

TKJR

Get out and DIG

I love the fall season. Every morning for the next 8 weeks or so, I cant wait to get up and go outside in the dark cool mornings. Above ground plants are slowing down, getting ready for winter. But you can almost hear the roots growing. Fall color is beginning to show. Get outside and enjoy! This is a great time to plan, so get outside and get digging.
Now I need to brag a little. Last fall we planted 197 shade trees for a new subdivision. Now, a year later we have not lost a single tree. Our men and women did a great job planting and mother nature has been very good to us since this installation.
My grandkids, Colin, Jack and Camryn get cuter every day. They love it outside - I think they are little tree huggers already. And we've got another one on the way at the end of October. My daughter in law is looking great and we will keep you informed.
Finally, an update on work - it is time for snow plow bids. What an awful thought. Playing in the snow, sledding, skiiing, snowball fights are fun but pushing it, plowing it, shoveling it is "yuck". But we all enjoy and need a paycheck so you will see us or hear us on those wintery nights. Puerto Vallarts sounds too good!!

Apologies, Apologies and did you ever wonder where the trees come from?

First of all Serena Williams gets no pass here on her lame apology. I think she is a spoiled brat. And Kanye West same thing. I am sure many of you are surprised I know of his existence. Why does he exist? Speaking of dogs of the human race, Rod Blagojevich - please dont buy his book. And why did they let his wife out of the jungle?

J Frank Schmidt Nursery of Gresham, OR, invited myself and our nursery manager, Robert Livingston to tour their nurseries. What a trip! Talk about putting two kids in a candy shop!
The many nurseries in Oregon probably produce 80-90% of all "baby trees" in the US and Canada. The growing conditions, weather, temperature, humidity and soils are the best in the US.

For us, as growers, this size plant is known as a liner. We buy them young and small in a bare root state & line them out in our fields togrow landscape size plants. Then they are sold to garden centers, municipalities etc. throughout the midwest.

The Schmidt family is a 4th generation nursery family with over 60 years experience and now produces shade trees, ornamental trees and shrubs in over 3000 acres on 9 nurseries. Their knowledge, horticultural technology, organization and production are unsurpassed in the industry. They work with most of the Arboretums and Universities across the nation to experiment with new superior plant introductions.

Our total trip consisted of a too short 54 hours with 17 hours of ground and air travel and 16 hours of touring the nurseries: learning, learning, learning how this production of millions of plants per year takes place. The Schmidt family and all their employees are the best of the best. I have to say Bob and I enjoyed eating the fresh pacific salmon as a highlight of the trip.
Yes, we did fly on 9/11. It brought back and refreshed our memories of that tragic day. God bless all of those victims and their families.

TKSR

This is my favorite time of year

What a beautiful weekend!!! I should probably be outside working on our landscaping around the new patio. We have been enjoying outdoor kitchen all summer; it was actually featured in our most recent email. We just have some work left to do in the surrounding areas.

Fall is for planting - everyone knows that right? It has been a standard message from garden centers for the last 20 years. But what does that mean? All our plants are slowing down and very soon will be going into their above ground dormancy. Bingo! Now our plants really start to grow. When the top starts to grow dormant the roots go crazy. This is their time to explore.
Now is the time to plants almost all our ornamental trees, shrubs, evergreens and perennials. Their roots will grow and spread until the ground freezes.

Another reason to plant now is due to our sad economy. There is a nationwide glut and over production of plants - in particular on shade and ornamental trees. Where is the landscape industrys' cash for clunkers program!! In our case, this just means you really can get the bargain bottom prices on trees and shrubs. Prices on some varieties of trees are 20-50% below 2004-2005 prices. Now is a great time to take advantage of this over production and add some property value to your home.

TKSR

Welcome Baby Charlotte!

As it turns out our first post is in regards to our well known, and well loved garden center manager, Heather Moister. She and her husband Marty just had a beautiful baby girl! We would like to welcome sweet baby Charlotte to the world and unofficially to the Barn team. Charlotte Helen Moister was born August 21st at 1:49pm. She weighes 6 lbs 4 oz and is 20 inches. Congratulations Heather and Marty!

JJ