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We Care
Our mission is to satisfy our customers so completely with the quality of our work, our commitment to
service and our professionalism, that they deliberately seek us out again.
Our People Are Family!
We pride ourselves in our commitment to our employees. We encourage all staff to lead a balanced life
and support this concept through personal and professional goal planning and continued professional
development. We also provide our dedicated employees with health and dental insurance, paid vacations
and holidays, and a company matched retirement program.
Skilled Managers & Team Leaders
Our staff is cross-trained at all management and supervisory levels. No personnel issue (i.e. an absence)
will compromise your project’s schedule or the level of expertise on your job site.
Certifications and Experience
As of October, our staff has over 300 cumulative years of horticultural experience, over 200
cumulative years of being part of the J.W. Townsend family, and the following certifications:
28 Virginia Certified Horticulturists
2 Advanced Certified Horticulturists
3 ISA Certified Arborists
21 Registered Pesticide Technicians
25 College Graduates
1 LEED AP
1 Planet Landscape Industry Certified Manager
Dependability
We have been in business for 31 years and focused on quality, customer service, and exceptional
communication. We always strive to “over-deliver” and exceed expectations. This mindset is not the
exception; it is the rule.
Reputation, Confidentiality, and Security
We are the preferred landscape contractor for numerous Charlottesville landscape architecture firms.
All of our employees sign confidentiality agreements regarding the properties where we work. We take
your privacy very seriously.
Budget? No Problem! Would you like to work with us? Let us value engineer your plan to
your budget – it’s what we do!
Our goal… We want you as a customer for life!
Of course, we warrant all of the perennial plants and trees that we provide and install for one year. For seed and sod that we install, we warrant them to the establishment, with seasonal exceptions. For instance, we will tell you that seeding in December will typically yield poor germination, which we cannot warrant.
We typically travel up to two hours from Charlottesville; let’s say that is 100 miles. We have and will work farther away, but that is a guideline. Of course, at that distance, we would typically stay in the locale that we are working in and have our materials shipped there or shuttled there from our office/nursery.
It is simple: we try hard to invest forward in our CUSTOMERS. Let’s say you have a tree that has died outside the warranty period. We would like nothing more than to just replace it and invest forward in our relationship. We make these kinds of decisions on a case-by-case basis, but after doing it for more than 30 years, it is a great marketing tool and truly appreciated by our customers.
No, for over 30 years we have been glad to help with small projects like 5 azaleas as well as large projects involving hundreds of trees or boxwoods and everything in between.
Value engineering is simple: we take our experience estimating and executing jobs, and look for MORE efficiency in the project. This can involve considering different plant sizes, exploring different installation times, phasing the job, and even discussing material substitutions (with the designer’s input). Often, with some flexibility, value engineering can uncover additional options without compromising the integrity of the design, which includes budget savings.
Yes and no. We work with many talented landscape design professionals on almost every type of landscape project. Our preference is to first understand a client’s needs and then make a recommendation/referral to a landscape designer or architect, who we think would be a good match for the job and the owner. If you only want to work with us, then we can still provide a landscape design service to you.
The easiest place is to see some examples of our work would be to visit our garden installation photo gallery. However, we can also take you to see specific projects with some advance notice and planning. You might also be interested in meeting some of our customers and hearing about what it is like to have our staff installing or maintaining a garden for you. And some of our projects are in public places that you can just go and visit. Call us and we will be glad to direct you or arrange to show off some of our projects.
We are glad to do either. However, we most often work directly with the owner(s). The key is always good and consistent communication with either the owner or the contractor, or really both
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JWT provides simply the best quality turf care in the marketplace. In addition, the JWT staff removes and sharpens blades daily to keep your turf healthier and better groomed, it makes a difference!
All turfgrasses have a specific and genetically determined height that enables them to perform well, i.e. look attractive. We recommended cutting heights as follows:
-Tall fescue 3.5″
-Fine fescue 3.5″
-Zoysia 1.75″
-Bermuda 1.75″
This is possible, but not always true. The fact is that based upon the quality of the product and service that we bring to the market and your job, our costs are higher. We believe in delivering a better product and a better customer experience. We invest in our staff so that they can deliver the industry’s best work and our best work to our customers as a part of a long-term team at JWT. We promote professional certifications (over 50% of our staff has some level of horticultural certification or a degree) to support the continuing education of our team, company-sponsored health insurance for our staff for 30 years, community service and involvement, and monthly recognition/awards to staff for exceptional performance. See question number one above for a full list of our current qualifications.
No. The exact opposite is the truth. Scientific data from Virginia Tech and NC State studies show that a lush, green lawn actually prevents soil erosion which is what releases phosphorus into the waterways.
There can be one or more reasons that are easily remedied. For example,
-Too much water or too little water
-Compacted soil
-Poor light conditions
-The absence of proper nutrients
-Incorrect soil PH
-Site incompatible to grow healthy turf
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Our typical wildflower meadows are a blend of perennial wildflowers and grasses native to Virginia that will grow naturally in our landscape. We then include some annuals to provide some initial color and additional soil stability in the first year.
By our definition, they are just that: grasses native to Virginia. If we walked our fields 150 years ago, we would be seeing warm-season grasses and not fescue. Specifically, they are big and little bluestem (looks like broomsage, but isn’t), Indian grass, eastern gamagrass, and switchgrass. Broomsage is native also, but we do not plant it. The primary benefit of the other WSG’s is their value to wildlife, mostly for foraging and habitat purposes. Warm-season grasses are dormant (brown) in winter, but they are still warm and pleasant looking.
Thankfully, they require very little actual maintenance. They should be mown (“bush-hogged”) or burned once a year, and we strongly advocate that they be monitored for invasive plants. Our meadow maintenance programs always include a monitoring component with annual reports, which may result in a spot spraying recommendation to address any unexpected and undesirable plants. We strongly recommend continuing the annual visits and reports to confirm that any risks are identified and addressed by spot spraying before they could become problematic.
Wildflower meadows are installed as permanent meadows; they are planted with perennial grasses and perennial wildflowers. As a forest has no real lifespan neither does a meadow. In older public gardens, meadows are decades old and constantly evolving.
Yes, and many of the native wildflowers can be cut and used successfully in arrangements. See our meadow photo gallery for meadow pictures or meadow cut flower arrangements.
Give us a call and we would be glad to direct you to several semi-public meadows that we have installed since 2006.
We like to and we would be glad to explain how we do this, so call us. We only want to be associated with successful meadows so we are particular regarding what, when, and why we do things that enable us to guarantee meadows. To date, we only have successful meadows in our portfolio.
The cost of an installed meadow is a function of “scale” (size) and seed mix. Obviously, a 30-acre meadow will cost less per acre to prepare for and install than a quarter-acre meadow. The other variable is the seed mix as some wildflower seeds can cost nearly $1,000 per pound; the good news is that few do, and the seeds are small, so often we only need a quarter of a pound of some of the expensive seeds. Many wildflower seeds and warm-season grass seeds are less costly. On average, local meadows cost between $2,500 and $7,500 per acre, to prepare and install the meadow.
Typically, it takes three years for the perennial wildflowers to establish, though you will see immediate changes and perennial flower blooms beginning in the second year. In our photo gallery you can see photos of one year, two year, and older established meadows.
Yes, and many customers do. We will advise you about where the risks are and how to best meet your goals, but mostly about how to be successful with your meadow.
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Hotpots are unique containerized gardens – essentially beautiful glazed pots, terracotta, fiber-clay, resin, and poly pots that are uniquely designed, planted with beautiful plants, and typically maintained by our staff. We have branded this part of our business to emphasize our commitment to container gardening!
The best place would be our Hotpots Page.
Call us at 434-973-1154 and ask for Luke Puglia.
Almost all container gardens require maintenance! But that is the beauty of Hotpots because they get the care of professional gardeners, they look GREAT!
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Not always, but more often than not, it is. We have been installing landscape designs for over 30 years and can tell you that in those gardens where the future vision is clear from the designer, coupled with a fine gardening team that understands what the end product is, that beautiful gardens are created. Toward this end, we strongly encourage that the design professionals stay involved with the garden annually to communicate their vision with the owner and gardeners.
Yes, this is a NEW boxwood disease that we have not seen before in central Virginia. It may also be one of the most serious diseases in boxwoods that we have seen in a while. We do not want to alarm people; however, if you have boxwoods in your gardens, then you should know and be educated about this disease. Click here to read our boxwood blight informational kit.
Yes, we do this often. You chose what you would like to do and let us do what you like to do less.
First, we determine the owner’s goals for the garden, their desired level of participation (if any), and then we build a fine gardening “budget.” The majority of our fine gardening clients are involved on a time and materials basis, which is framed within their budget.
Virginia Certified Horticulturists have achieved a level of scientific knowledge in the art and science of the cultivation and propagation of plants by passing a comprehensive examination developed by a state trade association for garden centers, nursery growers, landscape designers, installation and maintenance contractors, greenhouses and horticultural suppliers.
Virginia Certified Arborists are individuals who have achieved a level of knowledge in the art and science of tree care through experience by passing a comprehensive examination developed by some of the nation’s leading experts on tree care.
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Of course, we warrant all of the plants and trees that we provide and install for one year. For seed and sod that we install we warrant them to the establishment, with seasonal exceptions. For instance, we will tell you that seeding in December or July will typically yield poor germination, which we cannot warrant.
Yes and no. We work with many talented landscape design professionals on almost every type of landscape project. Our preference is to first understand a client’s needs and then make a recommendation/referral to a landscape designer or architect, who we think would be a good match for the job and the owner. If you only want to work with us, then we can still provide a landscape design service to you.
We typically travel up to two hours from Charlottesville; let’s say that is 100 miles. We have and will work farther away, but that is a guideline. Of course, at that distance, we would typically stay in the locale that we are working in and for the sake of efficiency (cost control), have our materials shipped there or shuttled there from our office/nursery.
Value engineering is simple: we take our experience estimating and executing jobs, and look for MORE efficiency in the project. This process can involve considering different plant sizes, exploring different installation times, phasing the job, and even discussing material substitutions (with the designer’s input). Often, with some flexibility, value engineering can uncover additional options without compromising the integrity of the design, which includes budget savings.
The easiest place is to see some examples of our work would be to visit our garden installation photo gallery. However, we can also take you to see specific projects with some advance notice and planning. You might also be interested in meeting some of our customers and hearing about what it is like to have our staff installing or maintaining a garden for you. Some of our projects are in public places that you can just go and visit. Call us and we will be glad to direct you or arrange to show off some of our projects.
Sometimes we can, and sometimes we do, so it is worth asking. Because the work that we do is seasonal, we use discounts to encourage scheduling during our slower work periods – typically the middle of winter and the middle of the summer. Not all work can or should be performed in the “off-season” and we will advise you clearly on what we can and recommend doing at those times. We can actually do more than many realize during the winter and summer. So, if you have a project with scheduling flexibility then keep us in mind.
Click here to see our plant aftercare guide which addresses everything from plant care, to seed and sod care to wildflower meadow care, and more which you can print and use.
Yes, we have worked with some customers, landscape architects, and landscape designers for over 30 years. We are glad to put you in touch with people with whom we have just worked, or those who have known us for years. Just ask, we are proud of all our projects and the relationships that we have with our owners and design professionals; we will put you in touch!
Yes, we have a full-time plant buyer who resources plants from all over North America. Ask us about how we do this and where we can bring value to you.
We special order almost all of our plants for our jobs. Many, particularly trees and unique larger woody ornamentals, we will hand tag with locking seals (irremovable seals – that we remove once we have received, inspected accepted the plants from the nurseries). If we are unable to hand tag, then we can also get our growers to send us photos of specific plants for our review. This is a common practice for many of our landscape architects, especially when it comes to specimen pants.