Sherborn Trim job- and the Police visit us

We went to a home in Sherborn, Massachusetts today to do a trim and weed job. We had worked at installing all of the bushes, trees, sod and blue stone patio quite a few years ago and that is when these pictures were taken. Most all of the plantings are at least twice a high and a lot fuller.

Wagner came up to me when Guillerme and I were in the back of the property and asked me to come and help one of the ladies who was cleaning the home. As I walked around to the front of the home the police arrived. They asked me what was going on and I explained that I did not know, but then Wagner told us that the cleaning lady had used some kind of chemical to clean the rugs and it had set off the alarm. A few minutes later the fire engine cam down the road but was waved off by the police.

We went back to work, after all of the excitement and the man who owns the property, showed up, about an hour latter, after he had been called at work. He at least knows, now, that his alarm system, does in fact work the way it is supposed too.

Condo Trim Job

Today, I am with Guillerme and Wagner doing a big 3 day trim job at a condo complex in Millis, Massachusetts. The picture above on the left, is just part of the complex, after it was trimmed and the other picture, is of a cone flower, with a Bee getting some nectar.

This is a good project for Guillerme to work on as it has many different varieties of shrubs for him to practice his shearing skills on. We tackle this project one building at a time. We weed all of the beds first, rake them out and then do all of the hand clipping and the shearing of the shrubs. Doing it this way makes it easier to clean up and is a lot easier on Wagner who is doing the majority of the clean up work.

This will take us a total of 3 days to complete, but it is well worth it, as we get a lot of compliments from the ladies who live there. That is what is so great about landscaping, making customers happy with your work.

Finish one condo and off to the next one.

We went back to the condo complex in Medfield and started to work on our trim job there. The lady who is in charge wanted all of the bushes to be hand trimmed instead of using the power shears as we had done last year. She did not like that "lolli pop" look. So I ended up having to hand clipp all of the ornamentals. This is a good way to trim, but in a few years, the bushes will have out grown the area they are now in. The custome is always right, in these cases.

Guillerme, Wagner and I finished up the condo complex in Medfield around 2:30 PM and headed over to our next Condo Complex in Millis. This complex will take the 3 of us 2 1/2 to 3 days to finish weeding and trimming. The picture was taken this spring and is showing one, of the seven units that we will be trimming.

Finish the job in Dover and off to a Condo to trim

The flower picture on the left, is a "Lace wing Hydrangea", which I like, more than the "pom-pom type", which most people associate with hydrangeas. To me this it is, a more eloquent, variety.

We finished up the trimming in Dover around 2 PM and headed over to a small Condominium in Medfield, that was close by. We only had time to do some weeding and up branching of the trees on the perimeter of the parking area before we had another very strong thunder storm, which ended our day around 4 PM.

We were lucky we only had thunder, lightening and heavy rains, the other crew was experiencing hail the size of dimes. At on point they had to pull over it, because the hail was coming down so hard. On my way home I drove through that area and it had hailed so much it looked like it had just snowed.

We are now officially, in Trimming Season

The trimming season has now started for us. We try to wait, until the ornamental's have pushed out, the "new growth" for the season and for the flowering to have stopped, before we start trimming. As I mentioned in an earlier post sometimes people want this done early.

I went with Guillerme and Wagner to a property in Dover, Massachusetts, to start the trimming. First, we go through all of the beds and do the weeding and rake that all out. I have found this to be a much easier way to do the job, instead of doing the trimming first.

Guillerme will be doing any of the shearing and I will be doing the hand clipping and "up branching" of the trees on the perimeter of the property and any that are on the inside as well. Wagner for the most part will be doing the "picking up" of all of the weed and trim debris. At this property we have a compost area, in the woods that we can use, instead of putting it in the truck and hauling it away for a fee.

We experienced another day of, off and on rain showers and then around 4 PM, a thunder storm came and ended our day.

Finish weed Job, Cut down some Ivy and Start a Trim Job

The picture on the left, was taken by Rob, who went up on some scaffolding a few years back when we did a lot of work at this property. I made the blue stone, walkway in the "Rose Garden" at that time. This is the same property that had the deer in it last week. In the upper left hand corner you can see the man made fish pond, that has a water fall, but it is hidden by the Blue Spruce.

Any way's, Guillerme and Wagner came with me today and we had to finish weeding the back part of this property, which took us until around 3 PM.

After, that we went to a property a few streets away ( pictured on the right, which I also did the bluestone patio a few years ago ) and trimmed the ivy from around the doorways and windows. The lady who owns the property was home and explained to me that she dislikes the Ivy and would like to see it all removed but her husband, loves it and even planted some new Ivy when she wasn't looking. So we did our best to make both of them happy and next year, they will have to make a decision on the Ivy staying or going................hmmmmm.........wonder who will win that one?

We finished up the day at another home, where we only had time to hand trim a few bushes. I need a new "Trimming Ladder", to get all of the large Burning Bush on the property and I think this year, Rob will finally allow me to get on. I have only been asking for this ladder for about 3 years.

Finish weeding and then off to another weed job

Thursday was a complete wash out and we did not have any work, the sky is just very, very dark and it is raining like crazy, again. Friday, the weather forecast is for the sun to show up, heat up all of this moisture, so we can have thunderstorms this afternoon. Well, we will have a little sunshine today anyway.

We are back at the house of the President of Olin college to finish up the weeding there. Guillerme and I had it all done by 10:30 Am and then it was off to a property in Wellesley to do some more weeding. All of this rain has developed a healthy crop of weeds and once the sun returns there are going to be even more.

At the house in Wellesley, we looked out in the back yard and there was a deer, munching on some green apples that had fallen down from the rain. I was lucky enough to get my camera and get this picture.

Dark and dreary morning......rain is coming soon

This morning it is so dark, that you know it is going to rain any minute. Guillerme and I went to the home occupied by the President of Olin College, because the Presidents wife, just loves her flower gardens and wants them to always look nice........that means weeded on a regular basis.

Guillerme and I could only weed one of the beds in front of the house before the heavens opened up and that was it for today. Mother nature is not being nice to us landscapers this June. Oh, well time for some CRAVE energy drink and then I am off to work on my home biz, thank goodness for that.

Finish the trim job in Southboro

I went with Guillerme and Kessio to finish up the trim job we started a week ago, but due to the rain we have not had a chance to get back to it. I had to train Guillerme on how to trim using the power shears we have. My patience is tested to the limit during these period, as mistakes will happen. I just have to be calm and use the mistakes as tools to teach what is the correct way and what is not.

We just had to trim up the bushes in the front of the house and the one way out back. The picture shows our finished work there. Guillerme did a pretty decent job for his first time shearing. He needs practice and it will soon be trimming season and he will get a LOT of practice.

When we finished there, we headed over to the home occupied by the President of Babson College to do some weeding as, we had not been there for awhile due to the rain. As I was working in one perennial flower bed, something moved, I thought it was a snake, but it turned out to be a baby bunny, which I took a picture of. I did not bother him and continued weeding and then I came across his 2 other siblings. Well that was it, I stopped my work because we never bother animals we find out in nature. They were just so little and so cute, and the other guys took pics with their camera phones.

Rain Day ....... again

Well it rained again, this is the worst rainy period I have ever experienced. The end is not in sight either, the weather forecasters have rain penciled in for every day this week.

So I am leaving you with a few pictures, Pink Astilbe's, Salmon Astilbe's and a pink Azalea bush.

I am off to work on facebook and do some home biz work. I am so very thankful, that I have that to look forward to, on these rain days.