Landscape management in Boise, Idaho

Landscape management in Boise is for the yard that got away from you. The shrubs are swallowing the windows, the sprinklers water the sidewalk, a tree is leaning, and the beds are more weeds than plants. Or you just bought a home and have no idea what's planted where or how the watering is set up.

I'm Kabe Hockema. I'm a design and build landscaper, and landscape management is how I look at a yard over the long run: what's working, what isn't, and what it will take to keep it healthy for years. It's part of my landscaper work in the Treasure Valley. The way I approach it, landscape management is a plan plus the work to carry it out. I fix what's causing the extra upkeep, renovate the tired areas, and leave you with a seasonal routine that you, or whoever cares for your yard, can follow.

What landscape management covers

• A walk-through of the whole property. Plants, trees, irrigation, drainage, hardscape and soil.
• A plan. What to fix now, what can wait, and what should be replaced.
• Renovation work. Removing overgrown or dying plants, rebuilding beds, and correcting grade and irrigation problems.
• A care routine by season that fits your yard and how much time you want to spend on it.

Fix the cause, not just the symptom

Most high-upkeep yards have a cause behind them. A shrub that needs shearing every month was planted too close to the walk. Brown patches in the lawn trace back to a sprinkler head that's tipped or blocked. Weeds keep coming back because the beds have bare soil and no mulch. A tree is struggling because lawn sprays have watered it shallow and often for years.

I'd rather fix those once than manage them forever. That might mean moving a plant, replacing it with one that fits the space, running drip lines to the beds, or reshaping a lawn so mowing takes half the time.

A care routine for Treasure Valley seasons

Our seasons set the schedule. Here's the general routine I recommend for most Boise yards:

• Early spring. Clean up beds, cut back perennials and ornamental grasses, look for winter damage, and start up the irrigation. Check every zone for leaks and broken heads.
• Late spring. Add fresh mulch, prune spring-blooming shrubs after they flower, and set the controller for warmer weather.
• Summer. Water deep and less often, early in the morning before the wind picks up. Raise the mower a notch so the grass shades its own roots. Adjust zones as the heat builds.
• Fall. This is the best time to plant trees and shrubs here. Aerate and feed the lawn, and cut back watering as the days cool.
• Before the first hard freeze. Blow out the irrigation lines so water left inside doesn't freeze and crack pipes. Give evergreens a deep drink. Wrap the trunks of young, thin-barked trees to prevent sunscald, which is bark damage from bright winter sun.
• Winter. During long dry, mild stretches, water young trees on a warm afternoon. Keep ice melt away from beds.

Trees need a long view

Trees are the hardest part of a landscape to replace. Good care means watering them deep and slow out near the edge of the branches, not right at the trunk, and pruning them while they're young so they grow a strong shape. Heavy pruning or removing a large mature tree is work for an arborist, a tree care specialist. I plan around existing trees and plant new ones in the right spots. See tree landscaping for more.

Designing for less upkeep

When I renovate part of a yard, I set it up to be easier to care for. That means plants spaced for their full grown size, clean edges between lawn and beds, drip irrigation in planting areas, mulch over bare soil, and fewer plants that need constant shearing. If you want a yard that needs less water and less work over time, green landscaping takes that further. For new beds and shrubs, see my planting work. For a full redo, yard landscaping covers the bigger picture.

Cost and phasing

The size of the property and how far it's slipped are the big factors. Clearing years of overgrowth, grinding stumps, hauling debris and repairing irrigation all take time. Replacing plants costs more than pruning them back. Working in phases, starting with the worst area, is a good way to spread out the cost. After the walk-through, I'll give you a clear plan with a price for each part.

Where I work

I take on landscape management and renovation projects in Boise, Eagle, Meridian, Garden City, Star, Kuna, Nampa, Caldwell, Middleton and Hidden Springs, plus select projects in Sun Valley and Ketchum. Because I take a limited number of projects each season, I run each one myself, from the first walk-through to the last plant, and you'll have my direct number.

If you want landscape management in Boise that fixes problems instead of chasing them, schedule a consultation or call me at (541) 961-7269.