You’ve finally decided to hire a gardener. After comparing a few companies, you’ve picked one and booked a date. Now, you need to work out which services to include in the booking.
That’s usually the moment you realise you’re not entirely sure what ‘garden maintenance’ covers. Does it just mean mowing the lawn? Will someone take care of the hedges? And what about the tree that’s been leaning on the fence since 2019?
So, before you confirm the booking, keep reading to find out what a professional garden maintenance service typically includes.
Mowing Your Lawn
Let’s start with the biggest job on the list. If you’re looking for help with garden maintenance, Croydon has plenty of local teams to choose from, and most of them will focus on your lawn first.
A typical visit covers mowing, trimming the edges, and removing the clippings. That saves you some hassle, as the council charges for garden waste collection and grass cuttings can fill a bin after one or two mowing sessions.
A good gardener will also look at the condition of your grass. If your lawn is thin or full of moss, they might recommend extra treatments, like scarifying it in autumn or overseeding the bare spots in spring.
They’ll adjust their mowing schedule as the weather changes, too. During a dry summer, for example, they’ll leave the grass a little longer so it doesn’t turn brown and crispy.
Shaping Hedges and Shrubs
A privet or laurel hedge can grow a lot in one summer, and it won’t take long before it starts hanging over your driveway. Most hedges need trimming once or twice a year to stay neat, although fast growers may need a third cut.
With shrubs, timing is everything. Forsythia and other spring-flowering shrubs should be pruned straight after they bloom. If you cut them in winter, you’ll remove the buds and get no flowers at all.
Your gardener will also check for nesting birds before they start. The nesting season runs from March to August, and it’s illegal to disturb an active nest, so heavy cutting is usually saved for autumn or winter.
Maintaining the Flower Beds
With the hedges tidy, it’s time to look at your flower beds. Most people expect their gardener to pull out weeds, but a typical maintenance visit covers more than that.
Your gardener will deadhead faded flowers, which encourages plants like roses and dahlias to keep blooming. They’ll also tie back or trim any overenthusiastic stems trying to invade your path.
Every few years, perennials like hostas and hardy geraniums need to be divided. The clumps get overcrowded and produce fewer flowers, so your gardener will split them and replant the healthiest pieces.
As a bonus, you’ll get extra plants without spending a penny at the garden centre.
Once your summer flowers have died back, the specialist will replace them with winter pansies or violas. That way, your beds will still have some colour during the colder months.
Caring for Trees
Trees are part of garden maintenance, too, although there’s a limit to what a gardener can do.
A gardener can handle the smaller jobs, like removing low branches or cutting back the ones hanging over the shed. They’ll also keep an eye out for warning signs, including dead branches, fungus around the base of the trunk, or brown leaves.
However, there are some cases that require a qualified tree surgeon. Grinding a mature oak stump, for example, takes specialist training, and a reputable maintenance company will tell you that upfront.
Some trees are also legally protected. If yours has a Tree Preservation Order, you’ll need the council’s permission before any work is done.
Improving the Soil
If your plants are still struggling after all that care, the soil itself is probably the reason.
Croydon is a good example of how much soil can vary. In the north of the borough, you’re likely to have heavy clay that gets waterlogged in winter and compacted in summer. Head south towards Purley and Coulsdon, and you’ll find thin, chalky soil that dries out fast.
A local gardener will know which type you have. In both cases, the fix is usually organic matter, such as compost or well-rotted manure, which helps clay drain and chalky soil hold on to moisture.
If the soil has been compacted by years of foot traffic, they’ll loosen it with a fork or aerator so air and water can reach the roots.
They may also spread a layer of mulch over your borders. Mulch suppresses weeds and stops the soil from drying out.
Managing Irrigation Systems
You might have an irrigation system in your outdoor space, even if it’s just a drip hose on a timer. These systems are great when they work, but most of us set them up once and never look at them again.
Because of that, it’s easy to miss the small problems that develop over time. A blocked dripper can leave one corner of a bed completely dry, while a split hose may soak the patio instead of watering your plants.
During a visit, your gardener will run the system and check it from end to end. They’ll look for leaks, clear any blockages, and make sure the water is reaching every plant. If a part needs replacing, they can arrange the repair as well.
They can also adjust the timer to suit the season. There’s no point watering your plants every evening in October when the rain is already doing the job for free.
Preparing Your Garden for Each Season
With a regular service, you don’t have to remember which jobs to tackle each season because the specialist will plan their visits accordingly.
You’ll see everything start growing again in spring, including the weeds. This is why your gardener will mow and fertilise the lawn, then fill any gaps in the borders with new plants.
In summer, the grass and the weeds grow faster than at any other time of year. So, the specialist will be busy mowing and weeding every week or two to keep up with them.
In autumn, they’ll clear the fallen leaves before they smother the lawn and plant bulbs for next spring. They’ll also protect tender plants before the first frost, which usually means wrapping them in fleece or moving pots to a sheltered spot.
There’s less to do in winter, although apple trees and roses still need pruning while they’re dormant. Thankfully, since you’ve hired a professional, you can stay indoors where it’s warm and leave this job to them.
Conclusion
If your hedge has grown over half the path and your lawn is covered in moss, a professional maintenance service will get your garden back in order. You don’t need to sign up for weekly visits, either, as most companies can tailor their services to your needs and budget.
A few visits in, you’ll have a neat lawn, healthy borders, and a garden you’ll be proud to show off.
