How often to mow and water, who looks after the garden and when they come while guests are staying, what is done out of season, and which landscaping mistakes later cause the most work. A well-kept garden and a neglected one cost almost the same each month. The difference is the plan.
1. Lawn and watering
In season, the lawn is mowed once a week. Water is a bigger problem than mowing: in summer a lawn will not survive without automatic irrigation. At the height of the season it is watered up to twice a day, late in the evening and early in the morning, and neither the owner nor the guests can do that by hand.
Irrigation systems are affordable today and easy to install. They pay for themselves faster than you might think, because they replace someone who would otherwise have to come every day.
Lawn with irrigation
Weekly mowing and a system that waters on its own. Green all summer, but uses the most water.
Lawn without irrigation
It dries out in summer and greets guests that way. The worst choice for a rental house.
Fine gravel and Mediterranean plants
No mowing, little water, and tidy all year round.
Water on Krk is not unlimited. In early August 2026, the Town of Krk and all six island municipalities called for less watering of lawns, gardens and other green areas, and announced a cut of at least 30% in water use on public green spaces. The lawn is the first area to suffer in a year like that, so plan its size with this in mind. Source: Novi list, 1 August 2026
2. Who maintains the garden and when they come
The garden is looked after by a specialist team, not the one that cleans the house. Pruning, feeding, plant protection and irrigation require knowledge of plants and their own equipment.
The team comes on its own weekly schedule and does not follow guest changeovers. To avoid complaints:
- Guests know the day and approximate time of the visit in advance. This is included in the information they receive before arrival or in the house.
- No visits early in the morning or during the afternoon rest.
- Noisy work is agreed with the guests. Hedge trimming or larger pruning jobs are announced. If guests do not want work done during their stay, it is rescheduled.
- The team has access without entering the house: garden gate, water, electricity and a tool store.
3. What is done through the year
Only mowing is repeated every week. Other work is spread over the year, according to the plants in the garden:
- Before the season. Starting up and checking the irrigation, feeding, clearing weeds and leaves from paths, terraces and parking areas.
- In season. Weekly mowing, monitoring the irrigation, collecting leaves and spent flowers, hedges as needed.
- After the season and in winter. There is no single date for pruning: each species has its own time, so the pruning plan is drawn up by whoever maintains the garden. The scope of winter work is agreed separately for each garden.
- Weeds all year round. Paths, parking and the edges of terraces should be clean in the pre-season and post-season too, not just in summer.
4. Plant protection products and green waste
- Treatments only when the house is empty. Herbicides and other plant protection products are used only when needed, and only on days without guests. The label states how long people and animals must stay off the treated area.
- Who may carry out treatments. Anyone who treats someone else's garden for a fee must be entered in the Register of Treatment Service Providers kept by the Ministry of Agriculture and must issue a certificate for every treatment (Sustainable Use of Pesticides Act, NN 46/22, Articles 79-81). An owner without training may only buy and use products intended for non-professional users (Article 42).
- Green waste is taken away, not burned. Larger amounts of grass cuttings, leaves and branches are accepted at recycling yards. From 1 June to 31 October, any open fire is banned in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. Agree whether removal is included in the price. List of recycling yards on the island: Ponikve eko otok Krk.
5. Landscaping mistakes that create the most work
Most garden problems are caused not by maintenance but by the way the garden was laid out.
- Trees and shrubs over the pool. Anything that drops leaves, flowers or fruit ends up in the water and in the skimmers, so the pool needs more cleaning. More in the guide Pool and Hot Tub Maintenance.
- Overgrown hedges. A hedge that is not trimmed regularly blocks the view and the light, and getting it back into shape is more work than regular trimming.
- Flowers next to the terrace. Heavily flowering plants attract bees and wasps exactly where guests eat. Lavender is the right choice for Krk, but a few metres away from the table and sun loungers.
- Lawn on several levels. A robotic mower cannot climb steps, so it has to be carried between separate areas by hand. One connected lawn means it mows on its own.
- Plants that need more than the garden can give. On Krk, the plants that do best are those that grow here naturally or have been cultivated here for centuries: olive, fig, bay laurel, sage, rosemary, immortelle and lavender. Citrus trees and kiwi also do well alongside them. Exotic species and artificial grass are a matter of taste, but guests coming to the island expect a Mediterranean garden.
If you are laying out or redesigning the garden, order a planting plan: which plant goes where, how much sun and water it needs, when it flowers and where it will cast shade in a few years. A well-planned garden looks good at any time of year.
6. Price and what to agree
Maintenance is usually paid monthly, not per visit. Whoever maintains the garden groups the work and spreads it over the whole year, so the monthly amount evenly covers the year's work. That is why the winter months are not payment for nothing.
There is no price that applies to every garden. For a quote, send:
- the location and size of the garden, and how much of it is lawn
- whether there is irrigation
- length and height of hedges, number of trees
- whether the house has a pool
- photos of the garden.
Before starting, agree:
- What is included in the monthly price, and what is charged separately: major pruning, new planting, treatments, green waste removal, irrigation repairs.
- The day and time of visits and who informs the guests.
- Who monitors the irrigation and who faults are reported to.
- What is done out of season and how often.
If an agency manages the house, it usually handles the schedule and communication with guests. Make sure this is written in the contract: Before You Sign with an Agency: What to Agree in Advance.
