The world-famous grass courts used at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, England are vacuumed and mopped following play each day for the following day's competition.

Development for Place des Montrealaises in Montreal will have its landscaping design determined through an international competition. The award for landscaping for the $74.4-million project will be determined by a jury of 11 individuals.

The City of Guelph, Ont. has launched a new online tool designed to help the public locate city parks known for a specific recreational or leisure activity.

An aerial photo taken from a drone has captured the finished result of a massive Canadian flag painted onto the grounds at Lower Queen's Park in Stratford, Ont. to commemorate Canada's sesquicentennial on July 1. The work of art took six hours to complete and is the size of a hockey rink.

Ontario's York Region was besieged by so much rain during the weekend that at least one area golf course reported it now had 18 island greens.

A lot of work and some assistance from Mother Nature are what it takes for golf courses in the Muskoka region of Ontario to attain their picture postcard looks and the playability golfers come to expect.

A giant-sized portrait of Leonardo da Vinci's famous Mona Lisa has been created in the Czech countryside at Dolni Kalna, using a pair of Spider mowers on a grass canvas that measured 200 metres by 250 metres.

Dean Piller, superintendent at Victoria, B.C.'s Cordova Bay Golf Course, is one of five individuals from the city and 33 from the province honoured recently with the Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers.

A tree thief is on the loose in the Stratford, Ont. area. From the beginning of May through the first week of June, about a dozen trees have been dug up from residents' lawns and removed. The trees have been removed with expert precision.

Thou shalt not play Pokemon in church. Did you hear about this one? A 22-year-old Russian man was recently convicted of “inciting religious hatred” after he was caught playing Pokemon Go in an Orthodox cathedral in Yekaterinburg during a service of the Church of All Saints.

When the thermometer reads 24 degrees Celsius but it feels more like 30 degrees, you’re likely feeling the humidity. The combined effect of warm temperatures and humidity affects how hot people feel. Whether you are working outside in the summer heat or simply enjoying the outdoors, being mindful of the humidity is critical when temperatures can reach extremes. Understanding humidity and taking the necessary precautions can help prevent the risk of your body overheating and experiencing heat-related illnesses.

A newly-published guide offers best practices for landscape professionals to better protect such pollinators as bees and butterflies while reducing the amount of pests in lawns, golf courses and other managed turfgrass settings.

After a spring of beautiful weather we have all been busy taking care of customers and keeping the business up and running. Sometimes that means we get so busy that we get behind on some jobs that we know would make life easier down the road but don’t ever seem urgent enough to make it to the top of the to do list.

Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in Vineland, Ont. is investigating improved turf grass cultivars in combination with new pest management tools to provide lawn care practitioners with the tools to grow healthy turf in residential areas.

Dollar spot is the No. 1 disease golf superintendents fight each year, and it’s important to be able to correctly identify it so that the proper control methods can be undertaken, superintendents attending BrettYoung Seeds Limited’s winter turf academy were told in March.

Lawn care season is in full swing for another year, but lawn care professionals need to realize that the events from one year may not necessarily repeat themselves during the subsequent season and that adjustments may be required.

Sports turf managers are in the business of developing playing surfaces and not in the business of growing grass, and everything they do to grow grass on athletic field surfaces is likely contrary to what the turf wants done, those attending the eighth annual Nutrite lawn care seminar in Guelph were told in March.

Trees need water. No kidding, right? The need for water is probably the simplest concept of plant growth, however, a commonly overlooked fact is that tree health in managed landscapes usually suffers more from excess or improper irrigation than from lack of irrigation. There are a number of reasons why tree health suffers from improper irrigation, some direct and some related to secondary issues such as disease or decay.

Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course superintendent Dan Nolin has shared the step-by-step process for which greens are resodded. The objective is to return them to a full bentgrass cover after poa annua had established itself, contributing to inconsistent play.

Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in Vineland, Ont. is investigating improved turf grass cultivars in combination with new pest management tools to provide lawn care practitioners with the tools to grow healthy turf in residential areas.

Toronto's High Park and Lambton Park were the sites of prescribed burns on Tuesday, April 18 as part of a long-term management plan to protect and sustain the city's rare black oak woodlands and savannahs. The burns will help release seed and nutrients and remove invasive species.

Winter seasons in Atlantic Canada used to be predictable. Snow would arrive in the latter half of December and would remain until March when it would melt with rising spring temperatures.

City officials in Charlottetown, P.E.I. says some lawn care customers are getting bad advice from the professionals caring for their lawns. Claims are being made that chinch bug infestations have taken over some lawns, but city officials say customers shouldn't be so quick to believe the existence of the pests equates to an infestation.

City officials in Regina, Sask. have decided to fight fire with fire in their battle to keep aphids from wreaking havoc on city trees. Hundreds of thousands of ladybugs have been released in Regina's Victoria Park as a means of driving aphid populations down.

Charlottetown, P.E.I. is reaching out to the public with pesticide-free and low-maintenance alternatives to maintaining lawns and gardens. A cosmetic pesticide bylaw was enacted by the city in January, and an educational outreach strategy is attempting to share with the public ways they can still achieve attractive green spaces.

The program and registration form for the National Symposium on Parks and Grounds are now available online. The event, to be held Sept. 13-16 in the capital region of Ottawa-Gatineau, is affiliated with the Communities in Bloom program.

Fourteen parks in the Kamloops area have been shut down due to the increasing danger of wildfires in British Columbia. The decision was made as a proactive measure in response to the out-of-control fires currently burning in the province.

In a letter to the editor of the Osoyoos Times, a man has expressed serious concerns about the impact an urban forestry bylaw will have on the British Columbia town.

A new tree plan has been approved for the City of St. Albert, Alta. that will see its current tree cover almost doubled in 20 years.

A flower bed in Longueuil, Que.'s Greenfield Park was supposed to spell out the name in flowers of the English-speaking borough, but the landscaper in charge has not fulfilled his duties, the city claims. Local residents are upset that other city borough's have their names spelled out in flowers, but Greenfield Park's designated flower bed is instead a bed of bushes.

A massive Canadian flag the size of a hockey rink will be painted on the grass at Lower Queen's Park in Stratford, Ont. to commemorate Canada's sesquicentennial. The job is expected to take six hours to complete.

Trees removed from an environmentally-sensitive area along the banks of the Thames River in London, Ont. has triggered a city investigation. A landscaper hired by the property owner said he had permits from the local conservation authority, but only the city is entitled to permit tree removal.

Metro Vancouver is reminding its residents to conserve water this summer, suggesting it isn't a big deal if their lawns turn a little golden. Water use in the summer is usually about 1.5 billion litres of water per day.

The tools superintendents use to maintain their golf courses continue to evolve with each passing year, and much of what is available today can help save significant amounts of time, labour, inputs, resources and money. One such technological wonder that has recently left its mark on the industry is the drone, which has several useful applications on a golf course.

In these days of dwindling budgets, when labour tends to be the first casualty, golf course superintendents are increasingly challenged to produce consistent playing conditions with less.

Briggs & Stratton has introduced the Vanguard Oil Guard System for its 810cc EVI V-Twin and Big Block commercial engines, offering productivity gains and allowing for 500-hour oil change intervals.

Virtual technology is making landscaping easier, allowing both professionals and homeowners to use an app to preview how applied changes and additions can dramatically alter a residential landscape.

The Toro Company has improved upon its GreensPro® greens roller with a new model that features split stainless steel smoothing rollers. The GreensPro 1260's smoothing rollers reduce the risk of scuffing during turns and overlapping heads that deliver a consistent playing surface with each pass.

DeWalt has expanded its Flexvolt system with outdoor power equipment featuring batteries that automatically change voltage when the operator changes tools.

John Deere Golf and software company OnGolf have joined forces to provide golf courses with a cloud-based golf course management system that collects data and manages equipment, labour, water, chemicals, nutrients and playing conditions.

The Irrigation Association’s version of ABC’s popular reality TV show “Shark Tank,” Pitcher’s Mound, debuted at the recent 2016 Irrigation Show and Education Conference. Pitcher’s Mound was designed as an avenue to help inventors, entrepreneurs and business people in the irrigation arena bring new products to market.

DeWalt has expanded its 40V Max battery-powered outdoor equipment line for landscapers with the addition of its six-pack charging station (DCB116) and pole hedge trimmers (DCHT895 family).

A new cordless cooling fan jacket has been introduced by Makita to be worm in circumstances where heat could be an issue. The jacket provides constant air flow to improve sweat evaporation and maintain ideal body temperatures. It features three external pockets on both the left and right sides as well as the left chest. There are three air flow settings (low, medium and high) plus a turbo mode with LED indication. The turbo mode operates at maximum speed for about one minute when rapid cooling is desired. The fan can easily be removed from the jacket when it isn't required. Sleeves can be unzipped to convert the long-sleeved jacket into a short-sleeved one. The battery adaptor features dual USB ports to enable convenient charging of mobile devices on the job site. The shell is 100 per cent polyester. For more information, visit http://www.makita.ca/index2.php?event=newaccessorydetailstemp&id=1716&catid=1

Harper Turf Equipment has introduced its next generation of self-propelled turf vacuums. The T35 has been redesigned to save time and includes such economical features as a new cooling system, ergonomic operator station and smooth foot pedal operation. Most notable is the remote-mounted radiator and oil cooler for improved temperature control. The hydraulic powered cooling fan can be reversed to blow debris off the screen. The screen can be easily removed for deep cleaning. The operator station layout addresses performance and well-being through the ergonomic control placement and convenient adjustments. Controls for the unit have been moved to the right of the operator, providing greater productivity and increased visibility. The new, fully adjustable suspension seat reduces driver discomfort and improves posture. Brake release tools and cylinder stops can be stored in the operator station tool box. A manually controlled hydrostatis foot pedal provides a wide speed selection for comfort and convenience. The features allows operators to keep both hands on the steering wheel while adjusting ground speed and direction. The system increases pedal feedback, improving control and performance. The Kubota engine is available in either diesel or gasoline models. The four-cylinder Tier IV interim turbocharged diesel engine combines clean and quite power at 44 horsepower. The spark-ignited gas engine, at 49 horsepower, saves money and promotes faster job completion.