We are only days away from entering the spring season (it officially starts March 20^th). We have had rain consistently over the last few months and might still have more coming in the next few weeks. With all that previous rain and the sunny days coming out now, you might see that some parts of your landscape, if not all, are already starting to grow again.

Spring is the time of year when your lawn, your trees, your shrubs, your roses – almost everything in your landscape comes back to life. This is also the best time to start prepping your yard.

Prepping, cleaning, and feeding your landscape now lets you take control of the growth before it gets out of hand and makes yard maintenance so much easier in the summer months when it’s too hot to be outside doing anything, let alone yard work!

We have put together an overview of landscape tips we recommend for spring in Southern California. For more detailed information, check out our monthly landscape tips on our blog, like our tips for March.

Everything Grows in Spring

Unless it is already happening in your yard, you will soon see lots of activity with new growth from your shrubs, the flowers blooming, butterflies and hummingbirds visiting, and the grass (and weeds) growing overnight.

Spring is the busiest time of the year for yard maintenance, and we want to make sure we help you out, so you have the healthiest and best-looking yard all spring.

Landscape To-Do List

April

In April, you will probably continue to see weeds pop up in your yard and in your lawn. We recommend pulling them as soon as you see them, so they have less time to drop their seeds. Once you clear out the weeds in your yard, it is good to get into a routine of using pre-emergent herbicides to lessen weed growth.

Now that the sun is out longer we can start to trim our trees and shrubs, especially if any of them have been damaged by frost this past winter. Once trimmed, fertilize the trees and shrubs.

Spring is an excellent time to plant any desert landscaping materials, new citrus trees, shrubs, and ground cover.

May

By May, our average temperatures are getting higher, and it’s definitely getting warmer! This is an important month to make sure your watering schedule is set up correctly. The rise in temperature will quickly let you know which plants need more water.

Stay on top of your watering schedule because the next few months only get hotter and can cause some severe damage if your landscape is not watered properly. Water slowly and water deep!

Continue to look for weeds and pull them out as soon as possible. By now, weed growth should be slowing down and not be such a nuisance to homeowners.

June

June is the first month of the year where the hot sun can start doing some real damage to your landscape. Continue to check your plants and trees to see if their water intake needs to be adjusted.

If you have young, newly planted trees, you might need to protect the trunks from sunburn. Reach out to one of our nursery professionals to discuss how you can add extra protection to your trees.

Adding mulch around plants that are sensitive to heat will help keep moisture around the roots and keep it cooler throughout the day.

Lawn To-Do List

April

If you seeded your lawn with Rye grass for the winter, this is the time of year to transition back to your Bermuda grass, if it has not happened already.

Cut your lawn short to assist in the transition. Re-adjust your sprinklers or watering system as the temperatures increase throughout the month.

May

Your Bermuda grass should be back and ready for fertilizing! We recommend fertilizing before it gets too warm.

Your watering schedule may need to increase more this month. Pay attention to your lawn for its specific needs.

June

Be sure to monitor your lawn and increase its water intake as needed. Every yard is different, so you will have to find out what works best for you to have the healthiest lawn!

Shrub Ideas for Spring Planting

Below are some suggestions from our landscape designers that are great for spring planting and popular for Texas landscapes. We even have an awesome offer on all our pottery, so you can plant your new shrubs in your new landscape décor!

Tropical Bird of Paradise

This large tropical ornamental plant produces huge banana-like leaves. The eye-catching bright orange and blue flowers add a tropical splash to any landscape. This plant can reach five feet in height and will acclimate to full sun. The Tropical Bird of Paradise is also a great patio container plant, entryway accent, and poolside plant.

Blue Glow Agave

We love to use the Blue Glow Agave in desert gardens. Their smooth, blue-green leaves with yellow-edged, red margins are sure to add dramatic color and texture no matter where you choose to plant them. This low-maintenance agave is a beautiful companion to Red Yucca!

Autumn Sage

This small perennial shrub is a great way to cover more ground in your landscape and bring a pop of color to it too! The Autumn Sage flowers during warmer months so you will see reddish/pink flowers in spring and fall. They also look great planted under trees, which gives them the shade they need during the summer.

Moon Valley Nurseries Landscape Design

At Moon Valley Nurseries we offer our customers a unique experience. When you come to a nursery, our professional landscape designers are ready to help you browse trees, create a design, tag your new trees, and set up a delivery time – all in one day! Visit a nursery and experience it yourself!