The perennials we have been planting over the last 4 years are now established and most of the flower beds are now in upkeep vs. revamp mode. Upkeep mode is far less demanding, so this is a good thing.
All sprinkler and drip systems are in good working order and are on working timers. We have a lawn service that regularly mows the grass in the corner beds, and trims the jasmine in the entry gardens.
Most all the flower beds have been adopted by a primary caretaker, who is more or less the guardian of that bed. They contact me if they see something out of place (dying bush, broken sprinkler, etc.) and do hand watering if needed to keep new plants alive. They also provide valuable suggestions on garden design upgrades.
The hedges are now established enough that we are ready to turn the trimming of them over to a lawn service, and Dave Nichols will be seeking bids for adding quarterly trimming of the hedges to the lawn service responsibilities.
We’ve found a reliable and knowledgeable irrigation specialist for our watering systems who is always willing to come and help when timers stop working or an irrigation problem is too large for us to handle.
All in all, the gardens are in pretty good shape as are our contracts and relationships with our vendors and volunteers.