TierramadreLandscape.com

If not, they should be :)

I was going to go with pink flamingos......

2008-03-23 06:54:26 by Dink

Pastorial private gardens

I just bought a house in Chicago with a back yard lawn and perennial garden, it's starting to get warm, and this is my first spring in charge of any kind of landscaping other than mowing. So what should I be doing right now for the lawn? Applying weed killer? Seeding? and what about the perennials? Do I need to do anything to make sure they come back healthy? And when would be a good time to start planting annuals? Thanks in advance for your help.

I don't know about the lawn, but you could try clearing perennial beds by raking or pulling any dead leaves, such as around iris or daylily. I would say prune any obviously dead wood on shrubs or trees, but since this is your first year it's best to let that go, so you can let things leaf out before assuming they're dead.

Some perennials may be over-crowded and need division, but again, I would hold off first year to see how well they bloom. They might surprise you.

If you have ornamental grasses, they definitely should be cut now, before new growth starts. Cut low to the ground. This is all they need, one early spring trimming.

Similarly, some perennials like sedum Autumn Joy should have their tops trimmed soon, because the new green rosettes are already popping (I live in zone 5).

General flower bed cleanup is recommended in spring, so once you've raked out leaves you may want to refresh any mulch. Just watch out for tender new shoots, or maybe bulbs popping up.

The first year in a new place is a time for discovery, identifying what you have and learning how to care for it. Have fun!

2009-03-17 08:04:19 by Floyd

Price: $24.95

I am a 45 year-old guy with a lot of gardening experience from taking care of my own lawn/garden, but no formal landscaping training. Last spring I started doing lawn/garden help (trimming, mulching, etc - no mowing) for people at $15 per hour. I work alone, do fine work, use all my own tools - hand tools, no power tools. However, I work at my own pace, dress casually, don't have a truck with company logo or anything... so I don't know if I can get away with claiming to be a "professional landscaper." My niece's husband just told me that he would expect someone to to charge $20 to $25 per hour. I don't want to price myself out of getting jobs. But I also don't like the idea of being taken advantage of. Most people who hire help for this are upper middle class at least. Should I charge more? If I do raise my rate, what's a polite way to inform customers?
(to April) Well, I agree "being taken advantage of" sounds like victim mentality. What I should have said is that I don't like the idea of selling myself short. It does seem like some customers act like they're sort of licking their chops and ask if I can do other things too, like paint their garage, clean their porch, etc. I'm afraid I seriously undersold myself thinking that any high school kid can weed a rose garden... but in fact, it's amazing to find out what seemingly ordinary tasks people are not able or willing to do neatly and efficiently.
(to emerson) Thanks for your advice! I'm not sure, however, if you understand my situation. I am not a trained landscaper - I'm an artist - musician - teacher... This August I leave for a two year contract working at an international school overseas. The reason I don't like to do mowing is that if I want to go on a road trip or go hiking for a few days, I'm not locked into mowing people's lawns. I don't sit on my can all winter - I'm usually teaching children with learning disabilities. Landscaping is really a moonlighting job for me. So you see, I'm not going to get a degree, hire staff, advertise, buy a big truck, etc. I don't want to deal with anything more than "small fry" level work. Therefore, I leave the big jobs and the bidding and so on to pros like yourself. That said, do you, with your considerable experience, have any thoughts about niche work for individuals like me?

What are you thinking? Don't you realize that it cost you a lot to stay in business? Consider the off months when you are sitting on your can. Consider your vehicle expense. Consider your dreams. You are no where near where you need to be as far as price. I started in the business just like you did. You first need to establish that you are a professional. Don't wait. Take some classes. Read a lot of magazines your customers read. In other words, "Know the lingo." Once you have established that you are a professional you must charge professional prices. Consider how much it cost to hire a plumber. In my area it costs $85 per hour. Why would you want to make 1/5 of that?

Whatever you do don't take on jobs like painting or jobs distracting you from your professionalism in landscaping. Your customers will view you as nothing if you do everything. They know that to be a professional you must dedicate your life to your craft. You can still have a life, a family or anything, but don't sell yourself short.

Next step. Charge by the job. Once you get your feet wet you can see a profitable job from a mile off. There is nothing wrong with being profitable. Your customers expect you to be profitable so you can continue to serve them at a high level.

When I bid landscape jobs we look at charging $1400 per day for three guys. This sounds like a lot, but we have quality people working for us, driving new vehicles, and we have advertising, overhead, and then down time. The people who work for us show up every day and we promise a lot to our customers and we always deliver.
The customers call everyday and we always have work. -And we charge them the entire time we serve them.

Good luck I help this helps you

2007-03-25 13:27:54 by uncle

Price: $10.80 $6.38

Gray, lined split leather palm
Gunn cut design with straight thumb
Leather index finger, finger tips and leather knuckle strap for added protection

I am a landscaper, and am wanting to know how business is looking for anybody else in this ?

I know last fall was REALLY SLOW compared to normal. What do you think for this Spring?
DEAR NATE (BELOW) I HEAR YOU ABOUT THE IMMIGRATION PROBLEM, BUT I SERIOUSLY DOUBT THEY ARE GOING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.

welcome dan sorry about your business over here its booming as we no longer get the really bad winters so there are some benefits to this warming

2007-03-04 11:46:16 by Ronald S

There are landscape timbers around it already, it is 5x5 and full of tall grass-not too high off the rest of the ground. How do I get rid of the grass and get it ready for a vegetable garden next spring?

step-by-step please...i am willing to read long answers!

Dig up the soil, add compost & decayed leaf mulch to the soil along with either Gypsum or lime. Gypsum won't change your soil Ph. Lime makes the soil less acid. Both make the soil less compact & makes it drain better. You can add sand to the soil too, if you have a lot of clay. Lay down a thick layer of newspapers to kill the grass, then lay a thick mulch on top of it. Or you can lay down plastic or some material that suffocates weeds & that you can poke a big enough hole to put in a plant when you're ready.

I usually dig up an area ahead of time before winter. The freezing & thawing helps kill the weeds, then I add the compost & gypsum or lime. When it's time to plant, I dig up a big enough area for each plant, remove any huge compacted clumps, & replace it with topsoil or compost. Sometimes I add some peat moss for acid-loving plants. Then I put in my plants & add mulch around them.

Here's a forum you may enjoy, on how others have made a garden in a raised bed:
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load /soil/msg0221102423083.html
Good luck! Hope this helps.

2007-08-09 13:04:55 by BonesofaTeacher