“What are you going to be doing on my property in the next few months?”
This question is often asked by existing and new customers alike. Many of our maintenance customers like to be reminded exactly what we’re doing when we visit their properties on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
Here’s a high-level breakdown of exactly what maintenance tasks we typically take on in the spring and summer. (Looking for a fall and winter list? It’s here!)
A note about customer communication…
We typically include a breakdown of what customers can expect at the beginning of each quarter in our email newsletters (you can sign up here!)
And if you aren’t a customer, you can use these lists as a guideline for your own DIY maintenance!
The spring and summer maintenance list!
One more note! Keep in mind that every property is a little different and many maintenance tasks are dependent on weather and seasons. What you see below are guidelines that our teams use to determine what to do when they complete service at your property over the course of a year.
“Maintenance” describes any items that we complete for the majority of our customers.
“Additional services” indicate anything over and above “standard” maintenance. Many of our customers add these upgrades to their packages for ease and convenience. If you’d like to add them, just get in touch.
March
Maintenance:
- Lawn care — If your lawn is Zoysia or Bermudagrass, scalp or dethatch it. If you have a Fescue lawn, start mowing! What’s dethatching? Thatch is simply the layer of dead grass, roots and debris that builds up between the soil surface and grass blades growing above it. Dethatching involves using a special rake to remove the layer of debris.
- Pruning and tree & shrub care — Prune roses, ornamental grasses, certain hydrangeas, camellias, ferns and most perennials. We also deadhead hydrangeas and do what we call “winter pocket pruning.”
- Garden bed care — General weeding. If you see a weed, pull it out!
Additional Services: Starting up irrigation systems, fertilizing and adding fresh pine straw or mulch to gardens, fertilizing trees and shrubs, and performing rejuvenation pruning to revive old or misshapen shrubs. If you have new trees or shrubs you’d like planted, this is one of the best months to plant them!
Seasonal color — the planting of summer annual flowers — starts in March and continues into April.
April
Maintenance:
- Lawn care — General mowing and edging. If you have an Automower installed on your property, we’ve made sure it’s up and running!
- Pruning and tree & shrub care — Keep pruning most perennials and continue pruning plants to maintain their health and shape.
- Garden bed care — Apply a pre-emergent herbicide to combat weeds before they can sprout. (This isn’t always included in our packages, but it usually is.)
Additional Services:
Fertilizing and adding fresh pine straw or mulch to gardens. If you have new trees or shrubs you’d like planted, this is another one of the best months to plant them.
Planting summer annuals continues!
May, June, July, August & Early September
The rest of the year is more simple and standardized, with some additional services best performed during certain months.
Maintenance:
- Lawn care — Mowing and edging of lawns to keep them looking sharp. Of course, if you have an Automower the mowing is taken care of!
- Pruning and tree & shrub care — Continue pruning plants to maintain their health and shape.
- Garden bed care — Keep on weeding!
Additional Services:
Warm season lawn aeration can happen at any point in the season. We perform it any time from May to July. Typically, it’s done once or twice a year.
May is the best month for rejuvenation pruning of azaleas, if you have them. July is the best month to rejuvenation prune hydrangeas.
Adding fresh mulch or pine straw to your garden is best performed in July, August & early September.
Want to leave the maintenance to us?
If you’re interested in having the experts care for your lawn and gardens, we’re happy to help. This video gives a great rundown of what to expect when signing up for our property care services!
Ready to sign up? You can get instant pricing for your property here by answering a few quick questions.
