Maintenance of a healthy and attractive landscape involves much more than just keeping plants alive. Even so-called low maintenance landscapes require some regular care. While many homeowners are able to keep their lawn and gardens in top condition without help, there are others who call Mountain View for assistance.
The mulch used on most landscapes will last a year or more until it decays enough that it must be replaced. In most cases remulching will require only about half of the mulch that was used on the initial installation. Wood mulches break down into the soil so it is not necessary to remove them prior to adding new mulch. Mulch serves several purposes: helping to keep weeds down, retaining even moisture in planting beds, and maintaining even temperatures in the winter so the freeze and thaw cycle doesn’t damage plants.
Weeds should be pulled or sprayed with an herbicide regularly. If not, weeds can compete with ornamental plants for water and nutrients, and they are unsightly. Many weeds can be pulled by hand while they are young with the additional advantage that they won’t go to seed and spread. Once a weed is established they can become difficult to pull so the most practical option might be an herbicide such as Roundup. Roundup is relatively safe to use. Leaves that are sprayed will kill almost every plant, with the exception of some hard-to-kill plants such as ivy, poison ivy, and brambles such as blackberries.
