site weekly. Ask them to look out for your community by providing additional eyes and ears.


Employee Retention A new term, “Quits Rate” entered our lexicon last


year and it has economists and business owners worried about the attendant loss of continuity and brainpower. You too should be concerned if you see lots of turnover in your landscape point of contact or maintenance crew. Employers who provide a safe, fun work environment and invest in their employees’ training and certification are less likely to experience turnover leading to greater consistency and quality over time.


You should be concerned if you see lots of turnover in your landscape point of contact or maintenance crew.


Proper Irrigation Evaluation Irrigation systems can be fairly complex on larger


properties with hundreds of spray heads and long stretches of piping that move water around sensitive infrastructure where there is potential for property damage or huge utility bills should they fail. Your landscape contractor should be thoroughly evaluating these components for leaks and proper operation at least twice per year, once at spring startup and again mid-summer. All zones should be operated, taking time to observe for leaks, ensuring that heads and valves are adjusted and operating properly, and that the mainline is not leaking.


Looking Up—Literally Many of us walk around under large trees and only


infrequently look up to see what is happening there. Tree care does not yet get the pro-active attention that it deserves in Washington. Well-managed trees are a long-term asset for your community but poorly managed can present a dangerous risk to people and pets. Your landscaper should keep an eye out for dead or damaged limbs, building clearance issues, blockage of safety lighting, and signs of loose or moving root systems.


Soil Testing


Basic soil testing is quick (2-3 week turnaround), inexpensive, and offers valuable insight into the nutritional support your soil is providing to your plants. Fertilizer is often applied


blindly to encourage green lawns and vigorous plants when buffering soil acidity with lime would be more effective. Additionally, most fertilizers focus on macronutrients including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium but if your soil is deficient in any of the 13 common micronutrients you will still see poor performance.


Soil testing is inexpensive, and provides insight into the nutritional support your soil is providing.


Organic Options


Pesticides and synthetic fertilizers help landscapers manage labor costs in most situations but many homeowners don’t want these products used around their homes, children, or pets. Your contractor should be well versed in organic alternatives and be able to consult with you on how best to introduce these options to your community as it relates to budgeting and managing expectations.


Landscape Lifecycle Planning


New landscapes need to look full to attract homeowners and therefore are often planted more densely than the space can support as plants mature. Lacking a better strategy, many landscapers pull out the power shears and prune indiscriminately to make things “fit” as they grow. This destroys the natural structure and flowering cycle of plants and increases long-term maintenance costs. As your landscape matures, your landscaper should be recommending strategic transplanting to thin full areas and infill bare areas or removals to allow room for the remaining plants. In some cases, it may also be desirable to add some new plants to refresh the look of tired landscapes.


Transplant to thin full areas and infill bare areas as your landscape matures.


Annual Budget Preparation Your landscaper should be actively helping you


build asset value while avoiding liability and risk. This can best be accomplished by walking your property with you, asking about your community’s goals, and identifying landscape-related opportunities to support them. An annual budget letter can be formulated from this process that will allow you to get out ahead of issues, manage your budget, and avoid surprises.


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