Customer Resources
How to Care for Your New Landscape
Thank you for choosing us to bring your dream to reality! We want to ensure the success of your new landscape for years to come, so we’ve put together the following care instructions for the various aspects of it. These guidelines will help you get the most out of your new investment.
Hardscapes | Plantings | Lawns | Water Features | Irrigation | Handouts
Hardscapes
Below are links to some helpful product guides and maintenance tips directly from the manufacturers. If you have a warranty request, or are interested in sealing/staining your new patio, pathway, pergola, etc. please feel free to reach out to your estimator, or place a request through our Customer Request Form.
Pavers
Western Interlock
Maintenance Guide
An all-encompassing guide on paver protection, maintenance, and troubleshooting
Other Repair & Maintenance Resources
Helpful DIY blogs on specific cleaning remedies
Belgard
Maintenance Guide
A simple overview of maintenance components to look out for
Should I seal my pavers?
Sealing your pavers can help extend the product’s life by many years. If you plan to live with them for your entire lifetime, it’s a good idea to seal them, to protect the surface and color. You can expect to reseal about every 3-5 years. This is done in the Summer months to ensure dry conditions.
Why are there white stains on my pavers or wall block?
Sometimes, weathering of pavers from rain can cause efflorescence on concrete surfaces, such as pavers or wall blocks. This is nothing to be alarmed about. It can typically be removed with an acid-based washing solution and a wire brush. If you need help with this maintenance, please use our inquiry form above to make a request.
How long before I can walk on my sealed pavers or flagstone?
Give the product a full 24 hours to dry before walking on, or placing furniture and pots back on the surface.
Is flagstone more slippery than pavers when wet?
More than 95% of our installations are designed with Bluestone, a sandstone, with a naturally gritty surface, that provides traction. This sets the flagstone about equal with pavers for slip resistance.
How can I keep moss off my patio and pathway?
In the Pacific Northwest, moss is going to happen! While products like Moss Out can be a good solution, it is important to consider runoff into planting beds or waterways before utilizing them. Pressure washing and brushing the surface with a wire brush or broom should be considered before applying a product.
How should I maintain my gravel path?
Raking your path on an annual basis can help deter plant material, such as leaves, from breaking down on the surface, and help curb weeds from growing. You may also get away with using a blower if you can avoid gravel spray. Hitting any weeds with flame, is a great organic approach to consider, before spraying herbicide. Timing is always key, so monitor your paths in the wet season to catch weeds right as they’re popping. Plan to refresh the surface after about 5 years to keep your paths looking good!
Plantings
Garden Check-in Appointments for Plantings
For plantings installed under our warranty terms (i.e. on an automated irrigation system), a team member from our Landscape Department will contact you after your project is complete and make a plan for check-ins to ensure they are established well. We will inspect the plants and soil for good root establishment and soil moisture, and take notes of anything that might be struggling.
Your irrigation controller will also be checked, and adjustments will be made to meet your garden’s seasonal needs. This is also a great opportunity to be shown how your irrigation system works so you feel confident you can shut it down for winter and start it again in spring. If a larger warranty is needed, we will coordinate with our crew to address any issues.
We’re here to help you and your landscape succeed! If you see that anything in your landscape is struggling, then please let us know as soon as you spot a problem so we can rectify it. You don’t need to wait until a scheduled Garden Check-in to reach out. Use our form below to notify us of any concerns. Use our Customer Request Form to notify us of any concerns.
For more specific information, browse our blogs and gardening handouts, with some links below in our lawn care section.
What to expect after the completion of your installation
please note, this schedule varies, depending on the season of installation.
Week 4: First Garden Check-In for plant-only installations, irrigation controller adjustments
6-7 months: Garden Check-In for plant establishment and irrigation controller adjustment
If something is in need of replacement, our team member will make an assessment of whether it is covered by our warranty, and inform you of an actionable plan to restore your garden back to health.
Lawns
New lawns are especially fragile. Spring seed can unexpectedly freeze or frost, summer heat waves can delay rooting and establishment, and fall dormancy can make your new lawns lose their luster a bit sooner than expected. When Shonnard’s installs your new lawns, we make sure that it establishes well during this sensitive time! You’ll be hearing from us soon after your installation so we can check on its progress.
For our sod and grass seed customers, who are covered under our warranty terms (i.e. on an automated irrigation system), you can expect to see us back out to make sure your lawn is establishing well – see our time table to the right. At these visits, a team member will check for good germination and/or root establishment of your lawn, as well as making any necessary updates to the irrigation controller settings. If anything is struggling, we will assess whether it can be remedied on site at that visit, or if it requires a return from our construction crews to remedy it. We will leave a bag of TurfMend at the project finish or the first Check-In appointment. This is in case you need to fill in a spot after the follow-up checks. The product you receive matches your specific installation, and is a combination of seed, cover, and amendments.
We recommend at the 2-week mark that you apply the TurfMend as needed. That seed stays viable in the bag for about a year, so it is good for a Fall or Spring overseed!
If you have any questions or concerns relating to your lawn that aren’t addressed on a visit, please feel free to submit a request with our form below.
What to expect after the completion of your installation
please note, this schedule varies, depending on the season of installation.
Week 1: Sod/seed check and irrigation controller check
Week 2: Customer overseed with “TurfMend product” as needed
Week 3: Sod/seed check and irrigation controller adjustment, plant check for establishment, and possible root stimulator application if necessary
If something is in need of replacement, our team member will make an assessment of whether it is covered by our warranty, and inform you of an actionable plan to restore your garden back to health.
Water Features
Pond & Water Feature Maintenance
We love our ponds, and keeping them healthy and running clean is very important. Our Pond Division installs water features and provides full maintenance services.
Our team offers routine monthly maintenance and seasonal maintenance such as winterizing, as well as on-call cleanup and repair services. Call us at 541-929-3524 to request maintenance services, or send us a message.
Irrigation
Shonnard’s offers full installation and an annual sprinkler program for backflow checks, spring turn-ons, and turn-offs.
Our irrigation team offers routine maintenance, on call emergency repairs, and design and installation services as well.
Give us a call to ask about further details and pricing.
Shonnard’s Sprinkler/Backflow Program
This is a combination service plan that includes:
- First hour of service for the spring irrigation system turn-on/check
- One backflow test
- First hour of service for the irrigation turn-off/fall winterization
Labor that exceeds 1 hour and any needed materials are billed additionally. The Sprinkler/Backflow Program does not include repair work. The program runs year-round.
Handouts
Plantings Handouts
OSU Gardening Calendar – These are the pages you want to print out and tack on your fridge! This month-by-month calendar tells you what to work on in the garden and when.
Here are some further helpful resources from our site to help address some of our most commonly asked questions!
Protecting Plants from Extreme Heat
For what to do in the hottest Summer months!
Blueberry Care
Because everyone can use blueberries in their life.
Rose Care
Your go-to Roses 101.
Hydrangeas & Changing Color
The how-to’s on getting that perfect pink or bedazzling blue.
Fertilizing in Fall
Plants are growing, only slower – proper applications will help them succeed.
Rhododendron Fall Care
A few helpful tips to ensure healthy Rhodies!
Winter Weather Plant Protection
Once we hit October in the PNW, this should be in your sites.
Fruit Tree Pruning & Spraying
Check out the videos from our classes on this page as well!
Disease Prevention & Spraying
You missed the Winter spray window? This is a plan b.
Pruning Shrubs & Trees
Find some video tutorials on this page.
Deterring Animal Pests with Plantskydd
For tips on repelling deer and the like.
Lawn Care Handouts
Pro Time Lawn Seed – Pro Care Tips
This site has great PDF printouts, covering How-to’s of Planting & Repair
Practical Lawn Care for Western Oregon
OSU Extension Service’s all-encompassing guide to your lawn in Western Oregon (from mowing height to fertilization, and more).
Seasonal Care Handouts from Shonnard’s:
How to Restore a Troubled Lawn
Spring Lawn Care
Fall Lawn Care
Lime for the Fall Lawn
The silver bullet of the garden – use this on plants and lawns!
During plant installation, we use a product called Fertilome Root Stimulator to encourage new root growth, as well as an all-purpose fertilizer when seasonally appropriate. If something is suffering from transplant shock and noticed at a Garden Check-in, we will use that same root stimulator again to coax your plants or sod through.
We highly recommend any homeowner keep a bottle of Fertilome Root Stimulator for their garden, as it works great for turf and perennials, shrubs, and trees! Make sure temps are below 90 degrees before applying!
Warranties, Questions & Return Customer Requests
If you have a warranty concern (e.g., a plant is failing, or a paver edge has sunk), a question about your project (e.g., “What sealing product was used on my pavers?”), or you are looking to add more to your landscape, please fill out the form below to provide details. A team member will contact you as soon as possible to further assist you.