If you're looking to keep your landscape in tip-top shape, a landscape maintenance program is essential. you can't expect to get and do some maintenance whenever your landscape looks a little rough. By having a landscape maintenance program in place, you can ensure that your landscape is always looking its best - and that it will stay that way for years to come.
But how do you start one? And what are the benefits?
Hold on! what even is a landscape maintenance program?
A landscape maintenance program is simply a schedule of activities and tasks designed to keep your landscape looking its best. This can include things like mowing, mulching, pruning, and more.
The benefits of having a landscape maintenance program are numerous. Not only will it help your landscape look its best, but it can also help to extend the life of your landscape and make it more resistant to pests and diseases.
Now that we know what landscape maintenance programs are and why they're important, let's talk about how you can start one.
The first step is to assess your landscape. Take a look around and make a note of any areas that need attention. This will help you to create a landscape maintenance program that's tailored to your specific needs. If your landscape is large, you may want to consider hiring a landscape designer or landscape architect to help you with this. But if you have a smaller landscape, then start assessing, for example, if you have a lot of trees, you'll need to make sure that you're including activities like tree pruning in your landscape maintenance program. if you have a lot of grass, then mowing and fertilizing will be important tasks to include.
Once you've assessed your landscape, it's time to create a plan. You'll need to decide how often you want to carry out maintenance tasks, what tasks you'll need to do, and who will be responsible for doing them. For example, you might decide to mow your lawn once a week and trim your hedges every two weeks.
Once you have a plan in place, it's time to put it into action. Make sure you set aside enough time each week or month to carry out the tasks on your landscape maintenance program. Stick to the program to avoid letting your landscape fall into disrepair. And if you're not sure how to do something, don't be afraid to ask for help from a landscape professional.
If you're not sure where to start, there are plenty of landscape maintenance program templates available online. Simply choose one that's suitable for your landscape and adapt it to your needs.
To help you understand what an ideal maintenance plan looks like, let's create one here for some common types of landscapes in Sydney:
* Mow the lawn once a week
* Trim the edges of the lawn every two weeks
* Apply fertiliser to the lawn every month
* Water the garden once a week
* Pull out weeds as they appear
* Prune shrubs and bushes as needed
* Deadhead flowers as needed
* Add mulch to the garden beds as needed
* Mow the lawn once a week
* Trim the edges of the lawn every two weeks
* Apply fertiliser to the lawn every month
* Water the garden once a week
* Pull out weeds as they appear
* Prune shrubs and bushes as needed
* Deadhead flowers as needed
* Add mulch to the garden beds as needed
* Cut back trees as needed
(Hardscaping is defined as landscape features that are made of hard materials such as concrete, stone, brick, and timber)
* Mow the lawn once a week
* Trim the edges of the lawn every two weeks
* Apply fertiliser to the lawn every month
* Water the garden once a week
* Pull out weeds as they appear
* Prune shrubs and bushes as needed
* Deadhead flowers as needed
* Add mulch to the garden beds as needed
* Cut back trees as needed
* Clean hardscape features as needed (e.g. sweep pavers, wash down outdoor furniture)
* Check and repair irrigation systems as needed
* Clean fountains or water features as needed
* Pools and spas – follow manufacturer's recommendations. pools generally need to be vacuumed once a week and the pH levels need to be checked regularly.
As you can see, there are many different landscape maintenance tasks that you'll need to carry out depending on the type of landscape you have. And this is just a basic landscape maintenance program. If you have a more complex landscape, you may need to include additional tasks. But this should give you a good idea of what's involved in landscape maintenance.
One final tip: don't forget to schedule regular landscape inspections. This will help you catch problems early and prevent them from getting worse. A landscape inspection should be carried out at least once a month. But if you have a large or complex landscape, you may need to do it more often.
If you don't have the time or inclination to carry out landscape maintenance tasks yourself, you can always hire a landscape professional to do it for you. This is a good option if you have a complex landscape or if you just don't have the time to do landscape maintenance yourself. When hiring a landscape professional, make sure you have a landscape maintenance contract in place. This document will outline the landscape maintenance services that will be provided, the frequency of those services, and the cost.
A landscape maintenance contract should include:
* The name and contact details of the landscape professional you're hiring
* A description of the landscape maintenance services that will be provided
* The frequency of those services (e.g. once a week, once a month, etc.)
* The cost of those services
* The payment terms (e.g. monthly, upfront, etc.)
* The landscape professional's liability insurance details
* The landscape professional's workers' compensation insurance details
Having a landscape maintenance contract in place will give you peace of mind knowing that your landscape is being taken care of by a professional. If you looking for a landscaper in Sydney, consider GreenFig landscaping. We are a professional landscape company that offers landscape maintenance and contracts to ensure your landscape always looks its best. Contact us for a free quote.
