07-17-2012 Co-op

Wow, what a week its been!! I knew that once things picked up and I started pulling those long 10 hour days, I wouldn't feel like blogging when I got home. Waaaaaay too tired to even think about it! I'm already a week behind. I changed my blog settings so that people can comment if they have questions or want to leave feedback. I'll try my best to respond -- I promise! ;)


Anyway - I have been one busy guy! I thought I'd only be working 30 hours a week, but now it's turning into more like 40. That's ok though, i'm not complaining. I'll take advantage of all the learning and hands on as I can!! I need it!!


One of Troy's maintenance guys was on vacation, so I had the opportunity to work along side of his guy and pick his brain. He does just about all aspects of landscape maintenance there is and has been extremely nice and helpful in showing me the ropes.

One of the commercial clients Troy and his guys did the install for. His guys also do the weekly maintenance as well, so I got to weed, trim, edge, and operate the back pack blower. I had to be extra cautious of all the pedestrians.    

Side view

Side

Simple, yet nice!

Before

After

Japanese bloodgrass

Love this yard!! 

Hostas. 

Backyard

Trimming a clients hedge. This little devil is loud! I had ear plugs, but he was still loud. 

Trip to Wood Waste Management. By the end of the day we had that truck full. 

One of Troy's clients backyard. It takes a lot of weekly maintenance to keep it looking this good!

This just looks like it should be in a magazine! I would have absolutely no problems enjoying my morning coffee out here. None. 

Clean and simple. Can you spot the Aucuba japonica and the Fatsia japonica?

Japanese Maple

Koi fish in a clients backyard. I had to be extra careful when applying the fertilizer and weed control around this pond. 

Fertilizer they use

Love this clients fence & gate

Another clients yard. Love this!! I'm a huge fan of grass!

07-11-2012 Co-op

Well, it's official! My Florida "tan" is back, or should I say farmers tan? haha. After wrapping up all of the loose ends on some of the big projects, the last few days have been comparatively mild. Still, hard work, but a different kind of work, so it was nice to have a break from digging up tree roots and lifting heavy stone. I was told today that I was just getting "broken in" and the real work hasn't even begun yet. Ok, so now I'm scared!!!! haha.

Anyway - the last 2 days I got to experience more of the maintenance side of things. Every client is different and has different needs, so whatever they want, we do. Some clients just want a mow, edge, and trim weekly, while others want more of the finer side of gardening. Today I got to work in a clients garden that had at least 10 to 12 plants that I studied in my Evergreens plant ID class. I found it very rewarding to be able to list those by both scientific and common name and to be able to point out key features to Eduardo & Troy. Eduardo helps out on big jobs from time to time, but his primary role is routine maintenance. He's been very helpful the last 2 days and is extremely knowledgeable.

Weeding and getting the garden ready for some compost.

Before

Eduardo giving me the run down on how to apply Snapshot. It's a herbicide that suppresses and controls broadleaf weeds for 6-8 months. He's been extremely nice and helpful on all of the jobs.

The herbicide gets spread evenly across the existing soil before the new compost goes down. 

Spreading the herbicide

After

After

Pathway to the backyard

Front bed

Backyard

                                Patch of grass for the dog.

Fire pit in backyard

Love the stone work they did here. I will get to learn how to do this on an upcoming job.

One of the finer detailed landscapes. This one took a while because the yard was HUGE!!!  

Side view to backyard

Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca Pendula' (Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar) 

Front yard

07-06-2012 Co-op

Today I learned how to do a little stucco and installation of a rock path. The client just wanted her existing yard cleaned up a little and some plants moved from the front to the backyard. Other than the construction of the wall and the pathway, it was one of those "design as you go" type of projects. The client really didn't have a big plan in mind and ended up making a few minor changes during the process, so I got to see what that was like. All in all, I learned a lot and had a good time!

Learning to stucco a wall

This is really an art in itself! 

Back of the wall. 

Front of the house. Jullian applying the final finish on the wall. He's taught me quite a bit so far and he does really nice work!

Front of the house before I cleaned up the landscape and put in the stone path.

Measuring the depth for the gravel and the stone. 2 1/2" of gravel.

Jose helping me dig the pathway. There was an existing tree there at one point. I dug up at least 3-4 huge roots so the stone pathway would be flat. 

After applying the 2 1/2" of  gravel, I tamped it down with a tamper. That was a noisy workout! 

Jullian showing me how to do the spacing for the path. You want to have the proper spacing and size of the rocks split up so it's uniform. Other than that, it wasn't all that hard.

Troy talking with the client on what she wanted done to clean up her yard. I moved all of those  Lilies and grasses to her back yard and weeded the beds. She wanted the stone pathway re-done and some garden soil added so she could plant some plants. It was a simple, but fun project! 

07-02-2012 Co-op

This client wanted the patches of grass removed and replaced with a different type of grass. *Excuse* my thumb in the upper left hand corner! haha.

Lots of sand and gravel under the original grass. It was actually more work than it looks. I had to haul all of it away in buckets up and down a steep driveway. 

After I removed all of the turf, I brought in some fresh soil. It was a workout, but I got it done.

Planting the grass. I was to plant them in rows of 7 and make them as straight and even as possible. After finishing one section I summoned the boss to make sure it was what he wanted and to my surprise, it was NOT. I had to pull up all the grasses and start over. At first i thought he was pulling my leg, but he was dead serious. He wanted them planted flush with the concrete, not mounded like I had them. Hey, that's what a co-op is for, right?! 

Final.  It actually took longer than i thought it would. It will be nice once the grass grows and fills in. Honestly, i'm not a big fan of the grass here, but it's what the client wanted and that's all that matters.

Clients backyard. She has a beautiful garden. 

Clients backyard. She has a beautiful garden. 

Getting things all leveled up. She wanted artificial turf installed on her back patio. It seems that is the way to go! Low maintenance, but very pricey! 

Gravel in & ready to be installed

Artificial turf 

Backyard 

Wouldn't it be nice to have this view everyday? It was a fun project & I learned quite a bit.

Final picture of the artificial turf. It's clean and sleek looking.