Garden Restoration in Asheville, NC
Bring a neglected garden back to life: clearing overgrowth, rebuilding beds and terraces, and finishing with fresh mulch and planting.
From overgrown to done again
This is the service for a garden that already exists but hasn't been touched in a while: beds gone to weeds, terraces buried under growth, a slope nobody has been able to keep up with. We clear it out and rebuild it.
Before
After
Before
AfterEvery restoration is different
Some gardens just need weeding and a fresh edge. Others need the terrace rebuilt from the ground up. We look at what's actually there before recommending anything.
Why gardens here go backwards so fast
Western North Carolina gets around 45 inches of rain a year, and that combined with a long humid summer means anything left alone fills in fast. A bed that looked fine two seasons ago can be waist high in honeysuckle, brambles and English ivy without anyone doing anything wrong.
The other thing working against you is our soil. Most yards around Asheville sit on heavy red clay that compacts hard, drains slowly and holds very little organic matter near the surface. Plants put in without amending that clay tend to sulk for a couple of years and then give up, which is why so many older beds end up half dead and half weeds.
So a restoration that only pulls the visible growth does not last. We take out root systems rather than just the tops, break up and amend compacted soil where we are replanting, and finish with enough mulch depth to keep the next round of weed seed from germinating.
How a restoration runs
Usually one to a few days on site, depending on how far the property has gone.
Assess
We work out what is worth keeping. Mature shrubs and healthy trees usually stay, overgrowth and dead material goes.
Clear
Weeds, brambles and dead plants come out at the root, and the beds get taken back to bare soil.
Rebuild
Terraces, stone borders and bed lines get reset, and compacted soil is broken up and amended.
Replant and finish
New plants where you want them, then a full depth of fresh mulch to hold it and keep weeds down.
What affects the price
Restoration is the hardest service to price sight unseen, because two yards that look similar from the road can be very different once you get into the beds. The factors:
We walk the property with you, tell you honestly what needs doing versus what can wait a season, and put the whole thing in writing.
Garden restoration FAQ
Can you fix a garden that hasn't been touched in years?+
Yes, that is exactly what this service is for. We clear overgrowth and dead plants, rebuild beds and terraces, and finish with fresh mulch and planting so the garden is usable again.
Do you work on terraced or sloped gardens?+
Yes. Overgrown terraces and stone-edged beds are some of the most common restorations we do around Asheville, since so many properties here are built on a slope.
How long does a garden restoration take?+
It depends on the size and condition of the property. Most residential restorations are completed in one to a few days once work begins.
What's the difference between this and landscaping?+
Garden restoration is for a yard that already exists but has been neglected: we clear it out and bring it back. Landscaping is for adding new beds, plants or layout to a yard, restored or not.
Will the weeds just grow back?+
Not the way they do after a surface cleanup. We pull root systems instead of just cutting tops, which matters enormously for the things that take over around here like ivy, honeysuckle and brambles. Finished with a proper depth of mulch, a restored bed stays clean for a season or more, and a light maintenance visit a few times a year keeps it that way.
Do you replace plants that have died?+
Yes, and we will recommend replacements that suit the sun, slope and clay soil you actually have rather than whatever is on sale. Natives like oakleaf hydrangea, mountain laurel and coneflower do well in Western North Carolina and need much less babysitting than a lot of what gets sold at big box stores.
Is restoring cheaper than starting the garden over?+
Almost always, because you keep the mature plants and the existing hardscape. Established shrubs and stonework are the expensive parts of any garden, and a property that looks like a total loss from the driveway usually has good bones under the overgrowth.
Related services
Most properties need more than one of these. We can bundle them into a single visit and a single estimate.
Ready to bring your garden back?
Free estimate, no obligation. We usually reply within 24 hours.