The Four Basics of Summer Landscaping

Summer is the prime season for your lawn. It’s also the prime time for landscaping, with a number of necessary tasks that build on your spring efforts and keep your lawn looking healthy and fresh. 

Of course, if this is your first summer with a lawn – or just your first summer landscaping – then you might not be sure what’s a must-do and what’s not. To help you out, we’re breaking down the basics of summer lawn care below, including top tips for making sure all your hard work pays off. 

4 Basic Elements of Summer Landscaping

Landscaping in the summer looks a bit different than it does in the spring and fall. That’s because the focus is primarily on maintaining what you’ve already done, rather than starting a new landscaping project from scratch. 

As you go about your summer lawn efforts, there are four things that you’ll want to keep in mind, all of which play a key role in how (and whether) your lawn, trees, and plants thrive:

• Watering
• Heat
• Shade
• Pest control

Watering

Over-watering your lawn can backfire. Instead, you want to water less frequently and deeper, since this encourages ample root growth and helps with moisture retention in the soil. Aim to water either early in the morning or late in the afternoon, when the weather is cooler and the sun isn’t at its peak. 

Underwatering is a concern, too. For best results, many experts recommend about 30 minutes of watering twice a week, with additional watering as needed if the top inch of your soil is completely dry. You can simply stick a finger into your soil to test for dryness, or invest in a soil moisture meter or tensiometer. 

Heat

Summer heat can take a huge toll on your lawn, so you’ll need to mitigate the impact wherever possible. Watering your lawn will go a long way toward protecting it, but make sure to take other steps as well, such as mowing your grass to a higher height, which provides more cover for the all-important roots. Mulching and aerating will also help, and fertilizer can be used to reinforce the nutrients that your lawn may lose to excessive heat. 

Shade

Sun is important for a healthy lawn, but too much and you could end up doing more harm than good. Find a good balance by being strategic about where you place shade-producing features like trees and bushes, focusing them on areas that tend to get three or more hours of direct, scorching sunlight per day. 

In addition to protecting the health of your lawn, shade also makes it so you can actually enjoy spending time out there on summer days. To supplement the shade from trees, add on other shaded structures like shade sails and awnings, which can be moved or adjusted depending on what areas of your lawn need shade the most. 

Pest Control

To effectively deal with summer lawn pests like fleas, ticks, and mosquitos, you need to be both proactive and reactive. Preventative measures, which include ample weeding, dethatching, and general lawn maintenance, will help prevent pests from moving in and making your lawn their home. Meanwhile, taking proper steps to deal with an active infestation will control outbreaks once they occur and hopefully minimize your risk of future pest problems. This may include the use of insecticides or the assistance of a professional lawn pest control company. 

Summer Landscaping Tips

Every lawn is different. If you’re new to landscaping, give yourself some grace as you learn about the specific elements of your outdoor space and what does (and doesn’t) work there. And while you’re at it, be sure to follow some general best practices around summer landscaping, including; 

• Mowing: Mowing the lawn is summer landscaping 101, assisting with water conservation, shade protection, heat protection, and pest control. To make it easy on yourself and your lawn, mow on dry days and rotate your mowing pattern. You should also plan to mow only when your lawn needs it, rather than tying yourself down to a set schedule. 
• Mulching: Use an organic or inorganic mulching material to conserve water and keep weeds at bay. Depending on your lawn, you may need to do this every year, though many landowners get by mulching just once every two years. 
• Moisture control: Standing water destroys your lawn and makes it a haven for pests. Improve drainage as needed with aeration and strategic placement of rocks and slopes, and don’t delay calling in the professionals if you’re concerned about a pipe leak or other water-related problem. 
• Soil testing: If your lawn won’t thrive despite your best efforts, there could be an issue with the soil. At-home soil testing kits can give you some insight into what’s going on, however for a full analysis you should send a soil sample to a nearby testing lab. 
• Managing weeds: Weeds syphon off resources your lawn needs, such as water, sunlight, and soil nutrients. Keep them at bay with hoeing or hand weeding, or use a commercially-available herbicide. If you’re going the latter route, just do your research to make sure you don’t put pets, wildlife, or desired plants at risk. 

Summer landscaping is a time-intensive project, but it has the potential to pay off in dividends. Don’t have the free time or desire to tackle it? Check out low-maintenance grasses and native plants, which require less oversight and aren’t quite as finicky as their more high-maintenance counterparts.