A month-by-month yard guide for Pike, Spalding, Fayette & Coweta

Month by month

Our area has hot summers, mild winters and red clay soil. Most lawns are warm-season grasses (Bermuda, zoysia or centipede) that go dormant after the first frost and green back up in spring.

• January–February: best time for big clean-outs and brush clearing. Leaves are down, so you can see what you're working with. Prune most summer-flowering shrubs late in winter, before new growth starts.
• March–April: pine straw and mulch refresh before the heat. Clean out beds, cut fresh edges and plan new plantings. Lawns start waking up, and mowing season starts.
• May–August: regular mowing every week or two. Prune spring bloomers like azaleas right after they flower. Water new plants deeply and less often instead of a little every day.
• September–October: fall is the best planting window for shrubs and trees here, because roots keep growing in warm soil while the air cools down. Good time for shrub removal and bed rebuilds.
• November–December: leaf cleanups and gutter cleaning once most leaves are down. A second pine straw refresh keeps beds looking sharp through winter.

Pine straw or mulch?

Both protect the soil, hold in moisture and keep weeds down. The difference is mostly look, slope and cost of upkeep.

• Pine straw knits together and stays put on slopes, suits beds under pines and gives a natural Georgia look. It fades and settles, so most beds get a refresh once or twice a year.
• Mulch (hardwood or colored) gives a cleaner, more finished look on flat beds around the house. It usually lasts longer between refreshes but can wash on steep slopes.
• Depth: aim for about 2–3 inches of settled cover. Pine straw goes down fluffier and settles. Keep it pulled back a few inches from trunks and stems, and never pile it up against a tree.

What an overgrown-yard clean-out includes

1. Walkthrough on site, or photos for smaller jobs: what goes, what stays.
2. Cut back brush, vines, ivy, saplings and overgrown shrubs. Machine work with a track loader and grapple on bigger jobs.
3. Haul off the debris.
4. Clean up: edges cut, hard surfaces blown off.
5. Optional finish: new plantings, mulch, pine straw or rock, and a mowing schedule to keep it from coming back.

A small corner can take a few hours. A wooded lot edge or a whole yard can take a day or more. Your quote spells out the scope first. See yard clean-outs & brush clearing and before-and-after photos.

Shrub removal: roots out or cut flush?

If you're replanting in the same spot, take the roots out. A grapple pulls the shrub and most of the root ball, so new plants go into clean soil. If the area is just getting covered with mulch or straw, cutting flush is quicker, but some shrubs will try to sprout back. We'll tell you which makes sense for your bed. More on shrub removal & new plantings.

General guidance for our area. Seasons shift with the weather. For research-based gardening detail, see UGA Cooperative Extension.