The best way to ensure that your landscape stays green and healthy throughout the year is to hire a professional. A qualified landscaping company can provide expert services, quality care and a year-round commitment.
With numerous landscaping companies in Bergen County, it’s important to choose one with extensive knowledge and experience. You should look for a company that can service your home’s landscaping needs and provide quality care and maintenance within your budget. Professional care will ensure healthy, beautiful landscaping for your home throughout the year.
Hire a Qualified Landscape Professional
Before you hire someone to handle your landscaping needs, it’s important to make sure they have the relevant knowledge, skill, experience and staff to get the job done successfully. If any of these important qualities are missing, your landscape care and maintenance will be less than the best. To find the right landscaper to suit your needs, you can:
- Do Some Research – Take a look at the company’s website to gather helpful information about the company, review services offered, see photos of their work and read client testimonials and referrals.
- Get Referrals – Get referrals from friends, relatives or neighbors in your area who use professional landscaping services for their home. You can also ask landscaping companies that you talk to for direct referrals.
- Visit the Company – Some landscape companies have a nursery or showroom that’s open to the public, so you can stop by to get an idea of their work and services. You can also meet some of the crew and staff that may be helping with your landscape care and maintenance.
Ask Important Questions
After you’ve gathered a few top candidates, you should ask some important questions that will give you better insight into the company’s knowledge, skill, experience and staff. The answers will help you compare one company’s expertise to others within the industry.
What are your Professional Qualifications?
It’s important to know the company’s professional landscaping qualifications. Some professional landscaping in Bergen County NJ companies are owned and operated by someone with an educational degree in horticulture or landscape architecture, and often the staff consists of people with similar backgrounds.
Do You Belong to Any Professional Landscape Organizations?
Professional affiliations are an important part of a company’s credibility within their industry. Some of the better national or Northern NJ landscape organizations that promote horticultural education, as well as safe, ethical business practices include:
- Professional Landscape Network (PLANET)
- American Society of Landscape Architects
- New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association
- Builders & Remodelers Association of NJ
- Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program
How Long Have You been in Business?
The length of time a company has been in business is a good indicator of industry success. If a landscape company has been in business for 20 or 30 years, especially in the same location, you can count on professional landscaping with excellent results and happy clients.
Are You Licensed and Insured?
A company providing professional services for landscaping in Bergen County, NJ should be licensed and insured. They should have a current business license and liability insurance that covers damages to your property, as well as workman’s compensation insurance that protects their own workers in case of injury while on your property.
Can You Handle All of My Landscaping Needs?
Although small landscape companies may do great work, they may not have adequate crews and staff employees to handle larger workloads and service issues. Make sure the landscaping company you hire can adequately handle all of your home’s landscaping needs and projects.
Look for Important Landscaping Services
Regular Care and Maintenance
To ensure a green, healthy lawn and landscape year-round, you’ll need regular care and maintenance for your property. Typically, basic care and maintenance services are provided on a weekly basis and include:
- Lawn mowing
- Weeding
- Border edging for driveways, walkways and patios
- Cleaning of hardscape surfaces like driveways, walkways and patios
- Spring yard cleanup to remove dead growth and debris
- Fall yard cleanup to remove dead growth and debris and prep for winter
Additional Landscaping Services
In addition to weekly landscape care and maintenance, the best companies that offer landscaping in Bergen County, NJ provide additional services that are important to the beauty and health of your landscape. These additional services include:
- Lawn renovations
- Garden designs
- Seasonal planting of foliage and flowers
- Pruning of trees and shrubs
- Mulching
- Fertilizing
Specialty Landscape Services
Some professional landscaping companies offer specialty services that promote a safe outdoor environment, as well as a beautiful landscape. Knowledge, skill and technical expertise is required for best results with these specialty landscape services.
Organic Lawn Care
Organic lawn care is a great way to provide a safe, healthy, chemical-free environment for your family and pets. It promotes a green lifestyle that protects the environment from toxic fumes and harmful chemicals often found in over-the-counter fertilizers and pesticides. Borst Landscape & Design specializes in organic landscaping in Bergen County, NJ. by providing a complete line of natural products to keep your lawn and landscape beautiful.
Outdoor Pest Control
All landscapes are subject to a variety of outdoor pests, such as insects, small rodents and deer. Not all of them are harmful, but some can cause significant damage to your lawn and landscape. When it comes to outdoor pest control, proactive measures and regular maintenance are the best prevention. Outdoor pests thrive in poorly maintained landscapes with weeds, overgrown shrubs and trees, standing water and outdoor debris. Regular care and maintenance will get rid of hiding places for pests to thrive, prevent landscape damage and ensure a healthy outdoor environment for your family and pets.
An Integrated Pest Management Program (IPM) provides a pest control and prevention program that uses chemical-free, organic solutions for your landscape. An IPM includes:
- Property visits from an IPM specialist multiple times during the year.
- An inspection of your landscape plants, shrubs and trees by an IPM specialist during each property visit. If problems are found, appropriate pest control treatments will be used to clear up existing problems and prevent new problems.
- A detailed report after each inspection that outlines any pest problems found in your landscape and how those problems were treated.
Lawn Aeration
Over time, your soil can become dry and compacted by foot traffic or freezing Northern NJ winter temperatures. Lawn aeration is done to loosen compacted soil and create openings for oxygen and nutrients, so they can reach grass and plant roots. The process can be done with hand tools, but best results are accomplished with professional equipment. Lawn aeration helps to keep soil moist and fertile, so healthy plant roots can be established for optimal plant growth.
French Drains
If you have problems with drainage or standing water in your landscape, a French drain can resolve the problems. A French drain provides a channel that water can flow through easily. Typically, a gravel-filled trench contains the water flow that empties into a perforated pipe at the bottom of the trench. Water flows easily through the pipe and empties at a safe distance away from the house. A qualified, professional landscape company can install a French drain at a reasonable cost based on the length of pipe that’s required.
Design and Build Features
A skilled, knowledgeable company that provides professional landscaping in Bergen County, NJ often provides design and build services for a variety of great outdoor features. These features can significantly impact the beauty of your landscape and property value of your home. Outdoor features include:
- Swimming pools
- Spas and hot tubs
- Waterfalls, fountains and ponds
- Outdoor fireplaces and fire pits
- Outdoor kitchens
- Outdoor pavilions
- Patios and terraces
- Driveways and walkways
- Retaining walls
- Landscape lighting
To get the best landscaping, work with a landscape professional that has expert knowledge, proper technical skills, reputable work experience and professional crews. Borst Landscape & Design will provide all of these important factors to ensure a beautiful, healthy landscape.