DONN BROWN / Staff

Kevin Brown and Paul Flores, co-owners of Genesis Rock and Maintenance, stand along a walkway they created for a client on Marco Island.

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For homeowners who are tired of mowing the grass and watering the lawn, Kevin Brown has an alternative – xeriscaping.

Brown, who co-owns Genesis Rock & Maintenance with Paul Flores, says well-planned use of decorative rocks, native plants or mulch can be a low-maintenance solution to many landscaping problems.

“I like doing xeriscaping,” he says. “If you put some design effort into it, it’s not just boring white rock. You see these plush-looking dream yards everywhere, but I like the back-to-nature look. We have put in too much sod and bushes in Southwest Florida. Just think how many millions of gallons of water we could save if we didn’t have to water all those yards.”

Brown asserts that cost of xeriscape installation is no more than that of laying sod and homeowners reap the added advantages of better drainage and additional parking.

“It’s not ‘no-maintenance,’ it’s ‘low-maintenance,’ ” he points out. “Every time the wind blows or a bird flies over, there’s a chance some seeds will be planted. So, every so often you have to apply a little weed killer, but that’s it. Mulch breaks down over time and attracts insects. As far as I know, there aren’t any bugs yet that eat rocks.”

He says xeriscaping is a viable remedy for those who commonly make the mistake of planting non-native plants that just can’t handle either a winter dry spell or the heavy summer rains, and then complain when their yards don’t look good.

But xeriscaping isn’t all the Christian-based company does. Brown and Flores specialize in all manner of rock applications including riprap, decorative stone, full rock yards, downspouts, seawalls and more, as well as doing traditional lawn maintenance.

Brown, a retired Collier County deputy sheriff, has more than 20 years experience in landscaping and lawn maintenance, and spent eight years commuting to the Bahamas to do marine contracting. Now, he works in conjunction with Collier Dock & Seawall on his marine projects.

“I believe in doing fair and honest work for an honest buck,” he says. “Instead of just getting in and out and over and done with a job, we treat customers fairly -- the way we’d like to be treated. If you do a good job for someone, they’re going to tell somebody else. And because I’m a native, I have a lot of my own clientele.”

The Golden Gate-based firm, which has worked primarily on Marco Island and lists a number of satisfied customers there, has recently begun expanding into Naples and Bonita Springs.

Following Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Brown turned to landscaping full-time. Brown and Flores met in church and later decided to become business partners. When the time came to choose a name for the new venture, Brown says they looked to the Good Book.

“We were starting something new, as in, ‘In the beginning. . .’ so Genesis just seemed to be a logical choice,” he said.

Genesis Rock & Maintenance

3893 Mannix Dr., Ste. 528

253-4755