Winter Yard Work Checklist

During the winter months, landscape and yardwork is usually the last thing on the minds of homeowners. But during these times are actually the most ideal times to renovate the lawn and eliminate the brown spots and crab grass left over from last summer.

Lawn Renovation

Lawn renovation begins with raking to the open ground to expose the soil so that new seeds can germinate. This should be followed by levelling the lawn to cover the lowest areas with new soil and then reseed the entire lawn if necessary or merely patch certain areas as required.

To ensure germination, add a good fertilizer and cover the seeds to protect them from hungry birds. Then wait for three to four weeks for the seeds to sprout. The advantage to doing this during the winter is that nature provides enough water to germinate the seeds, whereas it is obligatory to water the areas during other times of the year.

Crab Grass

Your grass is full of crab grass seed waiting to sprout in the spring, so you need to spray a pre-emergent during the last week of February, just before the temperature starts to warm up. You do not want to apply the pre-emergent any earlier than February because it could kill any new seeds that you have planted. Also, the chemicals are not as effective in the cold weather.

Pruning

Now is the time to begin pruning your trees, and your roses too! In order to improve the production of these plants, you must prune before they start to bud. 

Flower beds

Take the time to remove the fallen leaves and blossoms to avoid protential fungus and molds from growing. 

Planting

Planting bare-root trees and roses before spring arrives, is good because the prices are the best for new trees and bushes at this time of year.

Contact Landscape Professionals

Winter is the most ideal time to contact a landscape contractor about updating, remodeling, or totally reinstalling your yard. Most people typically wait until spring to make their initial calls, and often find that landscapers are busy and are even scheduled in advance all the way to March. Plan ahead to get the best services and prices of the year.

Winter Landscaping Tips

As the winter months approach us very quickly, the plants are asleep and their colors disperse, leaving a variety of shades of white and gray. It’s too cold and icy to plant anything in the Winter, but with careful planning in the spring, summer, and fall, you can have a beautiful landscape that shines in the peaceful season. 

Here are six winter landscaping tips that will make you love your yard in every season. 

1. Focus on bark. Deciduous trees lose their leaves in the wintertime, which leaves just their branches and trunks. Planting ornamental trees like dogwoods and birch trees, that have very distinctive texture and colour bark, will add some variety to your winter landscape. 

2. Include berries. Many trees and shrubs have berries that stay throughout the fall and winter, which will provide food for birds. Some examples are crabapples or holly with berries can be very beautiful within the snow. 

3. Don’t forget evergreens. Evergreens are wonderful in the winter landscape for several reasons. The first is that they add colour: not just green, but some are yellow, blue and all the colours in between. These trees are not only important for your winter landscape, but they make good focal points all year round. 

4. Rely on your hardscape. Winter is the best time to consider your hardscape. The solution to enhance your winter landscaping might not be a plant, but rather a trellis, a bench, an arbor or even a garden sculpture. 

5. Embellish your summertime containers. Window boxes, hanging baskets and winter-safe containers are all essential for winter landscaping. You do not have to spend money on other plants, just fill the containers with evergreen boughs of different colours, textures and interesting twigs. 

6. Stick with four-season perennials. There are some perennials that have evergreen shrubbery: ornamental grasses, hellebores, even dianthus with its beautiful low-creeping foliage. These are great for winter landscaping. Just make sure you read the plant label and find out if the plant has foliage in the winter, so you can enjoy it year round.