September 2014

Add-on Biz: Mailbox installations

September 4, 2014By

Mailbox installations deliver a nice profit for a New Jersey landscape and fencing firm. A spectacle of damaged mailboxes after a heavy snowfall got Chris Demato’s wheels turning toward a way to help the homeowners and his business. The owner of Rock Bottom Landscaping & Fencing had the vision of adding residential mailboxes and posts to his service offerings. A... read more

Do you charge nuisance fees?

September 4, 2014By

Q: What’s your take on charging clients an initial consultation fee before meeting with them at their home? I’ve never done it before but have heard other design/build contractors do.   A: There are various theories about how to properly screen clients so you’re focusing on solid leads and not wasting your time with “tire kickers.” One way is by... read more

How to approach plant warranties

September 4, 2014By

Landscape professionals share the different approaches they take to plant warranties. After a long day of installing plants, including junipers and barberry shrubs, the gloves come off and it’s closing time. Another job done; another happy customer. Days and weeks fly by until the client calls, upset that several plants are dead. Question asked: Whose fault is it? Are these... read more

Battling herbicide resistance

September 4, 2014By
Photo: ©istock.com/Whiteway.

With herbicide resistance a reality in agriculture and golf, lawn care could be next. Lee Kral, lawn care manager at Mountain High Tree, Lawn & Landscape Co. in Lakewood, Colo., got a reality check about seven years ago. That’s when, through a colleague’s father, he learned about glyphosate-resistant crops in agriculture production. He’s been keen on weed resistance ever since.... read more

The secret to selling water management

September 4, 2014By
Photo: Liquid Technologies.

Liquid Technologies uses everything from drones to detailed irrigation audits to sell its water management services. Chris Husband wanted a new toy. And not just any toy—a drone. His friend had used a drone to film his Southern California fishing adventures, and this spring the video caught Husband’s attention at just the right time. Husband, co-owner and president of Glendale,... read more

Lambert’s circles back to its roots

September 4, 2014By
Paul Fields

Paul Fields leads Lambert’s into its centennial with a vision to reinvent the Dallas firm by thinking ahead amid returning to its roots. If Henry and Joe Lambert could take a tour of Lambert Landscape Co. today, it’d be nothing short of a 95-year-long walk down memory lane. The brothers, who partly founded the Dallas-based company, would beam at the... read more