Seasonal Tips & Frequently Asked Questions

New Planting Care Instructions

Congratulations, you are now the proud owner of a new McAdam Landscape.

Now that you are enjoying your investment, it is important to take care of your new plantings so your investment grows and thrives.

Your new plantings will take a while to adapt. We use the phrase “sleeps, creeps, and leaps” to define the stages your plants will go through over the next few years.

Year one - your plants will “sleep”. By that we mean they will not show much shoot development, but they will be developing a strong root system.

Year two - your plants will "creep". This means that the new plants will show more shoot development, but they are still adapting and developing roots.

Year three - your plants will "leap". This refers to them finally beginning to show their true colors. They actually look like they are growing, and quite vigorously.

But how do we insure that they will develop as we suggest above? Well, watering is critical. We recommend that new plants receive enough water in the initial stages so the soil remains moist around the plant, not wet or flooded, but moist. Many people advocate the one inch of moisture per week, however, if we are in an extreme drought and we have new plantings, more water is needed. Also remember, just because you watered the first month doesn’t mean that your responsibility is up. It simply means that the longer they have to adapt under ideal conditions, the healthier and better your plant will be and therefore you should continue to water. It is also best to water early in the morning. This is not because the foliage will burn if the sun shines on leaves with water droplets on them, but because we can be more effective in our watering and can actually conserve water. Watering in the early morning allows the water to soak into the soil before it evaporates in the sun.

Next, fertilization. While your McAdam Professional fertilizes your plants upon installation, fertilizer will only last so long in the soil and the benefits also only last so long. Also, the frequent watering of your plants following installation will cause some of the fertilizer to leach out of the surrounding soils. Therefore it is important to feed your plants at least one time per year. There are many types of fertilizer to use so contact your McAdam Landscaping professional for advice on your plantings.

Pruning your new plants will probably not be necessary the first year unless you have a broken branch or you get one wild shoot that seems to be reaching for the stars. But remember, if for cosmetic reasons and not structural, a good rule of thumb is prune immediately after flowering. Most of your spring and many of your summer flowering shrubs initiate the next year’s flower buds within a couple of months of flowering. So if you find a spring flowering plant that gets wild and wooly and you prune it in September, bets are pretty good you just cut off next year’s flower buds.

Perennials will need minimal care the first season. McAdam recommends that you cut back your perennials to within a few inches of the ground in late fall, with the exception of ornamental grasses. The grasses can remain until the spring so you can enjoy their structure during the winter months. In early spring, cut back the ornamental grasses. By cutting back your perennials, you will remove much of the old plant material and allow light and air to the crown of the plant. Your perennials may need to be divided in a few years. This can be done very effectively by you, the homeowner. If you have questions, contact your McAdam Landscaping professional for advice or to have McAdam do the work for you.

So, if you follow these simple rules, your landscape will thrive, not survive and your investment will grow. But, if all else fails, contact your McAdam Landscaping Professional for help or advice.