Summer Scoop, July 2024
So many choices, so hard to choose…
In the near future, you will most likely be assessing your landscaping needs for 2025 and trying to figure out who is going to take care of you. If you are a client of ours, we’d love to get together with you to make sure we’ve got everything covered.
If we don’t already have you on our schedule, please reach out to me so we can review your services, walk your properties, and make recommendations.
We would also appreciate any introductions you may have to colleagues who are looking for new landscape providers. You can be assured that we will take great care of anybody you send our way!
And if we haven’t met yet, we’d love to offer you the same quality of service we’ve been offering our clients since 2001. Check out the resources below, which will not only offer guidance on how to choose a provider—but might also encourage you to choose us!
Pre-Bid Resources for You
Landscape Company Checklist
Use this guide to make sure you’re getting the service you deserve from your landscape provider.
Pre-Bid Checklist
Our goal is to make your life easier. To that end, we’ve developed “The Property Manager’s Pre-Bid Checklist: Setting the Stage for a Knockout Landscaping RFP.” Use this guide to organize your solicitation strategy and help you choose the right landscaping partner to take care of your properties.
Meet Our New Office/HR Assistant, Claudia
As a child, Claudia Mendes was always fascinated with the environment and knew from early on that nature was her calling. With minors in math and science, she is currently working toward an environmental degree. “EE offers me the best of both worlds,” she says. “I can grow my management skills in a company that cares about the environment.”
Claudia is the person you will see first thing when you arrive at our office, stationed at the front desk and answering the phones. She is also developing HR skills.
“I’m always excited to learn something new,” she says, “and I appreciate my co-workers and their patience with me as I learn. It feels like a little family!”
When Claudia’s not working, she has a wide variety of interests: camping, hiking, painting, sewing, cooking, and gardening. Her favorite? Chillin’ with the family and her pets!
Sustainable Landscaping Corner
Annoying Myths about ‘Going Organic’
Sustainable landscaping solutions cost too much, take too long to work, and look sloppy. Who is perpetuating these myths? We don’t know. But we CAN give you more accurate information.
So here goes!
“Organics are more expensive than chemicals.”
Definitely not true. Organic solutions cost less than synthetic programs because organic fertilizers are a more nutritious way to feed your lawns, trees, and garden beds. This saves you money on replacing plants, watering, adding extra chemicals, and paying for additional landscaping services when your properties become depleted.
We also like to think of an investment in organic landscaping in broader terms. Synthetic programs have an associated cost we all pay for: contamination of fresh water supplies, destruction of critical fisheries, and a negative impact on human health, to name a few.
“Organics take too long to work.”
A yard beleaguered by synthetic products tends to lose its natural ability to regenerate itself, so it may be a few years before a strictly-organic program ‘takes.’ To keep a property beautiful during the transition, we use ‘soft’ chemicals in combination with organics over a period of several years to control unwelcome species—such as crabgrass—and give the property time to regain its natural resiliency.
The goal is to create a healthier landscape that will ultimately develop its own defenses, and over several years, we can wean the property off synthetic chemicals entirely.
“Chemical programs produce better results than organic.”
One misconception about organic lawn care is that organic products are not as effective as their synthetic counterparts. Will common areas morph into unkempt patches of weeds if you ‘go organic’? Will your grounds turn into a jungle? Years ago, maybe so, but not with today’s products. All-natural lawn care solutions are more sophisticated than they used to be. They do a great job of keeping the outdoors both healthy and beautiful.
Read about how Lincoln Property Company saved money by installing a smart water system.
We have lots of ideas for you this month! Call me if you’re looking to freshen up your properties for summer or want to learn more about smart water systems.
Warm Regards,
Kyle Thurman
Design Director
Ask About Organic Options! Environmental Enhancements www.eelandscaping.com 540.764.4433 Did somebody forward you this newsletter and you want more? Subscribe here.