What We Do
Weeding, dead-heading, dividing perennials, planting annuals, garden design... You name it! Just about everything in your garden but lawns or hardscaping.
Spring clean-up
Spring is probably the busiest time in the garden. Too much to handle this year? Set our crew loose and get your yard ready for the first blooms of spring! We will come in and rake out the beds of all the leaves and debris that blew in over the winter, prune winter damage off shrubs and trees, and weed anything that crept in over the winter & early spring. To top it off, we can turn over the mulch and/or apply a new layer if needed and feed with a range of organic fertilizers from Espoma for the upcoming season.
Fall clean-up
At the end of another gorgeous gardening season, we can come back and help you tidy up the gardens, getting things ship-shape before the hard frost hits. We’ll weed one last time so that the weeds (which ALWAYS grow like, well, weeds!) don’t rob your plants of nutrients in the spring. We cut back the plants (unless you want it left for winter interest) and remove all debris from the garden. This ensures that no diseased plant material is left in the garden. We will also fertilize so the plants will be off to a good start next spring!
Planting
Our crew is trained and equipped to plant everything from spring bulbs to small trees. But before we do, we ask what is the soil like? Is it dry or moist? Sandy or clay-like? How much sun is there? Is it near the road or sidewalk, where it may get excess sand and salt thrown at it in winter? What will this plant have to endure during its lifetime?
Transplanting
Sometimes an overhaul of your yard may not be as pricey as you think. Just moving a few plants around to highlight that favorite bush or flower can give your garden a completely different look.
Pruning
Pruning out the dead wood and cross branches of your bushes, shrubs, and small trees does two things. It lets in more light and air to the interior of the shrub helping the plant to fight most diseases. It also allows room for the good branches to grow uninhibited and allow for more flower and fruit production. Regular pruning is always recommended for a healthy garden!
Splitting plants
When perennials mature, they sometimes get too big for the area, or spread too far, and you want them reduced in size. Some perennials may even reduce or stop flower production. We’ll split your plants either in the spring or fall and use good clumps elsewhere to fill in the bare spots of your garden. Your perennials will be happy with more room to breathe and grow!
Weeding
A weed is any unwanted plant in the garden. A rose can be a weed, if it’s growing where you don’t want it! This is often the least favorite job of gardeners, but give us a weed patch and R-A-G Thyme gardeners will whip it into shape in no time. We do our best to get the entire weed out, and have come up with unique solutions for those plants “where the roots go to China”.
Dead-heading
Removing spent blooms is important for beautiful flowering plants. A flower’s main role in the life of the plant is to reproduce. Once the flower “goes by,” the plant puts all its energy into seed production. By cutting off spent blooms, the plant will use its energy to produce more flowers. If the plant is an annual (one that only grows for one year) cutting the spent blooms will produce more flowers, and the plant will get fuller. If the plant is a perennial (one that comes back every year) cutting the spent blooms will allow it to continue flowering, and possibly bring about a second bloom time. Very often, if you cut the blooms back early, you can coax the perennial into a second wave of flowers.
Watering
R-A-G Thyme will provide indoor and outdoor watering on a weekly basis or when you go on vacation. If you decide, like most, that you will do your own watering, here’s a tip: A thorough, deep watering is much better than watering a little each day. The roots will go deeper, and grow stronger, because they will be reaching for the water. For new plants especially, deep, regular watering is essential to getting settled in. If the ground is allowed to get powder dry, it will not accept water – the water will run right off. The plant will then need to be watered slowly and repeatedly until the dirt starts to accept the moisture. After you THINK there is enough water, dig down an inch or so into the dirt. Is it damp yet, or still completely bone dry?
Brighten things up with colorful annuals in some window boxes, and show your front door some love all season with a beautiful and elegant planter or two. Don't think that the end of warm weather means no more color outside; we do winter planters, too!
Garden design
We design with the customers’ likes (and dislikes!) in mind. What are their favorite colors? Flowers? Do they have a statue or bird bath they want to feature? Do they want to attract birds or butterflies? We take into consideration blooming times, types of soil needed, orientation and amount of sunlight. Above all, we plan for complementary colors, a variety of textures and always something in bloom!
Edging
Putting a nice clean edge around your garden or flower bed helps to keep the grass out of the beds, the flowers out of the grass, and gives a deep border to hold in the mulch.
Total overhauls
We love, love, love garden restorations! Taking that tangly mess and taming it or unburying that long lost bed of hostas. If you’ve given up, give us a call. Whatever your garden needs, we do it! See our Before & After photos!
Rototilling
Loosening up old compacted soil might be recommended before a new area is planted. Soil amendments may also be added at this time to keep the soil loose and give the new root ball a good start. After the soil has been worked over, we’ll rake out any leftover vegetation so that weeds don’t re-root themselves.
Mulching
Spreading mulch over the top of the gardens helps keep moisture in, and is somewhat helpful in eliminating weeds that come up from the ground, but it does not stop new weeds and plants from growing IN the mulch. Mulching also gives the garden a “finished” or “dressed” look. Our crew is well trained in proper mulching techniques, careful not to mulch too deep or to bury small plants and branches. Depending on the condition of last year’s mulch, we may be able to save you money by “fluffing up” the old mulch. We do not, however, recommend the use of weed mats. Time after time, we’ve discovered that they are rarely effectively, and make the job of weeding even more difficult as the roots often take hold below the mat.