Installation Tips & Tricks

When a landscape installation job is rushed – as most of Chris Pompeo’s jobs are because of the fast track construction going on in Warren, Mich. – landscape contractors are forced to think on their toes to make the best of challenging situations. And, sometimes, according to Pompeo, vice president of operations, Landscape America Inc., nothing good can come from rushing.

Consider, for instance, this example: On one of Pompeo’s past jobs, building construction was hurried and the painting of the building overhangs was forgotten until after the landscaping was installed. Not a problem – as long as the plant material was covered up beforehand to protect it from paint splatter.

"Unfortunately, the builder covered the plant material with a clear plastic that acted as a magnifying glass with the sun, burning all of the plant material," Pompeo lamented.

Although the disaster wasted money, time and labor, the next time a similar situation arose, Pompeo knew to warn the builders first, telling them to use cloth tarp to cover plant materials instead of clear plastic.

"Builders aren’t plant people," Pompeo said, "so they aren’t used to working with plant material. Contractors cannot forget that."

To secure a successful installation job every time – despite all of the obstacles that tend to interfere – landscape contractors need to tuck the following installation tips and tricks into their back pockets and be mindful of them before and during each installation project.

#1. THE RIGHT KIND OF PERSON. When it comes to installation, experienced people are an asset to the job.

"A landscape contractor doesn’t want to put an inexperienced employee on an installation project," Pompeo said. "There’s more to installation than just digging a hole and placing the plant into the soil. If a contractor doesn’t have an experienced crew or crew leader, that could mean a short, unhealthy life for the installed plant material."

Qualified, trained employees should understand that the soil condition, the type of plant, whether it likes or hates water and the amount of sun/shade it thrives in are detrimental to a plant’s survival.

"Not installing plant material properly, abusing plant material, not understanding plant requirements for proper installation, planting too close to a building, planting too deep or not amending the soil after planting, are some of the most common mistakes made on an installation project," explained David Knauff, founder/president, Yes, We Care Landscaping, Wilmette, Ill.

Kevin Robertshaw, installation, TruGreen LandCare – Ruppert Landscape Co., Gainesville, Va., said he tries to make sure he has one specialist in each position on his team. Although employing specialists ensures quality landscape installation jobs, Robertshaw said it can also be a challenge because when one person leaves, he has to find another person who has that specialty to replace him or her or train someone on that specific specialty.

"We try to instill a small-business philosophy by creating highly specialized positions," Robertshaw explained. "Replacing specialty positions is very difficult."

Making sure a foreman, supervisor or specialist understands the final design before the installation can make the job go more smoothly, Knauff pointed out.

"Along with proper communication with the foreman of a job, a properly trained crew is essential," Knauff said.

Good people is the No. 1 reason for success at Garden Gate Landscaping, according to Charlie Bowers, president of the Silver Spring, Md.-based company.

In the entire design/build process, Bowers said he focuses on a team triangle: the sales person/designer, the crew leader and the customer. He came up with this concept after realizing that he was wasting money on middle managers who confused the team atmosphere and discouraged employee growth.

"We eliminated the middle managers and developed self-managed teams, which helped us to clarify employee responsibilities and grow our company," Bowers enthused. "The teams are focused on the areas we have a lot of knowledge in. Then we outsource other areas that we need but aren’t so knowledgeable in, such as architecture."

Creating these teams meant Bowers could reward his employees with responsibility, authority and training, which encouraged them to work harder to meet their goals.

"I tried to make sure my people are in a job that suits them best," Bowers said. "I also make sure I clarify the consequences of exceeding or falling short of company goals."

# 2. STAYING ON SCHEDULE. To be done in the right order and completed on time, a landscape installation job needs to be scheduled properly.

"The landscape contractor is typically the last person to leave the property," Pompeo explained. "If the job construction went bad from day one, then the contractor who had six weeks to do a job may now have four weeks or even two weeks, depending on how late the project has become because of building construction delays."

A situation like this can get tricky, especially in an area where weather is detrimental to the success of new plant installation and growth. In this case, Pompeo said, sometimes a building manager who’s running late on other aspects of the job will ask a landscape contractor to do the landscape work long before it should be done.

"A landscape contractor may be asked to do his or her job after only the foundation to a home or building has been built," Pompeo related. "This can cause problems because the landscape contractor is now trying to install material when it shouldn’t be installed. Once during an installation project of ours, we had to install the material before the builder cleaned off the brick of the building. Well, brick is washed with acid, and obviously this destroyed all the plant material. If they would have used a detergent-based cleanser instead, the plants would have been fine. So, when changes in planning are sometimes unavoidable, proper communication is what gets you through the project."

Tim Petro, director of landscape operations, Smallwood Design Group/Smallwood Landscape, Naples, Fla., had a similar situation when the building painters decided to wash off their paintbrushes and pallets in the neatly planted landscape beds he just finished installing the day before.

To avoid such problems, landscape contractors should meet with the building or project manager as early as possible to find out the scheduled date for the completion of the project, Petro suggested. If the project is a renovation, the landscape contractor should find out when the client expects it to be done.

Once the expected completion date of a project is known, landscape contractors should get together with their subcontractors and set up a schedule with them – discussing when each of them should arrive to and leave from the property, Petro noted.

After the schedule is finalized, contractors should make sure the plant material will arrive on the property in the order needed, Pompeo stressed.

"The rule of thumb is to put the hardscaping, such as paving, walls or sidewalks, in first," Pompeo said.

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When materials arrive out of order, the project installation order is affected, and in some cases, this can negatively affect the project deadline.

"Landscape beds cannot be installed before lighting because to install the lighting, the beds need to be dug up," Petro explained.

For a big job, Robertshaw said, ideally, he has one month to buy the material.

Having a good relationship with a key plant material vendor can help to ensure that the best material is available and ready when needed, said Knauff.

"A vendor can make or break you on an installation project," Knauff explained. "If you install the best plant material available, the end result will be a great looking landscape and a very happy customer."

# 3. GETTING TO KNOW YOU. Taking the time to talk with clients and getting to know them and what they are expecting from the job can also influence a project.

"Communication with the client is the key to the success of an installation project," Knauff said. "Communication includes not only listening to the client at the beginning of the project, but also communicating with the client as the project moves toward completion to ensure the proper end result."

If contractors know their customers, according to Petro, then they can figure out when the best time to show up on their property is or whether they want the site left immaculately clean every night or whether they don’t mind that it is "in construction."

"Leaving the site in shambles after the day’s work is complete is never a good idea," Knauff advised.

Also, when a landscape contractor knows their installation clients and establishes a relationship with them, communication becomes easier when there is an issue about the installation that needs to be discussed.

Contractors should know their clients well enough to be comfortable discussing changes in plant material or scheduling and deadline problems, Petro suggested.

"I try to establish a relationship with my clients to the point where I know their dog’s name," Petro said. "So, no matter how bad of a day they are having or how challenging the news that I have to tell them about the landscape installation project is, I have something I can bring up to lighten the conversation – I have a personal connection with them."

And, stressed Knauff, communication doesn’t stop after the installation is complete.

"Clients need to know what to do to maintain the landscape and what their responsibilities are," Knauff said.