Outdoor Projects: Hiring Qualified People Is A Must
To make an outdoor outstanding is everybody’s wish. If you are not sure about the difference among the services of a gardener, a landscaper/hardscaper, arborist for your outdoor maintenance then you must visit here - http://www.toemar.ca/outdoor-projects-hiring-the-right-people/
To make an outdoor outstanding is everybody’s wish. If you are not sure about the difference among the services of a gardener, a landscaper/hardscaper, arborist for your outdoor maintenance then you must visit here - http://www.toemar.ca/outdoor-projects-hiring-the-right-people/
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<strong>Outdoor</strong> <strong>Projects</strong>: <strong>Hiring</strong> <strong>Qualified</strong> <strong>People</strong> <strong>Is</strong><br />
A <strong>Must</strong><br />
You’re not sure whether you need a gardener or a landscaper or perhaps an arborist, for an<br />
outdoor project that you’re planning? This post will walk you through the ins and outs of<br />
each role so you can make the right choice.<br />
In the not so distant past, if you wanted to do some work to the garden or exterior of your home<br />
that was a little bit beyond your DIY skills or just something you didn’t want to take on<br />
personally, you would call up your local ‘handyman’ contractor to take up the project. But here’s<br />
the thing: hiring a generalist for a specific project is not usually a good bet. They just don’t have<br />
the background or skills to do it right the first time. This can lead to significant downstream costs<br />
if the project needs to be repaired or re-done at a later date.<br />
The roles of gardener, landscaper / hardscaper and arborist are actually quite different and each<br />
one is suited to very specific tasks; a well trained professional will be knowledgeable and<br />
experienced, leaving you with project results that will last. No one is an expert in everything,<br />
particularly where bylaws and regulations are concerned, so you’re always best to pick the<br />
professional, based on your needs and their training, expertise and knowledge.<br />
What Does A Gardener Do?<br />
A gardener is adept at planting new flowers, trees and shrubs—provided you have a plan for the<br />
design of your garden (see the landscaper role, below!)—watering, feeding, fertilizing, mulching,<br />
composting, grass cutting, hedge trimming and the like. If it involves the care and maintenance<br />
of your outdoor space, a gardener is the right person for the job. They can help you to maintain a<br />
beautiful, healthy lawn and garden throughout the seasons and prepare your garden for the winter<br />
season, including protecting sensitive plants and shrubs, raking leaves, trimming or pruning and<br />
the like.<br />
What Does A Landscaper / Hardscaper Do?<br />
Landscapers / hardscapers also do most gardening tasks and most landscaping companies are<br />
happy to provide you with a maintenance package for your garden, but their true talents lie in<br />
designing a garden that works for you, taking into account where you live and what plants, trees<br />
and shrubs are best suited to your climate zone, the uses of your garden, and other<br />
considerations.<br />
If you want water features, ponds or if you have drainage issues around your home,<br />
a landscaper / hardscaper can fix these with contouring, grading and leveling of the ground and<br />
the addition of additional drainage, where necessary.<br />
Hardscaping, which includes things like walkways, driveways, paved areas, solid water features<br />
and stairs, is done with the impermeable materials. Never hire anyone other than a qualified
hardscaper to build a retaining wall or a landscaper to design the physical layout of your garden<br />
unless you really love spring floods seeping through your or your neighbour’s foundation<br />
because you’ve interrupted the run-off pattern. Without adequately planned drainage, you can<br />
find yourself with not only flooding but foundation issues, soil erosion, plant / shrub drowning,<br />
wood rot on porches and decks, pest infiltration and even sinkholes!<br />
What Does An Arborist Do?<br />
The technical definition is that an arborist is someone who is a professional in arboriculture: in<br />
the management and study of trees. The term trees, in this case, includes shrubs, vines and other<br />
wood perennials. An arborist is focused on individual or small groups of trees, rather than<br />
forests—which are managed through forestry and silviculture.<br />
Arborists are knowledgeable in all things about the trees: different pests, infestations, signs of<br />
ageing and decay in a tree, best pruning methods, planting distances and so on. They should also<br />
be knowledgeable on the local bylaws in the areas within which they practice. For example,<br />
planting distances to power lines, regulations concerning the pruning or removal of trees, or the<br />
protection of trees in a construction zone. Most municipalities are very strict in the management<br />
of trees, so before you consider planting or pruning a tree on your property, make sure that your<br />
arborist is up to date on the laws.<br />
<strong>Is</strong> There Such A Thing As An All-In One Professional?<br />
If you’re still wondering why you wouldn’t just hire an all round landscape company to do a bit<br />
of everything or ask your arborist to trim the hedges a little while they’re dealing with an ageing<br />
tree, the reason is quite simply that it’s a waste of their time and your money. <strong>Hiring</strong> an arborist<br />
to do a little gardening is something like hiring a hazmat team to sweep your kitchen floor. A<br />
little bit of overkill, don’t you think?<br />
In Summary:<br />
Do you need your garden maintained, hedges trimmed, lawn fertilized, weeding and other similar<br />
tasks? You need a gardener.<br />
Do you want a risk assessment done on a damaged / ageing tree, tree removal or the trimming of<br />
trees, including knowledge about the local bylaws on this topic? You need an arborist.<br />
Do you want to build a retaining wall in your garden, install interlocking stone / brick, figure<br />
out drainage or ground leveling or design a garden from scratch? You need a landscaper<br />
/hardscaper.<br />
With these roles in mind, think about the projects that you want to undertake in the next year and<br />
ask for referrals from your local garden centre and always check their references!<br />
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