MowingAround Landscaping, since its inception in 2000, has always received calls for cleanups or minor stagings but about two years ago that work went to another level.   My bi-weekly Business Referral Team (BRT) has HomeStyle Solutions as a member.  HomeStyle Solutions was started by Diana Barton and her sister Pauline Dueck.  They are the experts at looking at a home from the inside and out, and outlining what needs doing to obtain maximum return on your investment.   Doesn’t that sound like common sense.  Kind of like washing the car before you sell it or maybe getting a new paint job on the car because the $1500 painting increases the valley by 3-4k.   Same concept with Home Staging and our work,  knowing how to make the inside pop how to make the outset pop. 

Since 2008 we have completed dozens of stagings.  The last, on ten mile point, was a major all day ordeal with a full crew but when that property sold for its 4 mill asking price within a few days, then you know the investment paid off.  

I approach each property with a buyer’s mentality and what I think catches that buyer’s initial eye.  Sometimes that is as little as a weeding, some pruning and a lawn mowing. 

On a recent makeover I attended to find a 30 acre estate on the peninsula with an amazing house but the grounds have been let go for five years.  Himilayan blackberry has almost covered one complete side of the house.  Likewise, the rest of the house is almost invisible because of the overgrown landscape.  If I was to make an offer on this house prior to the makeover I would be offering alot less.  $10k to save $100 to $200k.  Nice return on the investment. 

Additionally, we stage for Birthdays, Weddings, Anniversaries.  Any time an owner wants to cleanup a property for an upcoming event we have the crew and expertise.  Love this work. Creating and maintaining properties throughout Greater Victoria in a healthy way. MowingAround Feb. 2010

 The following is a quote from Heide Hermary’s excellent organic horticulture bible ‘Working with Nature’:

“The following figure from Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations are already outdated, but I have been able to find only very little current information.  According to these statistics, between 1980 and 1990

-pesticide resistant weed species increased from less than 10 to 110 (increased to 270 by the year 2000)

-pesticide resistant fungus species increased from 100 to 150

-pesticide resistant insect species exceeded 500′

If you understand how to enhance the living soil you will understand that sick plants rarely are attacked by insects.  Not always, but rarely.  So the idea of spreading poison on a plant to kill the insects, which fall to the ground and kill the micro organisms that will feed on that insect, and so on, is crazy.  Such action will only lead to soil and plants that are chemically dependant. 

Now about synthetic fertilizers, here is another comment  from Heide.

“In Canada, whenever a product is sold with the claim and purpose to supply plant nutrients, the product must be registered under the Canadian Fertilizer Act. This Act and accompanying Regulations apply to fertilizers only.  A different Act and Regulations apply to pesticides only.  Many substances contained in fertilizers and pesticides are not claimed to be either plant nutrient or pesticides, even though they may be used for that purpose, and consequently are largely unregulated in this country. Under both of thes Acts any substance that is not claimed to be an active ingredient (either a plant nutrient or a pesticide) is considered to be ‘inert’.”

Proper Practices.

I wrote a blog about the proper ways to organically feed and thus enhance your landscape and I invite you to view that but in short, mulch.  Mulch the grass with a proper mulching lawn mower.  Apply mulches on your gardens and flower beds.  Proper mulching cuts down your maintenance by 50-75% .  Not to mention the invaluable benefits to the soils.  Colin, Feb.2010

safelawns.org   Paul Tukey “Chemical Reaction” was the documentary

pesticidefreebc.org

-The new truck was a dodge dakota, 6 cyl, 5 speed.  Looked good and the price was right.  It would be pulling a light trailer around a flat town.  I soon had concerns when I drove it to Nanaimo and it sucked going over the Malahat.  No torque at all, not to mention terrible gas mileage.  Then the final straw after about 7 months on the job.  A good friend (Choby) was standing at the back of the truck while I roped an old hedge plant to pull it out of the ground.  The truck stalled in first gear.  Choby grabbed the rope, dug his heels in ground and it stalled while he held it back. I wasn’t giving the truck any gas and it didn’t have enough ump to pull a 200 lb man forward!  So that was gone then and there and I traded it for the existing 2004 Dodge ram 2500 diesel.  Awesome truck.  Excellent fuel economy!  6 speed manual, single cab long box.  Only wished I had purchased an extra cab but I needed the long box.

-The trailer.  I had worked for Tony Badr of Jim’s Moving and he told me about a trailer that he knew off that was sitting on a empty lot.  The trailer had been left there and it was full of garbage.  I went down for a look and, not knowing a thing about trailers, thought I could make it work.  I pulled in a few days later, hooked on and drove to Hartland.  I had no idea if this thing was even roadworthy but I had insurance.  At Hartland I started to unload.  It was disgusting.  Then a rat, a big rat, comes racing out. I knew it was in there.  It was a hit at the landfill.  Apparently they do not get rats up there or so a worker claimed.  They have one now.  So after dumping the load of garbage I power washed the trailer, sanded it, put new lights on it and painted it.  MowingAround trailer #1.  It is gone but we still have trailers 2,3 and 4.

-Equipment.   I started with a used Arian Lawnmower, Tony’s handheld blower, a couple of rakes, maybe a shovel. trimmer and buckets.  Within 6 months I went out and purchased new equipment because of the limitations with the used stuff.  I could go on and on about equipment but let’s just say this job takes its toll on equipment. 

So off I went, trimming a lawn with the line trimmer, mowing with a belt driven mower and using the blower to clean driveways and walks.  And I did an excellent job.   Very neat and tidy.  That lasted about  two years and during that two years I had occassional help.  Gradually and with experienc e and time, MowingAround 2010 has become an established and respected landscaping company that provides design services, construction services and organic maintenance services.   Most importantly, through a combination of time on the ground and ongoing schooling, both myself and my employees understand our environment.  We understand how to create and maintain a healthy and organic soil and it is the soil that is the foundation of health for all of the living things that I encounter.  Healthy soil, healthy landscape, healthy owners.

I am excited about the quality of staff that now works full time with MowingAround.  Craig Gillespie, supervisor/manager, now in his fourth full season, has become an excellent horticulturalist that enjoys what he does.  Hard working, good with people and likes his work.  Good mix.  Kerry Martin has recently joined MowingAround, also as a supervisor/manager.  Kerry operated his own business for several years but we now join forces for the common good- doing it right!  Kerry has lots of experience, a great attitude and he also loves being outside and working with and creating landscapes.   Working with Craig and Kerry is Chris Olson and Nate Stevens, two hard working and experience hands.   We have an awesome team!

New on the equipment front is a John Deere 322T, new 14k dumping trailer.  These two pieces really add to our arsenal of tools. 

On the business side we are seeing more design and construction work than ever.  The word is out that we provide quality service, quality product with quality people.  Colin, MowingAround Feb 2010

Victoria just keeps me guessing on the weather and I love it.  I never know what the weather is going to do.  I have a rough idea from watching the weather network online (and it is pretty darn accurate.  But don’t trust it 100% because weather here on the south island just keeps changing). 

Don’t get me wrong.  Working on a wet, cold day in pouring Victoria rain, with or without the wind, is not fun.  But when that rain passes and the sun comes out the plants love it then that rain is all good.

colin 12/02/10