Plantscapes

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12 Sep 2008
0 Comments By The Plantscapes Team Color, Uncategorized , ,

Can You Believe Summer Is Over?

Container Garden
Container Garden

The weather in Puget Sound is beautiful. After a rainy spring and summer, we are headed for a glorious fall.

Your property (whether home or commercial) can be bursting with color and greenery all year long if you just plan ahead and follow a Northwest planting calendar. Now is the time to start paring back your annuals, to begin choosing and planting bulbs for the spring, and to find a cool, shady spot for fall pansies and ornamental cabbage and kale.

Many Plantscapes gardeners like to plant showy containers with cold-tolerant foliage for the winter. A tall center plant, like New Zealand flax, surrounded by colorful pansies or trailing herbs can make the bleak December days a little more cheerful.

If you haven’t scheduled your autumn planting yet – now’s the time to call Plantscapes (206-623-7100) and ask to speak with Joanie – Plantscapes’ resident exterior color genius.

(Photo by destabee. Released under Creative Commons License)

15 Jul 2008
0 Comments By The Plantscapes Team Green and Natural, Uncategorized , ,

Our Commitment to the Environment

At Plantscapes, plants are not just our job, they are our passion.

Because we love nature, we care about  the environment. Several Plantscapes employees are members of their local Master Gardeners and Master Composters groups. Some belong to Plant Amnesty or Seattle Tilth.

This personal commitment to environmentally sound landscaping carries through from our personal to our professional lives. Plantscapes has always recycled plant material as well as paper, cardboard, and other office waste.

Beyond these common business practices, we are commited to using the safest and least disruptive methods of pest and weed control.

Strong, healthy plants are the best defense against pest infestations. We will always work with our clients to choose the right plant in the right place – one that is suited to both the light and temperature requirements of the individual environment where it will be placed. When plants outgrow their space or containers, we replace them.

However, even with the best of care, some pest problems are inevitable (that is part of the cycle of nature). When problems arise, Plantscapes is committed to using the softest pest control methods available.

For instance, Plantscapes has been a leader in the use of beneficial insects for pest control in shopping mall, hotel, and business atriums.  We use soaps and natural pest control products to keep plants healthy.  If there is any chance that the public could unknowingly be exposed to chemicals, we choose organic pest control methods instead.

25 Jun 2008
0 Comments By The Plantscapes Team The Plantscapes Team, Uncategorized

At Plantscapes, Training Is The Key

At Plantscapes Horticultural Services in Seattle, training is the key to good customer service. From small-group classes to one-on-one instruction, Plantscapes supervisors teach their horticultural technicians the best way to care for customers’ plants.

Plantscapes is a member of the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), the official trade association for the landscape contracting industry. PLANET’s proven and consistent standards set the tone for interior and exterior tech training at Plantscapes. New horticultural techs are trained one-on-one with an experienced supervisor, who verses them on protocol and service etiquette, as well as the nuts and bolts of watering, pruning and cleaning the foliage. Once the foundation is laid, technicians complete a series of classes and pass a stringent examination to be designated Certified Landscape Technician. The CLT title is recognized as a mark of excellence among landscape contractors.

Training continues with monthly information meetings, where an instructor reviews plant maintenance techniques or introduces new trends in plants or design. Technicians also use the classes to share their success stories from the field, so that others may learn from their experience.

In-house training at Plantscapes is supplemented with seminars. Staffers attend computer classes, customer service seminars, design classes and other instruction to help them do the best job possible for their customers.