Landscape Maintenance: In The Winter

With winter fast approaching you have to start thinking about how to care for your landscaping during the cold months. It is almost as important to care for your lawn, yard and landscaping during the winter as it is during the summer.

Landscape maintenance companies will tell you that one of the most important things you can do for your garden or lawn during the winter is snow removal. Removing snow is a vital part of keeping you landscaping looking its best.

Excessive snow pile-up on your lawn can upset the overall look of your lawn and landscaping. Perhaps, more frustrating, though, is the damage done to the plants and specialty work you paid to have done to your yard or garden. Watching the snowfall on your uncovered plants and trees can feel like watching your wallet hemorrhage.

There are ways to keep your wallet intact this winter. Through a few simple steps you can keep you garden looking good and not have too many fix-ups waiting for spring. Landscape maintenance for you lawn or garden this winter will be the best gift you can giver yourself.

So, first you need to put a good snow removal system in place. Whether that means purchasing a special shovel, snowplow or snow blower, it is necessary for you to move at least some of the excess snow. If you have planted winter friendly vegetation like evergreens, then this first tip may not be as necessary.

Removing heavy snow will help the more fragile plants maintain their structure. The key here is to only bother removing snow when it is icy or particularly heavy. Some landscaping experts suggest that when snowfall is heavy the limbs of smaller trees and plants are easily broken from the weight.

Be careful when you remove snow. You a gentle touch when removing snow from plants and shrubs. Find a broom and lightly sweep or shake the snow off. There is a possibility of doing more damage by removing the snow with too much force.

The flip side of heavy precipitation and moisture accumulation is not enough moisture. Probably the second most important thing you can do for you garden or landscaping is to water it. Or, let the snow do it for you. If there is a light blanket or dusting of snow around your plant beds and trees, let it melt. Your plants basically need the same amount of water during the winter as the summer.

You may also want to consider trimming back perennials and other plants during the late summer or fall. There are varying opinions on this topic. Some landscape maintenance experts say this is a matter of taste and not totally necessary to the health of the plant. It can help you save time and effort in the spring.
There are so many ways to winterize your garden, yard. If you do some research, you will find the best ways of going about your landscape maintenance this winter.