Keeping your lawn and landscaping looking great year-round requires maintenance, and it can seem a bit overwhelming when you think about it year-in, year out. Before you begin to think about plants, gardens, and displays for summer, take time to maintain your greenspace for whatever you plant or do. Breaking down landscaping chores by month can make it far more manageable and less daunting.
Consider these monthly landscape ideas and maintenance projects:
January
Make the month of January the time to clean and clear your landscape. Clean the beds, trim foliage from shrubbery, and cut-back any ornamental hedges or trees. Cut the grass a bit shorter during the winter months and fertilize your flowering bushes and shrubs.
February
Start February by pruning your rose bushes and cutting back any butterfly bushes that you have on the property. Deadhead your annual flowers now, too.
March
When the weather starts to turn into spring-like conditions, clean your beds and gardens to prepare for summer planting. Trim Bermuda grass to around an inch and fertilize your ornamental trees and plants.
April
April is a good time to clean all your beds to prepare for summer and take some time to aerate the soil and keep it loose. Mow your Bermuda grass weekly. Begin planning and using your irrigation system this month.
May
Fertilize your turf and continue to mow the grass to around one to two inches. Prune shrubs and edge beds weekly.
June
Raise the deck on your mower to accommodate the warmer temperatures; typically, it is useful to raise this around a quarter inch in the summer months. Prune your shrubs as well as any climbers on the property. Fertilize flowering plants and trees at this time. Keep a watchful eye for insects.
July
Use and adjust your sprinkler to irrigate and water your plants and lawn. Edge your garden beds weekly if possible. Pluck the deadheads off your annuals and perennials. Keep an eye out for fungus or pests on your plants and trees during the hot summer month, too.
August
Make mowing a weekly chore during the month of August and enhance bed lines – call a landscape professional to help with this. Fertilize grass and keep it aerated to promote growth and prevent weeds.
September
September is the time to prune and trim your trees and shrubs to prepare for the winter ahead. Check for aphids on perennials, and cut back any decorative hedges or plants, like hydrangeas for example. When the temperatures remain warm, keep grass cut to a couple of inches.
October
Just because the weather is turning chilly does not mean your landscaping chores are done. Make sure to use a leaf blower to clean out beds, gardens, and borders of foliage. Fertilize your trees, hedges, and shrubs this month, too.
November
Still got lawn debris or leaves? Get rid of them and edge your beds at least every couple of weeks, depending on where you live. If you grow ornamental grasses, this could be a good time to fertilize them.
December
Take time to use lime after conducting a soil test on your property.
Need some help managing and maintaining your landscaping? Call on a Commercial Landscaping and Ground Services Company in Charleston, SC, Carolina Services Grounds Division, to learn more today!
