FAQ

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Yes! This is our preferred method of garden care. Our gardens evolve and grow every day, and through weekly, biweekly, or monthly visits we can keep an eye on your gardens health, remove weeds before they take over, and deadhead/prune plants to keep your garden blooming as long as possible. 

We offer tree pruning from the ground. We are not arborists, but we can help your big shrubs and trees with overall health and aesthetics by pruning branches growing into each other, keeping them from growing into buildings, removing dead and diseased growth. If we can reach it, we can help, be we cannot climb trees or get on ladders to remove tall branches. 

Spring and Fall clean ups are like resets for your gardens going into the next seasons. They are essential for promoting the best growth, blooms, and health of your gardens. 

During Spring Clean Up our focus is on removing leaves, dead or damaged plant matter from winter, and fluffing up mulch. If your garden needs a mulch refresh, we recommend it at this time and give you an estimate. Usually we will fertilize your plants during this time. We also will during this time do heavy prunes on plants that need it, with the goal of creating more growing space, promoting better airflow, and removing any matter that could be a cause for concern (i.e. dead or diseased canes on a rose.)

During Fall Clean Up we want to help your gardens get ready for the upcoming winter. We will clean leaves away from the bases of your plants to prevent pests or disease from taking hold on your plants in the winter. Any plants that benefit from a winter pruning will be pruned at this time. We do tend to leave spent canes and growth on your plants during this time, as it can still be used by wildlife as sources of shelter, food, and interest during the snowy U.P. winters. 

At this time, we do not provide lawn mowing, fertilizing, or seeding services. Our focus is on ornamental garden beds. 

It depends! 

For weeds, we will sometimes use a vinegar based weed spray, and only in rocky/sidewalk/gravel areas. This will kill unsightly weeds from the top, and this is a quick way to deter weeds in areas that do not have grass or other plants around them. We will not use any commercial herbicides for gardens or lawns, like "weed n feeds" or Round Up. 

For bugs, we have a few different options. We will still always avoid commercial pesticides, but we can use more natural options such as neem oil mixes and diatomaceous earth. Bug infestations are a more complex problem that needs to be carefully monitored and addressed, so the beneficial insects and creatures in your gardens are not harmed.  

I have experience in small garden design and installation and I'm happy to look at your idea and let you know if it's something I can do for you. We are not equipped at this time to do large remodels of gardens or large installations of hardscaping. I say "we" in a lot of the company information, but at this time I'm a one man show doing most of the work in Northern Roots. 

I can definitely help you to add some more plants/color/decor to your gardens and do small repairs. I am happy to work with you and freshen up gardens, add wood mulch, add perennials or annuals for more color and dynamics.