As landscape professionals, we get asked some questions more than others. One of the most-commonly asked questions we receive is in regard to when is the best time to landscape your yard. So when folks ask us, “When is the best time for me and other homeowners in Washington state? Is it spring or fall?” our answer is, “Both!”
That’s right. Both spring and fall are the perfect time for you to engage in landscaping, but in different ways for different purposes. To us and to other well-respected landscaping professionals, yard maintenance is a year-round series of engagements. And we love it.
But we understand that many others might not. Or perhaps it’s not that they don’t love it but that they don’t know where to start. Landscape maintenance can be daunting, even for professionals, so we’re here to help provide you some guidance as to the perfect landscaping tasks for Washington state residents who need a little direction so that they too can have beautiful a landscape all year long and a deeper sense of pride in their work because they have the confidence necessary to move forward in the right way.
The Greenhaven Landscapes Fall and
Spring Landscape Maintenance Guide
Fall tips for a more beautiful landscape in Washington state
Some folks mistakenly think that fall is the end of lawn care for the year. But it’s not over, it’s just different. You can keep your landscape healthy and beautiful all year long, including autumn, by following some of the below tips!
Fertilizing
This is our favorite and most recommended time to fertilize your lawn. We think that conditions for fertilization are so good in the autumn months, that we actually recommend you do so in early and late fall. Don’t over-fertilize. Two smaller usage of fertilizer will do.
Aerating
Much as it can throughout the winter season, the summer months can cause your lawn to become dense and compressed. Aerating, either through the spiked clete or gas-powered method (or anything in between) will help create much-needed space in your lawn for nutrients, water, and oxygen.
Seeding
About a month before the first frost arrives, you’ll want to seed your lawn. This will give the seed time to establish itself before the winter cold comes, leading to a lusher lawn in the spring.
Watering
This is another instance where you’ll need to pay attention to precipitation rates. If you’ve had a dry summer and the early weeks of fall are as well, continue to water as though it were summer until more regular rain patterns establish themselves. Otherwise, your work in aeration, fertilizing, and seeding will have been for naught.
Weeding
This won’t be nearly as abundant as in spring, but might require a few periodic once-overs throughout the season. Simple maintenance work.
Cleanup and Maintenance
Rake and compost leaves, glean gutters, clean up summer annuals and vegetables, as well as any summer garden beds or pots you’ve planted.
Spring tips for a more beautiful landscape
in Washington state
Spring has sprung. The gray, overcast skies are giving way to periodic moments of blue sunshine and warm rays of golden sun. The buds are budding. The birds are hatching. The world is ready to come back to life after a long, drizzly winter. Are you and your yard? We hope so, but if you’re not, here are a few things we recommend you take care of in order to have the best spring possible with your yard.
Equipment maintenance
When was the last time you gave your mower a tuneup? Your edger? Your hedge trimmer? Of course, these items need different types of maintenance, but they all indeed do need maintenance in order to perform their best and in order for you to have the type of yard you want. One thing that folks sometimes overlook is having their lawn mower blade sharpened. We recommend getting your lawn mower blade sharpened every spring so that you start the season out right!
Seeding
Now, this is something that we typically recommend folks due in the fall season, but we know that this isn’t always possible. So if you’re not able to seed your yard in autumn or you did seed your yard in autumn and you see areas that need extra attention, now is the time to take care of it. Waiting until summer might be too late to establish the lush lawn of your dreams, so take advantage of this rich combination of rain and sun during spring to achieve the lawn you desire.
Aerating
As a Washingtonian, we don’t need to tell you that spring is a very active time for lawns. During the winter months, your yard’s soil can become very compressed and impacted, so when spring does finally arrive, yes, your lawn is growing, but is it growing evenly and in the way you want it to? Aeration during this time period will loosen things up (not too much!) and create space where oxygen, nutrients, and water can be dispersed more evenly. Pair this with the other tips provided, and you’ll have a beautiful, lush lawn.
Fertilizing
This time of year doesn’t require a huge emphasis on fertilizer, but it’s not a bad idea to apply some slow-release fertilizer to your lawn around the time it will need its first mowing.
Watering
Yes, it’s spring. In Washington. So watering…maybe doesn’t seem necessary. And it might not be! However, we also have to recognize that some days, weeks, and months are drier than others. Instead of focusing on it being “spring,” we recommend paying attention to precipitation patterns, and in those multiple-day periods where things are particularly dry, water your lawn just as you would in the summer.
Weeding
This is the time to help your lawn look and grow its best. Pay special attention to weed-infested areas and apply treatments accordingly.
Cleanup
A long winter can bring a great deal of mess to a yard. Now is the time to clean up patios, garden beds, edging, and other areas you want to be in pristine condition throughout spring, summer, and into fall. Take are of these and the above things, and your yard will be the envy of the neighborhood!