Blog

By Nature's Way Landscapes

You just invested $50,000, $80,000, maybe $100,000 or more into your outdoor space. The patio is perfect. The plantings are in. The lighting transforms everything at night.

Now what?

Here's the honest truth most design-build firms won't tell you: a landscape starts declining the moment it's finished. Not because anything was done wrong — but because living things need care, and hardscape needs attention.

The question isn't whether to maintain your landscape. It's how — and who's going to do it.

What Happens When You Don't Maintain

I've seen it too many times. A homeowner invests in a beautiful space, enjoys it for a season or two, then life gets busy. The weeds creep in. The irrigation heads get knocked out of alignment. The perennials that looked stunning in year one get choked out by year three.

Five years later, they're calling us back — not for maintenance, but for renovation. They're paying twice.

In Boulder's climate, neglect accelerates fast:

• Spring: Without proper cleanup and pruning, dead material smothers new growth

• Summer: Irrigation issues go unnoticed until plants are stressed or dying

• Fall: Leaves left on beds invite disease and pests over winter

• Winter: Freeze-thaw cycles damage hardscape if drainage wasn't maintained

None of this is dramatic. It's gradual. That's what makes it dangerous — you don't notice until the damage is done.

The Three Things Every Landscape Needs

Whether you maintain it yourself or hire someone, your landscape needs three things consistently:

1. Horticultural Care

Plants aren't decorations. They're living things with specific needs — water, nutrients, pruning at the right time, pest management, seasonal adjustments.

In Boulder, this means understanding which plants need protection from late spring freezes, which ones struggle in our alkaline soil, and which ones will take over if you don't manage them.

2. Irrigation Management

Your irrigation system isn't "set it and forget it." Heads get bumped. Drip emitters clog. Seasonal water needs change dramatically — what works in May will drown plants in September.

A well-maintained system saves water and keeps plants healthy. A neglected one wastes money and kills the landscape it's supposed to support.

3. Hardscape Attention

Pavers shift. Joints lose sand. Efflorescence appears. Stone surfaces need sealing. Retaining walls need drainage checked.

This isn't annual — some of it's every few years. But someone needs to be watching.

DIY vs. Professional: An Honest Assessment

Can you maintain your landscape yourself? Maybe. It depends on three things:

Your time. A well-designed landscape in Boulder needs 2-4 hours of attention weekly during growing season. Do you have that? Consistently?

Your knowledge. Do you know when to prune your Karl Foerster grasses versus your Russian sage? Do you know what iron chlorosis looks like? Do you know how to adjust irrigation run times for a wet May versus a dry one?

Your honesty. Most homeowners start strong. By July, they're behind. By September, they've given up until next year. By next year, they're dealing with problems that didn't exist when they started.

I'm not saying this to sell you something. I'm saying it because I've watched the pattern hundreds of times.

If you genuinely enjoy the work and have the time — maintain it yourself. Your landscape will thrive.

If you're being optimistic about your bandwidth — be honest with yourself now, not after the damage is done.

What Professional Maintenance Actually Looks Like

When we maintain a property, here's what's actually happening:

Regular visits. Not just mowing and blowing, but eyes on your landscape every week or two. We catch problems early — the irrigation leak, the aphid infestation, the settling paver — before they become expensive fixes.

Seasonal transitions. Spring cleanup, fall prep, winterization. Each season has specific needs, and timing matters.

Proactive adjustments. Your landscape will evolve. Plants mature. Some thrive, some struggle. A good maintenance partner adjusts the plan based on what's actually happening, not what the original design assumed.

Documentation. We photograph your property regularly. You see what we see. No surprises.

The Real Cost of Maintenance

Let's talk numbers, because this matters.

Professional landscape maintenance in the Boulder area typically runs:

• Essential Care (lawn + beds or garden-only): $300-450/month

• Signature Care (larger properties, comprehensive management): $600+/month

Yes, that's real money. But here's the math most people don't do:

A $75,000 landscape that's well-maintained will look better in year 10 than it did in year 2. Plants mature. The space grows into itself.

That same landscape neglected needs $15,000-30,000 in renovation by year 7. Maybe sooner.

Maintenance isn't an expense. It's insurance on your investment.

Why the Team That Built It Should Maintain It

This isn't a sales pitch — it's practical logic.

The crew that installed your landscape knows it intimately. We know which plants we put where and why. We know how the drainage works. We know the irrigation zones. We know what the design intended.

When something looks off, we know what "right" looks like because we built it.

A random maintenance company is starting from zero. They don't know your plant varieties, your soil amendments, your irrigation layout. They're guessing.

Is it possible to find a great maintenance partner who didn't build your space? Sure. But there's a learning curve, and your landscape pays the tuition.

Start the Conversation Now

If you've recently completed a landscape project — or you're planning one this winter — think about maintenance before you're in trouble.

Ask your design-build firm: Do you offer ongoing care? What does it include? What happens if I wait a year and call you then?

If you're a homeowner in Boulder, Lafayette, Louisville, or the surrounding areas with a landscape worth protecting, we should talk.

Book a Consultation or call us at 720.818.7920.

Your landscape was built to be a retreat. Keep it that way.

Nature's Way Landscapes designs, builds, and maintains personalized outdoor living spaces for homeowners across Boulder and surrounding communities. Learn more about our Care plans or explore our project gallery.