As we move into the fall season, it’s tempting to push off landscaping until next spring. But don’t put away the garden tools just yet. We sat down with Dale Johnson, owner of Environmental Landforms, to get his expert advice on which fall landscaping projects every homeowner should be doing to keep their outdoor spaces healthy through winter and looking their best come spring.
What are the most important landscaping tasks every homeowner should tackle before winter to set themselves up for a beautiful spring?
One of the best things you can do before winter is to water everything really well. Keep up with the water before the first frost. As we know, we have pretty rough winters. And if there’s a lack of snow cover and harsh temperatures, the ground can get very dry, so ensuring your trees and shrubs have been watered as much as possible will help them through the winter into spring.
Aside from watering, fertilizing and pruning will also ensure your greenery comes back healthy in the spring. Knowing the kinds of shrubs, bushes, and trees in your yard and when to trim them throughout the year will ensure they keep flowering and growing each year. Lilac bushes, for instance, flower earlier in June or July. Once their flowers die off, lilacs start to create next year’s buds soon after, and if you wait to trim until fall or winter, you will actually be cutting off future flowers.
For hardscapes like paver patios, the biggest problem I see is when the sand or polymer isn’t maintained. Ants can get in and start mining, damaging the patio. The best thing to do is fill the voids with some granite or polymeric sand in the pavers to protect it.
What is one mistake you see homeowners make?
Not protecting your landscaping from animals. Protect your trees and shrubs from the bunnies and deer by putting cages or tree wrap around them. Otherwise, you’ll find animals can do a number on your shrubs and chew them down to nothing. Bachman’s is a great resource to learn the plants animals love and the ones they’ll leave alone, which can save you a lot of work and stress. Becoming knowledgeable about the landscaping in your yard is one of the best ways to keep them healthy.
So, before winter settles in, take the time to give your landscaping a little extra care. With Dale’s tips, your trees, shrubs, and outdoor spaces will thank you with a healthier, more beautiful start to spring.