- (973) 985-2369
- rbgebhard@optonline.net
- Mon - Fri: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM/ Closed on weekends
Landscaping & Seasonal Garden Care in Roxbury, NJ
I’m Russel Gebhard — sole operator, and the person who both quotes your job and does it. Since 1987 I’ve looked after gardens across Morris County. Roxbury is next door to home, and it is a township whose tree canopy has changed more in the last few years than most.
Morris County since 1987
Nearly four decades caring for gardens in this county.
One gardener, start to finish
Russel is the sole operator and handles every detail himself.
Licensed pesticide application
Eco-friendly treatment, applied in person.
Free estimates
Call (973) 985-2369 or send the form. No cost, no obligation.
A township that lost thousands of trees
Roxbury has taken a serious hit from the emerald ash borer. At a January 2025 Environmental Commission meeting a councilman put total tree removal across the township at something like 3,000 to 4,000 — some cut by the township, some fallen after disease, others taken down privately by residents on their own property.
For gardens, that is not an abstraction. Roxbury is one of the Morris County towns I work across, and it is the one where established beds have most often changed conditions underneath the gardener. A shade bed that lost its canopy is now a full-sun bed with shade plants in it, and it will keep failing until the planting is matched to the light that is actually there now.
- Residential and select commercial properties
- One-time visits or ongoing garden maintenance
- Eco-minded practice and thoughtful plant selection
- Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm
Practically next door to Mount Arlington
The business is based at 109 Ondish Ct in Mount Arlington, which borders Roxbury — this is one of the closest townships I work in. That covers Succasunna and Ledgewood, Kenvil, the Landing section by Hopatcong State Park, Port Morris and Lower Berkshire Valley.
Seasonal garden care across Roxbury Township
Timing matters as much as technique. Succasunna sits around 751 feet, high enough that the season starts and finishes noticeably earlier than it does down in the lower townships.
Spring, and reassessing the light
Cleanup first: winter debris off, perennials cut back, beds edged and opened up. Then, on a lot that has lost ash trees, the honest question — does this bed still get the light it was planted for? Spring is when that becomes obvious and when it is cheapest to correct.
Summer, more sun than the bed was built for
The holding season. Weeding before anything sets seed, mulch topped up ahead of the dry stretch, shrubs shaped while actively growing. Newly exposed beds dry faster and scorch more, so mulch depth and watering matter more in the first two summers after canopy loss than they ever did before.
Fall, and replanting for the new conditions
Fall does more for a Roxbury garden than any other season, and right now it is when replacement planting should go in. Beds cleared, perennials divided, and new planting chosen for present light rather than remembered light. At 751 feet the window shuts earlier, so booking beats waiting.
Winter, structure without the ash
Quiet, but not empty. Dormant pruning on the species that want it, and winter is when a garden’s remaining structure is visible. With so much canopy gone it is the right season to plan what replaces it.
Roxbury's tree rules are being written now
Roxbury is unusual among its neighbours in how it handles trees, and the position is actively changing.
There is no Shade Tree Commission here
Unlike Morristown, Rockaway or most neighbouring towns, Roxbury does not have a Shade Tree Commission. The Environmental Commission carries that work instead — it was the Environmental Commission that drafted the township’s tree ordinance and has been developing a forestry plan. If you are looking for the body that deals with trees here, that is the one.
A new tree ordinance is with the Council
As of early 2025 the Environmental Commission’s draft ordinance, loosely based on the State model, sat with the Township Council for review. The commission was advised that a township which does not adopt a model tree ordinance risks fines and may be unable to obtain NJDEP grants or funding. Anyone planning tree work here should confirm the current requirement rather than assume the old position holds.
Waivers run through two committees
Under the township’s tree conservation article, a waiver application is referred to the Environmental Commission and the Shade Tree Advisory Committee, with 35 days allowed before it moves on for determination. Tree work in Roxbury is a process with a clock on it, which is worth knowing before scheduling anything.
Garden and landscaping services in Roxbury, NJ
Eight services, all carried out personally. Most Roxbury properties start with one job and move to regular visits once the beds are back under control.
Replanting beds that lost their canopy
Planting plans built around the light your property actually has now, which after ash loss is often not the light the bed was designed for. I lean on native plants suited to New Jersey conditions and, where a canopy has gone, species that will hold up in full sun rather than sulk in it.
Mulching newly exposed Roxbury beds
Mulch holds moisture through a dry August and suppresses weeds before they seed. On beds that recently lost overhead shade it does more work than usual — soil that used to sit cool and damp now dries fast, and mulch is the cheapest way to slow that down.
Shrub trimming at 751 feet
Trimming timed and cut to encourage healthy growth rather than just reduce size. Up around Succasunna the season runs slightly shorter at both ends, so the window for cutting without leaving soft growth exposed is tighter than it is lower down.
Clearing where the ash came out
Careful clearing of overgrowth, invasives and shrubs that have outgrown their spot. Gaps left by removed trees fill fast, and rarely with anything you want — opportunists get there first if the space is left through a season.
Spring and fall cleanups in Roxbury
A spring cleanup in Roxbury clears winter debris, cuts perennials back and opens beds up before growth starts. Fall decides how the next spring goes, and at this elevation it needs booking earlier than most people expect.
Licensed treatment near Lake Hopatcong
Licensed treatment applied in person and targeted at the specific problem, not sprayed across a property as routine. With Lake Hopatcong and Lake Musconetcong on the township’s edge, restraint about what goes down and where is the neighbourly thing to do.
Book a free estimate in Roxbury
Free estimate, no obligation, and you’ll be talking to the person who does the work.
Frequently asked questions
That is the most common garden problem in Roxbury right now. A bed planted for shade that has lost its canopy is a full-sun bed with the wrong plants in it, and no amount of feeding or watering fixes that. The answer is replanting to the light the bed actually gets now, ideally in autumn.
No. Unlike most neighbouring towns, Roxbury does not have one — the Environmental Commission carries that work instead, and it drafted the township’s tree ordinance and has been developing a forestry plan.
Confirm before booking, because the position is changing. The Environmental Commission’s draft ordinance, based on the State model, was with the Township Council in early 2025. Under the existing tree conservation article, waiver applications are referred to the Environmental Commission and the Shade Tree Advisory Committee with 35 days allowed before determination.
All of it — Succasunna, Ledgewood, Kenvil, the Landing section near Hopatcong State Park, Port Morris and Lower Berkshire Valley. Mount Arlington borders the township, so this is one of the closest areas I work in.
Yes, noticeably. Succasunna sits around 751 feet, so the season starts a little later and closes earlier than in the lower townships. Fall cleanups in particular need booking sooner than most people expect.
Russel Gebhard, personally. He is the owner and sole operator and handles every detail himself, from planning through to execution. No subcontractors, no rotating crews.
Both. Residential and select commercial properties, either as a single visit — a spring or fall cleanup, a bed redesign, an overgrowth clearance — or as ongoing garden maintenance through the season.
Call (973) 985-2369 or fill in the contact form. Estimates are free and there is no obligation to book.
Services in Roxbury
Contact Gebhard Horticulture & Design
Gebhard Horticulture & Design
109 Ondish Ct, Mount Arlington, NJ 07856
Phone: (973) 985-2369
Email: rbgebhard@optonline.net
Hours:
Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm
Closed weekends
Serving Morristown and the surrounding Morris County communities.