Landscaping in a tough economy

We are in a tough economy currently, and the housing market is a particularly difficult place within that tough economy. I've witnessed first hand the decline in the market(s), and have struggled to adapt and survive, like most other small business owners. I'm still here, so apparently I'm doing a few things right. What will the economy be moving into 2012? Hopefully improving, hopefully beter than 2011, though your guess is as good as mine. Maybe better.

So, in an economy and markets like ours, who has any interest in landscaping? Not as many people as in a good economy, is the right answer. But life goes on, and in the interest of writing a coherent, relevant post, I'll illustrate why landscaping may just make more sense now than before. To landscape or not to landscape, the answer can be summed up in a single word: value. If the project adds value, either real or perceived, then the project makes sense.

Let me cite a real world example; they work the best. A couple of years ago I had a client (a repeat client who wanted more work done) who wanted to clean up and update the outside of his house. He lives in Grant Township, on acreage, and the original plantings were way overgrown, and the landscape rock was dirty and weedy, the edging shot. We came in and tore all the old stuff out, replacing old plants with new ones, the plastic edging with steel, new poly and rock over the old stuff, with an assortment of sizes to add interest. We did the north (front entrance) and west sides of the house, the sides first seen upon entering their driveway, and the bill came in around 5k. The effect was a jaw-dropping, absolutely dramatic transformation. A scruffy looking yard (and house by connection) was cleaned up and rendered more than presentable, impressive rather. For 5k.

Does that sound like value to you? It does to me. I know that if we were talking about a kitchen remodel, that amount may have covered the cost of new granite countertops. Then again, maybe not. The cost for new electrical work? Maybe. Here's my point: landscaping gives you more bang for the buck than anything else you can do by way of home improvements. By a long shot, usually. Now I can't promise that kind of transformation for everyone, but you might be surprised what can be accomplished for more modest sums. And it's why, in a tough economy, I'm glad to be in the business I'm in. A business that provides value.

The photos below are in no way representative of the article you just read. I apologize for that, but I couldn't find the photos that correspond with the work we did, as described above. I'll try to fix that later. These photos are from a job we did W. of River Falls, WI. Fun job, a lot of stone to retain and render interesting and useful a steep hillside.

Someone's Autobiography

Came across this piece years ago, don't remember exactly how or where, only that it struck a chord in me. I've had it hanging on the wall in my office for a long time, something I wrote out on a sheet of paper. It was hanging there so long that the words faded to nothing, and I had to work hard to make them out so I could re-write it. It has almost nothing to do with landscaping, a lot to do with the landscaper. Written by someone named: Portia Nelson. Hope you enjoy it, if you don't already know it.

                                            Autobiography in 5 Short Chapters

Chapter 1:  I walk down the street.  There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
                  I fall in.
                  I am lost.  I am hopeless.
                  It isn't my fault.
                  It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter 2:  I walk down the same street.
                  There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
                  I pretend I don't see it.
                  I fall in.
                  I can't believe I'm in the same place.
                  But it isn't my fault.
                  It still takes a long time to get out.

Chapter 3:  I walk down the same street.
                  There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
                  I see it is there.
                  I still fall in. It is a habit.
                  My eyes are open. I know where I am.
                  It is my fault.
                  I get out immediately.

Chapter 4:  I walk down the same street.
                  There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
                  I walk around it.

Chapter 5:  I walk down another street.    

Tree Trimming: Part 2

Okay, admit it, some, most or all your trees need some work. If you've inherited trees then it's not your fault. Blame it on the previous owner. Maybe you've been focused on other things... like your job, paying the bills, and surviving in a dismal economy. It's alright, but maybe it's time to actually do something about the situation, and try to salvage some of what you've invested in. If you don't have a clue, or much of one, about what distinguishes a well trimmed tree from one heading in the wrong direction, then it might be a good idea to look for some help. Find someone or something (uncle Google) that can provide some insight on the matter. Some things to look for are: crossing or rubbing branches, branches that are too close together, too many branches on one side of a tree, double leaders (depends on the species, some, like most maples, don't produce a single leader).

If a tree needs a lot of trimming, it may have to be spaced out over a few years. You can't cut half the branches off a tree and expect it to survive. If you've never done much or any tree trimming seek out some written material on the subject. I'm only trying to sell you on the concept--that it might be a good idea. Another advantage to winter trimming is time: winter is long in these parts, and if you singled out a tree a week, or a month, in your yard, you could work your way through all of them in the course of one of our interminable winters. Give you something to do outdoors, get some fresh air and exercise, do some good to your property in the process.

Ten different tree trimmers (or services) might trim a given tree ten different ways; there is no one right answer necessarily. Personal taste factors into the equation; I like to remove lower branches (anything below eight feet or so) to encourage vertical growth and to keep my hat on while mowing or walking in the summer. This drives my wife nuts; she wants to be able to climb the tree (nevermind that she never will, but she likes the idea--call it dreams of a second childhood). So you may have to develop tastes of your own to a certain extent. Some branches are no-brainers, and need removing for reasons listed above; some are matters of taste: what's your idea of the ideal shape for the tree? And a little bit of education about the variety of tree factors in: for example, an understory tree (like a Redbud), or an ornamental (like tree-lilac or flowering crab) are never going to look like a towering oak or basswood, and would be pruned differently.

I could spend some time talking about tools, but again that gets into the how's, and I wanted to avoid that. I do use a pole saw a lot, however, especially to reach higher than I otherwise would, or eliminate the need for a ladder. Of all my tree trimming tools it's close to the most useful one I own. It pays to keep it sharp, to speed up and make the cuts cleaner. In closing, I hope I've persuaded you to at least consider your trees and their needs.

This photo is a bench we built into a retaining wall (Chilton, Ashlar). The seat is a piece of stone I was lucky enough to find at Rivard Stone -- a natural piece, no cutting necessary.

Tree Trimming: Winter Is The Time

One of the things that winter is good for is tree trimming. The reasons are somewhat obvious, but a couple bear stating: you can see what you're doing, and see the structure and shape of the tree in question quite well when there are no leaves to contend with. From a disease or plant health standpoint it's without question the best time of year for trimming. So winter is my time to trim my yard full of trees I've planted over the years, or inherited when I bought the place. On our three-acre lot I've planted literally hundreds of trees, most of them conifers (spruce, pine and firs), but mostly hardwoods in the yard adjacent to the house. And it's the hardwoods that need trimming the most; I rarely touch the conifers--they don't need it.

I'm not going to bore you with all the details on the how's of tree-trimming, there are other sites for that. Let me simply focus on a few why's, and see if I can convince you. If I do, you can visit those other sites and get the minutia on the how's. The why's are pretty simple, and can be summed up in one or two questions: #1 Do you want your tree(s) to look like crap, or to look good? (There's a sub-question wrapped up in that: do you know the difference?) #2 Do you want your trees to be healthy and live long?  Now I ask these questions assuming that you care about your trees; maybe you don't, and have already moved on and aren't even reading this. If so, ciao. But let's assume that you care, and have a regard for most things living, which extends to the tree kingdom. If so, read on.

If you have trees in your yard, and especially trees you've planted or had planted, and it's been a while since they've been trimmed, or perhaps they've never been trimmed, there's a 100% chance that they need it. Trees are like kids: without adult supervision they go to hell in a handbasket in pretty short order. Let me continue the analogy: the younger the tree, the more trouble they get into. As they grow and mature there comes a time when you can let go. You've done your job. And some trees need more attention than others (wow, this analogy refuses to die); maples, oaks and birch are particularily challenging. They tend to over-branch and develop structural defects. Sometimes years of inattention can be overcome and corrected, though it may take a succession of years to accomplish. I've seen young trees so misshapen and mal-formed that they're beyond redemption.

So, in the interest of time and space, and as a way to terminate the stubborn analogy, I will close with some before and after photos of a job we did last year (these have nothing to do with tree trimming, btw). It beats looking at misshapen trees. On my next post I'll beat this topic up a bit further.

Inaugural Blog

Welcome to my site, my inaugural blog as it were. Hope you find something here of interest in these waning days of what has turned out to be the easiest winter in many years. Easiest winter ever? Not sure about that one, but the easiest in a long while. On that subject, the USDA is reworking its zone map to reflect changes in climate (perhaps) and to provide more detail in those shaded maps we've all seen over the years. I hope they're not getting too cocky about their maps; all it would take is one cold winter, or maybe a cold snap in a given winter, to play havoc on their maps, and cause a lot of damage.

For what it's worth, the Redbud tree I planted in my front yard which I purchased from a local nursery has bitten the dust. It is a variety of Eastern Redbud, and are considered marginally hardy in this area, though they're listed as hardy to zone 4 in the books. We, however, live in a valley that is routinely 4-5 degrees cooler than, say, Stillwater or Hudson (downtown). Could that have killed our beloved Redbud? Maybe, but it also points up the difficulty with those zone maps, trying to factor in all the variables and small localizations that muck up the works.

Thought I'd throw in a couple of photos from a job we did last year. Nothing quite as dramatic as a good before and after photo. This job provided some interesting challenges (challenge is another word for opportunity) which we made the most of. If you get a chance, check out our website for more photos--click on featured projects.  http://www.outdoorconcepts.biz/  Thanks for visiting my blog--check back from time to time as I'll be updating frequently.