SEASONAL MAINTENANCE
A well-maintained lawn and lush arrays of trees and shrubbery are classic hallmarks of a beautiful home. While many of us invest time and money in maintaining a lush backyard during the warmer months, it can feel daunting and even impossible to protect your garden during winter.
Like us, our beloved plants often have a low tolerance for cold temperatures. While some can endure winter, without proper preparation many plants will recede into a dormant state or die altogether.
However, this process is one that can be tempered and even counteracted in some situations. Winter can also be an ideal season to prioritize maintenance, and the cold weather lends itself toward combating mold and other fungal illnesses that might affect your trees.
Below, we have compiled some easy and effective tools for optimizing your landscape to survive and thrive during frost season.
When anticipating snowfall, it is important to maintain healthy trees with minimal overgrowth to mitigate any structural damage to your home or the tree itself. This can be done by routine pruning of any branches affected by fungal diseases or subject to rot. It is also a wonderful time to choose a silhouette for your tree, now that most leaves will not be obscuring the view. This step is crucial for winter garden protection and can be easily accomplished by a qualified arborist, no need for you to dig out your ladder in this precarious weather.
The constant cycle of freezing at night and melting under the morning sun can cause damage to the bark of your trees. These quick and drastic changes create weaknesses and fissures in the bark which we refer to as “sunscald.” A good way to protect against this is to wrap your tree with a breathable paper tree wrap. Another method is to paint the base of your tree white, which causes much of the sunlight to be reflected rather than absorbed. In either case, start from the base of the tree, working upwards, and stop just below the lowest permanent branches. Take special care to protect the trees on the southern and western sides of your lawn, as they tend to face more sun exposure. This is also a good time to put up plastic tree guards on any younger trees, as the thin bark is vulnerable to rodent damage.
A simple way to give some extra love to your trees and shrubbery in preparation for a freeze is to water them weekly for several weeks, while the ground is still thawed. (Ask us about our winter watering service we offer for evergreens!) This extra step allows your trees to stay hydrated throughout the winter when you can no longer penetrate the frozen ground with water. You may also want to use an anti-desiccant to seal your tree's leaves from losing any precious moisture.
While it may be necessary to use roadsalt to keep your driveway clear and prevent slipping, it is important to take care when doing so to avoid any close contact with your trees. This also applies to alternative de-icing products, as they generally contain high concentrations of table salt. Salt will cause damage to all trees, but especially to those in the pine family, whose bark and needles tend to be less hardy. Salt can adversely affect soil too, as it inhibits the amount of water and nutrients the roots of your tree are able to absorb from the ground.
Mulch is an important step in winterizing your yard, as it not only acts as a wonderful insulator to keep the roots of your trees from freezing, but it also helps keep water levels adequate in the soil around your tree. Cover the root growth area around your tree with a dense layer of organic mulch, taking care to leave room around the base of the trunk so as not to foster mold growth. This step can be repeated throughout winter to keep any new-growth roots covered. Come spring, your mulch will also serve as an effective barrier against weeds.
Routinely brushing off any heavy snowfall can help protect against unnecessary breakage, but in certain cases, you might want to opt for a physical barrier for additional protection. Burlap sacks and snow fences can be easily installed by a tree care professional if you anticipate particularly inclement weather.
As we draw nearer to winter, now is a great time to begin preparing your trees and shrubbery for success. These tips will help guard against any unnecessary damage and also provide a closer look into how our plants are affected by winter.
If any of these methods feel daunting or beyond your comfort level, please reach out to our experienced team at Sunline Landscapes, and we will assist you in making your yard a winter wonderland to be proud of.