Zak George Landscaping

Sometimes life happens and you have to bring your 3 month old to work with you. We are a team here so even Mr. ZGL himself pitches in on baby holding duty!

The two ZGL OG’s, then and now! Today while I was looking for some content to post I stumbled upon an old photo album from 2009. While we do proudly have some long hauler team member’s at ZGL these two are the original’s! Please enjoy these throwbacks and make sure to comment it up! 🤪

Training is everything and with the most skilled team we all win! Tailgate talks happen all the time for our crews whether they are planned or spontaneous, our goal is to be learning and growing in all areas together 💪🏻. We love our team and want them to feel equipped to handle it all while also feeling the most educated!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the incredible moms at . Your dedication and hard work inspire us every day. Wishing you a day filled with love, appreciation, and relaxation. You deserve it! 🌷

Join us in wishing the guy who started it all, Mr. ZGL himself, a very Happy Birthday today!!!! We hope you enjoy your day!

Proud to be sponsors again for this years NOCO Unify Down & Derby Party celebrating the 150th ! All event proceeds go to benefit NOCO Unify which supports NOCO youth organizations. This year’s primary beneficiaries are: KidsPak, Respite Care, United Way of Larimer County, and Realities for Children. Such a great organization helping our local communities! Happy Derby Day to all who celebrate!

Our team is busy getting irrigation systems started up and water features turned on but, they are still taking the time to stop and smell the roses....I mean tulips! These stunning tulips are near the end of their blooming cycle, but there are many other shrubs and perennials that are waiting for their time to shine as our days get longer and warmer!

It’s Administrative Professionals Week! Today, we are taking a moment to celebrate and express our gratitude to these three who keep our offices running smoothly everyday. Erin, Kim and Kailey, Your hard work, dedication, and positive attitudes make such a difference to our team? From managing schedules to coordinating projects and everything in between, you truly are the best! Thank you for all that you do!

We’re Landscaper’s, of course we can’t keep poinsettias alive! 😂 I mean honestly I’m impressed it’s still looks this “good!”
Seth is going to take this one home and plant it outside. Has anyone ever had luck with that??

Happy First Day of Spring! 🌿 Today marks the beginning of new growth, fresh blooms, and vibrant landscapes. We’re thrilled to welcome this season of renewal!

Mentally we are siting right here. Anybody else really ready for patio season?

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM), is the standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which perennial plants are most likely to thrive at a location. The USDA has released a new version of its PHZM, updating this valuable tool for gardeners and researchers for the first time since 2012. USDA’s Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most likely to thrive at a location. The new map—jointly developed by USDA's Agricultural Research Service and Oregon State University's PRISM Climate Group—is more accurate and contains greater detail than prior versions.

To find the Plant Hardiness Zone at your location quickly, enter your zip code in the Quick Zip Code Search box in the map above, or click anywhere on the map to view the corresponding interactive map.

We have included the link in our bio and stories to help you easily access it! Via this link you will be to find links to view/print national, regional, or state Plant Hardiness Zone Maps as well as learn about updates to this map from its previous (2012) edition!

Decorating planters for winter interest is one of my favorite things to create! If you’ve got some big planters in your landscape, they don’t have to stay empty and boring this winter. The rest of your landscape might be dormant, but your containers can add a pop of color and interest until spring blooms return.

A colorful container can be a decorative element by itself. Use brightly colored ceramic pots to add some interest to your porch or stoop. But if you’ve gone with muted colors in your containers, you can still add some pizzazz without freshly cut flowers.

Follow the same guidelines (thriller, filler, spiller) that you would in summer to combine materials. For a “thriller,” use long branches like dogwood. Fill spaces with pinecones, artificial flowers, or holiday ornaments, and position evergreens or garland to spill over the sides.

If you don’t already have pinecones or branches in your yard to use, visit your local garden center for some natural elements to add interest to your container. You could even add some whimsy with a garden gnome or other colorful sculpture. Or use a ball of string lights to fill the space and light up your landscape.

Get creative and keep your containers looking pretty until you can plant flowers again. This tip of the week and more can be found at ALCC.com!

On Tuesday, eight of spent the day volunteering with the Fort Collins Habitat for Humanity at the Harmony Cottages! Not only was it a day of hard work with perfect weather it sounds like it was also a lot of fun! To me it kinda looks like their Album cover...what should their band name be??😆

Thank you for having us Fort Collins Habitat for Humanity!!!

Last week Seth organized a training and safety workshop so our crews could get some hands on experience with heavy machinery while making sure all of our team and in turn our customers are always safe. Looks like they had fun too! 😉

Extend your evenings with
landscape lighting

With days getting shorter, now is a great time to be thinking about how lighting can help you make the most of your yard. We are almost a month out from the first day of fall, landscape lighting can help give us more time outdoors. There are three main ways lighting can enhance our outdoor experiences; accessibility, security and ambiance.

Landscape lighting benefits
Whether it is lighting a walkway or stairs, adding light to darker parts of the yard, or making a patio more welcoming, we can enhance these spaces through lighting and make them more useable for more of the year.

Landscape lighting technology options
Landscape lighting is continually advancing with technology. LED is common for improving efficiency. Smart controllers are available for both retrofitting an existing system or starting a fresh new one. You can even add color changing lights that can give some extra fun outside for a special event.

It's that time of year again~
Join us for another year of fun as we celebrate Team ZGL and all the hard work we've put into the first half of 2023! We will have food, drinks, music and games for all ages! By popular request, bounce houses are water free this year. We can't wait to see you all there!

Project Superintendent Austin is happy to report this crew met there deadline on a job even with all the rain and mud we’ve had here in NoCo! Today he treated them with lunch to thank them for being so awesome and working those long days. Way to go Team!

Last week The National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) had the incredible opportunity to spend time at the White House discussing the H2-B visa program. This is a significant development for the landscaping industry and highlights the growing recognition of the vital role played by immigrant workers in our economy.

The H2-B visa program allows U.S. employers to hire temporary non-agricultural workers when there is a shortage of available American workers. This program has been a lifeline for the landscaping industry, which heavily relies on seasonal workers to meet the demands of maintaining and beautifying outdoor spaces across the country.

The discussions at the White House were fruitful, with the NALP team emphasizing the need for a streamlined and efficient visa process to ensure a timely supply of workers during peak seasons. They also emphasized the importance of addressing any challenges or bottlenecks in the system that may hinder the industry's ability to access the workforce it needs.

As we navigate a changing world, it's crucial to recognize the value of programs like the H2-B visa program and the positive impact they have on industries such as landscaping. The collaboration between the NALP, the ALCC and the White House is an encouraging step forward, and it is my hope that it will lead to meaningful improvements in the visa program that support both the landscaping industry and the dedicated workers who contribute so much.

This ALCC Tip of the week is all about your irrigation! Much like any appliance in your home, sprinkler systems need a tune-up. (Or maybe shut off temporarily due to PNW style rain in the area 🤪)

Efficient tune ups may include:
*Running each sprinkler zone and looking for broken heads or dirty nozzles where the spray does not look consistent.

*Making sure that nozzles are not mis-aligned and spraying rocks or concrete instead of the lawn. Straighten any sprinkler heads that are leaning to the side.

*Make sure there is even drip irrigation while it is operating to be sure that emitters are not missing and to make sure all plants are getting water evenly.

*Look for leaks and puddles in the landscape. If you see this or a zone is not working properly, you may have a leak.

*Check to your sprinkler controller/time/clock are set up efficiently. Being able to modify the program is key to saving water.

*Replace the controller battery.

Don't forget to do seasonal adjustments as well. During the cooler Spring and Fall days, less water is needed than during the hottest summer days. Whether you make these adjustments yourself or us a Smart Controller, these tune ups can result in substantial savings of both money and water.

While we do have some crews out this Memorial Day,playing catch up with all this 🌧️, our offices are closed today to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. We will be returning calls, emails and texts tomorrow.

This Meet the Team post goes out to the birthday boy, Mr. ZGL himself, Zak George! Tell him happy Cinco de Birthday!

Zak grew up on a farm east of Colorado Springs where his family raised animals and were very active in their local 4-H club. He has been in the landscape industry for over 20 years. After graduating from Colorado State University and spending a year traveling, looking for that perfect career, it was then in 2005 that ZGL was born. Zak started the company with just a vision and a few tools to get his new business going. Through constant training and ongoing industry education, Zak and his team have led the company to become one of the best. Zak is highly involved in the green industry from being the current President of the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado, to sitting on water boards, mentoring and from time to time you will even catch him at speaking events about the industry. Zak enjoys being an active member of the community as he feels it is an important part of how ZGL "Makes life better through Landscaping"

Zak and his wife Robben have been married since 2007 and have 2 young boys, Holden and Bo, along with a rescue pup named Harper. Together they enjoy finding new adventures as a family, traveling to places off the beaten path and searching for the world’s best churro.

LIKES: Organization and intentionality amongst a team, fly fishing, rescue dogs, 54-degree Cabernet Sauvignon, quality time with friends and family, and my wife’s cooking

DISLIKES: Focusing on mistakes made in the past, wasting time, unkind people, and cilantro

One thing ZGL has always lived to do is to give back! Zak doesn’t always get to donate his time but when an opportunity comes up he is passionate about he jumps right in! Back during his College of Business days at CSU Zak taught junior achievement to elementary school students, now he’s back at it again with just a few years (almost 20) of real world experience under his belt! He is teaching 4th graders in Mrs. McDowell’s class about financial literacy, career readiness and entrepreneurship for 6 weeks. Way to go ZG can’t wait to see more pictures of your time together!

On Friday we came together for some time out of the field and our offices to play the elementary school favorite of kick ball! It got a little heated, we probably should have become better acquainted with the rules and we had pizza and soda just like in 5th grade. 😂 Overall it was a great way to spend an afternoon,love this team of ours!

😂😂😂, we promise we don’t do it on purpose…no seriously!
You’ve made it to Wednesday everyone!

From all of us at ZGL, hoping you and yours a very happy Easter!!

Tip of the Week from the ALCC!
Now's the perfect time to compost, even with some snow
Why winter composting is important.
Compost needs time to mellow or break down. That’s why it works to put it down during the winter, even if it isn’t tilled into the soil. As it breaks down, compost creates a homogeneous soil mixture ripe with microbial activity. This process does not add nutrients to the soil, but it does improve the soil’s capacity to hold onto both nutrients and water. That is why compost is so good for the garden and of course, the plants that grow there.

How to shop for compost.
Shop for compost that is well-aged and low in salt. Also, look for varieties that have little or no fillers. Compost by nature is all organic, so composts that are labeled “mixes” contain sand or other inorganic fillers that are generally less optimal.

How much should I buy?
The rule of thumb is one cubic yard of compost per 100 square feet of garden. However, if your soil is healthy, you can probably use less. The best value is in bulk purchases, so if you have a garden with 100 or more square feet, a pick-up load will likely be your least expensive option. Most pick-ups hold one and a half to two cubic yards. If you order bulk delivery from a supplier, the minimum order is usually five yards or more.

It's time to meet another member of the Team! Meet Zach Villegas our Landscape Director!

Zach graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Environmental Planning & Design from the University of New Mexico. He started at ZGL in 2011, that's right this is his 12th year with us, where he has used his experiences from the arid southwest to create a unique award winning (2-time award winning!) design style that has been featured in local magazines. Creating efficient small spaces to large customer residential jobs, Zach brings a fresh and artistic style to Northern Colorado.

His beautiful wife and daughters keep him going and on top of his game. Zach and his family enjoy staying active as a family by traveling, biking, skiing, and attending sporting events (Go Broncos!) Mountain biking has become his most recent passion, allowing him to explore the many splendors the Rocky Mountains have to offer.

LIKES: Working on his house, a crispy chile relleno, playing sports, cold beer, and the beach

DISLIKE: People who interrupt, New England Patriots, traffic jams and Valentine’s Day