Landscape
Hi!! Can anybody suggest a good landscape designer in the trianlge
area. I hired one from Apex recently and he ripped me off (paid close to $4000). He was very knowledgeable with the plants native to this area and promised low maintenance landscape so I hired him. He did a very poor job. All the beds that he supposedly sprayed with weed killer are sprouting already (the beds were planted on Apr 19,2003). I would appreciate your help. Thanks |
Landscape
"blorefan" wrote in message om... | Hi!! Can anybody suggest a good landscape designer in the trianlge | area. I hired one from Apex recently and he ripped me off (paid close | to $4000). He was very knowledgeable with the plants native to this | area and promised low maintenance landscape so I hired him. He did a | very poor job. All the beds that he supposedly sprayed with weed | killer are sprouting already (the beds were planted on Apr 19,2003). | I would appreciate your help. | | Thanks You feel ripped off because you have weeds? Weeds are a fact of life unless you want to spray poisons every weekend. The weeds that were there on 4/19 probably were killed... you just have new seeds sprouting. If your yard has just been landscaped then why do you need another landscape designer? I'm confused. Jw |
Landscape
Did he do a bad job in design or are you upset about the weeds? If it's
design related, you can contact Garden Creations (Kendra Douros) at 819-8814. She is a landscape designer who does consultation, drawings, installation, etc. As far as the weeds are concerned, I have to say that spraying weeds to kill them doesn't necessarily guarantee that you won't get lots more. We have the perfect conditions for weeds to come in groves right now .......warm weather and lots of wet weather. My yard is sprouting everywhere right now even after spraying and pulling all in March. You will have to spray again. Did he mulch the areas very well? Spring is the time for new growth on everything .....trees, flowers, and lots of weeds. Penny "blorefan" wrote in message om... Hi!! Can anybody suggest a good landscape designer in the trianlge area. I hired one from Apex recently and he ripped me off (paid close to $4000). He was very knowledgeable with the plants native to this area and promised low maintenance landscape so I hired him. He did a very poor job. All the beds that he supposedly sprayed with weed killer are sprouting already (the beds were planted on Apr 19,2003). I would appreciate your help. Thanks |
Landscape
Penny Morgan wrote:
As far as the weeds are concerned, I have to say that spraying weeds to kill them doesn't necessarily guarantee that you won't get lots more. We have the perfect conditions for weeds to come in groves right now .......warm weather and lots of wet weather. My yard is sprouting everywhere right now even after spraying and pulling all in March. You will have to spray again. Did he mulch the areas very well? Speaking of weeds, we have 'em! We had an area tilled with lots of mulch and there's this one type of weed I just can't get rid of. It's grassy, breaks off way too easily, and if you follow the fragile white root down, it twists and turns down as far as I can see. I've pulled, sprayed with Round up (3x!) and I can't get rid of the stuff. After looking it up, I think it's one of the nutsedges, and pulling is about all I can do, eventualy exhausting the tuber. It doesn't seem to matter if lots of mulch is used since the tubers are 8-14" deep (according to one source) and can even come up through plastic mulches. Ah well, it's good exercise. |
Landscape
In article , Raleighgirl wrote:
"blorefan" wrote in message om... | Hi!! Can anybody suggest a good landscape designer in the trianlge | area. I hired one from Apex recently and he ripped me off (paid close | to $4000). He was very knowledgeable with the plants native to this | area and promised low maintenance landscape so I hired him. He did a | very poor job. All the beds that he supposedly sprayed with weed | killer are sprouting already (the beds were planted on Apr 19,2003). | I would appreciate your help. | | Thanks You feel ripped off because you have weeds? Weeds are a fact of life unless you want to spray poisons every weekend. The weeds that were there on 4/19 probably were killed... you just have new seeds sprouting. If your yard has just been landscaped then why do you need another landscape designer? I'm confused. Could be a lurker or a spammer. Kind of hard to tell. Don't remember that he has posted before or not. Spent $4000 but got no maintenance instructions and now wants to get another designer to do what? There ain't no such thing as a free lunch with a yard or garden. Takes sweat or $ to maintain. Even a rock garden needs to have leaves and other debris and weeds remove. -- Wes Dukes (wdukesNOatSPAMpoboxdotcom) |
Landscape
I was trying to avoid mentioning all the mistakes he made since it
makes me look rather stupid since I overpaid. Well here it goes, Apart from the weed problem, he planted 5 trees which he did not stake to the ground so now they are swaying all over the place and am afraid will break if we have forceful winds. He planted Kleim's gardenia in the front (facing East) which gets full sun for atleast 6 hours and two of the plants are already yellowing. I used Ironite since I read some thing about Gardenia's needing a lot of iron. Well in any case that seems to be working so far but am not sure if it will hold up. I expected a lot more for $4000. Regarding mulch, he used the cheapest pine straw mulch you can ever get. There was more pine cones, leaves, twigs than pine needles. My yard looks like a big dump with green buses sticking out of them. I will call Garden Creations. Thanks for your suggestions Penny. RP "Penny Morgan" wrote in message . com... Did he do a bad job in design or are you upset about the weeds? If it's design related, you can contact Garden Creations (Kendra Douros) at 819-8814. She is a landscape designer who does consultation, drawings, installation, etc. As far as the weeds are concerned, I have to say that spraying weeds to kill them doesn't necessarily guarantee that you won't get lots more. We have the perfect conditions for weeds to come in groves right now .......warm weather and lots of wet weather. My yard is sprouting everywhere right now even after spraying and pulling all in March. You will have to spray again. Did he mulch the areas very well? Spring is the time for new growth on everything .....trees, flowers, and lots of weeds. Penny "blorefan" wrote in message om... Hi!! Can anybody suggest a good landscape designer in the trianlge area. I hired one from Apex recently and he ripped me off (paid close to $4000). He was very knowledgeable with the plants native to this area and promised low maintenance landscape so I hired him. He did a very poor job. All the beds that he supposedly sprayed with weed killer are sprouting already (the beds were planted on Apr 19,2003). I would appreciate your help. Thanks |
Landscape
In article ,
blorefan wrote: My yard looks like a big dump with green buses sticking out of them. I know this was probably not meant to be funny, but it really made me smile at a much needed time! (I guess I am imagining *my* front yard with green buses... kind of strange!) Cheers KJ -- --- "God help those who have no bowels, only consonants & vowels." - Dylan Thomas http://www.ibiblio.org/kelly -=*= kelly @ unc.edu |
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"blorefan" wrote in message om... I was trying to avoid mentioning all the mistakes he made since it makes me look rather stupid since I overpaid. Well here it goes, Apart from the weed problem, he planted 5 trees which he did not stake to the ground so now they are swaying all over the place and am afraid will break if we have forceful winds. He planted Kleim's gardenia in the front (facing East) which gets full sun for atleast 6 hours and two of the plants are already yellowing. I used Ironite since I read some thing about Gardenia's needing a lot of iron. Well in any case that seems to be working so far but am not sure if it will hold up. I expected a lot more for $4000. Regarding mulch, he used the cheapest pine straw mulch you can ever get. There was more pine cones, leaves, twigs than pine needles. My yard looks like a big dump with green buses sticking out of them. I will call Garden Creations. Thanks for your suggestions Penny. Did you attempt to resolve the problem with the original landscaper? It might be worth the complaint. He could, at least, replace the "mulch" with something of higher quality and stake the swaying trees. If you don't get satisfaction, I would suggest complaining to the Better Business Bureau. (They usually like for you to try to resolve the problem yourself before calling them.) |
Landscape
In article , blorefan wrote:
I was trying to avoid mentioning all the mistakes he made since it makes me look rather stupid since I overpaid. Well here it goes, Apart from the weed problem, he planted 5 trees which he did not stake to the ground so now they are swaying all over the place and am afraid will break if we have forceful winds. He planted Kleim's gardenia in the front (facing East) which gets full sun for atleast 6 hours and two of the plants are already yellowing. I used Ironite since I read some thing about Gardenia's needing a lot of iron. Well in any case that seems to be working so far but am not sure if it will hold up. I expected a lot more for $4000. Regarding mulch, he used the cheapest pine straw mulch you can ever get. There was more pine cones, leaves, twigs than pine needles. My yard looks like a big dump with green buses sticking out of them. I will call Garden Creations. Thanks for your suggestions Penny. Yep, you got ripped off bigtime . I apologize for my overly tart remarks. I have had my own share of such cases where I paid excessive tuition to the school of hard knocks so so you are not alone. I have acted in haste and repented in leisure more times than I want to admit. It is a warning to the rest of us to check references and get additional estimates before making decisions. Care to tell us who this was so we will be fore warned? Now for the areas where weeds were sprouting, you can use Preen as a preemergence to reduce this from happening. It seems to work as long as the soil is not disturbed but if it is scratched up the weeds will come back. Of cours you will have to kill the existing weeds again with weedbegon or roundup. "Penny Morgan" wrote in message . com... Did he do a bad job in design or are you upset about the weeds? If it's design related, you can contact Garden Creations (Kendra Douros) at 819-8814. She is a landscape designer who does consultation, drawings, installation, etc. As far as the weeds are concerned, I have to say that spraying weeds to kill them doesn't necessarily guarantee that you won't get lots more. We have the perfect conditions for weeds to come in groves right now .......warm weather and lots of wet weather. My yard is sprouting everywhere right now even after spraying and pulling all in March. You will have to spray again. Did he mulch the areas very well? Spring is the time for new growth on everything .....trees, flowers, and lots of weeds. Penny "blorefan" wrote in message om... Hi!! Can anybody suggest a good landscape designer in the trianlge area. I hired one from Apex recently and he ripped me off (paid close to $4000). He was very knowledgeable with the plants native to this area and promised low maintenance landscape so I hired him. He did a very poor job. All the beds that he supposedly sprayed with weed killer are sprouting already (the beds were planted on Apr 19,2003). I would appreciate your help. Thanks -- Wes Dukes (wdukesNOatSPAMpoboxdotcom) |
Landscape
"Jennifer Richards" wrote in message .com...
"blorefan" wrote in message om... Did you attempt to resolve the problem with the original landscaper? It might be worth the complaint. He could, at least, replace the "mulch" with something of higher quality and stake the swaying trees. If you don't get satisfaction, I would suggest complaining to the Better Business Bureau. (They usually like for you to try to resolve the problem yourself before calling them. I did call him the day after he completed the job but I had bigger issues then. He had "missed" planting one of the shrubs that was in the original quote and had broken the sewer (white pipe) pipe. He replaced the broken pipe and planted the shrub, but was very upset that I had asked him to do so. I guess your suggestion about BBB sounds good to me. Thanks |
Landscape
Hi,
After reading the whole thread here, I wanted to share my sympathy about what happened. We have had some various things done to our property that add up to probably the most money we've spent on anything, besides our cars and house. We've had relatively good luck, but I usually get pretty anxious when a lot of money is involved. After having had stone retaining walls, large trees, a fence, deck, patio, sidewalk, and arbor put in over the past 4 years, and not really being able to wholeheartedly recommend any of the people who did any of them (although overall I am pretty much satisfied with the work), here are my 2 cents: -- Get at least three estimates. This means you probably have to call 6-8 companies because a lot of them don't bother to show up. -- Whenever possible, get a recommendation from someone you know who has used them. -- Do a lot of research about what you want and have magazine photos and/or drawings ready when you get your estimates. If you sense that the company can't or won't do it, do not pick them. -- Ask them how they would do your project and wait for them to explain the whole thing. Sometimes you can sniff out people who don't know what they are doing that way, even if you don't know how to do it yourself. -- Do not act casually about your project. Act as if it is really important. People respond more attentively to a picky customer than a casual one. I learned this from my picky neighbor. -- Ask to see photos of their work or get addresses of references to visit. -- Ask if they guarantee to finish the work by a certain date. Some jobs seem to go on forever. -- Get the estimate in writing and ask for a satisfaction guarantee. -- For large projects, the company should obtain utility marking and permits for you. -- Do not hand over the final payment until you are completely satisfied. As soon as you do, you may not hear from them again. Most people want a deposit for materials, but you should hold back most of the money until the very end. If they say they need it, just tell them you'll have it ready when they come back to finish the last things you want done/fixed. This all may sound cynical, but it's reality. Anyone have more to add? Elizabeth "blorefan" wrote in message om... Hi!! Can anybody suggest a good landscape designer in the trianlge area. I hired one from Apex recently and he ripped me off (paid close to $4000). He was very knowledgeable with the plants native to this area and promised low maintenance landscape so I hired him. He did a very poor job. All the beds that he supposedly sprayed with weed killer are sprouting already (the beds were planted on Apr 19,2003). I would appreciate your help. Thanks |
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"Elizabeth" wrote in message arthlink.net...
Hi, After reading the whole thread here, I wanted to share my sympathy about what happened. We have had some various things done to our property that add up to probably the most money we've spent on anything, besides our cars and house. We've had relatively good luck, but I usually get pretty anxious when a lot of money is involved. After having had stone retaining walls, large trees, a fence, deck, patio, sidewalk, and arbor put in over the past 4 years, and not really being able to wholeheartedly recommend any of the people who did any of them (although overall I am pretty much satisfied with the work), here are my 2 cents: -- Get at least three estimates. This means you probably have to call 6-8 companies because a lot of them don't bother to show up. -- Whenever possible, get a recommendation from someone you know who has used them. -- Do a lot of research about what you want and have magazine photos and/or drawings ready when you get your estimates. If you sense that the company can't or won't do it, do not pick them. -- Ask them how they would do your project and wait for them to explain the whole thing. Sometimes you can sniff out people who don't know what they are doing that way, even if you don't know how to do it yourself. -- Do not act casually about your project. Act as if it is really important. People respond more attentively to a picky customer than a casual one. I learned this from my picky neighbor. -- Ask to see photos of their work or get addresses of references to visit. -- Ask if they guarantee to finish the work by a certain date. Some jobs seem to go on forever. -- Get the estimate in writing and ask for a satisfaction guarantee. -- For large projects, the company should obtain utility marking and permits for you. -- Do not hand over the final payment until you are completely satisfied. As soon as you do, you may not hear from them again. Most people want a deposit for materials, but you should hold back most of the money until the very end. If they say they need it, just tell them you'll have it ready when they come back to finish the last things you want done/fixed. This all may sound cynical, but it's reality. Anyone have more to add? Thanks for your suggestions Elizibeth. I did ask for refrences and photos but did not have the time to follow up since my wife was due with our first child. I know better now. The way to look at this is he atleast showed up and planted the trees and bushes albeit poorly. It was a $4000 lesson in haste is waste. For your reference the name of the company is Gardenworks and the owner is Evan Blewett. Thanks for your support. "blorefan" wrote in message om... Hi!! Can anybody suggest a good landscape designer in the trianlge area. I hired one from Apex recently and he ripped me off (paid close to $4000). He was very knowledgeable with the plants native to this area and promised low maintenance landscape so I hired him. He did a very poor job. All the beds that he supposedly sprayed with weed killer are sprouting already (the beds were planted on Apr 19,2003). I would appreciate your help. Thanks |
Landscape
All right, folks, let's calm down now, okay? (And yes, I do realize the
irony of my being the one to say that!) First of all, RP, weeds are a fact of life -- they can & will happen, so that alone isn't enough reason to feel you've been ripped off. Second (shoulda been first, I guess) -- did you make any attempt to resolve this with the original landscaper? Third, your mention of spending $4000 may have put some people off, as I'll bet there are many newsgroup members who will never in their entire gardening careers spend that much money. Fourth, as for the Kleim's Gardenia, it may like some sun -- I'm not entirely certain, as nearly all the references I found were for gardenias growing in pots, so they may indeed need iron, but it's due to the tap water they get. Finally -- and I say this with all due respect, and a bit of [sorta] personal experience -- it might be better if you don't take on such complicated projects when you folks are "expecting" any minute! I don't know why it is that pregnant women get a "bad rap" for hormonal behavior, when I've seen so many men do inexplicable things while awaiting the birth of a child. Fortunately, I no garden to speak of in 1970 when my son was born, so there was nothing for hubby to do to the garden. My mother, however, was not so lucky -- in 1957 my father unilaterally decided to "do her a favor" by replanting some 8' holly trees that he thought my mother (who majored in horticulture at Penn State) had planted too far from the house! (Boy, was he lucky that those hollies survived!) Anne Lurie NE Raleigh |
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I'm afraid some of these issues you don't have much to stand on.
Staking trees is not generally recommended, but there are exceptions. You did not say what kind or size trees were planted. If you wanted them staked or you thought that important, you should have specified that to begin with. Yellowing of gardenias is very common and caused by many many factors. Applying ironite is just a bandaid and will do nothing for the real problem. I don't know about overpayment. $4000 does not seem unreasonable for a residential job. I've done 1/2 acre jobs that ran over $100,000.00. I believe there is 2 sides to this story and to be fair to your landscaper, you should probably offer more details. You obviously don't mind trashing his reputation. I don't know why you should feel "stupid" for overpaying. I see people every day overpaying for many different things. Most seem proud of it. Baine "blorefan" wrote in message om... I was trying to avoid mentioning all the mistakes he made since it makes me look rather stupid since I overpaid. Well here it goes, Apart from the weed problem, he planted 5 trees which he did not stake to the ground so now they are swaying all over the place and am afraid will break if we have forceful winds. He planted Kleim's gardenia in the front (facing East) which gets full sun for atleast 6 hours and two of the plants are already yellowing. I used Ironite since I read some thing about Gardenia's needing a lot of iron. Well in any case that seems to be working so far but am not sure if it will hold up. I expected a lot more for $4000. Regarding mulch, he used the cheapest pine straw mulch you can ever get. There was more pine cones, leaves, twigs than pine needles. My yard looks like a big dump with green buses sticking out of them. I will call Garden Creations. Thanks for your suggestions Penny. RP "Penny Morgan" wrote in message . com... Did he do a bad job in design or are you upset about the weeds? If it's design related, you can contact Garden Creations (Kendra Douros) at 819-8814. She is a landscape designer who does consultation, drawings, installation, etc. As far as the weeds are concerned, I have to say that spraying weeds to kill them doesn't necessarily guarantee that you won't get lots more. We have the perfect conditions for weeds to come in groves right now .......warm weather and lots of wet weather. My yard is sprouting everywhere right now even after spraying and pulling all in March. You will have to spray again. Did he mulch the areas very well? Spring is the time for new growth on everything .....trees, flowers, and lots of weeds. Penny "blorefan" wrote in message om... Hi!! Can anybody suggest a good landscape designer in the trianlge area. I hired one from Apex recently and he ripped me off (paid close to $4000). He was very knowledgeable with the plants native to this area and promised low maintenance landscape so I hired him. He did a very poor job. All the beds that he supposedly sprayed with weed killer are sprouting already (the beds were planted on Apr 19,2003). I would appreciate your help. Thanks |
Landscape
"Anne Lurie" wrote in message .com...
All right, folks, let's calm down now, okay? (And yes, I do realize the irony of my being the one to say that!) First of all, RP, weeds are a fact of life -- they can & will happen, so that alone isn't enough reason to feel you've been ripped off. Second (shoulda been first, I guess) -- did you make any attempt to resolve this with the original landscaper? Third, your mention of spending $4000 may have put some people off, as I'll bet there are many newsgroup members who will never in their entire gardening careers spend that much money. Fourth, as for the Kleim's Gardenia, it may like some sun -- I'm not entirely certain, as nearly all the references I found were for gardenias growing in pots, so they may indeed need iron, but it's due to the tap water they get. Finally -- and I say this with all due respect, and a bit of [sorta] personal experience -- it might be better if you don't take on such complicated projects when you folks are "expecting" any minute! I don't know why it is that pregnant women get a "bad rap" for hormonal behavior, when I've seen so many men do inexplicable things while awaiting the birth of a child. Fortunately, I no garden to speak of in 1970 when my son was born, so there was nothing for hubby to do to the garden. My mother, however, was not so lucky -- in 1957 my father unilaterally decided to "do her a favor" by replanting some 8' holly trees that he thought my mother (who majored in horticulture at Penn State) had planted too far from the house! (Boy, was he lucky that those hollies survived!) Anne Lurie NE Raleigh Anne Is there any chance that my Kleim's gardenia will survive in its present location in ground ? Do you know of anybody who has planted them in ground in the area? I appreciate your input. RP |
Landscape
"Baine Carruthers" wrote in message ...
Bain, When I get some time today I will give you all the details. You being a landscaper yourself can tell me if I am wrong in being upset. Thanks RP I'm afraid some of these issues you don't have much to stand on. Staking trees is not generally recommended, but there are exceptions. You did not say what kind or size trees were planted. If you wanted them staked or you thought that important, you should have specified that to begin with. Yellowing of gardenias is very common and caused by many many factors. Applying ironite is just a bandaid and will do nothing for the real problem. I don't know about overpayment. $4000 does not seem unreasonable for a residential job. I've done 1/2 acre jobs that ran over $100,000.00. I believe there is 2 sides to this story and to be fair to your landscaper, you should probably offer more details. You obviously don't mind trashing his reputation. I don't know why you should feel "stupid" for overpaying. I see people every day overpaying for many different things. Most seem proud of it. Baine "blorefan" wrote in message om... I was trying to avoid mentioning all the mistakes he made since it makes me look rather stupid since I overpaid. Well here it goes, Apart from the weed problem, he planted 5 trees which he did not stake to the ground so now they are swaying all over the place and am afraid will break if we have forceful winds. He planted Kleim's gardenia in the front (facing East) which gets full sun for atleast 6 hours and two of the plants are already yellowing. I used Ironite since I read some thing about Gardenia's needing a lot of iron. Well in any case that seems to be working so far but am not sure if it will hold up. I expected a lot more for $4000. Regarding mulch, he used the cheapest pine straw mulch you can ever get. There was more pine cones, leaves, twigs than pine needles. My yard looks like a big dump with green buses sticking out of them. I will call Garden Creations. Thanks for your suggestions Penny. RP "Penny Morgan" wrote in message . com... Did he do a bad job in design or are you upset about the weeds? If it's design related, you can contact Garden Creations (Kendra Douros) at 819-8814. She is a landscape designer who does consultation, drawings, installation, etc. As far as the weeds are concerned, I have to say that spraying weeds to kill them doesn't necessarily guarantee that you won't get lots more. We have the perfect conditions for weeds to come in groves right now .......warm weather and lots of wet weather. My yard is sprouting everywhere right now even after spraying and pulling all in March. You will have to spray again. Did he mulch the areas very well? Spring is the time for new growth on everything .....trees, flowers, and lots of weeds. Penny "blorefan" wrote in message om... Hi!! Can anybody suggest a good landscape designer in the trianlge area. I hired one from Apex recently and he ripped me off (paid close to $4000). He was very knowledgeable with the plants native to this area and promised low maintenance landscape so I hired him. He did a very poor job. All the beds that he supposedly sprayed with weed killer are sprouting already (the beds were planted on Apr 19,2003). I would appreciate your help. Thanks |
Landscape
In article , blorefan wrote:
"Baine Carruthers" wrote in message ... Bain, When I get some time today I will give you all the details. You being a landscaper yourself can tell me if I am wrong in being upset. Thanks RP Baine makes some good points. The person we are getting to just draw up plans is billing at over $40 per hour. I almost had a heart attack when I first heard this, but really that is not a bad rate after I thought about it and after talking with the person(I hope). I was up front that I only wanted plans and there would be no implementation needed of them since they provide that too. When they do a turn key job then you never really know where all the true costs are. From my experience though I have always figured the labor costs are 1 to 3 times the materials cost. I'm afraid some of these issues you don't have much to stand on. Staking trees is not generally recommended, but there are exceptions. You did not say what kind or size trees were planted. If you wanted them staked or you thought that important, you should have specified that to begin with. Yellowing of gardenias is very common and caused by many many factors. Applying ironite is just a bandaid and will do nothing for the real problem. I don't know about overpayment. $4000 does not seem unreasonable for a residential job. I've done 1/2 acre jobs that ran over $100,000.00. I believe there is 2 sides to this story and to be fair to your landscaper, you should probably offer more details. You obviously don't mind trashing his reputation. I don't know why you should feel "stupid" for overpaying. I see people every day overpaying for many different things. Most seem proud of it. Baine "blorefan" wrote in message om... I was trying to avoid mentioning all the mistakes he made since it makes me look rather stupid since I overpaid. Well here it goes, Apart from the weed problem, he planted 5 trees which he did not stake to the ground so now they are swaying all over the place and am afraid will break if we have forceful winds. He planted Kleim's gardenia in the front (facing East) which gets full sun for atleast 6 hours and two of the plants are already yellowing. I used Ironite since I read some thing about Gardenia's needing a lot of iron. Well in any case that seems to be working so far but am not sure if it will hold up. I expected a lot more for $4000. Regarding mulch, he used the cheapest pine straw mulch you can ever get. There was more pine cones, leaves, twigs than pine needles. My yard looks like a big dump with green buses sticking out of them. I will call Garden Creations. Thanks for your suggestions Penny. RP "Penny Morgan" wrote in message . com... Did he do a bad job in design or are you upset about the weeds? If it's design related, you can contact Garden Creations (Kendra Douros) at 819-8814. She is a landscape designer who does consultation, drawings, installation, etc. As far as the weeds are concerned, I have to say that spraying weeds to kill them doesn't necessarily guarantee that you won't get lots more. We have the perfect conditions for weeds to come in groves right now .......warm weather and lots of wet weather. My yard is sprouting everywhere right now even after spraying and pulling all in March. You will have to spray again. Did he mulch the areas very well? Spring is the time for new growth on everything .....trees, flowers, and lots of weeds. Penny "blorefan" wrote in message om... Hi!! Can anybody suggest a good landscape designer in the trianlge area. I hired one from Apex recently and he ripped me off (paid close to $4000). He was very knowledgeable with the plants native to this area and promised low maintenance landscape so I hired him. He did a very poor job. All the beds that he supposedly sprayed with weed killer are sprouting already (the beds were planted on Apr 19,2003). I would appreciate your help. Thanks -- Wes Dukes (wdukesNOatSPAMpoboxdotcom) |
Landscape
Wow, I'll say Evan blew it! Hope you, wife, and baby are healthy and growing
(as well as the plants)! "blorefan" wrote in message om... "Elizabeth" wrote in message arthlink.net... Hi, After reading the whole thread here, I wanted to share my sympathy about what happened. We have had some various things done to our property that add up to probably the most money we've spent on anything, besides our cars and house. We've had relatively good luck, but I usually get pretty anxious when a lot of money is involved. After having had stone retaining walls, large trees, a fence, deck, patio, sidewalk, and arbor put in over the past 4 years, and not really being able to wholeheartedly recommend any of the people who did any of them (although overall I am pretty much satisfied with the work), here are my 2 cents: -- Get at least three estimates. This means you probably have to call 6-8 companies because a lot of them don't bother to show up. -- Whenever possible, get a recommendation from someone you know who has used them. -- Do a lot of research about what you want and have magazine photos and/or drawings ready when you get your estimates. If you sense that the company can't or won't do it, do not pick them. -- Ask them how they would do your project and wait for them to explain the whole thing. Sometimes you can sniff out people who don't know what they are doing that way, even if you don't know how to do it yourself. -- Do not act casually about your project. Act as if it is really important. People respond more attentively to a picky customer than a casual one. I learned this from my picky neighbor. -- Ask to see photos of their work or get addresses of references to visit. -- Ask if they guarantee to finish the work by a certain date. Some jobs seem to go on forever. -- Get the estimate in writing and ask for a satisfaction guarantee. -- For large projects, the company should obtain utility marking and permits for you. -- Do not hand over the final payment until you are completely satisfied. As soon as you do, you may not hear from them again. Most people want a deposit for materials, but you should hold back most of the money until the very end. If they say they need it, just tell them you'll have it ready when they come back to finish the last things you want done/fixed. This all may sound cynical, but it's reality. Anyone have more to add? Thanks for your suggestions Elizibeth. I did ask for refrences and photos but did not have the time to follow up since my wife was due with our first child. I know better now. The way to look at this is he atleast showed up and planted the trees and bushes albeit poorly. It was a $4000 lesson in haste is waste. For your reference the name of the company is Gardenworks and the owner is Evan Blewett. Thanks for your support. "blorefan" wrote in message om... Hi!! Can anybody suggest a good landscape designer in the trianlge area. I hired one from Apex recently and he ripped me off (paid close to $4000). He was very knowledgeable with the plants native to this area and promised low maintenance landscape so I hired him. He did a very poor job. All the beds that he supposedly sprayed with weed killer are sprouting already (the beds were planted on Apr 19,2003). I would appreciate your help. Thanks |
Landscape
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Landscape
What kind of warranty did you get or did you ask for? Did you have any kind
of contract that spelled out the terms and conditions? -- Baine "blorefan" wrote in message om... (blorefan) wrote in message . com... "Baine Carruthers" wrote in message ... Bain, Here are the details I promised to share with this group, Tree/Shrub Name Quantity Price Size Thundercloud plum trees 2 $190 6 gallon Chindo Viburnum 11 $198 3 gallon Wax Myrtle 5 $90 3 gallon Cleyara 3 $54 3 gallon Viburnum Tinus 4 $72 2 gallon Kleims Gardenia 8 $144 2 gallon Amur Maple (tree) 1 $65 3 feet tall Cleveland select pear 2 $210 6 gallon Miscanthus Gracillimus(grass)5 $90 3 gallon Crepe myrtle 1 $75 3 feet tall Dolchica spirea 5 $90 3 gallon Soil,mulch $900 Total for material $2178 Labor $1772 Total cost $3950 He did not remove existing grass to prepare the bed all he did was cover it with dirty mulch.The grass has begun to sprout thru the mulch already. I think for $1772 in labor I should atleast have 1 months respite from weeds and grass. His total labor time was 4hrs and 25min so I paid him $275/hr. Do you think that is a fair amount considering there was absolutely no hardscape work done? I don't mean to trash his reputation but would like to know if this was fair. I will be calling him tomorrow and then will be talking to BBB since the Gardenia's are not doing well and the Cleyeras are begining to droop. I would appreciate your input. Regards, RP I'm afraid some of these issues you don't have much to stand on. Staking trees is not generally recommended, but there are exceptions. You did not say what kind or size trees were planted. If you wanted them staked or you thought that important, you should have specified that to begin with. Yellowing of gardenias is very common and caused by many many factors. Applying ironite is just a bandaid and will do nothing for the real problem. I don't know about overpayment. $4000 does not seem unreasonable for a residential job. I've done 1/2 acre jobs that ran over $100,000.00. I believe there is 2 sides to this story and to be fair to your landscaper, you should probably offer more details. You obviously don't mind trashing his reputation. I don't know why you should feel "stupid" for overpaying. I see people every day overpaying for many different things. Most seem proud of it. Baine "blorefan" wrote in message om... I was trying to avoid mentioning all the mistakes he made since it makes me look rather stupid since I overpaid. Well here it goes, Apart from the weed problem, he planted 5 trees which he did not stake to the ground so now they are swaying all over the place and am afraid will break if we have forceful winds. He planted Kleim's gardenia in the front (facing East) which gets full sun for atleast 6 hours and two of the plants are already yellowing. I used Ironite since I read some thing about Gardenia's needing a lot of iron. Well in any case that seems to be working so far but am not sure if it will hold up. I expected a lot more for $4000. Regarding mulch, he used the cheapest pine straw mulch you can ever get. There was more pine cones, leaves, twigs than pine needles. My yard looks like a big dump with green buses sticking out of them. I will call Garden Creations. Thanks for your suggestions Penny. RP "Penny Morgan" wrote in message . com... Did he do a bad job in design or are you upset about the weeds? If it's design related, you can contact Garden Creations (Kendra Douros) at 819-8814. She is a landscape designer who does consultation, drawings, installation, etc. As far as the weeds are concerned, I have to say that spraying weeds to kill them doesn't necessarily guarantee that you won't get lots more. We have the perfect conditions for weeds to come in groves right now ........warm weather and lots of wet weather. My yard is sprouting everywhere right now even after spraying and pulling all in March. You will have to spray again. Did he mulch the areas very well? Spring is the time for new growth on everything .....trees, flowers, and lots of weeds. Penny "blorefan" wrote in message om... Hi!! Can anybody suggest a good landscape designer in the trianlge area. I hired one from Apex recently and he ripped me off (paid close to $4000). He was very knowledgeable with the plants native to this area and promised low maintenance landscape so I hired him. He did a very poor job. All the beds that he supposedly sprayed with weed killer are sprouting already (the beds were planted on Apr 19,2003). I would appreciate your help. Thanks |
Landscape
It probably isn't fair to comment on the pricing. Basically you agreed to it
so you must have felt that it was reasonable. I guess you had an opportunity to negoiate the price and the terms. I might recant my staking comment, you appear to have purchased liner material : ) A good designer's or architect's fee would have been in the $400-$600 range. It would have saved you in the long run. Interesting numbers and amounts of plant materials. I don't suppose you have a digital camera to share some photos of the landscape in question? -- Baine "blorefan" wrote in message om... (blorefan) wrote in message . com... "Baine Carruthers" wrote in message ... Bain, Here are the details I promised to share with this group, Tree/Shrub Name Quantity Price Size Thundercloud plum trees 2 $190 6 gallon Chindo Viburnum 11 $198 3 gallon Wax Myrtle 5 $90 3 gallon Cleyara 3 $54 3 gallon Viburnum Tinus 4 $72 2 gallon Kleims Gardenia 8 $144 2 gallon Amur Maple (tree) 1 $65 3 feet tall Cleveland select pear 2 $210 6 gallon Miscanthus Gracillimus(grass)5 $90 3 gallon Crepe myrtle 1 $75 3 feet tall Dolchica spirea 5 $90 3 gallon Soil,mulch $900 Total for material $2178 Labor $1772 Total cost $3950 He did not remove existing grass to prepare the bed all he did was cover it with dirty mulch.The grass has begun to sprout thru the mulch already. I think for $1772 in labor I should atleast have 1 months respite from weeds and grass. His total labor time was 4hrs and 25min so I paid him $275/hr. Do you think that is a fair amount considering there was absolutely no hardscape work done? I don't mean to trash his reputation but would like to know if this was fair. I will be calling him tomorrow and then will be talking to BBB since the Gardenia's are not doing well and the Cleyeras are begining to droop. I would appreciate your input. Regards, RP I'm afraid some of these issues you don't have much to stand on. Staking trees is not generally recommended, but there are exceptions. You did not say what kind or size trees were planted. If you wanted them staked or you thought that important, you should have specified that to begin with. Yellowing of gardenias is very common and caused by many many factors. Applying ironite is just a bandaid and will do nothing for the real problem. I don't know about overpayment. $4000 does not seem unreasonable for a residential job. I've done 1/2 acre jobs that ran over $100,000.00. I believe there is 2 sides to this story and to be fair to your landscaper, you should probably offer more details. You obviously don't mind trashing his reputation. I don't know why you should feel "stupid" for overpaying. I see people every day overpaying for many different things. Most seem proud of it. Baine "blorefan" wrote in message om... I was trying to avoid mentioning all the mistakes he made since it makes me look rather stupid since I overpaid. Well here it goes, Apart from the weed problem, he planted 5 trees which he did not stake to the ground so now they are swaying all over the place and am afraid will break if we have forceful winds. He planted Kleim's gardenia in the front (facing East) which gets full sun for atleast 6 hours and two of the plants are already yellowing. I used Ironite since I read some thing about Gardenia's needing a lot of iron. Well in any case that seems to be working so far but am not sure if it will hold up. I expected a lot more for $4000. Regarding mulch, he used the cheapest pine straw mulch you can ever get. There was more pine cones, leaves, twigs than pine needles. My yard looks like a big dump with green buses sticking out of them. I will call Garden Creations. Thanks for your suggestions Penny. RP "Penny Morgan" wrote in message . com... Did he do a bad job in design or are you upset about the weeds? If it's design related, you can contact Garden Creations (Kendra Douros) at 819-8814. She is a landscape designer who does consultation, drawings, installation, etc. As far as the weeds are concerned, I have to say that spraying weeds to kill them doesn't necessarily guarantee that you won't get lots more. We have the perfect conditions for weeds to come in groves right now ........warm weather and lots of wet weather. My yard is sprouting everywhere right now even after spraying and pulling all in March. You will have to spray again. Did he mulch the areas very well? Spring is the time for new growth on everything .....trees, flowers, and lots of weeds. Penny "blorefan" wrote in message om... Hi!! Can anybody suggest a good landscape designer in the trianlge area. I hired one from Apex recently and he ripped me off (paid close to $4000). He was very knowledgeable with the plants native to this area and promised low maintenance landscape so I hired him. He did a very poor job. All the beds that he supposedly sprayed with weed killer are sprouting already (the beds were planted on Apr 19,2003). I would appreciate your help. Thanks |
Landscape
In article , blorefan wrote:
(blorefan) wrote in message . com... "Baine Carruthers" wrote in message ... Bain, Here are the details I promised to share with this group, Tree/Shrub Name Quantity Price Size Thundercloud plum trees 2 $190 6 gallon Chindo Viburnum 11 $198 3 gallon Wax Myrtle 5 $90 3 gallon Cleyara 3 $54 3 gallon Viburnum Tinus 4 $72 2 gallon Kleims Gardenia 8 $144 2 gallon Amur Maple (tree) 1 $65 3 feet tall Cleveland select pear 2 $210 6 gallon Miscanthus Gracillimus(grass)5 $90 3 gallon Crepe myrtle 1 $75 3 feet tall Dolchica spirea 5 $90 3 gallon Soil,mulch $900 Total for material $2178 Labor $1772 Total cost $3950 He did not remove existing grass to prepare the bed all he did was cover it with dirty mulch.The grass has begun to sprout thru the mulch already. I think for $1772 in labor I should atleast have 1 months What kind of grass. Sounds like the mulch was not thick enough or the grass is bermuda or zoysia and not fescue. If fescue came thru the mulch then it was definitely too much. He probably should have tilled or used roundup on any grass or weeds and even tilled before putting down the mulch. Were the plant costs comparable to wholesale or retail. respite from weeds and grass. His total labor time was 4hrs and 25min so I paid him $275/hr. Do you think that is a fair amount considering there was absolutely no hardscape work done? I don't mean to trash Are you saying only one person was onsite for 4.5 hours? he also has overhead costs like getting the plants and materials and that labor cost includes the cost of his equipment. It does sound high, but I just don't know all the factors. his reputation but would like to know if this was fair. I will be calling him tomorrow and then will be talking to BBB since the Gardenia's are not doing well and the Cleyeras are begining to droop. I would appreciate your input. Regards, RP I'm afraid some of these issues you don't have much to stand on. Staking trees is not generally recommended, but there are exceptions. You did not say what kind or size trees were planted. If you wanted them staked or you thought that important, you should have specified that to begin with. Yellowing of gardenias is very common and caused by many many factors. Applying ironite is just a bandaid and will do nothing for the real problem. I don't know about overpayment. $4000 does not seem unreasonable for a residential job. I've done 1/2 acre jobs that ran over $100,000.00. I believe there is 2 sides to this story and to be fair to your landscaper, you should probably offer more details. You obviously don't mind trashing his reputation. I don't know why you should feel "stupid" for overpaying. I see people every day overpaying for many different things. Most seem proud of it. Baine "blorefan" wrote in message om... I was trying to avoid mentioning all the mistakes he made since it makes me look rather stupid since I overpaid. Well here it goes, Apart from the weed problem, he planted 5 trees which he did not stake to the ground so now they are swaying all over the place and am afraid will break if we have forceful winds. He planted Kleim's gardenia in the front (facing East) which gets full sun for atleast 6 hours and two of the plants are already yellowing. I used Ironite since I read some thing about Gardenia's needing a lot of iron. Well in any case that seems to be working so far but am not sure if it will hold up. I expected a lot more for $4000. Regarding mulch, he used the cheapest pine straw mulch you can ever get. There was more pine cones, leaves, twigs than pine needles. My yard looks like a big dump with green buses sticking out of them. I will call Garden Creations. Thanks for your suggestions Penny. RP "Penny Morgan" wrote in message . com... Did he do a bad job in design or are you upset about the weeds? If it's design related, you can contact Garden Creations (Kendra Douros) at 819-8814. She is a landscape designer who does consultation, drawings, installation, etc. As far as the weeds are concerned, I have to say that spraying weeds to kill them doesn't necessarily guarantee that you won't get lots more. We have the perfect conditions for weeds to come in groves right now .......warm weather and lots of wet weather. My yard is sprouting everywhere right now even after spraying and pulling all in March. You will have to spray again. Did he mulch the areas very well? Spring is the time for new growth on everything .....trees, flowers, and lots of weeds. Penny "blorefan" wrote in message om... Hi!! Can anybody suggest a good landscape designer in the trianlge area. I hired one from Apex recently and he ripped me off (paid close to $4000). He was very knowledgeable with the plants native to this area and promised low maintenance landscape so I hired him. He did a very poor job. All the beds that he supposedly sprayed with weed killer are sprouting already (the beds were planted on Apr 19,2003). I would appreciate your help. Thanks -- Wes Dukes (wdukesNOatSPAMpoboxdotcom) |
Landscape
"Baine Carruthers" wrote in message
... It probably isn't fair to comment on the pricing. Basically you agreed to it so you must have felt that it was reasonable. I guess you had an Not fair? Why not? Pricing is certainly a fair topic and always will be. Obviously she was ripped. Lance |
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