The Best Time To Think About Landscape Improvements

Here in the northeast in January, landscaping might not be top-of-mind but it's actually a great time to start thinking about landscape improvements for next year for your home or business.  Here are some expert tips and things to consider:

Planning

• It's a great time to make an appointment with a landscape professional at Cumming Landscaping as we are typically less rushed this time of year and can help you plan out the improvements to your landscaping.
• Gardening catalogs should have arrived by now. Start a list of items that you want to purchase for spring. This is also a good time to review pictures you have taken of your gardens during the past growing season. You can see what you might need to add to your gardens and yard.

Shrubs and Trees 

• As long as the ground is not frozen, you can plant trees and shrubs in your landscape. Be sure to mulch transplants and keep them well watered.
• Prune trees and shrubs that are dormant or rejuvenate overgrown shrubs by severely cutting them back. Keep in mind that if you prune spring flowering shrubs, like azaleas and forsythia, you are pruning off their spring flowers.
• Bring Witch Hazel branches indoors. The blossoms are very fragrant. Enjoy cut branches of beautyberry and winterberry holly with their colorful berries.

Perennials, Annuals, and Bulbs
 
• Remove heavy layers of stray leaves that may have accumulated around perennials. They can mat down and smother perennials, and they promote rotting.
• Empty the soil from your container gardens. Add the soil to your garden beds or to the compost pile. Clean, sterilize, and store the pots. They will be ready for planting next year.
• Plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs in a shallow container of soil or gravel. They will bloom indoors during the winter months. They need no special cold treatment, only a steady supply of moisture. Keep the container in bright sunlight. You might have to stake or tie flowering stems upright if they grow too floppy. These delicate little flowers send out a fragrance that will permeate your home.    

Chores and Maintenance

• Continue to keep bird feeders full. Word will get around, and many visitors will come to call during the winter months if you provide a steady supply of suet and seed!
• From an environmental standpoint, spreading sawdust, sand, or cat litter is the best way to deal with icy sidewalks, steps and driveways. If you prefer to use a de-icer, try urea nitrogen fertilizer. It can burn plants if heavily concentrated, but used with restraint it actually helps fertilize grass and shrubs adjacent to treated areas.
• Drain your hoses and put them away so they don't freeze and burst.
• Clean and oil your garden tools for winter storage. Place some sand and oil in a large bucket, then slide your garden tools in and out of the sand. This will do an excellent job of cleaning them, as well as applying a light coat of oil that will prevent rusting.
• Winter is a good time to replace garden tools that have seen better days. Prices are generally lower this time of year.

www.cumminglandscaping.com