I don't really know where to go with this without appearing unkind but container gardening is only one (small) aspect of urban garden design. At the very least, you should really consider some basic horticultural training if you are seriously thinking of offering yourself as paid service advisor. Or, you could stick with your area of expertise and advertise as a containerised garden designer - I believe this can be a fruitful line of work.

RP has perfectly expressed exactly what I was going to write. Again, without trying to be unkind or demeaning your intentions in any way, your questions indicate this is an area of horticulture you are not familiar enough with to be offering your services as a business. Stick to what you know best. Or develop the necessary skills and training before you advertise your services for them.

You're over your head. Get a competent ornamental horticulturist to subcontract the project...or a disaster is in the looming.

Moses

I think you would be upfront and honest with the person who contacted you that you simply do not know how to care for their property.

Thanks for inputs. The person was aware that the bulk of my experience was with containers, and he said that any landscaper types he'd already spoken with didn't seem right for the job...perhaps because where I live there is so little actual 'land' attached to private properties. ..it's mainly cement patios with just small areas of soil with shrubs.

I'll go back to him and say that after hearing about the job details, other gardeners seem to think that I'd not be right for the job, even with some inputs from others...and that he needs a person who already has personal experience with those shrubs, invasive weeds, etc.

And I'd forgotten, just as FYI, to include pix....

Lynn, I gotta say you took our responses with way more humility than I usually see on the internet.

Oh and the rose likely needs way more sun if it is that lanky and sad. And the vine going through the other bush appears to be a clematis, I see a bloom in the last pic.

Well...I ain't gon' lie...it stung a bit. (I didn't 'misrepresent' myself or capabilities, as some seemed to imply. I called what I could offer, 'urban garden design'. It's extremely rare for people in NYC to have a patch of actual dirt ;-) , so most urban garden design here is, by default, done in pots. It was only once I took a visit to his home that I saw that his patio already had well-established shrubs.)

Anyway, while I'm not personally experienced in these areas, I did feel I have enough basic understanding of gardening that, once I understood What fertilizers are best....When is it best to fertilize...How to prune...When to prune...(all of which I know can vary from plant to plant, such as the ones in question)...that I still could have done a fair enough job, certainly with the shrubs - maybe less so with the weed control - if I had answers to my various questions (which I suppose I could find by digging around in multiple places on the internet). Either way, I sent the guy a text to discuss what y'all had said.

On the rose, so you don't think it's just a matter of it not receiving proper pruning over the years...that that could be why it's lanky?

" I did feel I have enough basic understanding of gardening that, once I understood What fertilizers are best....When is it best to fertilize...How to prune...When to prune... "

Lynn, knowing 'What fertilizers are best....When is it best to fertilize...How to prune...When to prune...' ARE part of the basics tenets of gardening!! If you need answers to these questions then clearly your definition of 'understanding basic gardening' differs from that of all the other posters.

Gardengal, perhaps you misunderstood my comment, which I intended to apply to these two particular types of shrub, with which I am not personally familiar..... which fertilizers these particular shrubs might prefer... if there is a particular time of year to intentionally prune (i.e., 'hard prune') these particular shrubs.

No one can inherently know such things for a specimen plant like roses, and if they are not already familiar with such a plant. While I could easily find such info elsewhere, online, I just thought I'd throw out all my initial thoughts/questions, here. Maybe it was just too much for one post...maybe some didn't read my entire post (understandable, due to the length of it) and just thought 'ok, she's got so many questions that she must be in over her head'. But I believe that part of what makes a good gardener - or a good anything - is simply knowing what questions to even consider, and then ask and try to get answers to...

While I agree that the invasive weeds/vines would have been a challenge that I may not have been able to effectively tackle, I'd no reason to think I couldn't figure out how to prune roses and the azalea/rhododendron. Lots of people who aren't professional landscapers/horticulturists prune their own shrubs, once they know how (just as I myself have done with hydrangea, steeplebush and blueberry shrubs; it's very easy, once you know the how-to).

Either way, I will talk to the person again, who is looking for help with their patio...

Lynn, you might get a better response if you first read up on the basics for these plants (roses, rhododendrons, etc) and then came back with specific questions that apply to your situation.

With regards to weed control the only real answer if you want other perennials around is to pull them up and then lay mulch and keep up a regular weeding routine. If you do decide to use chemicals you should follow the instructions on the package.

@Lynn Nevins

I’ll give you my 2cents based on your pictures and the fact that when I started gardening in 2016 I had no idea how to keep alive anything larger than a cat. I am going off what I remember your post asked and it isn’t in any particular order but I hope it helps.

Someone with experience may be ideal for the job, but if the owner is comfortable with you just giving it a try why not. It isnt a botanical garden it seems very small and those are tough plants.

#1 I appreciate your efforts to be organic but you are in the north east with tons of humidity and disease pressure so you need to real help here to keep everything looking great.

#2 the azaleas and rodis like you already assumed just need some shaping. The one in your picture looks to be a once bloomer so shape right after blooming and no more.

#3 pull all weeds from the roots even if you have to follow the plants to the end of the world or it won’t be good enough. No mulch can stop them. Even better get some round up and a sponge and dab them (this will reduce any droplets from going on the surrounding plants). Use good skin protection and remove all clothes and shower after. (Read on roundup use and association with lymphoma).

#4 the rose in your picture not only looks like it hasn’t been taken care of in a while, it also looks like a hybrid tea of some sort. Unless the owner is highly attched to it I would remove it and plant a much more disease resistant variety rose. Roses need constant spraying in your area to keep their leaves unless you pick the correct variety. Pick a rose with strong blackspot resistance probably a Kordes would do great there. Look into “Bliss from Kordes” or ask me for other recommendations if you are looking for black spot resistant varieties you may want to research.

#5 fertilizer isn’t that big of deal. Azaleas do prefer acidic conditions and some fertilizer for acid loving plants would be nice, but NOT required unless the soil there is alkaline. You don’t seem to want to have a bunch of them so pick a nice slow release variety and go with it.

I like Oscomote smart release and I use it ON EVERYTHING. I have hundreds of plants which includes roses, azaleasa, hydrangeas macro, paniculatas, oak leafs, honeysuckles and lots of perennials. Yes you can later get better and start adding cow manure to the soil and a millions other things that could improve the garden but it doesn’t have to be done the first year.

#6 ok the mulch. Like you already mentioned in your post do not pile the mulch around the base of the plant. I would leave 2 to 3 inches around the base bare. This also helps when it is time for the fertilizer.

I agree with Dianela. If its someone you know, they probably asked for your help based on how well you care for your potted plants. I also agree that these are probably BSers from the get-go, so you could try cutting them back this year and see what happens or cut your losses and replace them with some of the greast deisease resistant roses many here can recommend. Roses hate root competition, so be sure to weed thoroughly before mulching. Since it's a small space, these small things can make a huge idfference. Good luck and keep us updated.

Thanks so much, Dianela. That's precisely the type of input I was looking for. Most appreciated!

Back in 2003, I had a career change from social work to landscape gardening - my partner was an experienced builder and I had been seriously gardening for 8 or so years, so we worked as a team doing design and build. I quickly realised I was in a bit over my head because being self-taught, I had concentrated on areas of interest and which were suited to my garden. I knew nothing about trees, lawns, conifers, soil science etc etc.

Obviously, everyone has to start somewhere but, feeling increasingly uncomfortable, I enrolled in a part-time horticulture course (RHS Gen Cert.). It was truly eye-opening (and awesome) but it also bought into sharp focus, all the things I really did not know. Looking at Google and asking others is no substitute for the hard effort of actually working with different plants in varying circumstances. Especially those which I had not had the chance to experience such as glasshouse gardening, groundskeeping, woodland management (I stayed for 5 years and even taught some courses myself)

Quite aside from finding yourself in the position of being a professional, I also hated the anxiety of not really knowing what I was doing - my education was a service to my customers but also for myself. No reason not to carry on doing as you are doing, with honesty and transparency but I truly recommend taking some classes if only to broaden your own experience and open up new opportunities.

However, be warned...the more you know, the more you realise just how much more you don't know...horticulture is a lifelong education. Good luck.

Thanks, Rosa. What you say makes total sense. The only reason I might consider taking such a course would be, if, for e.g., I wanted to apply for a hands-on job at a public park (i.e., Central Park [!]) or a local botanical garden. But otherwise, there won't be broader opportunities for me here in NYC, seeing as there are no lawns (and very few 'trees' on people's properties), and, more importantly, because I don't own a vehicle to transport related tools, machinery etc., (which most such clients would expect of me).

But I could definitely see such education being helpful for a job in a park/botanical garden. Such a class could also be of interest, just for learning's sake. I suppose I could add it to the growing list of various classes I'd like to take one day.... So 'thanks' for your suggestion.

Lynn there are definitely many details to learn when growing plants in the ground so a good time researching will be helpful. I tried to mark on your picture the leaves of at least one vine that certainly looks like a clematis as stated before on the post. This is definitely not a weed. So take some time to identify every plant and then decide what to do with it. A clematis would be a beautiful addition and they are expensive and take time to establish so removing one thinking it is a weed would be a shame.

Ok someone brought up the sun exposure also. I agree that is critical. I have noticed people up north are definitely able to grow some of my shade plants in the sun but still it probably helps to know. Roses require a good minimum of 6 hours of direct sun so count the hours that rose bush is getting first. If it isn’t getting at least 6 or more there is no rose that will be happy there. I will replace it with more Rodis, maybe a hydrangea or anything that will prefer less sunlight. Azaleas and hydrangeas play well together for the most part. Of course read on those also since the Paniculatas in general prefer more sun than the “blue” hydrangeas.

I would divide the different areas of the garden that you are working on and decide what is their sun expose. Then see if the plants already there are compatible. Then clean up everything unwanted after proper identification. Select varieties that will be happy there based on sun exposure, hardiness and plant at the proper depth.

Jim Putnam has a great YouTube channel where he has videos on how to plant a specific variety.

Like how to plant encore azaleas (these like more sun). He has many many videos. He is in North Carolina in a warmer zone than you are but their soil is acidic which I think may be your case but that’s also something you must figure out.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hEQ8PxjMOVY

There are many varieties of secateurs you can use while gardening. I would advise having some of the regular ones that usually can handle up to 1inch. Then you need some of the larger one for thicker branches. If you are going to offer a gardening service you definitely need to invest in some tools. Use the ones that feel comfortable to your hand size. They should make clean sharp cuts and not chew on the branches. They should be cleaned regularly specially when working with roses.

Sorry for the crazy long posts but I hope you are successful.

" But I could definitely see such education being helpful for a job in a park/botanical garden. "

This type of formal or structured training is helpful for anyone attempting to run any sort of gardening business. In fact, most professional gardeners - those who hire out their services for money - have such an education under their belts before they ply their trade.

And we wonder why the industry often gets such a bad rap......it is folks who don't know what they are doing masquerading as someone who has the necessary training and experience.