Winter Landscape Maintenance...So Much You Can Do, Now

Well, it is still Fall in the Midlands. Although we have had this very odd cold spell, we will soon return to our normal South Carolina climes.

Beyond planting and planning (see 

Planting and Planning...Now is the Time!, the coming Winter months are a great time to do some landscape house-keeping which will save you time and make the growing season more enjoyable.

Expand and/or re-shape plant beds: This year's growth may have outgrown the borders of your plant beds. Rather than handcuff your plants to some un-natural and unattractive size, expand the border and perhaps give it a new, interesting, but manageable shape. 

Pressure wash: Depending on temperature, you may not wish to wash anything thing too high (The backsplash can get quite discomforting.); however, this is a great time to pressure wash driveways, walkways, retaining walls, decks and foundations. Most of these surfaces have collected all types of debris and foreign matter during the last several months.

Repair stone, paver and brick walkways and patios: Some of the materials used on your walkways or patios may be a little or very cattywampus. There could be many reasons, but typically this is due to underlying roots. 

Whatever the case, repair or eliminate the cause and reset the stones, pavers or bricks.

Continue lawn care: Most, if not all turf grasses in this area are warm season grasses. Although their leaves' (blade) growth may slow or stop, their roots are not dormant and still need a few elements - water and air. The ground temperature in the Midlands rarely goes below 42 degrees for the first four inches, which is where your grass roots and those of most other plants live.

Leaves, pine straw, etc. on your lawn can block sunlight, limit air exchange and trap moisture. Rake, blow or mow (bag attachment preferred) this debris from your lawn. You may wish to use some of this as mulch in your beds even if you plan to place fresh mulch later. This will help keep your plants warm and retain moisture.

Occasionally water your lawn if we go without rain for a while. Do so during early daylight hours on a nice sunny day above freezing.

Edge your lawn borders, particularly if you have St. Augustine or centipede grasses, as their stolons (surface stems, so to speak) may still be reaching outward.

Install ground lighting: Obviously, we have less daylight hours during winter, so this is a great time to install ground lighting. This can be done for aesthetics, safety or security, or all the above.

Prune: All types of pruning can be done this time of year on a variety of plants. And, I am not speaking of taking hedge trimmers to your plants, but proper pruning.

This can be done to reduce a plant, remove dead and awkward stems and branches, raise canopies (limb up) and to thin plants which have been trimmed repetitively, to improve their health.

Proper pruning on many flowering shrubs will help produce individually larger blooms while leaving a balanced backdrop of foliage.

Plant and Plan: Save yourself from being overwhelmed by Spring and Summer landscaping goals by getting started sooner. Please go to Planting and Planning...Now is the Time!

In other words, Winter is a wonderful time to balance out your budget and time spent on your landscape, and your plants may have a happier Spring.

We provide all these services, so please contact me to see how we may assist you...803-553-5757 or use the Contact Us button above.

Thank you.

Happy Holidays!