With the winter months right at our doorstep, it’s probably about time to get right into some landscape maintenance. By preparing your outdoor space for these months ahead, you can ensure you’ll have a thriving landscape that’s ready to go come spring.
For a year-round landscape design that your neighbors will be sure to be jealous of, it’s all about preparation. Here, we’re taking a closer look at ways to ensure your beautiful landscape will be ready for these upcoming winter months.
How to Get Your Landscape Ready for Winter
Are you ready for winter? Or perhaps the best question should be: is your landscape and garden design ready for winter? If you’re concerned about preparing for the upcoming change in seasons, read on for some helpful tips:
- Don’t stop your watering habits: in these dormant months, it may seem like you can pretty much stop watering. But don’t believe it. As long as the temperatures remain consistently above freezing, you should maintain your regular watering schedule for all your trees and shrubs. This is especially true in dry regions like Colorado. The extra moisture will help your plants prepare for their dormancy.
- Clean up your space: preparing for winter is a great opportunity to thoroughly clean up your outdoor space. Prevent pests and diseases from calling your landscape home this winter by cleaning up and discarding dead plants. Pull up those old flowers to freshen up your garden and clear away excess soil, dead leaves, and other debris. Maybe even add a few new design elements such as a modern fire pit so that you can still make use of your space in the colder months. Not only will this make your space look better, but it will also make it more functional and ready to burst back into action this spring.
- Prune your trees and shrubs: early winter is also a great time to prune your trees and shrubs. Removing dead limbs and pruning off any weak areas can help strengthen your trees and shrubs for the months ahead and reduce the risk of disease.
- Protect any vulnerable plants: most of your hardy, native plants should be able to survive through winter. However, some may need a little extra help—and it never hurts to err on the side of caution in protecting your landscape. For example, it can be beneficial to provide a wind-blocking structure to protect some of your smaller evergreen shrubs or young trees.
Conclusion –
With summer well behind us now, it’s time to start preparing for the winter ahead. While your overall landscape will need far less maintenance during these months, there are still a few steps you can take to help prepare your space for the winter so that you can have a thriving and beautiful landscape when spring appears.
Make sure to protect any vulnerable plants, use this as a chance to prune off dead or weak limbs, and clean up any old debris laying around. With some simple preparation, you’ll be more than ready for next year’s spring.
