Early Season Clean-up:

This service will be performed in conjunction with the early season mulching and edging.  The early season clean-up will include a thorough cleaning of the bed areas to include  a cutback of all perennials and ornamental grasses, removal of accumulated leaves, debris, and weeds.

Bed Edging:

The bed edges will be redefined to create definition between the turf areas and beds areas.  This will be done in conjunction with the early season clean-up and mulching.

Early Season Mulching:

Any excess previous mulch will be removed and disposed of offsite.  Prior to mulching, the area will receive a broadcast application of a granular and/or liquid pre-emergent weed control.  We will apply and average of one (1) to one and one-half (1½) inches of brown dyed double shredded hardwood mulch to bed areas and tree rings.

Mowing:

All turf areas will be mowed on a seven (7) day rotation from early to mid-April through early November with an average of thirty (30) mowing visits per year. Please note, due to varying weather conditions, the mowing schedule may begin and/or end earlier or later.

String Trimming:

Areas that require string trimming include fence lines, turf areas that abut the house, trees that are not mulched, natural areas, and steep hillsides that cannot be cut with a mower.  String trimming will occur with every mowing.

Hard Edging:

The areas that are hard edged will be sidewalks, curb lines, non-asphalt driveways, front walks, and any other concrete or paver area that is abutted by turf with an available hard edge.  Hard edging will occur with every other mowing or as necessary.

Pruning of Ornamental Shrubs, Hedges, and Trees:

To provide the optimum health and appearance of your more valuable ornamental trees and shrubs, we recommend selective horticultural pruning and shaping. The schedule for these services is generally ongoing throughout the year and dependent upon the type of plant, the rate of growth, and the time of flowering.

The standard frequency for shrub pruning is three (3) major visits per year with minor pruning occurring during weekly Garden Management Program visits (if applicable).  The first pruning takes place from May to June, the second from July to August, and the third from October to November.  Dormant shrub pruning is an optional forth visit that takes place from December to January.  The pruning requirements of plants vary greatly from species to species.  As per client preferences, shrubs, hedges, and trees can be pruned formally or naturally.

Ornamental Tree Pruning:

We will prune ornamental landscape trees up to fifteen (15) feet tall but not beyond.  As necessary, we remove dead wood, diseased limbs, interfering branches, and sucker growth in order to maintain and improve the health of the tree.  Through horticultural pruning, trees also have a more aesthetically appealing canopy, can survive strong wind storms, and will sustain less damage during snow and ice storms.

Weeding:

General weeding will occur on a weekly basis.  The frequency of this service can be increased as necessary to accommodate client requests.  All planted or hardscaped areas will be weeded either by hand or through the use of an herbicide.  The method employed will vary based upon the density and plant type of the planting area.

Groundcover pruning:

Groundcover will be pruned off of hard surfaces and turf areas to ensure plant does not migrate from planting bed.  This will be done as needed during site visits.

Perennial Care:

Perennial care is dependent upon the specific type of plant.  Deadheading of flowering perennials and staking of perennials will take place as needed.  All perennials should be cut back either at the end of the growing season or before the growing season begins.  This varies by perennial but is also a matter of personal preference.

Rose Care:

Roses require specialized attention throughout the growing season.  Applications for insect and disease are included in this service.  Additionally, dead heading of roses is performed to encourage repeat flowing.  As per client preferences, climbing roses will be attached to hard surfaces and trained to grow as per master plan.

Annual Care:

Annuals will be dead headed as necessary and receive an application of extended release fertilizer to encourage blooming.

Specialty Services:

We can accommodate special requests as necessary.  Some of the items that our clients prefer us to address for them include: clean outdoor grills, clean outdoor furniture, remove bird and dog feces, bring up and clean trash cans and recycling bins, bring up newspapers, stack firewood, clean and stock outdoor refrigerators, clean up pool toys, and remove efflorescence from stone and brick.

Bed Edging:

The bed edges will be redefined to create definition between the turf areas and beds areas.  This will be coordinated with the late season perennial cut back service and the late season mulching.

Late Season Mulching:

Any excess previous mulch will be removed and disposed of offsite.  A fall edge and mulch will include redefining the bed edges to create definition between turf and bed areas.  We will apply an average of one (1) inch of brown dyed double shredded hardwood mulch to bed areas and tree rings.  We recommend performing this service after the majority of leaves have dropped from trees (late November through early December).

Leaf removal will vary based upon the type, size, and quantity of the trees on the property as well as client preferences regarding level of cleanliness.  Other factors to consider include the area immediately surrounding the property, the number of obstructions on the property, and the disposal method of the leaves. Leaves can be spread on-site, hauled away, or left for town pick-up (if applicable).  Leaf removal can consist of as few as one visit or as many as ten visits.  The beds, lawn, and hardscaped areas will be cleared of leaves on each visit.  Leaf removal takes place from October through December and is contingent upon the timing of annual leaf drop.

This is a service that will be performed two to three times per winter.  It involves a general policing of the property to remove fallen tree limbs, trash, and small quantities of leaves that may migrate onto the property or come from late leaf drop.  Please note that this service does not include performing a leaf removal or extensive clean-up of the property.  Winter clean-up takes place during January and February.

Annual rotations will typically take place two times per year but can be performed as often as preferred.  Spring flowers such as pansies and fall blooming bulbs can be installed before summer begins.  Upon the arrival of summer, spring flowers will be removed and replaced with more heat tolerant varieties.  As the weather cools and fall begins, another annual rotation can be performed consisting of pansies, spring blooming bulbs, fall perennials, ornamental cabbage, kale, and mums.

The spring start-up for the irrigation system will take place from April to May.  Winterization of the system will take place from late October through November. There are three optional inspection and adjustment visits that can be scheduled in the months of May or June, July or August, and September.  The specific times for the visits vary based upon when the system was initially turned on for the season as well as how drastically the temperature changes as the seasons progress.

The basic foundation of our turf care is to focus on improving the soil structure and plant health.  We use organic fertilizer with all natural ingredients to increase the soil microbes that aid in rooting, reduce thatch, assist in reducing the need for disease management, promote turf recovery, and increase stress tolerance. These fertilizers contain primary and secondary nutrients, trace minerals, micronutrients, as well as biostimulants.  At the beginning of the season, we perform a pre-emergent weed control application and a post emergent weed control application.  Our balanced turf fertilizations take place throughout the year.  Additional turf services can be added based on client needs and are scheduled appropriately.

The tree and shrub care program involves monthly IPM (Integrated Pest Management) visits during which our technicians will treat specific problems as they arise, as opposed to blanket treating all of the shrubs whether they need treatment or not.  In addition to looking for and treating diseases and insects, our technicians will perform fertilization applications as necessary.  Before winter arrives, we apply an anti-desiccant to broad leaf evergreens to aid in reducing winter stress.