- 5 QUESTIONS TO ASK -

1. WHY DO YOU DO LANDSCAPING?
Simply ask your “landscaper” Why do you do landscaping and see what they say. I’d be listening for and asking them to share what got them started and what keeps them going. Is this a job or passion for them? For us it’s probably more than a passion, but a life long mission.

2. IN WHAT WAYS COULD MY SPACE MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT?
Are you aware of how your little piece of paradise is impacting the planet? Do you believe your actions will make a difference? We believe each and every person is a part of the bigger puzzle. In fact, imagine a beautiful puzzle, each piece is integral to the whole. How many people have decided that their piece wouldn’t matter. It is each of our personal choices that add up to make a difference. You can learn to grow food, make plant selections that host crucial insects and pollinators. You can help reduce the urban heat island effect, flash flooding, and harmful pollution. Ask the “landscaper” what ecological function does my yard play and how do you think it could impact others / the planet? Will your space influence others to do their part as well?

3. WHAT DOES LOW MAINTENANCE MEAN TO YOU?
This one is perhaps one of the most complicated topics for us. Absolutely everyone uses this term, but no one would agree on how it is defined. To some it could mean spending only a few hours a year, week, or a day gardening. Perhaps you’ll make a decision to hire a full time team to stay on top of your regular maintenance, or maybe you prefer no plants to care for at all. Ask your “landscaper” what type or work and how much time they would think your property needs. You could ask how they feel about mulch vs rock and what they prefer. Certainly ask what other options are available. With some planting selections, maybe there's no need for that layer. Do you want to mow, trim, plant, divide, weed, sow and do snow removal? For how many hours per month/year? Really this question boils down to one thing. How much do YOU wish to garden / pay for maintenance? In reality, your answers to their questions will inform the actual desired result.

4. HOW DO YOU DEFINE CURB APPEAL?
This is similar to the “Low Maintenance” question and is very subjective. However this is also a mixture of what is both appealing to you and to others. When talking with your prospective “landscaper” listen to see if they ask you about your preferred style and what you find appealing. Do they ask questions and take into account what your neighbors are doing? Do they ask you what you find appealing and propose an interesting way to blend it into the neighborhood, or are they just going to give you another rubber stamp that says we do curb appeal!

5. HOW DO YOU HANDLE SCHEDULING?
Essentially, you might try listening for... how will you prioritize me? For us scheduling depends on many factors but ultimately comes down to velocity of agreement. Is communication going well? Do we have similar interests? Are you clear about what you are looking for or do you need help deciding. What if anything anything is slowing down the process to go from initial inquiry to formal agreement. Is there a feeling of haggling over price because there was never a genuine budget decision? When landmatters is in early conversations we are looking for clues and asking direct questions to determine how urgent your project is and what we need to do to help answer any questions that ultimately lead to your decision to work with us. But in the end scheduling simply comes down to who has signed a contract with us and what order they came in.