Blizzard & Bloom: Insights from the Ice and the Green Scene
Welcome to Blizzard and Bloom, the podcast where the green meets the white! Hosted by Jay Rotonnelli, a seasoned expert with over 36 years in the landscape and snow removal industries, this show dives deep into the business, operations, and stories behind both blooming landscapes and blizzard battles.
Whether you’re a property manager, business owner, snow fighter, or landscape professional, you’ll find valuable insights, industry trends, and real-world advice. Expect candid conversations with industry leaders, tips for growing your business, and even a few wild stories from the field.
It’s informative, it’s fun, and it’s designed to help you thrive—whether the ground is covered in grass or snow.
New episodes every other week. Subscribe now to stay ahead in the green and snow game!
Blizzard & Bloom: Insights from the Ice and the Green Scene
From Vision to Reality: A Designer's Journey Through Landscape Creation
Mara Robinson's journey from entomology student to accomplished landscape designer reveals how finding your true calling can transform not just your career, but your entire approach to life. In this fascinating conversation, Mara shares how a chance encounter with architectural models in college led her to discover landscape architecture – a perfect blend of art, science, horticulture, and human psychology that immediately captivated her imagination.
What truly sets Mara apart is her commitment to the full project lifecycle. Rather than simply creating designs and walking away, she remains deeply involved through implementation, ensuring her vision comes to life exactly as planned. This approach creates tremendous value for both clients and contractors, maintaining clear communication channels throughout often complex projects. "I've made this connection with these clients and I am going to take them through the process," she explains, highlighting the relationship-based foundation of her business.
Mara's design philosophy centers on creating "the dream" before addressing practical constraints – fully exploring possibilities before determining how to phase implementation or make budget-conscious adjustments. This approach prevents clients from making shortsighted decisions that might cost more later, such as failing to install infrastructure for future elements while a site is already under construction.
Technology has revolutionized Mara's work, with 3D modeling now allowing clients to visualize their future landscapes from multiple perspectives. "Now the client can actually see what I see," she explains, eliminating the uncertainty that once required tremendous trust. However, she remains convinced that successful landscape design ultimately comes down to understanding people – their needs, lifestyles, and how they'll interact with their environment. The most rewarding moments come when clients send photos of themselves enjoying their transformed spaces, proof that well-designed landscapes become the backdrop for life's most meaningful experiences.
Ready to transform your outdoor space? Connect with experienced landscape designers who understand that great design begins with listening to your dreams and needs. Your perfect landscape is waiting to be discovered.
Welcome to Blizzard and Bloom, the podcast where we navigate the storms and celebrate the triumphs in business and entrepreneurship. Join us as we dive into stories, insights and strategies from top professionals to help you thrive in today's evolving landscape. And now here is your host, jay Rotinelli. Here is your host, jay Rotinelli.
Speaker 2:Hello listeners, Welcome back to another episode of Blizzard Bloom. Last episode we were fortunate enough to have Brian Horn from Lawn Landscape Magazine join us and offer us a little bit of input and insight kind of where the landscape industry is at right now. So that'll be going live shortly. So today I have the honor of having Mara Robinson here. She is a landscape designer and I want to let her introduce herself, but very, very artistic and has some beautiful designs and workmanship that I've seen come to life. So, kind of without further ado, Mara, welcome to the show, Thank you, jay, thank you.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much for having me. I apologize for a bunch of barking dogs in the background there.
Speaker 1:That's okay.
Speaker 3:Office pups there must be somebody walking by, but anyway.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So again, great to have you on and you're going to bring a ton of value to this, and I love the fact of the dogs right. It's real life, that's who we are, that's what we do, and no sense of hiding things. We like being real.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's the real deal. Right here, I'm the real deal.
Speaker 2:So maybe you could just give us a little background of yourself and how you got into it, and we'll go from there.
Speaker 3:Sure I'd love to. So my mom, I grew up in a figure skating kind of culture way. Both parents were entrepreneurs. My mom would drag me to the rink. I didn't always love to skate, so when I wasn't skating I was drawing. And I especially loved when she had her student, andrea. That would come in with her mom, mrs Giggie, who would then take me, whisk me away to her beautiful home and gardens and we would play there for a couple hours in the cutting gardens, she would teach me about all the different plants in bloom and there was a swing and we would have lunch and it was just awesome. Little did I know that would end up being my career, or you could make a career out of it.
Speaker 3:So then, fast forward to 1990. Nevermind about that, but anyways, when I started college, I started I entered as an entomologist. I thought I like bugs, maybe I could do something with bugs. But then I quickly realized that was not for me. And I was commuting back and forth on the weekends with a friend of mine from UMass back home and he had these unbelievable models he was building and I said, wow, what are these models that you're building? And he said, oh, I don't really like this field, but you know what you might like it? It's art, it's architecture, it's science, it's horticulture and even sociology and so much more. Try Jill Volpe's 291A and if you make it through there, you're in Went to my guidance counselor.
Speaker 3:She said, yeah, not many people make it in that major. They think it's easy and you can try it. So I tried it and I was hooked. And you know we were 40 something people in the major. We graduated with 12. Only a handful of us are still doing it today. I absolutely love it. It's my passion. I can't think of anything else I could be doing.
Speaker 2:That's really cool. I didn't actually realize that you go to school for entomology, so, yeah, and that's how it starts entomology. So, um, and that's how it started. It's always interesting how you know careers start and how you need to try some things and to really see what the likings are. So that's kind of interesting. That's kind of a cool segue into because in the world of landscape we do have to deal with the issues of bugs, right, pests, as we can tell and pest is a broad word right, it's weeds, it's it's physical pests. It certainly all relates to it. So talk about your company and just kind of through the years and talk to me a little bit about I see a lot of social media and you talk about mentorship and coaching and stuff so which I'm really passionate about, and I love to see those things because in my mind I'm like man, that person is really trying to get better at what they're doing and who they're trying to be Right. So can you talk to us a little bit about some of those things that you've been doing?
Speaker 3:So I've been on a growth mindset trip since I would say 2018. My life kind of took a major turn. I went through a divorce. I just I wanted to make some pretty significant changes. I needed to make changes and it led me to finding Tony Robbins. I don't know how it just kind of popped up. I must've been Googling like self-help, like help me, I'm struggling. Tony Robbins must've the algorithms aligned and I found out about his Unleash the Power Within seminar seminar down in Florida. So I went actually, and during COVID time 2020, I signed up and it was the most amazing experience I've ever had.
Speaker 3:I, since then, have doubled my income. I've been three times now and every time I go I have another new idea. I'm building an app, and the last one my takeaways were about understanding the six human needs that people have for significance, certainty, even uncertainty, or adventure, connection, love and connection, and growth and contribution. So once you understand what people's top two of those are, you can really understand what drives them, what motivates them, and so understanding that about myself, understanding more about me, has made me a better communicator and a better listener to my clients and it just has a whole new approach for me. It's a lot more fun.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I bet. I bet that's interesting approach. And to your point, we talked about sociology before Briefly. You mentioned that and there's a lot to that in this, particularly in your world, right, Because you're not only in the design world, you're in the people business, right?
Speaker 3:I'm the therapist a lot of times it's hard.
Speaker 2:Sure, sure, yeah, absolutely. You know, one of the things that I really thought was kind of cool with your company is the fact that not only do you design, but you like to stay involved from a project management standpoint. Talk to us about, like what, maybe a little bit more in detail of what maybe separates you from others in the design world and how you implement that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, certainly. So I have a value add to my company and that's that I stay involved the entire time. So I've made this connection with these clients and I am going to take them through the process and it's it's it's a huge value to the people I do business with, not only to my clients, but to all the contractors that I work with. So I have several contractors that I have a partnership with and I stay actively involved, depending on you know the contractor's needs, level of needs, client management, project management and we go through the process together.
Speaker 2:That's pretty cool because it's all about relationship building, right? And if you have that vision, then you know the expectations are that someone's going to carry out that vision. But sometimes if the communication isn't there and the relationship isn't there, then those two tend to separate, right? So then your vision potentially isn't implemented the way the client envisioned it.
Speaker 3:So this is true, yeah.
Speaker 2:So kind of interesting that I always talk about process. I know for us at Piscataqua it's about the customer experience right. Not so much customer service, it's customer experience and how that starts, and for us it starts from the first phone call or the website inquiry or how that's handled. How do prospective clients find you and then what does that?
Speaker 3:those first steps look like for you. Working with a prospect, they find me most of the time from referrals, so it's referrals from its previous clients. They're building a second home or third home, or it's friends of theirs, or it's another contractor that says, hey, I've got you know these clients so and so on the North Shore. Are you available to me? You know that's where my it's mostly referral based. Very rarely do I get kind of a cold call Every now and then.
Speaker 3:those don't seem to be as solid a lead as the referrals, of course, so that initial meeting it may be on the phone or hopefully it's in person, so I can kind of read them and see the site, see their home, see the landscape. What are we dealing with? You know what are the opportunities on the site. Are we going to be working with the borrowed landscape? Is it mountainside, is it lakeside, is it you know? So, just initially meeting them and understanding what their needs and goals are, and the architecture and the landscape and all the, all the pieces are there. You, just, you, just you just read it, you go there and you just see it and and and. Then you, you know, you hear what your clients say and kind of just gets all like mixed up in there and simmers a little bit and you're like poof, I see it.
Speaker 2:It's going to be awesome, let's build it. Yeah, and part of I know what we talk about is is you know, when you talk to the clients or prospects like you need to understand what their vision is right. And then you need to understand their lifestyle and how they're going to utilize the landscape and so forth. But then also you know there's a balance there with practicality, budget and vision. So what does that look like and how do you work through that process with with potential prospects?
Speaker 3:the bad word budget. You said that oh um. So what I like to do and I make sure they understand is I like to design the dream. That's why I'm. Let's build the dream. That's my catchphrase, mara landscape. Let's build the dream.
Speaker 3:Let's look at the dream and then see if we need to scale back the dream or phase the dream. So, so it doesn't limit me. I can think about the big picture and then we can just kind of see where we need to start, or maybe it's just totally blown out of the water. Then we just kind of look at how can we meet the design and the integrity of the design? All right, so maybe it's just a simple material change. You know, I had, you know, blue stone in there. Well, now we're going to go with a paver instead. I mean, it's a simple material change. You know, I had, you know, blue stone in there. Well, now we're going to go with a paver instead. I mean, it's a simple material change, Maybe it's. We wanted to do a fireplace. Let's just build the base and have it in place and ready to go for when. You know you can do it and and and. That seems to work out.
Speaker 2:It's interesting, you, you, you. You came across a good point here, and I think about all the times people sometimes can be penny foolish, thinking about the longer term picture, right? So, when you talk about the dream and the big landscape, while it might not suit their budget completely in its entirety, there are things to think about for down the road. Right, and to your point, when you're thinking about, hey, I'd like to maybe do a fireplace, but it's not on the budget now, but I'd like to do it. Well, you know what? If we do it now? We're here, we're going to save you. Furthermore, we're not going to come across your brand new landscape that we just installed.
Speaker 3:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:Right and then have adverse affections to that. So those are things to be thinking about adverse affections to that. So those are things to be thinking about not being a penny foolish and I know you and I have kind of talked about that, you know, and educating the clients on that.
Speaker 3:So there's a method to the madness.
Speaker 2:Method to the madness, yeah absolutely. For sure, for sure. So when you get onto it so let's say you set up an appointment you get onto site some of the things that you're looking for during your site analysis and what are some of the things you're talking about and looking for.
Speaker 3:So I'm going to ask them questions as to, simply as to, how you're going to use the space. How many of there, how many of you are there? Do you have kids at home? Are you an empty nester? How do you envision using the space? Are you a big entertainer or more of a private person? Just want a place to relax? And then, as I mentioned, just reading, then taking that into consideration, those answers, reading the landscape and what I see, and also looking at other things, I might see some erosion issues or, you know, we're going to need to retain this area. You know they want a pool. Where am I going to be fitting it in? Looking at setbacks, are we near wetlands? Are we going to need permits?
Speaker 2:Yeah, permits Things that people don't think about necessarily right when they think landscape. They're not typically thinking permits, Right, Right and talk about a hurdle.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it can be, yeah, absolutely, but I've been through it enough now that it's fun in its own way. It's not my favorite part of the process, but it certainly may be necessary in some situations and we work through it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that's an element, I think, that you bring to the table that other folks might not Like. You know, if they're looking for somebody, sure somebody can design something, but if it doesn't meet the zoning requirements or some of the town restrictions, then what good is it right?
Speaker 3:Exactly.
Speaker 2:When you start that, you're signed up, a new client, you're working through that design process. What does the collaboration look like? Is it something you just you put a design together and then you just send it off and there you go and that's it type of thing? Or what does that look like? And is there collaboration involved with those folks?
Speaker 3:Sometimes upfront. They may have a picture they want to show me they're really excited about, so they may have. I'm going to say it wrong. My daughter always corrects me Pinterest. I say Pinterest.
Speaker 2:Pinterest yeah.
Speaker 3:Pinterest. Thank you, I know you're here to correct me, but they might have, you know, like I said, just images. Maybe they've driven by someplace they like and they've taken pictures. Maybe they show me some pictures from vacation and it's inspired them to have something like that. Is that possible at their home?
Speaker 2:the challenges right. Nothing's ever easy and nothing's ever, you know, from a to z. Right, there's always challenges right. So some of it there's that social, you know, sociology path like. Some of it is personality, some of it is the husband wants something one way, the wife wants something another way, or the partner wants this and the other partner wants that. So I mean, I'm just thinking about one thing right, that that happens or that I've heard happens. So how do you, you know, kind of work through some of those disturbances or challenges with those, with folks?
Speaker 3:It's absolutely 1000 percent important that both of them are heard and feel like they're heard and you incorporate. You know something from each like they're heard and you incorporate you know something from each I have a client now that you know he's a little surprised about how much she wanted and how much we're doing. But you know I'm going to assure him he's going to have his hot tub and and we're going to phase it and we're going to make it work.
Speaker 2:That's great so yeah that's cool and you're like you know I hear about all the time like there's a decision maker ultimately, but then there's also the other person and if the decision maker is feeling uneasy because the other person, then you know that could be a factor. So to your point, you made a really good point there. You know that could be a factor. So to your point, you made a really good point there. So, trying to to fit in a little bit of each, you know, from each, each variety, each person, is probably the most helpful.
Speaker 3:So yeah, absolutely otherwise. Yeah, there may not be a project, there might that's right knock down, blow out and next thing you know yeah they're not calling you back and they're mad and the project's done.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, listen, I I've been watching some of the posts you've done on linkedin and just some really, really cool projects and thank you I'm thinking, like I know, in all the years I've been in it, like I could think of some really cool projects that I've worked on and some really awesome people that I've worked for and with right. Do you have any like an example or two of maybe a project or clients that you've worked with? That's just been something that is rock steady in your mind. That just will stick with you forever.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean they all kind of do, but I think the one that sticks out in my head the most is one that's fairly recent because it's a park design. It's the Lizzie Thomas Memorial Park in Lynn and it's for the residents of Lynn, so it was for a community, and it was just the most impactful to me to see when it was all done. To me to see when it was all done they had a ribbon cutting and the mayor came and the residents were out there in the park walking it and excited to. There's a putting green and there's a brought back the old school chess tables and ping pong tables and I mean the design started.
Speaker 3:It was adjacent to their existing pool space and it was all centered around this Japanese maple and the park was just outdated. It was, there wasn't a lot of space for people, it was shaded and it was just subject to some things that it was just. It was kind of a generally unsafe place, to be sort of speak. So we opened it up. There was some ledge that had to come out of there and, um, it set the space up for some retainage and terracing and beautiful new plantings, um and uh, and all these other wonderful elements and that putting green especially is super cool and yeah, I love it and it's totally ADA accessible, all of it. You know our friends in wheelchairs will be able to have. They have a chess table, a checkerboard table and you know they can get around the park easily. They can even get on the putting green. It's super cool. That's great.
Speaker 2:I saw some pictures. It's absolutely magnificent. Yeah, thank you, and the fact that so many people can enjoy it.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And you can see you know I don't really know much about the project up until now you're sharing with us, but when you go onto your LinkedIn page and you see that, you see how you've integrated a lot of different opportunities for many folks, right, yeah, capacities so that's got to be a real good feel-good thing to uh to have been a part of so yeah it's fulfilling.
Speaker 3:I mean, that's why we do this work yeah. I think, because it's it's not really work. It it's work, but I love it. I love what I do Right exactly.
Speaker 2:Fashion right. So thanks for sharing that. I know we talked a little bit about the project management early on, but I just kind of want to hit on that again one more time. I think there's a ton of value that having the designer be a part of the project and stay in its entirety is super important. While we haven't done a whole lot of work together you know some of the other folks I have I've seen both where some have not been a part of it and then some have and it is. While maybe some contractors might not like it, I think it's a right and everybody has a different opinion. I think it's a great idea because it keeps that, you know, it keeps that vision right. What is that? When you're working with a contractor, just kind of from a high level, do you set up a contract with the contractor once they get to work, or are you contracted through the client or how does that work with the contractor once they get to work, or are you contracted through the client or how does that work?
Speaker 3:So I will recommend the contractor to my client who I see is best suited for the project, for the install, gotcha, and then I am given a project management fee to see this project through. Now I then have a contract with that and it can vary slightly, as you mentioned. You know some, some might not want me on their site and they say, you know, we'll basically give you a referral fee and you know, get off our. You know, we'll basically give you a referral fee and you know, get off our site, it's ours now. Or you know, some might be more interested in having me, having me there, because I do alleviate, you know, some of the stresses for them because they just don't have the time. They're focused on trying to get this built. They are not going to be so worried about whether Mrs Smith, you know, likes, wants a different color, rosa Sharon, or not, and she might be calling me at 10 o'clock on a Sunday night and I'm going to answer her because that's what I do and it's important.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that those are things I think about In my mind. I think it's important, yeah, and those are things I think about In my mind. I think it would be short-sighted not to have something like yourself if you've done the design Right. Again, it goes back to my comments earlier that how can you expect the outcome if you're not part of the vision, right? Right, and I think that's super important.
Speaker 2:So and back to my comment earlier as well is it's about the customer experience and not customer service, right, and what good is it if you get a project right at the outcome and it looks good and people are happy with it, but it was a miserable process through it, right? Then it's going to be lackluster and then at the end of it, people are like I got what I want, but, man, that was painful working with those contractors. They didn't call me, they just made educated guesses. They didn't bring me back into the fold to talk about that. So I think that's super important and I think that's a really, really cool service that you offer. Thank you, certainly, I know, on our jobs it would be super impactful to have you as part of that. So, again, just kind of wanted to just chat about that. So one of the things I'm kind of getting into is talking about technology in our world right.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 2:You and I have been around a long time doing the work and studying it.
Speaker 2:And I think of the old days installing granite steps with straps and you know grade stakes and don't get your fingers. And now we live in the world of stone magnets and you know, and now it's even into the software side of things, right and the design implementation. Talk to us about how that looks comparatively speaking to 10 or 15 years ago, like what's the difference now? I suspect before it was a lot of pencil and paper and but how do you work through that process and what technology are you using?
Speaker 3:So I'm still from the days of old school hand drafting. I'm one of the last classes at UMass Amherst to graduate with those kinds of skills hand drafting. We just started getting into AutoCAD and we were digitizing. But I always start and that's kind of getting back to the roots of that kind of there's nothing like hand and pen and paper to at least sketchy ideas. But now, with technology, I use a 3D program in a lot of my designs because now the client can actually see what I see.
Speaker 3:I had a client in Queechee. It was a million-dollar landscape installation and I'll never forget he was just an awesome client. He trusted me so much and we're walking around the site and he said so, this is what it's supposed to look like. And I was like, wow, you know, now, not everybody's that trusting right. So it's, it's, and it's nice.
Speaker 3:With the 3D we can look at it all different angles. I can even zoom in. You know, I build the model of their house and we can zoom inside and look out the windows and say, this is what it's going to look like from your daughter's window. This is what it's going to look like from the kitchen. We can, you know, get down at all different levels and it's just that they now see what I see. It may be a little bit cartoonish, but I think that's okay because it just kind of makes the process a little bit lighter. And then, once it's installed, I always tell them it should be even better than what you see here. Yeah, this is good, but it's going to be even better and it's been an unbelievable tool for me. I think some of my colleagues would kind of poo-poo it. I think it's awesome.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and you know what. We live in a world where everybody moves and thinks fast and quickly. And you know, now we're getting to the point that, you know, our kids, and maybe even some that are a little older, are starting to be our clients, right? So they're into the technology, right? You and I are getting older and we're trying to keep up with these younger folks. And you know, as we talk through it, like I think, if you're not doing it, working on it, implementing it, you're going to get, you're going to get lost behind because somebody else is going to be.
Speaker 2:So it leads me to the next question, Like where do you, where do you see like AI more happening in our industry in the next five to 10 years?
Speaker 3:So already I've, so I'm a little behind with some of it, but I just started using for I'll throw it out there CompanyCam, which is a really cool tool and offers AI as a more of an organizational type thing. Right, helps you with, you know, annotation with your pictures or writing reports. I think that's awesome and I love that. I love using AI as an organizational tool. As far as design is concerned, I've seen some things that are AI generated and it just I think that they lack that human eye and to some clients it may work for them, but I think the clients I'm working for and with that would not fly.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:So it'll be interesting. I just think that that human experience needs to be felt in the design.
Speaker 2:Agreed, agreed. And you know I've been getting a lot of, as you can imagine, and I'm sure you do as well. But so many of these different apps, right, and these developers reaching out and saying hey, or they'll send you the slideshow, and it's like, look at how easy. Take your phone, you snap a picture, the design's done, you can charge $3,000. Like whoa, whoa, time out. Like you totally took the human element out of it. You don't know if they have kids, how many dogs they have, do they want to pool? You know what time they go to work. Like you have none of that knowledge.
Speaker 2:So I think about things like that in the AI and maybe it's going to blow our minds in 10 years and you know you're going to literally be able to go into a site and it's going to extract out of your head what your vision is. I mean, none of us know that, right? So, but I do think to your point exactly. It takes the human element out. And I always say to our team we are not only in the landscape business, we are in the people business.
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely Right. And if you don't?
Speaker 2:understand people absolutely you're not going to understand their landscapes.
Speaker 3:Make yeah, this is true, I didn't. I didn't know that it was going to be so much of a people business. But you know what? I don't think there's any profession out there that doesn't have that, that you're not in the human yeah, yeah, particularly nowadays, particularly right, yeah, but I just embrace it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think you have to to be successful and it's certainly proven for you.
Speaker 1:Thank you, your success so well after.
Speaker 2:So the project has kind of taken place and we started talking about. You know what it looks like after. Do you maintain relationships with clients and talk to them about kind of you know what's one year maintenance look like in three years. And then you know building those relationships. Is there more things down the road that might want to happen? What do those conversations look like with clients?
Speaker 3:Sometimes they will have me back for another element. They want to add a sports court, or you know, they want to have that fireplace built or additional planting. But as far as maintenance and this is you could say, well, you know you're leaving money on the table here, but I mean, I don't get involved with the maintenance, I just I just don't, and I really wish that I had a company that I could just, you know, give that all to and recommend it's. I've had a couple I've referred in the past and it's just it was kind of a nightmare and now I'm like kind of hesitant.
Speaker 3:So I just, I just I don't have, it sure, and that's tough, right, because it's tough.
Speaker 2:You have this project, you implemented all these people in contractors and I can speak for the entire world of landscape hunters everybody wants to do the work, but then after, when it comes to to knowing what needs to be pruned at certain times of the year, you don't just go in and prune things at once the deadheading. You know that what that cycle looks like through perennials, throughout the course of the season, all of those things, and a lot of people move so quickly they don't want to be be bothered with it, which is which is unfortunate, because I think when you put the landscape in, that design intent really doesn't come to fruition until probably year two or three, exactly.
Speaker 3:When things are really flourishing right?
Speaker 2:So if they're not, taken care of, then it kind of prohibits what the ultimate goal was.
Speaker 3:That's just a whole nother business, and there's only so much time.
Speaker 2:You got your hands full, I do. Hey, I got a couple of fun little quick questions here for you. What's your favorite plant to design with? We all kind of have our favorites and I'm curious what yours might be.
Speaker 3:What's my favorite plant? Now, this is a really hard question, because, I mean, every site is different and you know, is it shade, is it sun, is it wet, is it drought? But one that I think you'd see commonly in all my landscapes um would have to be Nepeta.
Speaker 2:Nepeta love it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I just, I love it because you get several flushes of flowers and growth and it's just easy to take care of. It's never going to not look good. You know, it's just and I love the color and most people like purple and it's just. I just, I love it. I love nepeta.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and we all have our favorites right. Yeah it, I love nepeta.
Speaker 3:yeah, and we all have our favorites right, well, yeah, I mean I could also say I love cryptomeria, because that's like you know, people don't use that very often. I mean there's all different. Red twig dogwood is gorgeous. I love it in the winter, you know that's my favorite, by the way that is a good one, yeah, but what?
Speaker 2:um, what would you say is? I got two more quick questions for you. What's probably the most rewarding part of your work? Is it the landscape coming to fruition? Is it the relationships you build with clients? Is it both? From your perspective, what's what's the most rewarding to you?
Speaker 3:I think it's the phone calls or emails or notes that I get at the end or just randomly throughout the year. The project's long finished and they send me a picture of them out there enjoying the yard.
Speaker 2:That's cool. That captivates it all.
Speaker 3:It's pretty awesome. Yeah, very cool, very cool.
Speaker 2:That captivates it all. It's pretty awesome. Yeah, very cool, very cool. If you could give some advice to someone considering a landscape redesign, let's say for their home business. What's some of the advice you could give to them before they even start the process?
Speaker 3:Have a plan. You got to have a design in place, absolutely you know. What are we building, what are we doing, what are we thinking about? Are we, are we doing veggie gardens? Are we, you know?
Speaker 2:yeah, yeah, super important, super important, absolutely right. I know there's a. There's a something cliche about doing something without a plan. Is setting yourself up for failure type of thing, right? And I think how true that is.
Speaker 3:So yeah, you got to think.
Speaker 2:It's. I appreciate. I appreciate your time today. Very cool. I think some of the things I got out of it are, you know, building those relationships with people, having that open communication, having a plan in place and being a part of it from from A to Z, you know really really makes a difference and I think, keeping up with technology.
Speaker 2:And again, you and I, you know, probably similar in age we share that it's like man, these younger, these younger folks keep giving us this technology and we are trying to embrace it. Right, your kids, my kids and you try to stay on top of it and again, we don't want to get lost in it but it is certainly oftentimes helpful tools for us in our business and our daily lives. So, you know, we look to embrace that. So I want to just take a minute to just try to understand how, if people want to get a hold of you, you bring a ton of value. I'm going to say for myself, watching what you've done in the North Shore of Massachusetts, new Hampshire, Vermont, has been pretty spectacular. Thank you, even though you're based in Newburyport, which is a wonderful community, how can people go ahead and get a hold of you, should they be interested?
Speaker 3:MaraLandscape at gmailcom.
Speaker 2:MaraLandscape at gmailcom.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Great, and who can catch you on LinkedIn, I'm sure.
Speaker 3:On LinkedIn. I have a website. I need to upload some more pictures. That's a weak link of mine. I have a whole new, wonderful, revamped website, but I'm not using it to its potential sadly.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, you'll get there. I know it's hard when you get a lot of balls in the air right. Trying to juggle them and business is good. That's the priority right.
Speaker 3:And if I could find a mini me out there. I need help.
Speaker 2:Yeah for sure, for sure, yeah Well, I need help. Yeah, for sure, for sure, yeah Well, thank you again, thank you Jay. I'm probably going to reach back out to you because, again, as I share with you and I sincerely mean I think you bring a ton of value to the industry and to the listeners here. Undoubtedly, I'm sure I'll get some questions once the episode airs, but appreciate your time today, Thank you. Thank airs, but appreciate your time today, thank you.
Speaker 3:Thank you.
Speaker 2:And for everybody else we're going to. Greg Thistle, senior Vice President, northeast Regional Manager of SiteOne, is going to be joining us on the next episode, just talking about some of the trends they're seeing with contractors. So thank you everybody and thanks for listening today. Take care.
Speaker 1:Thanks for tuning in to Blizzard Bloom with Jay Rotinelli. We hope you feel inspired and empowered. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review. Join us next week for more insights and stories to help you bloom in your business journey.