This session will challenge your thoughts about recruiting and provide you with a winning formula to attract the right candidates to your organization. How? During this session you will learn key questions to ask your staff about why they stay to create a compelling talk track into your organiza...

Selling as a team has been shown to increase sales up to 258% but very few teams know how to leverage this tool to close more deals. In this session, Neal Glatt will share how he successfully used team selling tactics to close multi-million dollar exterior service contracts and how your business ...

Fireflies, crickets, the sound of gently cascading water, flames dancing in a fire pit, marshmallows, brews and great conversation. That’s what many homeowners cherish but may not verbalize when discussing projects. As night falls, we become much more attuned to our surroundings. Creating a home ...

The Norweta community of condominium and apartment residences is focused on the connections between outdoor green space and family-friendly design being central to contemporary urban living. Intersections between plants and people are artfully woven through the built space with three elevated cou...

Ground covers are widely thought of as utilitarian, but these plants also offer a diverse range of beautiful and intriguing options with a variety of colors, textures, and forms. They can unify a landscape, knit together plantings and hardscape, and add extra layers of beauty, dynamism, and surpr...

This is the title of Adrian Blooms new book, and the subtitle is the author’s message, “ An Inspirational Guide to Understanding Plants and Gardens”. The session is based on Adrian’s experience in creating his own spectacular six acre garden, which is called Foggy Bottom (there’s an interesting s...

This talk will cover the latest on the situation with several invasive and destructive pests in our region, such as spotted lanternfly, boxtree moth, and beech leaf disease. Management of these various pests will also be discussed.

Certified Arborists: Please click

The Pros at Home is a series of articles in The Landscape Contractor magazine that provides a behind-the-scenes look at how members of the green industry landscape their own property. Join us for an intimate look at Jerry Adelmann's historic house and garden in Lockport and Cliff Miller's home in...

From the lush expanse of natural grass to the resilient bounce of artificial turf, this session equips you with the essential skills to keep your grounds thriving. Learn from Northwestern's Director of Grounds and Sports Turf about proper mowing, watering, and fertilization for a healthy, vibrant...

Technology provides a means of creating good workflow through the use of solid business processes. If people do not perform their needed tasks then the workflow breaks down and good data cannot be produced for business analysis. This presentation will help to explain the importance of good workfl...

The green industry plays an essential role in shaping our urban forest canopy. As you look around the urban and suburban landscape, you cannot help but notice mature trees are struggling. Newly installed trees have high failure rates and will not replace these forest elders. From cultural practic...

Climate change in the Midwest has created or worsened many challenges in horticulture and landscape design including shifting hardiness zones, increasing insect and disease pressure, and more exposure to extreme heat and humidity. Many of the changes we've seen recently are projected to continue ...

Attendees will learn the potential pitfalls of social media, including, but not limited to, presenting facts online, cultivating their community, being their best selves online, and the dreaded and invasive viral lies that are in the plant communities online. This session will also address confro...

he multifaceted values of green roofs compliment and support the goals and purposes of ground level landscapes in the built and natural environments. The practice of green roofs in North America is relatively new as compared to the traditional landscape industry yet continues to expand nationwide...

Let's face it, everyone is trying to influence somebody, everyday. In this presentation, attendees will learn the principles of influence, principles backed by research. Principles that are scientific, ethical and applicable. Oftentimes, increasing your level of influence comes down to minor chan...

Based on his most recent book of the same name, this talk digs deeper into David Culp’s celebrated garden Brandywine Cottage, featuring a focus for each month, including recipes, a garden to-do list, flower arrangements and practical information. Favorite mail order sources, gardening for biodive...

There is a great story linked to every tree - at least, there should be! Learn from a tree guy with over 40 years of experience of observing and working with cool trees some really interesting incites to regionally important trees. Some of these wonderful specimens are still with us, while others...

A fun and colorful run through of 20 years of seasonal color in the wilds of downtown Chicago! We'll talk about what works, what doesn't, pleasing the ever fickle customer, and the latest and greatest plant combinations to stop traffic and people in their tracks.

The audience will have a better feel for the future economic environment during the rest of the year. Also, the forecast for input cost increases will provide valuable information for negotiating with vendors. Audience members will also be able to make more informed strategic decisions regarding ...

Hybrid base construction for interlocking concrete pavement, concrete paving slab and plank stone installation projects is extremely popular because, when done right, it will save time during the build and reduce the potential for callbacks. That said, there are a few pitfalls to avoid to ensure ...

By harnessing the power of ChatGPT, you can revolutionize your landscaping business by improving customer interactions, automating office tasks, enhancing marketing efforts, and optimizing communication. Join Industry veteran, Corey Halstead, as he helps to unlock the full potential of this excit...

Carol will present an overview of the ever expanding interest in butterflies and native plant gardening. The audience will leave feeling inspired to enter this market niche because it is profitable, purposeful, and, fun! I will include promotion and networking ideas, and recommend quick ways to b...

Outdoor fire features have evolved from your basic wood burning fire pit in the backyard. Current trends are showing gas fire features as one of the top asks by consumers looking to create a unique outdoor living space to enjoy with family and friends. This seminar will focus on introducing the d...

This course will look at sustainability initiatives in the natural stone industry including the Natural Stone Sustainability Standard and Industry Wide Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) . It will also highlight the latest technologies available and the creative options that they are provi...

Natural stone has been the premier building material of choice throughout history, thanks to its durability and timeless aesthetic. Inherently beautiful and versatile, it’s no wonder that manmade materials aim to replicate its attributes, appearance and ultimately its desirability. This course wi...

Trees in the forests live with their family and friends. Above the ground, young trees are protected by mature trees against extreme weather conditions such as scotching sunlight, damaging wind, and extreme cold. Equally and maybe more important than the above ground partners, the underground par...

Communication as we know it is rapidly changing...and artificial intelligence is playing a huge role in these changes. With tools like ChatGPT, Bard.IO, Perplexity.AI, Otter.AI, and Dall.e, it's no secret that artificial intelligence is quickly revolutionizing how humans work, create, and communi...

As Indiana's first Certified Snow Professional, Mr. Anderson started shoveling neighbors' driveways when he was 6 years old and has worked as an expert witness for attorneys on slip and fall cases on snow and ice since 2011. A former member of the ILCA in the '80s and 90's, he now runs a "snow-on...

The notorious hellstrip challenges the most skillful landscapers with an environment of drought, pollution, pet and people traffic and the occasional errant public utility crew. In this fun and insightful seminar, we will look at a variety of design approaches and tough plants that can conquer th...

We all have a strong tendency to select plants for our gardens based on their flower power. And there is nothing wrong with that, but it becomes so limiting of the possibilities available to us. With most plants the flowering time is very short, maybe only a couple weeks, a month or two with the ...

This talk shows how nurseryman and gardener Adrian Bloom attempted to inspire more people into gardening through an ‘instant garden creation’ of mostly suburban front gardens in the UK and USA. These gardens were typically ‘average’ and undeveloped and were given away free to those nominated and ...

The world’s climate is changing rapidly and new pests and diseases continue to be recognized as a threat. Strong tree Diversity and the Inclusion of new tree selections is our best protection to help avoid catastrophic losses and to build healthier tree dominated communities. From a veteran horti...

It takes successful personal selling in order to rapidly grow a profitable business, yet most people who sell never realize their full potential. Most salespeople aren’t limited by their selling ability as much as they are limited by the lack of sales structure and process. In this session, Neal ...

Though 3D modeled landscapes are becoming more common in design workflows, there is still a hesitancy to involve modeling unless a client is paying for this service. There is a key benefit to incorporating 3D in your landscape design, beyond selling, and that is analysis. In this session, you’ll ...

“Red flags” indicate a serious performance issue. Whether you’re looking to position your landscape contracting company for acquisition or want to stay independent, key performance indicators (KPIs) and specifically red flags, are factors that will affect your company value and its appeal to clie...

Many gardeners and landscapers view wasps, hornets, and yellowjackets as a dangerous, aggressive, and frightening antagonist to the beauty and function of their landscape. In this talk, David sheds insight into the vast ecologically important services wasps carry out in gardens; from pollination ...

More than ever, commercial properties and new developments are asking for landscapes to be more naturalistic and even totally native. These landscapes require different care and strategies than the lawns and gardens of the past. Listen as David talks about his experiences and lessons learned from...

As we hit the 20th anniversary of the emerald ash borer (EAB) discovery in North America, what have we learned? What do the next 20 years hold for ash trees? Join us for an interdisciplinary journey using lessons learned with EAB management. See how science has led to effective treatments based o...

Are you ready to revolutionize your landscape design game with cutting-edge technology? Come with me on this journey as we dive into to the wonderful world of landscape design software.

Whether you're a seasoned landscape designer or a curious novice, this session is for you. We're going to look...

We will revisit the basics of selecting and planting trees and shrubs, but will focus on plant selection in the context of climate change. What species should we be selecting? For what time scale are we planning? How do we select plants for an uncertain future?

Certified Arborists: Please cli...

This presentation will cover key aspects that impact labor in your landscape maintenance business. In this fast-pasted world of constant demand for production and less labor to perform that work it is critical to use product technologies to your advantage over competitors in the green industry, w...