Seasonal Landscape Maintenance Beginner’s Guide

October 30, 2024

Seasonal landscape maintenance enhances curb appeal. It also protects your investment and creates a beautiful outdoor living space. But, each season presents challenges. Spring blooms need nurturing, and autumn leaves need raking.


This guide covers lawn care, flower bed upkeep, tree and shrub care, hardscape maintenance, and outdoor lighting. These beginner tips will help you shape your yard through every season. When you need extra hands, call on professional landscapers to take over.


Let's dive into the details of seasonal yard maintenance, starting with spring.


Spring: Awakening Your Landscaping


Spring means temperatures rise and the days get longer. Give your yard the attention it needs to flourish throughout the growing season.


Lawn Care Essentials


Spring is a time of renewal for your lawn. It emerges from winter dormancy and begins the growth cycle. Here are the essentials for lawn care in Louisville.

  • Aeration and overseeding improve soil health and grass density.
  • Fertilize with a spring-specific blend to encourage growth.
  • Preventing weeds starts with a pre-emergent herbicide application.
  • Set a mower height of about 3 to 4 inches to promote optimal grass health.


Sprinkler System Spring Update


Once the threat of frost has passed, turn on the water supply to your sprinkler system. Inspect for damage and replace any worn or broken parts. Increase sprinkler run times as the weather warms and lawns need more water needs.


Revitalizing Flower Beds


As temperatures rise, flower beds need attention.

  • Remove any remaining dead foliage from perennials to make room for new growth.
  • Add a fresh layer of mulch to conserve water and suppress weeds.
  • Plant annuals and bedding plants to add vibrant color.
  • Fertilizing blooming plants with essential nutrients.


Tree and Shrub Care


Spring is the ideal time to tend to trees and shrubs. Pruning shapes plants and removes dead or diseased branches. 

  • Light Pruning: Remove dead or damaged branches to improve tree health. Gently shape plants but avoid heavy pruning during the growing season. Cutting too much can stress the tree and increase the risk of disease.
  • Fertilize for healthy growth.
  • Be on the lookout for and take action against common pests and diseases.


Hardscape Maintenance


Winter's toll on hardscapes becomes evident in spring.

  • Clean patios, walkways, and driveways to remove dirt and winter buildup.
  • Repair damaged pavers or concrete.
  • Seal outdoor surfaces to protect against stains and weathering.


Outdoor Lighting


Spring is the time to assess outdoor lighting.

  • Inspect fixtures for damage and replace burned-out bulbs.
  • Clean light fixtures to restore brightness.
  • Add new outdoor lighting for curb appeal and inviting outdoor spaces.
Luscious landscaped garden in summer

Summer: Nurturing Your Outdoor Oasis


Summer heat brings unique seasonal landscape maintenance challenges. But consistent care keeps your yard thriving during the hottest months of the year.


Lawn Care in the Heat


Keeping your lawn healthy during summer’s heat takes attention and specific care.

  • Infrequent and deep watering encourages strong root growth. Try for about an inch of water per week, applied slowly to allow deep penetration.
  • Water early in the morning to cut evaporation.
  • Raise mower height to 2-2.5 inches for warm-season grasses to shade the soil and hold moisture.
  • Avoid mowing during peak heat hours.
  • Consider applying a light layer of compost (about ¼ to ½ inches). Compost insulates the soil and holds moisture. It is beneficial for lawns, but use it in the right amount. Too much can smother the grass.


Flower Bed Maintenance


Summer heat can be harsh on flower beds. Consistent care keeps plants in bloom.

  • Deadhead regularly: Removing spent blooms encourages new flower growth.
  • Water deeply, especially during hot, dry spells. Avoid overhead watering to prevent scorching. Instead, opt for drip irrigation systems or soaker hoses.
  • Apply a layer of mulch to keep soil moisture, cut down weeds, and shade plant roots.
  • Fertilize: You might not need to fertilize again until fall. But, heavy bloomers may want a light application of liquid fertilizer every 4-6 weeks.
  • Protect from extreme heat: Shield delicate plants from intense afternoon sun if necessary.


Summer Care for Trees, Shrubs, Hardscapes, and Lighting


Besides tending to your lawn and flower beds, summer is time for other landscaping elements.


Trees and Shrubs


Established trees and shrubs rely on natural rainfall. But water deeply during extended dry periods. Avoid heavy pruning during summer's peak heat. Light pruning to remove dead branches is okay as needed.


Summer fertilizing isn’t necessary. But if your plants show signs of decay, a light application can help.


Hardscapes


Clean patios, walkways, and driveways regularly to remove dirt and algae. It’ll keep them looking good and remove any tripping hazards. Address any damage to pavers, concrete, or other hardscape materials as it occurs. Remove weeds from cracks and joints so they don’t take root.


Outdoor Lighting


There isn’t much seasonal landscape maintenance when it comes to outdoor lighting. You’ll want to replace burned-out bulbs. Clean fixtures for optimal brightness and appearance.


Do an occasional safety check to make sure outdoor lighting is functioning.

A barren tree and the ground covered in snow in winter

Preparing for Winter


As summer winds down and cooler weather comes, it’s time to prep landscaping for winter. Proper care now helps protect plants and prevent damage to outdoor spaces.


Lawn Care for Cooler Weather


Temperatures drop, daylight shortens, and your lawn's needs change. Seasonal landscape maintenance in the fall is all about preparation. Protecting your lawn for winter sets it up for a healthy spring green-up.

  • Aeration: Loosening the soil with a core aerator improves air and water penetration to the roots. Aerating in both spring and fall is beneficial for most lawns.
  • Overseeding fills bare spots with new grass seed to help thicken your lawn before winter.
  • Apply a fall-specific fertilizer that promotes root growth. Hardiness in your lawn prepares it for winter's challenges. These fertilizers have a lower nitrogen content than spring versions. But they also have higher phosphorus and potassium levels.
  • Leaf cleanup: Regularly remove fallen leaves so they don’t suffocate the grass.
  • Gradually lower the mower height to about 3 inches as the Fall season progresses.


Flower Bed Cleanup


Fall is the perfect time to tidy up your flower beds. Cut back perennials after their first frost. Remove dead leaves and spent blooms.


Now is the time to plant bulbs like crocuses and daffodils for a beautiful spring surprise. Add fresh mulch to protect flower roots and bulbs during winter.


Winterizing Your Landscaping


Get your yard ready for winter to protect plants and prevent damage. First, protect your trees and shrubs. Wrap delicate plants with burlap or tree wrap. Mulch around plant bases to insulate their roots.


Next, prepare your outdoor living spaces. Cover or store furniture to protect it from the elements. Clean gutters to prevent ice dams. Finally, secure loose items like garden decorations to stop them from blowing away.


To winterize your sprinkler system, first shut off the water supply. Next, drain all the water from the pipes and heads to prevent freezing and damage. Finally, insulate any above-ground components like valves and backflow preventers. Take care now to protect them from the cold weather.

Frost covering grass in a lawn of a home in Louisville

Winter: Protecting Your Investment


Winter brings challenges to your every yard. But proactive steps now pay off in the long run.


Lawn Care in Kentucky Winters


Louisville's winters can be unpredictable. But there are a few things to remember for your lawn. While grass is dormant, it still needs some attention.

  • Avoid excessive foot traffic: Walking on frozen grass can damage it.
  • Remove heavy snow from your lawn to prevent suffocation.
  • Use pet-safe de-icers for sidewalks and driveways, but avoid excessive salt application.


Cold-weather Plant Protection


Consider using frost blankets or row covers for tender plants during winter. Also, bring potted plants indoors to a cooler location, like the garage. Keep them away from drafts and heaters.


Winter Planning: A Foundation for Spring Success


Cold days are excellent for planning and preparing spring yard and garden projects. Here's how:

  • Assess your current design: Take a critical look at your yard. What's working? What's not? Identify areas for improvement.
  • Dream big: Consider your long-term vision for your outdoor space. Do you envision a new patio, a vegetable garden, or an expanded flower bed?
  • Research plants and design: Explore options that suit your climate and preferences. Consider creating a mood board or digital design to visualize your ideas.
  • Create a budget: Determine how much you're willing to invest in your project. Prioritize projects and make informed decisions.
  • Seek professional advice: A landscaping designer or arborist gives expert guidance if needed.


Seasonal Landscape Maintenance Wrap-up


A thriving lawn and garden comes from consistent care and attention throughout the year. Understand the seasonal demands and tailor your maintenance accordingly. Then, you can reimagine your yard into outdoor living rooms.


From the greenness of spring to the cozy winter retreat, your Seasonal landscape maintenance enhances curb appeal. It also protects your investment and creates a beautiful outdoor space.


Each season presents challenges. Spring’s blooms need nurturing, and autumn’s falling leaves need raking. Every yard is different. So, pay close attention to your specific plants, soil conditions, and microclimate. You’ll create a beautiful outdoor space with some effort throughout the year.

You might also like

A rain garden in Louisville, KY, during heavy rain

Rain Garden Landscaping Guide For Louisville

July 23, 2025
In Louisville, rain doesn’t just fall- It pours. And usually in buckets. Sometimes it rains in long, lazy stretches; at other times, it’s in sudden, theatrical bursts that leave sidewalks steaming and gutters overwhelmed. But regardless of what style the buckets come in, the result of the buckets for homeowners is essentially constant soggy yards, flooded corners, and annoying runoff. Put short, the rain is a real problem for Louisville homeowners. Enter the rain garden: a low-key, low-maintenance landscape feature that nullifies these issues. A rain garden quietly intercepts stormwater, and elegantly too. It filters out pollutants and turns all that Kentucky rain into something beautiful and functional. It’s not a brand-new idea. But in a city where clay-heavy soil, dense development, and chaotic weather all collide, it’s a sharp one. More and more Louisville homeowners are catching on, especially as sustainable landscaping shifts from eco-trendy to good ol’ common sense. If you’re looking to manage water, erosion, and pollinator support and still enjoy a gorgeous yard that doesn’t feel like a retirement project, a rain garden might be exactly the answer to your problems. Let’s dig in! What Is A Rain Garden? A rain garden is a shallow, bowl-shaped depression in your yard, designed (in both structure and soil) to temporarily hold and slowly absorb stormwater. Think of it as a spongey basin, albeit one dressed in native plants. It’s engineered to catch runoff from your roof, driveway, or lawn before it runs into the storm drains. Unlike a standard garden bed, a rain garden is built to soak. Beneath the surface, it’s a mix of drainage-friendly soils. But above? It’s a layered combo of deep-rooted grasses and perennials that slow, filter, and drink up the water. But remember! It’s not a pond. Not even close: ponds hold water, and mosquitoes, and bayou vibes. A well-built rain garden drains fully within 24 to 48 hours. No standing water or creepy crawlies. Just a kitchen sink plug for your garden. Why Louisville Yards Are Prime Real Estate For Rain Gardens Louisville isn’t just bourbon and baseball bats. It’s a city shaped by water, and also one equally challenged by it. Sitting in a climate transition zone between humid subtropical and humid continental, we get long growing seasons here — and plenty of rain. Louisville sees over 45 inches of rain a year, in fact, with spring and summer bringing the kind of downpours that can soak a lawn in seconds. Then there’s the soil. Much of Louisville is built on dense, clay-heavy earth that clings to water like it’s hoarding for winter. That means slow drainage, compacted lawns, and yards that can turn into a full mud bath, even with modest rainfall. Pile on Louisville’s urban development, infill housing, paved-over yards, and impervious surfaces galore, and you’ve got a city with some serious runoff problems. Rain gardens are custom-built for this exact chaos. They: Slow and absorb runoff before it overwhelms the city’s stormwater system Prevent erosion in sloped or frequently saturated spots Filter out oils, chemicals, and sediments before they reach Beargrass Creek or the Ohio River And help recharge groundwater in areas that desperately need better water management So basically, they’re a net positive. Rain gardens are good for your yard, your foundation, your neighborhood… And your conscience. :) But Don’t I Need A Big Yard?
Lawn in Louisville, KY, mowed with a riding lawn mower

The Best Lawn Care Schedule for Louisville’s Climate

July 16, 2025
Lawns in Louisville, KY, for better or for worse, come with their fair share of complexities. Have you ever looked out from your Louisville home and wondered, “Why does my lawn look like a battlefield in May and a jungle by October?” Well, you’re not alone. Lawn care in this city is a year-round negotiation. Our climate doesn’t sit neatly in one category. We’re not Southern enough for warm-season grasses to thrive without risk, and we’re not Midwestern enough to coast on mild seasons either. Instead, we get a blend of hot, sticky summers, brisk winters, yo-yoing spring temps, and just enough rain to keep you guessing. Unfortunately, if your lawn here feels like it’s constantly one step behind, the truth is that it probably is. That’s not that you’re doing it wrong: most people are doing it wrong here!. Basically, all generic lawn care advice just isn’t able to match the tempo of Louisville weather. But this guide does. We’re not here to throw a one-size-fits-all checklist at you. We’re here to map out a rhythm that actually works — the right moves at the right time, all tailored to the transitional chaos of Zone 6b/7a’s turf life. Let’s talk timing, timbre, and turf sanity in Kentucky's wild weather zone. Know Your Lawn Type  Before you start sharpening mower blades or tossing fertilizer around like confetti, you need to know what kind of grass you’re actually working with. Louisville is smack in the “transition zone”. That means lawns in the Louisville area can technically support both warm-season and cool-season grasses. But that doesn’t necessarily make things easy. Most homeowners, rather wisely, stick with cool-season turf blends like: Tall Fescue: Tough, drought-tolerant, deep-rooted — Louisville’s local MVP. Kentucky Bluegrass : A bit fussier, but it will grow drop-dead gorgeous if managed right. Perennial Ryegrass : Fast to germinate, and often used for overseeding. You’ll also spot warm-season grasses like zoysia or bermudagrass in some yards. However, grasses built for warmer climates like those tend to throw in the towel when winter punches back. Either way, the first step of your lawn care schedule in Louisville is to simply identify what you’re working with. At the broadest level, if your grass peaks in spring and fall, then fades in high summer, you’re probably working with a cool-season variety. So, build a lawn care schedule that follows that rhythm. Spring Lawn Care
Low-maintenance rental property landscape with an artificial turf and native plants

Rental Properties Landscaping Guide

March 26, 2025
Landscaping can bring up the value of your rental property and help you fetch a higher price on the market. However, while tenants may appreciate the landscaping, your tenants likely aren't going to place a huge focus on it since it's not their place and they won't be staying there permanently. As such, it doesn't make sense for you as a landlord to invest heavily in landscaping . You still want the landscaping to bring up the value of your home though. So the key is to find a balance of enhancing your aesthetics to boost curb appeal while not overdoing it to the point where tenants wouldn't be willing to pay more for a nicer outdoor space. This means you should be focusing on cost-effective landscaping projects that can help you get a better price for your rental home and that don't require too much maintenance. Here are the best landscape projects for rental properties as well as some additional considerations when landscaping your rental property. Important Considerations  When you landscape your rental property, you don't want to create an outdoor space that requires lots of maintenance. Otherwise, you'll either have to be the one doing the maintenance work or have to hire a professional landscaper to do it, which is extra cost. The point of landscaping is to allow you to earn more from your property, so it doesn't make sense if you're going to end up earning less from your property than you would if you didn't have to perform the landscape maintenance in the first place. Still, no landscape in the world can require zero maintenance. The key is to make this maintenance minimal so that you can easily do it yourself and the maintenance work will only need to be done ideally only once per month or even quarterly. The watering of plants is usually a key concern though as it needs to be done daily. Landlords will need to make it clear whether the tenant is expected to water the plants. If you want to make your property more attractive to your tenants, it's worth investing in irrigation systems that can automate the watering as well as reduce the maintenance burden on you if you're the one doing the maintenance. Finally, make sure not to have any particularly expensive features and elements, whether it's for your outdoor area or in your own home. Your tenant’s stay should be comfortable, so bigger investments like a good temperature control system that enhances their living experience are fine and will fetch you a higher price. However, expensive elements, especially those that don't add much or any practical value, should be avoided. First of all, while we don't want to question their integrity, expensive items create the temptation for theft. More importantly though, you can't assume that your tenants will take good care of your place like you do. After all, it's not their place. You should have taken two months’ deposit or so from them and set it aside to cover any necessary repairs, but even so, it's simply not worth investing in unnecessarily expensive items that won't help you get a higher price. An affordable resin-wicker outdoor sofa will do the same job as an expensive leather one. And both would likely get you the same price for your home. The point is, don't invest in unnecessarily expensive elements that won't serve much practical purpose. Now that you know what to keep in mind when landscaping your rental property, let's go over the best projects to fetch you a better price. 1. Outdoor Living Spaces