It sits on a geologic formation once thick with mesquite trees known as Rattlesnake Hill in Dallas, sandwiched among Grand Prairie, Cockrell Hill and Duncanville.

Now, the piece of property along Spur 408 (known to long-timers as Kiest Boulevard) in southwest Dallas County is a botanical gem few area residents have visited or even know about. The 183-acre campus of Dallas Baptist University has come a long way since its president asked staff to bring flowers and shrubs from home to help beautify the grounds.

The college campus has been recognized for its natural beauty by several national associations. It was named a Tree Campus USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation and is a member of the American Public Gardens Association. Drive or walk through the campus and you’ll see tree-lined avenues and rolling hills overlooking Mountain Creek Lake. You’ll see waterfalls and seating areas that invite students to relax, socialize or study.

Swan Lake, more than 7 acres, teems with life, and an adjacent, three-tiered pond is surrounded by picturesque weeping willows.

All of this fits in a campus designed to take visitors back to the Colonial era of the United States. Streets are named for Revolutionary heroes, and concrete paver walkways and roads mimic cobblestone. Many of the university’s buildings are designed after early American landmarks, and it all seems appropriate for DBU, whose mascot is the Patriots and who counts the family name Pilgrim among its benefactors.

Dallas Baptist University moved from Decatur to its current site in 1965, and the campus remained a mesquite-topped hill for more than 20 years. Gary Cook, who became president of the college in 1988, believed improved landscaping was necessary for the mental well-being of staff and students alike.

“It was pretty desolate at the time,” says J. Blair Blackburn, DBU executive vice president. “He knew we needed flowers, trees and shrubs around the campus to keep up the spirits of the students, staff and faculty. Budget was very limited, so Cook asked the staff to buy flats of flowers, or bring plants from home and plant them here.

“There was almost no grounds staff and no irrigation system, so the faculty had to do most of the watering themselves with hoses connected to the buildings.”

Since that time, DBU has planted more than 2,000 trees on campus, including 500 donated in 1989 by the late real estate developer Trammell Crow from a tree farm he owned.

Most of the landscape development has taken place over the last 17 years, says Robert Erickson, director of landscaping and special projects. “There are just so much topography, vision and vistas here. It’s really a landscaper’s dream.”

Visitors should look for botanical high points such as the Louis Morton Ellis Prayer Garden, located in the center of campus beside the Patty and Bo Pilgrim Chapel. The hillside garden, planted with seasonal color and perennials, has a roaring waterfall flowing over native stone. It’s a common location for wedding photos.

Also visit the Bush Pond, surrounded with bald cypress trees and featuring an island furnished with a gazebo. A bridge to the island was constructed of Alaskan fir timbers harvested especially for the project.

The landscaping plan was adopted to do more than prettify the terrain. It was designed to inspire the school’s 5,500 students; 1,650 live on campus. “Psychology shows that water is soothing and makes an excellent environment to study by,” Erickson says. “We have lots of ponds and sitting areas around the campus, and the kids really use them.”

From Blackburn’s point of view, the campus is a piece of countryside tucked inside the city. “The topography, the rolling hills, is very rare in the Dallas area. The vision was to create areas to get students outside. This is really a very rural setting. We wanted to create beauty that inspires not just intellectual but also spiritual development,” he says.

With DBU-built references to American history, visitors feel transported back in time. The John G. Mahler Student Center is a re-creation of Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Joan and Andy Horner Hall is a replica of Philadelphia’s Congress Hall. Spence Hall replicates the Wren Building, built in 1647 at the College of William Mary in Williamsburg, Va., and thought to be the oldest academic building in America.

A set of student housing buildings replicates Colonial Williamsburg, although you won’t find students churning butter behind the white picket fences surrounding what is called the Village.

Standing above them all is the 192-foot Patty and Bo Pilgrim Chapel, a replica of the chapel at the First Baptist Church in Providence, R.I., built in 1775. Chicken magnate Bo Pilgrim, co-founder of Pilgrim’s Pride, donated $8 million for this $25 million building on the campus’ highest elevation. Its gold-plated cross is a beacon for the entire university.

If you think winter would be the dullest season on a tree-lined campus, university officials urge visitors to drive to the campus to see the Christmas decorations. Millions of lights drape the buildings, making it a holiday-season destination.

Todd W. Davis is a Richardson gardener and freelance writer.

garden@dallasnews.com

 

Texas’ tree campuses

Just eight Texas colleges and universities have been named Tree Campus USA schools by the National Arbor Day Foundation.

Dallas Baptist University, Dallas

McLennan Community College, Waco

Rice University, Houston

Tarrant County College, Southeast Campus, Arlington

Texas AM University, College Station

Texas State University, San Marcos

University of North Texas, Denton

University of Texas, Austin

Schools must meet many criteria to achieve Tree Campus USA status. These include establishing a tree-care plan, having a dedicated tree-planting and maintenance budget, observing National Arbor Day and adopting a tree-education program.

In the wake of Tropical Storm Sandy, some residents may wonder where they can find a tree and lawn service company in October and November.

Here is a list of lawn and gardening companies from our directories on Madison Patch and Chatham Patch:

 

Dave’s Lawn Care
30 River Rd., Chatham
973-701-9143

Simonfay Landscape Services, Inc.
150 Main St., Chatham
973-635-5499

Chester Design
43 Kings Rd., Chatham
973-701-9585

T.A. Mchugh
159 Lafayette Ave., Chatham
973-635-6331
Susan Cohan Gardens
69 Hedges Ave., Chatham
973-665-9260

JMB Landscaping
449 River Rd., Chatham
973-635-5048

The Environmental Approach
244 Main St., Chatham
973-635-9404

 

S. Johnson Landscape Management Inc.
43 Roosevelt Ave., Chatham
973-635-0052

Isco Services Sprinkler
100 Passaic Ave., Chatham
973-635-3355

Chatham Lawnmower Service
14 Commerce St., Chatham
973-635-8855

Davey Commercial Services
285 Madison Ave., Madison
973-660-9669

Honor Tree Service
270 Kings Rd., Madison
973-822-0626

James Fox Landscape Design
39 Green Village Rd., Madison
973-765-9199

Limbach’s Landscaping
31 Noe Ave., Madison
973-377-4715

All American Tree Service
PO Box 972, Madison
973-443-9233

Tom Brill Landscape Design Construction, LLC
8 Belmont Ave., Madison
973-236-0006

White Oak Landscape
86 Ridgedale Ave., Madison
973-377-5316

Carefree Yards
73 Main St., Madison
973-822-0587

Keegans Landscaping
87 Ridgedale Ave., Madison
973-822-1378

Zander Landscaping
14 Noe Ave., Madison
973-236-1300

Great River Gardens closed its doors for good last week. Owner Joe Riehle named the nursery and landscaping business after the Mississippi River that bordered the farm on Hwy. 169, 10 miles northeast of Aitkin. In the end, the river proved too great for the gardens.

Just days from the closing of the retail location in Aitkin last week, Riehle said this summer’s unusual and historic flood was the final straw for the business that suffered losses at the farm and at the outlet in Aitkin, both of which were located on the Mississippi.

“It was just a hard year … we lost a fair amount at the center [in Aitkin], a lot of crops at the farm and we lost a lot of business,” Riehle said.

Riehle was working on expansion when the floods came late enough in the growing season to do substantial damage throughout the Aitkin area. Riehle believed that damage to gardens also led to a substantial reduction in retail business at the farm and at its three garden centers in Aitkin, McGregor and Crosby.

Riehle said his family has already moved from the area. He held out the possibility that the business may continue but, if it does, he said, it will be under new ownership.

“It might open back up in the spring but it will be someone else’s venture. I’m older now … it’s time for me to move on to something else. I’m not sure what that’s going to be at this point,” Riehle said.

*`

Great River Gardens started in 1986 and has been solely owned and operated by Riehle and his family since 1991. The 83-acre farm has been home to fruit orchards, asparagus fields, laying hens, annual and perennial gardens, shrubs, trees, greenhouses and high tunnels to grow a variety of produce.    

“Our reputation is growing,” the business website states, “Our mission is to make you as successful as you can be in your outdoor growing and decorating effort. We have 25-plus years experience growing plants in the Aitkin area and have selected what we think are the best performing plants for this area to grow and sell.”

 In addition to a wide selection of annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, fruit, tropicals, water plants and native plants, they also carried supplies for gardeners and landscapers and had a landscaping division that did planting, lakeshore restoration and construction of patios, walls, walkways, water features and irrigation systems.

Almost all of the plants sold at all four locations were grown on the farm. Produce grown at the farm included asparagus, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, sweet corn, melons and tomatoes. People were welcome to tour the farm and pick their own produce. Over the years, the business also sold produce at local farmers’ markets and, through its Community Support Agriculture program, the business ran a subscription service for six months of fresh produce.

The farm used sustainable methods of crop production with compost, mulch, green manures, cover crops, crop rotation and a minimal amount of chemicals.

Flood of support

Asparagus fields aren’t necessarily forever and the effect of losing a signature business rippled through the community last week like so much receding flood water.

Great River Gardens employed 30-35 people during the growing season – 12-15 full-time employees and up to 20 more part-time. Riehle said he’d enjoyed the business and the people he worked with and appreciated the patronage of his customers.

“We are very sad to hear this,” said Aitkin Area Chamber of Commerce Director Matthew Hill. “Great River Gardens has been a huge supporter of chamber events like the Riverboat Days and Fish House parades and the sport and commerce show … Joe Riehle and the business have been active in the community and will definitely be missed.”

“Joe Riehle has been very supportive of initiatives that enhance our community such as the design and building of the Nutriman garden at Rippleside Elementary,” said Amy Wyant who spear-headed the project. “He donated countless hours and materials so that, for years to come, our youth will learn what it means to plant, tend and harvest food. In this age where many kids think food comes solely from a can or box, the experiential learning and knowledge that the garden provides is one of our best classrooms. Joe also added a European cultural flair during Riverboat Days by donating the design and plants to build the Fit City Aitkin Italian garden.”

Stacy Mross, manager of the Great River Garden Center in Aitkin, said the flood hit the center really hard. The center lost about 85 percent of the trees and shrubs and the business was under water for almost a month. Mross said she hopes someone or a group of people will be able to take over where Riehle is leaving off.

“In a good year, business here is amazing,” Mross said. “This is a tragedy for the community to lose not just one but three greenhouses. We have a wonderful staff and a great business. It’s really sad. It will be sorely missed by everyone who lives in the community.”

FAIRMONT – Implementing a sustainable landscape is increasingly important, especially in a drought. But what, exactly, does a sustainable landscape look like, and how do businesses, municipalities and homeowners create them.

Fred Rozumalski, a horticulturist, ecologist and landscape architect at Barr Engineering, will hold workshops to address these questions over the next two weeks.

From 12:30-4:30 p.m. Thursday at the Martin County Library, Rozumalski will talk to landscape professionals, real estate agents, business managers, city and county employees, and grounds maintenance workers. At 5:30 p.m. Nov. 7 at the library, he will present the same information on a smaller scale to homeowners. The homeowner session also will cover lakeshore information.

“We are focusing on the capture of stormwater to protect your lakes,” he said, adding that there will be discussion on appropriate plants and soil types. “Instead of stormwater being a waste product, how do we capture it and use it?”

Capturing stormwater is more than just installing rain barrels. Rozumalski will outline how soil types alter water retention, and discuss installing rain gardens in what is becoming a new normal climate.

“Climate change is upon us – we swing from super wet to super dry,” he said. “How do we landscape in the face of that?”

Rozumalski said landscaping has changed as climate change has made for crazy weather, but homeowners and businesses still want neat, tidy lawns with minimal maintenance.

“People find native plants unattractive and difficult to take care of,” he said. “Native plants seed themselves and people find it difficult to know what is a plant and what is a weed. Midwesterners want a neat and tidy landscape…. We want the benefits of native grasses in a neat and tidy way.”

Creating a greener landscape also makes sense financially.

“Water is expensive,” he said, “so why pay for city water? Capture what [stormwater] you can.”

Martin Soil and Water Conservation District received a grant to cover most of the cost of the workshop.

Cathy Thiesse, of the Soil and Water district, said Rozumalski is an engaging speaker who was involved with the nationally significant Burnsville Rainwater Gardens project. The project reduced runoff rates by 90 percent into Crystal Lake through rain gardens in adjoining neighborhoods.

The cost to attend either workshop is $10. RSVP to Martin Soil and Water Conservation District office at (507) 235-6680.

There are many times when I curse the stream on our property, particularly when it submerges the garden. But last time this happened there was an upside.

A huge piece of driftwood, presumably liberated from someone else’s garden alongside the same stream, beached itself on our bank.

I might have considered wandering upstream until I found its owner, had I not been busy wandering downstream looking for our two teak loungers and the garden shed and contents that had washed away.

So the piece of driftwood, which brought a couple of smaller pals with it, has been incorporated into a new, coastal-themed garden under construction, and we’re now beachcombing with a passion to find more pieces.

When you’re a garden designer on a mission, the flotsam and jetsam washed in by the tide ceases to be rubbish, becoming art instead.

The bleached skulls of unidentifiable dead things, old oars, buoys, rope, driftwood, shells and bits of boat are carted home in the car boot, along with seaweed, if there is any, to await their resurrection in the garden.

I’ve always been a bit disparaging about the themed gardens I’ve seen – and there have been many – but I have to admit that the coastal ones are fun.

And if you live on the coast you have every excuse for doing one because the sand-salt-seabreeze environment demands quite specific design and planting.

Landscape materials for coastal gardens are fairly simple – old, weathered timber, shells, corrugated iron, boardwalks and blue paint. Look out on the auctions sites, at garage sales and junk shops for buoys, fishing nets, fishing rods, cray pots, coils of rope and oars. Best not to tell friends you’re collecting coastal junk or you’ll have their dead waders and broken outboard motors on your doorstep.

A beach-themed garden works well with contemporary elements, so if you want to incorporate a few modern touches, buy a trendy shade sail and add a couple of retro timber and striped canvas deck chairs.

If your coast-themed garden isn’t anywhere near the coast you can plant what you like, but if you are beset by salt winds and sandy soil, check out the plants that are growing well around your area.

Take particular note of any civic landscaping nearby – the council may have had access to good research and more time and money than you have to experiment.

If yours is a windy area and your soil is sandy and loose, anchor your plants until they get established.

Put stones or driftwood on top of the soil until the plants can look after themselves.

Give them shelter – a beachy corrugated iron fence hung with old nets and bits of driftwood will look cool and keep your plants out of the salt winds.

And then try some of these:

Ceanothus – a hardy shrub with bright blue flowers.

Daisies – the most popular coastal plant. They naturalise quickly, spread happily and look colourful.

Geraniums – as above, and they love hot, dry conditions.

Wormwood – it’s a silver foliage shrub so it likes the dry and has great foliage.

Leucospernums – great flowers and foliage.

Lavender – they’ll think they’re in the Med and perform beautifully.

Gazania – brilliant ground cover, use for all year round colour breaks.

Succulents – ever seen a dead one? They survive just about anything.

Olives – if you have space for a specimen tree this is a silver-foliaged heat lover that won’t mind it dry.

Sustainability in gardening and landscaping has been a bit difficult to define and to explain to the home gardener. But increasingly, sustainability has become a major issue as gardeners are urged to join in efforts “to protect and conserve our water and other natural resources.”

The last phrase is a direct quote from the University of California’s website on Central Valley Friendly Landscaping (www.uncanr.org/CVFriendlyLandscaping). The Fresno County Master Gardeners UCCE have joined with the cities of Fresno and Clovis, the Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District and the Clovis Botanical Garden in recognizing homeowners who have installed sustainable landscapes and who follow sustainable gardening practices. Photos on the website portray gardens of the winners of the 2011 CV Friendly Landscape Awards. The landscaping styles of the gardens vary considerably; all are beautiful, as might be expected. It’s what is not shown in the photos that is most impressive.

The website includes an application form for entering the competition. The list of nine required sustainable practices on the application is a real eye-opener — mostly because the practices follow basic common sense and are so easily implemented — and because consistently adhering to these fairly simple practices can have such a beneficial effect on our environment.

Sustainability begins with 1) choosing only plants that require minimal water, suitable for our arid climate (“Sunset Western Gardener’s” Zones 8 and 9). 2) Hosing off hard surfaces and allowing water, debris and pollutants to run into the gutters or street drains is not allowed. 3) Lawns, if any, must be mowed at the appropriate height for the grass type so that no more than one-third the blade is removed at each mowing. 4) Fertilizers are applied by need, not by schedule, and only organic or slow-release fertilizers can be applied. 5) Irrigation is also by need and on the city’s mandated schedule. 6) Sprinklers are turned off during rain storms. 7 and 8) Irrigation systems are monitored monthly to make adjustments and check for problems, and repairs are made promptly. 9) Any irrigation by a hose or a manual system is on on a timer, such as a kitchen timer.

Homeowners must also choose among other sustainable practices such as converting sprinklers to drip irrigation or soaker hoses, channeling and saving rain water for use in the garden, discontinuation of the use of pesticides and herbicides, buying plants from local sources, using hand-powered tools (rakes, shears, etc.) or electric hedgers and mowers or blowers, installing water-permeable hardscape materials, and placing all garden debris into the green waste bins or into a compost pile.

HM the Queen met members of Milton Keynes-based Frosts Landscape Construction Ltd after they played a leading role in creating a new green landmark for London by re-landscaping the Jubilee Gardens on London’s South Bank.

The gardens re-opened on Thursday, May 31 in time for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, but they were officially opened by Her Majesty the Queen on yesterday (Thursday).

The South Bank Gardens have already been visited by thousands of people since the Diamond Jubilee and are expected to become one of the most visited green spaces in the country.

Frosts were appointed as main contractor against major competition from several national construction companies.

Ken White, managing director of Frosts Landscape Construction Ltd, and his team met the Queen in an official presentation line where she was also presented with a posey, created by the company’s florists in Woburn Sands.

Ken talked about how important this has been for the family-run business. He said: “It has been an honour and a privilege for Frosts to have been tasked with the re-development of the Jubilee Gardens, which our group won after a long bidding process. With all eyes on London in this iconic year, we knew that we had to create something very special and we are extremely pleased with the end result”.

For more details about Frosts Landscape Construction Ltd visit www.frostslandscapes.co.uk.

25 October, 2012
| By Rakesh Ramchurn

The Queen has formerly opened West 8’s Jubilee Gardens on London’s Southbank after a £5million redevelopment

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Photo by DAVID ALBERS

David Albers/Staff
– Local entrepreneurs Michael and Peggy Hoggatt have developed a product called EnviroHOLD as a water-based garden adhesive that locks mulch into place.

This is the time of year when snow birds and tourists return to the island. Everyone is busy cleaning the last of the summer growth from their landscapes. Many people will begin mulching their gardens as mulching adds a uniformity to the landscape which makes it appear neat and pleasing to the eye.

If your landscape is planted and maintained properly you should need less and less mulch as the years go by. Plants should be allowed to mature so that they become one large mass in your garden beds and should always be trimmed so that the foliage shades the ground underneath. This does not allow weed seeds to germinate due to the lack of sunlight. But mulching plant beds in the landscape is a good thing to do for many reasons. Mulch cools the soil to help retains soil moisture, reduces weed growth in open areas, and decomposes to add organic matter to the soil. It will cover the sticks and leaves left behind by summers excessive growth which will decompose and generate more organic matter to help combat poor soil conditions.

Mulch should be applied evenly throughout the beds at a depth of four inches if this is the first application or two to three inches if previously mulched beds are being redressed. Always leave an inch or two of breathing space around the stems or trunks or the plants and trees. Mulch applied next to plant stems can cause rot from the constant moisture and this could result in their death.

Never mulch citrus trees. Citrus trees prefer a clean, raked soil under them out to the drip line. They have very shallow feeder roots which are susceptible to disease when constantly moist. If the tree develops foot rot it will attack the bark of the lower trunk causing it to peel and lift away. In time this will girdle the entire tree causing death. Once the disease appears it is not curable. You can try to slow the progress of the disease by cleaning the loose bark and applying a fungicide to the area.

There are many types of mulch to choose from. Chipped is cheaper than shredded mulch. The chipped mulch will wash away much quicker than shredded. Shredded will matt together and stay in place while it decomposes. You can get shredded or chipped mulches made from the wood of cypress, eucalyptus or Florimulch from the melaleuca tree. Another mulch is pine-bark. This mulch which tends to stay in place a long time and has a more rustic look. Or pine-straw, which is really pine-needles and has a soft, fluffy appearance. The various types of mulch are all different in color and smell so it is really a matter of personal preference which is the best. Since the melaleuca tree is a nuisance tree which we are trying to eradicate from our native forests, Florimulch or Enviromulch would be good choices environmentally.

Dyed or colored mulches like red, black and gold mulch, which have been very popular since coming on the market, may be hazardous to your health. Two Florida engineers, Helena Solo-Gabriele of the University of Miami and Tim Townsend of the University of Florida studied the use of lumber debris. Some dyed mulch is made from lumber debris. Dyed landscape mulch containing wood treated with CCA(chromium, copper and arsenic), or better known as pressure treated wood can raise the level of arsenic in soil above safe levels. Walt Disney World will not use treated lumber anywhere they keep animals. Cooperative Extension agents advise against using CCA treated wood in vegetable and fruit gardens or in children’s play areas. While not all dyed mulch contains debris from pressure treated wood, some brands do. If you still want to use this kind of mulch, you should examine it closely looking for particle board or plywood. If the mulch contains either try buying another brand or kind. Marco is a small island and we use our ground water through reverse osmosis. You should use dyed mulch cautiously.

Florimulch or Enviromulch have been around for many years. It used to be hard to find but is becoming more popular. I have always been intrigued by this mulch as a good replacement for cypress mulch, which is the mulch most people use. Cypress trees are very slow growing and we are cutting them down at an alarming rate to mulch our gardens. Melaleuca, on the other hand, is a tree we are trying to eradicate from our native forests. This mulch also seems to repel many insects including termites. And it is not contaminated with arsenic and other chemicals found in the dyed, recycled wood mulches. It decomposes more slowly and is a no-float mulch.

Florimulch or Enviromulch are my top choices for mulching your gardens. They are an easy way to help the environment while improving your property. It costs a little more for a bag than other mulches but you should just consider that a charitable contribution to helping our native forests.

How much mulch will you need? By the bag. At a depth of two inches a 2 cu. ft. bag will cover 12 sq. ft. and a 3 cu. ft. bag will cover 16 sq. ft. At a depth of 3 inches a 2 cu. ft. bag will cover 8 sq. ft. and a 3 cu. ft. bag will cover 12 sq. ft. At a depth of four inches a 2 cu. ft. bag will cover 6 sq. ft. and a 3 cu. ft. bag will cover 8 sq. ft. in bulk; 1 cu. yd. will cover 162 sq. ft. at a depth of 2 inches – 129 sq. ft. at 3 inches or 81 sq. ft. at four inches. To figure area multiply length times width.

Most Marco yards will need at least one pallet (75 to 80 bags) of mulch to cover their gardens. Larger yards can use several more pallets. It is a common site to see the landscape suppliers hauling pallets of mulch around the island. Let the mulching begin!

A final alert. The Spiraling Whitefly has had a serious outbreak on Marco Island in the last two weeks. The Ficus Whitefly has also been causing a lot of trouble with ficus hedges on Marco this year. Look around and you will see many defoliated ficus hedges. The spiraling whitefly is different. It does not cause the severe plant damage or branch die back of its predecessor the ficus whitefly. Look for white spirals or circular patterns on the undersides of the leaves. There will be a buildup of a white, waxy substance as well. This waxy buildup can build up to amounts so great it begins to drip off the affected plants and onto cars, patios and pools causing a sticky mess. This honeydew is actually the insect’s excrement and can turn into what is referred to as sooty mold which will then turn black. This whitefly is huge compared to other whitefly species and so causes extreme amount of sooty mold. The outbreak is so bad you can see them flying around in areas of infestation, which is most everywhere, and it looks like snowflakes or fire soot falling from the sky. My pool has a coating of them floating on the surface!

The best thing to do when you first discover you have this whitefly is to try and wash as much off the plant as possible with a strong stream of water. Follow this with a treatment of systemic insecticides like Merit or ask at the garden center. These can be applied as a spray to the foliage, a drench of the roots or trunk injection. You can treat with an insecticidal soap or horticultural oil but you will have to reapply once a week for approximately a month for complete control. The systemic insecticides will once again last for up to a year.

For pictures of both of these insects visit the University of Florida, IFAS Extension web site.

Eileen Ward and her husband Peter have owned and operated Greensward of Marco, Inc., a lawn maintenance and landscaping company since 1981.

“Why settle for bland when you can have grand” is the motto of Grand Gardens, the landscaping company started five years ago by Leslie Diaz. Diaz and her husband have combined their own knowledge and skills with the abilities of their staff to leave a trail of satisfied customers in their wake. From simple lawn maintenance to complex landscape design, Grand Gardens has the ability to completely transform a property.

Details

ADDRESS: 24419 Pine Canyon Drive, The Woodlands
HOURS: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, but hours are flexible
PHONE: 832-472-0330
WEBSITE: www.grand-gardens.com

WHAT YOU’LL FIND: Grand Gardens offers complete lawn and garden care as part of its regular maintenance package, and its skilled staff includes horticulturists, landscape designers and architects and installers. The company handles almost every aspect in-house and does both residential and commercial properties.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “We’ve seen people cry because they were so happy to have a garden that they really love. Really, you’re bringing beauty to people’s lives, and that’s priceless. I especially love working with the elderly and handicapped because there is nothing more satisfying than allowing them to get back in the garden.” — Leslie Diaz, owner