Landscaping Delays Got You Down? Here’s What You Need to Know

Wondering why you might be experiencing delays in having your landscaping projects done? Commercial and residential properties are racing to replace plants that did not survive the winter storm to restore their landscape before the summer temperatures rise and create unfavorable planting conditions.

The snow, ice, and frigid temperatures may be long gone, but our team continues to deal with the residual effects of the harsh weather. Here are three challenges we are tackling as we strive to deliver quality plants and services:

Decreasing Plant Supply

The harsh weather affected plants and trees across the state, and nurseries were no exception. The Texas Nursery and Landscape Association estimated that the winter storm destroyed more than $800 million worth of plants and trees. That means residential and commercial properties are racing to find plants—and the supply is dwindling.

Many commercial properties had to wait on insurance claims before moving forward with purchasing new landscaping materials. This gave residential properties an advantage over commercial properties in buying plants sooner.

It is important not to sacrifice quality for faster removal and installation services. Healthy, quality plants last longer and look more appealing. When there is significant demand, there needs to be equal supply. Since we do not have enough quality plants in Texas, we are working with different nurseries in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, and Georgia. We are also working with a logistics trucking company in Arkansas to help transport plants from other states, but this can delay the arrival of materials 2-3 weeks.

Increasing Demand and a Limited Workforce

About 15-20% of our clients request summer improvement projects on their properties during an average year. More than 60% of our clients have approved major summer landscape improvements related to winter storm damage this year. That is three times the work we typically account for in a normal year.

While the demand for landscaping services increases, our workforce has not. We realize expanding our staff to meet demand is critical, and we continue to search for new employees. Still, hiring is more than adding numbers to our team. We also train new employees to follow our standards and procedures to continue to offer quality services. Training can take anywhere from 30-45 days and covers essential information such as correctly digging holes, spacing plants, and pre-watering. The search to add new team members is more difficult now than ever before, but we will not give up.

To offset the increasing workload, we have subcontracted three landscape installation crews from surrounding areas and partnered with a tree company in Plano, Texas to help with tree and shrub removal. Rest assured, we are doing all we can to keep up with demand.

Weather

Rainfall in North Texas has been abnormally high the last several weeks. The rain and wet soil create delays for our team because it is poor planting weather. We know the rain will subside, but that does not leave us ample time before the scorching temperatures in July and August, another period where planting is not ideal. We are trying to be patient with the weather and ask that you are too.

Reasonable Expectations

All of our field operations have been affected to some degree, but most delays are related to landscaping services such as removing and installing new plants. We can provide consultations and project estimates without delays, but we are scheduling landscaping services about 90 days out while continuing our effort to reduce wait time as we near summer.

We ask for patience as we continue to navigate the challenges ahead and implement creative solutions to counteract these frustrating obstacles. Contact us today for more information about our services or to answer any of your questions about landscaping delays.