The garden by the calendar
We mow, trim, clean and water yards in Veliko Tarnovo, month by month. One-off or with a contract for the whole season.
Automatic irrigation
When
March–June, September–October
How often
One-off, then service
One visit
Two to five days
DIA Botanica · Water
Mowing
When
April–October
How often
Every 7–14 days in season
One visit
An hour to half a day
DIA Botanica · Lawn
Maintenance contract
When
March–November
How often
Every one or two weeks
One visit
Two hours to a full day
DIA Botanica · Contract
What's due in the yard now
January
The garden is asleep. Time for winter pruning of fruit trees on a dry, frost-free day.
February
The last month for winter pruning. The irrigation system is checked for frost damage.
March
The soil warms up. Post-winter clean-up, first fertilizing, and starting the irrigation after the last frosts.
April
The grass wakes up. First mowing, aeration and overseeding of bare patches.
- Maintenance contractEvery one or two weeks
- MowingEvery 7–14 days in season
- Aeration and fertilizingOnce or twice a year
- New lawnOne-off
- Yard clean-upOne-off
- Beds and mulchEvery two to four weeks
- Automatic irrigationOne-off, then service
- Drip irrigationOne-off, then service
- Service and winterizingTwice a year and as needed
May
The fastest growth of the year. Mowing every week, weeding and mulch in the beds.
- Maintenance contractEvery one or two weeks
- MowingEvery 7–14 days in season
- New lawnOne-off
- Yard clean-upOne-off
- Shrubs and hedgesTwice a year
- Beds and mulchEvery two to four weeks
- Automatic irrigationOne-off, then service
- Drip irrigationOne-off, then service
- Service and winterizingTwice a year and as needed
June
The first hedge trim, once the birds have left their nests. Irrigation runs every day.
July
Heat and drought. Mowing higher, watering early in the morning, checking the drip lines in the beds.
August
The lawn is stressed by drought. The second hedge trim toward the end of the month.
September
The best month for a new lawn and for aeration. The ground is warm and the nights are damp.
October
Leaf fall. The leaves are collected before they smother the lawn. Last mowing and autumn fertilizing.
November
Winterizing the irrigation before the first frost cracks the pipes and heads.
December
The garden rests. A good time for a contract and a plan for next season.
Twelve jobs, each in its season
Flip the packet to see when it's done, how often, and how long one visit takes. The color is the family: yellow for lawn, rust for clean-up, green for shaping, blue for water.
Maintenance contract
When
March–November
How often
Every one or two weeks
One visit
Two hours to a full day
DIA Botanica · Contract
Mowing
When
April–October
How often
Every 7–14 days in season
One visit
An hour to half a day
DIA Botanica · Lawn
Aeration and fertilizing
When
March–April, September–October
How often
Once or twice a year
One visit
Half a day to a day
DIA Botanica · Lawn
New lawn
When
March–May, September–October
How often
One-off
One visit
One to three days
DIA Botanica · Lawn
Yard clean-up
When
February–November
How often
One-off
One visit
One to three days
DIA Botanica · Clean-up
Leaves and autumn
When
October–December
How often
One to three times in autumn
One visit
Two hours to a day
DIA Botanica · Clean-up
Shrubs and hedges
When
May–June, August–September
How often
Twice a year
One visit
Two hours to a day
DIA Botanica · Shaping
Tree pruning
When
January–March, November
How often
Once a year
One visit
An hour to a full day
DIA Botanica · Shaping
Beds and mulch
When
April–September
How often
Every two to four weeks
One visit
Two hours to half a day
DIA Botanica · Shaping
Automatic irrigation
When
March–June, September–October
How often
One-off, then service
One visit
Two to five days
DIA Botanica · Water
Drip irrigation
When
March–June, September
How often
One-off, then service
One visit
One to three days
DIA Botanica · Water
Service and winterizing
When
March–August, October–November
How often
Twice a year and as needed
One visit
An hour to half a day
DIA Botanica · Water
Water is split into zones
Sunny lawn drinks twice as much as shady lawn, and beds need water at the roots, not on the leaves. So each zone waters one area with one kind of sun.
- Automatic irrigation for the lawn: rotors and spray nozzles, valves, controller.
- Drip irrigation for beds, hedges and vegetables.
- Start-up, service and winterizing every spring and autumn.
- Zone 1: rotors on the sunny lawn
- Zone 2: spray nozzles on the shady lawn
- Zone 3: drip along the hedge
- The controller is on the house wall
A yard's year
Every job has its months. The seasonal contract follows this table: we come when it's time, not when someone remembers.
| Job | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maintenance contract | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | |||
| Mowing | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | |||||
| Aeration and fertilizing | yes | yes | yes | yes | ||||||||
| New lawn | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | |||||||
| Yard clean-up | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | ||
| Leaves and autumn | yes | yes | yes | |||||||||
| Shrubs and hedges | yes | yes | yes | yes | ||||||||
| Tree pruning | yes | yes | yes | yes | ||||||||
| Beds and mulch | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | ||||||
| Automatic irrigation | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | ||||||
| Drip irrigation | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | |||||||
| Service and winterizing | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
Two ways to work together
Seasonal contract
March to November, on a schedule. A fixed monthly fee, agreed after the site visit.
- The same people every time
- The work follows the yard's calendar
- Priority in the schedule in May and June
- Irrigation start-up and winterizing are in the plan
One-off visit
One job, when you need it. The price is given after a site visit or from photos.
- Clearing an overgrown yard
- Autumn leaves, pruning, hedge
- New lawn or irrigation system
How a season goes
Site visit
The day you call
We walk the yard with you: lawn, beds, hedges, trees, taps and irrigation. The site visit is free.
Month-by-month plan
Within a week of the visit
You get in writing what is done each month, how often we come and what it costs.
Scheduled visits
March to November
The same people come. If something in the yard needs attention outside the plan, we tell you before we touch it.
Closing the season
November
Leaves, the last mowing and winterizing the irrigation. Then the plan for next year.
How far we go from Veliko Tarnovo
We do regular maintenance up to 40 kilometers out, because within that distance the drive doesn't eat up the visit. Farther out, we come for irrigation and for jobs of at least half a day.
Up to 20 km
Regular contract visits and one-off jobs. Travel is included.
Veliko Tarnovo, Arbanasi, Debelets, Kilifarevo, Samovodene, Sheremetya, Prisovo, Tserova Koriya, Malki Chiflik, Vetrintsi
20–40 km
Contract and one-off jobs. Travel is added to the bill.
Gorna Oryahovitsa, Lyaskovets, Dolna Oryahovitsa, Parvomaytsi, Draganovo, Dzhulyunitsa, Zlataritsa, Polikraishte, Kozarevets
40–60 km
Irrigation and jobs of at least half a day.
Elena, Strazhitsa, Pavlikeni, Svishtov, Polski Trambesh, Byala Cherkva
Questions we get most often
How much does yard maintenance cost?
It depends on the lawn area, the hedges and beds, and how often we come. After a free site visit you get a monthly contract fee or a per-visit price in writing. From photos we can give you a ballpark over the phone.
How often should the lawn be mowed?
In May and June about once a week; in summer and autumn every ten to fourteen days. The rule is to never take off more than a third of the height at once, or the grass turns yellow.
Do I need to be home while you work?
No. Most contract clients leave us access to the yard and the tap. We tell you in advance when we're coming and what will be done.
What happens to the clippings and branches?
We collect and haul them away, or leave them on site for compost if you have a compost pile. It's decided at the site visit.
When is the best time to install automatic irrigation?
In spring or autumn, and ideally before the new lawn is sown. In an established lawn the pipes go into a narrow trench that grows back in a few weeks.
Why does irrigation need winterizing?
Water left in the pipes, valves and heads freezes and cracks them. In autumn the system is blown out with a compressor, zone by zone. In spring it's started up and every head is checked.
The site visit is free
Send two photos of the yard and tell us whether you want one job or the whole season. We'll tell you over the phone when we can come.