Moving into a Dutch home: the garden checklist
By Hovenier Hoofddorp · Updated July 19, 2026
Three things to check in your first month in a Dutch home: whether you rent or own decides your garden duties, large trees may be permit-protected (you cannot simply remove them), and the season decides what is urgent. Dutch gardens grow fast on fertile soil — a garden left alone from March to July becomes a jungle. Here is the full checklist.
Week 1: what did you actually take over?
- Renting? Photograph the garden at handover. Dutch leases oblige you to return the garden in its delivered state, and you are responsible for routine maintenance during the tenancy (mowing, weeding, hedges).
- Buying? Everything is yours — including the neighbour-facing side of hedges and any overdue maintenance the previous owner left.
- Locate the boundaries: the land-registry (kadaster) line is decisive, not the fence. A fence exactly on the boundary is jointly owned with your neighbour.
- Find the taps and drains: outdoor tap (bleed it before frost!), drainage points and where the rainwater goes.
Check the trees before you plan anything
The classic newcomer mistake: removing a large tree, then discovering it needed a municipal permit. In most municipalities around Amsterdam, trees above roughly 50 cm trunk circumference (measured at 1.30 m) are protected; Amstelveen and Aalsmeer protect trees on a "valuable trees map". Illegal felling means a fine plus mandatory replanting.
- Measure the trunk circumference of every large tree at 1.30 m height.
- Note trees within 2 metres of the boundary — neighbours can (with limits) object to those.
- Dead or dangerous branches? Those may be removed year-round; full felling usually needs the permit route (allow 2–3 months).
- Full rules per municipality in our tree felling permit guide.
What is urgent depends on the season you arrive
| Arriving in… | Do now | Can wait |
|---|---|---|
| Spring (Mar–May) | Start mowing and weeding immediately — growth explodes now | Landscaping plans |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | Water new/potted plants, keep hedges in check | Planting (wait for autumn) |
| Autumn (Sep–Nov) | Best planting season! Also: leaf clearing, final mow | — |
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | Bleed the outdoor tap, plan and request quotes | Everything else — gardens sleep |
Full month-by-month guidance in our Dutch garden calendar.
Budget and quick wins for your first year
- Maintenance subscription (€35–€55/hour, fixed yearly price): the set-and-forget option most internationals choose — the garden stays presentable while you settle in.
- One big clean-up first: if you inherited an overgrown garden, a 1–2 day reset (€300–€800) beats months of weekend catch-up.
- Hold off on big redesigns for one full season: you will discover where the sun sits, what surprises emerge from the borders (bulbs! peonies!) and how you actually use the space.
- Quick wins that always pay: pressure-free patio clean, hedge trim, lawn edge redefinition — instant visual result for a few hours of work.
Frequently Asked Questions
The previous owners left a completely overgrown garden. Where do I start?
Start with a one-off reset: cut back the overgrowth, recover the lawn, clear the beds and remove the waste — 1 to 2 days of work (€300–€800). Then decide calmly what stays. Do not rip everything out immediately: mature hedges and shrubs are worth hundreds of euros and take years to replace.
As a tenant, do I really have to maintain the garden myself?
Yes — Dutch law (the "minor repairs" decree) puts routine garden maintenance on the tenant: mowing, weeding, hedge trimming and keeping the garden to its delivered state. Structural items (large trees, fences, paving) remain the landlord's job. A maintenance subscription satisfies your obligation without the weekend work.
What garden tools do I actually need in the Netherlands?
For a standard garden: a lawnmower, hedge trimmer, secateurs, a spade and a weeding hoe cover 95% of tasks. If you take a maintenance subscription you need none of them — we bring professional equipment, which is often cheaper than buying tools for a garden you maintain reluctantly.
When should I water the garden here?
Less often than most newcomers expect: Dutch rainfall covers established plants most of the year. Water mainly in summer dry spells — deeply, twice a week, early morning — and always water fresh plantings in their first season. Clay soil (common in this region) holds water long; overwatering harms more than drought here.
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