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March 2020

COVID-19 March 2020 – Temporary Partial Closure Statement

by Rodney Stoutenger / March 23, 2020

:: There is an updated statement here. Please see NativeEdgeLandscape.com/Shelter for the most current Native Edge status ::Good Afternoon,First, we hope that you and your family are doing well during this tough time.As the City of Austin, Travis and Williamson County have moved into the Shelter in Place order as of midnight, Tuesday March 24th we have a few changes we will be making around Native Edge to adapt accordingly.For the health and safety of our employees, our customers and the Austin community, we have made the decision to temporarily close our offices and work from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Coronavirus). This temporary closure will last for the duration based on health and medical recommendations by the CDC and City of Austin, currently through April 13th, 2020. Although we were already taking extreme precautionary measures, we must do the right thing as a community to stop the spread of this virus as swiftly as possible. We hope you join us for the sake of our communities’ health in staying home for this time, if not longer.As a local business, this decision did not come lightly, as our work is our livelihood. As a company, we have offered our employees additional paid time off in hopes to continue supporting our family here at Native Edge and we are working non-stop to continue supporting our team through this - financially and otherwise.
Our Design Team will continue to create and produce award winning designs during this closure, and will be available via email for any questions or new ideas for your space. We ask that phone calls be scheduled via email to ensure our Design Team is not overwhelmed during this time. Your Designer will reach out to you directly to reschedule any currently scheduled meetings on the calendar. If you are interested in continuing with your currently scheduled presentation, we are offering virtual presentations via video conference, all documents will be shared via email in PDF format, and final payments will be due as scheduled at time of presentation. Your Designer can schedule the details with you accordingly. Otherwise, all presentations will be rescheduled when face to face meetings are able to resume again.Our Installation Foremen and Maintenance Account Managers will reach out accordingly to let you know of new dates, and projected rescheduled start dates. If you are in the process of scheduling an installation or new maintenance contract with us currently, we encourage you to continue communication via email and all new schedule emails will be sent out upon our return to business as usual. However, the queue will remain the same in scheduling on a “first come, first serve” basis.This continued communication will allow us to continue securing dates on our calendar for no additional delays for the year of 2020.
If you have a current installation and construction or maintenance contract with us, Paragraph 6, Section F, ix states that safety and sanitation are important to keep maintained.In our industry - keeping walkways and properties clear of debris falls under safety, and keeping lawn and weeds at bay falls under sanitation to keep pests and rodents out of the yard. Regularly scheduled maintenance contracts will continue as scheduled until otherwise advised by City officials or requested by our customers per Code Enforcement.Current properties that are under construction will be completed to the point of being safe to enjoy during the Shelter In Place order; this does not necessarily mean the project will be fully completed at this time unfortunately. 
During this time, all meetings, presentations and new contracts that are not in-progress will be temporarily suspended for the time period of being on the Shelter In Place order. Our calendar will shift accordingly; meaning - if your project or meeting was scheduled for the 26th of March, your new date would move back by a little over two weeks, on the 14th of April; all scheduled in chronological order as they were. Should the closure need to continue beyond two weeks, we will just continue to adjust our calendars accordingly; however updated firm dates may not be available to us until a reopening is scheduled. We greatly appreciate your patience with the situation during this time.As we have previously stated, if you would like to move any meetings, installations or pause your maintenance services for additional time beyond the Shelter In Place order, we are happy to plan accordingly as best we can to accommodate everyone in a timely fashion. Please allow our team a little additional time as we settle in with our families to coordinate with you for scheduling new dates for all meetings, installations and maintenance services while we all adjust to this major life event.At this time, Native Edge will not be offering any refunds as we will continue business as normal as soon as we are back running. Please advise us of any medical emergencies for you or your family and our owner will reach out directly.Please stay tuned to our newsletter, social media and direct correspondence for updates regarding a firm reopening date!In the meantime, stay safe, stay sanitized, and enjoy this time in your own space with your family! And be creative - get gardening! 

Rodney Stoutenger, Owner

Customer & Operations Update

by Rodney Stoutenger / March 13, 2020

Native Edge Landscape is monitoring the reports and continuous updates about the concerns with Covid-19 very closely. We take pride in making the health and safety of our employees and their families our number one priority.With the concerns of increasing reports of cases in our area, we will continue to monitor recommendations of health officials and operate business as normal unless otherwise instructed.During these times, we appreciate your support in maintaining a safe and healthy work environment for our employees. Due to this, we will be greeting each of our customers with an enthusiastic “hello” instead of the traditional handshake.We want to be sure the health and safety of your own family is a priority as well, with thorough hand-washing and using hand sanitizer on a regular basis. We offer our support by allowing our customers to reschedule any appointments, meetings and work to a later date as needed.Thank you all for your time and consideration, we will continue to work together through this event.

         Rodney Stoutenger

President, Native Edge Landscape

The Power of Play

by Erin Crespo / March 2, 2020

Remember when you were a child? How our endless imaginations took us to new worlds, on daring adventures and shaped the way we see ourselves? Turns out, that's still true. Let's explore the ways that now as adults we can share and spread our love of play with our children, our loved ones - even ourselves - and why we should.
We all need playtime, it allows us to express ourselves, explore our dreams and engage our imaginations. As adults, it’s a part of our relaxation routine: stress management through self care.For children however, play is as close to a necessity as food, water, and shelter. Our children learn when they play - they dream, they problem-solve, they discover who they are. The free movement of an open space paired with communication lets kids practice collaboration, creativity, courage. Whether they are acting out their favorite folk tale or recreating daily activities, play allows children to model behaviors they gather from us. We get to witness them decide what groceries and teas are "absolutely necessary" for hosting a stuffed-animal dinner or chuckle quietly as they let loose their wildest fantasies in a safe and controlled environment: from swashbuckling pirates fencing on turf and rescuing mermaids from fishing nets - to brave astronauts hopscotching across stones on a distant planet discovering alien life.Playtime helps our young ones learn to be decisive, make choices - chase after goals of their own making. Just like story time before bed is a surefire way to get wide-eyed adoration, playtime teaches them to begin writing stories of their own. We all need play. It teaches us to be social, to self-regulate, to be flexible in our changing world. It is part of what makes us human. So as caregivers, parents, homeowners with nieces and nephews and friends with kids that look around our houses with mischief and curiosity - what can we do to embrace this powerful activity? Our answer is simple, make space for it. From a dedicated playscape, to a swing set, to a game area, to an open patch of turf you can run around on - make room for playtime. It is simply too important to pass up. 
Check out the full portfolio entries for these example shots here: Modern Family Entertainment Space, Brentwood Family Escape,  South Austin Backyard Social ClubReferences: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) clinical report, The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children, Pediatrics September 2018, 142 (3) e20182058; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2018-2058

What’s Underfoot: Grass or Ground Cover

by Erin Crespo / March 2, 2020

Opinion: grass or ground cover?Creating a garden or an outdoor space is a bit like making a team, everyone serves a purpose, everyone has their specialty, and everyone works together to better the whole.
When considering dressing up an area, the first question you want to ask is what is the purpose of this space? Is it a garden, a play space, a dog run? How much heat, sunlight and foot traffic will it need to withstand? How much water does it need? All of these elements play into the final design and help you as a homeowner keep your teammates happy. Turf grass, the tried and true backbone of a lawn is a pivotal part of planning a design. Ground cover, however is a specialized player that can perform in unique conditions; providing an additional flare to amplify the feeling, color, texture, or even the scent of a space. Take here for example, our designer Jill used Berkeley Sedge - a shade tolerant Texas native with a strong root structure and low watering needs to fill in a level of this terraced lawn. Draped in shade from a hearty oak tree, the visual texture and color of the sedge adds a detail of transition between the layers. The homeowner will get relief from heavier watering responsibilities and the added benefit of getting to see these delightful grasses fluff up into graceful mounds around the base of their beloved Live Oak. Not only did the ground cover meet the needs of the homeowner and the environment, but it also highlighted the design by amplifying an existing focal point. Ground cover - in addition to grass.  In contrast, here Jill chose Woolly Stemodia - a heat and drought tolerant perennial that creeps across this borderless xeriscape. This Texas Native's velvet foliage spreads rapidly, needs very little water and creates a suede 'green-carpet effect'. These homeowners get to enjoy a soft expanding ground cover, the weed suppression it provides and the seasonal surprise of little lilac blooms popping up for pollinators in the late spring. Ground cover - instead of grass. 
As we move into Spring and our plans begin to expand further outdoors, have another look at all your hard workers creating the perfect picnic spot. Have fun with transitions and borders and designated spaces for soccer dribble practice. Grass or ground cover? Either. Or both. Whatever you decide, whether you go with grass, ground cover, or all things between - enjoy your lawn and all its counterparts. Happy Springtime everyone, thanks for reading!