Preparing Your Landscape for Winter

Fall is in the air, which means all the hard work you put in through spring and summer to get your landscape looking its best may need some protective measures. Snowfall, freezing temperatures, and lacking sunshine can mean some elements of your landscape need attention. Plus, winter is the best time to handle certain landscape maintenance projects. When it comes to landscape and winter, you may want to enlist Valley Landscaping, Stone & Patio's help. Here are a few tips for preparing your landscape for winter. 

Consider a Soil Conditioning Treatment 

Soil conditioning can really give your landscape a healthy boost when winter turns into spring. Soil conditioning is a landscaping maintenance process that involves making sure the soil of your landscape has the nutrients it needs to support healthy plant life. Spring and summer can take a lot out of the soil, so testing it and then adding necessary fertilizers can make a big difference. 

Tackle Weeds in the Winter

Weeds can hang out in your landscape all winter and be a nuisance to contend with when spring rolls around the next year. Instead of waiting for the weeds to simply die off in the cold, go ahead and eradicate them. Next spring, you will be thankful that you did so and you will have a clean slate to start with. 

Mulch Can Protect Plants in the Winter  

Mulching can bring so many benefits to your landscape and winter is a good time to add the material. If you have plants that are not necessarily cold-hardy or may be more prone to damage during the cold, mulching the ground around them can help insulate their roots enough to protect them. Professional landscape services often recommend adding mulch around: 

• Newly planted trees or shrubs 
• Newly planted perennial plants 
• Plants that have sustained damage due to pests or disease 
• Plants that are prone to winter-season pests like grubs and chinch bugs 

Plants that you mulch around may have a better chance of flourishing during the spring. 

Prune Trees and Shrubs Before the Cold Takes Over

In late fall, when the trees drop their leaves, most trees are safe for trimming. Today's Homeowner recommends waiting a bit later into winter when the tree is essentially dormant to do your pruning on larger trees and shrubs. Winter is a good time for tree and shrub pruning because: 

• Cooler temperatures mean less chance of pests and disease 
• The cut wounds of the tree heal faster in the winter 
• Trees and shrubs have less sap during the dormant periods, which seeps out during pruning 
• You can better see how to trim most trees or shrubs because the leaves have dropped fully 

Late Fall and Early Winter Is Best for Seeding 

If you have some bare spots in your landscape that need to be seeded, you don't have to wait until spring to tackle that project. If temperatures are cold enough, the seeds simply lie dormant until spring, but if there are warm days and rain, the seeds will go ahead and germinate, making their way into the makeup of your yard. Doing seeding at the onset of winter means you get a jump start for spring. 

Talk to Valley LSP About Winter Landscape Services 

Your landscaping is an extension of the design of your home, and keeping it looking good can be a four-season effort. If you are facing issues with your landscape and winter is peeking around the corner, reach out to Valley Landscaping, Stone & Patio at 410.983.6261 for help. We offer landscape services throughout the year for our clients to help them maintain beautiful properties year-round.