Lawn Care
The comments and recommendations on this page were made by members of the Framingham Community e-mail list or other Framingham residents. The comments on these pages represents the opinions and experiences of the individuals who made them, not necessarily the person composing the page or the people maintaining the Wiki. Add a recommendation or comment.
Lawn Care Providers
Andy Craig
508-481-2255
My family has used Andy Craig landscaping for years. Andy is very nice and accommodating. If there's a problem or concern, he himself comes to check it out and talk to you. He doesn't send someone else to do his dirty work. The guys who work for him are always polite and considerate.
Andy has proven to be honest and diligent. He cares about his customers and personally makes sure things are done correctly. I've recommended him to friends who are thrilled with him and the lawn services he's provided.
Susie Santone 2/16/07 & 5/21/07
Al's Landscaping Service
Ashland
508-881-4235
I use Al's Landscaping Service. I have him fertilize my lawn and mulch a flower bed. He also does de-thatching and aerate/seed the lawn His prices are reasonable
Joel Winett
Renovo's Landscaping
Aldrin Araujo
508-485-8669
I recently completed a substantial landscaping project at my home that included a stone wall, a paver walkway, new irrigation and new shrubbery. Renovo did a fantastic job installing everything to perfection at a very reasonable price. They arrived exactly on time, completed the work in three days, and left the front of my house in immaculate condition. Their crew was extremely courteous and professional and I cannot recommend them highly enough.
Sue Bernstein 10/22/08
I have used Renovo's Landscaping for over 10 years to do Spring/Fall cleanups, mulching, seeding, planting, etc.
In addition, this company has been contracted by our neighborhood cleanup committee for the past 7 years or so to do a yearly cleanup of our common, large center medians/islands. They have always been reasonable, timely and thorough.
Good Luck,
Sarah Donovan 2/7/07
I've never used Renovo, but my neighbor across the street uses them. They are constantly blocking my driveway, and making it impossible to get out of my yard. I've spoken to them repeatedly, and they basically just laugh at me. I called the number on their truck, and I was told that I was out of luck, because of the route that they take to get from yard to yard. Making their driver turn around and park on their client's side of the yard is apparently out of the question. Also, none of the crew that arrives seems to speak English, so there is little point complaining to the workers directly. I've tried. They may be great at cleaning yards, but they are very difficult to deal with if you aren't a client.
Malcolm MacNeill 2/7/07
Lawn Mowing Services
Amaral
508-877-5547
we have had great luck with Amaral. this is our third year with them. the prices are reasonable and the service is pretty good. They never complain about moving all of my kid's toys out of their way. They even blow and debris off of our deck.
barb miller 5/9/07
Tim Bradway
(508) 788-0234
For many years now we have had excellent service from Tim Bradway.
regards,
Andy Miller 5/9/07
Jimmy
774-279-2662
I would like to recommend a local guy, who is just starting out in his own landscaping service. His name is Jimmy, and lives here in Framingham. He currently works for a bigger landscaping company in Holliston, but is trying to get his own company off of the ground, so he offers his services on Saturday's & Sunday's. He does my lawn on Saturday morning, and does an great job for a awesome price. If you want help a local guy, and to give him your business.
Jim O'Loughlin 08/14/2007
MFT Landscaping
Mark F. Tosches
508-545-0670
I, along with four other people on my block, use Mark F. Tosches for lawnmowing (M.F.T. Landscaping), and have used him for at least five years. It helps having a few clients on the same street. He does all our yards on the same day each week. If any of your neighbors are looking, you might try that approach. He's good, reasonable and reliable. Good luck.
Audrey Hall 5/10/07
John's Landscaping
17 Whitney Ave
Framingham, MA 01702
508-879-4347
I highly recommend Johns Landscaping for this type of work. His guys are *hard* workers, his rates very fair and our yard always looks terrific after they're finished.
Jackie Peraza 07/30/08
Rainforest Landscaping
508-958-2733
I use Rainforest Landscaping and have been very satisfied with them. John 508-958-2733
Sue Bernstein 5/9/07
Roger Sturgis Landscaping
508-877-6779
Roger Sturgis Landscaping is great. He’s been in the business since (I think) 1967. He’s a pro and backs up his work. I’ve referred him to several people, including my own customers with great results.
Michael Campbell 5/9/07
Used Roger for one year and was very disappointed
He always sounded good, and in fact could do a really great job one day --- then a terrible one the next time.
Eventually we had a disagreement over a job which he barely did 70% of and billed at many times the agreed upon price. I did pay the bill as submitted, but discontinued his services.
Later I spoke to a few others with similar experiences who had been happy with him for a while then run into problems.
Victor L. Rosenberg 5/11/07
Shamrock Lawn & Landscape
508.877.3533
We've used Shamrock Lawn & Landscape, owned by Greg Killeen for many years. Greg is most professional, is often on the job with his crew and responds quickly to special requests or problems (of which there have been few). We have a half-acre, mostly grass and the charge is $30. We haven't been notified yet of any rate increase this year. Each visit the lawn is mown, edges trimmed and cuttings blown away, including our deck - all in 20 minutes!
Judith Rosenbaum 5/23/07
General Advice on Lawns
Lime vs Fertilizer
Lawn care people do good work but most of them have the goal of figuring out how to making your lawn green for the cheapest price. Since we're here in New England, I'll betcha you have acid soil which can be controlled by putting down lime. If you don't use lime then the amount of fertilizer needed to do the job is literally four times greater. The lawn guy may know this and take solice that he's charging you less to put down more phosphorous fertilizer than he'd have to, to charge you for the extra time it takes to put the lime down. Almost all the fertilizer that gets put down eventually gets washed into the water supply. Please care. Test your soil. Use lime as needed and use less chemicals.
More info available. Thanks.
Steve Orr 2/7/07
Invasive plants
For more information, look here.
Composting
A while back I posted looking for help finding someone to shred my leaves, so I could compost them. A number of people responded with warnings about composting leaves from oaks and other trees that may be too acidic or inhibit growth because of compounds in the leaves. I called to the Mass Horticultural Society's advice and information line, staffed by Master Gardeners, and this is what I learned: while it is true that the leaves of black walnut trees contain a compound that inhibits growth and are to be avoided in composting, it is fine to compost leaves from most of the trees commonly found in our yards: including oaks. There is no need to add lime to the compost, or to worry about making the soil more acidic than it already is.
If you have questions about composting leaves from specific species of trees in your yard, you can contact the HortLine:
617-933-4929
TTY 781-235-5655
Hort_Line@masshort.org
Hours of Operation: Monday, Wednesday and Friday (and Saturday through September 30) 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Happy composting,
Nomi Sofer 10/07