Landscaping in Jackson, Mississippi

Jackson grew north along North State Street through the twentieth century, and that left north Jackson with some of the oldest neighborhoods in the metro. Belhaven took shape in the early 1900s, and its homes sit under a canopy of mature oaks and magnolias.

Eastover came later, on low ground near the river, with wide lots and winding streets. Fondren is Jackson's arts, dining and small-business district, a mix of bungalows and commercial storefronts.

That history means north Jackson properties are mostly decades old, not new construction: full-grown trees, established foundation plantings that have often outgrown the house, older irrigation systems, and lot grading that has had sixty or more years to settle one way or another.

The soil is the same Yazoo clay that runs under the rest of the Jackson metro, so compaction and standing water are common. The tree canopy changes the problem.

In Belhaven and Eastover, decades-old oaks and magnolias shade out Bermuda and Zoysia that were planted when the trees were young, and the lawn thins every year no matter how it's fed. Big surface roots lift patios, walks and bed borders over time.

A lot of the older irrigation systems were installed once and never adjusted, so heads are aimed wrong, zones overlap, and the gaps show up as dead patches. In Fondren, homes sit next to storefronts, and some properties are judged from the sidewalk as much as by the lawn.

None of this is unusual for an old city neighborhood, and it's fixable. We thin the canopy, move to shade-tolerant turf or beds where the shade has won, repair hardscape without hurting the roots, and audit the irrigation so it fits the yard as it is today, not the yard it was installed for.

Same crew, same day every week, all year. Under the big hardwoods in Belhaven and Eastover, that means managing shade as much as mowing. We mow, edge, trim and blow each visit, aerate the clay in late spring and early fall, and run leaf removal from October through the holidays. Fertilization and pre-emergent follow the warm-season calendar.

In Belhaven and Eastover the original foundation shrubs have often outgrown the house, so we start with a refresh. Azaleas, hydrangeas and camellias go in under the mature trees. The Fondren bungalows and storefronts get clean bed lines and pine straw, and we light the big trees instead of fighting them. Where the canopy is too thick for turf, we build beds.

Roots have had decades to grow under the walks and patios in Belhaven and Eastover, so a good share of our hardscape work here is repair: rebuilding on a proper base so the roots aren't lifting pavers again in five years.

Drainage is mostly getting old downspout runs and settled grading working again, plus French drains and catch basins for the low, shaded spots that stay wet longest.

Tree work is a bigger part of the job here than in the newer subdivisions: trimming for roof and line clearance, thinning the canopy so light reaches the lawn, removing trees that are dying or too close to the house, and grinding stumps.

We run scheduled grounds maintenance for businesses and medical offices around the Fondren district and the University of Mississippi Medical Center area, for churches, and for commercial grounds elsewhere in north Jackson.

Belhaven, Eastover, Fondren, and the North State Street corridor between them. Landmarks near our routes: Belhaven University, the University of Mississippi Medical Center, LeFleur's Bluff State Park and the Fondren arts and dining district.

Under the old canopy in north Jackson, the year runs a little differently. January and February are for pre-emergent, cutting back ornamental grasses and liriope, a light prune on the crape myrtles instead of a topping, and planting trees and shrubs while they're dormant. Lawns in Belhaven and Eastover green up in March and April.

The first mow is set high, beds get fresh pine straw or mulch, and the irrigation is turned on and checked head by head, which matters on systems this old. May through August is weekly mowing with the deck raised, feeding on the warm-season schedule, spot weed control, and an eye on fungus where the canopy keeps the ground damp.

Late summer is when the old oaks and magnolias show dead wood, and it should come out before a storm takes it. September and October matter most for the lawn: fall fertilization, aeration and overseeding while the soil is warm, and a bed refresh before the leaves come down. Then they come down. November and December are mostly leaf removal, plus the pre-freeze irrigation check.