Planning Fall Color For Your Commercial Landscape

Autumn is the transitional season when the lush green landscape starts preparing itself for winter dormancy. Native grasses and the foliage of trees and shrubs begin to turn bright shades of yellow and red; and the blossoms of summer flowers come to the end of their cycle, indicating the time has come to replace them with cool season bloomers.

This is a prime opportunity for using your grounds to make a strong impression. More importantly though, the fall season is when it’s vital to ensure your softscape has everything it needs to get the most out of its winter rest and be ready to awaken with a flourish with spring’s return. 

Fortunately, if you have a commercial landscaping partner like U.S. Lawns, beautifying your property with fall color and preparing it for the winter freeze will be easy. In fact, our landscape management experts are here to show you all your options and help with the designing and scheduling. Then we’ll be there to do all the heavy lifting and execute each step of your fall color plan at precisely the right time.

First, we’ll start with the basics. 

After we’ve looked at your commercial property through your eyes and developed a seasonal color strategy that supports your goals and your vision we’ll start with the basics like:

• Removing wilted flowers, faded summer annuals, and weeds and debris from decorative planters and plant beds to make room for fresh, fall blooming plants and ornamental grasses.
• Making sure the soil is properly balanced to support the new flora we’re planning to install. 
• Trimming and edging around flower beds and borders. 

Next, we’ll install fresh, cool season plantings and harvest displays.

Once your flower beds are cleared out and prepared to support new plantings, we’ll refresh them with blooming fall flowers like azaleas, pansies, and mums in hues of burgundy, cream, orange, yellow and pink; and we can add texture and variety by including cool season grasses, ornamental kale and vibrantly colored bloomers in planters and raised beds to draw attention to entryways, signs and other important features. 

Early- to mid-Autumn is also a good time to plant evergreens, which are an invaluable element to include in your fall color plan. Not only do they create a solid windbreak, but evergreen shrubs and trees like English Hollys, Spotted Laurels, Junipers and Yews stay green all year round, and many varieties put on purple, red or blue berries that will remain well into the winter. 

Of course, if you’re really planning ahead for many seasons to come, consider adding ornamental trees with leaves that will turn fiery red, vivid gold, gorgeous orange and even deep purple to enhance your fall color scheme. 

Another effective way to beautify your property during the autumn is through strategically placed harvest displays composed of rustic wagons, hay bales, garland-wrapped cornstalks, decorative gourds and pumpkins, friendly-looking scarecrows and a potted chrysanthemum or two; and if you’re in a region where Halloween is a favorite holiday, there are many fun, seasonal decorations to set the mood too. 

As a finishing touch, mulching is an often overlooked, yet incredibly beneficial landscape improvement that should be included as part of every seasonal color landscaping plan. Wood mulch lends color and texture while feeding, protecting and helping to keep the greenery better hydrated; and mulch is also an effective measure for both weed and erosion control.  

Fall is also the time for planting spring bulbs.

Now, even though we’re focused on fall color, one of the best ways to get the most out of your yearly landscaping budget is by incorporating spring color planning too–particularly if you want early springtime flowers, since the fall season is when spring bulbs should be planted.  

The Autumn is also an important time to prepare your landscape for the year ahead.

While we’re discussing fall planning, the autumn is also a critical time for preparing your landscape to thrive throughout the upcoming year. Vital landscape maintenance services you’ll want to discuss with your landscaping services provider include:

• Fertilization – to ensure grass, plants, shrubberies and trees are receiving proper nutrition.
• Preemergent Weed Control Application – to prevent weeds from germinating and taking hold.
• Aeration and dethatching – for provide the right environment for strong, healthy root systems.  
• Overseeding The Lawn – to ensure the grass comes back thick and lush in the springtime. 
• Irrigation Winterization – to make sure your irrigation system is protected from damage by the frigid winter temperatures. 

As you can see, there is a ton of detail when it comes to planning for fall color. The good news is that when you have a landscape management partner like your local U.S. Lawns taking care of your commercial grounds, all you’ll have to do is enjoy the view. So, get in touch with us today!