Weeding
We pull weeds by the root, best done a day after rain when the soil is soft. Catching them before they flower keeps next years crop way smaller.
Beds, shrubs & plants · Father-and-son crew
The Gardener Nassau County Homeowners Keep Coming Back To
Need a gardener in Nassau County who actually knows when to cut a hydrangea and when to leave it alone? That’s us. Arnol M.R Landscaping is a small father-and-son crew. We weed, plant, mulch and shape shrubs so your beds look good all season, not just the week after a cleanup.
Picking a gardener
Who’s the best gardener near me?
Every April we get texts from folks looking for a new gardener in Nassau County. Alot of them say “The beds got away from me last year, who’s good around here?” Honest answer: the best Nassau County gardener for you is the one who looks at your beds before giving a price, answers your texts, and doesnt just rip everything out and start over.
Ask a few simple questions. When do you trim azaleas? How deep do you put mulch? Do you pull weeds by hand or just cover them? A good gardener in Nassau County will have quick, plain answers. If they cant tell you, keep looking. And since its just a father and son plus our crew, the people who text you back are the same ones working in your beds.
Beds & plants
Gardening Services
Alot of homes here were built in the 50s and 60s. The foundation shrubs are older then the people living there, and the beds have been dug, filled and re-dug for decades. Most of the time the yard doesnt need a redo. It needs steady care. Here is what our gardening services cover as a gardener in Nassau County.
Planting annuals and perennials
Annuals go in after the last frost, usually mid-May on Long Island. Perennials come back every year, so we plant them where they’ll have room to grow.
Deadheading
Snipping off spent flowers keeps plants like salvia, coneflower and roses blooming longer insted of putting energy into seed.
Dividing perennials
Hostas, daylilies and black-eyed Susans get crowded after 3 or 4 years. We split them in spring or early fall and replant the extras somewhere bare.
Mulching the right way
Mulch goes down 2 to 3 inches deep and gets pulled back 2 to 3 inches from trunks and stems. Piling it up the trunk invites rot and bugs.
Seasonal cleanups
Spring cleanup clears winter mess and edges the beds. Fall cleanup gets the oak and maple leaves out before they mat down and smother everything.
Shrubs
When to trim azaleas, hydrangeas and boxwood
Ask any gardener in Nassau County and they’ll say timing is the whole game with shrubs. Azaleas set next years buds right after they bloom, so trim them in June and be done by early July. Bigleaf hydrangeas, the blue and pink ones, bloom on old wood, so only snip off dead flower heads and dead stems. Boxwood gets a light shaping in late spring or early summer. Don’t shear it hard late in the season or new growth gets burned by winter.
Shade beds under old oaks and maples
Big old oaks and maples are all over Nassau County, from the streets off Hillside Avenue to the blocks near Eisenhower Park. They make deep shade and grab most of the water. Sun plants just sit there and sulk. We use ferns, hostas, heuchera and woodland phlox insted. Don’t pile fresh soil over the roots to raise the bed. A couple inches of compost is plenty. It’s the first thing a Nassau County gardener checks under a big tree.
Sun beds by the driveway and street
The strip by the driveway gets full sun, road salt in winter and reflected heat in August. Tough plants like catmint, salvia, sedum and ornamental grasses handle it much better then impatiens. We also add compost, since that soil is usually packed hard from years of foot traffic and snow piles.
What do I do if my hydrangeas didn’t bloom?
This is probly the number one text we get as a gardener in Nassau County, usually in July. Most of the time someone cut the stems back in fall or early spring and cut off the flower buds with them. A late frost in April can also kill the buds. To much shade or to much lawn fertilizer drifting into the bed can do it too. Leave the old stems alone until you see green buds in spring, then only cut what’s clearly dead.
What do I do if deer or rabbits eat my plants?
Rabbits are the bigger problem in most of Nassau County. Deer show up more on the north side of the county. For rabbits, a short ring of chicken wire around young plants works better then any spray. For deer, rotate repellents so they dont get used to one smell, and lean on plants they skip, like boxwood, catmint, lavender and ornamental grasses. If a plant gets eaten every single year, a good Nassau County gardener swaps it for one they wont touch.
Native & low-water
Green Landscaping
Green landscaping sounds fancy, but its pretty simple. Use plants that belong on Long Island, water less, and stop hauling off stuff the yard can use. It saves you money and the beds look better in August. Here’s how we do it as your Nassau County gardener.
Native plants for Long Island
Native plants grew up with our sandy soil, humid summers and freeze-thaw winters. Once they’re settled, they need less water and less fussing. Good picks for sun are black-eyed Susan, butterfly weed, New England aster and little bluestem grass. For shrubs, inkberry holly and mountain laurel are solid choices wich stay green all winter.
Plants for pollinators
Bees and butterflies need something blooming from spring thru fall, not just in June. We mix early, middle and late bloomers so there is always food. Asters and goldenrod carry the bed into October. It’s one of the easiest wins we offer as a gardener in Nassau County. Leaving a few seed heads standing over winter also feeds the birds.
Leaving the clippings
Grass clippings left on the lawn break down in a few days and feed the soil. Shredded leaves can go right back into the beds as free mulch. That means fewer bags at the curb and less fertilizer. New York State doesnt allow lawn fertilizer from December 1 to April 1 anyway, so feeding the soil naturally makes alot of sense.
Using less water
Water deep and less often, early in the morning. A soaker hose or drip line under the mulch puts water at the roots insted of on the leaves, wich also cuts down on fungus. Most settled native beds only need help during a long dry stretch in July or August.
What do I do if my beds dry out every summer?
Any Nassau County gardener will tell you to check the mulch first. If its thin or gone, the soil bakes. Add compost, top up the mulch to 2 to 3 inches, and swap the thirstiest plants for natives over a season or two. You wont notice a big change overnight, but by the next summer you’ll be watering way less.
Where we work
Where we garden in Nassau County
We work as a gardener in Nassau County towns along Jericho Turnpike, Old Country Road and Hempstead Turnpike: East Williston, Garden City, Mineola, East Meadow, Levittown, Bethpage, Plainview, Hicksville, Albertson, Roslyn Heights, Carle Place and Westbury. See the full list on our Nassau County towns section.
- Garden City: no gas leaf blowers from the Saturday before Memorial Day through Labor Day.
- Town of North Hempstead: no gas leaf blowers for commercial landscapers June 15 to September 15.
- Garden City and Mineola: landscapers cant blow leaves or clippings into the street.
Need more then the beds? Also see our landscaping services and lawn care service pages.
Garden questions
What people ask a gardener in Nassau County
How often should a gardener come to my house?
Most beds do well with a visit every two weeks from spring thru fall. Small, simple beds can get by with a monthly visit plus spring and fall cleanups.
When is the best time to plant in Nassau County?
Annuals go in after the last frost, usually mid-May. Shrubs and perennials do best in spring or early fall, when roots can settle before heat or winter.
Do you do one-time garden cleanups?
Yes. Alot of people start with a one-time cleanup of weeds, dead plants and old mulch, then decide if they want regular visits after.
How do I get a free gardening quote?
Tap the text button and send your street, what you want done, and a few photos of the beds. We’ll text back with next steps or a time to see the yard.
Nassau County
Text the gardener Nassau County neighbors pass around.
Tell us if you need regular bed care, new plants, or a switch to native green landscaping.