TruGreen Reveals Homeowners' Top Ideal Outdoor Spaces and Shares Fall Lawn Care Tips

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Aug. 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Your lawn can be a canvas for expressing yourself. In fact, over half (52 percent) of homeowners surveyed in TruGreen's Lawn Lifestyles National Survey of America said that "a homeowner's lawn can tell you a lot about their personality."  TruGreen, a subsidiary of The ServiceMaster Company, is celebrating 40 years as the nation's largest professional lawn care service provider, and is educating homeowners on how to consider your lawn personality as a way to boost your home's curb appeal. Fall is the proper time to prep lawns, trees and shrubs for spring's growth cycle and the next home buying season.

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Homeowners' Top Three Ideal Outdoor Spaces
According to the survey, homeowners' top ideal outdoor space is "functional" (40 percent) or focused on the overall utility of the lawn. Characteristics of this popular response include using the yard for children to play, sport activities, backdrop for entertaining, and growing flowers, fruits or vegetables.

Coming in second is the "formal" (24 percent) outdoor space characterized by a perfectly cut, healthy lawn; clutter-free area; manicured landscaping; and little or no yard accessories. In close third is the "creative" (17 percent) outdoor space driven by the imagination and inspired by the senses. Here you may find wilder foliage, colorful flowers, water features, artistic lawn decorations and charming outdoor lighting.

In comparison to ideal outdoor spaces, more homeowners (45 percent) best described their current outdoor space as "functional." Fewer respondents categorized their current outdoor space as "formal" (21 percent) or "creative" (10 percent), reflecting that for some homeowners reality doesn't match the vision that they have for their yard.

Fall Lawn Care Prep
According to the majority of homeowners (79 percent) surveyed, "in selling a home, it is important for the lawn to be in top shape to get the best price." Fall is the best time to prep lawns, trees and shrubs for spring's growth cycle, especially with the home buying season right around the corner.

"Lawns become distressed from summer entertaining with family and friends and require care throughout fall," said Ben Hamza, Ph.D., TruGreen expert and director of technical operations. "A good fall feed is important to lawn, tree and shrub health as roots continue active growth before the dormant winter months and store reserves needed for hungry plants in spring."

In TruGreen's two new fall webisodes, Jason Cameron, licensed contractor and TV host, talks about fall lawn care and also how your lawn personality can be a way to improve your home's curb appeal. In episode one, he describes the top three types of outdoor spaces and also provides guidance on corrective pruning in fall to prevent dead or overgrown plants from detracting from your home's personality. In episode two, Cameron reinforces the importance of fall lawn prep with emphasis on core aeration to help your lawn breathe and to strengthen roots.

TruGreen takes a scientific approach to a lawn you'll love with Ph.D. agronomists developing the training for each TruGreen certified lawn specialist. TruGreen's specialized lawn services are designed to specifically meet your lawn's needs at key stages throughout the year based on climate, grass type, soil condition and usage. Partner with a TruGreen specialist for a tailored lawn plan to give your lawn exactly what it needs at just the right time to get the most out of your lawn. Go to TruGreen.com for additional healthy lawn and landscape tips to boost your home's first impression.

Survey Methodology
TruGreen's Lawn Lifestyles National Survey was fielded from January 3 - 9, 2013, using the field services of ORC International (Opinion Research Corporation). The online omnibus survey was conducted among a nationally representative sample of Americans aged 18+ (n=2,000), with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level. For questions that were asked among homeowners who are personally responsible for making decisions regarding their lawn care (n=829), the margin of error is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.

About TruGreen
Celebrating its 40^th anniversary, Memphis-based TruGreen is the nation's largest lawn care company, serving approximately 2 million residential and commercial customers across the United States with lawn, tree and shrub care. As the industry leader, TruGreen continues to pioneer the development of new technology for lawn care and devotes substantial resources to evaluate new products and equipment. The company is committed to responsible lawn care, including offering and promoting the use of natural services and sustainable practices. Today, there are approximately 250 TruGreen branches in the United States and Canada, including about 50 franchise locations. TruGreen is a subsidiary of The ServiceMaster Company, one of the world's largest residential and commercial service networks. The company's brands include Terminix, TruGreen, American Home Shield, ServiceMaster Clean, Merry Maids, Furniture Medic and AmeriSpec. Go to www.TruGreen.com for more information about TruGreen or follow the company at twitter.com/TruGreen or facebook.com/TruGreen.

About ServiceMaster
With a global network of more than 7,300 company-owned, franchise and licensed locations, Memphis-based ServiceMaster is one of the world's largest residential service networks. The company's high-profile brands are Terminix, TruGreen, American Home Shield, ServiceMaster Clean, Merry Maids, Furniture Medic and AmeriSpec. Through approximately 20,000 corporate associates and a franchise network that independently employs an estimated 31,000 additional people, the ServiceMaster family of brands provided services and products to approximately 8 million customers during the last 12 months. The company's market-leading brands provide a range of residential and commercial services including termite and pest control; lawn, tree and shrub care; home warranties and preventative maintenance contracts; furniture repair; home inspections; home cleaning; janitorial services; and disaster restoration. Go to www.servicemaster.com for more information about ServiceMaster or follow the company at twitter.com/ServiceMaster or facebook.com/TheServiceMasterCo

SOURCE TruGreen