Whether it’s a small planting project or a complete transformation of your backyard, finding the best landscape contractor for the job is of critical importance. You not only want someone you can trust, but someone that has the expertise and skill to tackle your project from start to finish.
While there are a lot of individuals out there who say they do landscaping in Lancaster, PA (anyone with a pickup truck and a shovel), you should be incredibly wary of anyone who doesn’t have any licenses, certifications, or long-held professional experience.
Still, even after eliminating some of those fly-by-night operations in the area, there are still a lot of reputable landscaping companies in Lancaster, PA, to consider. Here are some of the essential things to look for when narrowing down your options.
Lancaster, PA Landscaping Essentials
- A Proven Track Record: Did you know that 95% of new startup landscape companies never last more than 5 years? Less than 1% make it past 10 years! What does that say for experience and companies that know what they are doing?!
- Honors Regulations: Valid PA Home Improvement Contractor License and verifiable liability insurance
- Professional Workers: Who have had criminal background checks and drug testing
- Dedication to Excellence: Specialized industry certifications and associations (such as NCMA, ICPI, PLNA)
- Loyal Clientele: A history of experience in the area (backed up by client testimonials)
- Specialization: Design/Build expertise with an in-house Registered Landscape Architect
- Idea Galleries: A robust portfolio of pictures of landscaping projects
- Outstanding Reputation: Excellent validated online reviews
Reviewing Landscape Contractors in Lancaster, PA
Having established Earth, Turf, & Wood in Lancaster County in 2000, we’ve been around long enough to really get to know our competition. We know that our potential customers have a lot of options to choose from when it comes to landscapers in Lancaster County, PA.
We can appreciate the good work that many of our competitors do as it helps establish a benchmark for what excellence truly is and contributes to our reputation as landscape professionals.
Let’s take a look at how some of the best landscaping contractors in Lancaster, PA add up.
River Valley Landscapes
Formed by Brad Groff and Doug Caldwell in 1991, River Valley Landscapes is a full-service landscape company offering everything from landscape maintenance to design/build projects. Both of the owners are involved in the community and committed to giving back, which we certainly respect.
C.E. Pontz Sons, Inc.
With a tag line of “where art meets nature,” C.E. Pontz boasts creativity and originality as their big selling points. Owned by Adrian Kapp, C.E. Pontz is the collective merger of Pontz Landscape service and C.E. Pontz, two individual companies that were started by brothers. Though they have a Master Certified Aquascape Contractor Certification (and do a lot of pond work), they do not have a Registered Landscape Architect in house.
Erb Brothers Landscaping, Inc.
With a long-standing history that dates all the way back to 1928, the company is run by Dan Bender (president), who joined Erb Brothers in 1973. At his side is co-owner and vice president, Matt Gingerich. Both have degrees in horticulture. They offer design/build and landscape maintenance services.
Tomlinson Bomberger
Probably the largest landscape firm in the area with over 100 employees, Tomlinson Bomberger offers a wide scope of services that go beyond traditional design/build and landscaping and delves into pest control, tree work, and even athletic field maintenance. While they handle a lot of services in-house, they don’t have a Registered Landscape Architect on staff.
How Earth Turf & Wood Compares to Other Landscaping Contractors in Lancaster, PA
Like these other companies, we have a long-history and can provide excellent customer testimonials of past work. We also have an extensive portfolio that highlights some of our projects. But we believe there are some things that also set us apart from other landscape contractors in Lancaster, PA.
Utmost Professionalism
All of our employees are randomly drug tested and have had criminal history background checks. This is not standard in our industry or for all landscaping companies in Lancaster, PA. However, it’s something that we personally believe is extremely important.
We have children of our own and would never put someone in a customer’s backyard that we would not have in my own backyards. We spend a substantial amount of time hand-picking individuals to work for us and make sure they are up to Earth, Turf, & Wood’s standard of excellence not only in skill, but in how they interact with people. Our crews are required to wear a uniform and keep their vehicles and worksites clean. We also don’t allow smoking on jobsites, foul language, or loud music.
Those may sound like small things but we believe that the perception of our crews says a lot about who we are as a company, and that is a company that believes in professionalism.
An In-House Registered Landscape Architect
With an in-house Registered Landscape Architect that works full-time for our company, we can truly offer our clients the best design work.
While not all projects require a Registered Landscape Architect, more complex projects certainly do and some companies have to outsource that work.
But by offering those services in-house, we are able to seamlessly tackle a project from the design phase to completion at a highly professional level.
A Local Commitment
The Lancaster County, PA area is not only where we work, but it is also our home. Whether you’re in Lancaster, York, Reading, or Hershey, those are the areas that we know and love. As a result, we are committed to providing you the best possible landscaping in Lancaster County, PA.
Specializing in Landscape Design & Installation
Whether it’s a modest backyard patio, a fully-functioning outdoor kitchen, completing a pool area with a pavilion, outdoor living projects are our specialty. Over the years we have designed some spectacular projects, and we invite you to explore some of them in our idea gallery.
We realized early on that we have a gift for designing and creating one-of-a-kind outdoor spaces. While some landscaping companies try to be all things to all people, and add numerous services to their offerings, we want to be specialists.
While we do offer landscape maintenance for projects we’ve installed, it’s not our goal to have thousands of customers and spread ourselves thin, delivering mediocre results. This philosophy allows us to focus all of our attention, not a fraction, on being the best at what we do for our customers.
Capacity & Experience with Large-Scale Projects
Not every landscaping company in Lancaster, PA can tackle elaborate projects like ones we’ve taken on. That includes everything from large driveways, to multi-tiered retaining walls, large outdoor pavilions, outdoor kitchens complete with automation and AV, custom water and fire features, and more.
We have the experience and the skill to complete projects that others may have shied away from. While we can handle those large-scale projects, we love the smaller projects, too. In fact, we give the same level of passionate attention to detail to all of our projects—whether they are $20,000 or $200,000+.
Choosing the Best Landscape Contractor in Lancaster, PA
We would love to be YOUR clear choice as landscape contractor for your next outdoor living project. We are constantly striving to be at the top of our game and one of the best in the industry.
Our work is done by in-house teams who are committed to being part of our company and performing their best on each and every project. And with an in-house design expertise second to none in Lancaster County, we can truly offer our customers the complete package.
Whether it’s a new backyard patio, an outdoor kitchen, or perhaps just a landscape planting project, we have the expertise to create the unique solution of your dreams. Your landscape is just a click away, and we offer free one-hour consultations during which we can talk about how to bring your ideas to life.
Check out our idea gallery for even more possibilities or give us a call at (717) 276-9447.
