Let’s Keep It Clean, Please (This is a Family Blog)

Let’s state the obvious: the outside is made up of dirt and thing that grow in it. As landscapers, we deal in getting our hands dirty. So what could we possibly know about keeping it clean?

As it turns out, plenty.

You see, even your landscape needs a good seasonal cleanup. And though in the home spring cleaning is all the rage, for landscapers in El Dorado, fall cleanup is where it’s at.

So today, Divine will get down and dirty with cleaning up. But don’t worry, we’ll keep it clean.

What is Seasonal Cleanup?

So what is seasonal cleanup? It’s simply the process of getting your lawn, flowers, trees, and bushes ready for the transition between seasons by removing everything that doesn’t belong. We recommend seasonal cleanup at least once a year.

At the end of each season, your plants are transitioning to different life cycles. Popular times are spring and fall; we do both, but we’ll focus on fall for today.

What Services Are Included In Fall Cleanup

It will surprise no one to hear that leaf removal is part of fall cleanup services. Even if you’ve never scheduled a cleanup, you probably have scheduled a leaf removal. But seasonal cleanup includes more than leaves.

Leaf Cleanup

Leaf removal is the gateway to fall cleanup. When you read the subject, you probably automatically translate it to leaf cleanup in your mind. And there’s a good reason for that, fallen leaves take up a lot of space, and they make a big show of it too.

We love the fall foliage for first falling, but over time as the leaves deteriorate, they become less appealing. Unfortunately, the leaves always seem to fall just before we host family for the winter holidays!

Plant Debris

Even though fall foliage puts on the biggest show, all of your plants are constantly shedding debris all year long. Over time this debris, made up of leaves, branches, petals, thatch, and more accumulates on your lawn. It takes up space and is unsightly.

Seasonal cleanup is all about getting into the detailed work of removing this plant debris and hauling it away.

Garden Beds

Your garden beds are undergoing some major changes right now. If they’re still hanging on, your annuals have died or are about to. It’s time to pull them up.

Your perennials are changing too. Many are getting ready to go dormant. Some are just losing some of their blossoms.

For perennials, we either need to prune them or cut them back. Flowers that are still showy through the season need deadheading and other pruning. Flowers going dormant need to be cut down to a couple of inches above the ground.

Once we’ve removed the dead flowers and pruned the dead parts of others, you have some choices to make. Do you want to have some fall flowers? If they’re not already planted, now’s the time to spruce up your beds with new life.

The work is only sometimes over if you’re not adding any plants. We also need to check on your mulch. It has likely broken down over time.

If your mulch has thinned out, we need to replace it with new mulch so that your plants are protected from the cold through the winter – even the ones that aren’t showing their colors. If you’re not adding additional flowers, your mulch can be the color you need to make your yard beautiful all winter.

Shrubs

You have one other star in your yard at the end of fall and the beginning of winter, and that’s shrubs. If you haven’t planted fall flowers, shrubs might be the verdant element in your landscape and, along with mulch, the only color in a dull yard.

So you need to make sure your shrubs are cared for. That means pruning, trimming, mulching, and checking on their health.

Why Does Fall Cleanup Matter?

Fall cleanup may seem superficial, even if you are someone who cares about keeping up appearances, but there’s more to your cleanup than aesthetic benefit.

All the leaves and other plant debris on your lawn block water, sunlight, and nutrients from reaching your still living plants. It can also trap moisture leading to mold, fungus, and plant diseases. In the winter, this water can become ice and freeze your plants.

Your shrubs and garden beds benefit from a cleanup too. When you remove dead or unhealthy parts of plants, the still living and healthy plants are better able to use the plants’ energy to thrive.

Professional Seasonal Cleanup

Since it doesn’t involve growing or planting, you may be tempted to do your own fall cleanup. We caution against that.

Cleanup is very detail-oriented work. For those who need more professional experience and equipment, it can take a very long time. The money you think you’ll be saving can quickly be eaten away when you look at the time you’ll spend.

We hope you’ll give Divine a call to take care of all your seasonal cleanup needs!