The most important thing to know about spring landscaping in Colorado Springs is that your last frost date is around May 10, and every task should be timed around that date. Rushing to plant frost-sensitive material in April invites freeze damage. Waiting until June means you have missed the best window for sod, trees, and irrigation startups before summer heat arrives.
Colorado Springs sits at 6,035 feet elevation in USDA Zone 5b, with alkaline clay soil (pH 7.5-8.2), just 15 inches of annual rainfall, and chinook winds that can swing temperatures 50 degrees in a single day. Spring here does not behave like spring at lower elevations. Snow in April and even early May is normal. Soil stays cold longer. UV intensity at altitude dries out exposed ground faster than you expect.
This checklist walks through every spring task in the order you should tackle them, from late March through Memorial Day weekend. Whether you handle it yourself or hire a professional crew, these are the same steps we follow on every CN Landscaping spring project across Colorado Springs, Monument, Fountain, Falcon, Black Forest, Larkspur, and Perry Park.
Late March to Mid-April: Cleanup and Assessment
Before planting or watering anything, you need to assess what winter left behind. Colorado Springs winters are hard on landscapes — desiccating winds, freeze-thaw cycles, heavy wet snow, and weeks of dormancy take a toll on everything from turf to hardscaping.
Walk the Entire Property
Grab a notepad and walk every section of your yard. You are looking for:
- Dead or damaged branches on trees and shrubs (especially Aspen, which are prone to winter dieback)
- Heaved pavers or retaining wall movement from freeze-thaw cycles in clay soil
- Bare patches in turf where snow mold, vole damage, or desiccation killed grass
- Erosion channels from snowmelt runoff, especially on slopes and near downspouts
- Cracked or shifted edging along beds, walkways, and driveways
- Mulch displacement — rock mulch migrates downhill over winter; organic mulch decomposes
This assessment determines your entire spring plan. A property with significant retaining wall damage needs structural repair before any cosmetic work. A yard with major bare patches may need new sod rather than just overseeding.
Clean Up Winter Debris
Remove fallen branches, dead leaves, windblown trash, and any winter protection materials (burlap wraps, straw insulation, foam faucet covers). Clear debris from landscape beds, gutters, and drainage paths. Matted leaves left on turf breed snow mold and suffocate grass — rake them off as soon as the ground thaws enough to work.
Prune Before New Growth Starts
Late March through early April is the ideal pruning window for most deciduous trees and shrubs in Colorado Springs. Prune while plants are still dormant but before buds break. This allows you to see the branch structure clearly and minimizes disease entry since wounds heal quickly once spring growth resumes.
Do not prune spring-blooming shrubs (lilac, forsythia, spirea) until after they flower — pruning now removes this year's buds. Evergreens like Blue Spruce and Ponderosa Pine generally need minimal pruning; remove only dead or crossing branches. For large tree work (anything requiring a ladder or chainsaw), hire a certified arborist.
Mid-April: Irrigation Startup and Soil Prep
Activate Your Sprinkler System
If you winterized your sprinklers in October (and you should have), mid-April is the right time to bring the system back online. Wait until overnight lows consistently stay above 32 degrees — a hard freeze after startup can crack pipes that still have water in them.
A proper spring irrigation startup involves more than just turning the valve:
- Open the main shutoff valve slowly (quarter-turn increments over 5-10 minutes) to prevent water hammer
- Run each zone manually for 2-3 minutes while walking the lines
- Check every sprinkler head for damage, misalignment, or clogging from soil and debris
- Inspect valve boxes for flooding, rodent nests, or cracked components
- Reprogram the controller for spring watering schedules (typically 2-3 days per week in April/May, increasing to every-other-day by June)
- Test the rain sensor or soil moisture sensor to confirm it is still functional
If you find broken heads, leaking valves, or pressure issues during startup, address them before the system runs its first automated cycle. A single leaking head can waste hundreds of gallons per week and create a soggy, compacted area that kills turf.
Test Your Soil
If you have not tested your soil in the past 2-3 years, spring is the time. Colorado Springs Utilities and the El Paso County CSU Extension office offer affordable soil testing. You are looking for pH (expect 7.5-8.2), nutrient levels (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium), organic matter content, and salinity.
Most Colorado Springs soils are deficient in nitrogen and organic matter but adequate in phosphorus and potassium. Iron chlorosis (yellowing leaves with green veins) is common because our high pH locks up iron in the soil. Adding sulfur or chelated iron can help, but choosing plants adapted to alkaline conditions is the more sustainable long-term approach.
Amend and Aerate Compacted Areas
Colorado's heavy clay soil compacts over winter from snow weight, foot traffic, and freeze-thaw cycling. Core aeration (pulling small plugs of soil) in mid-April relieves compaction, improves water infiltration, and allows roots to expand. Follow aeration with a thin layer of compost (quarter-inch) raked into the holes.
For landscape beds, top-dress with 1-2 inches of compost and work it into the top few inches of soil with a garden fork. This is especially important in xeriscape beds where rock mulch prevents natural organic matter accumulation.
Late April to Early May: Planting Window Opens
Plant Trees and Shrubs (Now)
Late April through mid-May is the prime tree and shrub planting window in Colorado Springs. Soil temperatures have risen above 50 degrees, triggering root growth, but air temperatures remain cool enough to minimize transplant shock. Trees planted now get a full growing season to establish roots before their first winter.
Bare-root trees should ideally go in by early April before buds break. Container-grown and balled-and-burlapped trees are fine through May. Dig the hole 2-3 times wider than the root ball but only as deep as the root ball height — planting too deep in clay soil is the single most common cause of tree death in Colorado Springs.
Install or Repair Sod
Mid-April through mid-June is the ideal sod installation window. Soil temperatures above 55 degrees trigger root establishment, and spring moisture reduces the watering burden. If winter left bare patches in your existing lawn, now is the time to cut out the dead areas and lay fresh sod or overseed with a quality fescue or bluegrass blend matched to your existing turf type.
New sod needs daily watering for the first two weeks (enough to keep the soil moist 4-6 inches deep), then gradually taper to every-other-day, then twice weekly as roots establish. At Colorado Springs' elevation, UV intensity dries out new sod faster than at lower elevations — err on the side of more water during the first month.
Hold Off on Annuals and Warm-Season Plantings
This is where many Colorado Springs homeowners make a costly mistake. Frost-sensitive annuals (petunias, impatiens, tomatoes, peppers) should not go in the ground until after the last frost date — around May 10 for Colorado Springs proper, and as late as May 20-25 for higher-elevation areas like Black Forest and Monument. A single late freeze kills unprotected annuals instantly.
Nurseries start stocking annuals in April because they sell. That does not mean it is safe to plant them yet. If you buy early, keep them in a protected area (garage, covered patio) and harden them off gradually before transplanting after mid-May.
Early to Mid-May: Hardscape Inspection and Repair
Check Patios, Walkways, and Retaining Walls
Colorado Springs' freeze-thaw cycles are brutal on hardscaping. Water seeps into joints and cracks, freezes, expands, and slowly pushes pavers apart, shifts retaining wall blocks, and cracks concrete. May is when you catch and fix these issues before summer entertaining season.
Walk every paved surface and look for:
- Settled or heaved pavers — relevel by lifting, adding or removing base material, and resetting
- Missing joint sand — re-sand polymeric sand into paver joints to prevent weed growth and ant mounding
- Retaining wall lean or bulge — any forward lean exceeding 1 inch per foot of height needs professional assessment
- Concrete cracks — fill hairline cracks with flexible sealant before water intrusion causes further freeze damage next winter
- Drainage issues — verify that water flows away from foundations, walls, and paved areas after spring rains
Small repairs now prevent expensive rebuilds later. A retaining wall that shifts half an inch per winter becomes a structural failure within 3-5 years if ignored.
Refresh Landscape Lighting
Winter snow loads knock landscape lights out of alignment, bury path fixtures, and corrode connections. Walk your lighting system at dusk, check every fixture for proper aim and function, replace burned-out bulbs (or upgrade to LED if you have not already), and clean lenses clouded by mineral deposits from sprinkler overspray. Spring is also the ideal time to add fixtures to new plantings or dark areas you noticed over winter.
Mid-May to Memorial Day: Final Prep for Summer
Apply Pre-Emergent Weed Control
Timing pre-emergent herbicide correctly is critical in Colorado Springs. Apply when soil temperatures at a 4-inch depth reach 55 degrees for three consecutive days — typically mid-April to early May, depending on your neighborhood's elevation and sun exposure. Pre-emergent prevents crabgrass, spurge, and bindweed seeds from germinating. If you miss this window, those weeds will own your lawn by July.
Do not apply pre-emergent to areas where you plan to overseed — it prevents grass seed germination too. If you need to both seed and prevent weeds, seed first, wait 6-8 weeks for establishment, then apply pre-emergent in the fall to catch next year's weed cycle.
Start the First Mow
Begin mowing when grass reaches 3.5-4 inches tall, typically late April to early May in Colorado Springs. Set your mower height to 3 inches — never shorter. Taller grass shades the soil (reducing evaporation and weed germination), develops deeper roots, and handles drought stress better. At altitude, where UV intensity is 25% higher than sea level, that extra blade length provides meaningful sun protection for the soil and root zone.
Sharpen your mower blade before the first cut. Dull blades tear grass rather than cutting it cleanly, creating ragged brown tips that waste moisture and invite disease.
Fertilize Strategically
Apply a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer to turf after the second or third mowing, typically mid-to-late May. Avoid fertilizing too early — it pushes top growth before roots are ready to support it, especially after a stressful winter. A slow-release formula feeds gradually over 8-12 weeks, matching the grass plant's uptake capacity without causing surge growth that increases mowing frequency and water demand.
For landscape beds and trees, topdress with compost rather than synthetic fertilizer. Compost feeds the soil microbiome that makes nutrients available to plant roots — especially important in our alkaline clay where nutrient lockout is a constant challenge.
Mulch Landscape Beds
Refresh rock mulch where it has migrated or thinned. In rock landscapes, add small stone to areas where soil is showing through. For planting beds that use organic mulch, apply 2-3 inches of wood chips or shredded bark, keeping mulch 3-4 inches away from tree trunks and shrub crowns to prevent rot. Rock mulch is generally preferred in Colorado Springs because it does not decompose, does not blow away in chinook winds as easily as bark, and keeps plant crowns dry — reducing the rot risk that comes with our unpredictable spring snowstorms.
The Complete Checklist (Print This)
- Late March - Mid-April: Walk property and note damage; clean debris; prune dormant trees/shrubs
- Mid-April: Irrigation startup and system audit; soil test if needed; core aerate compacted turf; amend beds with compost
- Late April - Early May: Plant trees and shrubs; install or patch sod; apply pre-emergent weed control (soil temp 55+)
- Early - Mid-May: Inspect and repair hardscaping; refresh landscape lighting; first mow at 3 inches
- Mid-May - Memorial Day: Plant annuals after last frost (~May 10); fertilize turf with slow-release nitrogen; refresh mulch
- Ongoing: Monitor irrigation for leaks; adjust watering schedule as temps rise; watch for late-season frost warnings
When to Call a Professional
Some spring tasks are straightforward for handy homeowners. Others carry real risk if done wrong. You should consider professional help for:
- Irrigation startup and repair — improper pressurization can crack pipes, and misdiagnosed leaks waste water all season
- Tree planting in clay soil — planting depth, root flare exposure, and staking technique are critical at altitude
- Retaining wall repair — structural walls holding back slopes require engineering knowledge, not just muscle
- Large sod installations — timing, grading, and watering schedules are unforgiving; a DIY mistake on 5,000 square feet of sod is expensive
- Full landscape redesigns — spring is the best time to start a new landscape plan that accounts for sun patterns, drainage, and microclimates
CN Landscaping handles every task on this checklist for properties across Colorado Springs, Monument, Fountain, Falcon, Black Forest, Larkspur, and Perry Park. Whether you need a single service like irrigation startup or a complete spring overhaul, we build the work plan around your property's specific conditions and your budget.
Call (719) 460-5685 or request a free estimate online to get your spring landscaping plan started before the best planting window closes.