Following in Daddy's (Landscaping) Footsteps

Levi, Ashley and I's oldest son, is finishing up Kindergarten. It's been Career Week at his school this week and he's had the opportunity to draw, write, and dress up like someone who works in his future profession. It probably comes as no surprise that Levi wants to be a landscaper like his daddy (although last year's 4 year-old Career Day choice was a swamp logger). 

His drawing below depicts a landscape crew that is raking, laying sod and planting a tree. 

Levi's outfit was complete with a plaid shirt (and he insisted on wearing a white shirt underneath to be like Daddy) and a Rain Bird hat. 

He wanted to take an action picture--here he is pulling a weed.
 

We won't pressure Levi to take over Heritage anytime soon but he's making a great landscaper-in-training (should he choose this as his profession). He is always right beside Ashley when work is being done outside, whether that is planting trees, laying sod, or repairing irrigation. It's a blessing to have a business continue on to the second generation (Robert to Ashley)--and we believe our family relationship makes us a stronger company. 

We hope your spring is going well. It's our pleasure to serve you and your properties as we help make the area we live in a beautiful place.

A Trip to the Desert

Recently Ashley and Kleck were invited to visit the Rain Bird pump manufacturing facility in Tuscon, Arizona.  Rain Bird manufactures a full range of landscape and irrigation materials. They are the only company that supplies a complete irrigation system, from the pump to the irrigation heads.

In addition to touring the Rain Bird facility, Ashley and Kleck enjoyed a Jeep tour of the surrounding desert, sponsored by Rain Bird. 

The landscape was a little different from South Carolina...

Ashley and Kleck came back even more knowledgeable of the systems provided by Rain Bird. Next time you see one of them, ask them about their trip. 

Thrifty Roots

A common groundcover that produces a blanket of purple flowers in the spring, creeping phlox or "thrift" has a special connection to Heritage. As we mentioned in our company history, Robert has fond memories of  working on his uncle's thrift farm in Clinton, S.C. When going through some family papers recently, Robert came across this newspaper article from the 1960s that describes the family farm as one that, at the time, produced the largest thrift fields in the world. You can click on the image below to read the article. 

If you want to learn more about this beautiful (and easy to grow) plant, visit: http://www.gardenguides.com/69043-plant-creeping-phlox.html. 

We hope you're enjoying the spring weather. Our crews have been busy making sure your landscapes are green, well-groomed, and ready for spring flower installation. 

Going Green for St. Patrick's Day

For Heritage, "being green" has a lot of meanings. We're part of the "green industry" because our work focuses on keeping landscapes green and growing. We hold our "green certification" because we make environmentally responsible decisions. 

So it makes sense when there's a holiday where everyone wears green, we would be sure to join in. The McLeod and Harman crew gathered this afternoon for lunch and we snapped this quick picture of Robert, Kleck and Ashley with all the kids in their green. 

We hope you enjoyed this great weekend of weather as the Midlands greens up for spring. 

Transition to Propane Power

In an effort to be more environmentally friendly, Heritage Landscape Services is in the process of converting all of our lawn mowers to run on propane. We have already noticed while working on the conversions and cranking the units in our shop, there is virtually no odor and the noise level is lower when running a propane-powered lawnmower. The conversions are costly, but will have many benefits in the long run.



Several of the benefits of using propane to power our equipment include:

1. Reduced Emissions — Propane burns much more efficiently (around 90-95% efficient) than gasoline and produces less carbon monoxide and other greenhouse gases. 
2. Cleanliness — Propane is not spilled like gasoline when refueling. Spilled gasoline can catch on fire when in contact with hot engine parts. 
3. Extended Engine Life — Although it takes more propane than gasoline to power an engine, less energy is wasted in combustion of propane. Engines run on propane run cooler, which means less stress on internal engine parts and extended engine life. 

These benefits summarize an article found in Mother Earth News. Read the complete article here: http://www.motherearthnews.com/safety-and-benefits-of-propane-small-engines-over-gasoline.aspx#axzz2M6VDuuV3

If you haven't already, you'll soon see our propane-powered mowers on your property. We continue to look for ways we can be a "greener" green business. Please share your suggestions.

Track Sod Installer

Heritage has recently purchased a new Track Sod Installer. It is a rubber-tracked unit with a load capacity of 2,500 lbs. and installs big rolls of sod 24" - 48" wide. It is able to lay sod very fast yet smooth because of the track's help with load displacement. The end result is new turf that looks like it has been established for years.

Merry Christmas from Heritage!

To our customers and friends,

Front, left to right: Levi, Robert, Parker, Debbie, Tyler & Mason. Back, left to right: Mallory, Weston & Ryan. 

We’re thankful this Christmas season for your business. We are able to celebrate our company’s 26th year because we are blessed to work with good people like you.

We’re also thankful for our family. This year’s picture features Robert & Debbie with their seven grandchildren.

Our newest addition is Ashley & Anna’s third son: Tyler Ryan McLeod, born August 1, 2012.

Tyler is named in memory of 1st Lt. Ryan Rawl, who was killed June 20th by a suicide bomber as he worked at a check point in Afghanistan. Ryan’s family are good friends of our’s and Ryan’s older brother, Stan, grew up with Ashley.

Ryan Rawl, pictured with daughter Callie and son Caleb, in Summer 2011

Please keep the Rawl family in your prayers during this holiday season and give thanks for the sacrifices some families make for our freedom.

From the staff at Heritage Landscape Services and our family, we wish you all the joys of a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Sincerely,

Robert and Ashley McLeod

Kleck Harman

Finishing Up: USC's New Football Parking at the Old Farmer's Market

We're finalizing the installation for the new 50 acre USC football parking facility at the Old SC Farmer's Market. It's been a big project we've been working on since February.

All of the old buildings and asphalt were removed get the land ready for our irrigation, tree, and plant installation. 

Trees lining what will be Garnet Way, a green space in the middle of the parking area. You can view the concept map here: http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/scar/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2011-12/misc_non_event/2012-frmrs-mkt-concept-map.pdf

Seeded grass greening up. 

Flowers being installed at the entrance off of Bluff Road. 

Ian took this picture from the top of the stadium, looking over the parking area. It's an impressive space! You can read more about USC's game day parking here. 

The Newest McLeod Arrives

This past Wednesday, August 1, Ashley and Anna's third son arrived. 

Tyler Ryan McLeod was born at 11:43 p.m., weighed 7 lbs 8 oz. and was 20 inches long.

Ashley, Anna, Levi and Mason are all excited to have Tyler join their family. 

Tyler is settled at home and is doing well. 

It won't be long before he'll want to join the mowing crew for a ride around on a John Deere lawnmower like his big brothers. 

Heritage's New Mulch Blowing Truck

This week Heritage purchased a used mulch blowing truck. Mulch provides an alternative to pinestraw. Some benefits of using mulch are it stays in place during high winds and it's a natural bi-product of the tree industry. This Finn truck also has the ability to blow topsoil to washed out areas.  

A dedicated crew is trained to operate this equipment. In the picture below, our guys are applying a fresh layer of mulch to this bed. 

Please contact Robert or Ashley if you are interested in this option for your property. We continue to seek out ways to best serve our customers.