Well, it seems that Spring is almost upon us once again. This time of the year we here at Hurth Waterscapes are very busy trying to finish up any tasks that are left on our winter to-do lists, meetings with clients to schedule the year’s work and gearing up to begin doing that work. Spring is always the most hectic and happy time of the year for any landscape company and we are no exception. This is the time of year when we feel like yelling from the rooftops “Spring is here everyone, let the games begin”. It is the most exciting time of the year in so many ways.
In Spring Mother Nature does the big turn around and changes our hard, frozen part of the planet back into a vibrant and beautifully lush and diverse landscape. In my mind, this is the most incredible time of the year for our landscapes because the changes are so drastic and happy. Fall can be rather drastic too, but in many ways fall is a bit of a downer. Annual flowers and tropical pond plants are dying; the animals around us are heading south or slowing down and bulking up for the winter ahead. Fall is like the big shut down and Spring is like a new awakening every single year. I can’t even begin to describe all of the particular scents of Spring for you, but I’m sure that every one of you know what I mean when I talk about that fresh Spring scent that is only in the air in those first few Spring days. Those first few days are the same days when you walk out side, breath deeply, look up at the new Spring sun, feel the new Spring warmth on your skin and you just feel like dancing. Now not all of us succumb to the urge to dance, but I’m sure it brings a smile to our hearts and faces just thinking about it. To walk through your gardens and watch them change day-to-day if not hour to hour. To watch the Spring flower bulbs fight their way to the surface, to watch that thick sheet of ice on your pond break up and disappear for the first time since late November, to see the first sign of fish and frog movement in your pond. These are the things that make Spring a time of year to shout about. I swear that I can feel my fish breathing easier down there at the bottom of the pond as that ice opens up for the first time and the water begins to warm. The first time that I plug in that waterfall pump in Spring must be like the biggest party of the year for those fish. They made it through the cold dark winter and now are looking forward to warm water and flowing waterfalls for the entire summer. It must be like when you were a kid and you finished that last day of school for the year. Do you remember that freedom and rush of opportunity that you felt at a young age as you pondered the possibilities of the long summer ahead? The natural lakes and streams around us are filled to overflowing with the fresh rush of water from the melting ice and snow. Even the squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, dear, raccoons, songbirds or whatever type of animals tend to frequent your yard can be seen gallivanting about as if there is not a care in the world. It feels like the whole world is happy that Spring is here.
In Spring, we who are landscapers are looking at the upcoming year in a very similar fashion to the school children getting off of that bus for the very last time of this school year. We have had the winter to analyze, reflect, plan, strategize, dream, write, file, organize, clean, repair and just generally renew ourselves and our company. We look to Spring with great anticipation and wide open eyes. Just as the gardeners get to see the fruits of their labor when the first plants start to come to life and blossom, we too get to see the fruits of our many hours in the office come to life as the season unfolds and our new plans, strategies and systems are put into place. This year we are looking to Spring with a certain excitement that only comes from having a good chunk of our schedule already laid out and sold for the season. We believe that this year will be a year of firsts for our company. It has already had several firsts by being the first winter in which we have sold and completed projects during the worst of the cold winter months. And winter didn’t cooperate much. It is the first year in a long time that we we’re not in the snow plowing business and I can’t tell you how much more enjoyable the winter was without the constant worries that come with that profession. This is also the first year that we have had such a good quantity of work sold and planned prior to Spring even getting here. We believe that all of these positive things put together are going to add up to a very exciting and stimulating year. The only downside that we see to these things is the fact that scheduling will certainly be a greater challenge this year, but we will be working hard to complete all of the many great projects in a timely manner. For those of you who have not yet contacted us and are planning or would like to plan landscape improvements for this year, please call as soon as possible.
And last but not least, Spring is always the most exciting time of the year because we are eagerly looking ahead, but we can’t predict the future. We know that we will meet many friends this summer, both new and old. We get the opportunity to see people that we haven’t seen all winter or maybe haven’t seen for a few years as well as all of the new clients that we will meet in our sales consultations. Oh, the possibilities. We are quite sure that we will meet many new people as well as many new properties and ponds. Each time that I walk a new property that I haven’t been to it’s exciting. My eyes and ears are trying to take in as much information as possible about the new client, their family, and their property, all the while my brain is coming up with new ideas and creations that could be added to their yard to increase the usability and enjoyment that they get from their property. I often dream of no budgets and plenty of space. Wow, the beauty that we could create would be just phenomenal. Maybe this is why I have troubles coming up with quick landscape and pond designs for people. I always have a tendency to go big and grandiose, trying to make that property all that it can be. On several occasions I have certainly knocked the socks off of some budgets and budget planners with my elaborate and crazy dreams. It usually takes me a bit of time to adjust my dreams to the budget at hand and come up with the absolute best use of the funds available. It would be easy enough to roll into a property and suggest the standard ho-hum cookie cutter landscape to the owners, but what fun would that be. I didn’t get into this business because I like to dig in the dirt so much more than the next person, although that may be true to some extent, I got into this business because I love the change, I love the individuality of each homeowner and their property, I love the uniqueness of each property and each new landscape design. Each property presents challenges and opportunities that are unique. My every day is different from the last and from the next, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. Sure, maybe that is what makes this business a bit more complicated and difficult to predict than some, but hey, the excitement and variety is well worth every effort that is made.
So, in closing:
Spring is here, let’s have some fun.
Let the children play and the doggie run.
Spread your arms wide and start to dance.
The new summer is here, let’s take a chance.
Some may say be cautious, go slow.
But with Spring in the air, I don’t think so.
Imagine the future and dream the dreams.
Spring is here, the world is splitting at its seams.