Some of the most important landscape work doesn’t happen every week. Trees need attention before limbs become a problem, beds and lawns need a thorough cleanup a few times a year, and compacted lawns need to breathe. Madison Planting & Design Group handles tree work, yard cleanups and lawn aeration for homes and businesses across central Mississippi. If you’re looking for tree care in Madison, MS, Canton, Ridgeland or nearby, our crews can take care of it, and these services fit naturally alongside our Total Grounds Management program.
Tree work
Trees are the backbone of most central Mississippi landscapes. Oaks, magnolias, pines, crape myrtles and ornamental trees give shade and structure, but they also grow into roofs, over drives and across views. Every tree job is different, so we start by looking at the tree, the site and what you want to accomplish. Common reasons clients call us include:
- Branches hanging over the roof, driveway, walks or patio
- Dead or damaged limbs
- Young or ornamental trees that need shaping as they grow
- Trees that are crowding out a planting bed or shading a lawn that used to be sunny
- Trees that are declining and need a decision about their future
Call us and describe the tree and the problem. We’ll look at it and tell you honestly what we recommend and what the work involves.
Tree rules in the City of Madison
If you’re in Madison, know that the city’s landscape ordinance generally requires a permit from the Planning and Development Department to remove healthy mature trees. Trees on improved residential lots may be removed at the owner’s discretion unless subdivision approval or covenants say otherwise. Rules differ by city and change over time, so check with your city and neighborhood association before removing trees.
Planting new trees
When a tree comes out, or when you’d like more shade, fall is the best time to plant trees in Mississippi, according to MSU Extension, because roots keep growing through our mild winters. Our landscape installation team can recommend and plant the right tree for the spot.
Yard and bed cleanups
A thorough cleanup resets the whole property. It’s a good fit before a party, a sale or a new season, when you’re taking over a neglected yard, or before starting a regular maintenance plan. Depending on the property, a cleanup can include:
- Removing leaves, fallen limbs and debris from lawns and beds
- Weeding and cutting back overgrown or spent plants
- Shaping shrubs and clearing growth away from walks and the house
- Re-edging beds and clearing hard surfaces
- Finishing beds with fresh mulch or pine straw
With large shade trees common across the metro, fall leaf drop can smother lawns and beds if it’s left in place. Getting leaves off turf and out of beds helps the lawn going into winter and keeps beds looking tidy.
For commercial properties, a start-up cleanup is often the first step when we take over grounds maintenance. See commercial landscaping.
Lawn aeration
Central Mississippi’s heavy clay soils compact easily, especially where people walk, kids play, cars park or equipment has run. Compacted soil keeps water, air and nutrients from reaching grass roots, so water runs off instead of soaking in and the lawn thins out. Aeration opens the soil back up. Core aeration, the most common method, pulls small plugs of soil out of the lawn, opening channels so roots can grow deeper and water and fertilizer can reach them.
Aeration can help when you notice:
- Water puddling or running off the lawn instead of soaking in
- Thin, weak turf in high-traffic areas
- Soil so hard it’s difficult to push a screwdriver into
- A lawn that doesn’t respond to fertilization and watering the way it should
Most lawns here are warm-season grasses such as bermudagrass, zoysiagrass, centipedegrass and St. Augustinegrass. These are generally aerated while they’re actively growing in late spring and early summer, so they fill back in quickly. Aeration works well alongside our lawn care and fertilization. If standing water is the main problem, the fix may be drainage work rather than aeration alone.
A single visit or ongoing care
Tell us what your property needs and we’ll recommend whether a single visit or ongoing care makes more sense. Our Total Grounds Management clients get monthly landscape inspections and monthly reports, so issues like overhanging limbs, leaf buildup or thinning turf are spotted and discussed before they become bigger problems.
Frequently asked questions
Do you do tree work?
Yes. We handle tree work for homes and businesses. Call us to describe the tree and the problem, and we’ll take a look and recommend next steps.
Do you offer yard cleanups?
Yes. We offer yard and bed cleanups for homes and businesses. Tell us about your property and we’ll recommend what it needs.
Do you aerate lawns?
Yes. We offer lawn aeration, which helps relieve compaction in clay soils so water, air and nutrients can reach grass roots.
Which areas do you serve?
We serve Madison, Canton, Ridgeland, Gluckstadt, Flora, Jackson and nearby communities. See our landscaping FAQ for more.
Schedule tree work, a cleanup or aeration
Call (601) 859-5915, Monday–Friday 8:00–5:00, or request a quote online.
