Photo: February 2023 Landscapers’ Conference, Wendy Cohen
Wendy Cohen
One hundred and thirty-five landscape professionals attended a conference on sustainable landscaping on February 15 on the Annandale campus of Northern Virginia Community College. Although Plant NOVA Natives, in partnership with ASNV, has held other sustainable landscaping conferences for professionals, this one was special: it was held completely in Spanish and targeted Spanish-speaking landscapers. Funding came from individual donations and grants from Transurban and the Virginia Department of Forestry.
February 2023 Landscapers’ Conference, Wendy Cohen
Participants learned from experts in the field about the importance of native plants, identification of invasive plants and the Spotted Lanternfly, the vital work of invasives removal, and best practices in planting and pruning techniques. Speakers included the owner of a sustainable landscape design business, the director of the Fairfax County Parks Invasive Management program, the commercial horticulturist for Loudoun County’s Cooperative Extension program, and a sustainable landscaper.
The audience was completely engaged and participated actively in the question-and-answer sessions. Participants were given handouts in Spanish, including an invasive plant identification guide, the Fairfax County Tree Basics booklet, and lists of online resources. Hip City Veg provided a vegan lunch, and several event organizers provided home-baked vegan cookies. The conference was a “low-waste” event, using only non-disposable cups and plates and recycling and composting lunch and breakfast items.
The great turnout for the event made clear the huge need for Spanish-language training for landscape workers. For example, it is hard to find pesticide or fertilizer certification in Spanish, a big gap considering who is doing much of the landscaping work in northern Virginia. Plant NOVA Natives is planning to start a series of webinars for a general Spanish-speaking audience. Check out the Spanish language material currently on the website at https://www.plantnovanatives.org/espanol.
Plant NOVA Natives, ASNV, and other partners hope to make the conference an annual event, and look forward to the day when landscaping companies become proficient at recognizing and removing invasives, start advertising invasive removal services, and make money off it.