Be Prepared - Prepping for a Spring Garden in Denver

Be Prepared - Prepping for a Spring Garden in Denver

By:Jonathan Manning, CLT
A Better Garden Maintenance, LLC
Denver, CO

Already most of your landscape is exposed since the majority of Denver’s snow has melted. Soon plants will start budding with new foliage and flowers. The lawn will need the first cutting, trimming and edging to make things look sharp. The lawn sprinkler system will need activated and all sprinklers repaired to start the growing season off right. Plan now in order to be prepared for Denver’s upcoming lawn mowing and garden maintenance season.


The twigs from shrubs protruding are looking bleak among the mulch and trees. The bare ground where your lush garden stood last year is still active and growing in your Denver garden. These apparently baron sticks will bring forth leaves and early spring flowers. Fruit trees will present their beautiful and fragrant blossoms. It is important to tend to these plants in the correct season to add consistent splendor to your Colorado garden.




Whether you live in Englewood, Golden, Lonetree, Greenwood Village or in the heart of Denver your lawn will need to be trimmed multiple times in April. This prevents shock and stress to the turf grass which occurs when you take off more than 1/3 of the grass’s leaf blade. Usually in the Denver metro area, a Denver lawn mowing contract would be from the beginning of April and last through the end October. During the first month and the last month of the lawn mowing season, April and October, the grass is usually only mowed twice due to the turf areas growing more slowly at these times. Irrigation systems for your lawn and garden might affect how quickly your grass grows.



A properly functioning lawn sprinkler system is essential in Denver. With our weather patterns always changing ,we never know when the next rainfall will occur. Your Denver lawn sprinkler system repair’s need to occur when the irrigation system is started up. All sprinkler zones need to be ran through and adjusted on a regular basis, weekly after mowing is best, through out the season while actively irrigating your residential or commercial landscape. Having your system tuned up by a qualified sprinkler repair technician is an important way to help prevent water waste from irrigating your lawn and garden.



A wise person prepares for and takes stock of what needs to be done. If you need some assistance, A Better Garden Maintenance, LLC provides full gardening & flower maintenance, lawn mowing contracts and sprinkler repair services. Call on us, (303) 433-3750, if you need help this year. Not only will your plants be healthier and happier, you will have A Better Garden.

Spring Core Lawn Aeration & Lawn Fertilization

Spring Core Lawn Aeration & Lawn Fertilization

By:Jonathan Manning, CLT
A Better Garden Maintenance, LLC
Denver, CO

Sign up now for a lawn aeration & fertilization package!

Package includes one (1) core lawn aeration (April) and three (3) lawn fertilizations (April, July, and September). After each lawn fertilization the concrete areas (walks and drives) are blown to reduce fertilizer waste (pollution) and staining of the concrete.


The cost of this package is as follows:

• $165.00 up to 4500 Sq Ft
• $195.00 up to 5900 Sq Ft
• $235.00 up to 7300 Sq Ft
• $265.00 up to 8700 Sq Ft
• $300.00 up to 10000 Sq Ft

***Above 10,000 Sq Ft, Bid Pricing is available

Edging concrete edges with a steel blade edger can be performed during each fertilization for an additional flat rate, based on property, provide with package contract.

Seasonal Lawn Mowing Contracts - Residential Weekly Lawn Mowing Service

Seasonal Lawn Mowing Contracts - Residential Weekly Lawn Mowing Service

By:Jonathan Manning, CLT
A Better Garden Maintenance, LLC
Denver, CO

***SPECIAL OFFER***

Sign up now for a residential weekly lawn mowing service contract and receive a free sprinkler startup & winterization (up to $70.00 per service). Weekly lawn mowing contracts includes 26 weekly mowings, spring core lawn aeration, three (3) fertilizations. Weekly service includes mowing, string trimming, and blowing. Monthly all concrete edges are edged with a steel blade edger. This package starts at approximately $35 weekly (~$1050 per season). Spring & Fall leaf cleanup are not included in this package.

If contract is cancelled early, homeowner is responsible for all costs related to sprinkler activation fees associated with special offer. Special offer only includes cost of spring sprinkler activation or fall sprinkler winterization, any additional sprinkler repairs will be billed at additional time & materials cost listed in the contract.


Special offer is only available to new customers for contracts signed before April 10th, 2009. Special Offer must be mentioned with initial call. Call now for your free estimate.

Lawn Mowing and the Health of Your Lawn

Lawn Mowing and the Health of Your Lawn

By:Jonathan Manning, CLT
A Better Garden Maintenance, LLC
Denver, CO

There are many things which help create lush, healthy green lawns. Most of these factors are included in the simple act of how you maintain your lawn. The frequency of mowing is a huge factor as well as having sharp blades on the lawn mowers when cutting grass. The height to which the grass is mowed influences water usage and weed growth. The mulching of grass clippings back into the turf area has many beneficial effects and is strongly encouraged. It is important to remember that each of these are important and should be done in combination for the best effect.



We receive many calls asking to have every other week lawn service. The issue with mowing every 14 days is that the grass becomes overgrown. The recommendation is to remove no more that 1/3 of the irrigated turf area at any one time. This means if the grass grows from 2 1/2 inches to 6 inches in 14 days, we should only cut down to 4 inches. This soon becomes impractible as you can imagine as our mowers do not cut that high. When a lawn is cut by more than a third it can stunt the plant. This can allow weed seeds to infiltrate the mat of grass. It also requires the clippings be collected or the lawn to be mown twice and then blown to distribute the clippings. No matter what, the lawn never looks as good as a healthy lawn which is regularly maintained on a weekly schedule.



A healthy lawn can look like it has issues if among the sea of green grass there is brown tips. These brown tips are usually nothing more than dead tips of grass. A sharp lawn mower blade cleanly cuts the blade of the grass plant. When a dull blade is used the grass is ripped and shredded. The dull lawn mower blade causes the cell compartments to rupture and die back causing the brown tips. Make sure sharp blades are used in your turf areas to keep the beautiful green color in your lawn.



The height to which the lawn is mowed might be one of the most influential, besides watering, in keeping a green and healthy lawn. Most people have their own opinion of the height to which an area of grass should be mowed. Sometimes the belief behind this is that if cut at a certain height, such as 1 1/2 inches, that the grass will look uniform once the clover flowers are cut. The thing is once the grass is cut shorter weed seeds already in the soil is no longer shaded by the thick turf. It also allows for more weed seeds to blow in and become established. The shorter grass exposes the soil to more sun and wind which causes evaporation of moisture from the soil. All in all, cutting a grass too low (even in the fall) can cause devastating consequences on irrigated turf grass areas.



Another common misconception in lawn mowing is that mulching grass clippings is bad. Mulching of grass clippings is a huge benefit to your lawn. Mulching the lawn mowing clippings ensures the nutrients applied previously to the grass is returned along the organic matter (increases water holding capacity). It is important to remember to spread out the clippings, using a blower or rake, to prevent disease from large clumps of grass clippings. Remember if there have been any weed killers applied to your lawn,, you should not use the clippings for mulch in your personal garden.



All these factors along with proper fertilization, watering and core aeration contribute in synergy to the health of your lawn. Consult our staff if you would like a reliable lawn service to give you a free quote on turf maintenance contract for your lawn. We also provide commercial landscape maintenance for apartments, town homes, businesses, shopping centers, and office parks.



***Always ask your weekly lawn mowing service how often they sharpen their lawn mowing blades. They should have sharp blades used daily on mowers which have been pressure washed & cleaned. ***

Commercial Landscpae Maintenance Contracts

Commercial Landscpae Maintenance Contracts

By:Jonathan Manning, CLT
A Better Garden Maintenance, LLC
Denver, CO

Now is the time to get everything in order for the upcoming landscaping and gardening season.

Below is listed a usual Request For Proposal (RFP) for a standard commercial landscape maintenance contract. This is a standard service schedule for Apartment Complexes, Class A Business Parks, Commercial Retail Sites, and Warehouses & Businesses.


A typical service schedule for a commercial landscape maintenance contract is listed below.

-Mow, Trim, Blow (26 times) - April-October
-Edging (7 times) - April-October
-Debris Removal (26 times) - April-October
-Hand Weeding - weeds over 3" in height(26 times) - April-October
-Round-up Spray (7 times) - April-October
-Pre-emergent Spray (1 time) - March-April
-Spring Clean-up (1 time) - April
-Fall Clean-up (1 time) - November
-Irrigation Start-up (1 time) - April
-Irrigation Checks (Varies) - April-October
-Irrigation Shut-down (1 time) - October
-Fertilization (3 times) - April, July, August
-Broadleaf (2 times) - April, September
-Aesthetic Pruning (2 times) - June, August

This is a full service schedule but can be adjusted to fit your landscaping needs.
Our trained Horticulturist's will listen to you to service your lawn & garden in the best possible way.

Serving the Denver, Littleton, Morrison, Golden, Englewood, Greenwood Village, Ken Caryl, Lakewood, Green Mountain, Cherry Hills Village, Arvada, Bow Mar, Centennial, Columbine Valley, Highlands Ranch, Glendale, Lone Tree, Washington Park and Cherry Creek areas.