Handling your yard's landscaping and yard care consists of more than just mowing the lawn and watering it every few days. When you have a variety of different landscape plants, trees, and grass for either shade, cool weather, or heat, you need to know exactly how to provide the best care for each. Here are some recommendations to keep your yard and its landscaping in great shape, attractive, and healthy.

Water Smartly

Your yard's vegetation needs a certain amount of water each week based on the amount of rainfall levels you receive and the temperature in your local climate. The more hot and dry the weather is, the more you will need to water your lawn and other vegetation.

Keep an eye on your lawn and only water when the blades begin to show signs of the heat, as they will turn a darker color. And when you step upon the lawn it won't spring back, which also means it is time to water. Then, when you water, water for a longer period of time to allow the moisture to seep deeply into the soil, promoting the roots to grow deeply. Grass needs approximately one to one and one-half inches of water each week, or possibly more during times of extreme heat.

Be sure you water your trees enough each week so they don't go into drought stress. Measure the diameter of the trunk and multiply it by five to get the total time you should water the tree each week. Apply water to the soil around the trunk with a soaker hose or sprinkler.

Use Mulch Appropriately

Mulch is a great material to help accentuate your bedding areas and to create a uniform appearance to bare soil. Mulch can also improve the appearance of the soil by giving it a rich look, but it also improves the soil's quality. You may also want to consider lawn fertilization for your lawn to give it the nutrients it needs. 

Wood chip mulch is a good option for mulch, because when you apply it onto the soil, it will decompose slowly over time and add richness and minerals back into the soil to boost the health of your vegetation growing within. Add a layer two to three inches in depth and supplement more mulch as it decomposes or becomes scattered. 

Be careful how you apply mulch around the base of your trees, as you don't want to apply it right up against the trunk of your trees. Doing so can promote growth of fungus and insect activity and can lead to disease in your tree. Keep a perimeter clear of a few inches around the trunk of your tree, spreading it around on the soil outside of this perimeter.