What makes Cole Yates Gardens different from other landscaping companies?

I work with only a small number of clients and distinguish myself with quality work and attentive customer service. I do not have any employees and seek long term relationships with my clients instead of quick installations.

What primary services do you offer?

Specific services include design, landscape installation, property cleanouts, tree and shrub pruning, weeding and invasive plant management, mulching, lawn conversion to pollinator habitat, dog-friendly landscaping, and seasonal displays to provide winter and holiday color. I’m experienced in working with stone and can construct water features including ponds, waterfalls, fountains, and rain gardens. I can also install landscape lighting and irrigation systems and offer on-demand, scheduled watering services for clients.

How is your work structured?

Some clients prefer to pay an hourly rate. Often, these clients have a list of small tasks to complete. Depending on the needs of the season, I spend a day or two weeding, dividing perennials, or cleaning up their garden. I have a six-hour minimum for new clients ($80/hr) and for existing clients with autopay offer three-hour visits.

That said, my larger restoration projects and installations are much less structured. Typically a project is divided into phases over several seasons. Learn more about what you can expect during a larger project.

Do you perform tree care and removal? What about cutting grass or snow removal?

I love working with small trees and large bushes: pruning, fertilizing, trimming, and addressing pest and disease issues. I only remove shrubs and small-sized trees, but when needed can advise you through the process of working with an outside tree removal company.

I do not cut grass on an ongoing basis or offer snow removal, but provide lawn seeding, irrigation, aeration, dethatching, and grading services. I work to solve underlying issues with lawns rather than doing regular cuts. Once the lawn is healthy, I can assist with securing reliable lawn cutting and snow removal services. And while we are talking about lawns, have you considered transitioning to native pollinator habitat or a bee-friendly clover lawn?

Do you warranty your work?

Landscape installations include a one-year warranty on perennials, shrubs, and trees with replacement at no cost to you. Other projects are warrantied as well, for a length of time specified in the Landscape Contract.

Are you licensed and insured? Do you pay taxes?

Hiring uninsured workers poses a huge risk to homeowners. One accident could force you out of your home. Cole Yates Gardens is a tax-paying business registered in Minnesota that does not accept cash for payment and carries commercial liability/property/auto insurance.

What locations do you serve?

I focus on the Twin Cities area including Minneapolis, St. Paul, Minnetonka, Woodbury, Bloomington, Eagan, Eden Prairie, Brooklyn Park, Plymouth, Shoreview, Coon Rapids, Burnsville, Chanhassen, Chaska, Edina, Lakeville, Apple Valley, Inver Grove Heights, St. Louis Park, Roseville, Forest Lake, and Stillwater. I am unable to perform work outside of the state of Minnesota.

What forms of payment do you accept?

I do not accept cash. You can pay via check, or with any major credit/debit card. I offer recurring billing for ongoing maintenance visits via square.

By the way, did you know that you can sometimes deduct the cost of landscaping from the cost basis of your home? This can result in a substantial tax savings, but you should have the right documentation from your landscaping company.

How do I get started?

Contact me using the form on my website. If you can, please let me know what work you might like completed this gardening season. Maybe you have a list of items you’d like me to work on and you are inquiring about a daylong garden service visit. Or maybe you’re uncertain about how your outdoor space might be improved…that’s valuable information, too!

I will respond to learn more about your goals and to schedule a free consultation meeting or phone call.

My direct email is cole@coleyatesgardens.com, but I’d appreciate if you used the above form because it contains fields to capture information that are useful to me in responding to your inquiry.

Common Garden Questions

What’s the best time for a landscape installation?

Annual flowers can be planted at really any time after late spring once the weather has warmed. Spring and Fall provide the best time for planting shrubs, trees, and many perennials because the extended period of cool temperatures prevents transplant stress. Cooler temperatures allow easier root establishment and consistent soil moisture. That said, with attentive aftercare from a professional landscaper, installations can be successful even during the heat of mid-summer. 

Top-tier gardens require maintenance throughout the year to maintain vigor. I offer recurring, full-service landscape maintenance and generally follow the University of Minnesota’s recommendations in their Upper Midwest gardening calendar.

How do you control weeds? What is Cole’s least favorite weed in Minnesota?

Weeds are an ever-present challenge in gardening. The best option is to consult a professional landscaper who will provide consistent weed management that removes most of the weeds that are currently present and that prevents weeds from setting seed with ongoing weeding service. Even without using herbicides, homeowners have options to get weeds under control with handweeding and digging. 

My least favorite weed is the invasive Creeping Bellflower ~ Campanula rapunculoides! All weeds are manageable, but this one presents a special challenge. Its pretty purple flowers draw in unsuspecting gardeners who don’t realize how damaging it is to their landscape. It’s prolific spread via both seed and roots choke out all but the most competitive of plants. If you can’t dig it out today, at the very least don’t let it go to seed: pluck those purple flowers! 

How much should we invest in landscaping before selling our home? 

For homeowners who want to invest in their home, appropriate landscaping presents a high return on investment relative to other home improvement projects. One rule of thumb is to invest 10% of your home’s value in landscaping projects across all of your property over time.

That said, even minor improvements from a professional landscaping service can make your home much more inviting to potential buyers. You should remove unsightly plants and prune overgrown trees and shrubs. I recommend filling in empty spaces with colorful flowers or shrubs. Also make sure your mulching and edging look on-par with your neighbors’ and address bare spots and weed pressure in your lawn.

What kind of maintenance is required for landscape installations?

Maintenance needs are specific to each unique garden, but for most landscape installations include consistent watering, pruning, weeding, fertilizing, and plant protection with staking and burlap wrapping.

How are water features maintained? 

Rain gardens typically require the least amount of maintenance because they are simple flower beds that are depressions in the ground that hold rainwater runoff as it percolates into the ground. They don’t feature moving parts. 

Waterfalls and fountains, however, require periodic maintenance to look their best. Typically, that looks like occasional debris removal, algae cleaning, filter checks, and water changes. In our climate, waterfalls and fountains often need to be winterized before the onset of freezing temperatures. 

Do you have a favorite garden? 

Yes! The Sunken Garden at the Butchart Gardens in Brentwood Bay, British Columbia. The Garden was designed by Jennie Butchart and has been operated by the Butchart family for over 118 years. (The Sunken Garden is featured on my homepage—it’s the colorful garden shown there!)