Coloring Outside the Lines
By Jim Sollecito
My career had a head-start, working with a local nursery at the impressionable age of 14.
I began in the fall, which is still by far my favorite season.
I liked it so much, I decided it would be my major in college. The study of landscape architecture involves plant knowledge, of course, the science part, but also using plants to create something visually impactful. That’s the art part. I loved both equally.
Back then I used two modes of transportation in hilly Ithaca. My Triumph 650 Bonneville motorcycle, primarily for dating; and an old 1966 rusty Chevy ¾ ton pickup truck. It was a hybrid — it burned both gas and oil. I needed this vehicle to help pay my own way through college by carting plants and tools around as well as transporting each of my fraternity brothers, at least once, as my labor pool. Heck, I even convinced the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity house cook to help me dig holes. Once. You see, my professors all had Cooperative Extension duties. People called with landscape problems, got answers and then inquired as to who could do that work for them. That’s where I came in. I established a referral system with multiple professors recommending me to implement their recommendations. Self-employed on-the-job training. I loved it.
Picture this: senior year I took an evening watercolor art class with a small group of 11 students plus our instructor. I liked it. One evening before we got out our brushes and paints, one of the coeds mentioned that there was a piano player at the Strand Theater that night, suggesting we blow off class to go experience live music. The problem was, art class was way up in Plant Science Hall at the far end of campus and the theater was downtown. In retrospect she really just wanted a ride and I was the only person with a vehicle. So she rallied all 12 of us to pile in the truck cab and open bed and away we went, including the instructor.
The cover charge was $5. Beer was cheap. The drinking age was 18. The conversation animated as we sat with our drinks, waiting for the entertainer to come out. And then, about 40 feet away from our table, the Piano Man Billy Joel bounded out.
He immediately started hammering the keys and I recall we hardly sat the entire night. We were all in the mood for a melody and he got us feeling all right. It was magical.
If we had not colored outside the lines, we never would have enjoyed such a fabulous evening.
That event helped shape the way I approached my business. Maximizing a situation sometimes requires a fresh perspective. Life experiences bring color to the black and white.
Now, 52 years deep into my career, I still enjoy landscape challenges and opportunities. As our team completes each project, I want everything to be as strong as the Onondaga Parkway Railroad Bridge. So if you have plant needs, ours is probably a pretty good, creative place to start.
Jim Sollecito is the first lifetime senior certified landscape professional in New York State. He operates Sollecito Landscaping Nursery in Syracuse. Contact him at 315-468-1142 or jim@sollecito.com.