Sometimes, when you're plant hunting, you end up finding the coolest critters instead. As I puttered around the Cylburn Arboretum in Baltimore, snapping shots of plants, I was lucky enough to stumble upon some milkweed tiger moth larvae (caterpillars) munch on some Asclepias tuberosa (orange perannial butterfly weed).

Much like monarch butterfly caterpillars, the milkweed tiger moth,Euchaetes egle, harvest cardiac glycosides from milkweeds and retain them as adult moths. These compounds make them toxic to predators. Hence the bright warning colors. But really, I find them adorable! These brightly colored, and cute, caterpillars mature into a somwhat drab brown moth. Ah, youth is grand, no?

Recently, I was in Baltimore for the Annual Perennial Plant Association Symposium. Tours are a big part of the week-long event and we had the chance to swing by the lovely gardens at the Smithsonian in D.C. If you haven't been, be sure to make them a stop on your next visit to the Capitol.

A lovely Partierre planted with Angelonia in front of the visitor center.

The garden beds are filled with loads of interesting plants, most of which are clearly labeled.

It's a cornocopia of funky plants!

Are you in the business of breeding perennials? If so, there's a deadline coming up that may interest you:

After almost five years of anticipation, All-America Selections is proud to announce that our long-term perennial trial is now a thing of reality! AAS will be working in partnership on the trials with the Perennial Plant Association (PPA).

The next step is accepting entries for this brand new trial.

This is a very exciting opportunity for your company and your new genetics. For the fee of $1,200 per entry, your new genetics will be trialed at more than 20 diverse locations and evaluated by our non-biased, independent, professional judges. Please note: the usual AAS rules of ‘new, never-before-sold’ will apply in future years but for this first year, we will accept entries that have been introduced within the past 12 months, meaning no earlier than July 1, 2014.

This is a THREE-WINTER trial meaning what you enter in the summer of 2015 will be trialed winter 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19 and will be introduced as an AAS Winner summer or fall of 2019.

Please start thinking about which of your breeding work would make a good AAS/PPA perennial entry for 2016-2019. Entries are due July 1. You can download the perennial entry form here.

Any questions should be directed to Diane Blazek, AAS Executive Director.

You may have noticed a bump in the mosquito population lately. I can't imagine why...Oh yeah, we've had about a million inches of rain! The continual and heavy rainfall has created the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. They're emerging in droves in the DFW area. NOW is the time to take preventative action if you don't want the city spraying chemicals around your property.

All it takes is a few handfuls of a natural larvicide to successfully prevent mosquitoes.

Bt (Bacillius thuriengensis var. israelensis) also known as Thuricide (liquid form) or Mosquito Bits, is my not so secret weapon to having no mosquito problems in my yard. This naturally occurring bacteria is fatal only to larvae and caterpillars. The species included in this product is particularly effective against mosquito larvae (and fungus gnats). All you have to do is sprinkle a few handfuls of the bits under your foundation shrubs, any landscape beds with automated irrigation or that you water regularly, drain boxes, low spots in the yard and even gutters. Timing depends on the weather. If it's warm early, I'll put out my first application in April, if it's not then early May. Then again in June, July, August and September. If you have ponds, birdbaths or live on a creek, purchase the floating dunk form and just pitch one, or a piece of one in the standing water.

The Bt attacks the mosquito larvae and kills them before they even have a chance to hatch. This bacteria is safe for children, pets, birds and fish. It's the most non-toxic and most effective treatment for dealing with mosquitoes.

Hopefully, you haven't been contributing to the moisture problem by running your sprinkler systems. The rain we've been getting is more than any landscape could hope to absorb.

If neighbors, or neighborhoods, got together on prevention we could make a huge dent in the city's mosquito population. Make a deal with your neighbors...if you live on a creek, each one of you should get together and buy a 4 or 6 pack of the mosquito dunks. Once per month from April through September, simply pitch one out the back door into the creek. You'll be amazed by the results. Do you have a housebound or elderly neighbor? How about buying a pack for them and dropping it off, or better yet, apply the bits or dunks in their yard/creek for them.

Bt is inexpensive and easy to apply. If you haven't picked up your Mosquito Bits yet, don't delay.

Sometimes you get so busy doing what you're doing that you don't stop to thank the people who recognize your hard work...and say thank you back! I was honored to attend the recent 2015 TOCA, Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association, conference where I received five awards. FIVE! A big thank you to the folks at TOCA for such a warm welcome, a well-thought out annual meeting and of course the lovely awards. What a great group of people.

We're proud to represent our client Soils Alive with a First Place award for Writing! The award covered all their site content including their blog.

And our other client Preservation Tree Services with a First Place award for Advertising Design...

AND our other client Hydro Galaxy with a Merit Award for Writing on their blog...

I was also honored to take home a Merit Award for Writing for a feature article I contributed to Garden Center Magazine, GIE Media. You can read the ariticle here.

Pretty cool. Again, a big thank you to TOCA for the good times and recognition. It just makes me all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

The program will be a three-winter trial in partnership with the Perennial Plant Association.

Press Release | April 9, 2015

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. – All-America Selections (AAS) has a long history of being the only independent North American trialing organization that trials new varieties then grants branded awards to the best performers. That 80-year history has proven to be a good model with trialing protocols that have been refined to withstand the test of time and basics that will work with perennial entries as well as annuals and edibles.

Perennial Plant Association (PPA) is a trade association composed of growers, retailers, educators, landscape designers and contractors that are professionally involved in the herbaceous perennial industry. Together, the two organizations have determined the details necessary to conduct a thorough and horticulturally sound perennial trial and PPA actively endorses this new AAS trial.

The perennial trial will follow many of the basics of the recently launched AAS Vegetative Ornamental trial. Entries accepted will be herbaceous perennials propagated from seed, cutting, tissue culture or bare root. A seed entry can be trialed against a vegetative or TC comparison and vice-versa. Entries will be trialed next to comparisons, in order to continue the AAS legacy.

The primary difference with the AAS Herbaceous Perennial trial is that it will be a three winter trial allowing the AAS judges to measure and record winter survivability and subsequent growing season performance. Other AAS trial entries will continue to be trialed over one growing season. Breeders who wish to have their herbaceous perennials tested for first-season performance can continue to use the one-season trial. All other herbaceous perennials would be placed in the three year perennial trial.

For the long-term, entries have to be new, never-before-sold, but, after submission to the AAS Herbaceous Perennial Trial, they may be introduced commercially. After the trial is completed, if the entry scores high enough to be become an AAS Winner, after criteria is met and the announcement is made by AAS, the breeder may then market that variety as an AAS Winner.

However, for the first entry year (entries submitted by July 1, 2015), AAS will accept entries that have been on the market for twelve months or less.

“I’m very happy to have helped All-America Selections get to this point of trialing perennials," said Dallas Arboretum Director of Horticulture and AAS Judge, Board of Director and Perennial Trial Task Force member Jenny Wegley. "Because of an 80+ year history in doing great plant trials, this is a natural step and a great service to the industry and to home gardeners. It will be very interesting to trial the perennial entries we receive then share the results.”

“National perennial trials are important for both the industry and the consumer," said PPA Southern Regional Director and Board of Directors Trials Chair, AAS Perennial Trial Task Force Member, Leslie F. Halleck. "As a previous trial program director and AAS Trials Judge, I know how important it is to have the program properly structured and managed nationally. Rather than have both organizations (PPA & AAS) develop competing perennial trail programs, it seemed the perfect solution was to instead team up and work together. We think this collaboration is the key to finally executing a highly organized, thorough and well-marketed perennial trial program that will benefit both PPA members and their customers.”

The pilot program of trialing perennials will begin immediately with entries due July 1, 2015. Those entries will be sent to approximately 24 trial sites beginning in early 2016. The first AAS Winners from the Perennial Trials will be announced in 2019.

Successful green industry businesses balance their experience and technical know-how with good communication skills and a commitment to consumer education. Relying solely on the company’s reputation and word-of-mouth referrals might still work for a very small segment of the industry; but for most companies a commitment to content, marketing and some form of advertising is no longer avoidable.

However, when cash flow is tight, the economy contracts, or a company is experiencing what feels like a painful growth spurt or transition, there are a few common knee-jerk responses that are often more hurtful than helpful.

The first is a rush to cut marketing and advertising from the operating budget. This is a big mistake. Why? Simple: When you’re out of sight you’re out of mind. Even if your aspirations for growth aren’t grand, most businesses need to replace some percentage of customers on a regular basis.

Awareness of the company brand and services is the number one driver of new and repeat customer sales. If you do have big growth goals then you’ll most likely fall short of them without a solid commitment to marketing. You might think your company offers the best thing since sliced bread; but rest assured the public will still forget about you if you don’t have a presence in their media consumption sphere. Cutting your marketing budget typically doesn't solve your cash flow problem; but it just might create a bigger one.

Another common response is the refusal to innovate through technology. The need to communicate digitally through contemporary websites and social media has yet to be fully embraced by the green industry. Many company owners simply don’t see the need to spend the time or money on a dynamic website, Twitter or Facebook account. Just because the company CEO doesn’t hang out in the digital world doesn’t mean your customers aren't there; they are. In fact, they practically live there!

Effective marketing entails reaching the customer where they are. Building an up-to-date website with useful content, plus a lively social media presence, are crucial parts of a successful marketing strategy. Ongoing website upgrades, digital content and social media maintenance need to be taken seriously and represented in your operating budget.

Say a company commits to all the above; think that gets them off the hook when it comes to networking? It doesn’t. To be truly successful and productive in this industry requires that companies build a network of trusted allies and mentors. Building a vibrant network demands that company members put themselves “out there” in a number of different ways; be it joining professional organizations, serving on organization boards or attending industry events. Resistance to networking actively on an ongoing basis typically results in lots of missed opportunities and brand awareness.

Finally, companies often refuse to admit it may be time to outsource some help for their marketing needs. It can sometimes be hard to admit that outside help is needed to achieve company growth goals. You’re the expert on your business, right? Of course you are; but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have a perspective that’s fresh enough to market it to new customers. You probably also don’t have the time to do it yourself. Many green industry companies can’t yet support a full-time, technically knowledgeable, marketing professional on staff. Outsourcing to a freelancer or agency can be a cost-effective solution that helps you actually get your marketing initiatives of the ground.

Embrace change. Then, know when to ask for help and don’t be afraid to ask for it.

In honor of their Save the Bees Indiegogo campaign, Crown Bees is letting me give away one of their very cool Complete Chalet Kit to raise your own Mason Bees!

Bees are responsible for 1 out of 3 bites of food. You can help secure our food supply by supporting our native bees. Native bees and honey bees pollinate more food when they work together. Raising solitary bees is an easy and rewarding way to support the native bee population. Become a #BeeBooster and be sure to support Crown Bee's fundraising campaign.

My contest runs today, Wednesday March 18th through Midnight Wednesday March 25th. I'll announce the winner on Thursday March 26th!

This stylish spring kit features your choice of our wood Chalet house. Includes reusable wood tray holes, spring bee accessories and mason bees. Designed for avid spring gardeners.

With a value of more than 100 bucks, it's awesome prize for gardeners and bee lovers. There are three ways for you to enter to win and also increase your odds of winning:

1. To enter post a comment on this blog post about why you love bees, what pollinator plants you have in your garden, or any other bee facts you know!

2. Then head over to my Facebook page and comment on or share the contest post pinned to the top of my page.

3. Tweet out this tweet: Raising solitary bees is easy and rewarding. Become a #BeeBooster @CrownBees @lesliehalleck (feel free to copy and past but be sure you include my @lesliehalleck handle so I can track your entries!)

For each comment, share or tweet you make, I'll count another entry for you. The more you do any of 1, 2 or 3, the more entries you'll get!

Enter as often as you'd like. It's all about spreading the word about bees. Seriousy, this is a really cool giveaway so enter away!

Remember, you have until Midnight, Wednesday March 25th to enter.