Hiring a Landscape Professional

Posted under Landscape, Landscaping, Suggestions for Other Work, What your customer reads

By Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor

Are you in the market for a landscaper? Knowing what to look for will help you get the most for your money and the results that you desire. Many homeowners who landscape their properties spend an average of 10 percent of the value of their house on landscaping. This includes not only the plants and statuary, but the design, installation, and maintenance of the landscape.

The first thing to consider when selecting a landscape professional is the scope of the job. What is it that you are hiring someone to do, and how much do you want to spend? If you need someone to design your landscape or draw up plans, hire a landscape architect, consultant, or designer. Although all three provide similar services, it is more common for architects to work on large commercial projects and designers and consultants to handle landscape plans for homeowners. However, be aware that landscape designers and consultants do not have to be licensed, so anyone, regardless of credentials, can use those titles.

A good way to find a qualified designer or consultant is through your local nursery or full service garden center. Or select from the list of certified Vermont horticulturists (those professionals passing an exam), which is available from the Vermont Association of Professional Horticulturists, P.O. Box 396, Jonesville, Vt. 05466.

To turn those plans into reality, you may need to find a landscape contractor, if the designer isn’t handling the installation, though many do. For smaller landscape maintenance jobs, such as reseeding, dethatching, or even just mowing the lawn on a regular schedule, you won’t need the same level of expertise. A hardworking gardener or lawn maintenance professional should be able to handle the work.

How do you select a landscape professional? A good way to start is to ask for recommendations from friends, neighbors, and your local garden center or nursery. Then interview the candidates that sound the most promising. Ask for references and to see their portfolios. Inquire about their training, education, and experience. Visit sites to view their work, and ask past clients if they were satisfied.

Shop around for the best price since fees can vary greatly. You may be able to get a better deal if you will be using the same firm that designs your landscape to also install and maintain it. Just realize that you often get just what you pay for! A person or firm you haven’t researched as above, and without proper horticultural knowledge, may do more harm than good to your landscape, lawn, and environment.

Ask for a timetable for completion of the work. The best firm for you may also be the busiest, so be patient. If you must have your landscape plans or project completed by a certain time, make sure the firm knows this and builds in extra time for delays. As we all know, weather is very changeable and a big factor to consider. It is something we can’t control, and it can delay outdoor projects.

Once you have decided who to hire, get a written contract. This protects all parties involved. The contract should specify what you want to have done, the estimated costs and date of completion, and what you expect from the individual or firm. It’s a good idea is to work with the firm up front to decide how many changes can be made during installation of the project. Otherwise, it can stretch on forever, your deadlines won’t be met, and you may end up paying more than you expect.

Don’t get locked into a contract that obligates you to use the landscape professional for more than you need. Once the plans are drawn up, and the plantings, walkways, and statuary are in place, you may want to take over the maintenance yourself. Or you may decide to have the landscaper only draw up the plans and do part of the installation, while you do the rest. Doing your own work will not only save you money, but can be a relaxing and rewarding way to enjoy your new landscape!

Factual Reasons NOT to “Winterize the Lawn”

Posted under Lawn Care, Turf grass, What your customer reads

by Shane Harris, Regional Extension Agent

“Don’t believe everything you see or hear.” That is what I tell Master Gardeners and homeowners all the time when it comes to buying and using products to improve the looks of their lawn. “Winterizing the lawn” in the fall is a prime example and nothing but a bunch of hogwash. Despite all the colorful commercials on TV and the numerous new lawn products for sale at retails stores, don’t be fooled into thinking your lawn needs fertilizer during the winter in order to survive. It doesn’t and, in fact, it may even do more harm than good. Before you go off and buy something to “get your lawn though the winter” pay attention to the real facts.

Our deep southern lawns, which include Bermuda, Centipede, Zoysia, and St. Augustine grass, become dormant during the winter. They go from green to brown, usually after the first hard frost. Since the lawn goes dormant, it doesn’t do much growing, right? Don’t have to mow the lawn in January do you? Well, if the grass isn’t growing then why do you need a winter fertilizer? That doesn’t make sense. Do you just like fertilizing the weeds? Fertilizers, especially those high in nitrogen, which is the first number on the bag, only promotes green-up and growth. Lawns that green-up during the winter have a really good chance of being killed by a frost or freeze. Winterizing the lawn may ultimately result in not a healthy lawn but a dead one.

The truth is that lawn winterizing products are a complete waste of time and money for most Alabama residents. These products are primarily for cool season grasses that do grow during the winter and can be found in lawns further north. The best strategy is to provide all the necessary nutrients to the lawn during the summer months when the grass is storing up its reserves in its roots for the long winter ahead. Otherwise, you might as well kiss your money and lawn goodbye. “Let the buyer beware”.