Tip of the Month October 2007

Getting your landscape ready for Winter

Proper preparation of your landscape for winter can make the difference between having a beautiful easy to care for landscape or a yard that struggles throughout the season. Here are some tips from the folks at Alpine Gardens that can help to make your yard the next award winner.

Sprinkler system: Your irrigation system should to be turned off and the water drained from the pipes before the ground surrounding the pipes freezes. On the Front Range of Colorado we usually would do this before Halloween. In the mountain communities and in Wyoming we would recommend that you have this done before October 15th. Most often sprinkler systems are “blown out” which is where compressed air is run through the pipes to make sure that all of the water is removed from the system.

Give us a call at 970-506-2727 to have us perform this service for you. Be sure to apply your winterizer fertilizer to your lawn and to soak your landscape just before your system is winterized.

Trees: Due to the intense nature of the sunlight in Colorado we recommend that all deciduous trees (trees with leaves that fall off in the winter) be wrapped up to the first branch for the first three years after they are planted. We usually use a crepe paper wrap that is installed by Thanksgiving and is removed by April 1st. Water newly planted trees and all evergreens once every three weeks during the winter.

Shrubs: Water newly planted shrubs once every three weeks during the winter. Be sure that the plants have adequate mulch in wood mulched areas so that the roots are protected.

Perennials: Deadhead all perennials but do not cut them all the way to the ground. Water newly planted perennials once every three weeks during the winter. Plants with southern or western exposures may need water more often.

Dream of what could be next year: If you have been thinking of doing some changes to your landscape remember to allow time for proper planning. Having the design work done in the winter allows for the project to be done in the early spring and lets you enjoy your new landscape all summer long without the construction mess.

Give us a call or use our contact information on this website.