​How to manage your landscape in Late summer

It's Never too Late

​If you haven't been paying attention to your yard, then landscaping efforts made in late summer can really help you catch up.

​This weather is optimal for planting new trees, bushes, and flowerbeds in your outdoor landscape.

​Here are a few landscaping and gardening tips to help you manage your landscape late in summer:

keep up with Weeds

If you haven't been able to stay up to date on maintenance, then you might end up having to deal with a severe weed problem in your yard. Several weed species love the summer heat and are known to flourish during this growing season. Perennial weeds such as ground ivy, white clover, and broadleaf plantain may stick around to create problems in your lawn. If these weeds are left unattended, they have the potential to overrun your garden completely by flowering to spread their seeds. Here are two different ways to tackle weeds.

• Manually. You can pull weed plants by hand. Firmly grab the base of the weed plant near the ground, and steadily lift it to extract as much of the root as possible. This technique only offers temporary control of the situation but can be very effective to slow the rate of growth. 
• Chemically. Spray herbicide that is safe for the type of grass you have in your lawn. A harsh concentration of herbicide can hurt your grass as much as it hurts weeds. Mix it with enough water to dilute it, make sure that there is no wind blowing, and begin spraying!

It does not matter if your garden is a mess towards the end of summer. Keep up with your weeds all year long so summer doesn't feel like a burden

Add More plants

If you are looking forward to creating an aesthetic landscape in fall, then introducing new plants to your front yard in late summer is a recommended gardening hack. During this season, the winds are cool enough, the sun is not too harsh, and the weather is neither too dry nor too humid. Installing plants, trees, and shrubs during the late summer will help them grow strong roots and develop healthy buds.

Colorful perennials can help liven up your landscape, and leave it looking stellar! Balloon flowers, bee balm, blue cardinal flowers, chrysanthemums, and coneflowers are only some of the potential plant varieties you can experiment with during this time. Channel your inner creative genius by choosing colorful perennial plants and flowers to grow in your garden. 

Don’t forget to take care of your newly planted perennials! Here is how you can do that:

• Perennials planted late in summer require mulching several times. Mulching helps your plants and flowers prevent the soil they are growing in from freezing and thawing repeatedly.
  
• Don’t let late summer showers of rain fool you. You still need to water your plants regularly. Inadequate moisture, lack of hydration, and drying out are some of the most common reasons why perennials planted may begin wilting and even die out completely.
  
• Pruning and trimming perennial flowers helps boost their visual appeal. However, pruning them too much can be fatal. 

Renew Your Hardscapes

Late summer is the perfect time for you to focus on fences, porches and decks for maximum appeal. Begin by first inspecting your hardscapes for damaged boards, stair stringers, and loose nails at ground level. Feel around boards and posts for cracks. Note that if you can sink the tip of a screwdriver into a post by applying only a small amount of pressure, then you may be dealing with rot! Here’s how you can spruce up your fences, porches and deck during late summer:

• Boards that are too damaged for repair or have begun rotting need to be removed immediately. You might have to use a saw blade for this.
• You can clean your deck with a scrub if it was not stained before. Purchase a deck cleaner from a local hardware store, or make a DIY cleaning solution of your own! You can do this by mixing household bleach, powdered laundry detergent, and warm water. Place your scrub in the cleaning solution to soak up it up, and brush across your deck firmly. Let it dry overnight​.​ ​

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By spending a bit of time in your yard at the end of summer will give you freedom and peace of mind knowing that your yard is readily prepared. Bring on the colder weather, your yard is ready for it! If you live in the Sacramento county and need help with your yard any season of the year, follow us on Instagram of friend us on Facebook.

​You deserve a great yard and we want to help you achieve your landscaping goals.