Pennsylvania Residential Landscape Design & Garden Maintenance Company

W.D. Wells and Associates specializes in landscape design/build in PA, DE and MD. Design/build is the collaborative process of conceptualizing and creating your garden. This process combines the traditionally separate disciplines of design and installation, resulting in projects that are imaginative yet readily built. In addition, the collaboration allows for responsiveness to changes during the installation that help keep the project true to the client's needs. Through single-point accountability, a landscape designer will be your companion and trusted resource during the design and creation of your garden. Our designers lead a diverse and experienced team of horticulturists, masons, nursery professionals and other trades people with the sole desire to build a beautiful garden for you.

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What Do We Do?

We provide landscape design & construction in PA, DE and Fairhill, MD. Each garden we construct is a unique reflection our client's personality relative to their property. This is accomplished through careful listening and observation. We will develop a written plan, constructing the landscape according to that plan. This is achieved through collaboration with the client, designer and our talented, professional crews.

The range of the tasks we perform range from a simple, single tree installation to comprehensive, total property transformations.

Our services include:

DESIGN
Our landscape design company in PA uses the latest technology to help create your dream landscape. We have a team of landscape designers and design assistants that utilize a combination of hand-rendered and computer-generated (CAD) drawings. These design services include:

• Landscape Master Planning
• Planting Plans
• Environmental Design: meadows, native design, wetland buffers
• Conceptual sketches and color renderings

BUILD
We install the gardens we design, building every aspect of the outdoor environment.

• Outdoor Living Areas: patios, terraces, walls, walkways, outdoor kitchens and fireplaces, swimming pools
• Ornamental Planting: perennial borders, flowering shrubs, herb gardens, large tree moving and planting
• Water Features: pools, ponds, streams, waterfalls
• Lighting: outdoor lighting designs that will highlight architecture, add drama and increase safety

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Who Are Our Clients?

95% of our clients are private residential.

They can be found throughout the Pennsylvania/Delaware/Maryland region:

• Kennett Square, West Chester, Wilmington
• Berwyn, Broomall, Bryn Mawr
• Centreville, Chadds Ford, Chester Springs
• Glen Mills, Glenmoore, Havre de Grace
• Landenberg, Lincoln University, Rising Sun

The other 5% are “select non-residential” clientele such as:

Public Gardens
    • Longwood Gardens
Institutions
    • University of Delaware
Retirement Communities
    • Jenner’s Pond
Corporate
    • Dansko

They have in common a desire to improve the quality of life for their employees and patrons through high-quality design and horticulture.

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DESIGN/BUILD PROCESS

Initial Contact

When you contact our office, we will collect some basic information from you including contact information, what kind of work you are interested in and how you heard about us. In addition to calling, you may submit an information request by sending an e-mail to info@wdwells.com. You will be contacted within 24 hours.

Consultation

• We will listen to your objectives and endeavor to understand your landscape dreams.
  
• We will walk the property with you, taking notes and listen.
  
• We will ask questions to help bring the garden picture into better focus.
  
• We will discuss your anticipated budget for the work discussed.
  
• We will discuss whether our design services are appropriate and how they work or proceed directly to a proposal for installation of work discussed.

Design Service Agreement

After discussing your specific needs, our landscape design team will prepare a proposal for design services and submit it to you for approval. You must then return the signed proposal to our office with a retainer fee to begin the design process.

Site Survey

We will measure and photograph the site and take notes to prepare a base plan upon which your landscape plan will be developed.

Concept Plan

An illustration is created that addresses all of the ideas and requirements discussed at our first design consultation. We will meet with you to describe the concept plan and to obtain feedback from you. Revisions to the plan will be made as necessary.

Construction Contract

Once you approve the plan for landscape construction, a proposal will be prepared for the installation of your new landscape. When we receive the signed contract and deposit we will schedule the job and order materials. Work typically begins within four to six weeks of contract acceptance, depending on weather and the time of year.

Installation

Depending on the scope of the project, our crew may be at your property anywhere from one day to one month or more. We will ask you if we may place a job sign with our name and logo on your property at the street. Not only does this show our pride in our work, but also assists landscape deliveries for the site. Construction elements such as rough grading, drainage, walls, walkways, water features and large caliber trees are completed first. These operations require large machines and will cause disturbance to the ground, which is normal. All disturbances will be repaired before the job is done.

Bed preparation, soil conditioning and installation of smaller plants are completed next.

This work is done primarily with small-engine machines or manual labor. Installation of lighting fixtures, mulching and lawn establishment starts to put the landscape picture back together. All plants are thoroughly watered, large trees are staked and ribbons and tags are removed from the plants. All debris is picked up and disposed of properly. Driveways and walkways are swept clean.

Follow-up

Our Cecil County MD, Chester County, PA and New Castle County, DE landscape design representatives will meet with you on site to walk through the completed landscape. Any items that require attention will be noted and will be promptly resolved. You will be given written garden maintenance care instructions to help you through the establishment period of your new landscape. You may contact your landscape designer at any time with detailed questions should the need arise.

Your Guarantee

Trees and shrubs are guaranteed to be alive and well for a period of one year from the date of installation subject to payment conditions specified on the contract. Should a tree or shrub die we will replace it without cost to you. The terms of the guarantee are clearly specified on the back of your construction contract. We will send a feedback card with the final invoice asking for your input on the final product. With regularly scheduled Professional Garden Care you get extended guarantees-call for details.

Maintenance

Our Professional Garden Care Division is ready to assist you in maintaining your new landscape (excluding of lawn mowing and snow plowing). Please inquire as to the full range of available Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania landscaping services.

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