Don’t be afraid to make changes
It’s ok to make changes to your home landscape; nobody said your landscape must be static. Growing plants alone make sure nothing stays static.
One of my mow clients recently approached me, asking for a quote to replace her front cedar hedge with something smaller. Now, the cedar hedge (Thuja occidentalis) was fairly healthy. The healthiest trees were obviously the ones getting the most sun.
But now that the hedge was bigger, the owner was starting to worry about security. Not that she lives in a bad neighborhood, but still, it’s easy to see how someone could hide from view behind the hedge.
Easy switch
This is where I come in; I’m the labour dude. And in this case, the cedars popped out nicely, until I got to the healthiest specimens which get the most sunlight. These last three took some effort because they were healthy and nicely rooted.
My quote included labour and green waste costs because contractors get charged by weight at the green waste dump.
Plant sourcing
The owner was looking for smaller plants that wouldn’t require frequent shearing. Boxwoods and Berberis made it on her short list. And we decided to go with Berberis thunbergii ‘Concorde’ which have a dwarf form, unlike the Berberis thunbergii ‘Rose glow’ which love to send out shoots. While that gives them a fun look, it wouldn’t work by an entrance. How many Amazon Prime drivers would get pricked by the plant’s soft prickles?
Berberis also does well in our hot summers, and it isn’t expensive. Of course, it helps to know good plant nurseries. My favorite plant sales rep works at the Golden Spruce nursery (23718 72 Ave, Langley BC V1M 3K9) which only deals with businesses. It doesn’t sell to the public. It took one phone call and a few emails to get fourteen plants at a great price.
All done
Like the cedar pull, the planting took less than one hour. Because I watered the pots earlier in the day, I didn’t bother watering the plants after my installation. I highly recommend watering in all of your plant installs. When I sent over my invoice, I reminded the owner to water the plants gently and frequently. And since she’s a home gardener, I’m confident she will baby them until they establish.
Lessons
There are a few lessons we can learn from this simple landscape changeover.
One, don’t be afraid to make changes in your gardens. Two, get to know your local nurseries so you can find the plants you need at a great price. Three, water in all of your plant installs and check the soil for moisture levels so you don’t suffocate them by overwatering. Four, the fall is a great time for planting because it’s still warm and so is the soil. Five, don’t dismiss easy mow clients because they will have other projects for you to do. Six, hire a great landscape professional.
