As a general rule, the best way to maintain your landscape in it's initial season, the one in which it has been installed, is to water your plants once a day (twice if it is dry) and follow only the cutting and trimming instructions stated below. Our planting design philosophy is to use materials, wherever possible, that is compatible with your soil and site conditions, thus minimizing the maintenance aspect for our customers. However, those with heavy clay soil will need to invest a little more time and care in your landscape to maximize it's potential. Fertilizing is unnecessary the first year because all of the material installed at your property comes with fertilizer in the pot, ball or burlap. You will need to refer to your construction drawing when reading the instructions below, so keep it until you are comfortable with the names and types of plantings on your property.

1. Trees

A: Deciduous Trees (those which drop their leaves in the fall)

• Fertilize yearly (in spring) with Tree Tone or any granular tree fertilizer with a ratio of 9-5-4 . This will feed your trees and fortify their nutrition in any areas that may be lacking in your soil.
• Prune/Trim only dead growth as needed.
• Prune/Trim suckers off of fruiting trees (Crabapple, Cherry, Plum , etc.) as needed. Suckers are branches that have no flowers and generally grow at unusual angles in a very straight habit. They are very obvious.

B: Evergreen Trees (Spruce, Pine, Hemlock, Fir, etc.)

• Fertilize yearly (in spring) with Holly Tone, a granular fertilizer with a ratio of 4-6-4 . This fertilizer is formulated specifically for Evergreens (both trees and shrubs) and targets the specific needs of these types of plantings.
• Trim only dead growth as needed, brown branches, etc. If you notice a general “yellowing” of the tree you may need to add a granular fertilizer such as “Dry Roots,” which helps to prevent your trees from drowning in heavy clay.

2. Woody Shrubs (Lilac, Juniper, Rhododendron, etc.)

A: Deciduous Shrubs (Lilac, Viburnum, Spirea, etc.)

• Fertilize everything in this category in early spring using Holly Tone. The only hitch to this is if you have Acidic soil loving plants such as Rhododendrons, Mountain Laurel, etc. in which case you should supplement Holly Tone with Muir Acid which increases the acidity of your soil, thus lowering the pH.
• Another tip here is if you have Blue Hydrangea on your plan and they are not as blue as when they were first installed, Muir Acid helps to make them very blue.
• Trim only as needed, concentrating on dead growth, and if you must shape them, spring flowering plants must be trimmed immediately after flowering, while summer flowering plants should be trimmed in late fall or very early spring.

Summer Flowering examples: Hydrangea, Spirea, Summersweet, Potentilla, and Fairy Roses.

Spring Flowering examples: Rhododendron, Azalea, Mountain Laurel, Lilac, and Viburnum.

B: Evergreen Shrubs (Juniper, Inkberry, Yew, Boxwood, etc.)

• Fertilize in spring, again with Holly Tone
• Generally everything in this category is planted as a hedge or massing in order to lend a slightly different character while also providing a green backdrop to the winter snow as these plants retain their leaves or needles through the winter.
• Trimming of Yew, Boxwood and Inkberry may be done repeatedly throughout the season and should be performed at least once a year in order to maintain a formal hedge character. Never trim in toward the bottom.

3. Ornamental Grasses and Perennials (Maiden Grass, Blue Oat Grass, Daylily, Aster, etc.)

A: Ornamental Grasses (Maiden Grass, Blue Oat Grass, Fountain Grass, etc.)

• Fertilize everything in this category in early spring using any even ratio fertilizer, such as Miracle Grow or 20-20-20.
• Do not trim during the growing season, as this will adversely effect the flowering time and the amount of growth by the end of the season.
• Cut all ornamental grasses down to the ground at the conclusion of the growing season. Leave only about 3”-4” of the plant at the base. The end of the growing season will be obvious as the plant will be completely brown.

B: Herbaceous Perennials (Aster, Daylily, Astilbe, Coreopsis, Sedum, etc.)

• Fertilize in spring, again with Miracle Grow or any other even ratio fertilizer (20-20-20.)
• Trim only as needed, and only in the fall. For the most part these plants will simply fall apart and blow away in the fall/winter, but they may be cut down to the ground (3”-4”) in order to promote more vigorous growth the next season.
• Again, do not trim during the growing season, as this may adversely affect flowering time and quality.

This maintenance program has been prepared by Orsini Landscaping in order for you to more effectively maintain your landscape. We welcome any comments or questions you may have and ask that you periodically check our website for any further information we may add over the coming years. If you have any site specific questions, feel free to call or email us at any time.