Spring isn’t technically here yet, but we’ve made it through the longest shortest month, and that’s reason enough to celebrate. This week I’ve brought you a solid reading list, a video to share with your friends and a great post on marketing.

• Lead gen tips for your sales team.
• Jim McCutcheon explains that you can make real money as a landscaper. (via Chris Heiler)
• Late winter reading list from Marty.
• Medieval flower clock.
• Rainscaping is growing more popular out east.
• Marketing means answering this question: Who do we want to change?
• Learn more about how to figure that out in our Grow the Market report.
• Above: Some pre-spring blooms to get you through the rest of winter.

Some pricing information, business strategy and how to use your extra leaf blowers to make high art. Have a great weekend.

• Find out what customers will pay.
• How to say no.
• Terrible social media advice. (via Chris Heiler)
• Sometimes you have to disappear to run your business better.
• The mother of all terraria.
• Above: Leaf blower portraits.

If your customers can’t find you, how are they going to hire you?

A couple of weeks ago, Chris Heiler put on a great webinar on how landscape contractors can improve their returns on local search. It’s a great overview of practical tips and a must-see for any company that wants to explore and improve their internet marketing efforts.

To read more about how local search works, read Chris’ article here.

For your reading pleasure, here’s our latest collection of interesting stuff from the web. Have a great weekend!

• The richest metro areas in the United States.
• Top social media trends of 2013.
• Great training opportunity on tap in Colorado from L&L columnist Jim Huston.
• The latest edition of MOWmentum is live! Get it for iOS and Android tablets today.
• Learn how to best use local search.
• 5 invasive plants you can eat. (via Bates Nursery)
• Pantone releases its official color of 2013.
• Above: Bill and Ed discuss the foundation of a plan for profit.

Here’s our digest of cool and interesting stuff from the web. Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

• How to rank high in Google Places.
• Restaurants track their customers’ preferences. Creepy? Yes. Effective? Also yes.
• It’s almost time to reseed. Know your grasses. (via @FMCturf)
• Innovative parks in D.C. and L.A.
• Above: Al Aire, a floating hydroponic greenhouse in Venice. (via Bates Nursery)

Here’s our weekly digest of cool stuff from the web. Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

• Give this list to your foremen.
• “The complement to the brilliant strategy is the thankless work of lower-leverage detail.“
• A guide to commercial property leasing practices from CBRE.
• An update on trends in outdoor furniture.
• Awesome vertical gardens.
• Above: Linkedin now lets companies use targeted status updates. (via @chris_heiler)

We’ve been a bit lax the past couple of weeks, so here’s an extra-long weekly round-up for your weekend reading pleasure. Stay cool out there!

• Can’t catch rainwater? Try these tips. (via @waterguru2)
• Succulents!
• Why you should hire introverts.
• Chris Heiler has a few suggestions on how to get free PR.
• Advertisers and consumers are getting tired of QR codes. Related.
• How to use elephants to control weeds.
• Learn how to talk to tree guys.
• Brad Johnson on planting weeds for healthy turf.
• Also: Brad’s book is in stores now.
• ASLA releases a guide to designing sustainable sites.
• Above: Why trees are important.

Here’s our weekly collection of stuff you should know about. Enjoy, and have a great three-day weekend.

• Homebuilders are more confident.
• Why trees matter.
• What you can do with two hours a day.
• A control freak’s guide to delegating. (via @jasoncupp)
• Listen in to my conversation with Chris Heiler on the GetSocial! Radio Show.
• Above: Our latest podcast – selling color with windowboxes.

Later this week, I’ll be on Chris Heiler’s new podcast, the GetSocial Radio Show.

We’ll be talking about the trends in the industry, some of my favorite stories from the past few years and our latest Top 100 Report that comes out this month.

We get started at 8 p.m. EST Thursday. You can listen live on Chris’ site, or subscribe in iTunes.

Hope to see you there! Tell your friends!

Here’s our weekly digest of interesting stuff from the internet. Have a great weekend. (And call your mom.)

• A history of the sunflower.
• Top 2012 outdoor living trends.
• The best times to post to Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr.
• Massive stormwater park opens in Los Angeles. (via @ValleyCrest)
• Chris Heiler on practical uses of Pinterest.
• Above: Transplanting a tree in Australia with ArborCo.