Merry Christmas from Heritage!

Every year we try to take a family picture. This year we opted for one with just Robert and Debbie and the grandkids because our family has grown so much (and Holly has moved from LA to New York City so it's harder to get us all in the same place!).

From left to right: Robert, Debbie holding Mason (Ashley and Anna's youngest); Kleck and Carey's three kids: Ryan, Weston and Mallory; and Levi (Ashley and Anna's oldest). 

The Harman kids...you can tell Mallory is going to rule those brothers!

The McLeod kids.

We hope you have a special Christmas full of joy. We look forward to serving you in 2011~

Working on the inside

Although the majority of properties maintained by HLS have a lot of public space, several have private courtyards or other landscaping not visible to passers-by. Maintaining this type of space requires a different approach, whether that is how our crews enter the courtyard or how materials are disposed of. These photos were taken in October of the Carroll Campbell Place, a Lexington Medical Center facility.

Certified Green Business Member

A few weeks ago, Heritage became certified as a Green Business Member with Lexington County. We're proud of this distinction, which indicates we strive to preserve our natural resources. Thanks to Ian Randolph, our office administrator, for leading us through this process. To learn more about this program, please visit: http://www.lex-co.com/greenbusiness.html

Colors of Fall

On this post, we're celebrating the colors of fall...

The grass is green, thanks to overseeding with rye.

 The sky is blue and our lawnmowers are green.

 Leaves are orange, yellow, red and brown and soon will be falling down (we'll be busy with their removal over the next few weeks).

 

And here's a family update:
Before Halloween we went to McBee to pick out pumpkins at McLeod Farms. Levi and Mason had a great time!

Debbie hosted her annual Spooky Supper for the family. The kids dressed up- Ryan and Mallory as pirates; Levi as a farmer.

Happy Fall, Heritage Family!

Pansy Time

It's fall in the Midlands, even if this week's weather feels more like summer. Have a look around town and you'll notice that we've been busy putting in pansies. There is a plus side to the summer-like weather: warm days and cool nights help the pansies get established before winter. Some facts about pansies from the University of Georgia's web site:
"The Greeks in the 4^th Century B.C. used them as medicinal herbs for curing respiratory problems and colds. By 1850, many pansy strains were available to European gardeners, soon making their way to the North American market. By 1900, pansies were a popular North American annual. "
Check back in for more pictures as the flowers get more established.

A Successful Dove Hunt

Saturday, September 11, Heritage hosted their annual dove hunt for customers (and friends and family). Everyone met in McBee, SC, to enjoy lunch at Big's Meats (Robert's cousin owns this fantastic restaurant) and sample peaches and muscadine grapes from McLeod Farms (owned by another cousin of Robert's). Here's the hunting crowd heading to Big's. It was a large group!Robert got to show off a few of the grandchildren- Mallory, Levi and Ryan--and they got to enjoy playing on the tractors at the McLeod Farms Antique Museum.
Big's serves up delicious hand-patted hamburgers, fresh sides, and other tasty foods.

Kemp McLeod (left in blue shirt), owner of McLeod Farms, talked with the group about his operation.
He generously shared peaches and grapes with everyone.
It's a quick drive from Big's and McLeod Farms to the dove field.
Ashley and his cousin Martin ferried hunters to their locations in the field.
Men, women and kids hunted this year.
Another group heading out to the field.
Robert helped folks decide where to set up.
Overall it was a successful hunt. There was a steady stream of shots and birds dropping during the afternoon. We hope everyone enjoyed the fruits of their labors-- our family certainly savored the doves grilled with bacon on Sunday afternoon. This will continue to be an annual event so plan on coming next year!

Getting ready for Heritage's Annual Fall Dove Hunt

Each year Heritage hosts a dove hunt on the family farm in McBee, SC, for our customers. Recently Ashley and Robert went down to prepare the fields. The largest project was placing large telephone poles in the field and running wire between them to create "power lines". Corn has been planted and is maturing perfectly.

Sunflowers are also coming right along.
We hope there are plenty birds--we know the fellowship will be good no matter what! Robert will provide more information in the coming weeks.

More summer flowers...

The Heritage flowers are really popping with color! Here are two more examples of flowers we used this summer in Columbia. So far this summer has not been too dry, which has helped our flowers look even better.

This season's flowers

By now all of our properties have new annual flowers. We hope you are enjoying them. Here are some of the combinations we used this year.

Of course if the spring flowers are in the ground that means plans are being made for the fall. Ashley is currently in the process of putting together the flower choices for fall/winter. Orders for those will be due in July.

Spring Intern: Chris Hiatt

This spring we've had Chris Hiatt, a junior at Lexington High School, intern at Heritage. Monday through Thursday afternoons, you can find Chris at HLS learning about the wide range of activities involved with a landscape maintenance company. He has worked in our nursery to fulfill requirements for the horticulture co-op internship. Chris has also job shadowed Ashley on property maintenance and Darryl on equipment repair and maintenance at the shop.

He hopes to attend Clemson University to study civil engineering.

The newest addition to the HLS team

With the busiest month upon us, an addition was needed to keep up with the work at Heritage. Although it will be a few years before he can really help, Mason Newkirk McLeod was born on Monday, April 19. He weighed in at 8 lbs 1 oz and was 20 inches long. Ashley, Anna and big brother Levi are all doing well.

Looking for a Smarter Irrigation Control System?

As we approach the summer in South Carolina, the HLS team has turned on properties' irrigation systems due to the dry spring. New flowers will be installed in the coming weeks and the ground needs to have the proper moisture to help them flourish.

Although irrigation is a necessary expense, it doesn't have to overwhelm your budget or overly tax the environment.

Talk with Ashley about the possibility of installing a Rain Bird® ESP-SMT Smart Control System on your property to make the best use of your irrigation systems. This system can adjust the irrigation output based on temperature, rainfall, and wind. Think of this system as a personal weatherman for your property that suspends irrigation and measures useable rainfall to make adjustments as needed. The picture above shows a sample of the weather sensor and irrigation clock.

To learn more about the Rain Bird® ESP-SMT Smart Control System, please visit the company's web site: http://www.rainbirdespsmt.com/

GCLA: An organization for Columbia's landscapers

Heritage belongs to the Greater Columbia Landscape Association (GCLA), an organization in the Midlands area that focuses on the green industry. Commercial and residential landscapers comprise GCLA's membership as well as suppliers and vendors. Through their involvement with GCLA, Heritage's managers network with others, learn new information and contribute to the community.

To learn more GCLA, please visit: http://www.gcla.net/

Pre-Spring Preparation

Spring will be here before we know it so we're taking time to prepare for the changing seasons. For a properly maintained landscape, pre-emergent herbicide must be applied and ornamental grass needs to be cut back.

Sheldon and Samuel are applying pre-emergent to the turf to prevent the growth of summer weeds, particularly crab grass. FYI, this should be completed by March 15.
Here the guys are cutting back the liriope to remove the old foliage to encourage clean, new growth.

Snow in Columbia!

A week ago, Columbia was covered with 5+ inches of snow. Heritage was prepared and got to work quickly on Friday afternoon to make sure the properties we maintain were safe for customers. Here Ashley and Jamie are loading up buckets of ice melt just as the snow starts to fall. In addition to applying ice melt, Bobcats were used to plow away the snow from parking lots.
Levi was excited about the snow!
And while the snow was work for Heritage, kids certainly enjoyed it! Here's Levi learning how to shovel (in a few years he'll be out working with his dad!).
Sunday morning most of the snow had melted but some ice remained at the properties who requested snow maintenance. Ice melt was applied and did its job. You can see it working (the blue crystals in this picture).
Levi found another fun thing for the snow...food coloring in a spray bottle. Although this blue doesn't melt the snow, it added some interesting color!

The snow was fun but we're looking forward to the spring time and warmer temperatures.

Winter Pinestraw Installation

Twice a year we remove old pinestraw and spread new depending on requests made by the property. A fresh layer of pinestraw really freshens the landscape and provides a nice border. We're currently in the process of installing pinestraw at many of our properties--be on the lookout for our guys and the straw truck!