Keeping It Green

The team ventures into the regulatory landscape of the horticulture industry with a conversation with Dr. Victoria Smith, the State Entomologist of Connecticut. One of the main roles of Vicky’s position is to address the perennial challenge of invasives. Why are some organisms tough to contain (emerald ash borer, spongy moth, etc.) and others, such as the Asian long-horned beetle, a regulatory success? One of the bread-and-butter plants for landscapes is boxwoods. Vicky talks about the devastation of boxwood blight to their nursery industry and how they recovered and emerged stronger on the other side. Plus, what insect keeps her and other regulatory officials up at night?

Keeping It Green has an email: [email protected]
Do you have a suggestion for a future episode? Want more information on something we talked about? Send us your questions and comments, or just say hello! We would love to hear from you!

Check out Penn State Extension's Green Industry Team website!

The podcast team gets together to kick around their thoughts on a variety of horticultural topics and asks several deep questions: 

• Why are there all those planes flying around central Pennsylvania? 
• What is stressing out the sycamores across the state, causing the leaves to turn ‘crispy’? 
• And on the hunt for clues in arborvitae branch dieback.

Margaret Pickoff, Penn State Extension
Tom Butzler, Penn State Extension 
Sandy Feather, Penn State Extension 
Tim Abbey, Penn State Extension  

Photo: Tom Butzler, Penn State Extension

Keeping It Green has an email: [email protected]
Do you have a suggestion for a future episode? Want more information on something we talked about? Send us your questions and comments, or just say hello! We would love to hear from you!

Check out Penn State Extension's Green Industry Team website!

The podcast team heads out to the southwest to chat with Tim Vela of United Veterans Construction and Landscape Solutions, Inc. Tim’s early exposure to horticulture started when his mother gave him the ‘keys’ to the push lawnmower and sent him off into the neighborhood to find some lawns that needed cutting. Many years later, he is now involved in the maintenance of commercial developments and colleges. Tim is also involved with the National Association of Landscape Professionals’ Veterans in Landscape Network. Tim chats about how it’s a win/win for everyone involved, from the companies that hire veterans to the veterans themselves.

Margaret Pickoff, Penn State Extension (host)
Tim Abbey, Penn State Extension (host)
Tim Vela, United Veterans Construction and Landscape Solutions, Inc., and member of the National Association of Landscape Professionals’ Veterans in Landscape Network

Photo: Tom Butzler, Penn State Extension

Keeping It Green has an email: [email protected]
Do you have a suggestion for a future episode? Want more information on something we talked about? Send us your questions and comments, or just say hello! We would love to hear from you!

Check out Penn State Extension's Green Industry Team website!

The Keeping It Green podcast team joins forces with Penn State Extension’s Fresh Cut Grass podcast crew. Can enthusiasts of woody and herbaceous plants get along with fans of turfgrass? Tune in as the crew talks about some of the most common mistakes that the hosts and guests see in the landscape.

Margaret Pickoff, Penn State Extension (host)
Tom Butzler, Penn State Extension (host)
Tim Abbey, Penn State Extension (host)
Sandy Feather, Penn State Extension (host)
Jeff Fowler, host of Penn State Extension’s Fresh Cut Grass podcast
Tanner Delvalle, host of Penn State Extension’s Fresh Cut Grass podcast

Fresh Cut Grass podcast

Photo: Tom Butzler, Penn State Extension

Keeping It Green has an email: [email protected]
Do you have a suggestion for a future episode? Want more information on something we talked about? Send us your questions and comments, or just say hello! We would love to hear from you!

Check out Penn State Extension's Green Industry Team website!

Margaret and Tom cover ground with Cat Meholic, a Horticulturist from the Hagley Museum and Library and co-founder of Women in Horticulture. History and horticulture collide as Cat talks about her role in recreating many of the plantings in the former DuPont Estate. While the Hagley Museum and Library grounds are no longer dangerous, how does the Museum acknowledge their explosive history today? Finally, Cat Meholic explores the beginning and purpose of Women in Horticulture.

Episode Hosts/Speakers:
Margaret Pickoff, Penn State Extension (host)
Tom Butzler, Penn State Extension (host)
Cat Meholic, Horticulturist from the Hagley Museum and Library and co-founder of Women in Horticulture

Photo: Tom Butzler, Penn State Extension

Keeping It Green has an email: [email protected]
Do you have a suggestion for a future episode? Want more information on something we talked about? Send us your questions and comments, or just say hello! We would love to hear from you!

Check out Penn State Extension's Green Industry Team website!

Today’s podcast is crowded as Margaret and Tim chat with Tim Martinez and Mari Medrano about their career journeys and respective companies. They also delve into their efforts with the National Association of Landscape Professionals to ensure a strong voice for Hispanic landscapers in the industry.

Margaret Pickoff, Penn State Extension (host)
Tim Abbey, Penn State Extension (host)

Tim Martinez, Executive Vice President of LandCare’s West Division

Mari Medrano, Human Resources Director for CoCal Landscape Services, Inc.

National Association of Landscape Professionals’ Latino Landscape Network

Photo: Tom Butzler, Penn State Extension

Keeping It Green has an email: [email protected]
Do you have a suggestion for a future episode? Want more information on something we talked about? Send us your questions and comments, or just say hello! We would love to hear from you!

Check out Penn State Extension's Green Industry Team website!

Starting a business in any industry can be daunting and challenging for young adults. But also exciting! The podcast team talks to Tyler Pollock about his early experiences in the tree care profession and his journey to creating his own company. The wide-ranging conversation covers oak wilt treatment, interaction with homeowners, to the influence of his father’s horticulture experience.

Margaret Pickoff, Penn State Extension (host) 
Tom Butzler, Penn State Extension (host)
Tim Abbey, Penn State Extension (host)

Tyler Pollock, Dendro Tree & Landscapes LLC

Photo: Tim Abbey, Penn State Extension

Keeping It Green has an email: [email protected]
Do you have a suggestion for a future episode? Want more information on something we talked about? Send us your questions and comments, or just say hello! We would love to hear from you!

Check out Penn State Extension's Green Industry Team website!

The landscape industry has traditionally been male-dominated.  But female participation is increasing, and the benefits of diversity in the workplace can bring new perspectives and skills. But it can also present unique challenges. Jenny and Stephanie are part of the National Association of Landscape Professionals’ Women in Landscape Network which creates a community to connect and empower women in the landscape industry. Join in as we hear their backgrounds, journeys, perspectives, and stories.

Margaret Pickoff, Penn State Extension (host)
Sandy Feather, Penn State Extension (host)
Jenny Girard, RM Landscape
Stephanie Leveling, BOSS

National Association of Landscape Professionals’ Women in Landscape Network

Photo:  Tom Butzler, Penn State Extension

Keeping It Green has an email: [email protected]
Do you have a suggestion for a future episode? Want more information on something we talked about? Send us your questions and comments, or just say hello! We would love to hear from you!

Check out Penn State Extension's Green Industry Team website!

Join us for a wide-ranging discussion with the Director of The Arboretum at Penn State, Casey Sclar. Casey talks about the important role of public gardens in our society. He’ll also delve into ideas and efforts to introduce the tradecraft of horticulture to children and young adults.
And what does Casey consider the ‘job security shrub’?

Sandy Feather, Penn State Extension (host)
Tom Butzler, Penn State Extension (host)
Tim Abbey, Penn State Extension (host)
Casey Sclar, H.O. Smith Endowed Director of The Arboretum at Penn State

The Arboretum at Penn State

Lead photo:  A simulated limestone cave at the Childhood’s Gate Children’s Garden within the Arboretum at Penn State. 
Photo credit: Tom Butzler, Penn State Extension

Keeping It Green has an email: [email protected]
Do you have a suggestion for a future episode? Want more information on something we talked about? Send us your questions and comments, or just say hello! We would love to hear from you!

Check out Penn State Extension's Green Industry Team website!

Longwood Gardens, a botanical garden outside of Kennet Square, PA, covers over 1,000 acres of land with gardens, meadows, and woodlands. That’s a lot of territory to manage and keep aesthetically pleasing! Meet Rachel, one of the key players that keep the place running and looking good! She’ll also talk about her previous role as Longwood’s IPM manager and use boxwood blight as an example of how they manage pest issues.
And what is a night gardener?

Margaret Pickoff, Penn State Extension (host)
Tom Butzler, Penn State Extension (host)
Tim Abbey, Penn State Extension (host)
Rachel Schnaitman, Associate Director of Horticulture Operations at Longwood Gardens

Boxwood Blight Insight Group 2021 Annual Report

Lead photo: Margaret Pickoff, Penn State Extension

Keeping It Green has an email: [email protected]
Do you have a suggestion for a future episode? Want more information on something we talked about? Send us your questions and comments, or just say hello! We would love to hear from you!

Check out Penn State Extension's Green Industry Team website!