Spring is in full swing which means that right now is the absolute best time to plant everything. Flowers are popping, our fruit and citrus trees are about to produce delicious hoemgrown fruit, and all the deciduous trees are starting to leaf out for amazing summer shade.
If you honey-do-list is all checked off for the spring and the FINAL THING is the landscape, DO NOT PUT IT OFF TO NEXT YEAR. Do not wait until we're hitting summer temperatures. Plant now so your trees and shrubs will have amble time to establish a root system before it's too hot. As we do every month, our nursery professionals have listed a few tips and chores for your landscape and they have also listed the top trees and shrubs to plant this month!
- Control Your Weeds: Weeds are everywhere and if weeds haven't started to sprout on your yard consider yourself one of the lucky ones! It's best to control your weeds now until it gets too hot and your weeds are uncontrollable. No one wants to pull weeds in triple digits. Moon Valley Nurseries stocks all of the things you will need for your weed prevention plan at our locations.
- Fertilizers: It's the prime growing season right now, and you can give everything on your landscape a boost with a custom blended fertilizer from Moon Valley Nurseries. All of our fertilizers have been specifically crated for our native soils. We have fertilizers for everything on your landscape. From palms, to fruit and citrus, to flowering trees. In addition, we also have fertilizers that can assist in material on your landscape that is still recovering from the winter or any stress. These can be purchased at all Moon Valley Nurseries locations or online.
- Watering: It's starting to heat up and you're going to want to keep a close eye on the temperature and how everything is doing in your landscape. Always remember to deep water. Small and short applications do not assist in the development of a strong root structure. For more information on deep watering practices download our water guide help you get a better idea on how to just take care of your landscape.
- Mulch: The temperature isn't hot now, but it will be and it's always a good idea to prepare your landscape with some mulch. Adding a few inches of mulch can help keep your soil cool during the warmer summer months and warm during the cooler days. Mulch is available at any Moon Valley Nurseries location.
Mexican Oak (Monterrey Oak & White Oak)
The Monterrey Oak Tree is a south Texas native that is extremely drought tolerant and do very well in many soil types. Also known as the Mexican White Oak, this oak is rapidly becoming a popular option for landscapers and homeowners looking for maximum shade coverage in their yard. In early spring Monterrey Oaks produce beautiful reddish-peach leaves that transition to a rich green. As it grows and matures, the Monterrey Oak's canopy will begin to spread and become more rounded.
Chinquapin Oak
Chinquapin Oak tree also called Yellow Oak is a member of the white oak family of trees and is a medium sized grower that offers great shade Spring through Summer. These trees are well adapted to many soils, growing in harsh limestone conditions to clay soil types, once established the Chinquapin Oak is very durable. These trees prefer to be planted in full sunlight where they will receive at least 6 hours of full sun. They have a simple leave that is oval or oblong in shape growing to about 6" long by 2" wide and is a deep green color contrasted by a dark brown trunk. The wood is a heavy strong wood that withstands windy conditions well and the trimmed wood can be used for BBQ as well.
Water Oak
Water Oak trees fit right in with the Western United States. This hardy native North American shade tree grows at an astonishing rate of upwards of 2 feet a year! It thrives in diverse soil conditions and in many different landscape zones. With its ability to grow quickly, this tree is known for its abundant amounts of shade and for being a tree that can provide a great amount of privacy.
Live Oak
Southern Live Oak, Quercus virginiana, is the "mighty oak of the South" that looks right at home planted in Southwestern landscapes. It is native to the coastal plains of the southeastern U.S and grows at a moderate rate. It is a large evergreen shade tree noted for its beauty and extreme drought tolerance. In fact, the Southern Live Oak was the lone survivor during the recent great Texas drought! Once established it will require low water, just let nature do the rest. This beauty will thrive in your landscape with full sun and little to no special care required.
Shumard Red Oak
Shumard Red Oak trees are a popular tree native to the Texas region. This tree is popular for many reasons; it is a fast grower, sprouts a large canopy, and grows attractive foliage. This tree benefits all landscapes by working as a privacy hedge, blocking noise from traffic. Most importantly, its foliage changes with the seasons; allowing the sun to add heat to your home in the winter by dropping its leaves and growing its leaves back just in time for the summer blocking out the warm sun and adding cooler temperatures.
Date Palm
Resort Style Date Palms are the ultimate in palms for your landscape design! There are many good reasons why Date Palms are found at most upscale resorts and shopping centers...they look absolutely fantastic, they're extremely hardy to cold, heat and drought and they provide a cool umbrella of shade. For formal plantings, place Resort Style Date Palms in rows of same height specimens. For semi-formal or natural effect, plant in groups of 3 or 5 of varying height.
Moon Valley Nurseries is your one stop shop for all your landscape needs. Our experts have decades worth of experience and they will be able to assist you with any and all projects you may have. Click here to map a nursery near you.