Ten months ago, Premium Outdoor did a major overhaul of the <br /> landscaping in the beds at the front and one side of my house. They took out all the mature plants (a <br /> number of which had been damaged by the drought) and put in new plants. I chose Premium Outdoor because, <br /> unlike other landscaping contractors I had contacted for estimates over a couple of years, they were <br /> able to come to the house promptly and provide an estimate within two weeks <br /> (with the other contractors, the waiting time for an estimate was often months, <br /> if one was ever produced). I was <br /> initially enthusiastic about working with Michelle Spain ? she seemed <br /> professional and was able to do <br /> the work before a business trip that would keep me out of town for two <br /> weeks. After initially <br /> positive interactions, the project became increasingly problematic, however. I <br /> did not have much idea in advance of her landscape design, and did not care for <br /> it once I understood it (unfortunately after a 50% deposit had been paid). I <br /> had doubts about the quality of some of the plants when I saw them ? the brown <br /> leaves suggested they had overwintered. <br /> The preparation of the beds through the addition of organic material and <br /> rototilling or thorough mixing to improve the awful quality of the soil was not <br /> done. I received no instructions <br /> on how to care for the landscaping, nor much follow-up to see if the plants <br /> were doing OK. Some of the anchor <br /> plants in the beds (Italian cypress, lorapetalum) have died, and a number of <br /> the rest have failed to thrive. <br /> Oleanders didn?t even flower! <br /> I have now spent ten months looking at a number of dead or dying plants <br /> in a landscape design I dislike. Michelle <br /> Spain ? who is great when things are going well ? became aggressively defensive <br /> and unpleasant when contacted about problems. <br /> This past week, I finally took out all the plants in order to improve <br /> the soil in the beds, get rid of the dead plants, relocate struggling plants to <br /> more suitable locations, and develop a landscape design that I enjoy looking <br /> at. I consider a <br /> significant portion of the $3700 I paid Premium Outdoor to have been wasted <br /> money. Redoing the work and <br /> replacing plants has cost me an additional $2000, and the work is not yet done. <br /> <br /> Some details. Because I <br /> couldn?t understand why the 30-gal Italian cypress were failing within two months <br /> of planting, I asked the nursery that does my lawn service whether a nurseryman <br /> (certified horticulturist, with a degree from A&M) was available for a <br /> consultation. He came out, and I told him up front that this was for <br /> information purposes and would not result in business for the nursery, so I <br /> have confidence that his assessment was unbiased. Some digging at the base of <br /> the cypresses revealed that the root ball was buried six inches beneath the <br /> surface under a layer of pure clay (documented with photos). The <br /> surrounding soil was also either heavy clay or builder's sand that had been <br /> dumped when the house was built. He said that the top of the root ball should <br /> be 2" above grade and the soil around it needed major amendment to promote <br /> root growth. His assessment was that the roots were sitting waterlogged in <br /> clay. This would account for the sudden collapse of the one cypress after a <br /> period of heavy rains. Since I paid Premium Outdoor for soil amendments, and <br /> had explicitly discussed with Michelle the need to improve the beds with <br /> organic matter (she assured me that they would bring the amendments and <br /> rototill) I wondered where all these good soils were, if not in the planting <br /> holes for the Italian Cypress, which accounted for over 10% of my total bill. <br /> The nurseryman further told me that Italian Cypress branches, once dead, <br /> will not be replaced by new growth from the trunk. Once those branches <br /> are gone, they're gone. He thought that poor, waterlogged soil was also a problem for the dying lorapetalum. <br /> <br /> MIchelle responded promptly to my request to discuss how to address <br /> these problems. She reminded me that there was no warranty on the plants <br /> because they were healthy when she planted them. If healthy plants are planted improperly, however, without <br /> necessary soil amendments or in locations where they will not thrive, this is a <br /> labor warranty problem, not a plant warranty problem, it seems to me. I <br /> showed her the evidence the nurseryman had shown me, and she denied any problem <br /> with the planting, insisting that all appropriate soil amendments had been <br /> made, despite the visible evidence to the contrary. I wanted the dying cypress <br /> replaced, but she flatly refused. Instead, she proposed to raise <br /> the cypress by 6-8", amend the soil, fertilize, and wait for it to bounce <br /> back. I related what the nurseryman said about dead cypress branches but she <br /> pooh-poohed it. She said she had taken worse looking plants back to her <br /> nursery and had them come back good enough for her to sell. So I proposed <br /> that she do just that - swap out my cypress for a healthy one, and nurse it <br /> back to health at her nursery and then sell it. She refused. All she <br /> would finally agree to do is raise both cypress to grade or above, amend the <br /> soil extensively and fertilize. I did get her to agree to replace the <br /> cypress if it failed to recover after this treatment. With stunning swiftness ? within a week of her crew?s <br /> efforts ? both cypress were dead. <br /> <br /> What struck me most was Michelle?s efforts to deflect any <br /> responsibility for the problems with the cypress and the lorapetalum (also now <br /> dead); she had a variety of possible reasons for the problems from watering <br /> deficiencies (I had never received any suggestions from her about <br /> post-installation watering, but she agreed that the irrigation schedule I proposed <br /> was appropriate), to failure to <br /> fertilize (only three months after planting? I wish she had told me?), and high salt levels in the <br /> irrigation water. <br /> <br /> Because of Michelle?s aggressive demeanor and also my lack of <br /> confidence in her ability to install new plants properly, I did not ask her to <br /> honor her agreement to replace the cypress. I just want to return my property to a state where I enjoy <br /> seeing it when I come home. That <br /> hasn?t been possible for many months. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />