5 Summer Landscaping Tips
Now that we’re past that first explosion of blooms and spring growth, you can start getting ready for summer landscaping. There are some things you should keep in mind about summer landscaping, which is a little different than the routine you need to follow during springtime. If you’re looking to keep a beautiful landscape around your house all throughout summer, keep some of the tips below in mind.
Be on the lookout for turf problems
Since you’ll be mowing the lawn regularly now, you should be on the lookout for any kinds of problems which may arise in the landscape. One of the more common issues is known as ‘red thread’, and it gets its name from a reddish tinge on the blades of grass. It isn’t really harmful, but you can still eliminate it by fertilizing your lawn and pushing new growth. Another common problem is called ‘dollar spot’, so named because it leaves silver dollar-sized spots on the lawn after a prolonged wet spell. Lastly, be on the lookout for ‘brown patch’, and this can be eliminated with a good application of fertilizer.
Raise your mower blades
During the heat of summer, rainfall is generally less frequent, so blades of grass need to grow a little taller before being clipped. You should also mow less frequently, because there is simply less growth during the summertime. By taking these two steps, you’ll be stressing your lawn much less, so it can still be healthy and strong, even during summer’s hottest temperatures.
Prune your shrubs
Most of your shrubs should have completed their spring blooming by now, so it’s the perfect time to go ahead and prune them for the coming year. If you were to hold off and wait til fall before pruning, there’s a good chance that you would be cutting off spring flowers for the following season. As soon as you notice that your shrubs have completed their blooming cycle in the spring, that’s the best time to tackle a pruning project on your landscape.
Edging and mulching
Edging and mulching are tasks that could have been done in the spring, but if you haven’t done them yet, now is the time to do so. Fortunately, summer is just as good a time for edging and mulching as the spring is, so you haven’t lost anything. Mulching is an essential process that helps all your plants retain moisture, and this could be extremely important if the summer ends up being a dry one. Mulching is also excellent for managing the growth of weeds, because it keeps them buried under the mulch itself. Edging is more of a cosmetic process, and it serves to keep your mulch within the flower bed or wherever else it has been applied. It makes everything look much more appealing, and allows the mulch to do its job.
Inspect landscape for issues or problems
Take a good look all around your property for anything that looks out of place, or which doesn’t look normal. This could be browning needles or excessive needle dropping, it could be leaves that are brown and curled up, or it could be patches of grass that don’t blend in with the surroundings. If something doesn’t look right to you, more than likely it means that something is not healthy.
If something looks diseased, or if you’re just uncertain about the status of something, call your local landscaping professional to get expert advice. You might even have discovered an insect infestation, and your professional can advise you best on how to manage this situation. In any case, by following these helpful summertime tips, you should be able to maintain a great looking landscape around your home all through the year.
