Philadelphia lawn care service
Philadelphia, PA -- land of the free and home of the beautiful lawns
Philadelphia, PA is the United States' largest city and the most historic. One out of every six doctors in America was trained in Philadelphia. And lets not forget about the Philly cheesesteaks!
But we're not here to talk about doctors or sandwiches, we're here to talk about the pride Philadelphians have in their city. What better way to show off your pride in your hometown, than to maintain and boast of a beautifully kept yard?
This Philadelphia lawn service guide is specifically tailored to the amazing people of Philadelphia, and their lawns! The Philadelphia lawn care industry is just as unique as the state of Pennsylvania itself.
Philly weather
Philadelphia summers are typically warm and humid, while the winters are freezing cold. It can also be wet and cloudy all year long. Rain falls throughout the year, with an average of 47 inches of rainfall per year. This can make it super difficult to maintain a lawn or garden, if you're not a professional. It's important to have the right type of grass growing to start with, and the right types of tools to maintain it year round.
What type of grass grows the best in Philadelphia?
When watering your lawn, there are tons of things to consider; timing, sunlight exposure, soil type, and most importantly, grass type. Cool season grasses grow the best in Philadelphia. These grasses thrive in areas with cold winters and hot summers and grow most actively in spring and fall. Tall Fescue, Perennial Ryegrass, and Kentucky Bluegrass are all very common, cool season grasses that thrive in Philadelphia. Tall Fescue has a very high heat and drought tolerance, meaning it can survive those freezing Philly winters. Perennial ryegrass is a bunch-type, which means it is non-spreading. The blades are thin, making it ideal for high traffic areas of your yard. This grass will stay green during the cold winter months. Kentucky Bluegrass can be identified by an aggressive spreading habit and dark green leaves. The maintenance for different types of grass varies, so it's very important to have a Philadelphia lawn service professional who knows the ins and outs of cool season grasses.
Plants native to Philadelphia
Native plants thrive naturally in a certain area, there are a few plants native to Philadelphia: Dwarf Cinquefoil, Asiatic Dayflower, White Morning-Glory, Orange Daylily, and Smooth White Beardtongue. Using native plants in your landscaping will encourage the reproduction of native insects and wildlife that have already been in that region, and also makes for low maintenance gardening. The Dwarf Cinquefoil has a sprawling habit, which can make it appear weed-like. However it does bloom a single yellow flower. The Asiatic Dayflower attracts birds, bees, and insects and can also be eaten by humans! White Morning-Glory feeds bees, birds, and beetles and is self-seeding, meaning it will grow back after it dies. The Orange Daylily is a beautiful flower, and attracts beautiful butterflies. The flower tends to be pest free, and it multiplies quickly making it easy to grow. Beardtongue can be a bit more difficult to maintain; it doesn't have any disease or insect problems, but root rot can occur if the soil is wet or poorly drained and can also suffer from leaf spot occasionally. Overall, native plants will be a great addition to your Philadelphia gardening and are super beneficial for the local ecosystem.
Celebrating spring time in Philadelphia
Springtime in Philly is when your lawn is just starting to wake up and grow! It begins turning lush and green, and besides starting to mow again there are numerous other things you can do to help get your lawn back into tip top shape after a freezing winter. Allowing your lawn to breathe after philadelphia snow removal is very important. You'll want to rake and remove all the leaves and debris. Aerating a lawn is a lot of work, but is very beneficial for your lawns during spring as it allows movement of air, water, roots and other living organisms to spread through the ecosystem of the soil.
Spring is also the best time to fertilize your lawn in Philadelphia, due to the harsh long winters sucking up all your lawn's nutrients. Think of fertilizer as a multi-vitamin for your lawn, that also helps improve your soil. We recommend starting the fertilization process with a soil test to tell you the levels of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphate in your soil. Fertilizing can be tricky, because if you do too little, you're losing out on the whole point of fertilizer. If you fertilize too much, your lawn will grow extraordinarily fast and you'll be stuck mowing and watering more often to maintain it. We recommended fertilizing every six weeks to ensure a healthy lawn.
Hot Philly summers
Summer can be devastating for lawns in Philadelphia if they're not properly maintained. It's best to water deep and less often in the summer. You should only water early in the morning, when the water won't evaporate because of the heat, and won't grow mold at night when it's cooler. This goes for mowing as well. Mowing after a hot afternoon can break or fray damaged grass.
In Philadelphia, later summer to early fall is usually the best time to seed your lawn, due to having two cool seasons to grow in before it encounters its first hot period. This can also help you fill in and repair any bald spots in the lawn, as this is almost impossible to do during the hot summer weather.
Professional Philadelphia services
While we hope this information is super helpful, we understand that lawn care can be overwhelming. However, Lawn Love is here to help! Each lawn is different, and your quote will be personalized to ensure you are satisfied with your services.
Services we offer include: Philadelphia lawn care and lawn mowing, Philadelphia gardening, Philadelphia gutter cleaning, Philadelphia lawn aeration, Philadelphia leaf removal, Philadelphia weed control, and Philadelphia yard service.
Lawn care in Philadelphia can be challenging for a homeowner, especially if you don't have time to keep up with the near-constant presence of rain and clouds. This type of weather can be devastating to your lawn, but not if you choose Lawn Love.
Commonly asked questions
Are there currently any watering restrictions in Philadelphia?
There are currently no watering restrictions.
What is the height limit for weeds?
All premises and exterior property shall be maintained free from weeds or plant growth in excess of 10 inches (254 mm). All noxious weeds shall be prohibited. Weeds shall be defined as all grasses, annual plants and vegetation, other than trees, shrubs, cultivated flowers and gardens.
Where can I dispose of yard waste?
During a six week period of the fall leaf season, yard waste is collected separately at curbside. Sanitation provides this scheduled service with public employees in November and December, all neighborhoods being served several times. All leaves must be placed by the residents into biodegradable paper bags and then placed at the curb. Purchase of the biodegradable paper bags is the responsibility of the resident. During most of the year, yard waste may be commingled with trash and set out for combined collection. No separate yard waste collection is provided by Sanitation.
The collected leaves are taken to the Fairmount Park Organic Recycling Center where they are combined with yard wastes resulting from the Park's operation. The operation is a windrow composting program. The compost and mulch produced are available in small quantities to Philadelphia residents free of charge.
