Landscaping delayed by heavy June rain as plants thrive

Many yards in the Edmonton area are thriving in the recent rain, but there are some challenges for local landscaping companies. Amanda Anderson explains.

When it comes to yards and gardens, there are pros and cons to the wet June weather.

Many plants are thriving, and grass is greener than ever.

For those in the landscaping business, however, the record-breaking rain is creating several challenges.

Time is of the essence, for example, for Supreme Yard Services’ Logan Robertson.

“All sorts of different kinds of problems are coming up that we’re not used to. I feel like we haven’t seen this type of rain in over five years at least,” he told CTV News Edmonton.

In fact, Edmonton set a record for the most June rain in more than 100 years.

Robertson says lawns left too long between mowing, or cut while wet, can create challenges like clumping grass and clogged mowers, making lawn care take twice as long.

The biggest issue is landscape projects getting delayed – not because crews don’t want to or can’t work in the rain, but because they can’t get soil.

“All the landscape suppliers are pretty backed up with orders for it. When it turns all clumpy, they can’t sell it. We don’t want to buy it like that because it doesn’t help us,” Robertson explained.

Even tarps used to cover dirt piles, like at Classic Landscapes, have been no match for the rain this month.

Horticulturist Perry Stothart, however, says the plants are thriving with all the rain.

“You’ll see some aggressive growth. The downside is we don’t have good drainage, and we have really heavy soils where the water is just sitting, and it cuts off the ability for oxygen and air to exchange with the roots. So you can drown plants out,” Stothart said.

Yellowing leaves can signal a waterlogged plant. Still, he says, they’re resilient, and creating drainage paths for water should help them recover.