Does knowing what your property needs each month leave you feeling a bit perplexed? Are you checking all the boxes and sticking to a seasonal landscaping schedule, or are you missing tasks because you don’t know what your property needs?
Don’t worry! We’ve got your back! We’ll help you understand what to do in the yard each month.
To achieve this, we’ve put together a Texas monthly landscaping guide that covers all the bases.
Although certain services do overlap in some months, this handy guide will help keep you on track. While people think of the landscaping season as officially starting in the spring, for the sake of following a calendar year, we’ll start with January. With our mild climate here in North Texas, there’s always something to be done!
North Texas Landscaping Calendar
In January, it’s all about keeping landscape beds and the lawn clean. Is there debris in the yard from windy days? Cleaning up fallen leaves and branches can help keep the yard tidy and discourage pests.
There can be some winter weeds that we might be dealing with given our warmer climate. The best way to address winter weeds is actually to prevent them so we offer a pre-emergent weed control service specifically designed for shrub and flower beds. We typically complete these applications twice a year, in the fall and spring to inhibit germination. In January, we may be hand-pulling weeds if it’s needed.
Touching up any areas that need additional mulch is often done at this time to improve the look and help minimize weed growth..
January might also include wrapping or covering certain plants and ornamental trees to prevent them from any deep freezes that might occur. Though our climate does stay relatively warm, we do hit freezing temperatures and certain plants can be vulnerable to that.
We begin our first quarter tree & shrub fertilization and insect control applications in January.
Finally, this is also a great time to start planning ahead for projects and plans you have for the spring. The earlier that you can get a jump on these (and get on your landscaper’s schedule), the better.
One project that we’ve been getting increasing interest in is lawn leveling. Most lawns are uneven, which can cause issues with overall aesthetics or even damage during mowing. An uneven lawn can also lead to low spots where water collects.
In February, we might be performing some highly specific pruning if you have Crape Myrtles. February in North Texas is the time to prune these trees.
This is also a time to continue to clean up any remaining leaves, twigs, and branches that may have fallen in landscape beds or on the turf.
At Grassperson, in February we also continue the first quarter tree & shrub fertilization and insect control applications. If any winter weeds pop up, we’ll address them, too.
March is when landscape maintenance in North Texas really begins to pick up. It’s the unofficial start of the landscaping season because it’s a time when people start planting and spending more time outside. Many people are in need of a general clean-up which consists of trimming shrubs, cleaning up winter debris, and preparing flower beds for seasonal plantings.
This is the month when a lot of people start thinking about having mulch installed and perhaps adding seasonal flowers to enjoy during the spring season. If you’re wondering when to plant in North Texas, we generally consider there to be two primary growing seasons: Spring and fall. The spring planting season is usually March through May.
In March, plant beds should also be continually cleaned and cleared of weeds. Now, we’re getting into the season when weeds can begin to run rampant in the lawn and landscape as the weather heats up.
Around this time, you’ll also want to make sure that you’re scheduling a spring irrigation check in order to bring your system back online and ensure its functioning optimally. As you plant new flowers and things start blooming, you want to make sure that they’re receiving the right amount of water.
The spring is also a good time to consider liquid aeration, if that’s a service you are interested in. This process uses a liquid product that loosens the soil and reduces compaction without the need for any mechanical equipment.
When we apply liquid aeration in the spring, we can jump-start root growth and nutrient uptake heading into the growing season.
We do also offer mechanical core aeration, which is the best way to break up compaction. While we offer this service year-round, the majority of our clients choose the spring or early fall to have this done.
Topdressing the lawn can also be done following aeration.
At Grassperson, we like to topdress lawns with a high-quality, composted material that adds valuable microbial activity to improve soil health. This will boost the overall health of the lawn.
While a topdressing application is one of the best things that we can do for your lawn at any time of the year, we have found that topdressing following a core aeration service yields great results.
The month of April is largely a continuation of landscape maintenance tasks that you started in March. This means installing mulch, adding new flowers, and continuing to address spring weeds in plant beds.
At Grassperson, we initiate our second quarter tree & shrub fertilization and insect control applications in April.
We’re also starting some fertilization applications for the landscape. We feed trees and shrubs for 3 out of our 4 Tree and Shrub Care program applications. All 4 of these important applications include treatments for disease and pests that could threaten the health of your landscape. These treatments will be completed between April and December, spaced out as needed.
In May we are continuing what we’re doing in terms of springtime plant bed services (same as those performed in March and April).
In May, the weather is really starting to heat up and it’s also important to ensure the irrigation system continues to work as it should to support the approaching summer. The increased temperatures can also mean more weed pressure.
We continue our second quarter tree & shrub fertilization and insect control applications.
The summer can be a difficult time for landscape maintenance in North Texas simply because of dealing with tough conditions like heat and drought. We’ve grouped these months together as the summer is a lot of the same seasonal tasks for Texas gardeners.
In the summer, one of the biggest concerns for landscaped areas is that they’re getting ample water. If for some reason you’re dealing with an irrigation problem, an effective (and timely) irrigation repair will be important.
The summer also means some new potential weeds popping up in landscaped beds. If you are a Total Maintenance customer, then we’ve already addressed what we could prevent with pre-emergent and we’re working on applying post-emergent and hand-pulling those weeds that did appear.
With summer weather, lawn disease can also ramp up. It’s important to keep a watchful eye and potentially incorporate fungicides if they are needed.
At Grassperson, we perform our third quarter tree & shrub fertilization and insect control applications during this time as well.
With the summer heat fading, we’re now looking at fall flower installations and new mulch applications to freshen up a landscape for a new season. As we mentioned in talking about when to plant in North Texas, fall is another primary season for planting.
Fall is also the perfect time to plant trees. Because it’s not as hot, there’s a lot less stress on the trees. They can establish their root system in their new location before having to deal with the drought and heat stress that can accompany summer.
If you have existing palm trees on your property, this is also a time when we might wrap them in burlap and pull the palm fronds together to protect them from the cold. Our climate is not quite warm enough for these vulnerable trees to survive without some extra care.
At Grassperson, we complete our fourth quarter tree & shrub fertilization and insect control applications during these months.
Fall can also be a great time to have various landscaping projects performed around your property. Since you’re not spending quite as much time outside, you can use that “downtime” to spruce up your property and have it in tip-top shape for the following spring.
In addition, the fall is also a good time to consider liquid aeration. A fall application will prepare the soil for winter dormancy and encourages strong root development before the cooler months. We would not recommend liquid aeration in the summer as we do not want to apply the product during extreme heat or drought stress.
As we mentioned previously, fall is also a great time to have mechanical core aeration performed, if you’re going that route.
Finally, if you’re really looking to enhance the overall look of your property, this is a great time to start thinking about adding professional holiday lighting.
In November or early December, it’s time to start thinking about winterizing your irrigation system in order to prevent potential damage related to freezing. Even though we have relatively mild winters, there are still times when temperatures take a risky dip. We can also continue to plant trees in November.
By following this seasonal landscaping calendar, you truly can be on your way to having the best property on the block. Of course, chances are, you don’t want to necessarily have to worry about what needs to be performed (or when, either). You’d rather leave it in the hands of a pro.
That’s the beauty of our Total Maintenance program. It removes all of the guesswork. You’ll know that the proper monthly landscape maintenance schedule is being followed so that your North Texas property will continue to look and perform its best. But you won’t have to do anything other than enjoy it!
Ready to have a truly impressive Northern Texas property without any hassles? Get in touch with us so we can talk about a year-round, Total Maintenance approach to landscaping.