The Last of the 2026 Tips...

Happy New Year!

We have spent the last 6 weeks discussing the "What You Must Do for Your Landscape in 2026" list.

We covered:
1. Creating a Plan
2. Discovering Likes and Dislikes
3. Identifying Problem Areas
4. Setting a Budget
5. Prioritizing.

Our last tip, number 6...is...Hiring A Contractor!

Finding a trusted partner for your home and landscape projects can be hard. We have included some tips for hiring a landscape contractor (or any contractor for that matter) below.

In my 20 plus years of entrepreneurship, it still leaves me baffled when I meet with a new client and they tell me that they have called 3 other landscape companies before me and I was the only one that answered the phone or called them back

I think, wow, how can someone run a business that is totally dependent on a steady flow of leads and not call those leads back. (Well, actually, the first thing I think about is, dang, I really need to improve my marketing since I was the 4th company they found, but that’s a topic for another day).

Now...have some of our client inquiries went to spam and we lost the opportunity...yep! But that's technology these days. If it makes it to our inbox...we really do call you back.

Finding a partner for your project starts with communication. Clear and timely communication sets the stage to start building trust and you definitely want to trust the company you are considering spending thousands of dollars with or signing up for a year long landscape management contract.

Do they listen to your ideas without cutting you off to sell “their way of doing it.” Do they offer solutions to your problems? Are they dressed neatly and have literature to give you that explains how their business operates and what to expect if you do business with them?

Do they have the ability to provide you with a detailed written or typed proposal and design services? Do not accept a verbal quote, if that is all they can provide you, find someone else, period.

Look at more than the pretty pictures on their Facebook page.

Do they have a website and email address? That is a must for reputable companies these days. Do they have industry specific certifications? These certifications let you know that they know what they are doing and you will be receiving a quality product, installed to industry standards. What do past clients say about them on their Google Reviews?

Ask for references if you are still not sure, any good company will quickly be able to provide you with a list of references. Ask for references of projects similar to yours.

Make sure they have insurance.

If they don’t have insurance, they are not a company. You do not want anyone working on your home or property without insurance, not matter how cheap their bid is. If something goes wrong, you will be on the hook.

Most super cheap bids come from people with no insurance. Insurance costs are a big expense for contractors and we have to cover that overhead.

In the end, finding the right contractor starts with trust. A good contractor will build this trust by doing and having everything I have laid out here.

One more thing.

Some contractors charge a consultation fee. Do not be scared of a $50 or $100 consultation fee. Contractors that charge a fee to meet with you, talk with you, listen to you, measure, take pictures, type up a detailed proposal with project specifications and a sketch if necessary are the cream of the crop.

In our experience they are the professionals that know what they are doing. They will have creative solutions for your problems and provide superior service.

Imagine this for a minute...when you arrive at work, you begin your tasks, but you wait 4 hours before you start getting paid?

No different than when a contractor arrives at your property, spends an hour with you, another hour measuring, two more hours at their office formulating your proposal and then another hour reviewing the proposal with you or making revisions.

Take charge of your landscape in 2026 and reach out to us if you have any questions!

Prioritize - Must Do in 2026 Tip Number 5

Plan is in place.  Problem areas identified.  Budget is set.  Next prioritize the areas in order of what is most important to least important and explain this to your landscape contractor.  They will help make sure your order is right.

Let's not lay sod this year and install irrigation next year.  Why install a nice plant package in the back yard just to rip half of it out for a new deck later?

Think about your end goal for your landscape and prioritize your enhancements accordingly.

We will see you on January 1st for our final tip for What you Must Do in 2026 for your Landscape!

Setting a Budget brings us to Tip Number 4 for your 2026 Landscape

Determine what you want to invest in your landscape for 2026.

Setting a Budget is Must Do Number Four for your 2026 landscape.

Be frank with your landscape contractor if he or she asks what your budget is.  There are usually multiple different ways to fix or improve your landscape and none of them cost the same.  Being upfront with your budget eliminates wasted time and work for both the homeowner and contractor.  It saves you time reviewing proposals that are outside of your budget and saves the contractor time in generating detailed proposals that will never turn into reality.  It streamlines everything.

Time is literally the most important thing we have in this world.  Any good contractor who is aware of the investment you want to make will do everything in their power to maximize the value of your money.  Think about it....if the landscape contractor doesn't know your budget, he may propose the cheapest option he can come up with, and while it may solve your problem or enhance an area you dislike, you could have gotten a much nicer plant package, a stone wall instead of a wooden wall or pavers instead of concrete.

Maximizing the value of your hard earned money by providing the most bang for your buck should be a major priority of any good landscape contractor.

Identify Problem Areas...Tip Number 3

By now you have Created a Plan, outlined your Likes and Dislikes. This week it’s time to…

Identify Problem Areas

Tip Number 3 in our series of What You Must Do For Your Landscape in 2026 should be easy to execute!

As you work your way through your landscape you may see very clear problem areas.  Things such as erosion and standing water are problems that have to be fixed before you can ever have a really nice landscape.

Improper drainage can lead to many issues like water in your basement or crawl space, dead plants, dead lawn areas or sections of your property literally washing away.

Maybe you have sections of your lawn that just will not grow.  These are just a few examples of problems areas you may see in your landscape.

Must Do in 2026 Tip Number 2

We are continuing our Top 6 things you should do for your landscape in 2026 today.

Here is Must Do Number 2

WHAT DO YOU LIKE AND DISLIKE?

Break your landscape into sections.
What areas are you happy with?
What areas would you like to improve?
What areas do you just not like at all?

Maybe you love the symmetry of your front foundation plantings, but they lack color and need some strategic areas of annuals or perennials.  Do you have a small back patio or deck that really needs to be enlarged or rebuilt into a bigger and better outdoor space to entertain family and friends?  Do you like your current patio but a fire pit or fireplace would really complete the look?

What about your lawn...is it healthy but full of weeds?  You love the flowing curves of your lawn edges but the overgrowth from the wood line has been consistently creeping all the way to the edge and it needs to be naturalized back a few feet.

Take each section of your landscape and ask yourself all the three questions at the beginning of this post!

We are here to help if you need us.

What you must do for your landscape in 2026 - Tip #1

Now, we all know it is super easy to forget about your landscape during the winter.

Not much is blooming, it's cold and rainy and well, we'd just rather spend time inside where it's nice and cozy, right?

But when you think about it, your landscape is one of the first things you see when you come home from work or church.  It's where you spend time during the spring and summer watching kids ride their bikes or playing catch with your aspiring little leaguer, sound familiar?

So....what do you really see when you look at your landscape?

We really want to help you make your landscape a priority for 2026.  I mean, let's be honest...we know you want to have a little something extra special to smile about when you pull up in your driveway or have family and friends over, right?!?!  Let's get started.

We have SIX BIG TIPS we will be sharing with you from now until the New Year that you must do for your landscape in 2026 and today we are sharing Tip Number One.

Create a Plan.

Everything starts with a plan!  Your landscape is no different.  If you want to improve your landscape then you need a plan.  Many people think of a landscape plan as a set of drawings, scaled out by a landscape designer or architect however, a landscape plan can come in many different forms.

It could simply be your thoughts and vision for your landscape written down on a piece of paper.  Put your vision into words on paper and voila, you have a plan!

Set a budget, prioritize and consult with a landscape contractor to help refine your plan and determine if your budget can meet the needs of your plan.

So…take a walk around your landscape this weekend and starting planning! We are here if you need our help.