5 Expert Tips for End-of-Summer Landscaping
Fall and winter seasons are all about reunions, family get-togethers, and partying with friends. For most of us, this is also the time of the year when we say goodbye to outdoor life. We transition and bring all our parties and get-togethers to the warm and cozy insides of our home. However, before you pack yourself indoors, spend a little time preparing your garden for winter, so you won’t find them impossible to work with ahead of the spring season.
Here are the top five landscaping projects you should take up before the cold weather makes it impossible for you to work outdoors:
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Cleaning
Fallen leaves and weeds that grow underneath trees and around the outdoor walkways, steps, and walls not only give your outdoor areas an untidy appearance, but they also provide a breeding space for pests, fungus, algae, and mildew. The foliage of some plants can also foster diseases. Therefore, it’s essential that you clean up all the fallen leaves and accumulated debris and remove the weeds growing anywhere in your garden, walkways, pavement, stone steps, and walls before winter hits.
Also, it’sIt’s also suggested that you wash your pavement and all outdoor pathways after removing the debris. This process will get rid of anything left behind.
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Move or Protect Sensitive Plants
Plants that cannot withstand cold weather need to be protected before winter arrives. Move all the potted plants to the greenhouse, covered patio, or indoors. Provide winter protection to trees by spreading 2-3 Inches thick layer of mulch around their base, not touching the trunk. Palm trees can be protected from extreme cold by wrapping horticultural flees around their trunks.
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Harvest Tender Vegetables from Your Kitchen Garden
If you have any of the tender vegetables planted in your garden, make sure to harvest them before the first frost as they cannot tolerate it. After harvesting the vegetables, remove the plants and add them to the compost pile. If any of the plants are diseased or infected, discard, or burn them. Do not use an infected plant for compost.
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Prepare Garden Beds for Next Spring
It may seem too early to start preparing your garden for next spring, but late fall is the best time to start preparing empty beds in your garden for springtime. This will allow the soil to soak up all the nutrients and ready the garden beds for planting early in the spring season.
To prepare the garden beds, clean them properly, removing any spent plants or weeds. Now add enough compost or manure that it forms a couple of inches thick layer on the top. Cover the compost with a layer of mulch or straw to prevent weed growth, soil erosion, and leaching of nutrients.
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Plant Some Evergreens or Hardy Perennials
Keep your garden alive in winter by planting some evergreens and/or hardy perennial species in your garden. These plants will save your garden from going all white and grey during winter. Some plant species considered great for winter landscaping include hellebores, ornamental grasses, dianthus, dwarf blue spruce, gold thread false cypress, Christmas holly shrubs, bayberry, and red osier dogwood. Grow some of these plants to add color and texture to your winter garden.
Get the outdoor areas of your home and your plants ready for winter with these small landscaping projects before the cold weather hits hard. If you find it hard to tend to your garden or do not have time to get it ready for winter, give us a call.
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