COTA LANDSCAPING

Cota Landscaping is Hugo Calderon's Marlborough operation — a sole proprietorship with three employees, working lawns and trees across MetroWest and Greater Boston. Its Houzz page lays out the range: lawn care, tree planting, pruning and removal, stump removal, landscape construction, and snow removal through the winter. The Better Business Bureau grades the business A+ and lists it as operating since the start of 2015; the business is not BBB accredited. Its Houzz profile claims 18 years of experience, which does not line up with the 11 years the BBB page counts. If you want one crew for the lawn, the trees and the driveway after a storm, this is that shape of company. Settle the season's scope and price in writing — what each visit covers and how often — and ask for a certificate of insurance that covers tree work before anyone goes up.