It takes a lot to keep a place as beautiful as Legacy Village running and looking great. Our landscaping team at Brightview provide us with great service and beautiful arrangements to really elevate the look and feel of the property. We picked the brain of our representative, Jennifer Unrath, in order to learn a little bit more about the landscaping process at Legacy!

• What does the design process for the flower beds look like?

We like to pick bright, bold colors that will catch your eye from a distance and draw you in.  We are also researching new colors and varieties that are able to withstand different weather conditions.  We try and select plant material that can withstand light frost and cool temperatures, while at the same time selecting plants that can withstand high heat and humidity during the summer.

• Where do you source your flowers for the property?

The flowers are grown locally in Northeast Ohio.  Even though the flowers are grown locally, many of the seeds and cuttings are produced in Europe (mostly Germany, Norway and Denmark) and also Japan.

• What does the upkeep of the property entail?

We water 3-5 times a week depending on the weather and occasionally more if needed.  As we are watering, in the morning we will remove any spent flowers. We will use a balanced liquid fertilizer every 7-14 days.  If we notice a decline in flower blooming, we will use a Bloom Booster fertilizer to promote new flower growth.  We constantly monitor the flowers daily and adjust watering and fertilizer as necessary.

• Everyone wants to know what the magic secret is to the hanging flower baskets near the stage.

It is a delicate balance of just enough water, but not too much water or too little water.  It is the same with fertilizer.  The baskets are 16” in size, which is a small area for soil for as large as the plants are.

• How big is the team working at Legacy Village?

We have a mow crew that will come in and mow the site each Thursday.  We also have two onsite team members who are responsible for watering, weeding, pruning and detailing the site every day.

• How many times a year do you switch out florals? How long of a process is that?

We switch out the flowers several times a year.  We will plant the summer annuals in late May.  This process takes several days to complete.  In late September, we will remove several of the stone planters and all the summer annuals from the beds.  We will then plant violas in the beds and pots.  We will also add some pumpkins into the displays at this time of year.  Around Thanksgiving we will remove some of the violas in the planter pots and switch to winter décor, which consists of greenery and winterberries etc.  Then in late March/April we will do a spring display of violas.  Our fall, winter and spring displays will take 2-3 days to switch out and the summer display takes about 5 days to switch everything out.

• What do you do with flowers after the season has ended?

The flowers are taken to a local landscape supply where they are composted.  We put compost around all our flowers when we plant them, so in a sense, we are reusing them as the compost enhances our flowers by providing extra nutrients in the soil.

• What is your favorite flower to be found at Legacy Village?

I have become really fond of the SunPatiens, as they are really easy to maintain, stay compact and seem to grow well anywhere we plant them.

The next time you’re admiring the flowers and the greenery at Legacy, you’ll know a little bit more about what it takes to keep the property looking great!