‘Frozen February’ meant when spring arrived many of the plants around Houston failed to awaken from their winter slumber. Morning strolls around our neighborhood included a lot of head-shaking at so much unseasonally brown color.
Hawthorns and Lantana didn’t survive the unexpected dip into single digits. So I turned to the company that mows our yard ($25 per week!) to take them out and do other work.
Everything went great the first day as they removed the plants, dug out roots and mulched our flowerbeds. Then another crew returned a week later to replace some dead St. Augustine grass in our backyard and clean the gutters, which were filled with pine needles. When they arrived, I was on a walk.
I got back and specifically told a worker to not touch the vines that snaked throughout an eight-foot latticework and provided a beautiful view outside Kathy’s kitchen window. Then I went inside to take a shower. When I got out, all of it – dead and living – was gone. The crew leader told me everything would grow back in two weeks. It’s now five and counting. There are a few dozen green leaves as summer nears.
Three times I texted the company owner – who I’ve known for years – asking what he thinks I should tell Kathy. He is yet to respond.
People make mistakes. Maybe they didn’t realize the type of vines. Maybe one person didn’t tell the other. Maybe there was a language barrier. All of those are understandable. Things happen. Not accepting responsibility? Once the grass stops growing in the fall, it may mean the end of a long-term relationship.
