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As crazy as it may seem, winter is on its way. Preparing for the cold weather can feel overwhelming, but thankfully for you, we have some tips that will help ease the stress. Here is a list of ways to help your yard survive the snow (or, knowing Michigan, lack thereof) and all the services we offer to assist you and your landscaping.
Blowing out Your Irrigation.
Blowing out your irrigation simply means getting out the extra water lingering in the system. If left to sit during the winter months, the water will freeze and hurt the system. We highly recommend this be completed by a professional, but can be done by the homeowner with the right equipment. Visit https://home.howstuffworks.com/lawn-garden/professional-landscaping/how-to-blow-out-sprinkler-system.htm for more details.
Creative Landscaping can help. Just give us a call if you would like to have us take care of your irrigation.
Preparing Trees and Plants.
Your trees and plants don't need much done for them in the winter months, but there are a few steps you can take to make them feel more comfortable. Adding an extra layer of mulch to your garden and around your trees will insulate them against the cold and rooting out your dead annuals will make for an easier spring clean up. Unless they are affected by a disease, you can wait to clean up your perenials until the spring. The leftover leaves and stems will collect snow on them, sheltering the roots.
Creative Landscaping can help in this area as well. Also, if you don't like pruning and cutting in the cold weather, we have entire crews dedicated to help you in the maintenance of your yard.
Tree and Leaf Debris Removal.
If you or your neighbors have trees that shed, all those leaves should be raked up and disposed of. No one wants to clean up the sopping remains in the spring. Also, too many wet leaves can cause mold problems later on. If there are blown-down tree branches and twigs lying around in your yard, those also need to be disposed of. Over time, it can be helpful to thin trees and branches to prevent tree "toppling" during heavy storms. Fall and winter are also the best times to remove any dead or unwanted trees. If you have someone come out to inspect the tree, it will be easier to assess your needs after the leaves have fallen. Your garden is usually done blooming by this time and won't be defaced by falling limbs. Also, if there are any plants too close to the tree, they could be damaged when the stump is ground up, but the frozen ground should keep your landscape from being damaged.
Creative Landscaping has a dedicated crew for tree removal during the winter months. Let us know if there is any tree work we can do for you.
Preparing Your Pond or Water Feature.
Ponds are beautiful addtions to your yard but they need to be prepared for winter. To prepare your pond, you need to clean all debris from the water, most often disconnect any waterfall pumps and drain the water from the pipes. If your pond has a skimmer, the pond water level needs to be lowered to avoid cracking since water is one of the few liquids that expand when frozen. Consider a pond heater, aerator or bubbler if you have fish in your pond.
Creative can help you with this too. Ponds and water features are one of our specialties.
Think About Spring and Finalize a Landscape Design.
The winter months are the perfect time to have designs drawn up for your landscaping. With a finalized plan over the fall and winter months, we can hit the ground running in the spring or early summer.
Creative has three dedicated landscape designers who work on designs over the winter. Contact us for more information!