Services
Ours is a holistic approach to property management, and inclusive of the many overlapping and interacting components inherent in the living landscape. Sometimes we find it hard to draw lines between "departments", as we all often work together at most of what we do. Following are several facets of landcare in which we find ourselves involved.....
Landscape
Design and Installation
We are often involved in various capacities with our clients: Frequently as the Design-Build contractor, sometimes as the muscle and knowhow where another designer has conceived of the plan, and often as the ongoing stewards of the gardens, lawns, forests, trails, trees, shrubs and flowers...
Grading, drainage, walls, patios, driveway, plantings, flowers, lawn installation? YES.
When shall we get together and have a look at your project?
Stonework
Stonework and other forms of hardscape are integral components of a handsome and functional landscape design. Here in the Berkshires we are rich with unique native formations and quarries that provide the materials to us.
At ILC our own stonemasons create custom steps, paths, patios, and retaining walls with native fieldstone, Goshen stone, granite, bluestone and more. Boulders, bedrock/ledge outcroppings and even glacier-worn cobblestone or pebbles can become potential elements in your garden to provide structure to the garden, attractive function to the drainage swale or rain garden, and habitat in the water feature.
Plant Health Care
Plant Health Care at ILC represents our holistic approach to assessing and tending to the needs of the landscape ecosystem. In our region especially, microclimates and differing soil types can present unique challenges and therefore dictate a personal approach. This can incude soil testing, fertilization, decompaction of soils, mulching and topdressing with Organic Matter (compost), and Integrated Pest Management.
Our approach will always be to strive for an organic, biorational and low impact solution to keep your plants, pets, and family healthy and safe.
Horticulture
The ILC Team of gardeners involve themselves primarily with the ongoing care of your perennials and annuals, groundcovers, bulbs, and of course vegetables.
Gardens both formal and relaxed are managed with attention to detail while acknowledging the changing climate and its effect on local ecosystems. We strive to create and maintain sustainable communities of plants through diversity and with an emphasis on the use of native plants that give back to the broader community (think habitat and food sources for beneficial insects, birds, bees, and on up the line).
By weeding and deadheading; planting, transplanting and dividing; edging and mulching; watering and pruning, we maintain balance and beauty in our clients' gardens.
Invasive Species Management
We've got it all here in the Tri-State region: Woody exotics like Bittersweet, Buckthorn, Barberry, Burning Bush, Honeysuckle, Autumn Olive, Privit; herbaceous plants like Garlic Mustard, Bishop's Weed/Goutweed, Coltsfoot, Horsetail; and vines like Poison Ivy and American Grape.
Individual consideration must be given to each to weigh options and their impact. We believe in sponsoring healthy competition among plants; that the best remedy for Invading plants is to out-compete them with happy, healthy native trees, shrubs, groundcovers and perennials.
The trouble is, these invasive species have few natural predators and have adapted rapidly to our climate - often leafing out earlier and dropping leaves later. Sometimes our preferred plants need help, and it becomes our job to offer options, whether manual, mechanical, biological or chemical (including organics and synthetics) to manage these pesky competitors. We welcome the opportunity to have a look - and we encourage you to ACT. These plants can take over a garden and an adjacent woodland in a hurry!
Tree Care
Arboriculture is a science, art, and for us a passion.
Whether training your shrubs, shade trees and ornamentals; thinning your fruit trees for fruit and flowers; performing crown reduction, pruning out deadwood or cabling your mature legacy trees, our team of professionals is going to consider the big picture: safety, tree health, aesthetics, and the laws of physics.
We believe that woody plants of all sizes should be cared for by trained, specialized horticulturalists called arborists, and we'd love to talk to you about it :-)