The fence construction I mentioned in my last post began yesterday. The workers took great care protecting the inside of the house. They laid down paper in the hallway, moved furniture out of the way, and didn't leave a mark. Apparently their attention to detail ended at the door to the back yard.
The flags I planted to mark the perennials were bent and stepped on. I spoke with contractor Jim (Blue Line Construction).
Me: I'm not happy about this. Look where your guys are standing.
Him: You may have to move this tree (a Cercis canadensis) in the spring. We had to dig pretty close to the root ball. We dug up a lot of roots.
Me: Wow. I wish you'd told me about this; I would have moved the tree.
Him: It'll be fine.
Me: And you know this because...
Him: I've dug a lot of post holes in a lot of gardens.
Me: It may be fine or it may not be fine.
Him: Whether it is or it isn't, it's not in MY contract.
At that point I went to speak with the facilities manager (who hired the contractor). Of course what Jim said was 100% true. But how much better would it have been if he'd said, "I'm not sure if the tree will make it or not but I was as careful as I could be and I've done a lot of this kind of work and I really hope it will be ok."
The facts remain the same, but the difference is enormous. Whether the tree comes back or not, his lousy attitude means I'll do my best to make sure he's never hired by any of my clients again.