When it comes to landscape maintenance, timing is everything. Here in Flower Mound, Highland Village, and West Plano, TX where we have year-round warm weather, we have a busy landscape maintenance calendar with different services needed at different times of the year.
If you’re wondering what your landscaping calendar should look like, we’ve got you covered. Although certain services do overlap in some months, we’ve put together a handy landscaping calendar that will help keep you on track. Although 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.
In January, it’s all about keeping landscape beds clean. 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, there is often a need to clean flower beds of fallen leaves or debris to keep that part of the landscape looking great.
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. While we are out, we may clean up any remaining leaves, twigs, and branches that may have fallen in landscape beds.
We continue the first quarter tree & shrub fertilization and insect control applications.
Again, this month is also just about keeping landscape beds clean. If any winter weeds pop up, we’ll address them, too.
March is when the monthly landscape maintenance schedule 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. We’re also continuing to keep plant beds clean of debris and addressing weeds. Now, we’re getting into the season when weeds can begin to run rampant 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 month of April is more of the same. We’re installing mulch, adding new flowers, and continuing to address spring weeds in plant beds.
We initiate our second quarter tree & shrub fertilization and insect control applications.
However, 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.
Not to be too repetitive, but in May we are continuing what we’re doing in terms of springtime plant bed services (like March and April). 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.
We continue our second quarter tree & shrub fertilization and insect control applications.
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.
We perform our third quarter tree & shrub fertilization and insect control applications.
We’re also continuing with fertilization treatments to help supply the nutrients that your trees and shrubs need to perform their best.
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.
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.
We complete our fourth quarter tree & shrub fertilization and insect control applications.
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, 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. We can also continue to plant trees in November.
By following this 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.