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SLS Landscaping
Building outdoor environments to suit your lifestyle.

by Lucia Patalano

Spring is finally here and summer is just around the corner, making this the perfect time to beautify and upgrade the outdoor spaces at your home or business. For 20 years, SLS Landscaping, Inc. has been South Jersey’s premier, full-service landscaping company, providing innovative, high-quality landscape design, building, maintenance and artistry to residential and commercial clients.

The company’s services are extensive and include innovative landscape design and installation, comprehensive lawn care maintenance programs and creative hardscape environments that include outdoor fireplaces and kitchens, patios, waterfalls and more.

“Being well diversified, we offer a full range of services, from design/build to maintenance and proper care of landscape and lawns after the installation,” explains Sam Waddell, president and owner of SLS Landscaping, Inc. “We also have the proper staff with adequate knowledge to support our customers with the projects they do and the maintenance we provide.”

Staff expertise and design focus
The cornerstone of SLS Landscaping’s success is its diverse staff of highly educated, licensed and degreed professionals, numbering as many as 50 employees during peak periods. The staff includes certified landscape architects and designers who provide functional, artistically inspired plans using an array of high-quality materials, such as stone, granite, pavers, trees and shrubs, decorative boulders, fountains and lighting. Experienced, degreed staff horticulturists specialize in all aspects of plant care and assist in the estate maintenance and planning process. And licensed turf and ornamental applicators diagnose potential problems with insects and disease on lawns, and help ensure a healthy, thriving landscape. Having such expertise on staff is one way SLS distinguishes itself from the competition.

“It’s very significant and not real common,” Waddell explains. “There are a lot of fly-by-night companies out there that don’t carry proper insurance and certifications, whereas we have degreed horticulturalists and licensed landscape architects. So this knowledge and experience are a big asset to our clients.”

SLS’s highly experienced staff works together with clients throughout the design process to help them achieve their landscape visions in a cost-effective manner. Having design experts on hand is critical to helping clients define and achieve their goals, foresee future problems as the landscape grows and matures, spend more efficiently and even increase property value.

“Our designers meet with the customer and learn their needs and wants, taking into account their budget, their desires, and also the practicality of the property, such as how it drains and how the sun and shade affects the areas that are being planted,” explains Waddell. “And then that same designer will continue to work with the customer throughout the entire installation and also with the aftercare. He’ll put together a practical plan, present the plan and explain all aspects of the hardscape, landscape and lighting.”

Customization and customer service
SLS Landscaping prides itself on offering highly customized installation and maintenance programs for its commercial and residential clients, accommodating the customer’s specific needs, creative desires and financial constraints. Regardless of the client’s goal or budget, SLS can help beautify their lawn or business landscape with creative, cost-effective designs and materials. “Our turf-care program can be custom-tailored to fit any budget,” says Waddell. Among SLS’s customized services are landscape design and maintenance, complete fertilization programs, customized tree and shrub care, spring and fall cleanups, mulching/woodchips, pruning, shearing and restoration, sod installation, aeration and seeding, irrigation installation and maintenance, seasonal flower installation, and landscape renovation/enhancements. Additionally, the company has a thriving snow and ice removal program for commercial clients, as well as holiday display and lighting services for both commercial and residential customers.

Along with these services, SLS offers a strong dedication to customer satisfaction. “Customer service is essential for me,” says Waddell. “The emphasis is on customer satisfaction: open and continuous friendly communication with our customers.”

“When a customer calls in, they’ll always get an experienced and knowledgeable staff member who can assist them with any future work, any potential problems with the landscape, with a quick response time,” Waddell says.

SLS boasts a 24-hour response time for customer issues and a quick turnaround of 48 hours for estimates. They also offer free service calls with all programs. Most of the company’s business comes from repeat clients and referrals from plenty of satisfied customers, such as Phil Dove of Mount Laurel, who recently used SLS to design the entire landscape and hardscape for his 3-year-old home, as well as for ongoing full-service maintenance.

“The work was excellent,” says Dove. “They met my expectation with regard to what they proposed, and ultimately the landscape design and what they delivered was beyond my expectations.”

“They went above and beyond with finishing touches to really make the job over the top,” he adds. “It was a very pleasant process throughout the whole project.”

Hardscaping and lightscapes
According to Waddell, the fastest-growing segment of the landscape industry is hardscaping, or outdoor living spaces that add ambiance and practicality, including outdoor kitchens and living rooms, gazebos, patios and decks. Other popular outdoor elements include pergolas, fireplaces and fire pits, hot tubs and water features. SLS is fully staffed and licensed to design and build all facets of hardscaping, using premium products such as Techo-Bloc stones.

“Fire pits and fireplaces are huge right now,” says Waddell. “Our summers are fairly short. People want to extend their outdoor time. So, by either adding a built-in hot tub into their patio or a fire pit or fireplace, it’s extending their time to actually enjoy their outdoor space well into fall and early winter.”

Also popular, says Waddell, is using lighting to create ambiance and add dimension to a landscape or property. “Landscape lighting is just another facet of design, which brings life to the landscape at nighttime and also adds security and safety,” he explains. Get started now in order to enjoy your new landscape and hardscape throughout the spring and summer.

SLS Landscaping, Inc.
641 Eayrestown Road
Lumberton, NJ 08048
(609) 518-5263
www.slslandscape.com

Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Family Magazine, Volume 2, Issue 1 (March, 2011).
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