Unique Environmental Blog

Black Residence

 

Recent design, sales and install testimonial from clients we met at the 2010 Southeastern Flower Show.

      "During the past forty years, my husband and I have hired four companies to landscape our property. Each company was professional and carried out a plan that pleased us and enhanced our home. One company, however, stands out above the rest, and that company is Unique Environmental Landscapes.

      Because of the recent drought and the subsequent floods, our grass had disappeared and a sink hole had developed in a low spot.  The plant islands were no longer attractive. Unique Environmental Landscapes sent Matt Cofer, Project Manager, and Jesse Edmondson, Landscape Designer, to work with us on a suitable plan to repair the damage. They suggested possibilities that were inspirational, and once we approved the final job summary, they carried out each step promptly and on schedule. The installers, too, arrived each day when they were promised and worked beyond our expectations.  After installing the sod and planting the trees and shrubs, they pressure-washed the driveway, and they returned unexpectedly after the work was completed to water the entire yard again.

    We are very pleased with the entire experience. Thank you, Unique Environmental Landscapes, and thank you,  Matt [Cofer] and Jesse [Edmondson]."

-Mr. & Mrs. Black

-Atlanta, Ga.

Atlanta Habitat for Humanity & Unique Environmental Landscapes

Unique Environmental Landscapes and MALTA are coordinating efforts with Habitat for Humanity for their third year in a row next Saturday March 13th.

Unique Environmental Landscapes will have staff volunteers helping to assign tasks for the event and working with the materials available to create new living spaces for families on Pryor Road and Bagwell Drive.

If you are interested in volunteering please contact Habitat for Humanity. You can also show up at 2488 Lakewood Avenue, Atlanta, Ga. at 7am. The event lasts until 1pm, so come out and help when you can!

Unique Environmental Landscapes and MALTA enjoy giving back to the community! We hope you can help!

Unique Environmental Displays Excellence At 2010 Flower Show

 

     The 2010 Southeastern Flower Show has come and gone and we hope you were one of the attendees, because it was definitely worth the trip to the Cobb Galleria.  Unique Environmental built a beautiful 900 square foot garden with the theme “Come on over!!” calling out to all who strolled our way.

      There were a number of fine gardens on display, each with its own flavor and style.  Unique’s was designed to offer a feeling of comfort and casual elegance, with lushly planted backdrops framing a lower terrace, with boulder accents and specimen Japanese Black Pines.  Stone steps led to an upper seating area, which showcased a truly unique water feature, fire pit, and, of course, more lush, yet subtle plantings.  A privacy fence protected the rear of the garden and was adorned with window boxes overflowing with trailing nasturtiums, variegated ginger lilies, fleabane, Princess plant and glacier ivy.  This garden was a great example of the style of landscaping for which we are known- comfortable, colorful and, well, unique!

      Aside from inquiries about the garden itself, the most frequently asked question was “how long did it take you to put this together?”  Well, here are some figures on that:  actual production time at the show took approximately 400 hours, which accounts for set-up and break down.  Add to that the design process, the pre-construction time building stone columns, the privacy fence and so on, collecting the various components and plant materials, transportation, time in the garden during the show and finally, relocating the plants and materials back to our facilities and you can add another 200 hours or so.  Whew!!!  Quite an undertaking!

      Was it worth the time and effort?  Along with meeting thousands of very nice folks during the show, Unique also won a number of awards for their efforts, including the MALTA (Metro Atlanta Landscape and Turf Association) Trophy, the Ann Lyon Crammond Trophy, the Georgia Lighting Company Trophy, the “Best Maintenance” award, and perhaps the most gratifying, The People’s Choice Award which was determined by the votes of the shows’ attendees.  Yes, a ton of time and effort but many fine memories and most importantly, a feeling of satisfaction knowing that we were able to showcase our style and flair and capability to produce a truly Unique landscape.

Unique Receives Distinguished MALTA Awards for 2009

 
At the MALTA Awards banquet on January 19th 2010, Unique Environmental received three awards for Installation and Green Innovation. The Design Team of Todd Guilmette, Matt Cofer and Erik Rieffel lead the Koushel and Howell Projects.

MALTA is metro Atlanta and Georgia's premier landscape organization for professionals involved in the landscape design, construction, and maintenance industry.

Every year entries are submitted in early November for projects completed that year, Unique Environmental has been grateful to receive an award every year thus far.

This year however, Unique Environmental received the highest honor of Judges Choice Award for Landscape Installation Under $75,000. The project, led by Matt Cofer, was for the Koushel Family and turned out magnificent. 

The Unique Environmental Team will carry this momentum into the Southeastern Flower Show in two weeks!

Koushel Residence (photo taken by Laura Guilmette)

Unique Environmental used the ideas of Mr. Koushel and added our blend of plant texture, and color, as well as hard scape design and installation to create this picturesque and functional landscape.

-Jesse Edmondson

Unique Environmental Ad

Rich's Winter Recommendations

What will this toe numbing, water pipe-busting, shiver-inducing weather do to our vulnerable southern plants?

The weather is anything but predictable as we all know, but the last few years have really been doozies when it comes to extremes!  Drought followed by ridiculously heavy rainfall and now freezing weather hanging around for over a week.  What is a landscape to do?

Let’s deal with the latest extreme, the arctic express of January 2010.  It’s not that the temps have been disastrously low; they’ve certainly been lower and more disastrous in past years.  That they are staying below freezing for an extended period of time, however, is cause for some concern. 

So what can you do?  The harsh reality is that in many cases the answer is nothing.  People tend to use plants that are borderline hardy, (and some that just shouldn’t be considered at all) and harsh conditions such as these remind us that perhaps we should choose plants more discriminately while planning a landscape, or when we replace them, as will be the case with many this year I’m afraid.  In most instances it just isn’t practical to try to cover all those tender plants for extended periods.  Tent cities of plastic and multi-colored blankets over those poor plants look ridiculous on so many levels, and frankly, they’re still going to be damaged.

What then can you do?  You can plan ahead and contract with qualified, experienced landscape professionals like those at Unique Environmental who will design landscape areas using plants that will survive these extremes.  You can make sure your plants are well mulched before the cold weather arrives.  Once the weather warms, make sure that your plants are hydrated, especially in planters or raised beds, as these cold, windy dry days will desiccate a plant in no time flat.  Deadhead your pansies and give them a drink (straight up, NOT on the rocks!) and perhaps remulch those perennials, hostas and other more shallow rooted plants that are exposed to these decidedly northern conditions.  Should you notice damaged leaves on your evergreens, refrain from cutting them back until it is apparent they have died back, later this spring.

Beyond that, know that this is but a passing event and we’ll soon be warming again.  Join us at the Southeastern Flower Show at the Cobb Galleria Centre, February 4^th through the 6^th, enjoy our garden and those of others, and dream of sunny days and sultry nights.

-
Rich

Unique Goes Green

Approximately one year ago, Unique Environmental contracted Greenco, a food/yard waste recycling company, to manage our maintenance and landscape debris. Everything ‘natural’ from grass clippings, shrub pruning and limbs had previously been sent to landfills to decompose, using landfill space. Now, we store it on our property until ‘chipping’ day. Unique’s first ‘chipping of the pile’ generated 122 tons of reusable compost and Unique expects close to 200 tons this fall preventing almost 400 tons of waste from being dumped in local landfills. After the debris is chipped and ground into fine particles, it’s sent to south GA where it is composted and sold. Of course, Unique then purchases this product (we buy our own waste!!) and uses it in landscape and seasonal color beds. Our first delivery will be this fall when we will complete the circle of recycling. 

Unique has definitely chosen this process for its long-range affect on the environment over its budgetary savings. Basically, we have redirected almost all the annual expense of disposing of the waste to recycling it.  Then we repurchase the composed organic material. Unique views the process as being good stewards and it’s just part of our contribution to the environment and community. We have to start somewhere for the future.