Photo by iStockphoto/Bill Grove
Gardens
Good Night, Growing Season
Rest easy knowing your yard is well-cared for under a blanket of snow.


Photos courtesy of Powell Gardens

For many of us in the Midwest, winter means brown grass, leafless trees and empty flowerbeds. But while the winter doldrums hit area yards, places like Powell Gardens welcome the chill. What’s their secret to keeping the frosty months from dulling the acres of luscious greens and vibrant hues that bloom each spring? Winterization. Follow these simple tips from local lawn and tree experts, and this spring, neighbors might confuse your front yard with a public garden.

Trees and Shrubs
“Our biggest concern with the winters is that they’re so erratic. We need to even out temperatures,” says Alan Branhagen, director of horticulture for Powell Gardens. “Winter wrapping helps with new and young bark that is thin and can crack. It especially helps red buds, magnolias and dogwoods.” You can find paper tree wrap at lawn and garden stores. The tree wrapping should start at the base and wind up the trunk in overlapping layers until it reaches the first set of branches. Winter wraps also protect young trees from becoming snack food for mice, deer and rabbits.

For older trees, experts recommend  preventative maintenance. “First, get all the weight out of your trees by trimming, pruning and removing dead wood,” says Cheryl Cartwright, owner of Cartwright Tree Care. She also recommends doing a safety trim to make sure all limbs close to the house, power lines, driveways, sidewalks and cars are removed. “After the ice storm in 2002, customers called and said they had little or no damage and were grateful that they had had their trees done,” she adds.

Once your trees are protected and trimmed, maintaining proper moisture is key to having healthy trees in the spring. “You should water at the beginning of the winter and mulch nicely,” suggests Lala Kumar, a University of Missouri Extension Services horticulture specialist. “If there hasn’t been a lot of snow or rain, then you should water when the weather is warm. Water keeps the leaves and roots healthy.” Watering is especially important for evergreen trees because it keeps them from turning brown.

Lawn
Fall is the ideal time to prepare lawns for winter. This month, you should remove all debris and leaves from the yard, do a final mow, water, seed and fertilize the lawn. “I like to winterize between Thanksgiving and Christmas,” says Gary Farris, an ISA-certified arborist for Messenger’s Lawn and Landscaping. “Winterizer is really the first spring fertilizer. You should apply it when there is no snow and all the leaves are picked up to get an accurate application.”

Lala recommends taking a soil test before fertilizing. “This tells you what the nutrient levels are and what to apply to balance out the soil,” he explains.

Once the snow falls, your only lawn concern is moisture. “If we are having a droughty winter, watering lawns and trees is important,” Gary explains. “Watering aids in the overall health of the lawn and trees. They come out faster and stronger in the spring.”

Flowers
Maintaining the right amount of moisture is just as important for healthy flowerbeds as it is for trees and grass. You should mulch and water perennials. “But you don’t want to give too much water,” Lala warns, “just enough to keep the roots hydrated.”

Covering perennials and bulbs planted in the fall protects them and ensures that they get and keep the right amount of moisture. “Some plants literally get heaved out of the ground in the winter,” Alan explains. “Mulch helps even out the temperatures. Leaves act as a natural mulch and insulation.” He also advises against cutting the tops off ornamental grasses. “They protect growing plants through the winter,” he says. Not only do they provide protection, but ornamental grasses also can create attractive scenery.

NonGreen Areas
While moisture is the key to healthy trees, grass and flowers, it has the opposite effect on other outdoor surfaces. Benjie Kent, owner of 1st Deck, recommends deck cleaners and sealers for those of you with wooden decks and patios. Most home and hardware stores carry these products. “It’s best to clean leaf stains, dirt and pollen from the summer before it freezes over in the winter because it’s more difficult in the spring to clean those stains,” he says. “We are proponents of cleaning going into the winter instead of out of winter.”

Fall cleaning is also a great time to look for safety-related issues such as exposed nails and screws, loose rail posts and cracked deck boards,” Benjie continues. “Take advantage of deck companies when they are slower in the fall and winter and have time to do maintenance things.”

You should also clean your outdoor appliances before closing them for the winter. “If you rinse gas grills with water, be sure there is no water trapped in the bottom of the grill or in the gas lines because it can freeze and burst,” he warns. Once the appliances are clean, make sure to shut off the gas to these appliances.

One final consideration: your gutters. Clogged gutters mixed with melting snow can cause basement flooding.

Follow these steps and your yard will be ready by the time spring fever hits, leaving you time for having fun rather than cleaning up winter’s leftovers.