For those who would like to maintain their new garden but haven’t gardened before or just need a few tips to help them gain confidence initially, I can write a maintenance plan for them. This consists of a plan of their garden with the plants numbered, a plant by plant maintenance guide and a calendar of garden jobs to be done. Most clients are surprised how little there is that actually must be done and, as it doesn’t look such an onerous task as they may have believed to keep their garden looking good that they end up doing much more than the bare minimum. I am still available to do any maintenance if required or can be on hand to give advice. I can provide maintenance plans for established gardens as well as newly designed gardens.
Example
1 Crocosmia – perennial, late summer flowering. This will generally look after itself but you will need to clear away dead leaves in the winter or spring. Can be divided if it gets too big with a spade (no need to be delicate with it).
2 Heath Pieris – small evergreen shrub. May have small white flowers in spring/early summer. No need to do anything with it unless you want to cut off a stray branch
3 Potentilla – small semi-evergreen shrub. Flowers mid to late summer. Only needs any stray branches taken off or shaped (if you want) when it’s finished flowering in autumn.
4 Skimmia – small evergreen shrub. No pruning needed. Red berries in the autumn and winter.
5 Hebe – evergreen shrub. Cut out about a 3rd of branches at ground level every spring to encourage new growth. Flowers in summer.
6 Conifer – evergreen tree. Trim in late spring and/or autumn (before frosts) if need be to keep the shape and stop it getting too high.
7 Clematis – perennial climbers. Can be cut back to one metre high each February. Or just left to do their own thing and tidied if need be. May need twined into trellis if they come free.
8 Scabious alba - perennial. White flowers mid-late summer. Deadhead or cut flowers for the house to encourage more flowers to be produced. The clump can be divided every 3 or 4 years. Clear up dead leaves in autumn or spring.
9 Cornus alba ‘Siberica Variegata’ – (Dogwood) Shrub. Red leaves in autumn and white berries. The new growth has the best colour in autumn so cut back stems to 3 buds high in the spring time if you want this. Can grow to 3m.
10 Dicentra specatabilis ‘Alba’ – Perennial. Flowers mid-late summer. Cut back to
ground level in spring/autumn.
11 Euonymous variegata – small evergreen shrub. Trim to shape if need be.
12 Ceratostigma willmotianum – deciduous shrub. Blue flowers in late summer-autumn. Trim to shape if need be. Will grow to 1m.
13 Penstemon alba – semi-evergreen perennial. White flowers from midsummer though may keep flowering all winter. Can be cut back to ground level in early
spring. If not it can become large and woody but will keep flowering.
14 Ilex (Variegated Holly) – can be pruned in spring to keep it small and in shape.
15 Choisya (Mexican Orange Bloosom) – Shrub. White flowers with orangy scent. Needs no maintenance.
16 Sarcoccoca hookenana (Christmas Box) – white flowers and blue/black fruits. A lovely honey-like scent.
17 Helleborus niger (Christmas Rose) – evergreen perennial. White flowers late autumn and winter. Can be divided after a few years.
18 Sedum ‘Summer Ice’ – Perennial. Pinky-white flowers in summer. Dead flowerheads can look attractive in winter (depending on summer weather) Clear up dead leaves etc in spring.
19 Sambucus niger – (American Elder) Shrub. White flowers in spring followed by berries. Can be cut back to 3 buds above ground level in spring to encourage bushiness.
20 Gypsophila – perennial. Clouds of white flowers all summer. Deadhead or cut for the house to encourage new flowers. Cut back to ground level in autumn/spring.
Gardening Calendar for Above Plan
Jobs that must be done are in bold.
| January | do nothing |
| February | cut back clematis (7, 37 and 38) to 30cm in 2008 for 37 and 38 and 1m for the others and thereafter. |
| March | tidy-up dead leaves and cut down perennials(1,8,13,18,19,20,23,24 and
28) to ground level if not done in autumn. Divide any perennials if the clumps are getting too big. Cut back dogwood (9) to 3 buds above ground level to encourage new red shoots to grow. Cut back buddleia (22) to a foot or so above ground level (or can be done in autumn). |
| April | In 2009 only cut back the Actinidia (41) to 1m. Cut back a third of the stems of shrubs to ground level to encourage new growth (5,9,15,34). Hydrangea (29) leave a permanent framework of branches but cut smaller shoots and branches back to 2 or 3 buds above this to encourage more profuse flowering (though keeps it smaller). Cut existing branches back to 3 buds above the ground in 2008 to encourage bushiness. Sambuccus (30) cut back to 3 buds above ground level to encourage bushiness (though, again keeps it small so maybe worth doing the first year or 2 then leave to grow taller once it is bushier). Pull any weeds that appear. |
| May | Wind the climbers around the trellis as they grow. Remember to twine
them horizontally as well as vertically as this will make them bushier.
Deadhead flowers. |
| June | Climbers as above. Philadelphus (39) cut back to about 18inches high to encourage more bushy growth once flowering has finished. Deadhead or cut flowers for the house to encourage flowering. Pull any weeds that appear. |
| July | Climbers as above. Tops that have got too high can be cut off at any time. Deadhead or cut flowers. Pull any weeds that appear. |
| August | Climbers as above. Deadhead or cut flowers. Pull any weeds that appear. |
| September | Climbers, as above. Deadhead or cut flowers. Pull any weeds that appear. |
| October | General tidying. Cut back lavatera (36) to about a foot or so to prevent it being damaged by winds. |
| November | tidy up dead leaves and cut down perennials (1,8,13,18,19,20,23,24 and 28) to ground level or can be done in spring. |
| December | Enjoy the displays of berries. |