EDITOR’S NOTE: The following article is the third in a four-part series highlighting one of the four phases of landscape planning - design, installation, maintenance, and upgrades and modifications - presented through the courtesy of The Groundskeeper.
The Groundskeeper is an employee-owned landscape firm specializing in all types of landscapes in the deserts of the Pacific Southwest. Their seven branches cover the desert southwest areas of Arizona, Nevada and California. Progressive training practices continue to propel the quality of service forward, as The Groundskeeper builds itself upon knowledge and commitment.
For more information on The Groundskeeper call 800/571-1575 or visit the company’s web site at www.groundskeeper.com.
For additional articles in the series please click the following links (NOTE: Links will become active as articles appear online.):
TUCSON, Ariz. - The Groundskeeper developed questions and contacted its own experts in the Arizona, California and Nevada desert southwest areas. These professionals offered their experience and expertise for your benefit.
Respondents gave similar answers on some questions. Representative remarks are included, and all viewpoints are represented. Answers marked by the initials of the respondents indicate distinctive answers. Most are not direct quotes, but reflect the intent of the speaker.
The Groundskeeper offers its sincere thanks to the professionals who so willingly participated in these interviews:
- DB: Dan Barryhill, Supervisor, Scottsdale (Ariz.) Branch
- JC: Jim Cumming, Supervisor, Plum (Tucson) Branch
- GD: Greg Deuley, Supervisor, Las Vegas Branch
- EM: Ed Macias, Account Rep, Gilbert (Ariz.) Branch
- RR: Raul Rangel, Supervisor, Phoenix Branch
- SR: Scott Rowan, Manager, Palm Desert Branch
- PT: Paul Tripp, Supervisor, Swan (Tucson) Branch
As Someone Directly Interested In Landscape Maintenance, How Much Importance Do You Think Should Be Put On Maintenance When Considering Landscape Design/Installation? Can You Give Us Some Examples?
EM: People have to protect their investments. A landscape is going to require care, no matter what design you choose. Some decide on xeriscapes, thinking they are low maintenance. They aren’t.
DB: If you plan to put the wrong plants in the wrong places, maintenance costs will be high and the property won’t always look as good as it should. For instance, if you plant a thorny tree by a sidewalk, it won’t be long before you’re battling to keep the thorns out of the walkway. If you plant something that needs lots of water on a slope, you’ll have irrigation problems, and that plant will not be healthy.
JC: Think about what it’s going to take three or four years down the road to maintain the design. Position of trees, irrigation and the theme of the landscape should all look forward to the time when the plants are mature.
SR: Say you plant a tree 10 feet from a building. In 10 years, that tree could have a 40-foot canopy and you have all kinds of trouble trying to keep it pruned away from the building.
GD: In the long run, maintenance takes longer if plants are not installed properly. I’ve seen a large tree installed with all the drip heads on one side of the tree. Half the tree wasn’t getting watered. I’ve also seen Texas Rangers with so many drip heads around them that they drowned. When we came in, we had to redo the irrigation system and replace the plants. That can get expensive.
PT: The planners need to be aware of the seasonal changes that occur in plants - and we do have extremes in temperature. They may ask for Myrtle, which flourishes in summer, and then be disappointed at its appearance when it goes dormant in the winter. They may not take into account that Lantana freezes back in the winter, so it leaves a bare spot for that season. These changes require the addition of other plants to cover gaps, which takes time and money. All that should be considered in the design.
How Do You Determine Maintenance Costs?
The Account Reps are in charge of this. Everyone concurred on the method use by The Groundskeeper. We’ll let our account rep in the group explain it.
EM: We actually quantify the property: How many trees and shrubs? What kind, and which pruning method will each require? How much turf? How much decomposed granite? How big are the annual beds? We know from our experience how long it will take to mow an area by its size, contours and what kind of mower is needed. We know how much fertilizer, seed, how many bedding plants, etc., will be required. We put all that information on a spreadsheet, and we come up with a pretty accurate estimate for maintaining the property.
What Do You Feel Are The Benefits Of Having A Year-Round Landscape Budget For Maintenance?
DB: It prepares the customer for things that always come up: plant replacement, annuals, rye grass, etc. Irrigation repairs are inevitable, and they can cost $400 to $500, easy. A budget saves you from surprises.
SR: Plants die, or get overgrown. Irrigation systems wear out. A landscape budget is like a household budget: you have to plan to continually update.
PT: You plan it like painting or any other general maintenance task; it will need to be done. If you plan for expenditures on a monthly basis, things are kept up. One thing more people should consider is an annual tree-care budget. To keep them healthy over many years, trees require care every year.
RR: If the property looks good continually, the customer is happier and we feel good about our work.
GD: Even trash blown onto the property or fallen leaves cost money to remove. You have to plan for that expense on a regular basis to keep the appearance what it should be.
What Are The Advantages Of Having A Maintenance Plan?
PT: Consistency of curb appeal. You avoid anything like low branches from getting out of hand, and the property continually reflects professionalism.
DB: You can do things in phases as they are needed. You don’t have to struggle to decide whether to take care of something that’s really necessary because the money wasn’t allotted.
JC: It takes the guesswork out of maintenance. Our customers have to deal with lots of vendors. If we know what the plan is all year long, we can just handle the landscape. It’s one less thing for the customer to worry about. We keep in close contact and try to build a working relationship with the customer; but the better we understand what is expected, the more the property manager can be secure that we will take care of the property.
Does It Make A Difference To Keep A Crew On The Same Site For A Long Period Of Time?
RR: I think so. As the crew gets to know each other, they work together more efficiently. As they get to know the property, they understand what the customer expects.
GD: And the better they know the site, the less time it takes to do the job.
JC: Sometimes a change is good; it brings in a fresh viewpoint. Still, the new people work off the route book and history of our work on the site, and they have kick-off meetings with the customer.
EM: It helps when the customer knows his/her groundskeeper crew. They know they can call the same people as always and get responses to questions or concerns.
PT: We try to match the crew leader’s personality to that of the customer. Some customers want to be involved in the maintenance plan; others just want us to do our job untended. Building a relationship with the customer helps things go smoothly.
What Can A Well-Trained Maintenance Crew Offer The Property Owner?
DB: Workers who are better-educated to do the job keep a nicer landscape.
PT: Quality comes through the crew leader. If he/she has the right attitude and training, the maintenance will be done right.
EM: Our Continuous Improvement Program gives the crew leaders the tools they need to do a professional job using correct horticultural methods. We learn to identify problems and take care of them before the customer calls our attention to them.
SR: We bought a company here, and it’s challenging changing over to new ways of doing things; but our trained crews know how to do the work right and efficiently, so the customer reaps the reward.
RR: Well-trained workers enjoy their work more, so they’re more efficient and work harder.
JC: The customer gets consistency and professionalism.
Is There Anything Else You Think We Should Know?
EM: Remember that maintenance is a living, breathing entity. Landscapes grow and change. For the first year or two after an installation, you can pretty much just watch it grow; then you have to have a plan ready to keep it vibrant and controlled.
PT: Landscaping isn’t just pushing a mower. I have three guys on my crews who have degrees in horticulture. There’s a lot to taking care of a landscape.
DB: Think about how much you have invested in your landscape. It’s the first thing people see on your property. If it is neglected for a long period of time, fixing it can cost tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Maintenance keeps plants healthy. It’s very cost-efficient.