Maintaining customer satisfaction is a crucial aspect of any business, but it’s even more important for landscape contractors that have earned the prestigious Diamond Certified award. For Gill Landscape Inc., the key to achieving and maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction is always standing behind its claims and providing reliable services for its clients. “Our goal throughout every job is to produce a happy customer,” says owner Greg Gill. “We go out of our way to ensure our clients’ happiness in every aspect of our operations. That’s how we’ve grown our business over the years.”

Gill Landscape has been designing, installing and maintaining landscapes for homes and businesses throughout Sonoma County since 1981. The family-owned and operated company takes a design/build approach to its landscaping projects, handling everything from irrigation, drainage and restoration to outdoor lighting, water features and fire pits. It also provides regular maintenance services for all types of properties.

Unlike less experienced landscape contractors that de-emphasize the importance of providing detailed contracts, Gill Landscape makes sure its contracts specify the exact services to be delivered and the corresponding prices–a comprehensive approach that allows clients to effectively manage their project budgets. “If we see a small task that needs to be completed but wasn’t included in the contract, we’ll do it for the price that we originally quoted,” adds Mr. Gill. “We want to make sure our clients’ landscaping projects go as smoothly as possible.”

Another distinguishing characteristic of Gill Landscape is its dedication to its surrounding community, which Mr. Gill credits for his company’s loyal clientele base and high referral rate. “We work in a small community, so when people have a good experience with us, they’re quick to refer us to others. We’ve developed a reputation for providing high-quality work, and that’s very important for us to maintain.”

Take simple steps to create a water-efficient landscape. Water-efficient landscaping techniques can be used by homeowners and businesses alike to enhance the value of their properties, reduce long-term maintenance costs and promote environmental responsibility. There are many schools of thought when it comes to the best water-efficient landscaping approach, but they’re all based on similar principles and can be used interchangeably. Consider the following tips:

Plants
Use drought tolerant and native plants. Once established, these plants require little water beyond normal rainfall. Also, because native plants are adapted to local soils and climate conditions, they rarely require additional fertilizer and are more resistant to pests and diseases.

Group plants according to their water needs. Putting plants in specific “hydrozones” reduces water use by allowing you to water to each zone’s specific needs. For example, turf areas and shrub areas should always be separated into different hydrozones.

Recognize site conditions and plant appropriately. Areas of the same site may vary significantly in soil type or exposure to sun and wind, as well as evaporation rates and moisture levels. Be mindful of a site’s exposure to the elements and choose plants that will thrive in the site’s conditions.

Minimize steep slopes.
Slopes can be challenging because of the potential for erosion and runoff. If slopes can’t be avoided in the landscape design, install plantings with deeper root zones (such as native ground covers and shrubs) to provide stabilization and prevent erosion.

Soil
Aerate your soil. Soil can become compacted during home construction or due to normal foot traffic. Aerating your soil can increase the infiltration of water into the ground, which improves water flow to plants’ root zones and reduces water runoff.

Use mulch around shrubs and garden plants. This will help reduce evaporation, inhibit weed growth, moderate soil temperature and prevent erosion. Types of mulches include bark chips, grass clippings, straw, leaves, stones and brick chips. Leave a few inches of space between trunks of woody plants and organic mulches to prevent rot.

Keep your soil healthy. Healthy soils effectively cycle nutrients, minimize runoff, retain water, and absorb excess nutrients, sediments and pollutants. Have your soil tested for nutrient content, pH, composition and organic matter content.

Maintenance
Raise your lawnmower cutting height. Longer grass promotes deeper root growth and a more drought-resistant lawn. Longer grass blades also help shade each other, which reduces evaporation and minimizes weed growth.

Perform regular upkeep. Replace mulch around shrubs and garden plants, and remove weeds and thatch as necessary.

Minimize or eliminate fertilizer. Fertilizer encourages thirsty new growth, which causes your landscape to require additional water.

Q: How soon can you start my project?

A: We can usually schedule an initial meeting within one week of the first call. The beginning of work depends on our schedule and the size of the job, but most times we’re able to get started without significant delay.

Q: What’s your rate for residential landscape maintenance?

A: We charge $45 an hour for each person on the jobsite. That includes everything we use for maintenance, including chemicals and fertilizer.

Q: Why do you charge by the hour?

A: We’ve found charging by the hour is fairer to our customers than charging a monthly rate. In winter, we spend less time on the job because of the weather—sometimes we can’t come at all. With an hourly rate, you get exactly what you pay for. Plus, it makes it easy for us to spend extra time if you have an upcoming event or party.

Q: Do you give free estimates?

A: Yes, we provide free estimates for residential and commercial maintenance work. We also provide free estimates for landscape installations until it starts getting into design work.

Q: Do I need a designer for my landscaping project?

A: That depends on the scope of the project. We can often do simple jobs without using our in-house designer, which saves our customers money. But for complex jobs, it can be very beneficial to use a designer and work to a plan.

Q: Can you help me save money on my water bill?

A: Yes. We can install more efficient irrigation systems or retrofit existing systems to take advantage of some of the water saving technology that’s available today. We can also install plants and design gardens that use less water and are more suitable for the environment in which they’re planted.