Los Angeles doesn't have the four seasons most gardening guides are written for. We have long, hot, dry summers, a short rainy season in winter, and dry Santa Ana winds in fall. This yard care calendar is built around that climate, so the work happens when it actually helps your plants.
Fall (September to November)
Fall is LA's best planting season. Soil is still warm, days are getting cooler, and the winter rains are coming to help new roots settle in.
- Plant. Fall is the ideal time for California natives, drought-tolerant shrubs and most perennials.
- Overseed cool-season lawns. If you have fescue, early fall is the time to aerate and overseed thin areas.
- Prepare for Santa Ana winds. Clear dead palm fronds and dry brush, secure loose branches and clean up leaf litter. If you live in a high fire hazard area, check LAFD's current brush clearance requirements.
- Start easing back on watering as temperatures drop. Your irrigation schedule from August is almost always too much for November.
Winter (December to February)
Winter is when LA gets most of its rain, and it's the quietest season for growth.
- Turn irrigation down or off during and after rain. Overwatering in winter leads to root rot and fungus. A smart controller can do this for you.
- Prune most summer-flowering shrubs, roses and fruit trees while they're dormant or slow. Wait on spring bloomers until after they flower.
- Let warm-season lawns rest. Bermuda, St. Augustine and Kikuyu slow down or go partly dormant. Mow less often and don't fertilize.
- Check drainage. Winter storms show you where water pools or runs off a slope. Note those spots before summer.
Spring (March to May)
Growth takes off. This is when yards get away from people fastest.
- Weed early and often. Pulling weeds before they seed saves weeks of work later.
- Feed warm-season lawns once they green up and start growing again, usually mid to late spring.
- Mulch beds before the heat arrives. Two to three inches of mulch keeps roots cooler and holds moisture.
- Run a full irrigation check. Test every zone, clean or replace clogged heads and drip emitters, and fix leaks before summer demand.
- Shape hedges as the spring flush of growth comes in.
Summer (June to August)
Summer in LA is about keeping plants alive and water use under control.
- Water deeply and less often, early in the morning. Short daily watering keeps roots shallow and weak. Follow your city's current watering-day rules: LADWP and many local water districts limit which days and hours you can use sprinklers.
- Mow warm-season lawns higher. Longer grass shades the soil and handles heat better.
- Watch for stress. Curling leaves, brown lawn patches and wilting in the morning usually mean an irrigation problem, not a need for more water everywhere.
- Keep up with trimming. Hedges and groundcover grow fast in the heat.
The one habit that matters most
If you do one thing, adjust your irrigation with the seasons. Most LA yards run the same summer schedule all year, which wastes water in winter and still leaves dry spots in summer. A quick check each season fixes both.
Want this handled for you?
Our weekly landscape maintenance plans follow this calendar automatically: seasonal pruning, lawn feeding, mulch and irrigation adjustments are built into the schedule. Get a free estimate and we'll build a plan around your yard.
Related service: Weekly Landscape Maintenance