In Our Community

---

NatureScapes Gives Back NatureScapes has been giving back to organizations and people who have made an impact on its business in one way or another.  In 2010, contributions included a retirement community, a long-time friend and customer, our very own state, and a home for troubled teens. Bringing Heartfelt Joy to Laurel Grove After a large tree in front of the Laurel Grove retirement community had to be removed, the staff and residents began looking for a replacement to fill the void.  The long-time customer turned to NatureScapes for assistance this spring, and NatureScapes gladly responded by donating a young Dogwood tree. After its installation the tree took on a life of its own and became a Memory Tree.  The residents decorated it with hearts bearing the names of loved ones they had lost, and found a new focal point from their wicker porch chairs. While the paper hearts no longer hang on the tree, the residents of Laurel Grove now have a beautiful reminder of those who will always be dear to their own hearts. Honoring a Great Neighbor and Friend When a good friend passes, it can be difficult to figure out how to honor his or her memory.  This was not the case for the residents of Olde Ivy Condominiums. An island in the middle of the neighborhood was in need of new landscaping, so it seemed to be the ideal space to pay tribute to their deceased neighbor, Doris DeMicco.  Her husband, John, is the neighborhood’s landscaping liaison and a long-time friend and advocate of NatureScapes. The residents worked with NatureScapes to develop the DeMicco Memorial Garden and NatureScapes matched the donations raised by the neighborhood to install the tree and shrubs.  The image shown is the design that was planted late this year. Showcasing All Things Georgia at the State Capitol Our state has not been without its budget woes, and a line item that NatureScapes had the honor to help with was donating a landscape design for the beds lining the historic building’s front steps. The grounds already are home to the state tree, the state flower, and more, so NatureScapes Landscape Designer Aimee Cantrell felt it would be fitting to showcase Georgia Gold Medal Plants in this prominent space that all visitors would pass.  Her design included 13 winning plant varieties including Abelia ‘Rose Creek’, Black-eyed Susan ‘Goldsturm’, Blue Star (Amsonia), Chinese Snowball Viburnum, Creeping Raspberry, Dianthus ‘Bath’s Pink’, Hydrangea ‘Annabelle’, Japanese Plum Yew (Cephalotaxus), Loropetalum ‘Burgundy’, Loropetalum ‘Purple Diamond’, Sedum ‘Angelina’, Tea Olive (Osmanthus), and Verbena ‘Homestead Purple’. In fact, the design was liked so much that NatureScapes was asked to provide more in-kind design services to further beautify the grounds prior to the inauguration of Governor Nathan Deal. Digging in to Help at Eagle Ranch NatureScapes employees dug in to help plant 120 trees that will create a natural screen as they mature along the property line of Eagle Ranch, a home for troubled teens and children.  NatureScapes donated the trees and labor. The commitment to Eagle Ranch is unwavering, just like the commitment that was shown to NatureScapes years ago from its then insurance agent.  When the company’s facility was vandalized and equipment was stolen, its insurance agent took money from his own pocket to replace equipment while the claim was being processed.  The landscaping crews hardly missed a beat due to this gentleman’s gracious gesture that went above and beyond what was expected.  So when this agent left the insurance business to devote his life to Eagle Ranch, NatureScapes finally got the opportunity to return the favor. Since 1985 many of the landscaping projects at Eagle Ranch have been supported by NatureScapes, and the ranch continues to be the primary focus of NatureScapes’ community service efforts.