Seth’s Cut: Landscape Management’s diamond anniversary

I saw a message on social media that resonated with me. It said, “Recently I realized that when people are talking about 30 years ago, they’re not talking about 1972 … they’re talking about 1992. And then I suddenly need to sit down.”

(Graphic: LM Staff)

It’s hard to believe that 30 years ago was 1992. I had the same feeling last fall when my friend told me the album “Ten” by Pearl Jam turned 30, a moment I wrote about in my column then (When “Ten” turned 30, October 2021.)

I’m an aficionado and collector of classic items. My 1960s comic book collection, my 1964 Chevy Impala and my 1918 Thomas Edison Amberola Phonograph are among my most cherished mementos of a bygone era. And get this, recently a visitor told me my 1995 Rowe Diamante Jukebox was “old.” Wait, the same machine I plugged dollar bills into while I was in college … old? What does that make me?

Whatever it makes me, I’m proud to be the caretaker of these classics. And I’m quite thrilled to announce another classic in my life is celebrating its diamond anniversary. 2022 marks the 60th anniversary of this classic magazine that generations of professionals have relied on: Landscape Management.

And I stress the words classic and professionals.

The magazine was founded in 1962 (older than my Impala, really?) by James Nelson. Mr. Nelson, the founder of Pest Control magazine, recognized the need for a publication for the men and women who were working to beautify the outdoors, mostly in the emerging pesticide applicator field. That’s when he created Weeds and Turf. Three years later, the magazine added to its title and became Weeds, Trees & Turf. Almost 20 years later, the magazine again renamed itself to better represent its readers, and the name Landscape Management graced the cover from then on.

Pest Control, founded in 1933, would also rename. It is now known as Pest Management Professional, and to this day is our sister publication, another professional (and classic) publication of North Coast Media. Visit MyPMP.net to check out their work. Interestingly, Marty Whitford is the publisher of that magazine, and he was also previously the editor-in-chief of LM. So, he and James Nelson are cosmically connected — I hope to eyewitness that dinner conversation among those two when it happens in the afterlife, probably at a heavenly industry convention of some sort.

If you’re like me and enjoy trips down memory lane, all of LM’s previous magazines are archived on our website. It’s fun to see how some things have changed, while some remain the same. I’m happy to see that even 60 years ago, the magazine was preaching the importance of best management practices.

The official 60th anniversary of the magazine arrives with the July 2022 issue, but we’ll be celebrating all year in some form or another (those who know me know I’m always looking for a reason to celebrate). A Look Back is a regular department in the magazine where we reprint an article from our past (check out this feature for this month’s 1962 flashback), but we want to go beyond that.

Please reach out to me and tell me if you have fond memories of LM, Weeds, Trees & Turf or Weeds and Turf. Maybe your grandparents or your mother or father read it when the family business was much younger. Maybe there’s an article that stuck with you over the years. Perhaps you were featured in an issue and remember the response from your colleagues.

Whatever the memories may be, here’s to the 60th anniversary of Landscape Management. Thank you, James Nelson, Marty Whitford and all those who came during, after and in between. We’re happy to be among so many professionals today, building upon this classic.