When the end of the fall season comes around that last ration of fertilizer needs to be added to your grass. The lawn will soak in all the nutrients in order to help keep it healthy and strong through the winter months and get it ready for new growth when the temperatures warm up again in the spring. Next you want to make sure there are no areas of your lawn that are being smothered by any type of debris. Remove any toys that were left out or tree branches or limbs that have fallen, these can cause damage to the grass. If the grass is smothered it is less resilient to diseases and may even completely die out. The
aeration of your grassy lawn is also very important but needs to be done before the first freeze. If your lawn has the opportunity to breathe during the winter it will respond much better in the spring.
Your trees and shrubs are going to need a little help during the winter months also. If they are young you will want to wrap the trunks to protect the bark from winter wind damage and sun-scalding. If you live in areas that receive snow and happen to get a storm that leaves heavy, wet snow on the branches of your shrubs and trees, it is a good idea to gently shake off the heavy snow. This snow causes the branches to bend and you want to remove it before they break. If this happens in early spring the wet snow will cling to the new spring leaves and buds and cause damage. If you have dry periods that linger for more than a month you want to water the shrubs and trees by hand as long as the ground is not frozen; the south and west facing areas are probably going to need extra water.
You do not need to cut back the seed heads or spent stems from your ornamental grasses or perennials until spring just enjoy them during the winter months. If the stems and seed heads have fallen over due to heavy snows then you can cut them back. The mulching you do during fall and winter can probably be removed in late March or early April when you start getting rainfall again. If the mulch is too think in the spring it can cause root rot and stem rot.
Another thing to think about when you are getting ready for winter landscape maintenance is the livelihood of the birds that visit during the warmer months. Roosting boxes, bird houses, or natural plant covers will provide aid to the birds looking for protection from the cold weather. They also need that shelter to protect them from predators such as hawks and other birds of prey. If you already have these houses for the birds be sure to clean out any old nests to help prevent any parasitic bugs living in them over the winter. You want to place their
birdfeeders in a sheltered area away from the possibility of severe winds. The feeders should also have a wide cover over the perches and feeding ports so if it snows the seed will not become buried; this cover should also protrude a number of inches over the edge for added protection.
This is also a good time for planning any landscape design changes you want to make for spring and summer. Just remember one thing, your landscape is always growing and changing and in order to keep it healthy you have to perform a few chores to keep it that way. That is what
landscape maintenance is all about.
