A mild, rather snowless winter – except for one day – in the Altoona area has enabled local landscapers to get a head start on their spring work.

“We were able to do projects about all winter. We got back into residential cleanup around mid-March; last year not until April. It is easier to do estimates when you can see the ground,” said Neil Gioiosa, owner of Gioiosa Landscaping, Altoona. “Because of the mild winter, spring cleanups are taking about 30 percent less time. There was not as much anti-skid in yards and branches down compared to last year.”

Byron Smail, owner of Byron Smail Landscape Contracting of Roaring Spring, said he was able to get started in late February.

“We are getting lots of clean-up work done, that is great for the landscaping season. An early spring is helping us provide service for our customers and should keep us open to take on more jobs and spread the work out,” Smail said.

The mild winter has enabled Shawn Warner, owner of Warner’s Landscaping and Property Maintenance, Altoona, to get started on projects about two weeks earlier than usual.

“We have started installing block patios, retaining walls and fencing. The ground is supposed to be frozen but it is not, so we can do that work,” Warner said. “There is not as much to clean up, such as cinders in the grass. We didn’t have as many significant snow pileups on bushes and plants that kill them.”

Rich Huber, owner of ProLawn Landscaping Co., Altoona, also got started two or three weeks earlier than usual.

“It was nice to have a good March. It is usually snowing or raining and not real pleasant. We started a lot of spring cleanups, and we had some landscaping and hardscaping work that we didn’t get to last year and got a jump on those this year,” Huber said.

Jonathan Yon, owner of Lawns by Nature Inc. of Duncansville, said it is nice to get off to an early start but it is important to be cautious.

“You can start early with landscaping but you have to watch for frost. It could wipe out the plants if you put them in too early. We have a lot of fruit trees that are already in bud; we could have trouble if we have a frost,” Yon said.

On the positive side, Yon said the mild winter and early spring has enabled him to get a head start preparing area baseball fields for the season.

Richard Kerr, owner of Kerr Landscaping Inc., Altoona, is concerned about a late freeze.

“Our biggest worry is that there will be a late freeze. The nice weather has been very helpful and it has people thinking of summer earlier. We were able to start hardscaping projects earlier this year and get a jump start on jobs when normally we are waiting for snow to melt,” Kerr said.

However, the mild winter has lead to a few problems.

“We may have more insect problems this year. It may have not been cold enough to kill a lot of the insects. The impact of a warmer winter will be more ticks, fleas and other insects,” Yon said.

“I am seeing more mold damage in lawns,” Yon said. “Molds have been an issue the last couple of years. I am also seeing grub damage from Japanese beetle larvae.”

But local landscapers are optimistic about the season.

“This is like a perfect spring if it continues like this. We are already looking at landscaping design jobs. It should be a good season for us,” Smail said.

“We have lots of jobs lined up,” Huber said. “Once the weather gets nice, the phones start ringing, people start paying more attention to their yards. We have a lot of contracts with businesses and customers that we do maintenance work for throughout the season.”