Hudson Valley seasonal yard checklist

Late winter and early spring: the snowmelt check

The most useful hour spent on the property all year is a walk during or right after snowmelt in March. Water is moving everywhere at once and the problems show themselves. Look for water pooling against the foundation, water coming out from under a patio or wall, downspouts discharging onto ice, and low spots in the lawn that are still full a day after the snow is gone.

Note where the water sits and where it runs. That information is what a drainage design is built from, and it is far more reliable than trying to remember it in July when the ground is dry. Photos with a date help.

Check hardscape for frost movement. A paver that lifted, a step that rocks, or a wall course that shifted forward over the winter is easier to reset in April than after a summer of use has spread the joint. Book drainage and hardscape repair now, since the schedule fills by May.

Spring: cleanup and prep

Once the ground is firm enough to walk on without leaving footprints, the spring cleanup starts: leaves and debris out of beds, cutbacks on ornamental grasses and perennials, a fresh spade edge on the beds, and mulch. Two to three inches of mulch is enough. Piling it against tree trunks and shrub stems holds moisture on the bark and invites rot.

Sweep polymeric sand into any paver joints that opened over the winter and reseal the patio if the last coat was three or more years ago. Turn on irrigation and check every zone. Check landscape lighting fixtures for heaved stakes and cut wires from the winter.

Fence posts that moved should be reset now while the ground is soft. Gates that sag get their hinges adjusted. Spring is also when a planted privacy screen goes in best, so the roots establish before summer heat. The seasonal services page covers cleanups and lawn repair.

Summer: watering, trimming, and building season

Summer is the main construction season for patios, walls, kitchens, and pool decks. Projects booked in late winter usually start between May and August. A project booked in June may not start until late summer or fall.

New plantings need deep watering once or twice a week through the first summer, not a daily sprinkle. Trim most evergreen hedges once in early summer and again in late summer. Flowering shrubs are trimmed right after they bloom, or the next year's flowers are cut off.

Watch for water problems that show up in summer storms. A thunderstorm that drops an inch in an hour will overwhelm a gutter or a drain that was fine in a light rain. Water running across a patio, coming up through a joint, or washing mulch out of a bed is a sign the outlet is undersized or blocked.

Fall: leaves, drainage, and the last build window

Leaf season in Rockland and Bergen runs from mid October into early December. On a wooded lot the volume is more than curbside pickup handles, and leaves left on the lawn through winter kill the grass under them. Beds get cleared, and leaves are kept out of drains, catch basins, and window wells, which is where they cause the most damage.

Clean gutters after the leaves are down and again after the oaks drop, which is later. Run the downspouts and confirm the extensions or the buried lines are flowing. A clogged buried downspout line freezes in January and backs up into the gutter.

Fall is a good time to build. The ground is dry, the weather is cool, and the schedule is more open than summer. Patios, walls, and drainage can go in until the ground freezes, usually mid to late December here. Fall is also the best planting window for trees and shrubs, since roots grow in cool soil through November.

Winter: protection and planning

Before the first hard freeze, blow out irrigation lines, drain outdoor kitchen water lines and cover the appliances, disconnect hoses, and cover or store patio furniture. Landscape lighting on a photocell keeps running and is worth leaving on for the dark months.

Rock salt damages pavers, concrete, and plants. Calcium chloride or magnesium chloride are gentler on hardscape. Use a plastic shovel on pavers and keep the plow blade off any paver driveway edge. Snow piled against a fence or a retaining wall dumps a large volume of water in one spot when it melts, so stack it in the open where the ground can take it.

Winter is when to plan and book. Estimates happen year round, and a project scoped in January is drawn, permitted, and first in line when the ground thaws. Spring and summer start dates in Rockland and Bergen are mostly spoken for by March.

When to book

Drainage and small repairs: two to three weeks out in most seasons, longer in April and May. Patios, walls, kitchens, and full backyard builds: four to eight weeks out in season, and the earlier the estimate the better the start date. Fall cleanups and snow contracts are set in September and October.

The drainage and excavation and hardscape and lighting pages describe what each project involves, and every estimate is free and done on site.

Questions