Urban Agriculture Council (UAC) Website Is a Landscape Resource and How-to Guide

Plans to upgrade or entirely revamp a landscape have been known to cause a homeowner plenty of anxiety and sleepless nights. Figuring out where to start, let alone who to trust to help you through the process, is a daunting prospect. For most of us, finding a reliable and trustworthy guide to help navigate all the decisions to be made and the myriad choices available tops our wish list.

 

That’s where the Urban Agriculture Council (UAC) comes in. Whether you want to start with a small upgrade to your landscape or you’re finally ready to do something major, like put in a new pool, the UAC website has resources and advice to help you understand your choices and find professionals who can make it happen. The UAC is a professional association for the landscape/turf/horticulture industry. Its members make an investment by joining the association, and they are bound to a code of ethics that promotes honesty and professionalism, continuing education in their field and the use of best-management practices. In other words, if you join the UAC as a landscape professional, you’ve committed to caring about building your business and doing things right.

 

Contractors who join the UAC must prove they have a federal tax ID, business license and insurance. Given that extra level of credibility, hiring a UAC member lets you rest a little easier.

 

Mary Kay Woodworth, UAC’s Executive Director, explains, “The assurance we provide to consumers is that if they have a problem with a UAC member they hired, they can contact us and we’ll investigate the situation with the contractor.” UAC’s goal is to help both parties resolve problems with mutually agreeable solutions. “In the ten years I’ve been with this association, there have only been a handful of problems—and all of them have been resolved,” Woodworth says.

 

Navigating the UAC website is simple—you don’t have to click more than a button or two to discover lots of inspiring photography and information on common garden problems and solutions. There’s a “Find a Professional” option that allows you to select the type of help you want (fireplaces, pools/spas or irrigation installation, for instance), input where you live and Voila! Up pops a list of UAC members that fit the bill. Woodworth describes another aspect of the website, “We provide online resources to help consumers know the right questions to ask when interviewing and hiring a contractor. We also have a consumer blog that has timely articles and information for consumers.” 

 

For a homeowner who simply wants to learn more about gardening or maintaining the landscape they already have, the UAC website is a treasure trove of information and inspiring ideas.