Pansy Problems?

What a mild winter we've been having!

You fellow Richmonders probably noticed that your pansies were looking great up until we had that cold snap last week.

You also might be wondering 'Hey! I thought pansies were cold-weather annuals? Why do they look weary after the cold snap?'

As our friend Richard Nunnally so succinctly explained in his Gardening Q & A column on Saturday, the unseasonably warm (60 degree!) weeks leading up to the cold snap allowed your pansy plantings to grow some tender new foliage. Unfortunately this new foliage was still a bit too tender to be unharmed by the sub-freezing night time temperatures last week.

What can you do about this?

Right now, let them be. It would be unwise to try to fertilize now since there is likely still some cold winter weather in store for us and fertilizing now would promote more foliage growth resulting in the same frost damage. Once we've gotten through February, you could fertilize your pansies (in early March) for a beautiful show through March and April.

While we're on the topic of beautiful pansy plantings, what is your favorite color combination? Do you like to plant yellows and bronzes to coordinate with autumn plantings? Do you prefer red and white to coordinate with Christmas? Or maybe you like pastels so that when your spring bulbs are blooming, your pansies coordinate? We'd love to hear your opinion-- Everyone's taste is different!

Welcome, 2012!

It's such a great feeling to start a new year, don't you think?

Here at Robbins Landscaping we like to spend time in the first few weeks of the year to really evaluate what we want to accomplish in the coming year. These winter weeks are a fresh start, a renewed commitment to our clients and our work.

Here are some of the professional goals that our team members have for 2012:

Chris plans to establish a LinkedIn account to better network with clients and other professionals

Tommy plans to improve the organization of the office systems and procedures

Sarah plans to use Outlook more effectively and to become better organized

Jesus wants to help others by teaching the irrigation experience that he has

John wants to improve daily efficiencies as well as equipment usage

Alex wants to improve his communication with his clients

Luke wants to perform the Commercial Landscape Maintenance to the best of his ability

What are your goals? What are some goals that other small businesses have? We are inspired by the resolutions others commit to- share yours with us!

The Stahr's Front Walkway

Hi all! We're here today to share some photos from a project we finished last week for the Stahr family!

David and Kristen Stahr live in Ashland, VA. Their home is tucked away in the beautiful, wooded country and they called us needing help with the entrance to their home.

Over the summer, David had built a really nice front porch and stairs for their home which led to the idea of a new front walkway.

The existing walkway was a simple, concrete path that likely was installed when the home was built a few decades ago. The concrete was cracking and the sharp right angle of the path was less-than convenient to use, particularly in relation to where the Stahrs parked their cars in the driveway.

The need for a new walkway that was more conducive to the Stahrs' daily life was evident. Some of the details of the project included the need to incorporate the already existing stairs and porch into the design for a seamless transition into the house as well as a wheelchair ramp.

Tom and I met with the Stahrs several times to finalize the drawing for the project and in late-November, we were ready to move forward.

Our design build team assigned to this project was John, Juan, and Jesus. The crew worked for three long days last week to create the new entrance! All their hard work paid off, though, because the Stahrs are absolutely thrilled with their experience with Robbins Landscaping! On the second day of the install, Kristen sent me this message:

"...Because my work desk is right by the window, I’ve been able to see some of the progress and have been impressed with how conscientious the guys have been with making sure things are “perfect”. I’m so thankful to you and your team for all you’ve done to help make this work for us. It looks better than I ever could have imagined, and that’s being said before the job is even completed.

Take care,

Kristen"

Here are some pictures of the final project:

John, Juan, and Jesus did a particularly good job making sure that the grade of the patio matched the grade of the bottom step... no toe-stubbing here!

David and Kristen are really pleased with the end result! This is the message that Kristen sent me on the evening that the crew finished:

" Sarah,
All I can say is wow! I literally got tears in my eyes when I saw the yard after it was finished. It is truly unbelievable! I could not be any happier with it and don’t know how to thank you guys enough... It really is better than I could have hoped for.

Thanks again, Sarah – and Tom, for all your patience and hard work with getting this together for us. It’s truly beautiful!
-Kristen"

Thank you to the Stahrs for the opportunity to work together on this project! We enjoyed the experience and are looking forward to continuing to help you transform your home landscape!

Giving Thanks

Hi all!

While we try to be thankful daily for our many blessings, we thought it was appropriate to share with you all some things that we are thankful for today-you know, in the spirit of the holiday! Here it is...

Robbins Landscaping is THANKFUL for:

Loyal and friendly clients- Our clients are the lifeblood of our business and we thoroughly enjoy engaging with and serving our clients!

Conscientious and enthusiastic co-workers- let's face it, we spend more time with our co-workers than our families and it's nice to get along with our fellow team members!

This year's weather- Despite the fact that the rain and hurricane of this fall made completing projects and services a challenge, we are thankful that this year wasn't as dry as last year!

The beauty of nature- We love what we do and we are so thankful that we can be part of an effort to showcase the beauty of nature!

The Greater Richmond Community- We feel so lucky to be a part of such an energetic, culturally-rich, and close-knit community!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

We hope you have a wonderful holiday and that you have much to be thankful for!

Add Value to Your Home!

While reading the Richmond Times Dispatch a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a helpful article entitled: 'What are the best ways to add value to your home?'

I thought I'd share the answers since we are all looking to add value these days:

-Remodel a home office
-Renovate or add a family room
-Replace the roof
-*Landscape your yard*
-Replace old windows
-Remodel your basement
-Paint (neutral colors)
-Remodel your kitchen
-Remodel or add a bathroom

And since this is a landscaping-based blog, I'll share the reasons why landscaping adds value to your home:

"...landscaping can give a great-or not so great- first impression. Backyard landscaping can transform ordinary spaces into incredible entertaining areas by including elegant water features and lush plants...your new landscaped yard adds value to your home and increases your living space."
-Richmond Times Dispatch, Saturday, October 15, 2011.

So there you have it: just one more reason that professional landscaping is a great idea!

E-Myth Landscape Contractor--It's here!

We received a fun package in the mail yesterday; after quickly unwrapping it we discovered that The E-Myth Landscape Contractor book by Michael E. Gerber and Tony Bass had arrived!

Tony Bass, our long-time friend and business consultant, has partnered with Michael Gerber to write this fantastic book tailored specifically to the landscape contracting industry!

Doug was so lucky as to have had the opportunity to read the book before publishing! Check out Doug's review!

Congratulations to Tony Bass and Michael Gerber on a job well done! For all of you Green Industry professionals out there, take some time to read the book; it's a wealth of insight!

Note: we were not perked or paid to promote this book; we just think it's good enough to tell you about!

Our Heartfelt Thanks

On this Veteran's Day we'd like to send a very heartfelt thank you to all of our servicemen and servicewomen along with their families and friends for the sacrifice and service they have given to our country.

We appreciate all that they have done and continue to do in order that we may live the American Dream.

On this day of remembrance we carry in our hearts the recognition of the veterans that so bravely and selflessly served and continue to serve our country.

"In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: 'To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…' "
-United States Department of Veterans Affairs

Thank you.

(Robbins Landscaping Team Members helping the Autry Family though GreenCare for Troops, Spring 2010)