Most landscape problems in North Texas aren't about effort — they're about timing. The right task done six weeks late produces a fraction of the result. Here's the calendar our crews actually run across Dallas, Fort Worth, and everywhere in between.
Late winter (February to early March). This is the single most valuable window of the year, and almost everyone misses it. Pre-emergent goes down before soil temperatures hit the mid-fifties, which stops crabgrass and summer weeds before they ever germinate. Applied in April, it does very little. This is also the time to cut back dormant perennials and prune summer-blooming shrubs.
Spring (March to May). Spring cleanup: clear winter debris, re-edge and re-mulch beds, and get the first color rotation in. Mowing starts back up as the turf breaks dormancy — start low on the first cut to clear dormant thatch, then raise the deck as things green up. This is also the best window of the year for sod, new plantings, and installation work, while the ground is warm and the heat hasn't arrived.
Summer (June to September). Survival mode. Raise the mowing height — taller grass shades its own root zone and holds moisture, and scalping a lawn in a Texas July is how you lose it. Water deeply and less often rather than a light sprinkle daily, and run irrigation early in the morning. Check every zone for coverage now, because a dead zone in June becomes a dead patch by August. Swap in heat-tolerant color for the summer.
Fall (October to November). The second-best planting window of the year, and honestly our favorite. Trees and shrubs put in during fall spend the whole cool season establishing roots before the next summer tests them. Fall cleanup matters too: leaves left on turf mat down, block light, and invite fungus. Fall color goes in — mums, then pansies and violas as it cools.
Winter (December to February). The quiet season, but not an empty one. This is when to prune dormant trees, plan and design next year's projects, and handle hardscape work like patios, walkways, and retaining walls that don't depend on the growing season. Then the calendar starts over with pre-emergent in February.
Following this rhythm is most of what separates a landscape that looks good in April from one that still looks good in August. If you'd rather not track it yourself, that's exactly what our recurring maintenance plans are for.
Call Dallas Garden Services at (214) 780-9654 for a free estimate on seasonal maintenance anywhere in the DFW metroplex.