The importance for Organic Land Care.

Scarlett our Ruby Cavalier was diagnosed with Lymphoma (Cancer) She went with Mary Ann and Peter everywhere. Animal scientist were pointing finger that chemicals in landscapes was making dogs and cats very sick and when this young dog was diagnosed with cancer we knew that most of our properties were not treated organically but with chemicals.

In 2010, we became an Northeaster Organic Land Care business (NOFA) and we are a completely organic land care business for our properties. We do not use synthetic fertilizers, chemical imputes or anything that will harm pets, humans or wildlife.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT KIND OF LANDSCAPE SERVICE FIRM Lots of landscaping companies offer basic yard maintenance services. That is, mowing, edging, mulching, weeding, and spring and fall clean-ups. We call this service mow, blow and run maintenance. Its a bunch of guys, with little horticultural knowledge pruning your shrubs into mushrooms with gas shears and destroying the character of the plant in this fast paced job.

Peter Atkins and Associates began this business with the reality that some properties deserve special attention in how they are maintained. Some properties have lots of beautiful shrubs like azaleas, rhododendrons, boxwoods, flowering trees that require attention with proper pruning. Other properties have perennial gardens that require deadheading, staking, dividing, soil amendments and other landscape gardens require many services from lawn cutting, mulching, cleanups.

The reason we are different is that we selects properties that we wish to maintain with home owners who spent much money on the installation of their gardens and wish to have their gardens maintained by expert gardeners who are always supervised by an accredited Horticulturist.

Top-notch garden care makes the difference between a garden that flourishes in all seasons and one that doesn’t live up to its potential.

Most people shy away from creating their own new gardens for fear that, after all the time and money spent, it just may not turn out as expected. Designing a garden properly takes a great deal of knowledge and creativity and labor to do the job correctly.

If you feel though you would benefit from professional help, we suggest that you read through the website site and see if the focus of our work would be a perfect fit for your next project.

We are highly trained, passionate and creative professionals that would like to put a smile on every client’s face by enhancing their built environment and quality of life.

We suggest you interview us and see if we can help you with your next design project.

We are a full service firm that offers design and building solutions so that you can make your dream landscape a reality.

Landscape project managers such as Peter Atkins and Mary Ann Henry are well-versed in many of the most important aspects of company’s success. They are the company’s eyes and ears on project sites, ensuring work is done according to plan, managing and motivating team members and working with office staff and vendors to coordinate successful project installations and site management. 

Project Management

Landscape design and project management go hand in hand together to insure the finished design is installed in the way it was intended.  When you are ready to begin your project, We can support you through each step, from the bid process to the installation of the landscape design. We work with highly qualified contractors who provide fine craftsmanship, excellent customer service and have solid reputations and references. Managing your project insures that the end result will follow the original design vision. When a defined completion is stated we meet that deadline.

Whether you love them or hate them, parties are important. They are where people meet future business and romantic partners and friends, where small talk becomes the stuff of life.

Peter Atkins and Associates is on a mission to bring people together to meet, create, and celebrate. Are you looking for special 40 or 50th birthday party ideas or a milestone Wedding Celebration or your daughter has just announced your garden is the perfect spot. So many occasions in life call for celebrations.

The possibilities for garden social party themes are endless! The date and the season when you are hosting the event can help you choose an appropriate theme but really, it is up to you and whatever your heart desires!

Though the overwhelming task of planning an event might deter you from recognizing special moments, party planning can be easy when you use Peter Atkins and Associates to get your outdoor spaces ready for the next celebration. Perfect for a Reception or Reunion!

Gardens create some of the best atmospheres for parties, wedding showers, baby showers, and other gatherings. Host a garden social in a peaceful setting surrounded by natural beauty.

A garden party gives you a great excuse to gather with friends and family or your local garden club in a setting you know and love. Outdoor events are all the rage right now anyway, so what is not to love!?

We provide comprehensive garden care with weekly visits during the growing season and select winter visits.  Under direction from our Head Horticulturalist, Peter Atkins, our care regimen is tailored to each landscape and can include spring clean-up,  turf care, weeding, care of perennial beds and fall leaf management.  We also offer woody plant care for plants under 14 feet in height which includes pruning and Integrated Pest Management.

• A Fine Gardener’s singular goal is to vigilantly care for the soil, plants, and design compositions viewed through the lens of a dynamic natural system. This means that we must look at the garden with the eyes of a trainer and a caretaker. Consequently, we ask, “How can we make this perform better, look better, and be healthier?”

A maintenance contract provides a solid basis when it comes to putting the agreements into formal writing. Peter Atkins and Associates organizes which tasks should be carried out and you know exactly what you can expect from us. We will also provide a clear financial picture, in line with your personnel budget so that you will not be faced with any unpleasant surprises. Customization and personal contact are paramount. Some advantages listed:

• Appointed Gardeners stay with your property yearly. Supervision with senior horticulturist Peter Atkins who is on the job ever day.

• Always the right maintenance at the right time.

• A professional specialized landscaper with knowledge of your flower, edible, low maintenance and native gardens.

• A personal contact, your trusted landscaper.

• Affordable through fast and planned appointments.

Which maintenance contract should I choose?

Depending on your wishes, there are various options for implementing the maintenance contract. After an introductory meeting, we will create a tailor-made maintenance plan for you with the details of the contract and the frequency of the visits. In short you can choose between a limited and an extensive maintenance contract.

We approach our projects with the idea that landscape design and garden maintenance are two sides of the same coin. A garden is more successful when it is cared for with the design intention in mind. And good design always takes long-term care and sustainability into account.

There is a direct connection between landscape maintenance and landscape design. Strategic garden care is a natural extension of design because the landscape design--the selections of plants, the groupings, and the geometry of the site--set the course for the maintenance to follow. At Peter Atkins, we call this design-conscious approach to all-in-one landscape and garden care - Garden Management.

Besides respect for design, our garden management process is steeped in horticultural expertise. Fine-tuning the landscape by adding color displays or perennial groupings, or by making meticulous adjustments (pruning, cutting back, thinning out, transplanting), is what brings out its greatness. Aside from the aesthetic benefit, skilled plant care promotes good health by letting air and light into the interior of plants, and stimulating growth and longevity.

We are very proud to be an accredited Northeastern Organic Land Care (NOFA) business. An organic approach avoids using toxic chemicals and manufacture products that can harm your children, pets, water supply and mother earth

A coach is a cross between a consultant, designer, and a landscaper. A designer will give you ideas and plans, but won’t do the work. A landscaper will come in and do the work, but won’t teach you how. A coach is the best of both worlds. I’ll come in and offer design and plant selection ideas and maintenance tips. Then I’ll come back and actually work with you to perform some of the tasks.

A garden coach is for those gardeners who want to do their own gardening and landscaping, but need help getting started and knowing how to do specific projects. I’m comfortable working with absolute beginners to knowledgeable Master Gardeners. For labor intensive projects we have a team of very qualified gardeners who work side by side with Peter Atkins. These teams can perform construction such as fences, masonry, water features planting projects and fine garden maintenance services.

It is our goal to help you fall in love with your landscape. We strive to create personalized, vibrant and beneficial landscape designs that compliment your mature garden, solve existing design challenges or provide a complete landscape overhaul.

Landscape design services include:

• A scaled landscape plan including plants and hardscape
• A full plant list with points of interest
• A personalized mood board to help you visualize the plant combinations
• A detailed estimate and project plan

Elements in the design that we are not equipped to address will be referred to trusted contractors.

 WHAT TO EXPECT WITH YOUR LANDSCAPE DESIGN PROCESS:

• The initial one-hour consultation is No charge.
• There is a design fee and this depends on how much time is necessary to do the layout and write up the proposals.
• You will be provided with a proposal package.

Once your design is finalized, your place on the  Peter Atkins and Associates  installation schedule is secured with a 50% deposit.

A written warrantee comes with your proposal an Peter Atkins will be your landscape management liaison.

• If you are interested in design services, please contact us as soon as possible.

Landscape construction can be a challenging process for the homeowner. Having a crew of strangers on your property all day. Being available for decisions as the inevitable problems surface. Dirt everywhere.

But when you work with us, many of those challenges disappear. We’ll hire the construction team that is the perfect fit for your project, including carpenters, metalworkers, masons, arborists, pool and spa installers, and lighting and irrigation specialists. We only work with people we know and trust that are apart of our network of contractors and artisans.

Peter Atkins and Mary Ann Henry will personally oversee the entire landscape construction and ongoing organic maintenance process to make sure all details is thoughtfully sourced, every design element is carefully crafted and every problem is dealt with quickly and efficiently to save both time and money. This dynamite team has been working together for over twenty eight years.

• This project below started when I was referred to a clients home to do some hydro seeding on a slope that was always difficult.  After showing our portfolio and spending numerous months on Saturday morning with the client, Peter Atkins and our client decided to transform the slope into a perennial garden. It would have a retaining wall that is 95 feet wall long and a large perennial garden would be placed within its wall. On top of the wall is a large border of Hydrangeas, carpet roses, edible berry and other shrubs. Within the garden would be a fountain for song birds and a patio below the garden with a portable fire pit for evening star gazing.  The vegetable garden was created that is 40x30 and hold many raised beds.  This was a two year process in design, collaboration and finally the year Covid arrived we were asked to install the job.  The job was installed in one year and follow year tweaking the design in year 2021.

Budget: Anonymous

HARVEST TO TABLE VEGETABLE GARDENS

•  Peter Atkins and Associates provides the joy without the toil. We offer full-service maintenance & harvesting services and garden coaching – essentially whatever it takes to create a beautiful, edible garden for you.
• Peter Atkins and Associates Harvest to Home is all about relationships. Our staff meets weekly and collaborates to not only meet your expectations but also to exceed them.
• We also use cutting edge software to keep updated on the needs of our clients and their gardens, provide efficient service, and regular communication. All of this helps to keep our team dynamic and passionate about  providing the absolute best garden experiences for you.

Peter Atkins and Associates  takes care of every step of the installation process so you don’t have to worry. Our goal is to bring your landscape from preparation to complete edible garden in as little time as possible. For gardens 100 square feet or less, we typically complete an install in one day’s time. Our team carefully clears your space, connects to your irrigation system, installs our four key elements and you walk out to a complete edible garden, ready for tending and harvesting.

The edible garden is a dynamic thing, with many plants growing from seed to harvest in less than 60 or 90 days. While the magic is incredible, the task to care for your changing garden may sometimes feel overwhelming. Peter Atkins and Associates offers weekly -monthly and quarterly maintenance for our gardens as well as personal Garden Coaching. Our tending team pays attention the details of the garden and does the heavy lifting of replacing compost and replanting each new quarter. We do the heavy lifting and let you enjoy the harvests.

A veggie gardener who is filling her front or backyard with veggie plants, is still attracting valuable pollinators via the little beacons of tomato flowers, squash blossoms, and cucumber blooms.

Many of our favorite fruits and vegetables require pollinators. Some of these crops require insect pollination to produce a crop, such as pumpkin, squash, zucchini, cucumber. Other vegetable crops which require insect pollination are ‘seed-only’ crops.  The pollination requirements for vegetable species grown for seed vary widely and depend on whether a plant is self-pollinating or requires cross-pollination to facilitate seed set.

By attracting honeybees, native bees, butterflies, moths, and other pollinators, you can help your garden and the environment at the same time!

Bees, as well as the monarch butterfly, are the most common pollinators that show up in headlines, but there are thousands of species of native bees, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds, wasps, flies, beetles, and more that we can support in our gardens.

Every good custom masonry project begins with a good plan. This involves knowing where you’re going to do your project, what materials it is going to use, an estimated cost, and approximate timeline for the entire thing. You will also want to be sure that the result will fit in well with the rest of your home.

You’ll also want to plan when exactly to start your custom masonry project. We are accepting new jobs for the Fall 2022 season.

Hardscape design can help you turn a plain and monotonous space into a delightful and inviting work of art where you will love to spend your time.

Our in house hardscape and landscaping professionals have experience in many different types of patio choices, including pavers, wet and dry laid natural stone, and brick. Patios and decks often include outdoor kitchen, water features, a fire pit, or a fireplace. Retaining walls serve a useful purpose by holding back the earth from certain areas. They can also be a decorative addition to any landscape design. In fact, this type of hardscape construction is sometimes performed simply for aesthetic purposes! Retaining walls can be constructed using several materials, including natural stone, paver, or brick.

Our design team will work closely with you to determine your needs and develop a design you will cherish and enjoy for years to come.

"Compost is a mixture of ingredients used to fertilize and improve the soil. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant and food waste and recycling organic materials. The resulting mixture is rich in plant nutrients and beneficial organisms, such as worms and fungal mycelium. Compost improves soil fertility in gardens, landscaping, horticulture, urban agriculture, and organic farming. The benefits of compost include providing nutrients to crops as fertilizer, acting as a soil conditioner, increasing the humus or humic acid contents of the soil, and introducing beneficial colonies of microbes that help to suppress pathogens in the soil. Compost can also be used for land and stream reclamation, wetland construction, and landfill cover".