In the world of commercial landscaping, maintaining the beauty (and safety) of your outdoor spaces isn’t just a seasonal task. It’s a year-round commitment. Whether you manage a business park, a school, college or university campus, a retail part or a residential estate, the appearance of your grounds plays an important role in shaping perceptions and creating a positive experience for everyone who visits. That’s why you need a year-round grounds maintenance plan. One that adapts to the changing needs of your business and plants throughout the year. If you don’t have one already, this is roughly what it should look like.
Spring
Spring means the weather lurching between warm(ish) and cold while it works out what it wants to do! ‘False spring’ starts off and brings mild days and nights that leave thick coats of frost, so it can feel difficult to work out what exactly you should be doing for your grounds. While it should be taken day by day, the key things we try to achieve in spring are:
Lawn care: At this time of year lawns need mowing, aerating and fertilising to promote healthy growth and lush green grass come summer. Repairing any damage caused by winter weather, like filling in bare patches and reseeding thin areas can help restore your lawn’s appearance too.
Planting and pruning: Now is the time to start planting new flowers, shrubs and trees as the soil starts to warm up and plants are just starting to actively grow. Pruning and shaping shrubs and trees before they start to leaf out is also a good way to maintain their shape and promote healthy growth.
Cleaning up: A lot of debris can build up during winter when your grounds aren’t being used as much. Spring is the perfect time to clear up debris, fallen leaves and other winter detritus so that you have a clean slate.
Pest and disease management: As we’re clearing and tending, we’ll also be looking for signs of pests or diseases in your plants and on your grounds as a whole. Catching these things early means we can act quickly, prevent infestations and protect the health of your natural landscape.
Fertilisation and soil management: Your soil might also need some TLC after the harsh winter. Applying fertilisers and soil enhancers now means that your plants will get the essential nutrients they need to grow healthily in the months to come.
Summer
Summer brings us warmer temperatures, longer days and lots of sunlight – perfect conditions for your growing and flourishing plants! Now your priority should be keeping on top of this growth, keeping it looking neat and tidy and making sure there are no pests or hazards hiding in the foliage.
Watering: With high temperatures and less rain comes soil dehydration, so making sure your grounds are well watered is a top priority. Lawns, flowers, shrubs and trees all need to be adequately hydrated, so your watering schedule will need to be adjusted.
Lawn mowing and edging: Grass grows very quickly, so it needs regular mowing to maintain a neat appearance. This includes maintaining edging along pathways, drives and flowerbeds to keep them looking tidy and stop the grass moving into other areas.
Pruning and deadheading: Light pruning is usually needed on shrubs and trees to remove any dead, damaged or overgrown branches, improving the chances for regrowth. We also deadhead spent flowers, which encourages the plant to bloom again and stops them from spending all of their energy on seed production.
Weeding and mulching: Regular weed control keeps weeds in check and stops them from competing for nutrients and space with other plants. We remove the weeds and apply mulch around flower beds and trees to stop them coming back, as well as making sure the soil can stay hydrated through the heat.
Fertilising: Giving plants, shrubs and trees a boost can make your grounds stay lusher for longer. Applying a slow-release fertiliser gives plants the essential nutrients they need to support healthy growth and vibrant blooms.
Autumn
As autumn arrives, temperatures start to cool and days get shorter, signalling to your grounds that winter is on the way. Plants are good at picking up on these things and will start ‘shutting up shop’, but there are some maintenance tasks you can do around them, and to help them.
Leaf removal: Autumn means falling leaves – lots of them! Don’t let them build up in your grounds. Remove them regularly from pathway and lawns to keep them looking tidy, stop them from becoming a slip hazard and prevents your grass and plants from suffocating.
Lawn care: Before the wet seasons truly begin, you should take one more chance to aerate, overseed and fertilise your lawn. This stops the soil from getting too compacted, helps the roots grow stronger and fills in any bare patches in the turf, so that it can weather out the winter healthily.
Pruning and trimming: Trimming back perennials and cutting back spent flower stalks helps prepare the plants for dormancy and promotes health regrowth in spring.
Hardscape maintenance: Aside from getting rid of the moss on your pathways, we don’t do a lot of the hardscaping element for our customers. But, because we’re in and around your grounds all the time, we can let you know when things need to be done – like resealing porous surfaces or fixing damage.
Autumn planting: It might seem off to be planting things in autumn, but it’s the best time for planting trees, shrubs and perennials since the soil is still warm and it’s raining more often, which allows young plants the chance to establish strong root systems before winter dormancy.
Winter
The cold, dark and the ever-present risk of snow makes winter a more challenging time for grounds maintenance, but that’s nothing we can’t manage!
Winter pruning: When deciduous trees and shrubs go dormant, it allows you to see the structure of the plant, which makes it the ideal time to prune them. Here is when we take off all the dead, diseased or damaged branches, improving the overall health and appearance, and reduces the risk of things breaking off during winter storms. This is also your chance to prune any evergreen shrubs or trees that you have on the property.
Cleanup: Remove any debris, dead vegetation and fallen leaves from the property. These can rot away and cause infestations or disease, so you want to make sure there’s nothing left over. Cutting back herbaceous plants to above ground level is also important, as it keeps them away from the soil and the possibility of snow and ice.
Protect tender plants: If you have any tender plants, they’ll need some protection from the cold. Mulching around the base will keep the roots warm, and wrapping sensitive trees and shrubs with protective materials will help shield them from cold winds or frost damage.
At Pod Landscapes, we specialise in working with commercial grounds owners to keep their grounds safe and looking beautiful all year-round. Our teams work with you and design a plan that meets the needs of your gardens and the people who will be using them. If you would like to know more about grounds maintenance for commercial areas, or you would like to ask us a question about maintaining your business park grounds, we would love to help. Just get in touch with us today to book your free consultation, and see your grounds come to life.
