Landscaping and Maintenance
Landscaping and maintenance are interdependent services. Outdoor environments consist of a blend of planting and structure. Both of these dynamics require frequent attention in order to preserve the integrity of the original design. The goal of all enterprise is to maintain the design’s overall impact. Each zone of interest must work in connection with every other zone of interest so as to magnify the curb appeal of the entire property. This level of service requires us to treat the functional elements of the landscape with equal importance as its decorative features.
We can see this blend of priorities in the way we manage lawn care. In our landscaping and maintenance programs, the lawn is treated as a point of convergence between the earth and the varying levels of vertical impact that are generated by plants, trees, and structures. This requires us to manage lawncare as a service that involves far more than the regular cutting of grass. Grass health must be maintained so that its color is preserved throughout the year. Land grade must also be managed so that standing water does not pool in portions of the yard. Irrigation must be streamlined for cost efficiency and compliance with municipal regulations that are often put into place during times of prolonged drought.
Since the lawn is treated as a structure in its own right, all softscape elements that lie close to its surface must receive the same level of care as turf grass. Landscaping and maintenance programs are highly customized in order to support the diversification of the lawn which is so common in our level of landscape design. Because ornamental grasses, ground covers, and low-level shrubs are frequently used to add interest to special areas of the yard, they too must be managed from a structural perspective that goes far beyond simple trimming. Irrigation must be customized to the water requirements of specific species. Gardens and flower beds may need special attention to maintain color rotation on a seasonal basis. Drainage systems, which are typically concealed to preserve lawn aesthetics, often require special maintenance due to their unique engineering designs.
Landscaping and maintenance agreements also place a very high priority on tree growth. Trees fulfill a number of functions our landscape projects that often require special services to maintain. Tree walls, for example, have to be kept free from weed undergrowth. They also require impeccable landscape lighting effects in order to be fully appreciated at night. Other trees on the property, and those in front of the home in particular, must be consciously pruned in a manner that allows their branches to frame the walls of the home and enhance its vertical rise. Shaping trees as they grow allows them to exponentially magnify the curb appeal of the house without obstructing its facade.
Landscaping and maintenance programs also attend to inorganic landscape elements that are essential to providing guests with a comfortable outdoor experience. Surface areas are cleaned to a degree that they mirror home interior flooring. Water features are also carefully attended to so that silent pumps and special lighting create the desired affects that distinguish custom pools, fountains, and waterfalls as premier landscape elements. These services almost always overlap with softscape management procedures because these structures are integrally intertwined with garden and lawn areas that accent their physical boundaries and unite their aesthetic into the fabric of the natural world.
