Every year, fall slowly creeps into the winter chill. While the thought of months of freezing and snow can make it seem like there’s nothing you can do to keep your lawn healthy and prepped for the next season, there are some easy steps you can take to prepare your landscape for spring. As a professional landscaping contractor in the Columbia, MO, area for more than 20 years, The Gardener understands how important the fall season can be for a landscape.

In preparing your landscape for the long winter months, mulch is your best friend. Placing mulch around shrubs and trees prevents roots from freezing and allows the plants to retain moisture more efficiently. However, the type of mulch you use is an important decision. Using free mulch from municipal piles can do more harm than good because this type of mulch can carry diseases and fungus that may harm your plants. Invest in high-quality mulch instead.

Another aspect of prepping your landscape for the winter is clearing the dead and dying plant life, but don’t mistake this for pruning. Pruning encourages growth, which can obviously be problematic when a harsh frost is right around the corner. Cleaning your landscape by removing dead annuals and clipping dead branches from trees can not only make your yard look better during winter, but it will lead to an easier transition to spring.

Lastly, the more delicate shrubs and plants on your landscape may not do well against the bitter wind and cold. Taking extra measures to protect these plants will give them a much higher chance of surviving the winter and thriving once again in spring. Hiding smaller plants under pots, wrapping shrubs in burlap, and surrounding weaker trees with shredded leaves will help in this area.

The long winter can be tricky to get through, especially if you’re caring for a normally lush landscape. But taking small precautions can help your lawn bounce back from the cold. For residents in the Columbia area looking for landscaping work including mulch, fences, retaining walls, and more, The Gardner is an experienced landscaping contractor ready to help. For more information, call (573) 446-0802 or visit the website today.