You know that feeling. The sun is shining, the air is turning from crisp to warm. The clocks have been sprung forward and there?EUR??,,????'???s almost time for a game of golf after work . . . You?EUR??,,????'???re starting to think about that upcoming summer vacation and keeping your kids focused on school and you may even be finding it harder to keep the staff focused on all those sprigging sprigs and blooming blooms . . .

Of course, for the past few months many of you have been greasing the bearings or building a new shed. Or maybe you have been shoveling record levels of snow from your workplace or your home . . .

Now, though, the snow is melting, the rains are here and everything is coming back to life . . . Yep, this is definitely one of the busiest times of the year for landscape professionals, yet it is one of the hardest times to convince everyone around that now is the time they have to bear down and really get to work.

So, what can you do to get everyone on track and moving in the same direction?

Sorry, but I haven?EUR??,,????'???t a clue . . . Oh . . . April Fools (I am writing this on April 1st, which is a full week behind schedule thanks to Easter break and a really bad case of spring fever . . .)

Actually there are a few things that can and should be done to get things moving.

One is to initiate a training program. Since you are the keeper of a wealth of information, now is a great time to share that knowledge and teach your staff a few new things about their profession.

People love to learn new things, and offering a tidbit or two to the right people at the right time can get them focused.

Another thing you can do is join an organization like the Professional Grounds Management Society, or PGMS . . . The PGMS is designed specifically to assist you, the Landscape Superintendent, in upgrading the quality of care you provide at your facility, in working better with your staff, in learning more about the vendors who support your profession and advancing your own professional status among your peers at the place you work.

In the first few moments after you join an association, you automatically begin to think more about the professionalism of your work. Not only is it good for you, but you should encourage your staff to join as well.

Do you have a licensed pesticide applicator on staff? About 75% of you do . . . Are they a member of the Pesticide Applicators Professional Association, or PAPA? They should be. Does anyone on your staff belong to the local Turfgrass Association? And what about the local Landscape Contractors or Nursery associations?

Many of these associations are inexpensive to join but provide a wealth of information regarding laws, techniques, and products that all make your job easier and will help you make your facility the best it can be.

Of course, you can get a lot of that information from great trade magazines like Landscape Superintendent and Maintenance Professional ;-) but there is something even stronger about the impact association membership has on your professional well being . . .

So, as you bear down and get things moving (or should I say mowing) for the upcoming months of spring and summer, you might just find that one of your best and most productive tools is found in your wallet, in the form of a membership card for the landscape association that matches your specialty or scope of work . . .

OK . . . That?EUR??,,????'???s enough for today . . .The sun is shining and its looks like a great day for golf . . .

?EUR??,,????'??+God Bless