Mark Crossland started his landscaping business on Martha’s Vineyard in 1974, mowing lawns out of the back of his pickup truck.
In the early 1980s, he started Crossland Nursery (where Jardin-Mahoney is now located). When Mr. Crossland started a family, they were born into the business.
“My siblings and I spent our childhood running around the greenhouses, watering plants and doing odd jobs,” said Mark’s oldest son Kyle. “My grandfather, Wally Crossland, used to run the Easter egg hunts that kicked off the landscaping season every April.”
The family has since left the nursery business, but Mark Crossland’s children — Kyle, Keith, Zoe, and Kane — have joined in to help with the landscaping.
Keith, Zoe, and Kyle pursued degrees from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in environmental design, plant and soil science, and landscape construction. They returned to the Vineyard to apply their skills to the family enterprise.
“Working with family can be difficult, but at the end of the day we are all trying to achieve the same result, happy clients and quality landscapes,” said Kyle Crossland.
Crossland Landscape has been responsible for many of the favorite outdoor spaces associated with Oak Bluffs, including Farland Square (the entrance to Oak Bluffs), the Sunset Lake Christmas tree, and the fountains and gardens in Ocean Park.
“Working in the green industry on Martha’s Vineyard is a very satisfying profession” said Kyle Crossland. “Working outdoors in the sunshine, being able to transform an old, unkempt landscape into something new and beautiful is rewarding.”
