If you’re like 76% of U.S. homeowners, you consider your yard one of the most vital areas of your home.
Unfortunately, maintaining a lawn requires a lot of energy and water. So, it can be pretty tiresome to do regular landscaping, mowing, and de-weeding.
Unfortunately, a lack of upkeep can promote weeds and garden pests. Thus, it pays to hire professional landscapers to help maintain your lawn.
But how do you choose the right landscaper?
This guide lists the top qualities to look for in a landscaping company, so read on.
Table of Contents
1. Experience in More Than Just Gardening
Landscaping is the art of gardening and the science of altering land formation. Its primary goal is to modify and beautify a piece of land, but it also needs to make it more damage-resistant. For example, it involves proper soil grading to prevent stagnant water and flooding.
Landscaping must also make your lawn a highlight of your home while keeping it secure. That’s why landscape lighting is crucial, as it lets you enjoy your yard at night. At the same time, it keeps your property well-illuminated to help deter criminals.
There’s also masonry, the building of structures with individual materials (i.e., stones). It’s useful for landscaping, as it lets you create retaining walls and raise areas on your lawn.
Not all landscapers have experience in all of those departments, though. So, before hiring a landscaping company, see if they specialize in those areas first. That can help ensure you only need to work with one service provider for your landscaping needs.
2. Proactive
One of the most vital tips for landscaping success is to mow weekly or bi-weekly. One reason is that the taller the grass, the less sunlight its bottom areas receive. That can inhibit proper photosynthesis, making turf more susceptible to disease and death.
Another reason is that unkempt grass and weeds give pests ideal hiding places. Ticks, which carry and transmit Lyme disease, are a perfect example. This disease is prevalent in the U.S., with approximately 476,000 people projected to develop it each year.
Thus, it’s best to hire a landscaper with a proactive mowing and lawn clean-up program. That should include weekly or bi-weekly mowing and weed whacking. It should also pre-schedule shrub and tree trimming and pruning every other month.
3. Sustainable
About a third of the 320 gallons of water the average U.S. household consumes goes toward outdoor use. Approximately 50% of that outdoor water, in turn, is for irrigation alone.
That’s a lot of water that may not reach your lawn or that your plants may not even need. In addition, some irrigation systems, especially older ones, are inefficient. They use and waste too much water and can even drown your turf, shrubs, and trees.
So when hiring a landscaping company, choose one offering sustainable, water-efficient irrigation systems. They should also provide more than just chemical means to de-weed and fertilize your lawn. For instance, they should be using organic mulch and compost to nourish your soil.
Hire the Right Landscaping Company
As you can see, experience is one of the most crucial qualities to look for in a landscaping company. Likewise, it’s best to work with a proactive and sustainable landscaper. After all, you want to keep your yard healthy, but you don’t want it to be wasteful or chemically hazardous, either.
Are you looking for other home and gardening guides like this? We have more tips to share with you, so browse our most recent blog posts!
