Fine Hand Pruning | Landscape Design | Installation Management | Garden Healthcare

PbD offers several landscape services to address your specific garden challenges and landscape development desires. We listen to and collaborate with you, caring for every garden as though it were our own. We blend art and science for a beautiful garden.

Fine Hand Pruning

“Selective” Fine Hand Pruning means that PbD uses manual tools along with our experienced eyes to shape new plantings and rejuvenate mature ones to carefully, precisely and efficiently select each cut we make.

How we work - We are happy to provide you with a proposal for Annual Seasonal Maintenance or Hand Pruning by Project on an As Needed Basis. Let us know what you need and we can help you!

Our Philosophy - Selective Hand Pruning means that we proactively select which branches to prune and by doing so, we strengthen your shrub’s natural architecture, resiliency and ability to photosynthesize.

We will properly “package” clippings for retrieval by municipal collectors but we don’t remove yard waste from the site.  We encourage onsite composting or we can place trimmings at the curb.

Pruning for Structure - We open up the shrub to allow in light for growth in the interior.  We invigorate plants by restructuring and encouraging stronger branching.

Pruning for Health - As we prune, we observe your shrubs and ornamental trees to nip potential problems in the bud. We practice good IPM “mechanical control”, pruning out and pests and disease vectors, cleaning our tools as we go. We don’t use chemical interventions.

Timing - We know when to cut and when NOT to cut, paying attention to new growth, changes and stresses throughout the season, with our knowledge of annual bloom and dormancy times for specific shrubs and ornamental trees.

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Landscape Design & Architecture

Landscape Design and Architecture starts with a conversation. Pbd will walk in your yard with you, discussing your goals, your vision, and your challenges. We analyze the site and listen to your ideas. We also provide our own thoughts for what might or might not work. We bring our design ideas to support a garden style that inspires you and your family.

We can start with a brief introductory meeting lasting about 15 minutes, at no charge. We’re happy to discuss how we work, our design process, and help you assess your existing garden to decide what your best next step with us might be.

Garden Consultation - This is an hour long session to introduce ourselves and also provide specific ideas for your garden. You will come away with lots of advice, from individual plant ideas to large scale and “vision” suggestions.  You might use this consultation to start getting some landscape work done yourself, or as a way of refining exactly what it is you want us to help you to accomplish in your garden.

Landscape Plan Development - With those ideas and site information we gather, we develop a comprehensive, detailed plan for your yard and gardens. The product may be a unified master plan drawing of your property with specific plant ideas, hardscape locations and materials, possible drainage solutions and pertinent details, or, it may be a simpler schematic plan, as needed. When we finish the design, the plan is ready to go to a contractor for pricing.

Our Landscape Plans and Architecture Work includes :

  • master plans

  • planting plans

  • native plant expertise

  • patios, steps & stoops

  • stone work & walls

  • swales & stormwater

  • grading & drainage

  • irrigation & lighting

  • fire pits & water features

  • driveways

  • fences

Installation Management & Construction Supervision

Installation Management - Once we’ve developed a plan with you, you may choose to continue working with us to manage the installation so that we can make it easy for you. (Or, as an option, you may be happy to diy.) We can coordinate and manage all services that are involved in installing your newly designed landscape to ensure that the final outcome matches your vision.  We have several excellent contractors we work with for plantings, patios, walls, lighting and irrigation or we can work with your own preferred.

Construction Supervision - We will be in touch with both you and the contractor on a regular basis to review the progress, answer questions and resolve issues as they may arise. We visit the site regularly to direct HOW projects will be built and installed, discussing details with contractors using our experience to get the best result and to convey and guide you through choices.

Garden Healthcare

Garden Health Consulting - We can help you identify and assess your garden challenges and strengths so that you may improve your garden’s health from the ground up. We take a holistic approach by investigating the impact of stormwater, soil compaction, looking for potential pests and disease vectors, making sure the bones of the garden have good architecture and foliage has vigor. We can make recommendations and give you academically supported information and strategies for increasing ecological resilience in your garden.

Weeding & Invasive Plant removal : Our PbD team can handle your weeds and invasives! Unlike typical mow and blow lawn maintenance companies, we can offer regular hand weeding by a crew who has knowledge about how to manage ornamental perennials, removing weeds and invasives without using chemicals. We can manage large area Ivy removal projects as an additional service, on a Project Basis.


IPM Monitoring & Practices

Monitor Key Pests and Key Plants : We develop a plant health checkup review database sheet for your unique garden and use it to monitor key pests and key plants for you year round, documenting as we go. We get to know your garden and look for signs and symptoms of potential illness and problems before they become unmanageable. Pbd offers assistance in diagnosing and strategizing, as needed.

Mechanical and Physical Controls : Pruning is your first line of defense against problem insect pests. We prune out infestations but we also know which are the beneficial insects to encourage and leave in place. We prune to encourage airflow and remove disease vectors, to improve the health and vigor of your garden. This is our standard practice! We do not use chemical controls. You can count on us.

We are happy to provide you with a proposal for Annual Seasonal Maintenance weeding, or weeding on an As Needed Basis; Weeding and invasive removal + IPM monitoring services = Garden Health Care. Let us know what you need and we can help you!