Peter Atkins And Associates., LLC
About
Peter H. Atkins, CPH is a landscape architect/designer, horticulturist and plantsman. The business is an accredited North East Organic Land Care (NOFA). When organics are consistently used on your lawns and landscape, we protect your family, pets, soil and water from chemical imputes and synthetic fertilizers. We are asked often do organic properties look as good as chemical landscapes?
Absolutely. With proper planting and an organic maintenance program, our organic properties are just as lush, colorful, and thriving as traditional properties. The only difference you will notice is the plethora of pollinators and birds that can safely visit your organic property. We design, build and maintain ecological landscapes that offer permaculture design, edible landscaping, native and drought tolerant softscapes and watershed friendly hardscapes. From nuts to bolts (hardscape) and roots to shoots (softscape). We offer expertise in sustainability, organics, permaculture, drought tolerance, and native plant knowledge. We pride ourselves on our versatility, designing, installing and maintaining all styles of landscapes, from naturalistic, woodland, meadow and coastal communities to more formal and traditional gardens. Peter Atkins has been at the forefront of the green movement and we continue to provide consultation, installation and ecologically informed and sensitive care for all types of native and natural plantings. We offer a variety of garden restoration and gardening services, including complete garden restoration projects with planting plans for herbaceous borders and mixed borders to new specimen trees to vegetable gardens. With an in-house masonry staff, we provide a diversity of masonry applications with outstanding results. Whether it is matching existing masonry work, new work or historical restoration our masons have the vision and experience to seamlessly create a stunning hardscape. We take pride in caring for the landscapes we build—and that’s important to us because we want to preserve your investment.When you are looking for local gardeners, we operate in small teams who work with an accredited horticulturist who supervises all work activity. We also offer organic lawn care and total property management at top value.
Highlights
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
When we set out to design a new project, we first want to hear our client’s perspective. This, combined with our extensive experience in landscape design, helps us to create a comprehensive plan for each project that is perfectly inline with our clients’ needs and budget.
The single important step in great design is to LISTEN to what our clients want and help them draw this out in a series of meeting where the project or property is discussed. This can not be completed in an afternoon.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Peter Atkins is an accredited Landscape Designer, Horticulturist and North East Organic Land Care (NOFA) specialist. I have a master degree in ecology horticutlure. I have a master gardener certificate and I teach and lecture about organic and ecological landscape design projects. I have been in the green horticultural career for thirty five years.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your services? If so, please share the details here.
The price will vary by difficulty and size of the job. All jobs have a written estimate, a color wheel and written warrantee statements. We require a 50% deposit prior to any work being performed and the remaining balance paid when the job is complete. We are not the cheapest and we are not the most expesive. We are experts and we do the job correctly the first time and build a solid relationship with our clients.
How did you get started in this business?
I’ve been a landscape designer for over a decade now and yet I still have some friends and extended family that have no idea what I actually do. They always just assume that I only do plant layout for foundation beds or small residential gardens. So when I show them photos of my projects that are full of not only plants, but walkways, patios, walls and lighting they seem genuinely shocked. ‘You really designed all that?’ or ‘I had no idea you did that!’ Are common responses that always makes me laugh. As a landscape designer knowledge of plant material is very important, but so is knowledge about different hardscape options, drainage, lighting and construction practices. All of these elements are important aspects of a well thought out landscape and a great reason to hire someone who specializes in landscape design to help you design your dream outdoor space!
What types of customers have you worked with?
We are primarly a referral only business but we are expanding our horizons as we enjoy meeting new families. Clients who come to us are serious about organics and we are a strictly organic land care business.
Clients come to use because they want to be in touch with nature, the individual spaces on their proeprty whether small or large, they want to know their kids are safe because we do not use chemical or man made products and they want the job to be executed correctly to to the desired budget. They want a work with a landscaper who takes his job seriosuly and stands behind his reputation.
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
Working with a client that started a dream and after installation and years of working together, they ask you to prepare the property for thier daughter weeding in the garden we built together. This has now happended a few times and the thrill in the voices and seeing a new life begin in a garden you designed and built is exhilitrating.
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A chemical lawn owener decides to switch to an entire organic lawn and all of this neighbors can see the difference and the entire neighborhood becomes organic.
What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a pro in your area of expertise?
We offer the broad spectrum of landscape services from landscape design, to installation of hardscapes and gardens, as well as maintenance of planting beds and lawns. We take landscape designs and make them a reality! Ask for referrals, review their porfolio, what qualifications does he/she offer you.
Often when meeting with a client for the first time to discuss a project, the most frequently asked question is ‘Why do I need a landscape design?’ The answer to this question is that there are many reasons why having a plan is helpful when thinking about a landscape project for your home or business.
OThe first being that a landscape plan shows the overall look of what the space is going to be like when the project is completed. You will be able see where walkways or patios will be situated, how garden beds will help to create spaces and nestle hardscapes into the landscape and how each outdoor space corresponds with not only each other but also the building and the surrounding environment. Having a plan is especially helpful if you are thinking about a multi-phase project. The reason for this is because everyone involved in the project can see the long term goal of what you want to accomplish with your outdoor living space. Smaller projects within the whole can be picked off one or two at a time over a span of months or years.
What questions should customers think through before talking to pros about their needs?
Discussing in the family what the intended budget is for the project. One does not go to buy a car unless they know what they want. Do they want a fun exotic car or a family car. We can work with all budget but we will not work for free.