When should I start planting is a bit of a loaded question. There’s a few things you need to know, decide on and be aware of before planting takes place. But don’t you worry . . . we answer this tricky question and give you some tips on how to start spring landscaping off the right way!

When Can You Start Planting Trees, Shrubs, And Flowers? (Your Spring Planting Schedule)

When should I start planting is a bit of a loaded question. There are so many other questions that need to be answered before we can confidently tell you when to start planting. Beginning with, the first, and most important question: what growing zone you live in? Each region’s climates, first and last frost dates, and weather cycles vary greatly. Once you know your growing zone, it becomes a lot easier to start planning your planting schedule.

Before You Begin Your Spring Landscaping Projects . . .

But first! Before you start planting, there’s some prep work that must be done. Spring is the time to tidy up and prepare your landscaping for successful spring planting. Springtime brings life into nearly every part of your yard. The overall health of your landscaping will be improved as you do basic spring cleaning before starting on any spring landscape projects.

Prune Trees And Shrubs

If you didn’t get to your trees in winter, which is ideal, that’s okay. Trim up trees before buds start to break. If a tree is flowering when you prune, it can cause the tree undue stress. This is the same process for flowering shrubs. Any shrub or tree that blooms in summer should be trimmed up in spring, before any new growth appears.

Clean Up Flower Beds And Pathways

Clearing away dead leaves isn’t the world’s most exciting chore (Big Rock Landscaping is happy to do it for you!). Because of this, people often ignore dropped leaves through winter. Before you start planting for spring, clean out your garden beds of any dead leaves, broken branches, or misplaced organic material. By cleaning up the beds and pathways, you’ll get a better idea of what plants need to be added, moved, redesigned or removed.

Complete Basic Maintenance On Hardscape

Your yard’s hardscape elements can get overlooked because they’re durable and blend in to the landscape. Before spring landscaping projects begin, take care of any hardscape that’s already a part of your landscape. Clean it off, scrap unwanted moss, powerwash dirt and growth. This is a great time to give all your walkways, garden paths, and edging a good once over to evaluate any places that may need repairs.

Pest And Weed Control

Warmer weather and a little sunshine brings us outside, and it’s not any different for those pesky bugs and weeds. Before you start moving dirt and rock, do a thorough once over with a pest treatment and weed treatment. This will be especially helpful if your spring planting and projects require moving large items that could be hiding little friends.

Take Pictures Of Winter/Pre-Spring Garden

This may make you say, “What?” but hear us out. Knowing what your garden looks like in all seasons is a great way to plan for a beautiful garden year round. Spring makes it easy to enjoy colorful flowers and leafy trees. But some landscaping decisions are made based off what the garden looks like in spring and summer. Your garden will change quite a bit during the winter. Taking pictures is a great way to see potential dead spots with no green or empty areas as annuals die away. Another option is to enlist the guidance of a professional landscaper who will help design a landscape you can enjoy all year round.

Best Time To Plant Flowers – Planting Guide

Once you have sorted out what growing zone you reside in, you can start to make some decisions about the best time to plant flowers. Planting can commence after the last frost date for your region. You can use the trusty Farmer’s Almanac to get an estimated guess (which is pretty accurate) for your region’s last frost date.

Next you’ll need to know what type of flower you are planting to ensure you plant at the right time.

Perennials will do fine when planted in early fall in the north.
Perennials should be planted in late fall in the south.
Split perennials that are already established during spring, but before they bud and replant.
Annuals typically need to be planted on or after the last frost.

Here are some helpful flower-specific planting guides if you already know what you’d like to plant in your garden.

Best Time To Plant Trees – Planting Guide

Fall, by far, is the best time to plant trees, although spring can certainly come in a close second. As with all planting schedules, it is essential you know your region’s frost date. It’s imperative that you get your trees into the ground before the ground freezes. Once your tree has shed all of its leaves, it will send all of its nutrients into the roots, allowing the tree to hunker down nicely through the winter. We all love autumn, when mild day time temps and cooler night temps reign. Your newly planted trees will love it too, as the dynamite combination of warm soil and cool night air stimulates root growth, giving your tree the extra boost it needs to establish good roots before the ground freezes and dormancy begins.

When planting trees, you have a little more flexibility than when you are planting flowers. Here are a couple things to keep in mind:

Ground must be thawed (either usually early spring or fall).
Frost and cold temperatures send trees into dormancy and roots won’t be able to become established.
Container trees aren’t as delicate and have more planting flexibility. They can be wrapped or insulated if the weather temperature drops.
Transplant trees should ideally be planted when the ground has warmed but before the tree buds.
Trees usually need about six weeks to establish roots.

Best Time To Plant Shrubs – Planting Guide

Shrubs are pretty resilient, but they still need ideal conditions to establish healthy roots that will provide a long-lasting shrub. For most regions, the best time to plant shrubs is in early fall. Like trees, most shrubs need about six weeks to establish a healthy root system. The most ideal conditions would be cool air with warmer soil. Things to keep in mind:

Do not plant shrubs during the hottest part of the day.
Newly planted shrubs will need more water.
Mulch around shrub base if colder weather comes sooner than anticipated.

Big Rock Landscaping: Your Utah Landscaping Services Experts

Deciding when to start planting your landscape can be a bit tricky. There are a lot of different things to consider from your growing zone and type of plant or flower to your design layout. Big Rock Landscaping is your landscaping expert. Big Rock is already familiar with nitty gritty details such as when to start planting, what trees shrubs and flowers perform well, as well as tried and true designing principles that will beautify your yard in any season. Big Rock’s care and attention to detail will ensure you’ll enjoy an established garden for years to come.

Reach out to Big Rock today for a consultation on a project already in the works or for help designing your luxury residential landscaping. We’re here to help through every step of your landscaping project. We’ll point you in the right direction with design planning, installation, and even landscape maintenance.

Save yourself some time, headaches, and a lot of googling. Reach out to Big Rock today! We can’t wait to spruce up your landscape, no matter what time of year!

More On Garden Planning From Big Rock . . .

Landscaping Services – Big Rock Landscaping

Our Process – Big Rock Landscaping

Start Planning Your Spring Garden Now! 3 Questions To Ask Yourself – Big Rock Landscaping

A No-Stress Guide to Planning Your Residential Landscaping Project – Big Rock Landscaping