5 Common Landscape Maintenance Mistakes in Sonoma County

With decades of experience managing landscape in Sonoma County, our team at Inspired Landscapes has seen it all, and often are called in by property owners who have seen their landscapes deteriorate under the management of unqualified landscapers. New to Sonoma County landscape maintenance? Here are 5 common mistakes you need to know and how to avoid them.

1. Removing Weeds as Soon as They Form

Due to our wet winters and dry summers, ‘weed season’ as we call it, primarily exists between December and June when winter rains germinate seed populations that are stored in the soil. When weeds first emerge they might not seem like a big deal, but give a week or two of warm weather can quickly explode out of control leading to a cumbersome maintenance task that can be hard to get a handle on. Having a professional landscaping maintenance crew checking your beds weekly to pull out any newly emerging weeds prevents them from ever going to seed and helps you gain long term control over weeds in your landscape.

2. Falling Behind on Winter Pruning

While most plants go to sleep for the winter and growth slows, this is not the time to sit idly by! As landscapers this is our cue to go to work sculpting plants for the seasons to come. Nearly all major structural pruning of trees and shrubs happens during this dormancy period to reduce potential stress of plants if they are pruned when actively growing during summer months. Once the weather warms up in spring and plants push growth, its often too late to take advantage of the benefits of dormant season pruning and plants can become stunted, stressed, and diseased if aggressively pruned. Having an attentive landscape maintenance team who understand which plants benefit from winter pruning and how to best approach this work holds incredible value to you and your landscape.

3. Neglecting Routine Irrigation Maintenance

Without a qualified team who thoroughly understands your irrigation system, you are running a huge risk of clogs, breaks, or other failure in your irrigation system that can lead to stressed and dead plants and stunted growth for the rest of year. Even worse, you could end up with a break that leads to an incredibly high water bill. Routine maintenance of an irrigation system ensures your plants are getting the right amount of water, at the correct intervals, and that your irrigation system won’t suffer catastrophic incidents with major impacts on your landscape and water bill.

4. Allowing Mulch to Gather On the Base of Plants

During rain events or even through the process of routine maintenance cleaning beds, mulch often will become piled up against the base of plants. This causes issues because when buried, the base of plants become vulnerable to pests and disease often as a result of moisture in the mulch building up against the main stalk of the plant. A maintenance team with a keen eye will notice this and routinely clean mulch away from the base of plants and be sure to thoroughly check for this issue after completing pruning on cleaning work in a particular area.

5. Ignoring Landscape Lighting Maintenance

Landscape lighting is frequently overlooked by landscapers without the experience or knowledge base, resulting in lights falling over due to broken support stakes, wires becoming loose, or debris covering the light entirely. While relatively low-fuss, landscape lights also need attention as leaves can fall into their lens blocking the light, foot or vehicle traffic can cause them to lean to the side or fall over entirely. As landscape maintenance work is completed during the day, it’s common not to notice because the landscaper never sees the lights on and how their coverage is impacted due to lack of maintenance. Our teams at Inspired Landscapes routinely turn on landscape lights to check for proper function and to ensure they are cleaned and positioned properly to provide the intended light coverage. Paying attention to these smaller details is part of what makes a landscape contractor worth it.

Trust the Professionals at Inspired Landscapes

By avoiding these common mistakes, you can keep your landscape healthy, vibrant, and thriving year-round. If you need expert care for your property, Inspired Landscapes is here to help. Contact us today or give us a call at (707) 395-7474 to schedule a consultation and ensure your outdoor space receives the attention it deserves!