Environmental Insights

Our landscapes here in Central Georgia are located far enough away from the coast to have escaped the worst of Hurricane Matthew’s rampage earlier this month. But even though we are sheltered from the brunt of nature’s fury when it comes to hurricanes and tropical storms, Middle Georgia landscaping presents its own challenges unique to our area.

A Land Of Contrasts

“Middle Georgia” refers to the area roughly 75-100 miles around Macon, including the communities of Forsyth, Dublin, Milledgeville, Hawkinsville, Perry, Eastman, Fort Valley, and surrounding areas. Despite its relatively small size, this area’s geology and climate are actually extremely diverse.

Our region happens to be located smack dab on the Fall Line, an ancient seashore that extends in a diagonal line right across Georgia. The Fall Line marks the boundary between the Piedmont region of rolling hills east of the Appalachians, and the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Conditions above and below the Fall Line can be completely different, which explains in part why middle GA landscaping can be so challenging.

Let’s explore how our geography contributes to some of the common obstacles folks face when it comes to landscaping in the Heart of Georgia.

The state of Georgia encompases 59,425 total square miles. That’s a lot of landscape. In fact, it’s beyond the scope of any one landscaping company to service all that land. There’s plenty of room for friendly competition!

Which is a good thing, because it’s nice to have freedom of choice when it comes to choosing any company, including your landscape provider.

At T.Lake, we pride ourselves on our ability to get along well with and satisfy just about any customer. However, we recognize that tastes differ and we may not always be the perfect fit for everyone who needs landscape services in central Georgia.

With that in mind, we thought we’d highlight a few of the best landscaping companies in middle GA. These are all solid companies we feel are doing a great job for their Georgia customers:

Want to know a simple way to improve patient outcome, reduce staff stress and boost consumer satisfaction for your medical facility? Consider adding landscape features.

It’s true. Studies repeatedly show that gardens, plants and trees have a healing and stress-reducing effect that can significantly improve human experience and outcome in a medical setting. The economic advantages to the health care provider are many, ranging from lowered absenteeism and staff turnover to lowered cost of patient care.

What factors should you consider when planning medical campus landscape amenities? There’s a lot to think about, but here are a few places to start:

There’s nothing appetizing about a restaurant with a rundown, dirty exterior. If that’s how they maintain the outside of the business, just imagine what goes on in the kitchen, right?

Likewise, the look and state of your facility’s grounds tell clients and employees both a lot about how things are run on the inside.

The outdoor space is the first and last thing people see when they visit your site, so make sure it’s a good representation of what goes on inside your company. If it’s not, you could lose business and top-notch team members. Plus, it can lower employee morale, creating unhappy and unmotivated workers. Mediocrity never inspired anyone.

Here are five big-impact ways to add color and curb appeal to your corporate campus landscape.

Keeping your property safe, secure and free of potential problems is always at the top of your mind. You know if they aren’t priorities, you could end up facing fines or even liability issues — which can lead to costly, major consequences.

Instead of having a list of what ifs constantly on your mind, add environmental services to your landscaping contract.

Has any of the following ever happened to you?

You hired a landscape company in good faith, expecting reasonable work, but instead you got:

• Damage to your property, such as broken siding or scratched vehicles
• Grass clippings strewn over your sidewalks
• Yard waste left on your property
• Untidy or unhealthy plantings
• Persistent irrigation leaks that eat a hole in your utility budget
• Drainage issues — think standing water — after an landscape installation
• Shoddy concrete or masonry work
• Work left undone

There are a few solid, reputable landscape companies in Macon, GA that deliver professional work. Unfortunately, though, not all do.

How can you know ahead of time whether a commercial landscaper can be trusted? Take a look at this handy checklist to help you hire the best commercial landscaper in Macon GA.

So you’ve been tasked with drawing up a budget for your company’s landscaping needs. Where to start?

Yesterday I sent an affidavit off as an expert witness for a landscape-related lawsuit. It got me thinking.

When most people look at their landscaping, litigation is the last thing that enters their mind. Yet a poorly maintained landscape opens up more opportunities for someone to sue you than there are spots on a baby deer.

I hate to say it, but a quarter of a century in the landscape business has given me a certain amount of perspective into human nature, and it isn’t always pretty. There are people who look for opportunities to exploit your weaknesses if they think it will get them money.

If you don’t meet certain minimum standards, or if you cut corners on the proper way to maintain your property, they will find an opening sooner or later — and the way our legal system is set up, they will probably win.

Lush lawns, fragrant flower beds, elegant shade trees. A well-maintained landscape is one of the most relaxing sights on the planet. But if you’re the property owner, don’t let your guard down. That beautiful scene hides many potential hazards.

Landscape-related pedestrian injuries are more common than most people realize. Besides the pain and inconvenience they cause, such injuries can — and often do — result in costly lawsuits.

It’s not uncommon for litigation costs to exceed the cost of a landscape installation!

“So give it to me straight — how much will this installation cost my company?”

It’s a good question and one that any facilities manager or property owner who is pricing commercial landscape design and installation is justified to ask. But it’s not a simple one to answer.

The most honest and accurate way to answer the cost question is to take the entire life cycle of the installation into account. Most property managers are familiar with the concept of life cycle costing, but many are unaware of just how important it is to consider when budgeting for landscaping.

Landscaping is uniquely dynamic in the world of facilities management. Landscape plants are living organisms with varying life cycles. Each will affect the functioning of the property. Besides aesthetics, they can each impact safety, energy efficiency, human behavior, and the structural integrity of the surrounding buildings in ways that can add to or detract from the final value of the installation over time. The quality and design of hardscape elements will also influence the ultimate cost of an installation dramatically.

Any life cycle cost analysis for a commercial landscaping project needs to take these things mentioned above into account.