Grow Beyond Blog

July has arrived, alongside high heat and humidity, marking a dramatic change from our cool spring weather. We’re finally getting a reprieve from the dry spell with seasonal rainstorms, helping irrigation. However, they can also contribute to turf-damaging lawn diseases.

The start of summer has been extremely warm with prolonged dry periods, but the June Lawns of the Month are cooler than ever! It was hard to pick these winners with how many beautiful entries we received! Please continue to submit photos of your lawns – we love seeing Your Great Outdoors! 

After a productive spring for local lawns, June has arrived bringing hot summer weather along with much drier conditions. A lack of regular rainfall and more humidity can be hard on Tall Fescue lawns. Fescue is a drought tolerant grass, but try to water your lawn if possible 2-3 times a week, supplying 1.5 to 2 inches of water. Also, lawn diseases development increases dramatically this time of year with higher humidity, although the following steps can help alleviate some emerging issues:

May was a beautiful month and the Lawns of the Month for last month are too! We had over 20 submissions for May Lawn of the Month and it was hard to pick the best!

Shaw Family – Herndon, VA

First, we have the Shaw Family in Herndon, VA. Their lawn was nominated by their Service Leader, and they weren't wrong with their nomination! We're so excited to see lawns looking this beautiful. 

With summer temperatures soaring across Virginia, many of us are enjoying the sunshine and spending more time outdoors. Unfortunately, these same conditions create a haven for mosquitoes. These unwelcome guests can turn your backyard cookout or evening relaxation into a swatting frenzy.

Fireblight is a destructive, highly infectious, widespread disease caused by the bacterium (Erwinia amylovora.) It is found on apples, pears and other members of the rose family which includes trees and shrubs in orchards, nurseries and landscape plantings. It is very difficult to control. Virginia Green recommends the cultural practices below.

With temperatures rising earlier than usual this year, lawn diseases are making an unexpected early appearance. These diseases thrive in hot, humid, and moist conditions, particularly during nights when temperatures stay in the low-to-mid 70s. Two common culprits, brown patch (Rhizoctonia) and dollar spot (Clarireedia), are especially active under these conditions.

It wouldn’t be spring if we didn’t announce our April Lawn of the Month winners. With over 110 submissions this month, it was one of the hardest decisions to choose winners as every single home and lawn submitted blew our minds with beauty! Remember, each month is another opportunity to submit your home as a potential winner and to show off its beauty. A $75 credit towards a future application doesn’t hurt either .

Seeing Local Lawns Spring to Life

There is nothing quite like the sights, sounds and smells of spring, from the beautiful flowers in bloom, honeysuckle hanging in the trees and the smell of fresh cut grass on beautiful tall fescue lawns. Maybe we are a little biased at Virginia Green, but this is certainly our favorite season of the year. This season has gotten off to a great start and ample rain, sunshine and warm days have produced gorgeous lawns and landscapes.