Which Commercial Landscaping Projects Can I Safely Get Started in Summer?

You want your commercial property in Greater Chicago to look great all year long.

And when you are making plans for improvement, you don’t want to have to wait – especially when you have the budget dollars to get the job done.

But summer’s high temperatures and drought can put a damper on your plans.

What summer landscaping projects are OK to start now? Let’s talk about warm-weather landscape projects you can tackle now to keep enhancing your commercial property for the better.

• Hardscaping & Landscape Construction
• Detention Pond Maintenance
• Irrigation System Calibration
• Installing or Repairing Walkways & Driveways
• Deck & Fence Construction
• Landscape Lighting Installation
• Ponds & Water Features
• Tree & Shrub Maintenance

Summer Landscaping Projects For Commercial Properties in Greater Chicago

You want an attractive commercial landscape to help draw people into your facility.

Whether you manage a retail center, a healthcare or industrial facility, an educational institution, an office park, or a homeowners’ association, you want to make sure people want to visit you and feel comfortable and safe doing so.

Keeping up with summer landscape tasks can help you do this. These are some great projects you can tackle at this time of year.

Hardscaping or Construction

Any hardscaping or construction project like retaining walls, walkways, patios, and other similar projects are great to tackle as part of your warm-weather landscape projects.

Summer’s dry conditions and longer daylight hours provide an optimal environment for construction, ensuring projects proceed without weather-related delays.

What’s more, dry soil in summer is easier to work with for tasks like laying patios, building walls, and creating pathways. This reduces the risk of soil compaction and erosion.

Detention Pond Maintenance

If you have a detention pond on your Greater Chicago commercial property, you can keep up its maintenance as part of your summer landscape tasks.

Since summer often brings lower water levels, this  makes it easier to access and clean your detention pond. Summer is also a good time to manage vegetation in and around the detention pond to help prevent overgrowth that can obstruct water flow.

Maintenance during summer can also help prepare your detention pond for fall and winter rains, ensuring it functions properly to manage stormwater runoff the way it should.

Irrigation System Calibration

Water is an important element to manage on your commercial property during summer. It ensures you keep your plants thriving through drought or dry spells.

With increased watering needs in summer, it's essential to ensure the irrigation system works efficiently to conserve water and provide adequate moisture to plants as part of your summer landscape tasks.

Proper calibration of your irrigation system ensures that plants receive the right amount of water, promoting healthy growth during the peak growing season.

Summer’s high water demand can also reveal issues like leaks, uneven water distribution, or inadequate coverage, which can trigger the need for timely adjustments and repairs. This improves your water delivery and saves you water and money.

Installing or Repairing Walkways and Driveways

Summer's dry weather is ideal for paving and curing concrete or asphalt, ensuring a durable and long-lasting surface.

Good weather allows for precise work on these summer landscaping projects and faster drying times, reducing the likelihood of delays or damage due to rain.

Deck and Fence Construction

Consistent, warm weather is perfect for outdoor construction projects, ensuring materials dry and set correctly.

Completing these projects in summer allows homeowners to immediately enjoy their outdoor spaces during the warm months.

Landscape Lighting Installation

Longer daylight hours provide more time to work on and fine-tune lighting installations, which is why they make great summer landscaping projects.

Additionally, the shorter nights of summer allow for easier testing and adjustment of lighting to ensure proper placement and effect.

Pond and Water Feature Installation

Summer’s dry conditions are ideal for excavation and installation of water features or ponds, preventing delays from rain and muddy conditions.

Completing water features in summer allows for instant enjoyment and cooling benefits during the hottest months.

Tree and Shrub Maintenance (Selective Pruning)

Pruning during active growth can help maintain desired shapes and prevent overgrowth.

Summer pruning of certain trees and shrubs can help control diseases and pests that are more active during this season, which is what makes it a good warm-weather landscape project.

Commercial Landscape Projects That Should Wait Until Fall

While we’ve addressed the best warm-weather landscape projects, now it’s time for the ones you should avoid during summer.

These projects are generally best not done during these hot, dry times of the year in Greater Chicago.

Dividing Perennials

Dividing perennials is not a summer landscaping task.

Save this job for fall when cooler temperatures and increased moisture can help divided plants recover and establish more quickly.

Planting Trees and Shrubs

Autumn is actually a great time to get planting done because the cooler weather reduces stress on new plantings, there is more rainfall to help plants establish roots, and the plant can focus on establishing root growth.

This isn’t a great summer landscaping project because of the heat, lack of moisture or rainfall and active growing season that can put additional stress on new plants.

Grass Planting/Seeding

In fall, soil is still warm from summer, which aids in grass seed germination. Weeds are less active, so there’s less competition for young grass.

Cooler air temperatures are better for the growth of Greater Chicago’s cool-season grasses. And more consistent rainfall helps keep the soil moist, which new grass seeds need to germinate.

But as a warm-weather landscape project, overseeding or seeding a lawn isn’t as successful.

Pruning

Why is pruning not recommended as a summer landscape task? Pruning in the fall reduces the risks of diseases and pests that are more active during those warmer summer months.

Trees and shrubs are also entering dormancy, making it easier to see the structure and prune without causing additional stress.

What’s more, pruning wounds heal better in the fall and winter when the plant is not actively growing.

KD Landscape Can Help You With Commercial Landscape Design in Greater Chicago

There are more summer landscaping ideas that you can accomplish on your commercial property than you think.

Don’t leave this important season out of your commercial planning. And if it seems overwhelming or you’re not sure where to target your focus in summer, give KD Landscape a call.

We can help you prepare for a successful year, so you can have a property that delivers for your business needs.

Want to learn more about our commercial services in Greater Chicago? Get started today with an on-site consultation. We’ll review your options together so you can feel confident and make a great choice.