Lawn & Garden Maintenance Guide
A well-kept landscape is never static. It breathes, responds, evolves. With the right rhythm of care, your garden becomes a space of enduring beauty — not only in spring and summer, but all year long. This guide offers a deep dive into our philosophy of maintenance: one rooted in respect for life cycles, site conditions, and the quiet intelligence of plants.
Whether you’re looking to handle things yourself or hire us to care for your space, this guide will give you a sense of what’s involved — not just to “keep it tidy,” but to help your landscape thrive.
🗓️ Seasonal Flow of Maintenance
Each season asks something different from the land — and from us.
🌱 Spring (March–May)
- Garden cutbacks (removing dead perennial growth)
- Raking and debris cleanup
- Lawn dethatching or aeration if needed
- Topdressing & overseeding
- Compost or mulch top-ups
- Edge redefining (garden bed edges & lawn transitions)
- First fertilizer application (organic granular or liquid feed)
- Irrigation system reactivation & inspection
- Planter installs (April/May)
- Shrub and hedge pruning before leaf-out (certain species only)
🌞 Summer (June–August)
- Mowing and edge trimming weekly or biweekly
- Watering support (especially for new plantings and pots)
- Weeding and deadheading for appearance and plant health
- Pest and disease checks (aphids, fungal spots, powdery mildew)
- Summer pruning of shrubs/trees (selectively, as needed)
- Planter refreshes (for seasonal color or tired-looking plants)
- Mid-season fertilizer boost (optional, depending on soil health)
🍂 Fall (September–November)
- Leaf cleanup and composting
- Final lawn mowing and edging before snow
- Fall bulb planting (tulips, daffodils, allium, etc.)
- Dividing or moving perennials
- Mulch or compost top-up for winter insulation
- Perennial cutbacks (selectively – some are left for winter interest)
- Irrigation shut-down & line drainage
- Winter planters and seasonal decor
- Last feed for lawns (fall-specific fertilizers)
❄️ Winter (December–February)
- Snow clearing from paths, driveways, decks (if applicable)
- Garden rest ~ observe structure and take notes for next year
- Late winter pruning for fruit trees, hydrangeas, roses, etc.
- Seed ordering and spring planning
- Tool sharpening, compost turning, infrastructure repairs
🌿 Weekly & Monthly Maintenance Rhythm
Depending on your property and preferences, here’s a rhythm we often recommend:
Weekly or Biweekly Tasks:
- Mowing and edge trimming
- Weeding & hand-pulling in beds
- Deadheading spent blooms
- Monitoring for pests, yellowing leaves, or signs of drought
- Light sweeping of pathways, patios, and entry areas
- Visual inspection of irrigation function
- Watering containers (in hot weather, daily)
Monthly or As-Needed Tasks:
- Perennial staking and tying (for tall or floppy plants)
- Selective pruning of shrubs for form and size
- Spot fertilizing or compost applications
- Updating seasonal planters or dead plant removal
- Refreshing garden bed edges with spade or edging tool
- Adding gravel or mulch where paths have thinned
đź’§ Watering & Irrigation
Best Practices for Watering:
- Water deeply, not frequently — promotes deeper root growth
- Always water early in the day or in the evening, never mid-day
- Water at the base of plants, not from overhead
- Use your hand or a trowel to check moisture 2–3″ below the soil before watering
Rough Watering Volumes:
- Lawns: 1″–1.5″ per week
- Vegetable gardens: 1–2″ per week depending on growth stage
- New plantings: Every 2–3 days for the first 2–3 weeks
- Containers: Daily in heat, especially on sun-exposed patios
- Established perennials: Every 5–7 days in dry spells
Irrigation Systems: Pros & Use Cases
- Saves time and improves consistency
- Smart controllers adjust watering based on weather
- Drip systems deliver water right where it’s needed — no waste
- Best for larger properties, busy clients, or those with high-maintenance beds
🌸 Seasonal Planters
Planters are one of the quickest ways to bring life, color, and seasonal identity to an entrance, patio, or deck.
Spring Planters:
- Pansies, tulips, hyacinths, narcissus
- Forsythia or pussy willow branches
- Cold-hardy greens (kale, heuchera)
Summer Planters:
- Petunias, verbena, coleus, calibrachoa
- Sweet potato vine, trailing ivy
- Pollinator-friendly options like salvia and lantana
Winter Planters:
- Cedar, pine, fir, spruce boughs
- Birch poles, red dogwood, pinecones
- Optional lights or winterberry for color
Fall Planters:
- Mums, ornamental kale, grasses
- Small pumpkins, gourds, dogwood twigs
- Late-season pansies and rudbeckia
We offer seasonal refresh programs or one-time custom installs depending on your needs.
🌻 Garden-Specific Tasks
Weeding:
- Stay ahead early in the season before weeds seed
- Hand-pulling around perennials reduces disturbance
- Use hoeing or sheet mulching in large, low-density beds
Pruning:
- Know what you’re pruning — timing and method vary
- Spring-blooming shrubs are pruned after flowering
- Summer or fall bloomers can be pruned in late winter or early spring
- Rejuvenation pruning can renew older shrubs over 2–3 seasons
Mulching:
- 2–3” deep in garden beds — helps retain moisture, suppress weeds
- Refresh black or dyed mulches annually for appearance
- Natural compost mulch adds fertility but may appear less tidy
- Keep mulch away from the base of stems and trunks
Edging:
- Clean garden bed edges 1–2 times per season
- Creates crisp definition and helps hold mulch in place
- We can install permanent edging if desired (steel, aluminum, stone, etc.)
🌱 Soil Health & Compost
Good soil is the quiet engine of a healthy garden. We often recommend:
- Topdressing with compost in spring and/or fall
- Leaf mulch for woodland or native-style beds
- Mycorrhizal inoculants when planting trees or large perennials
- Mulching with shredded leaves or bark in naturalized areas
If you compost on-site, we can help you manage your bin, turn the pile, or harvest finished compost for garden use.
📦 Garden Evolution & Future Planning
Landscapes are dynamic — and so is your relationship with them. Over time, some plants outgrow their space, others self-seed or shift, and new opportunities emerge.
We offer:
- Annual garden reviews (what’s thriving, what needs help)
- Dividing & transplanting mature perennials
- Editing and reworking beds without starting from scratch
- Adding structure or layering to simplify maintenance or improve flow
Long-term, our goal is to help your garden grow wiser with time — more resilient, more beautiful, and more reflective of your life and the land it lives on.
đź› Services We Offer
Whether you want to handle the basics and call us for the big things, or have us maintain everything while you enjoy it — we’re happy to meet you where you are.
- Full property maintenance (weekly, biweekly, monthly)
- Spring & fall cleanups
- Lawn care, seeding, aeration, fertilizing
- Garden weeding, pruning, edging, composting
- Seasonal planter installation
- Irrigation set-up, shut-down, and monitoring
- Consulting & garden planning
đź’¬ Final Thoughts
Maintenance isn’t just about order — it’s about relationship. With the land, with time, with rhythm. A well-tended garden becomes a place where life flourishes quietly, where beauty emerges season after season. Whether you’re doing it yourself or asking us to help, our aim is always the same: to help your garden feel alive, rooted, and loved.