Mom’s Design Build’s 1-Year Plant Warranty: How We Ensure Your Landscape Thrives

A beautiful landscape doesn’t stop being a design project once the plants are in the ground. In fact, the first year is when the real relationship between a landscape and its environment begins.

At Mom’s Design Build, our work goes beyond landscape architecture and installation. We want to make sure the landscapes we create continue to thrive long after the last plant is placed.

What Is a Plant Warranty Walk?

Every late spring or early summer, our team checks in on the plants installed the year before. It’s an opportunity to see how they made it through their first Minnesota winter, assess their overall health, and determine whether any plants need to be replaced under warranty.

Project Coordinator Cara Anderson describes it simply: we walk the property, check the condition of the plants, and look for anything that may need attention.

Before the visit, homeowners are notified of the scheduled date. You don’t need to be home for the warranty walk. Our team will assess the landscape, document any concerns, and follow up with recommendations.

The warranty covers eligible plants installed the previous year for one year, with one replacement per plant during the warranty period.

What Are We Looking For?

A plant with some brown doesn’t necessarily mean it’s dead.

During a warranty walk, we look beyond the surface to understand why a plant may be struggling.

Our team looks for:

• Brown or discolored foliage
• How much of the plant has been affected
• Whether the damaged areas are actually dead
• Potential environmental or care-related causes
• Soil and site conditions
• Whether watering or maintenance practices may need to be adjusted

If an eligible plant is more than 50% dead and the cause isn’t excluded from the warranty, it can be recommended for replacement.

The goal isn’t just to identify a dead plant. It’s to understand what caused the issue and what we can do to help prevent it from happening again, when possible.

Why Do New Plants Struggle?

Even a carefully selected, professionally installed plant needs time to establish.

New trees, shrubs, and perennials experience significant stress when planted into a new environment. Their roots need to establish, their surroundings are changing, and they must adapt to new conditions. All of these factors can influence how well a plant establishes and thrives.

Water Is One of the Biggest Factors

One of the most common reasons newly planted material struggles is improper watering.

New plants often need more water than homeowners expect, particularly while they are establishing their root systems.

But there’s a balance. Plants need enough moisture to establish without becoming oversaturated.

This is where thoughtful landscape architecture and site planning can make a major difference. Drainage, grading, irrigation, soil conditions, and even the placement of plants all influence how water moves through a property.

And while irrigation can help provide consistent hydration, homeowners still play an important role in monitoring their plants and adjusting care based on weather and environmental conditions.

What Isn’t Covered Under the Plant Warranty?

A plant warranty is designed to cover eligible plant material, not every circumstance that can affect a landscape.

Irrigation also plays an important role.

At Mom’s Design Build, irrigation is incorporated as a standard practice because consistent, manageable hydration gives newly planted landscapes a better foundation for success.

If a homeowner chooses to move forward without irrigation in certain areas, those plants are not covered under the warranty because there is a greater risk that they may not receive adequate water. Additionally, irrigation systems not installed by Mom’s Design Build may void the warranty.

Animal damage is another important consideration. Deer and other wildlife can cause significant damage to newly planted landscapes, sometimes before homeowners even realize there is a problem. Tree wraps, fencing, protective sprays, and other preventive measures can help protect vulnerable plants. For homeowners who want additional help, our Fine Gardening team can provide ongoing plant care, monitoring, and adjustments throughout the season.

What Happens If a Plant Needs to Be Replaced?

If our team identifies plants that need to be replaced during the warranty assessment, homeowners receive a list of the recommended replacements.

From there, we work through plant availability and potential substitutions. Once replacement plants are confirmed, they are ordered and delivered to our shop before a crew is scheduled for installation.

Plant replacements typically take two to four weeks, although timing can vary depending on plant availability, substitutions, and scheduling.

Homeowners receive notification before the crew arrives, and they do not need to be home for the replacement.

Once the work is complete, homeowners receive an updated as-built planting plan along with a plant care guide that includes high-level watering recommendations for the new plants.

Your Landscape Isn’t “Set It and Forget It”

One of Cara’s biggest pieces of advice for homeowners? “Check on your plants.” It sounds simple, but regular observation can make a huge difference.

Every plant is different, and its needs can change depending on its environment. Things like rainfall, sunlight, wind, plant maturity, plant size, plant type, animal activity, and soil conditions can all influence how much care a plant needs.

One of the biggest mistakes homeowners can make is assuming that a newly completed landscape doesn’t need maintenance.

It can be tempting to look at a freshly installed landscape and think, It looks perfect. Now we’re done.

But a landscape is living.

Just like a home needs ongoing care, the landscape around it needs attention to continue looking and performing its best.

Get Curious About Your Landscape

Our best advice for homeowners is simple: get curious.

As Cara puts it, “Get curious about the new plants you have and learn them. The more you understand your plants and their needs, the better you can help them thrive.”

Learn the plants in your landscape. Pay attention to how they change throughout the seasons. Notice when something looks different. Check the soil. Watch how water moves across your property after a storm.

And if you’re unsure about something, ask us!

Your landscape is an investment, and our team is here as a resource to help you understand it, troubleshoot issues, and keep it thriving.

From landscape architecture and design to installation, maintenance, and water management, every part of a successful landscape works together.

Because the goal isn’t simply to create a beautiful landscape on installation day.

It’s to create a landscape that continues to thrive for years to come.