Landscapers business affected by seasons

Marcy Smith, the manager of Avant Gardens, said their company absolutely sees an affect from different seasons.

"Our on seasons are the warmer months," said Smith, who has been the manager since 2007. "There isn't a whole lot to do in the winter."

Their work tends to start decreasing in October, and they normally finish off any regular maintenance by December. By the end of March, they start to get calls and in April it gets busy, Smith said.

"Our company is like a skeleton, because we don't have active full-time employees,"said Smith, who does not have another job for off seasons. "Only part of our crew stays around for every month."

Smith explained that there are unique challenges of having a landscaping business in a city. They have to worry about if there is a back entrance to the house so they can bring equipment in, if not they have to carry it through the house. They have to make sure they find a parking space for their truck too.

"We have always been a city-based company, so our actual expertise is urban landscapes," Smith said. "There are more yards in the city than you would think. Many of the row homes in center city have backyards that could easily be the length of the house."

The company has returning customers, but also definitely sees a level of all new work because many of their businesses are one shot deals, Smith said.

Avant Gardens has absolutely seen an affect from the downturn of the economy.

"We're considered a luxury item, so it's hard not to be affected," Smith said. "If a family is struggling with mortgages, do you think they're going to want to get a patio?"