Retaining walls are used primarily to solve problems relating to slope (i.e.: eliminate difficult mowing area or prevent soil erosion). They can be used to add visual interest to a flat area as well (i.e.: add a raised planting area).

We can custom build your retaining walls using materials such as interlocking blocks, natural stones, or landscape timbers.

Brick paving is an attractive alternative to the everyday wooden deck or concrete patio. And with a little imagination, you can customize a walkway or patio which will perfectly complement your home. Concrete pavers bring charm to everyday spaces. Paths, sidewalks, courtyards and patios come alive with pattern, texture and color. All of this plus the durability and quality built into every paver project.

Patios provide living space for cooking, eating and entertaining. An attached patio with sweeping curves helps soften the hard, straight lines that dominate most houses. Walkway are used to direct traffic between different areas in a yard and give a feeling of visual unity to a landscape.

We can install different type of interlocking brick pavers that come in many shapes, colors and patterns.

Should I pour a concrete pad or use stepping stones?

     In most areas of the country for a 100 square foot patio project, the cost of using stepping stones is half the cost of a poured concrete pad. The larger the project, the more cost efficient poured concrete becomes. Stepping stones, however, provide much more design and color flexibility. Also, replacing a broken stone is much easier than repairing a cracked, poured pad.

Plants provide the final decoration to your landscape. By virtual of their yearly grow and seasonal color, they provide an element of change in your landscape.

We select and plant the most hearty, lush and vibrant annuals, perennials, hanging baskets, ground covers, shrubbery and trees for your home or commercial property.

We can plant your plants at a reasonable cost.

Sodding is a little more expensive when compared with grass seeding, but you can see what do you pay right away. If you have kids playing outside or pets, you need to consider installing sod.

Edging your lawn not only improves the landscape appearance but it also makes mowing and maintaining your lawn easier and cheaper. Rock installation decorates your landscape and helps prevent soil erosion and weed problems. We can install different types of edging (i.e.: plastic, brick, block, stone) and different decorative rocks for your landscape.

Expert Lawn Mowing is the cornerstone of lawn maintenance service. We pay careful attention to details that make people stop and take notice, like mowing correctly, trimming around trees, beds and walkways, and blowing away stray grass clippings.

We use commercial mowers for quality and safety. During the regular growing season, we do not collect or bag the grass due to the fact that grass is mostly water and up to 4% of the clippings are readily usable nitrogen for your lawn. The method of recycling the clippings back into the lawn is called grasscycling. Our powerful blowers add the finishing touch by removing debris from the hard surfaces around your building or home.

Dethatching is the process of removing thatch build up from the base of the lawn in order to allow moisture, sunlight and fertilizers to better reach the soil.

Thatch build up is dead, undecomposed grass stems and roots accompanied by other small debris. The “trapped” material above the soil base creates a barrier that reduces the absorption rate of water and other necessary nutrients. It can also harbor insects and encourage disease. While thatch build up is a natural process for lawns, excessive build up is a very common problem and can easily be diagnosed. Simply use your fingers to move apart your lawn and see how much dead grass has collected before you reach the soil. If you have more than ½" your thatch layer is preventing your lawn from looking its best.

There are two methods for removing thatch build up and recommend you to evaluate your needs in early spring:

Using mower mounted tine rake dethatchers are the most common. We mount a dethatcher to the front of our lawn mower. The dethatcher tines pick and pull out thatch. Simultaneously, the mower “vacuums” up the debris into its bagger. This way the mower blades are engaged. The added bonus of this method is that the lawn also gets cut and bagged. This method of dethatching is less expensive and we recommend doing it on an annual basis every spring, especially to thicker lawns.

Rotary operated dethatcher – This method is much more invasive to the lawn. While the build up of thatch must be addressed if it is a problem, only severe thatch build up is recommended for this method. It is the same concept as the mower mounted machine, thatch is agitated by small blades and then pulled up. It is then vacuumed up and discarded.

Call us in the early Spring or Fall to schedule dethatching. Lawns can be immediately over seeded or fertilized after the service.

Over time the surface of your lawn can become tightly compacted and covered with dense thatch. This is a layer of dead stems and roots. When this happens, much of the food and water your lawn needs can’t penetrate the surface. Core Aeration is simply a method of punching holes into the turf to allow moisture, oxygen, and nutrients to penetrate the soil. Aeration reduces soil compaction, enhances thatch breakdown, improves water infiltration and improves response to fertilizer.

This service also improves soil composition and maximizes turfgrass rooting. Most importantly it makes the lawn less susceptible to damage from weeds, insects, drought and disease. Also, increases tolerance to heat and cold.  Aeration combined with overseeding is an excellent method for an established lawn to relieve compaction, improve its density and repair damaged areas. We recommend aeration & overseeding once per season to all established lawns. Southern Services Co LLC uses top quality seed that is free of noxious weeds.

Aeration is best done in the Spring or Fall. If your lawn has a sprinkler system, we can deliver marking flags to identify the head locations before aeration.

It can be part of the year round maintenance program.

How can I know if aeration is needed?

If your soil feels hard (pushing a screwdriver in 3" is very difficult) or water does not soak in, then your lawn will benefit from aerating.

The edging service along sidewalks, curbs and driveways defines the concrete borders of your lawn removing overgrown grass and gives a finished look to a lawn and gives it a clean manicured look. Turf overgrowth (both grass and soil) onto concrete is natural and could take away from the overall appearance of your lawn. Edging removes this overgrown turf and gives your lawn a crisp razor sharp edge appearance. When added to a professionally maintained lawn, it really gives a property that extra something. The more often you edge, the less overgrowth there is. This makes it easier for us and at drastically reduced rates. It also keeps your edges looking good all season.

It can be part of the year round maintenance program.

Shrubs are special plants that have their own requirements for care, which include regular pruning to ensure the continued health and vigor of the plant. There are several techniques for pruning shrubs such as: renewal, rejuvenation, shearing and developmental/shaping. We will determine what pruning method is best for a particular plant based on why we are pruning it, paying attention to plant health, development and aesthetics (i.e.: shrubs blooming in early spring must be pruned after blooming, because they will be blooming next year over the new branches growth during the last spring to fall season).

Shrubs and trees have specific times when they should be pruned, please plan ahead and schedule work as soon as possible. We can also trim and growth train younger trees as well as trim low branches on older trees. It can be part of the year round maintenance program.

Mulching is basic. It helps keep the soil moist and cool. It helps control weeds. When you mulch you prevent over 50% of weed seeds from germinating. Additionally, the mulch will break down and provide organic matter feeding the soil and plants gradually over time as it breaks down so it will never pile up. Check your mulch periodically to see if you need to fluff it with a rake or replenish it. Keep it between two to three inches thick. Apply mulch in a flat layer over the root area but do not allow it to touch the stems of your plants. Weeding may be necessary. Even with some mulching during the growing season will help stop most weeds. Occasional weeding will also be needed for perennial gardens. Weeds sap nutrients and water away from your plant and limit healthy growth. Weeding will need to be done on an ongoing basis as it is easier when weeds are smaller. It can be part of the year round maintenance program.

Lawn cleanups are an important part of lawn maintenance. Lawn and landscaped areas should have leaves and debris removed to ensure healthy plants and deter pest damage. Gutters and concrete areas should be cleaned also to prevent clogs and staining. Spring cleanups are started as soon as the soil is firm enough to handle the equipment. Usually this service is done in April. We use Stihl back pack blowers to cleanup leaves and debris from around buildings, under decks, landscape beds, driveways and sidewalks. Our commercial mowers are equipped with vacuum collection systems and we could include a dethatcher rake on the front. The dethatcher tines pick and pull out thatch simultaneously as the mower "vacuums" up the debris into its bagger. This cleans up all the lawn areas leaving you with a clean estate. It can be part of the year round maintenance program.

Fall cleanup service is done in late October or early November (until the soil freezes). Fall cleanup is vital part of reducing the amount of leaf mold and keeping a healthy lawn. We use Stihl back pack blowers to cleanup leaves and debris from under decks, driveways, sidewalks, shrubs, and rock/mulch areas. Our commercial mowers are equipped with vacuum collection systems to be used if possible or we can collect leaves on a tarp and take away. After the cleanup, the collected debris can be disposed of in one of the following ways: designated area in yard(if applicable), baggged for local refuse, or we will haul and dispose of debris for you. It can be part of the year round maintenance program.

We clean gutters on residential or commercial buildings. It's important to keep the flow of movement in your gutters. If not properly maintained they can create run off onto your siding, leaving permanent damage or stains on your walls. Your gutters can also become moldy and rotten to the point of detaching completely from your home or business building. Clean gutters are not just important for appearances, but necessary to improve the look of your building. We suggest gutter cleaning at least 2x per year, during the spring and fall usually to coordinate with the rainy season and to prevent costly repairs. We can include that in spring and fall clean ups. It can be part of the year round maintenance program.