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Fall will be here before you know it, and you may want to get a headstart on protecting your landscape from the ravages of winter. While the changing season brings with it a promise of cozy evenings and pumpkin-spice-flavored everything, it is important to remember that our yard and plants need help to thrive through the season, too.
Making time for landscape maintenance in the fall means you can take it easy during the colder months of the year. Give yourself one less thing to worry about this winter with these fall landscape maintenance tips.
Take Care of Your Landscape Lighting
Fall is the perfect season to enjoy a landscape lighting design that mirrors the rich colors of the leaves. To ensure your system continues to delight you into the winter, it needs some TLC.
During the summer, critters, pets, or kids may have unearthed landscape lighting wires. Walk around your home to see if you notice exposed wires. If so, bury them at least six inches deep, so they don’t become a tripping hazard.
When was the last time a technician serviced your landscape lighting transformer? Schedule a service appointment, so you can be sure your system’s ready to light up your home for the holiday season.
Trim Landscape Plants
Do your landscape plants a favor and trim them before winter. Plants retain their shape more easily during the spring growing season after a healthy fall pruning.
If you have ornamental grass or perennials, you can trim them quite low without harming them. Pay attention to which plants you cut, because not all of them need pruning in the fall. For instance, viburnum, rhododendrons, forsythia, and other shrubs that blossom in the spring don’t require trimming. Instead, prune these plants immediately after they bloom.
Clear Your Yard of Leaves
What’s fall without piles of leaves in the yard waiting for someone to jump into them? While cleaning up leaves can be a pain, it’s also necessary for your landscape’s health. Leaves left to pile up in a yard can lead to a host of diseases and avoidable issues.
Winter weather dries the air, limits sunlight, and stills the wind, which can put a lot of stress on your landscape. Leaves piled on top of plants only make the situation worse. Help your landscape “breathe” by raking leaves or hiring someone to do it for you.
Schedule Winter Protection Treatments
During winter, root systems struggle to absorb moisture. When plants go several winters with dry root systems, they lose the ability to perform photosynthesis.
Keep your plants looking lush and dewy fresh by scheduling winter protection treatments in the fall. Protection treatments for landscapes involve a series of sprays that protect your plant’s root systems.
How many sprays your landscape needs depends on the weather. If you live in an area that sees early freezes in winter, your property may only need a couple of treatment sprays. Protection treatments aren’t a surefire way to avoid winter damage, but they can boost your landscape’s long-term health.
Fertilize Shrubs and Trees
Like woodland wildlife, trees and shrubs spend the fall season storing up their energy reserves for the barren winter. You can ensure plants on your landscape have plenty of food to survive harsh temperatures.
After your shrubs and trees are done growing for the season, fertilize them one last time. Not only does late-season fertilization help energize plants for the winter, but it also helps them grow in the spring.
Give your landscape the upper hand on winter this fall. A few maintenance tips can bring out the best in your yard after the spring growing season and before barren winter weather sets in.
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