Environmental Insights

I was asked recently to define T. Lake’s core values. And the best I can say is that our values are derived first and foremost from the land.

Both of my grandfathers and theirs before them and theirs before them were farmers and timbermen. They loved the land. They made a living from the land. They appreciated and valued it. It took care of them, and they took care of it. That’s the attitude I grew up with.

I consider myself part of the lineage of the first job God gave a human being, and that's to tend the garden. Humankind’s first job was to get our hands in the dirt. We’re here to be good stewards.

Starting a new relationship—whether personal or in business—always involves a certain amount of risk. In our private lives, we’re on our own. But in the commercial landscape business, it’s standard to create a built-in risk containment device: the contract.

A good commercial landscape maintenance contract not only protects both parties, it can also be an invaluable communication tool to ensure that both you and your landscape contractor are—and remain—on the same page, and that you actually receive the service you want and expect.

However, a contract is only as good as what you put in it. Here are a few things we highly suggest including in your bid request the next time you hire a commercial landscape maintenance company.

What’s wrong with bahiagrass? Depends who you ask.

Looking for lawn care or landscape maintenance for your commercial property? There are a lot of reasons to choose a professional landscape management company instead of just a “landscaper.” But once you’ve narrowed it down to a few good companies, how can you know who will best meet your needs?

Every good landscape services provider will have a slightly different approach and personality. Today we’d like to highlight a couple of our competitors and discuss how we are—not necessarily better—but different.

Both Yellowstone and Brightview are well-established commercial landscape companies for whom we have a lot of respect. Let’s start with Yellowstone.

When you need groceries, you head to the store. One grocery store may have marginally better prices over the next, or a nicer produce department, but ultimately it doesn’t matter that much whether you frequent Kroger or the Piggly Wiggly. You’ll still fill your fridge.

Lawn and landscape care, though; that’s a different matter. Your choice of landscape provider can make a huge difference in your experience, and impact the quality, appearance, comfort and even safety of your home and property.

Unlike plumbers and electricians, landscape services providers are not required to complete any kind of certification or training. That means that any Tom, Dick, or Jane with a truck and a lawn mower can hang out their shingle as a landscaper. However, there is a significant difference between such a person—let’s call them a “landscaper”— and a true landscape professional.

How can you tell them apart? A few strategic questions go a long way.

If you had to pick just one landscape plant to symbolize the South, you could do worse than choose the Crepe Myrtle (or “crape myrtle” as it is often spelled.) With its spectacular summer blooms, shapely trunks and stunning fall color, this small tree or shrub simply oozes Southern beauty, hospitality and class. So much so that even though Crepe Myrtles are arguably over-used in the landscape, you just can’t help but love the things.

So why - WHY - did anyone ever get the idea to start willy-nilly decapitating them?

To the uninitiated, landscape maintenance doesn’t seem like rocket science: run a mower over the grass each week, trim the bushes, keep everything watered, and sprinkle a few chemicals over the grass every once in a while. Simple, right? So why pay a professional commercial landscape contractor when you can do it cost-effectively in-house?

Or can you?

You may associate planting time with Spring, but when it comes to trees, Fall and Winter rule - at least in our mild climate. (Just another advantage of Southern living - no need to compress all our planting tasks into a few short weeks in spring!)

The reason for this is that it allows the tree to start establishing roots right away without expending energy into shoots and leaves. Planting while a tree is dormant also helps minimize transplant shock.

Recently we listed some of our favorite trees to plant in lawn areas in Georgia. Since prime tree planting time is upon us, we thought we’d follow up with a few tips to help your new trees off to the very best start possible.

Grasslands punctuated with trees and shrubs - in nature, they’re called savannas, and they’re thought to be the original natural habitat of humankind. 

As a landscape service provider, it’s just as important to know the needs and habits of your clients as it is to know the varying requirements of different plants for sun, water and soil. A successful approach to landscaping one property might be completely unsuitable for its neighbor, depending on any number of factors. And some types of property demand special attention.

Medical campuses are one of these. Successful medical campus grounds maintenance requires careful planning in order to meet the unique needs of the facility and its occupants.

Let's talk about what goes into properly maintaining a medical campus.