 
The landscapes we live in only appear natural. They are, in fact, works of planning and sweat and increasingly, of business adaptability. Even the White House vegetable garden is in play.
“The numbers are pretty good even with the recession,” said Vincenzo Viva, manager of Dakota Mason Supply in Montrose, associated with both Dakota Supply Corp. and Bilotta Construction Corp. “We”™ve been taking market share from our competition since we opened without any advertising.”
Viva said the company sells to homeowners, contractors and landscapers.
Viva used the winter to find new suppliers and bring in new products for spring. Despite the recession and seeing fewer homeowners come by themselves, Viva has not seen a drop in business ”“ just a shift in customer needs. “This year we”™re doing really well with paving stones,” he said.
Flagstone paving stones are a bestseller, probably due to their lower price point, Viva said.
Despite business holding steady, Viva is always looking to grow; on weekends, the company offers miniature golf for families. While the kids play golf, Viva takes time to discuss business with their parents.
“We have 26 displays outside so people could see finished products,” Viva said.
Joe Snap, a landscape design consultant and his wife, Jodi Jenkins, a horticulturist, are the owners of New Paltz-based Natures Magic Design. Although they aren”™t landscapers, they “logistically take what the customer”™s vision is, we give them a site plan and a full colored detailed illustration of what it will look like, and they purchase our design plans,” Snap said.
In the past year or so, the couple has been teaching classes to supplement business.
“Because of the recession it”™s quite difficult this year because no one”™s working on really big projects,” Snap said. “We”™ve been swinging towards the teaching aspect in addition to designing and consultations. We started teaching last year at community colleges for continuing education.”™
The “fun, informal” classes encourage students to work on their own projects as Snap and Jenkins teach them how to do it themselves.
“I think it”™s pretty good because a lot of people want to have a design and they want to have custom-made stuff but they just cant afford it at this point,” Snap said. “Anytime you contract out with anyone they usually double the price. Some people would actually like to do it themselves rather than hire a landscaper, but I tell people that if something like a doing a patio is not their thing, they would have to possibly bring in people that specialize in those areas, but general planting and mulching can be done.”
Snap and Jenkins would like to expand their classes at Dutchess Community College, BOCES, and beyond.
In terms of trends, “as far as design goes the biggest thing that”™s going on now is fire and water,” Snap said.
Backyard fire pits and water features, including waterfalls, fountains, ponds and even pond-less waterfalls (a waterfall that flows into a basin covered by plants) are “very big items” this year. And pools are always popular; Snap estimated 70 percent of his designs are related to a pool.
“Another trend is that people phase out their work,” Snap said. “So if a project is $50,000, they may budget $10,000 to $15,000 every year for the project.”
However, in a phase project, everything must be carefully planned.
“The most important part of designing is thinking it through from beginning to end and not as you go along,” Snap said. Everything with creative thought is always subject to change, but don”™t just wing it. You have to have a plan to go by.”
Valhalla-based landscape architect Dan Sherman got his start at New York City-based architectural firm HLW and opened his own firm, Dan Sherman Landscape Architects P.C., five years ago
Until the recession hit, Sherman”™s business was primarily on multi-acre estates in Westchester and Fairfield County. Much of that business is still there, but the projects are smaller and the priorities are different.
“We were doing a lot of things for hedge fund managers who had money coming quickly, and they weren”™t that connected with their property,” Sherman said. “That stopped completely. The people we”™re working with now are a bit more sensible, but the need is still there to solve their problems. We have more projects that are smaller and we have to turn them around very efficiently.”
Sherman recently spent three years revamping Yankee Derek Jeter”™s castle on Greenwood Lake in Warwick while working on estates in Greenwich, Conn., Scarsdale, Bedford, the Hamptons and Jersey Shore.
“Nowadays staying within budgets is a whole new twist,” Sherman said. “Sometimes what they”™re hoping to get and what they can afford to have is very hard to make work.”
He has also worked with senior with Louisville-based assisted living facility chain Atria and hopes to attract more corporate clients and take on projects that call for historic restoration of public space.
And, with the Obamas planting a vegetable garden on the White House lawn, he”™s getting requests from clients interested in having Sherman design a vegetable garden for them.
“I listen very carefully to what people are saying,” Sherman said. “I”™m not just giving them an artful solution. I know some designers that have such an idea of what they want to do that they over-rule what the clients ask for.”
