Cayuga Landscape Co., Inc.

What Cayuga Landscape Co., Inc. does

Cayuga Landscape Co., Inc. is a privately held, family-operated landscape services company founded in 1978 and headquartered in Ithaca, New York, in Tompkins County. The company operates three integrated business lines: a retail garden center with two locations (Pine Tree Road and the 78-acre McKissick Farms retail farm), a design-build and grounds maintenance practice serving residential, commercial, and institutional customers, and a wholesale farm and nursery division that includes a 25-acre in-house tree farm on Bundy Road. Across these operations, Cayuga Landscape controls roughly 193 acres of farmland in the Finger Lakes region.

The company generates revenue through three distinct streams: one-time landscape design and installation projects, recurring grounds maintenance contracts (snow removal, lawn care, arboriculture), and retail nursery/plant/soil sales at its garden centers. Notable institutional work includes multiple Cornell University projects (Milstein Hall green roof with over 96,000 sedum plugs, the Africana Memorial dedicated in 2016, Tiger Glen Garden at the Johnson Museum), along with engagements at Cayuga Medical Center, Ithaca College, BorgWarner, and the Tompkins County Airport. The company also co-developed "Cayuga Mix" (1-1-1 soil composition) in collaboration with Cornell, which it sells as a proprietary branded product.

Cayuga Landscape is led by owner/President David Fernandez, who brings over 50 years of industry experience, supported by a staff holding Certified Nursery Landscape Professional (CNLP) credentials. The business model relies on local market density, vertical integration through owned nursery capacity, and a hybrid of retail foot traffic plus contract-based commercial work. As a closely held small business, the company does not disclose financial results, has no reported outside funding, and operates without any apparent technology platform or digital distribution layer.

Name

Cayuga Landscape Co., Inc.

Legal name

Cayuga Landscape Co., Inc.

Website

https://cayugalandscape.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cayuga Landscape Co., Inc. is a family-owned landscape services company founded in 1978 in Ithaca, NY, operating a retail garden center, residential and commercial design-build and maintenance practice, and a wholesale nursery farm across roughly 193 acres in the Finger Lakes region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Landscaping Services

NAICS

Landscaping Services (561730), Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (444240), Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114)

SIC

Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Garden Bed Installation & Planting (Annuals, Perennials, Shrubs) (HSAIAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Native, Pollinator & Drought-Tolerant Garden Installations (HSAIAFAL), Plants, Seeds & Nursery Retail (Garden Centers) (CRAIAIAB), Nursery, Sod & Landscape Supply (Installation Support) (IMAIAIAJ)

Keywords

• Landscape design services
• Garden center retail
• Plant nursery operations
• Grounds maintenance services
• Commercial landscaping

Headquarters

HQ city

Ithaca

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Garden Center Retail Sales: Retail sales of plants (annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, houseplants, bulbs), garden supplies, bulk materials (mulch, topsoil, stone), tools, pottery, and gift cards at the on-site garden center.
2. Residential Landscaping Services: Design-build services including landscape planting and construction for residential properties - walls, walkways, stairways, fences, gates, gardens, and landscape lighting.
3. Residential Grounds Maintenance: Ongoing maintenance services with seasonal visit plans including spring cleanup, mulching, summer pruning, fall cleanup, and winter protection.
4. Commercial and Civic Projects: Large-scale landscape installation projects for institutional clients including universities, airports, and medical centers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Cayuga Landscape Co., Inc. sells plants, bulk landscape materials, and garden supplies through its retail garden center, while providing residential landscape design-build, residential grounds maintenance, and commercial/institutional landscape installation services. It also operates an in-house tree farm and nursery (Bundy Road and Enfield farms) plus a related retail site (McKissick Farms in Lansing) that supplies acclimated nursery stock and sustainable forest products.

Product overview

Cayuga Landscape Co., Inc. is a landscape services company operating since 1978, offering a unified portfolio of Garden Center retail operations, design-build landscape construction, grounds maintenance, and commercial/civic landscaping services. The Garden Center serves as the retail arm, selling plants (annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, houseplants, bulbs), bulk materials (mulch, topsoil, compost, stone, sod), and garden supplies (tools, pottery, fertilizers, repellents). The company's Farm and Nursery division grows trees at its Bundy Road location while McKissick Farms provides additional agricultural retail space. Residential services include design-build landscape construction and grounds maintenance programs. Commercial services encompass large-scale installations at Cornell University and other institutional clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Garden Center Retail Retail garden center at 2712 N. Triphammer Rd., Ithaca offering the broadest selection of plant species in the Finger Lakes area (annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, houseplants, bulbs), bulk materials (mulch, topsoil, stone, sod), garden supplies (tools, pottery, fertilizers, repellents), and gift cards; for homeowners and gardeners in Tompkins County.
• Residential Design-Build Landscaping Design-build landscape construction for residential properties, including retaining walls, walkways, stairways, fences, gates, gardens, and landscape lighting. Lead estimators include David Fernandez, Chris Gruber, and James Pagano.
• Residential Grounds Maintenance Recurring landscape maintenance for residential clients including lawn mowing, garden bed care, insect/disease scouting, deer and rodent protection. Most popular plan is a five-visit seasonal program (spring cleanup, mulching, summer pruning, fall cleanup, winter protection).
• Commercial and Civic Landscape Installation Large-scale commercial and institutional landscape installation including tree moving, green roof installation, rain gardens, sports turf fields, timber structures, retaining walls, brick pavers, and stone/carpentry work. Notable projects include Cornell University (Milstein Hall, Weill Hall, Bailey Plaza, Tiger Glen Garden, Botanic Gardens Welcome Center, Lab of Ornithology), Cayuga Medical Center, and Tompkins County Airport. Bids submitted via [email protected].
• Farm and Nursery Operations In-house production operations across a 25-acre Bundy Road tree farm (growing Crabapples, Maples, Pines, Oaks, Willows acclimated to Tompkins County) and a 90-acre Enfield farm producing hay plus sustainable forest products (Black Locust fence posts, riven Maple picket fencing, cleft Oak gates, woven wood hurdles). Stock supplies the garden center and installation projects.
• McKissick Farms Garden Center Second retail garden center and farm in Lansing, NY (about 10 minutes north of the main operation) offering annuals, organic herbs and vegetables, perennials, grasses, shrubs, a 5-acre apple orchard, and a pond. Operated as a related entity under the Cayuga Landscape umbrella.

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• McKissick FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner78-acre farm, forest, and Garden Center located in Lansing, 10 minutes north of Cayuga Landscape Company. Offers annuals, organic herbs and veggies, perennials, grasses, shrubs, a 5-acre apple orchard and pond. Operated as a separate but related entity under the Cayuga Landscape umbrella.
• Cornell UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple completed projects at Cornell including Milstein Hall, Weill Hall, Bailey Plaza, Tiger Glen Garden, Cornell Botanic Gardens Welcome Center, and Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Also developed Cayuga Mix (1-1-1) soil blend with Cornell.
• SCAPE Studio of New York CityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape architecture firm that designed the green roof at Cornell's Milstein Hall, one of the largest green roofs in the area with over 96,000 Sedum plugs.
• Olin StudiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape architecture firm with Eve Kootchick as designer for Cornell's Weill Hall project, which included two green roofs, extensive formal plantings, parterres with pleached Hornbeams, and teak benches.
• Baird Sampson Neuert (Canadian Architect)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanadian architect who designed the Cornell Botanic Gardens Brian C. Nevin Welcome Center, for which Cayuga Landscape installed the landscaping including green roof, rain garden, and plaza.
• Marc Peter Keane (Garden Designer)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGarden designer who designed the award-winning Tiger Glen Garden at Cornell's Johnson Museum of Art - an emerald oasis of moss and stone with ancient Japanese Red Pine.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wedel's Nursery, Florist & Garden Center: Wedel's is a Michigan-based nursery, florist, and garden center with associated landscaping services. Its retail garden center plus landscape service offering is structurally similar to Cayuga's combined business model.
• Bachman's: Bachman's is a Minnesota-based, multi-generation garden center, landscaping, and nursery company combining retail plant sales with design-build and maintenance services, closely paralleling Cayuga Landscape's integrated model. Both serve as regional full-service landscape providers with deep local brand recognition and growing operations.
• Pesche's Garden Center & Floral: Pesche's is an Illinois garden center and floral business with landscape services. Its retail garden center plus landscape offering aligns with Cayuga Landscape's combined business model in the upper Midwest.
• Platt Hill Nursery: Platt Hill Nursery is an Illinois garden center with landscape design and installation services. Its combination of plant retail and landscape services makes it a comparable regional peer in a similar market structure.
• St. Aubin Nursery & Landscape: St. Aubin is a Wisconsin nursery and landscape company offering garden center retail alongside design-build landscape services. Its combination of in-house growing and landscape services makes it a comparable regional peer to Cayuga Landscape.
• Wannemaker's Home & Garden: Wannemaker's is an Illinois garden center and landscaping company serving residential customers with plants, design, and installation services. It parallels Cayuga's combination of retail garden center and residential landscaping in a similar regional upper-Midwest climate zone.
• The Growing Place: The Growing Place is an Illinois garden center and landscape services provider offering plants, design, and installation. It mirrors Cayuga's combination of retail garden center operations with residential landscaping services in a Midwest/Upper Midwest regional context.
• The Bruce Company: The Bruce Company is a Wisconsin-based landscape design, build, and maintenance firm with a garden center, comparable to Cayuga's integrated retail-plus-services structure. Both companies target high-end residential and commercial/institutional customers with full-service capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• TruGreen: TruGreen is a national lawn care and landscape services company with much broader scale than Cayuga. While it focuses primarily on lawn care rather than garden center retail, it represents a broad incumbent competitor for residential grounds maintenance contracts in overlapping service categories.
• Davey Tree Expert Company: Davey Tree is a national tree care and landscape services company that competes with Cayuga for institutional and commercial tree, landscape, and grounds maintenance contracts. Its broad service portfolio overlaps with Cayuga's commercial/civic landscaping work, especially at university and municipal customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CayugaLandscape
• Instagraminstagram.com/cayugalandscape
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cayuga-landscape-co-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cayuga Landscape Co., Inc.