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By Holly O’Brien
Later this year, Terrie and Arnie Robbins’ Central West End backyard
will be featured in Better Homes & Gardens. Two years ago,
it was one of the designated stops on the Missouri Botanical Garden
Tour. But when the couple first relocated here to work for the St.
Louis Post-Dispatch (he as managing editor and she as general
manager of STLToday.com) their yard was overgrown with half-dead
trees.
So how did they get from point A to point B?
Answer: not by themselves.
They let a professional remove the trees, design the landscape,
and order and install the plant material. Only then—when things
were back to a manageable level—did they roll up their sleeves and
take over.
Although it sounds easy to pick up the phone and call in reinforcements,
there’s actually a lot to consider when hiring lawn and garden help.
Whether it’s yearly mulching and tilling, weekly lawn maintenance,
or a complex project requiring a landscape architect, there are
important things to know about these green contractors.
Before getting involved with an outside service provider, the most
important thing is to know yourself, says Terrie Robbins. “You might
not know exactly what services you need, but you must know what
kind of a gardener you are, or what your threshold for lawn maintenance
is,” she says. “Unless you can answer that, you don’t have a starting
point.”
A look at Terrie and Arnie Robbins Central West End
backyard to be featured in Better Homes & Gardens. |
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Steve Jerden, a branch manager for Grass Roots, a professional lawn
maintenance company, agrees. “It’s important to establish your limits
and do some homework,” he says. His advice is for individuals to
determine a budget, and to educate themselves by visiting nurseries
and talking to neighbors. “Understand what kinds of plant materials
you like, get a feel for size, and ask about [their] blooming season.
Establish a baseline for how much things cost,” he says. “That way,
when a professional comes to your house, you’ll be starting with
a mutual understanding.”
The range of services available runs the gamut. There’s the neighborhood
kid mowing your lawn once a week for $20, the sophisticated landscape
architect, and everything in between.
So what’s the difference? In general, a lawn service (such as TruGreen
ChemLawn) applies chemical treatments but won’t mow or prune; a
lawn maintenance outfit will focus on keeping your grass cut and
neat; a full-service landscape company will mow, plant and prune
anything in your yard (they may also apply chemical treatments);
and a landscape designer (without an architect’s license) will design
the concept for your outdoor space.
But for the trickiest problems—like steep grades, soil erosion,
or drainage issues—consult a landscape architect. He or she will
design your space, including decorative or structurally necessary
retaining walls.
Assuming you know what you need, how do you choose who to work with?
Like any home service provider, the key to hiring a lawn care specialist
is reputation, references, and referrals—the three Rs. “If there’s
a company that a lot of your neighbors are using, there’s probably
a reason,” Jerden says. “People are happy with them, and they’re
knowledgeable about land and soil conditions in your area. My recommendation
is to keep as much of the service with one provider as possible.
They know your house, your property, and your seasonal turf.”
Tom Dunn, owner of Dunn Lawn and Land in Webster Groves, says people
should consider a company’s reputation, years in business, licensing
and insurance, and financial standing. “Check the Better Business
Bureau if you’re unsure, look at the projects they’ve done, and
ask for references,” Dunn says. “A reputable company will be glad
to have you talk to their clients.”
Connie Worzer, director of marketing for Chesterfield-based Land
Design Services Inc., says Missouri requires individuals to be licensed
before practicing landscape architecture. Her husband and business
partner, Patrick Worzer, is vice president of the local American
Society of Landscape Architects and a licensed architect himself.
Even full-service and lawn care specialists must be certified by
the State of Missouri after passing a board exam. This certificate
is renewed every three years, and inspectors visit work sites to
ensure companies are operating with proper certification.
Other organizations landscapers may belong to include the Certified
Builders Guild, the Home Builders Association, and the Associated
Landscape Contractors of America.
Now for the all-important question: How much is all this going to
cost? According to Jerden, a good rule of thumb is that it will
cost three times as much to have someone else do it than doing it
yourself. Naturally, you’ll want an estimate, but check the price
for a quantifiable rationale—such as the square footage of your
lawn, or the number of trees or shrubs the company will be servicing.
Jerden cautions against going with a contractor who simply eyeballs
your property and says, “It will cost this much.”
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Dunn Lawn and Land employees are at their best in
the spring. |
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For her part, Terrie Robbins says most people don’t understand how
much money can be spent to have a beautiful yard. “But for us, the
investment was so worth it,” she says. “We’ve got three ‘rooms’
in our garden: a Zen room, a structured French section, and a crazy
garden with winding paths and flowers. We consider it an extension
of our house.”
Holly O’Brien is a freelance writer based in St. Louis. |
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