Update on Sarah's Garden

For PLANET's Day of Service on April 20, a team from Kane Landscapes restored a garden at Main Street Child Development Center in Fairfax, VA for a former student that had passed away. In addition, we taught the seventy-two 3-5 year olds all about plants and helped them each plant fruits and vegetables in their garden.

We were happy to revisit the garden and see that many of the fruits and vegetables had already been harvested and enjoyed by the children, including the tomatoes, lettuces, and green beans. The watermellon are also coming along nicely. This Day of Service project truly allowed the children to "enjoy the fruits of their labor."

Shasta Daisy: Plant of the Week

Shasta daisies are one of our favorite perennials to plant in sunny areas of gardens because they bloom over a long period (from May to September), are drought tolerant, and because the bright flowers contrast nicely with the glossy, dark green foliage. These daisies reach a height of 3'-4', with a spread of 2'-3', are easy to care for, attract butterflies, and are also suitable for cutting to display in a vase. What a great way to liven up the outdoors and indoors!

Congratulations to David Hensel & Joe Ryder



David Hensel
Landscape Certified Technician - Turf Maintenance

  Kane Landscapes is proud to announce that David Hensel, Maintenance Operations Manager, has officially passed the Landscape Industry Certified Technician-Exterior test for Turf Maintenance.  In addition, Joe Ryder, Landscape Operations Manager, has earned the designation Landscape Industry Certified Technician in Softscape Installation.  The Landscape Industry Certified Technician Test is a national, hands-on testing program administered by the Landscape Contractors Association (LCA). It recognizes proficiency in the landscape workforce, upgrades the status of the landscape professional, and provides the public with a means of identifying qualified landscape professionals.



Joe Ryder
Landscape Certified Technician - Softscape Installation

David and Joe are now among an elite group of landscape professionals, including Josh Kane, Head Designer, and Amanda Hamilton, Designer, who have earned the designation of Landscape Industry Certified Technician. Congratulations to David and Joe for proving their ability and dedication to the industry. We are so proud to have them on board at Kane Landscapes. They are both talented landscape professionals, and hardworking, team players.





Crape Myrtle - Plant of the Week

During the long, hot months of summer, long after the cherry blossoms, dogwoods, and magnolia trees have lost their bloom, one tree provides abundant color to our landscapes from late spring until early autumn; the Crape Myrtle.  The length of their bloom are not the only reason Crape Myrtles are such a staple in landscapes in the DC Metro area. These hardy, drought tolerant trees come in such a variety of sizes and colors that they compliment any landscape. When selecting a crape myrtle, think about the flower color and ultimate size first. With so many cultivars to select from, it isn’t difficult to find the flower color you want in the size and shape that will fit your planting site. Consider the impact of the autumn leaf color and the color of the beautiful exfoliating bark that is so prominent in the winter landscape.

Lo & Behold - The Plant of the Week

This year we have received many requests from homeowners for a new series of dwarf Butterfly Bush called "Lo and Behold" due to its vibrant purple color and long lasting bloom in the summer time.  Other positive attributes of Lo & Behold are that this only requires one pruining at end of season, is drought tolerant, deer resistant, and a great way to attract butterflies to your area. . It can be used as a ground cover, small hedge or planted in container for patio use since it stands only 24" - 30" tall.

Pumpkins & Sunflowers with Pre-Schoolers

The Kane Team helps plant the pumpkin patch on May 31st

On May 31st, the Kane Team spent the morning with 40 incredibly intelligent and energetic three-year-olds at Golden Pond Pre-school in Ashburn, VA. We spent our time teaching the students all about the plant life cycle. In addition to the arts and crafts we did inside the classroom, we also helped the students plant two separate garden plots with pumpkins and sunflowers so their education can continue throughout the year.

The pumpkin patch on July 31, pumpkins already taking shape!

We are happy to report that the students have done a tremendous job caring for their crops. Just two months later we find that the pumpkins are already taking shape and will be ready for harvest by October while the sunflowers have almost grown to their full height and should bloom by late August or early September.

Sunflower almost ready to bloom!

10th Semi-Annual Advisory Board Meeting



Josh Kane, Owner, leading the discussion at
our 10th semi-annual Advisory Board Meeting

 On July 20th, Kane Landscapes hosted its 10th semi-annual Advisory Board Meeting at Monami Gabi Restaurant in Reston Town Center. Our six Board Members along with our owners and managers sat down to discuss our 2012 progress towards our strategic plan as well as growth plans.

It was particularly interesting to see how far our company had come since our first Board meeting back in January of 2008. Since then, we have added 13 new employees to our team, 7 trucks to our fleet. With the constant advice and direction of these well established and highly professional Advisory Board Members, we are confident that our company will continue to succeed and meet our goals. They have continually provided solid feedback on important topics such as employee development, customer service, budgetary items, and growth plans over the past five years.

We would also like to thank our management team for attending and participating in the discussion. We are so fortunate to have such energetic, enthusiastic, and bright  individuals on our team.