Excuse me if I have a bit of the “Office” brain. I have watched so many episodes of the Office that I refer back to them daily. I am always trying to figure out where I personally fit in as one The Office characters. I am always hoping for a Jim and not wanting to be Toby or Dwight!

When It came to thinking about writing this post and Fall plantings this is what immediately popped in my brain. Maybe I should not binge watch The Office so much but they are about to take it off Netflix, so I feel like I need to watch them while I can.

Maybe the deeper issue that I have is this, why does The Office play such an enormous part of my life right now?

Hopefully I am not the only one out there with this issue. If you get me, I appreciate it!

Fall Planting Is On The Money

If you are on the fence about planting in the Fall or the Spring I am here to solve that for you today! Fall-December is the number one time to plant here in North Texas.

Planting Fall through December allows the roots of the plants to take root and develop over the cooler months. During the cooler seasons plants spend their time in dormancy working on root growth and development. It is just like laying the foundation of a sky scraper.

They dig deep piers into Bedrock before they ever pour any concrete slab. A very large portion of the work occurs underground and takes months to complete.

Watching from a distance it seems to take a very long time to develop the foundation of a large building. Plants are just like this. Fall plantings are a great foundation for success in any North Texas landscaping.

Plants are Like People

When you plant in the spring the plants have less time to root in before the heat of the summer hits. This can cause greater stress on the plants.

When plants are stressed they are weaker and more vulnerable to pest and disease issues. When the plants are planted they go from their nice warm bed at the nursery where they can predict when they are going to be watered and feed, then suddenly life as they once knew it comes to a screeching halt!

They go from a caring nurturing environment and then suddenly they are thrown into the harsh conditions of the world. This is called transplant shock. Many kids have the same struggle when they go from the nest of our homes to the cruel world of taxes and bills!

Remember what it was like when your mom and dad woke you up on a cold morning and yanked the nice warm blanket off you suddenly? When that cold air hits you it has a way of instantly waking you up. This is what plants go through each time we plant them.

If you are a parent than you understand that one of your jobs is to say no from time to time. If you said yes to every wish they had you would be out of money very quickly and they would be impossible to deal with. Children need to understand how to work hard in this world and be successful despite adversity.

If we go throughout life and never have difficult situations we will not know how to handle them. As a parent we need to let our kids experience some difficult things. We can’t bail them out and rescue them all the time.

They will never learn how to be a successful, productive member of society if they never learn how to overcome.

When plants face with the adverse conditions of winter they may look defeated, brown, and dead. The ground stays much warmer all winter because of the insulating properties of the earth. The soil provides a warm nurturing environment for the roots to stretch out and grow.

When the stresses of the North Texas summer hit your plants they will be better prepared to handle the drought and stress. The fall the environment is more friendly for long term success for the plants.

Don’t Ask Your Accountant For Free Advice in April

This is great advice. If you have an accountant friend they are very busy in April. This is probably not the best time to get free help from them. Many professions have a busy season. In landscaping it typically starts the last two weeks in February and runs until May.

This is time of year when things get a bit crazy. We hire additional staff, purchase equipment, and gear up for the season. Every year our phone rings of the hook during the spring. We love it!

The weather is great, the sun is out, and everything is wanting to grow. We do our best to get to everyone in a timely manner, but our response time is delayed in this season. To offset this more folks should take advantage of the great Fall weather that we have here. Don’t get trapped into thinking the Spring time is the only time to plant.

Beat the Rush

Everyone is calling us in the spring, and every one hopes that we are going to say “Great Mary! I will have a crew out this afternoon to get started on creating your outdoor living space!” We all wish it worked like that. The reality is by that time of year we are typically as much to a month out. Our designers are out talking to as many people as possible.

We do our best to get it all done before the heat of summer hits. If you know you have plans to make some improvements to your landscaping do it this winter. Have us out to take a look and make a plan before our phones ring off the hook!

Beat the spring rush when everyone else is doing it and get your fall planting scheduled now so that in the Spring you can sit back and enjoy the fruits of your fall labor.

Things You Can Do Now

  • Concrete work
    • During the cooler months the concrete cures more slowly creating a better product for you
  • Tree and shrub installation-the ideal time is October – January
  • Dirt work
  • Adding soil and mulches
  • Tree Trimmings
  • Brush Clean ups
  • Drains
  • Outdoor Kitchens, build when it’s cold, enjoy when it’s warm
  • Flower Bed Borders
  • Leaf pickup and removal
  • Rye Grass
  • Fescue Grass
  • Outdoor Lighting
  • Christmas Lights
  • Animal Exclusions, Armadillos, and other pest
  • Pest Control

Call us today to have an expert come on your property and help you with plant selection and location and to help determine the best course of action for your space!