Aftercare
The first 12 months of a new garden, month by month
Chris Dowsett · 5 June 2026
The day we finish planting a garden is the day it is most fragile. The first 12 months decide whether a makeover becomes an establishing landscape or an expensive lesson, which is why every installation we do leaves with a watering plan, a fertilising plan and a 12 month maintenance roadmap.
Here is roughly what that roadmap looks like.
Months 1 to 3: water is everything
New plants live out of a root ball the size of their pot until they grow into your soil. Deep watering 2 to 3 times a week beats a daily sprinkle, because roots follow moisture downward. Mulch holds it there. The most common new-garden death on the Coast is not neglect, it is shallow watering that keeps roots lazy until the first hot week kills them.
Months 3 to 6: the first feed and the first shape
Once plants show new growth, they are rooted enough to feed. A slow-release native-safe fertiliser, applied once, carries most palettes through to summer. This is also when we tip-prune: pinching the new growth on screening plants and shrubs so they thicken from the base instead of stretching thin.
Months 6 to 9: weeds make their move
The open mulch of a young garden is an invitation. A short monthly pass now, while weeds are seedlings, saves the wrestling match later. We also top up mulch where it has thinned, keeping it clear of stems and trunks.
Months 9 to 12: the garden declares itself
By now you can see what is thriving and what is sulking. The honest move is to act on it: relocate the sulkers, repeat the winners. The strongest gardens we care for are edited every year, not defended as originally planted.
The milestone that matters
At 12 months, a properly established garden no longer needs you daily. Watering drops to weather-dependent, the planting holds its own against weeds, and growth compounds. That is the handover moment we design for.
Every Loving Your Garden installation includes this roadmap tailored to your exact plants and soil. Prefer to hand the whole thing over? Our care plans pick up where the planting finishes.
