Every garden needs a base line of maintenance to keep the plants healthy and debris free. It can get over whelming trying to keep up with everything your garden needs but Art of Stone Gardening can help. We have a variety of maintenance plans for every garden’s needs. We can help you stay on top of the maintenance or do it all so all you have to do is enjoy.
Fall
- Finish weeding
- Dead head flowers
- Divide perennials*
- Plant winter annuals*
- Plant shrubs and trees
Once things start to cool off, its time to tackle any large installs. Trees and shrubs are best planted in the fall because they won’t be trying to throw out buds like in the spring or having to battle the summer heat. Plants also focus on growing their roots in the winter, so this will give the plants time to get established before spring.
This isn’t part of a usual maintenance package, but fall is also the best time to plant winter annuals and divide perennials if needed.
Any late blooming flowers need to be dead headed and there will still be weeds to pull.
Winter
- Plant spring bulbs*
- Apply extra mulch around cold sensitive plants
- Clean beds of debris*
- Winterize irrigation system*
There isn’t much maintenance to be done in the winter except to prepare plants for the incoming cold. Extra mulch should be added around the base of cold sensitive plants to protect the roots from frost.
A few extra things to do would be to plant spring bulbs, like daffodils and tulips, winterize the irrigation system to prevent broken pipes, and keep the beds clean.
Spring
- Prune shrubs and trees, cut back grasses
- Fertilize
- Clean beds, leaves from shrubs
- Plant annuals*
- Divide and replant perennials*
- Begin weeding
- Mulch to conserve moisture and suppress weeds
- Check irrigation system
Cleaning out the beds should always be a spring priority; pulling out dead plants and annuals, removing old leaves from around the base of plants and from inside shrubs. Next check that any irrigation systems work. Check for broken or leaking pipes and that the heads are still in the best position.
Once the beds are ready, you need to give your plants a helping hand so that they will thrive. Pruning woody plants invigorates new growth while controlling the shape and size of the plant. Any decorative grasses should be cut back so that the new blades have room to grow. And start weeding.
Again not usually included in a maintenance package, but this is the best time to plant spring annuals and divide perennials.
Finally add fertilizer to give your plants an extra boost and spread mulch to conserve moisture and suppress weeds.
Summer
- Weeding
- Fertilize annuals
- Deadhead flowers as they finish blooming
- Shape hedges and shrubs
Summer is weeding, weeding, weeding. It’s better to weed as often as possible so that the weeds don’t have time to germinate, but the number of weeds that will need pulling will still be astounding. Also take time to fertilize any annuals and dead head flowers as they finish blooming. Don’t forget to keep hedges and shrubs shaped. After a spring pruning, they’ll be sprouting new branches left and right. Then weed some more.
