Colorado lawn care pros get into Earth Day spirit

DENVER — Davey Tree Expert Co., Whit Tree Service, Jim's Pride Landscaping, Cyn Mar, Fertek, Van Diest Supply, Bestyard.com, Green Mountain Lawn and Tree Care, and Lawn Doctor are among the companies, aided by local boy scouts, that are fixing up rundown Riverside Cemetery here on Earth Day, April, reports the Denver Post.

Riverside, established in 1876, is the oldest cemetery in Colorado. Its 77 acres are the final resting place for more than 67,000 people. The cemetery's last burial was in July 2995, because the company that manages the cemetery said it could no longer afford to maintain it, claiming that the cemetery's $2.1 million endowment did not generate enough money (about $62,000 annually) to water and take care of the grounds.

Green Industry companies across the country will be participating in community service projects on Earth Day. The Professional Lawncare Network (PLANET) is heading the effort for the landscape/lawn service contractor segment of the industry. State associations are getting into the act, too, as evidenced by the work being done at Riverside by members of the Colorado Lawn Care Association and other volunteers.

The group will plant and test various types of native grasses in various plots to determine what kinds of plant life will thrive in the cemetery's soil.

Scouts plan to pull weeds and clean up the fence line of the cemetery on Brighton Boulevard. Riverside's $2.1 million endowment generates about $62,000 a year — not enough to water the property and properly care for the graves.

Donors of materials and seed include Pawnee Buttes Seed, Sharp Brothers Seed, High Country Gardeners, Western Native Seed, Beauty Beyond Belief, John Deere Landscapes, Chem Way, Alpha Once Inc., Helena Chemical Co. and Arkansas Valley Seed Co, says the Denver Post.