At the 2017 Irrigation Show, Rain Bird had a whopping seven new products on display. Here Alex Nathanson, corporate marketing brand manager, explains what three of them have in common.Door North Coast Media

Combining Rain Bird's Copper Shield Technology and a new 4.3-psi check valve, the XFS-CV dripline can be used in areas with up to 10 feet in elevation changes, says corporate marketing brand manager Alex Nathanson at the 2017 Irrigation Show.Door North Coast Media

Speaking at the 2017 Irrigation Show, corporate marketing brand manager Alex Nathanson describes what makes the new product so reliable--and so useful to contractors.Door North Coast Media

Erica Vine, COO of K-Rain, says the new device-agnostic Bluetooth controller exhibited at the 2017 Irrigation Show makes mass changes like those needed for managing municipal and school facilities so affordable and efficient "you don't even have to put down your donut" to reset your timers.Door North Coast Media

The B-hyve Smart Hose Faucet Controller was one of two Hydro-Rain products now in limited release that was exhibited as part of the 2017 Irrigation Show's New Product Contest.Door North Coast Media

Orion Goe, marketing manager for residential & commercial irrigation at Toro, talks about the differentiating value of the PCV-500, which was a nominee in the New Product Contest at the 2017 Irrigation Show.Door North Coast Media

Steve Schneiter, channel manager for Rachio Pro, talks at Irrigation Show 2017 about how the controller startup uses customer service (and Amazon reviews) to stand out in a crowded market.Door North Coast Media

Brad Wardle, director of B-hyve, describes why the institutional controller is a good fit for landscape contractors at the 2017 Irrigation Show.Door North Coast Media

At the 2017 Irrigation Show, Daniel Pruessner, co-founder of Sprinkl, describes why he his co-founder Noel Geren got into the irrigation business 3 years ago. The Texas-based startup dedicated to adding advanced conservation and cloud connectivity to sprinkler systems at an affordable price.Door North Coast Media

Alan Dein travels to Nottingham to meet with the 4th & 5th generations of a family firm of Funeral Directors (with a 6th generation already on the horizon). When furniture maker and dealer Arthur William Lymn started 'undertaking' funerals with his son Harold Percy in 1907, their first premises were on Goosegate - next door to a man selling potions…

The Boleyn Ground, Upton Park. Home to West Ham since 1904. No one would call the stadium, or indeed the streets that closely bind it in the borough of Newham, beautiful but it has echoed to one of football's oldest anthems 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles' since the 1920's. Now that song and the stones & grass that have been an arena for legends like …

When pensioners Viv and Fred Morgan read about a teenager committing suicide clutching her teddy, they decided to act - turning their home into a school to help other bullied kids. They took their Bed and Breakfast in Hatton, Warwickshire and turned rooms into classrooms and built recreation and therapy facilities in the grounds. Now they have 17 p…

Lives in a Landscape reports from Penistone, where Claire Throssell is being helped by her community after her sons were killed by their father in a house fire exactly a year ago. As well as killing his sons and himself, Darren Sykes also destroyed much of the house, lighting fires throughout the terraced home and luring his boys into the loft with…

For every stand-up comedian that's a household name, there are dozens of hard-working, funny, committed comedians who haven't quite broken through into the national consciousness. Christian Reilly is a musical stand-up, a wandering minstrel, whose comedy material is delivered through song. He's a popular and successful act who's in great demand on …

Alan Dein joins African and Afro Caribbean Catholics from Bristol as they take part in the annual pilgrimage to the ancient abbey at Glastonbury. On board the pilgrim bus, parishioners share their life stories, and explain why they are all drawn to worship in the church of St Nicholas of Tolentino.Producer: Chris Ledgard…

Alan Dein tackles the picturesque but crowded stretch of the River Cam that winds in and out of Cambridge. Here, house-boats, punts, rowing boats and cruisers fight for space on what is, the river manager says, the most crowded stretch of river in Britain.Producer: Chris Ledgard.Door BBC Radio 4

In the last few years, 'adoption activity days' have gathered momentum in the UK, where children waiting to be adopted meet prospective adoptive parents at a party. The children are often 'hard to place,' either because of medical issues, their age, or behavioural problems. The hope is that once the families meet them face to face, they will get a …

In this episode, Drew Tedford, Midwest sales manager for FX Luminaire, talks about how LED technology has created new opportunities in landscape lighting. He also discusses the difference between LED and traditional landscape lighting, including the advantages and disadvantages of LED lighting. Finally, he explains fixture types and applications, i…

In this episode, George Irwin, president and founder of Green Living Technologies, discusses why vertical farming is becoming a growing industry. He also covers what types of crops perform well in a vertical environment, the advantages and disadvantages of vertical farming, and where we can soon expect to see vertical farms.…

In all highly competitive industries, there are companies that somehow overcome all odds to rise above the competition. What is different about them and how can you become the company that leads your market in profitability, customer loyalty and employee retention? Ken Thomas, co-founder of Envisor Consulting, believes the formula for success is in…

In this episode of Landscape Live, Joe Salemi, product marketing manager at DynaSCAPE, discusses the importance of following a defined sales process and tracking leads to maximize your company’s sales opportunities.Door North Coast Media

Tonight we will be talking to Kathleen Gagan, Owner of Peony's Envy and discussing peonies, including such topics as how to properly care for your peonies, the best ways to make your peonies grow, different shapes and sizes of peonies, and common mistakes people make with their peonies.Door North Coast Media

In this episode, Jane Beggs-Joles, licensing analyst and marketing specialist for Spring Meadow Nursery, talks about what consumers are looking for in plant material. She also covers what Proven Winners represent, as well as the most popular and latest Proven Winner plants.Door North Coast Media

In this episode, Chris Markham, wildlife biologist and president of New Jersey Deer Control, talks about the behavior of deer, including their habitats, lifestyles, typical diet and natural migration patterns. He explains solutions to deer damage, including using proper plant selections, topical treatments and physical barriers.…

In this episode, Cary Shepherd, chainsaw applications expert for Husqvarna, discusses chainsaw safety and maintenance. He explains how to choose the right chainsaw for your application and the correct personal protective equipment needed, as well as the importance of having an emergency plan in case something goes wrong.…

In this episode, Justin Flatow, director of landscape maintenance for Green Meadows Landscaping, talks about his position at the company, their business mix and the processes he uses each day to make Green Meadows run smoothly. He also discusses his responsibilities, how the company converts design/build into maintenance contracts, as well as how s…

In this episode, Ron Edmonds, president of The Principium Group, talks about the current state of the landscape market. He also discusses business acquisitions in the lawn and landscape space, the impact of the Brickman/ ValleyCrest deal (BrightView) and the impact of private equity. Finally, Edmonds covers who's buying and who's selling, along wit…

In this episode, Diana Brown, sales and marketing coordinator of Consolidated Human Resources, discusses payroll and workers' compensation as it pertains to the landscaping industry. She explains how to save money with pay-as-you-go workers' compensation. In addition, she teaches the importance of outsourcing certain human resource functions in ord…

Whether you're a high school graduate, a college graduate or have a masters degree, you should never stop learning. For many of us, this means on-the-job training or a painful education from the school of hard knocks. You can also learn how to improve your knowledge base from trade magazines, trade shows, landscape associations and continuing educa…