It struck like lightning early last year; large and medium-sized landscape contracting companies began to merge into consolidated "national" companies - largely the work of investment bankers anxious to make a public stock offering and cash in on the vitality of this industry. Undoubtedly a move of this size affects the industry. It is a time for the small and mediumsized independent contractors to do some soul searching as to how they will fit in to the future of the industry.

Being a standout comes easy for the Netherlands. As a matter of fact, when space satellites photograph the earth, the country often reflects a large, gleaming light.

Vsitors of Longue Vue House and Gardens can only imagine what it was like attending a formal garden party in the mid-1950s, or entertaining the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt, Adlai Stevenson, or John and Robert Kennedy.

Did you say your grandfather was in the landscaping/nursery business? And your father, too? Then what's left for you, Jonny Heinz, owner of Jonny Heinz Landscaping in Saginaw, Michigan? Quite simply this, "fine-tune my operation so it's the best it can possibly be."

When Walker Mfg. introduced its first lawn mower in the late 1970s, the company was committed to producing a compact, maneuverable machine that would be unsurpassed in performance. Over the years, Walker Mfg. never lost that commitment. Its mowers today - still compact and maneuverable - continue to outperform larger competitors.

The students gather for a moment before going to their next class. They are enrolled in Monte Vista Christian School, Watsonville, California, a co-educational and non-denominational institution for students in grades 6 through 12.