9 Water deeply, not too often Frequent shallow watering can lead to
9 Pay attention to signs of heat stress Grass that looks dull, footprints that linger
9 Avoid cutting turf too short Short-cut grass dries out faster and struggles more in heat. Keeping your mowing height slightly higher can help shade the soil and reduce stress.
9 Watch newly planted material closely New shrubs, flowers and trees usually need
9 Hold off on unnecessary pruning Heavy pruning in peak heat can create even
Landscaping Updates
Plant of the Month: Zinnias
Scientific Name: Zinnia asterarceae Common Name: Zinnias Uses: Seasonal Color Soil: Well-drained soil, drought tolerant once it is established
Watering: Water weekly during the growing season, preferably from the bottom and not over the flowers themselves
Blooms: May through frost, flowers can be white, red, purple, violet, yellow, white, orange, or a combination, they can be single or double and are 2-4 inches in diameter
Exposure: Full sun
Growth Habits: Annual color that can be used in a border or a pot. They make great cut flowers. They come in a variety of colors and are excellent in height. They are also available as singles or doubles depending on the variety. Deadheading the spent blooms will encourage more flowers. They do best if they are watered at ground level and not overhead. They will reseed but they are not true to the parent plant.
Lawn Bags & Green Waste
As the weather starts to warm up, we are seeing more and more people out working on their yards. While we love to see this work being done, please keep the FCCSA community guidelines in mind.
Trash cans, recycle bins, or lawn bags / green waste containers should not be placed at the curb in front of you property earlier than 6:00 PM on the evening before your scheduled pickup.
Lawn service companies must either place the clipping bags in the rear yard of the property or remove the bags from the property at the time of service.
For more information on city requirements – please click the links below: Sugar Land:
Visit www. sugarlandtx. gov / GreenWaste for more tips!
Confused on when your green waste day is? Go to www. sugarlandtx. gov / MyNeighborhood and type in your address.
Missouri City:
Visit www. missouricitytx. gov / 478 / Municipal-Solid-Waste- Program for more information! Visit https:// missouricitytx. maps. arcgis. com / apps / instant / basic / index. html? appid = 6abfd2e1b4964efaa0f60c 41c21b772a for an interactive map to determine your green waste day
How to Help Your Lawn and Plants Handle Summer Heat
By July, Houston heat can put real stress on lawns, shrubs and young trees. A few simple adjustments can help your landscape hold up better through the toughest stretch of the Houston summer.
9 Water deeply, not too often Frequent shallow watering can lead to
weaker roots and more stress over time. Deeper watering encourages roots to grow farther into the soil, where moisture lasts longer.
9 Pay attention to signs of heat stress Grass that looks dull, footprints that linger
and leaves that wilt in the afternoon can all point to stress. If the whole yard looks off, check sprinkler performance before assuming everything just needs more water.
9 Avoid cutting turf too short Short-cut grass dries out faster and struggles more in heat. Keeping your mowing height slightly higher can help shade the soil and reduce stress.
9 Watch newly planted material closely New shrubs, flowers and trees usually need
more attention than established plants in summer. Even if the rest of the yard is doing fine, new plantings may need extra monitoring.
9 Hold off on unnecessary pruning Heavy pruning in peak heat can create even
more stress. It is usually better to remove only dead or damaged material and leave major shaping for a better season.
A few small decisions in July can help prevent bigger landscape problems later in the summer.
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