We are only days away from entering the spring season (it officially starts March 20th). 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 Texas. 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 serious 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 being 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 trunk 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!
While this is technically a tree, it’s a small tree so we are going to include it anyways! In the spring, the Texas Mountain Laurel produces large clusters of purple flowers that have a strong aroma to them similar to grape juice or Juicy Fruit gum (visit a nursery and tell us what you think it smells like). This makes for a great accent plant, especially with how low maintenance it is year-round.
Encore Azaleas
People adore Azaleas because of the bright flowers they produce. The dark green foliage grows around the flowers to create a perfect contrast of the color combinations. Azaleas come in many bright colors ranging from deep red, bright purple, classic white, and vibrant pink flowers. Azaleas will get plenty of attention when placed in an entryway to your home or scattered around the yard for a splash of color.
Japanese Boxwood
The Japanese Boxwood shrub is very popular for hedge material. It grows large enough to be a small hedge or works great as the lower row in a double hedge design. The foliage is bright and glossy and stands out all on its own! It also stays that green all year (although a bit of Moon Juice wouldn’t hurt during the winter or hot months). This boxwood will look great bordering driveways and leading your visitors to your door.
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!
Submit a Comment