Maintaining customer satisfaction is a crucial aspect of any business, but it’s even more important for landscaping contractors that have earned the prestigious Diamond Certified award. For Quilici Gardening, the key to achieving and maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction is simple: provide high-quality work that makes use of skilled landscapers, state-of-the-art equipment and industry-best products. “Our customers keep coming back because they know they’re going to get the best possible results for the best possible prices,” says owner Paul Quilici. “I truly believe we have the best landscaping crew in the Tri-County area–everything they do is geared toward achieving total customer satisfaction.”

Quilici Gardening has been providing landscaping services for residential and commercial clients in Santa Cruz and Santa Clara Counties since 1984, handling everything from planting, irrigation and soil preparation to lighting, fence and wall installations. The family-owned and operated company is also known for its comprehensive maintenance services, which include lawn mowing and edging, plant pruning and trimming, irrigation monitoring and adjusting, and more.

Unlike less experienced landscaping companies whose owners designate the actual landscaping work to project managers and various crew members, Quilici Gardening provides every project with the hands-on expertise of Mr. Quilici himself–an approach that allows the company to regulate its quality control and give its clients an extra sense of security. “I love interacting with my customers and working hands-on with my crews whenever I can,” says Mr. Quilici. “Whether it’s working on a new installation or maintaining an established customer’s property, I still enjoy getting my hands dirty.”

Another distinguishing attribute of Quilici Gardening is its ability to strictly adhere to the maintenance and installation schedules it sets for its customers, which Mr. Quilici says has been a crucial part of the company’s success. “Some landscaping firms promise they’ll be onsite at a certain time and then break those promises, but we make sure to always be where we’re supposed to be. The only thing that stops us from doing our work at the scheduled time is the weather.”

Before starting a landscape maintenance project, make sure you understand what type of work is best left to a professional. Caring for and maintaining trees, flowers and shrubberies takes more expertise than one might assume. Inexperienced homeowners who undertake their own yard maintenance often find that their gardens inexplicably die, when the solution is often as simple as implementing proper irrigation and pruning methods. For an idea of what types of yard and garden maintenance are best left to experienced landscaping professionals, consider the following information:
Irrigation
While keeping the vegetation in your yard well-watered seems like a simple task, even irrigation has its complications. For one thing, plants differ in how much water they need: some need to be watered frequently, while others only require a minimal amount. When it comes to sprinkler or drip irrigation systems, the installation requires much precision. An improperly installed sprinkler system often results in the watering of areas that weren’t meant to be watered, such as a patch of unoccupied soil or the sidewalk. In addition to wasting water, this can encourage the growth of weeds and other adverse vegetation. A landscaping professional will be able to install your irrigation system so it waters your garden efficiently and according to each plant’s individual needs.
If you prefer to water your plants yourself, the best time to do it is early morning—if you water in the evening, it can cause mold or fungus to grow overnight. Ideally, any water that’s left standing on your plants should dry within a few hours, and that won’t happen if it’s sitting on the plant overnight. When it comes to watering trees, you don’t have to do anything unless a tree has been planted within the past year. “During that first year, you should give the tree a deep soaking several times during hot weather,” says Paul Quilici, owner of Quilici Gardening in Santa Cruz. “After that, they should be fine with the water they get from rainfall.”
Pruning
Pruning is one of the most misunderstood areas of yard maintenance—depending on how it’s performed, it can either improve the health and beauty of a garden or destroy it. Though improper pruning may temporarily make a garden look better, it often negatively affects plants and renders them unable to flower again. Proper pruning techniques require acute knowledge, as different plants require different types of cuts at varying intervals. A common mistake is using gas-powered shearers to trim plants that are supposed to be pruned by hand. A certified landscaping professional will have the expertise to prune your plants according to their individual needs.
Fertilizing
Many homeowners assume an all-purpose fertilizer is literally for all plants, but that’s never the case. When fertilizing your garden, you must consider the specific needs of individual plants. The results of improper fertilizing can be seen when a plant starts flowering at the wrong time of year (known as “associate flowering”) or when a shrub produces flowers at its base instead of its top.

Q: Will you always be here on the scheduled days of my maintenance program?

A: Absolutely. If you sign up for a regular maintenance program, we’ll be onsite on the same day every week. The only thing that affects our scheduling is rain or other inclement weather that prevents us from working outside.

Q: How do you bill for regular maintenance work?

A: We bill monthly, which translates to four weekly visits. If your scheduled maintenance day occurs five times in a month, you get that extra day for free.

Q: Do you prune and trim trees?

A: We prune and trim small trees, but we don’t have the required insurance to climb large trees. If you want a large tree pruned and trimmed, you’ll need to call an arborist.

Q: Do you use chemicals?

A: Most of our work is completely chemical-free, but some instances require the use of chemical products. We don’t use chemicals unless it’s absolutely necessary, and we’ll always tell you beforehand.

Q: Do you provide warranties for the plants you install?

A: Yes. We guarantee that everything we plant will be rooted and thriving for at least six months.

Q: Do your crews speak English?

A: At least one person on every crew will speak English, so you shouldn’t have a problem communicating with the crew and letting them know about your needs and concerns.