Landscape Maintenance
The Cornerstone of Our Business
We’ve taken the approach that we are first and foremost a maintenance first company. Most other companies have it the other way around – construction or ancillary services first and maintenance as an after thought. Not at Crawford Landscaping. WE are passionate about all things that produce a beautiful landscape, 365 days a year.
Lawn Care
At Crawford Landscaping, we take turf maintenance very seriously. To us, a lush green turf grass, free of weeds and disease, serves as a dramatic backdrop to the other facets of the landscape. Proper mowing techniques are the first task associated with creating such a beautiful, lush lawn.
Mowing performed at the correct height and frequency is essential to the health and density of the stand. Removing leaf tips induces plants to form new sprouts, increasing stand density. Keys to good mowing include: sharp blades, proper mowing height, avoid mowing when wet, avoid mowing during extended periods of drought, mow in straight, over-lapping lines, avoid similar patterns to prevent ruts, and don’t blow clippings into the plants!
Edging hard and soft edges is a vital part of weekly lawn maintenance. We prefer a vertical edge on our soft edges, and we sometimes alternate on a weekly basis to maintain desired bed dimension. Hard edging is performed most weeks, with the exception of winter months when growth is limited.
Our crews are uniformed, insured, and thoroughly trained and cross-trained in all the equipment they use. They operate efficiently and effectively, but always with an eye to the specific needs and requests of each client.
Fertilization is a vital part of our lawn maintenance program and important for healthy, vigorous plant growth and development. Because many of the required nutrients for turf grass are found naturally in the soil, caring for the soil is tremendously important. To do so, we custom blend out fertilizers to meet the different soil conditions we encounter.
Proper application is important and includes: proper spreading of material uniformly throughout the turf to avoid striping, quickly blowing off sidewalks and pavers to avoid staining, being extra careful around pools and water features, and watering in fertilizer after it’s been applied.
In addition to providing a better product in the field, we also do a lot of behind the scenes work to ensure you a superior finished product. Our crews are scheduled each week to be on‐site at roughly the same time. A full‐time mechanic staff maintains our equipment, and blades are sharpened daily. Our employees are uniformed, and our vehicles and trailers are cleaned weekly. We take pride in our lawn care, and the results speak for themselves. Crawford’s crew members are thoroughly trained and cross‐trained in all the equipment they use. They operate efficiently and effectively, but always with an eye to the specific needs and requests of each client.
Horticulture Care
Proper plant care, or lack of proper care, dramatically affects the landscape. When maintained properly, the landscape is allowed to flourish and deliver its desired impact. If improperly maintained, plant health will deteriorate and most likely fall victim to pest issues, and ultimately result in the need for replacement.
To us, there is a big difference between properly caring for plants versus trimming them as fast as possible. At Crawford, we take pride in our work and we measure ourselves not by speed, but by technique; we put what’s best for the plant ahead of speed. Proper pruning helps keep plants’ attractive and vigorous and will add years to the plants usefulness. When done properly, the pruning results include:
Increase flowering and fruiting
Trained plants to a particular size or shape, including hedge and espalier
Rejuvenate old, overgrown shrubs
Restore plant density, shape and vigor
In some extreme cases, such as when dealing with older or diseased material, we will perform what’s called rejuvenating pruning. In this case, more aggressive cuts are made and more material is removed from the plant. It’s also commonly referred to as “hard cut backs.” Many implement this practice annually during the summer months to minimize growth and thus reduce pruning times. This practice for the sake of saving time is not something we do at Crawford. We use this extreme measure only when required.
The challenge is Southwest Florida for many landscapers is the growth and maturity of older landscapes. Eventually, all landscapes will reach maturity. It is important to entrust them to a landscaping company that will maintain them in a way that will allow them to flourish, without overtaking your yard.
