Lawn Care Services (Alexandria, Fairfax, Lorton: HOA, Home Depot, landscaping)

[emarsh6719]

Does anyone have any experiences, positive or negative, with any of the lawn care services in the Northern Virginia area? Does anyone have any recommendations on which one to use? We have looked at TruGreen and Scott's but I know there are a slew of local companies, too. Any opinions or insight would be much appreciated. Thanks!

[VRE332]

Trugreen sucks, we had used them for our community and they never did what they said, and then charged us a lot of money.

[emarsh6719]

Thanks. I'd heard TruGreen was better than Scott's but I don't know if that applies here in Northern Virginia. Scott's seemed the most professional and knowledgeable when we dealt with them on the quote. Has anyone had any positive experiences with any company that does this kind of service?

[saganista]

I'd completely forget any of the big name services. You're No. 624 out of a thousand to them. Ask around...see who your neighbors use. Drive around...if you see some nice looking lawn and landscaping, go knock on the door and ask who made that happen. The idea is to come up with maybe three small independent companies, then talk with each of them about how spiffy you want to be. Spring cleanup? Fall leaf removal? Tree and shrub care? A little aeration and overseeding? Out of the three companies, go with the one that offers you the best combination of price and professionalism. There are a lot of really good small companies out there, and even the average ones are likely to provide you with a better deal than the programmed corporate chemical pushers will...

[HEATHER72]

Our HOA used TruGreen last year and they did a great job of burning up the grass in the common areas! Just because a lawn is scheduled for a service, doesn't necessarily mean that service is needed.

What sort of services are you looking for though?

We've always done our own lawn care. We've finally got one of the best looking lawns in the neighborhood, it has taken a couple of seasons, but it's nice and thick now. There's nothing you can't go get at Lowe's or Home Depot rather than paying $$$$ to a company to come do your yard. You will learn a lot from your neighbors with good yards and also thru trial and error.
Things I've learned the past year
* Weed B Gone = good... round up = bad
* Cut your lawn high. Yes it's neat to shear it down to nothing, but it's much nicer at 3 inches. I also don't cut the lawn when it's super hot and hasn't rained in awhile. I try to time the cuts around a good rain.
* Secret weapon - starter fertilizer. It has made the biggest difference in our lawn, areas that were thin and yucky are perfect now. Ditch the bags of ironite for starter fertilizer and have no rust spots on the sidewalk!
* Seed in the fall

[Fairfax Mom]

Try cutting your own lawn - it is good exercise - I cut mine and love to do it -

[HEATHER72]

Originally Posted by Fairfax Mom

Try cutting your own lawn - it is good exercise - I cut mine and love to do it -

I like to cut mine also (thinks I do a better job than hubby ) I always get stares because a woman is doing yard work. *gasps* But he use to be gone a lot, someone had to cut it!

[saganista]

For many, there eventually comes a time when you have more money than time and energy. Plus mowing isn't really the hard part, and lousy weather three weekends in a row in the Spring can throw your whole annual plan out of kilter, whereas the crew can just shift all the work over to Tuesday without batting an eyelash. With some quality professional helpers, all the drudge-work and heavy-lifting stuff reliably gets done when it's supposed to be done, and there's still plenty enough work left over to keep idle hands occupied throughout the season. It's a little like buying six weeks worth of groceries every month instead of four, but for us at least it's been worth it and then some...

[emarsh6719]

I'm not looking for a service to mow our lawn. We are looking for a service that can help treat for weeds (we have more weeds than grass), fertilize, overseed and aerate. I can mow my own lawn but can't do all of these things, too between work, three kids ages four and under and a husband who travels 80 percent of the time. This is just one thing that seems to make sense to outsource. We had used a small local company at first but they are basically just buying the same stuff we can at Lowes and spreading it (plus they aren't doing a good job of that even). I am looking for a professional company that has professional-grade products that they can use to treat the lawn. I know some smaller companies still use really good products. Has anyone worked with a good local small company that they could recommend? I asked around the neighbors and 90 percent of them use TruGreen. Haven't found anyone who uses a smaller company they'd recommend. Thanks for the input!

[Yankeesfan]

Kingstowne Lawn and Landscape is excellent if you live in that area:

Alexandria Virginia Landscaping, Landscape Designers, Lawn Care, Mowing, Aeration, Weed Control, Maintenance, Stacked Stone & Block Retaining Walls, Flagstone, Masonry & Brick Paver Patios Contractors & Design Services Lorton Virginia