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Midwest Home /  Events & Calendars /  Awards /  Landscape Awards /  Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association 2006 Honor Award Winners

Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association 2006 Honor Award Winners

LANDSCAPE AWARDS

The Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association is proud to present the Honor Award recipients in the 2006 Landscape Awards program. An Honor Award is the association’s highest level of recognition for those companies and projects that showcase the best work of the MNLA.

The purpose of the MNLA Landscape Awards program is to bring recognition to outstanding examples of landscape design, landscape installation, and landscape irrigation. The objective of the program is to promote professional excellence and to encourage greater public awareness of the aesthetic and environmental benefits of landscaping.

For photos of additional award winning projects, visit www.GardenMinnesota.com.

Category: Hardscapes Design
Name: Meg Arnosti
Company: Windsor Companies, St. Paul

Category: Hardscapes Design
Name: Bob Swanson
Company: Meadowood, Inc., Plymouth

Category: Hardscapes Installation
Name: Charles Johnson
Company: Landscape Impressions, Princeton

Category: Commercial Design
Name: Jeff Feece
Company: Sargent’s Landscape Nursery, Rochester

Category: Commercial Design
Name: Greg Buell
Company: Buell’s Landscape Center, Hastings

Category: Residential Full Yard Design
Name: Leo VanderBroek
Company: Noble Landscape & Garden Center, Blaine

Category: Hardscapes Installation
Name: Jim Saybolt
Company: biota LLC, Minneapolis

Category: Athletic Complex Irrigation
Name: Dan Ferencik
Company: Talberg Lawn & Landscape, Maple Grove

Category: Commercial Irrigation
Name: Eric Edgett
Company: Midwest Landscapes, Otsego

Category: Residential Irrigation
Name: Tim Malooly
Company: Irrigation by Design, Plymouth

Category: Unique Irrigation Installation
Name: Jeff Sutter
Company: Mickman Brothers, Inc., Ham Lake

LANDSCAPE AWARDS: CERTIFICATES OF MERIT

The Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association is proud to present the Certificate of Merit recipients in the 2006 Landscape Awards program. A Certificate of Merit is an award given to those companies and projects that exemplify good values, and that are deserving of recognition by the association.

Category: Commercial Design
Name: Allen Barker
Company: Windsor Companies, St. Paul

Category: Hardscapes Design
Name: Celine Schroeder
Company: Outdoor Environments, Savage

Category: Hardscapes Design
Name: Tim Heelan
Company: Stonepocket, Inc., Chanhassen

Category: Residential Full Yard Design
Name: James P. Sweeney
Company: Mom’s Landscaping & Design, LLC, Chanhassen

Category: Residential Full Yard Design
Name: Julie Peterson
Company: Sargent’s Nursery, Inc., Red Wing

Category: Residential Rear Yard Design
Name: Karen Filloon
Company: Outdoor Environments, Savage

Category: Residential Rear Yard Design
Name: C. Elaine Brubaker
Company: Brubaker Landscape Designs, Minneapolis

Category: Residential Rear Yard Design
Name: Wendy Loomis
Company: Buells Landscape Center,
Hastings

Category: Specialty Projects Design
Name: Ray Campbell
Company: Lost Eden Ponds, Clearwater

Category: Commercial Installation
Name: Shannon Krizan
Company: Noble Landscape & Garden Center, Blaine

Category: Hardscapes Installation
Name: Randy Nyeggen
Company: Environmental Landscape Mgt., Inc., Hudson, WI

Category: Residential Rear Yard Installation
Name: Dean Harder
Company: Aljay Landscape Design,
Baldwin, WI

Category: Athletic Complex Irrigation
Name: Duggan Kelly
Company: Kelly Green Irrigation, Minneapolis

MNLA OVERVIEW

The Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association is the region’s largest green industry trade organization. Started in 1925, today MNLA represents and serves more than 1,500 member businesses including garden centers; landscape contractors and designers; tree and flower growers; irrigation contractors; and lawn, tree, and garden services.

MNLA companies are predominantly small, family-operated businesses that take pride in offering personalized, professional support. MNLA companies can provide the professional products, services, and advice you need in order to:

• Choose a tree that helps cool your home and filter your air

• Build a retaining wall to control erosion

• Plant an annual and perennial garden to attract birds and butterflies

• Install a water feature to create a private haven for your family

• Install an irrigation system or outdoor lighting to protect and secure your landscape investment

• Maintain your lawn and landscape–and much, much more!

For your next landscaping project, please visit www.GardenMinnesota.com and use the “Locate an Expert” feature to find a professional MNLA member in your area.

AWARDS OVERVIEW

Several members of the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association (MNLA) were recently honored with 2006 MNLA Landscape Awards for excellence in landscape design, landscape installation, and landscape irrigation.

The purpose of the MNLA Landscape Awards program is to bring recognition to outstanding examples of landscaping. The objective of the program is to promote professional excellence and to encourage greater public awareness of the aesthetic and environmental benefits of landscaping.

A panel of practicing professionals in landscape education, landscape architecture and horticulture judged each entry based upon quality of design, materials and workmanship. Entries were not judged against each other, but rather against standards of excellence.

Additional photos of these projects and other award-winning landscapes can be found online at www.GardenMinnesota.com

WHAT TYPE OF PROFESSIONAL DO I NEED?

• Landscape Designer
A person that is often educated at a university or technical college and specializes in the design of residential and commercial landscapes. Designs may include plantings, walkways, walls, water features, landscape lighting and other similar features.

• Landscape Contractor
A company that implements plans prepared by a landscape designer or architect. A landscape contractor prepares the site and then installs plants and hardscaping (pavers, wall block, etc.) materials as described in the landscape plan. The company may bid on the project or work with the designer throughout the design process.

• Design-Build Firm
A firm that has both landscape designers and landscape installers on staff. The company works with the property owner to develop a landscape plan and then implement that plan.

• Irrigation Contractor
A firm that specializes in the design, installation and maintenance of a lawn sprinkler system. To perform the electrical work associated with a sprinkler system in Minnesota, the company should have a Technology System Contractor and a Power Limited Technician License.

• Professional Gardening Service
A firm that specializes in the design, installation, and/or care of residential or commercial-site gardens.

• Landscape Management Service
A firm that specializes in maintaining residential or commercial-site turf grass. Services include mowing, trimming, seeding, and fertilizing. Employees that apply pesticides must be trained and licensed by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

HOW TO CHOOSE A LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONAL

Well designed and installed landscaping adds considerable value to your home, allowing you a return on your investment of 100 to 200 percent. Choosing the right landscape professional can determine the success or failure of this important investment. Use the following guidelines when choosing a landscape professional.

• Base your contractor choices to the specific project you are working on. (For example, choose a contractor whose specialty is irrigation, lighting, or retaining walls, depending on your need).

• Check that the firm has a federal identification number; a sales tax license, and that they are insured. Some states require specific licenses for landscape installation or irrigation/lighting installation.

• How long have they been in business? Ask for customer references and then phone those referrals.

• Professionals arrive on time, take photographs, and take measurements or draw sketches of your property while there.

• Make sure the company provides a contract that specifies starting and completion dates, total costs, method of payment, and guarantees. Allowances should be made for weather.

Landscaping is a relatively large investment and involves a lot of hard work. Be sure to take the time and plan accordingly to avoid costly mistakes.

OTHER STEPS HOMEOWNERS CAN TAKE TO ENSURE A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE WITH A LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONAL:

• Be honest about the amount of money you intend to invest in your landscape project.

• Interview several professionals. Ask to see their “before and after” portfolio.

• If the company is installing plant material, check to make sure they have a nursery inspection certificate from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. This ensures that the plant material they are providing has been grown in a nursery and not dug from the wild.

• Visit one of the company’s finished projects.

• Keep in mind that newly finished landscapes may look sparse. A good landscape professional will not overcrowd plant material in a plan or installation, but instead will allow plants the room they need to achieve their mature size in two to three years.

Photos courtesy of MNLA