It’s hard to imagine a time before tidy green lawns. But, the aesthetic of short, well-kept grass can be traced back to France in the 1700s. Back then, the sheer amount of manual labor required for upkeep meant that only the rich could afford it.  ..read more

Have you ever wondered where rainwater goes once it hits the ground? During the water cycle, stormwater is absorbed into the soil and filters into (and replenishes) streams and rivers, completing the cycle. Healthy watersheds play a critical role in helping ecosystems function and sustaining human, plant, and animal life within them.  ..read more

Smart landscaping is more than just which shrubs you choose or how many trees you plant. It’s not a quick decision or a budget move. It also requires you to consider the how: How do you create a smart landscape? Who’s doing the work? How are they getting it done? These are the two primary components to this consideration: the people and the equipment they use. Both are investments that pay in dividends later on.  ..read more

As humans, we prefer what we know. Psychology calls this the familiarity effect. It applies to places, shapes, people, even sounds. Whether we realize it or not, the familiarity effect impacts how we make decisions. We are faster to recognize and process things we know. In this way, it turns out we’re not so different from plants.  ..read more

If you’ve ever driven out of the city on a summer day, you’ve probably noticed that the temperature drops as you leave, especially at night. Urban areas with lots of buildings, concrete, and pavement experience a phenomenon called the heat island effect. In these areas, the average air temperature can be up to three degrees warmer than its surroundings during the day and up to 12 degrees warmer at night.  ..read more

Think about the last errand you ran. Maybe you went to the grocery, or a dentist appointment, or dropped your kid off at school. Imagine the trip there: You start in your driveway in the suburbs, turn onto a four-lane road separated by a grassy median, pass office parks and school campuses, and park in a lot with a tiny green plot of small hardy bushes and a tree ..read more

Heavy usage, pedestrian traffic, and large mowing equipment compact soils and inhibit the exchange of air, water, and nutrients. Some soils, like the heavy clay found in Lexington and Louisville, compact more easily than others. This inhibits a lawn’s root growth and limits soil’s ability to absorb water, a critical function of urban soils ..read more

Corporate sustainability plans are inspiring. They often include initiatives like harnessing the power of the sun, harvesting rainwater, and installing a green roof. These initiatives are exciting but often overshadow an affordable, sustainable improvement that can be made on most properties ..read more

Commercial real estate managers spend a lot of time doing cost benefit analysis. How can investing now reduce future expense? Decisions often boil down to the price of the investment relative to its savings potential. Rarely do opportunities come along that offer expense reduction without an up-front investment. Replacing some or all of your landscape’s annuals with perennials offers this very economic benefit and a few others ..read more

We are living through one of the most challenging social and economic times in modern history. Businesses are faced with unprecedented choices; scenarios most had never considered. Commercial real estate managers are looking for ways to cut expenses but, before you do, have a conversation with your account manager. With their commercial landscaping experience and history of working within corporate budgets, account managers can help balance your organization’s financial and landscaping needs. Cutting the wrong services may achieve immediate savings but it may also increase future costs. Your ..read more