Why Great Landscapes Fail Without a Maintenance Plan

You’ve put a lot into developing a brand-new outdoor living space.

Whether it’s a simple patio and some landscape beds or it’s an entire outdoor living room with all the bells and whistles, you care about protecting your landscaping investment.

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• How do I protect my new landscaping investment?
• Why are my new plants dying after professional installation?
• How do I maintain my new patio or walkway?
• How often should a professional landscaper visit my property?
• What is included in a full-service landscape maintenance plan?
• Is it better to have the same company install and maintain my yard?
• What happens to a landscape if it isn't maintained for a year?
• Choosing Landscape Maintenance in Northern VA

We spoke to Mike Perez, our Senior Account Manager, about how seasonal landscape management in Northern VA can play a huge role in protecting your property's investment.

He answered some of the most frequently asked questions and shared tips for keeping up with ongoing landscape maintenance.

How do I protect my new landscaping investment?

Mike says that one of the best ways to protect your property investment is to choose landscape maintenance plans that preserve the integrity of everything installed.

Keeping up with ongoing maintenance will help prevent your property from falling into disarray.

The trouble is, when you do let the landscaping go, everything just keeps getting worse and it becomes increasingly harder to “catch up.”

But if you just keep up with monthly landscape maintenance, you can avoid many major problems. That can ultimately save you money, too. It’s generally much more cost-effective to maintain your landscape than to make major investments to fix problems.

Why are my new plants dying after professional installation?

According to Mike, proper watering is one of the biggest factors in keeping new plants alive. Newly planted plants generally require more water than established ones, but homeowners sometimes fall behind on their watering schedules. It’s important to know exactly how much water your plants need to keep them healthy and help them grow in their new location.

When plants are installed by Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape, post-installation plant care instructions, including specific watering directions, will be left.

But Mike says that even when everything is done right, and watering instructions are followed, some plants may still die, sometimes for unknown reasons. It could be that a problem was already brewing when the plant was purchased from a nursery or that it just didn’t adjust to the soil.

At Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape, our installed plants are covered by a 90-day warranty. That’s because if there is something inherently wrong with the plant, it would show up within this time frame.

How do I maintain my new patio or walkway?

When installed properly, Mike says that maintenance on new patios and walkways is relatively minimal. The key is definitely proper installation. You want to make sure you are working with a reputable hardscaping company that installs everything properly to prevent problems.

Also, choose a company that offers warranties on its work. At Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape, our hardscaping is warrantied for one year.

Basic hardscape maintenance and cleaning can help keep your patio or walkway looking new, even over time. A periodic power-washing service to remove stains or build-up of dirt and grime can help improve the appearance. And you might want to make sure joints are refilled from time to time with a polymeric sand refresh.

How often should a professional landscaper visit my property?

Having someone on your property regularly is helpful for keeping everything looking its best. But there are different timelines for different services that you might choose, says Mike.

For mowing, we’re typically there every week, he says. Lawn care has its own timing, based on what’s going on in the lawn with weeds and nutrient needs. Much of the timing of lawn care is built around soil temperatures.

At Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape, we offer professional landscape maintenance plans to meet your various needs. Our plans include:

• Weekly Mowing
• Lawn Care Plan
• Landscape Bed Weeding Plan (Monthly or Bi-Monthly)
• Mulching and Edging (Summer, Spring, or Fall)
• Seasonal Flower Installation (Spring, Fall, or Spring & Fall)
• Leaf Removal Plan (3 Visits, Nov-Feb)
• Plant Health Care Plan
• Perimeter Pest Defense
• Mosquito, Flea & Tick Defense
• Gutter Cleaning Plan

Since we know that every property is unique, we can actually come up with a customized landscape maintenance plan that suits your needs, says Mike.

“Not everything needs to be tended to each month, but there’s always something to address,” he continues. “Homeowners who sign up for these various plans generally have someone out weekly to mow and monthly for various other landscaping tasks that are being taken care of on the property. The key is having a company that is engaged with you and truly has your best interest at heart.”

Mike says a key differentiator for Kingstowne is its dedicated crews for each task. So it’s not like your mowing crew will also be performing your fertilization.

“We have specialized crews that mow, perform lawn care, do the pruning and weeding, and so on,” he explains. “They’re trained for the work that they do.”

What is included in a full-service landscape maintenance plan?

According to Mike, every property is different, and landscape maintenance plans should be customized for the specific site.

But generally speaking, he says you want mowing, lawn care, pruning, weeding, mulching, and some type of plant health care to all be part of a comprehensive landscape maintenance plan. Leaf removal is also important in the fall.

Is it better to have the same company install and maintain my yard?

There are many benefits to having the same company that installed your landscape maintain it, says Mike.

For one, it makes for a seamless transition. But there’s also no one who understands the landscape better than the company that designed and installed it.

What happens to a landscape if it isn't maintained for a year?

If you’re not keeping up with landscaping, it won’t take long for it to show. A year is a really long time to let a landscape go. You’ll start to notice problems in a matter of weeks.

Mike warns:

• If you don’t keep up with lawn care, weeds will take over.
• If you don’t prune your shrubs regularly, they’re going to become overgrown
• If you don’t mow the lawn, it’s going to get too long and become unhealthy
• If you don’t weed the plant beds, they’re just going to take over and crowd out your plants

And so on, and so forth.

The problems will just keep coming. Mike says it’s not that you need to do everything all of the time, but you do need to keep up. A custom plan can be put together that’s just right for your property and its needs.

Choosing Landscape Maintenance in Northern VA

At the end of the day, we know that your landscape has many needs. Keeping up with these needs will help maintain its health and value.

Of course, the last thing you feel like doing is working in your yard all of the time. Besides taking some major work off your plate, one of the benefits of hiring a professional landscaper is that they will know what services are most important and when (and how) they should be done. There is only so much time in a day, and chances are, you don’t want to spend it working in your yard. You want to know that your property is getting everything it needs from a pro.

At Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape, we offer a range of professional landscape maintenance plans to simplify the entire process. You don’t have to remember to get on your landscaper’s schedule. Services will be done in a timely, proactive manner. This can prevent many problems and ultimately save you money.

Since we know every property is unique, we can create a customized landscape maintenance plan that suits your needs.

With the right plans, your property is going to continue to look and perform its best for years to come—and that’s a protection of your investment. You’ll no longer have to be embarrassed by an overgrown mess sneaking up on you. Instead, you’ll always be able to proudly show off your property.

Are you ready to ditch the worries associated with landscape maintenance at your property in Alexandria, Arlington, or Springfield, VA? Request a quote, get your customized plan, and relax while you receive the royal treatment.