For most of spring, summer and fall we put loads of blood, sweat and tears into our yards to make them as beautiful as possible. Seasonal plants, grasses and land features help to build the mosaic that creates our landscaped properties. But why do we quit on our lawns through winter when they need us the most?
In addition to walk-way salting, small tasks and general winter maintenance, there are a multitude of landscaping tasks that can be taken on through the cold. Hearty winter plants and seasonal designs make landscaping possible over even the coldest months.
Let’s take a look at the wide variety of valuable tasks that can keep our yards beautified through the short months.
Winter Landscaping Tasks
Winter Landscaping: Building a beautiful yard has largely been the domain of the fairer months but winter takes a back seat to no season. There are multiple seasonal plants and grasses that can be transplanted in late summer and fall that develop from October through February.
Here’s a list of possible winter landscape ideas:
- Landscape Forms: Structures such as fences and archways can beautify your winter scene or yard by adding variety and places for snow and ice to form
- Lighting and Soft Lighting: Adding a few lights can splash depth and colour all over your space. Select colours that accent your yard and buildings.
- Fencing and Shrub lines: These organic barriers create accented borders and guidelines for your other outdoors elements.
- Vines and Creeping Ivy: These leave intricate branch webs to admire through the winter months. They can catch snow and ice in interesting variations.
- Deciduous Plants: This is a no-brainer. We all know that deciduous trees are hearty through winter. Take your pick and plant them to add green colour year round.
- Ice Rinks: Mostly for kids, ice rinks can pull together a family setting if you have the requisite amount of space. With the proper planning and layout a rink can be a nice addition.
It doesn’t stop there. There are many features that can be added to a winter scene to increase the overall beauty of your back yard.
Maintenance and Prep: There are a lot of things that need to be done to prepare your lawn and garden for the winter months. Completing these tasks will keep your space beautiful through winter and better prepare it for the following spring.
1.) Wrap Your Tender Shrubs and Bushes: Wrapping your small trees and bushes can have a two pronged effect. The canvas covers go a long way to protecting your larger garden plants in winter making it easier for them to recover and grow the following spring. They also look clean and uniform with the right garden layout. Take all seasons into account when positioning plants and land contours.
2.) Clean Away Scraps and Thatch: After every cut of your lawn you leave behind clippings and debris. If this layer of organic material is left to compress under heavy winter snow it becomes something called thatch, which can starve your grass in more ways than one. Remove any excess material every fall to ensure good lawn health in the spring.
3.) Prepare your Equipment for the Off-Season: Once snow takes over there is little need for your lawnmower until spring but shoving it in the shed and calling it a day isn’t enough to ensure the long-term health of your lawn equipment. Check out our Fall Lawn Care Tips for more detailed information.
Possible Additional Services: In the winter months cutting grass is a non-issue. It simply doesn’t grow, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t replaced by other seasonally related tasks.
Here’s a few examples of jobs, for yourself or your landscape business, that crops up around the winter yard:
- Salting laneways
- Shovelling driveways
- Scraping iced areas
- Opening frozen eavestroughs
- Fencing off bodies of water
You can do all of these tasks yourself or get a landscaping company that operates throughout winter to do it for you. Either way you end up with a gorgeous property all year round.
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