Maintaining a green, healthy lawn during a Palo Alto summer takes more than regular watering and mowing. With rising temperatures and long dry spells, summer is when your landscape needs the most thoughtful care. Strategic lawn maintenance not only keeps your property looking beautiful but also protects your long-term investment in a luxury landscape.
As horticulturist and luxury estate landscape designer Ward Dilmore explains:
“The most water-intensive months in any landscape will be the summertime. All plants in your gardens will require more attention during the hottest months, though lawns are usually the first place where the effects of heat and dryness show.”
Based on Ward’s expertise, here are the most common summer lawn care mistakes to avoid and professional strategies to help your landscape stay healthy through California’s hottest season.
1. Mowing the Lawn Too Short
Cutting your grass too short may look tidy, but it exposes the soil and causes moisture to evaporate quickly. This can lead to scorched patches and weak root systems.
Ward notes,
“Mowing your lawn very short is one of the worst things you can do during the summer. This causes grass to dry out extremely quickly and burn.”
Keep your mower height higher during hot months—around three inches for most lawns. Taller grass shades the soil, keeps roots cooler, and improves moisture retention. For larger estates, professional lawn care and estate lawn care services ensure proper mowing schedules and techniques tailored to your grass type and microclimate.
2. Watering at the Wrong Time of Day
Many homeowners water their lawns during the afternoon, believing that’s when their grass needs it most. Unfortunately, watering during the hottest part of the day leads to high evaporation and shallow absorption.
According to Ward,
“Watering your lawn in the middle of the day is not a great idea. The hottest times cause water to evaporate very quickly and not allow water to get deep into your lawn’s root system.”
Watering early in the morning or late at night allows moisture to soak deeply into the soil and reduces waste. Installing a custom irrigation system with timed watering can make this process automatic and efficient—especially valuable for larger Bay Area estates.
3. Neglecting Soil Health
Even with proper mowing and watering, your lawn can suffer if the soil beneath it is compacted or nutrient-poor. Summer heat intensifies these problems, making it harder for roots to access air and water.
Core aeration and organic composting are simple ways to refresh your soil before and during summer. A professional landscape designer or lawn care expert can assess soil health and recommend the right treatments to improve water absorption and nutrient balance.
Healthy soil means deeper roots, which leads to a stronger, more drought-resistant lawn.
4. Overwatering or Underwatering
Both overwatering and underwatering cause long-term damage. Overwatering promotes fungus and shallow roots, while underwatering leads to brown, brittle grass.
If your lawn feels spongy or develops standing water, you may be watering too much. Dull color and footprints that linger on the grass mean it’s too dry. Smart irrigation systems, which adjust automatically based on weather and soil moisture, are ideal for luxury estate landscapes in Palo Alto and surrounding Bay Area communities.
These systems provide consistency, conserve water, and support healthy, resilient lawns.
5. Ignoring Seasonal Adjustments
Summer lawn care is not a one-time task. Conditions can change quickly with temperature swings, dry winds, or unexpected rainfall. Routine inspection and small adjustments make a significant difference.
Clearing debris, checking sprinkler performance, and adjusting mowing height all help your landscape stay balanced through seasonal transitions. For large estates, professional landscape design services ensure every detail—watering schedule, plant health, and soil management—is monitored with expert precision.
6. Poor Landscape Design for the Climate
Many lawn problems start with the wrong landscape layout or plant selection. A design that doesn’t suit Palo Alto’s Mediterranean climate requires more water and maintenance than necessary.
Working with a luxury landscape designer ensures your property’s layout, plant palette, and irrigation systems work together efficiently. Shade trees, drought-tolerant grasses, and native plant borders can reduce water use while keeping your landscape visually refined.
In high-end residential settings, good design is about balance—combining sustainability with timeless beauty.
Expert Insight: Balance and Care in Every Season
Ward Dilmore emphasizes that maintaining a beautiful lawn is about understanding the rhythm of your environment.
“A healthy landscape is built on understanding how the environment behaves. By adjusting small things—like mowing height, watering time, and soil health—you can make your lawn thrive even through California’s toughest summers.”
Effective lawn care blends science with artistry. Every choice—from mowing practices to irrigation design—contributes to a landscape that’s not only visually stunning but also environmentally responsible.
Final Thoughts
Summer lawn care in Palo Alto is a blend of timing, technique, and expertise. By avoiding these common mistakes and adopting thoughtful maintenance habits, you can keep your lawn lush, green, and thriving throughout the season.
At Petrus Landscape, we provide comprehensive estate lawn care services, custom irrigation system installation, and luxury landscape design across the Bay Area, including Atherton, Menlo Park, and Los Altos. Our approach combines horticultural knowledge with refined craftsmanship to ensure every landscape flourishes in both form and function.
Whether you’re caring for an established estate or designing a new property, our team can help you create a landscape that stands out—and lasts.
