Landscaping and tree care in Smithfield, Utah

Finding out which ditch your water comes from

Smithfield yards get outdoor water in three ways. Some use the Smithfield Irrigation Company's lines, some use the city's secondary system, and the rest water from the tap. The city's own figures put about 43 percent of homes without a secondary connection in its water element, and its 2023 plan says that share may grow in newer, higher areas. Call the city office or the company to learn which applies to your lot.

The answer shapes the garden. Metered secondary water, and drinking water most of all, rewards mulch, drip lines and plants that handle dry stretches. The company's plan lists an April 1 to October 31 season, while an earlier grant paper said April 15 to October 15, so ask for this year's dates before you plant.

Park strip trees: the city owns them and you care for them

The Herald Journal reported that trees in Smithfield park strips sit in the city right-of-way, yet owners must look after them. That means watering, clearing suckers and pruning to keep the sidewalk and street clear. A council member also raised ending new strip plantings, and the city rewrote Chapter 12.24 in 2025 and took up another change in 2026. Read the current code or call the city recorder before you act.

If a strip is narrow, choose from the city's short list: trident maple, Summer Sprite linden, fringetree or red buckeye. Dead or hanging limbs over a sidewalk are worth fixing now. Dormant-season cuts heal cleanly and show the shape of the tree.

Flipping the strip with plants that take the heat

Flip the Strip, the state program that helps pay to replace strip lawn with water-wise planting, became available in Smithfield. A council member who runs the city's Waterwise Wednesday posts converted her own strip to plants on drip lines. The city also teaches localscape classes. Programs like this usually want approval before the lawn comes out, so apply through Utah Water Savers first and check the current rules.

A strip is a hot place. Pavement bounces heat onto the plants, and snow melt and road salt can land there in winter. Choose tough perennials and shrubs, set them in compost-improved soil, and cover the ground with mulch so weeds stay down.

Keep the planting low near the curb so drivers can see around parked cars and driveways. Drip lines under the mulch put water at the roots, and a well-mulched strip can go a long time between waterings once the plants have settled in.

Wind, old trees and new streets

Smithfield lies at the foot of its canyon at about 4,600 feet. A windstorm with gusts near 54 miles an hour once dropped a 50-foot tree onto a trailer in a Smithfield backyard. Before the next storm, look for dead tops, split trunks and limbs that overhang a roof or fence. USU Extension puts Logan's average last frost on May 14 and first fall frost on September 25, so late cleanup waits for the weather.

The older part of town has real age. An old yard may hold trees that came before the newer streets, and big, old trees deserve a careful look before anything is cut. Where a tree is dead or unsafe, removal may be the right call.

What to do first in a Smithfield yard

Begin with the strip. Look at the tree there, note any dead wood, and read the city's current tree code or call the recorder so you know what you may do yourself. Then find out whether your lot gets Smithfield Irrigation water, city secondary water or neither, because that sets how much a new bed can drink.

After that, walk the back yard. Check the big trees for split trunks and limbs over the roof. Pull a few handfuls of soil from the beds and see whether it is thin, packed or full of rock, since newer lots can be short on topsoil. A sample sent to a lab will show the pH and what the ground lacks.

Last, choose one project to do well. Whether it is a trim, a strip makeover or a bed rebuilt with compost, call Eric for a free quote and he will come out to look.