Winter is the coolest season and during this time of year it is ideal to prepare and plan your landscaping for the upcoming warmer seasons. This season requires a couple tasks for preparation and maintenance of. By tending to your landscape during the season you can avoid many future problems and reduce landscaping costs! Here are some of our landscaping tips to help you preserve your landscape.

Landscaping Tips for Your Yard

Pruning is the removal of dead or overgrown branches or stems to increase a plants fruitfulness and growth. While surveying the landscaping design in your yard, you may notice frost damaged plants or plants that seem to be suffering in the cold climate. In these situations do not prune because often times the damaged areas are offering protection to the plants and tress. Pruning these plants will affect future healing and growth in the warmer seasons. It is best to wait until the leaves are off the trees or the spring to address them and prune. However, when dealing with perennial plants, prune dead stems to encourage blooming. Perennials are plants that live for more than two years with little or no woody growth. Bloodflowers, Blue Flax, and Wine Cups are just a few examples of these types of plants.

Fertilizing helps soil to become more fertile by adding feed and compost to it in your backyard landscape. Spring will be the ideal time to fertilize container and landscape plants so be sure to hold off from doing this in the winter. The only plants that may need to be fertilized are cold season plants in containers or the base of trees. Covering the base of trees with good organic mulch will help to contain moisture and nutrients in the soil during the cold weather. It will also decrease heat gain in the warmer seasons. Be sure not to place the mulch directly against the trunks of your trees. This can create an opportunity for fungi to grow and can damage or kill the tree.

Irrigation aids plant growth with the application of water in dry areas or during periods of inadequate rainfall. During this cold season be sure to turn off your irrigation timer but remember to saturate the yard if there has been a drought. Depending on the type of plant and its size it is best for you to follow “The 1,2,3, Rule of Thumb”. Small plants that cover the ground need a watering depth of one foot. Shrubs should be watered to a depth of two feet. Larger trees will respond best to a watering depth of three feet. In the event that you have just transplanted or planted young plants be sure to attend to them with water much more frequently. This will ensure that the plants will settle in the ground and will minimize transplant shock. This season provides the ideal time to maintain your irrigation system as well. Since it is not as hot outside, you will be more comfortable. If you discover broken sprinkler heads be sure to replace them because they will waste water when the system is up and running. In addition, it is important to replace them with the same brand for the most efficient water application. Thoroughly check your heads and drip systems for leaks or plugs.

Our Suggestions for Landscaping Ideas During the Winter

While the cooler season may be considered to be a dormant time for vegetation, there are numerous solutions for foliage and color in your landscape! For example, cacti and succulent plants are ideal for the cold and harsh winds during the season. These plants tend to be thick so they are great for foliage but they also retain water in desert climates. Lastly, succulent plants can thrive in poor soil conditions. While they provide foliage, succulent plants make great companion plants to the following options:

Chuparosa, Brittle Bush, Pea Bush, Fairy Duster, Lilac Vine, Trailing Gazania, Desert Lavender, White Plumbago, Purple Prickly Pear, Damianita, Firecracker Penstemon, Angelita Daisy, Golden Barrel, Desert Marigold, Aloe and Blue Euphorbia.

Our final suggestion as landscape company is lighting. Lighting will highlight the beauty of your landscape even in the winter. As a result, your home will appear more attractive and you will be able to enjoy the beauty from inside while staying warm. We offer a number of lighting solutions and techniques. Let us help accentuate the appeal of your yard with our landscaping services!