WORKING TO CATCH UP FROM COLD SNOWY FEBRUARY 

The cold, snowy February has us behind in our normal late winter priorities. Luckily, the cooler weather has lawns and plants still dormant, so the normal spring pressure is not there right now. The short-range forecast is for continued below-normal temperatures, but we know spring is near so we will be working overtime to catch up on shrub bed preparation and pruning prior to spring’s arrival.

MOWING SEASON DELAYED

This March looks to be a challenging month for mowing. The cold weather in February has most lawns still dormant and not yet growing. Hopefully we will get some drier weather to get back into our mowing routine. We can’t mow on days that start below freezing and we take care not to mow when weather is rainy, to avoid damage from rutting.  

SHRUB REJUVENATION UNDERWAY

Much of our focus this winter has been pruning and preparing our shrub beds for the season. Our most intensive work in the shrub beds is during the winter. Some ask us if there's anything to do in the landscape during the winter and this surprises us as we are very active! We believe some of the most important work that we do is during January and February. Many plants, especially deciduous ones, are best to prune during the dormant season. We touch up or intensely prune all plants this time of year to get prepared for the coming season. Our pruning during the spring and summer is normally just to maintain height control. The best time to prune plants structurally and correctly is during the dormant season. 

PESKY LATE LEAF FALL CLEAN-UP 

Through the winter, we spend much time cleaning up shrub beds and removing leaves and other organic debris. Some trees, including most oaks, still have yet to drop all of their leaves, so our clean-up work continues into the early spring. This helps keep sites looking cosmetically clean and also prepares our beds for barkdust and pre-emergent weed control application.

MOSS CONTROL TREATMENTS COMING SOON

We promote moss control, and with customer approval we apply this treatment during the winter on most lawns we maintain. Moss is very aggressive due to our dark, wet winters. We recommend twice-annual moss control treatments, one in December or January, and a follow-up in spring, starting in April.

TIME FOR SHRUB BED RE-BARKDUSTING

We highly recommend applying a fresh layer of barkdust every other year. Barkdust decomposes over time and its water-saving and weed-control properties quickly fade after a couple years. Barkdust is a great moisture-control and weed-control agent, and makes your project look dramatically better when maintained on an every-other-year basis.

PANSIES DELAYED DUE TO COLD

Due to the cold weather and snow, pansy plantings are not growing or blooming much. However, our ongoing winter maintenance program will help ensure your pansies are healthy through the winter and into the spring.

IRRIGATION SYSTEM SERVICING UNDERWAY

As wet and cold as it is outside now, irrigation season is only a month or two away. We have been busy for the last month and will continue through April to get our system serviced and ready for the irrigation season. In the past, we have started irrigating as early as April 1, but normally irrigation season starts sometime in May. If you see the sprinklers on in the next month, it is likely because our staff is on site tunning up your system for the season.

EXCITED FOR SPRING AND THE FRUITS OF OUR WINTER EFFORTS

Winter has been busy, and spring will be busier. We're excited for the weather to improve and to see plants return to life. We really look forward to seeing beautiful landscapes shine during the spring and summer as a result of our hard work this past winter.