Maintaining vibrant, ever-changing perennials and annuals, shrubs, vines, herbs and vegetables  is a blissful labor of love for avid gardeners. For others, not so much. If you have limited time, travel a lot or just don’t “dig” gardening as much as you enjoy looking at the garden, you might consider having us handle your landscape maintenance for you. After all, even the lowest of low-maintenance landscapes will need some upkeep.

Art of Stone Gardening will develop a landscape maintenance plan tailored to your particular property and the specific plant varieties on it, and we’ll care for your plants as if they were our own. A low-maintenance landscape may only require minimal seasonal clean-up and mulching. Larger landscaped areas with more elaborate or fussy plantings will need more frequent attention to continue to be a source of enjoyment or to provide curb appeal.

Our maintenance services can include:  pruning and shaping trees and shrubs by a ISA Certified Arborist; weed control; mulching; clean-up of garden debris; even dividing perennials and seasonal re-planting of annuals.

We can also help turn things around if your home’s landscape has been unloved for a while and needs to be revitalized. Overgrown or sick shrubs or trees may need hard pruning or other expert care, or they may need to be removed. Diseased or insect-infested plants may need to be replaced. And we can identify the sources of landscape problems that caused your plants to decline in the first place. We’ll be happy to consult with you to determine what can be saved and what needs to be overhauled to achieve your goals.

• Maintenance Pruning of Shrubs and Trees
• Hard Pruning and Renovation of Shrubs and Trees
• Disease and Water Management
• Weed Control- Environmentally Friendly Herbicides Available Upon Request
• Control of Landscape Plant Material

Maintenance Pruning

Trees and Shrubs require yearly pruning to encourage new growth and to keep them healthy. Late winter and early spring, when the plant is dormant, is the time to prune for most trees or shrubs to reduce the stress caused by pruning. However some plants, shrubs especially, require pruning in May because their spring blooms formed the previous year.

We start by removing dead or weak branches. This is important because straight, clean cuts are easier for plants to heal than a jagged or ripped edge caused by these branches breaking on their own. Next we focus on thinning the foliage to allow sunlight and air into the plant. This keeps the plant from choking itself out and encourages it to grow stronger. Lastly, if the tree or bush requires, we shape it.

Hard Pruning

When a tree or shrub grows out of control for too long, or isn’t doing as well, a hard pruning can be the best choice. A hard pruning cuts off two or three times more than a regular pruning, giving the plant a fresh start. Not all plants can handle this and knowing how far you can cut back different plants is vital. But our trained gardeners are experts at rejuvenating overgrown or sick trees and shrubs.  

Disease and Water Management

When a plant is planted in the wrong location it becomes vulnerable to disease. And the location is usually “wrong” because of how much water there is or how much water the soil holds. So when performing maintenance our crews are constantly on the lookout for perpetually wet or overly dry soil, sick or sad plants, and any fungi or parasitic insects. If any of these are found, we will immediately notify you and collaborate on a plan of action.

Weed Control

Weeds are the bane of every garden and there isn’t a perfect solution. However at Art of Stone, we use a combination of hand pulling and herbicides to keep the weeds under control without doing unnecessary harm to your plants or the environment. We are also proud to offer an all natural herbicide that ruthlessly kills weeds upon request. Feel free to research Dr. Kirchner’s All Natural Weed Killer.

Plant Material Control

We keep your garden beds clean and free of dead plant material. This includes cutting back perennials in the fall and winter and keeping leaf litter from choking your plants. Some clients have a compost heap or burn pit that they want this debris left in, but for everyone else we are glad to haul this off.

Above and Beyond

We also offer additional maintenance services upon request such as:

• Mulching
• Dividing Perennials
• Installing Annuals
• Irrigation Consultations and Assistance
• Application of Select Pesticides and Fungicides