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July 16, 2007
Is the drought affecting your business this year?
With so many areas of the country experiencing drought conditions, what parts of your business have been affected? In my area in the Southeast, we are seeing many mature trees and plants dying from the lack of water. I even saw an Autumn Blaze Maple walking down the side of the interstate with a sign that said "Brazilian Rain Forest". Lack of water can have positive and negative consequences for a landscaping company, not to mention getting poked in the head by a branch while driving.
On the positive side, many of these trees and plants will have to be replaced. That can generate business for companies in those areas. How to target clients with those problems might even be uncomfortable for some company owners, but a fair price for a professional job is nothing to be ashamed of.
On the negative side, drought leads to other problems such as guaranteeing plants after you've put them in. Plus, it can influence potential clients to postpone new projects until the water situation improves.
How are you handling issues like those and even other ones unique to your areas? What has proved successful so far? http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/orange/Horticulture/drought.html
Posted by Mike Pettit at July 16, 2007 10:33 PM
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Comments
We've been promoting a lot of xeriscaping, hardscaping, water reclaimation and drip irrigation. We also have helped people choose more drought friendly plants for the look they are trying to achieve. I find a lot of times it is just getting people to look at things from a more non traditional perspective....(yes cottonwoods grow fast but they are water hogs)
Posted by: cARINA at July 20, 2007 12:05 PM
the drought was a positive for my landscaper. We have had a leak in my pond for most of the summer. My landscaper was able to find it because of the plants and grass that was growing in spite of the drought. He just followed the "signs", found the leak, and repaired it.
Posted by: amy at July 20, 2007 5:27 PM
