News in Brief

Road Closure Threatens Nurseryman?EUR??,,????'???s Business

HOWELL, NJ ?EUR??,,????'??+ The Tri-Town News reports the plight of Michael Crawford, owner and operator of Landex Nurseries on Howell Road. His business is in jeopardy because Howell Road will be closed to all but local traffic for at least three months beginning March 22, according to the DOT. The entire job won?EUR??,,????'???t be completed until December 2004. Crawford estimates 60 percent of his annual business is done in April, May and June. There will be a detour to access his business, but it is almost four miles of back roads. Crawford believes he will lose perhaps 70 percent of his nursery customers, most of whom are landscape contractors.

Crawford has had the business for 18 years. He learned of the impending road closing only 10 days before the closing, and after stocking half a million dollars of inventory on credit.

Xeriscapes de rigueur in Denver Area

AURORA, Co.?EUR??,,????'??+Landscape contractors in this Denver suburb are busier since the ban on new lawns was lifted last fall. Snowfalls were substantial this winter, and reservoir totals are up significantly from last year's drought, but still mostly below average. And while Aurora has a new water lease that increases its capacity by about 10 percent, the city still anticipates water restrictions this year.

Fewer lawns and more xeriscaping is the trend in landscaping here. Designers are also towing that line, particularly when it comes to city projects.

Busy Spring Anticipating

GAINSVILLE, Ga.?EUR??,,????'??+The Times of Gainsville expects a busy spring season for landscape contractors in Hall County, home to more than 50 professional landscape consultants, designers and contractors. The paper quoted statistics gathered by the Associated Landscape Contractors of America: More than 24.7 million American households spent more than $28.9 billion on professional landscape, lawn care and tree services in 2002, representing an increase of nearly a million in the number of households using these services and a $3 billion rise in spending over the previous year.

The same survey found the South led the nation in total spending on professional landscape, lawn care and tree services, accounting for 30 percent of all expenditures.