Saturday, March 31, 2007

Grab Bag of News

So if you haven't read it, check out a recent article about us and our volunteer projects in the April issue of Plano Profile. It's located within the Wishbone Graphics website. (I would post the link but I have not yet requested permission to do so.) Also, the Cedar Hill section of Dallas Morning News ran a pic and article mentioning, among other events, our presentation at Petal Pusher's Garden Emporium a couple of weeks ago. Lastly, Monday we are doing a photo shoot to accompany a blurb about us in D Magazine's Best of Everything issue. We are grateful for all the recent publicity, and to the writers who found interest in the mission of our business.

This period of transition from design/build landscape business to strictly design has gone better than expected. Our long-time clients have adapted quite well to the other contractors, and the contractors have implemented our plans beyond our expectations. The first several weeks were a little hairy, trying to meet with new clients as well as introduce established ones to new contractors, but the schedule seems to be evening out a bit.

Our design service area is expanding as is our local market. We have found we can not make site visits to all of them and still be cost-effective for the client's budget. Therefore, we have launched an online design option to curb costs on the part of the client and ourselves. It works like this: new clients complete our questionnaire. Upon reviewing the information, we will request a reasonable number of photographs (digital or print, whatever works better for the client) from specific angles. We will also quote our design fee. After we have received payment and all the necessary information to complete the design, we will create a truly customized design. We will mail to these clients one 24x36" design (to scale) and one laminated 11x17" copy (not to scale) with recommended plants and materials on back. Our fee for this package ranges between $400-600 depending on the size and complexity of the project; revisions will be billed at $75 per hour, minimum of one hour. We will schedule a half-hour conference call or online chat, of sorts, to review the design.

At some point we will begin to offer an online consultation package. It will work similar to the online design but the fee will be somewhere between $75-125. We will send our consultation form in excel format via email, and will schedule a half-hour conference call or online chat to review our recommendations.

Our calendar for in-person design services is booked through mid-April. However, we still have appointments available for site visits. Please refer to our services and fees page for additional information.

And finally, some plant news...
This week the Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) in our neighborhood have been bursting with color. Texas Bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis) are shimmering sapphire and maroon and baby pink. Four Nerve Daisy (Tetraneuris or Hymenoxys scaposa) have exploded with bright, smiling yellow blooms; and Blackfoot Daisy (Melampodium leucanthum) are rubbing the winter dust from their sleepy eyes. By calendar and signs in Nature, it's safe to declare spring has officially arrived.

After all this (much-needed) rain, today and tomorrow will be lovely. Enjoy...

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