Re: Sore Subject; was Street Plantings
- Subject: Re: Sore Subject; was Street Plantings
- From: J* S*
- Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2002 17:55:40 -0800 (PST)
Jan, et al:
This is definitely an age-old dilemma.
I would hope that the landscape designers and
landscape architects among the members here would
offer suggestions.
This "industry" certainly could -- and should -- be
compared to many others.
The auto industry, for instance, guarantees a car that
they sell to someone ONLY if that someone provides
regular scheduled and detailed maintenance.
Computer companies guarantee their products BECAUSE
they offer "service" contracts that allow a buyer to
get "the best" technical support (read: maintenance).
I've purchased many items wherein the salesperson very
clearly and emphatically told me, at the time of
purchase, that the item required a certain level of
maintenance and if I wanted the product to last, it
was up to me to provide that certain level of
maintenance.
We've definitely come to a point in this industry, as
have just about every other industry, where we are
faced with three kinds of customers: those who want
an innovative product or service, those who want
top-notch customer service with a product or service,
and those who want the "best value" (CHEAP). The
customers who want innovation or customer service are
willing to pay the extra and appreciate it.
I do not naively believe that every landscape customer
will heed the "maintenance guarantee" of a landscape
architect/designer. But if a landscape
architect/designer makes it perfectly clear up front
what will be involved in the long-term success of the
customer's landscape, then at least the
designer/architect can walk away with a clear
conscious (and probably a legal out).
I do not want to believe that desingers/architects
simply dump their plan and or installing contractor
onto a client and then walk away forever.
I've had this conversation with many of my
designer/architect friends in the past. Too often I
hear "You can't go back" -- meaning you can expect
that somehow the customer has figured a way, usually
by providing the worst possible maintenance, to screw
up the fine design you've created and implemented.
This shouldn't happen. It's too easy to at least
minimize.
I'd like to hear what the architects/designers of this
group have done to "guarantee" a nice future for their
artwork.
After that, we'll get on to dilemma # 2: how does one
convince a client that it isn't necessary and probably
wrong to plant an "instant" landscape?
Waiting for tips,
Joe
--- Jan Smithen <jansmithen@earthlink.net> wrote:
> Deborah's sore subject (and Tim and Moira's cri) hit
> a nerve with me as well.
> It's not only businesses, but well to do homeowners
> and landscaping clients who
> will hire a talented designer and installer to
> create a beautiful garden, then
> expect it to take care of itself with an automatic
> sprinkler system and a "mow
> and blow".
>
> I know of several stellar properties where the newly
> installed garden has been
> left to the mercy of those "keep the soil
> continually wet" and "whack back
> everything that doesn't die" so-called gardeners. I
> have several knowledgeable
> and talented garden detailers in my classes at the
> Arboretum. Every one of
> them has more than one story about being hired at
> the recommendation of the
> landscape architect or garden designer, then being
> let go after a few months
> because "Your fees just aren't in the budget." or
> "My husband doesn't think I
> should spend this much on the garden."
>
> Never mind what they've spent on the property, the
> mansion, the designer
> furniture, it's just that the upkeep of the garden
> doesn't rank high enough on
> the list. Then their conversation at the lavish
> parties turns to the garden
> where its poor condition is usually the fault of the
> designer. Yes, I've heard
> it myself!
>
> Deborah Lindsay wrote:
>
> > Sore subject with me...when I had my own gardening
> > business many years ago,people would pay for
> > a good design and installation,but then expect to
> pay
> > damn little to a maintenance gardener, then
> complain about the
> > results and say the gardeners were lazy,etc...You
> get what you pay for.
> >
> > ____________________Reply
> Separator____________________
> > Subject: Re: Street Plantings
> > Author: tim.longville@BTinternet.com
> > Date: 2/27/02 12:49 PM
> >
> > Re Moira's cri de coeur and Joe's comment:
> >
> > Seems to be a prevailing dottiness in many places,
> that businesses and
> > institutions will fork out the initial outlay for
> a scheme but are very
> > reluctant to budget for the proper maintenance of
> same.
> >
> > I emphasise that adjective 'proper': in these
> parts, at least, maintenance,
> > when done at all, is often done by guys with
> alternative careers as
> > mass-murderers, whose motto seems to be, 'If it
> moves - if it grows -, whack
> > it.'
> >
> > It's depressing to tot up the amount of money
> wasted as a result, not to
> > speak of the amount of plants killed or damaged or
> distorted or diseased.
> >
> > Tim
> >
> >
> >
>
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> > Name: RFC-822.TXT
> > RFC-822.TXT Type: Plain Text (text/plain)
> > Encoding: quoted-printable
>
> --
>
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> Jan Smithen,
> Upland, California
>
> jansmithen@earthlink.net
> Sunset zone : 19
> USDA zone : 10
>
> http://home.earthlink.net/~jansmithen/
>
> Visit the Los Angeles County Arboretum
> Victorian Rose Garden website at:
> http://victorian-rose.org/
>
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
=====
Joe Seals
Santa Maria, California --
where the weather is always perfect
and my garden always has something blooming
and birds galore
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