Planting & Sod in McLean, VA

Planting & Sod for McLean Homes

Planting is where a McLean landscape comes alive. A new custom home in Salona Village or McLean Hamlet usually needs everything at once: sod on the open lawn panels, foundation beds that frame the house, shade and flowering trees, and an evergreen screen along the property line. Older homes in Chesterbrook, Kent Gardens and Evermay often need tired foundation shrubs replaced and thin lawns renewed with sod. On wooded estate lots, planting tends to focus on shade gardens, understory trees and screening.

Soil comes first. Construction leaves compacted fill and red clay with little topsoil, so crews loosen the ground, add compost and set grades before laying sod or digging beds. Sod is tall fescue for most sunny areas, with Kentucky bluegrass blends where sun is strong, and fall is the strongest time to lay it, with spring the second window. Trees and shrubs are planted at the right depth with the root flare showing, then mulched and watered on a schedule through their first summer.

Deer drive plant choices across McLean. Native redbud, serviceberry, dogwood, American holly, inkberry and oakleaf hydrangea do well, and screens often use American or Nellie Stevens holly and cryptomeria. Arborvitae gets browsed, and Leyland cypress has been declining here, so many owners replace it. Before digging, crews contact Virginia 811. Call to plan your planting.