A fall landscape check-in will help your plants perform better next year, so you can enjoy your yard more.
September’s here, and it’s the perfect time to take a walk around your yard and see how your plants performed this year. Take measure of what worked and didn’t work in your landscape and consider what changes you might like to make. A fall landscape check-in will help your plants grow better next year, so you can enjoy your yard more.
Did your plants suffer in the summer drought?
If a few plants look worse for wear, you may want to move them to a shadier spot, or replace them with something more drought-tolerant. Great Plant Picks has several lists of drought-tolerant plants.
Do you need to adjust your irrigation system to give plants the amount of water they need? Find more about how to save water, money and time with your irrigation system from Saving Water Partnership.
Now is a great time to add mulch. It cools the soil during summer, protects against winter storms and improves your soil at the same time. We recommend medium-textured mulch that contain both wood chips and compost. Fine-textured materials, such as straight compost, tend to pack down too much and crust over. Coarse-textured materials, such as large bark chips, may be too porous to hold enough water.
Read our blog post on how to use mulch in your yard. And contact us if you’d like to make an appointment for our crew to apply mulch.
Review plants that performed poorly
Perhaps one plant was spindly, another didn’t flower or one had poor color. Are they getting too much sun (see above) or too much shade?
Did the plants get enough water? Drought stress is becoming more common in trees and shrubs as Seattle’s summers become hotter and drier.
Are they getting the right nutrition? If you are signed up for our natural lawn, tree and shrub care services, we have been treating your plants over the growing season with nutrients, micronutrients and organic organisms. If not, you may want to add organic mulch or a good organic fertilizer.
Did you spot any pest damage or fungal disease? Now is the time to assess what could have caused the problem. If you are a natural lawn, tree and shrub care client, we will monitor your landscape and apply natural products if needed to control pests or diseases.
Does the soil have the proper pH? Our Northwest soils tend to be more acidic. Now would be a good time to get a soil test to find out. Check out this blog post on soil testing.
Are there overachievers?
Do you have a shrub that is taking over an area and crowding out other plants? As plants grow and mature, you may need to adjust your plantings to give them the room they need. There are several options:
- Transplant the shrub from an area that is getting crowded to one that could be filled in more
- Remove neighboring plants to give it more space
- Remove the large plant and replace it with something else that is better suited to the location
As trees grow, less light reaches the ground, so if plants underneath them no longer look robust, you may want to replace them with ones that will better tolerate shade. Great Plant Picks has several lists of plants for shade.
Take a look at your lawn
Does your lawn have thin or bare spots? The first question to ask is if it got enough water to stay healthy. We don’t recommend letting lawns go dormant in summer. If lawns get thin or develop bare spots, they become more vulnerable to weeds, moss and insect pests. A thick and healthy lawn is the best defense against these problems. Check out our blog post on lawn watering.
Fall is an ideal time for aeration and overseeding to boost your lawn’s health. We offer aeration, overseeding and topdressing as part of our natural lawn care services.
How could you enjoy your landscape more?
Consider how you use your yard now and how it could serve you better. Perhaps you would like to add more shade or a water feature. You might like to add screening plants for more privacy or to block your view of a new home next door.
Perhaps a deck or a nicer patio would make your landscape more welcoming for relaxation or entertaining. You could consider adding a roof and fireplace to make a year-round outdoor room. Would you like to add a vegetable garden or other edible plants?
Check out our landscape design portfolio. And contact us if you’d like to discuss design options.
