FAQ

1. Keep your beds protected and looking fresh with mulches such as pine straw, wood chips or pine bark. Mulches are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also help stop weeds, hold in moisture for plant roots, and help prevent soil crusting and help prevent erosion.
2. Keep turf lines and hard edges such as sidewalks & curbs edged. Grass growing into shrub beds and over hard surfaces detract from the defined look of the yard. Crisp bed lines of mulch next to turf give great definition to any yard.
3. Develop any "eye for detail" and see the little things that make a yard gorgeous. For example, don't let hedges get over grown or cover up windows and put the right plant in the right location. If you are constantly fighting a shrub to stay small, you may have the right plant, but in the wrong location.
4. Keeping life simple is important. Landscape maintenance can be simple if you take the time up front to plan and invest the right way. You will enjoy your yard more if you do not constantly have to go back and do the same dreadful task over and over again. Find simple ways to manage the yard. I hate to pull weeds, so I don't. I use pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides to control weeds. The thrill of the kill saves me time to do other things I really like to do in the yard.
5. Do you have low hanging limbs that hit you in the face when you mode? If so, lift those limbs up and enjoy the view as well as not getting slapped by a limb every week.
6. Seasonal and perennial flowers, such as impatients and daylilies are great for color. Pick out or create focal points around the yard such as entrances, curves, pots, and hanging baskets that may "wow" your guest and you.
7. Pick the right plant for the location. Some plants like to stay tight and grow well next to the sidewalks such as Nandina. Others do not, they may like to stay tight and enjoy growing big and wild like Eleaganus.
8. Over-seed your lawn or repair areas with sod. Make sure you water the lawn when needed. Bare spots take away from the overall appearance of the yard.
9. Mow turf with sharp blades. Do not remove more than 1/3 off the height of the turf canopy with any one mowing. Do not "scalp" the lawn with weedeaters.
10. Do not be afraid to ask for assistance. I have seen many folks waste time and money on a hobby they enjoy because they do not want to develop a plan or seek out advice. Ten minutes of knowledge can turn an ordinary yard into a lush garden of interest, color and excitement.
    
    

In 2016, The University of Mississippi was ranked as "The Most Beautiful Campus" by USA Today.

In 2013, The University of Mississippi was ranked as "The Most Beautiful Campus" by the Princeton Review and received the very coveted, Professional Grounds Maintenance Society Green Star Grand Award for Best Maintained University.

The Princeton Review ranks The University of Mississippi as the 4th most most beautiful campus.

Cappex: The College Insider ranks The University of Mississippi as the 13th most most beautiful campus.

In 2008, Ole Miss Landscape Services received the Mississippi Urban Forest Council's annual Scenic Communities award.

“From the moment a student sets foot on campus, an institution should make sure he or she feels welcome, can find the way easily, and that the campus is nicely landscaped, clean and appealing.”

Discover more details in the linked study.

• A New SAT: School Appearance Test

A good defense is a good offense. That means grow a healthy lawn. Fertilization along with a good material application program will help win the fight with Crabgrass and other weeds. When soil temperatures reach in the 50's in the early spring, crabgrass seeds can start to germinate.

Generally, we like to see pre-emergent control in late February for summer weeds and again in October for winter weeds. Barricade or Denision are two common pre-emergent control substances used for crabgrass and other turf weeds. Always read and follow the label. Below are two links that may assist you in more detail.

Appropriate design of the beds is the first step in good weed control.

• Beds are designed to drain water and not hold it. Wet beds can cause root problems for the plants along with unwanted weeds, such as sedge.
• All planting areas are tilled 6" to 8" deep several times before planting. This breaks up compaction and allows plant roots to have good air exchange. A good soil amendment, such pine fines or soil conditioner is added at rate of 1:3. The beds are tilled in again to mix the natural soil and the pine fines.
• We have found that by keeping down a sufficient layer of mulch in the beds, such as pine straw, has been a major help in controlling weed growth. This also helps with preventing crusting while holding moisture for roots as well as keeping mowers and line trimmers off the shrubs.

After plants are established, a pre-emergent weed control may be added to help prevent weed growth. If weeds appear they may be removed by hand or a post emergent application of Round-Up or Vantage can be applied before the weed reaches 6" in height.

"THIS CAMPUS IS GORGEOUS. This campus is like none other. This is one of the nicest college campuses in the country."

• John Calipari, Head Coach, Kentucky Basketball

"Anyone that has visited Ole Miss in Oxford, MS certainly couldn't disagree with the head coach about the importance of actually having a recruit visit the beautiful campus. Ole Miss is a truly unique place among the myriad of colleges and universities in today's higher education landscape. The school and town of Oxford have a great deal to offer students, and families quickly fall in love with the total package at Ole Miss."

• Ole Miss Football Recruiting: How Hugh Freeze Landed Historic Class | by Seph Anderson

"Throughout the seasons there are flowers. In the spring, there are thousands of tulips and daffodils, and later, there are roses and hydrangeas. In the summer there are butterfly gardens. In the fall, maples and oaks and hickories turn vibrant colors. Every entrance to the campus is landscaped and is a focal point. The beauty begins when you first enter the campus."

• Beautiful Ole Miss: Oxford's beloved campus earned the reputation as the nation's most picturesque campus | by Margaret Gratz | Mississippi Magazine Field Guide

"I appreciate you showing up. We are very excited. Today’s come and it’s been a long road but we’re very happy about the signatures we got. I want to thank a few people before we get going. First of all, I really want to thank our university. I want to start with our chancellor. If you look at this campus, one of the things that moms and student-athletes talked about in every living room was the beauty of our campus. I hate that he is retiring. He’s just done an awesome job of laying everything out for us and I appreciate him."

• Former Ole Miss head football coach Houston Nutt at Signing Day Press Conference (2009)
  Opening Statement (Coach Houston Nutt):

Once a rural community, Oxford is rapidly transforming into an urban center. The land where wildlife resides is becoming smaller as our community expands. Because their food source is shrinking, deer and other animals venture to the city in search of sustenance. This presents problems for the community; deer frequently cause car accidents and destroy landscaped areas as they forage. Landscape Services has invested in organic and humane repellents to deter deer from the University of Mississippi campus.

Irish Spring® Soap
Deer rely on their olfactory senses to detect predators. Irish Spring® creates a scent barrier, jamming the receptors deer use to perceive threats. Deer will not remain in the area for more than a few minutes before moving on to an area clear of these barriers.\

Bars of soap are chopped into small blocks and distributed in flower beds across campus. The soap gradually dissolves with rain and irrigation and must be replaced often, but is safe for the environment and the deer.

Shake Away®
These tiny granules of crystallized coyote urine utilize one of the greatest deer deterrents—instinctive fear. Coyotes are predators and deer instinctively avoid areas where they believe danger is lurking.

Shake Away® is organic, safe for children and animals, and deters deer, raccoons, and armadillos for up to a month.

Havahart® Deer Away
Ideal for flower beds and other landscaped areas, Deer Away repels deer by scent and taste. It lasts for two to three months and its active ingredient is rotten eggs. Though it is odorless to humans, Deer Away is repulsive to deer and rabbits.

Sluggo® Slug and Snail Bait
Sluggo® is an iron phosphate blend that attracts snails and slugs. When spread into infested areas it acts as bait. Pests eat the product and are rendered immobile, which immediately begins protecting plants.

This product remains active even after irrigation and rain, is 100% biodegradable, and any bait not eaten becomes part of the soil.