Hugh Marshall Landscape Contractors

Where the grass is always greener.
By Alina Makhnovetsky

With a mower, securely strapped under the hood of a 1973 Volkswagen Super Beetle, is how Hugh Marshall got started earning extra cash in high school. A move that 23 years later has since prospered into a passionate career and an impressive landscaping business with nearly 20 employees and at least ten trucks on the road, on any given day. And while, Volkswagen still boasts not all small cars are created equal, according to Marshall, neither are all small businesses.

“This is a business that was built slowly and carefully, client by client,” explains Marshall, who has dutifully cultivated a customer Rolodex that nicely combines commercial grounds and privately owned properties in a winning blend.

Surely in landscaping, it would be much easier to acquire a list of corporate giants and depend solely on their consistently hefty checks, but for Marshall such a task would be near impossible, for his ultimate satisfaction doesn’t come in monetary success. The admitted people pleaser strives to not only beatify a lawn, but to help those who have exhausted all other possibilities in dealing with complicated matters, regarding their land. “A lot of people aren’t aware that they can call us for all sort of things. We are able to work on issues such as a chronically flooded basement, water running the wrong way or not enough lighting,” says Marshall. Homeowners who have bravely decided to spend their hard-earned dollars on sprucing up their front lawn or creating a botanical escape of their dreams in the backyard, are some of Marshall’s favorites to work with. “Those are the kind of clients I’m looking for,” he assures. In fact, a large portion of Marshall’s ventures are historic preservation projects, as well as all forms of landscape renovation and maintenance.

Also surprising is that Marshall does not want to purely flex his expertise or force his design ideas on clients. Instead, he prefers a partnered effort with both parties being present and involved in the transformation process. This was precisely the kind of landscaper Carversville resident Bruce Long was looking for. As an interior designer, Long already had many preliminary ideas and was delighted to have a landscaper who would embrace them. Marshall immediately welcomed Long’s designs and spent a significant amount of time meandering throughout the property creating a blueprint for the extensive project, as the two discussed pros and cons of the pending plans. The effort would subsequently include a formal garden, raised planting beds, walkways and an alley of trees. “Hugh will simply not leave a project until you are satisfied,” says Long, who met Marshall when both served on the Business Partner Advisory Board for the Michener Art Museum in Doylestown. Since then, Marshall has undertaken numerous miniscule and large tasks alike for Long. “ Hugh never says no,” explains Long. The above-mentioned landscaping overhaul of Long’s property was finished in less than a week, as Marshall promised. A mere few days after completion Long had a party and among guests enjoying the wondrous grounds the running joke had become, “God created the world in seven days, it took Hugh Marshall five.”

Luckily, Marshall himself remains much more humble about his skills, expertise and years of experience. To him, besides the lawn mower, which no longer needs a helpful push from a Volkswagen, the quality of his work and attention to detail remain his greatest tools. And although, his business continues to expand, Marshall’s own need for client interaction and input will always keep him grounded and everyone’s grass green.

Hugh Marshall Landscape Contractors is located at 2050 Aquetong Road in New Hope. For more information, call their offices at (215) 862-2291.

Alina Makhnovetsky is a freelance writer and lives in Philadelphia, PA.