Cabin fever? Start planning ahead for Spring Projects

Freezing rain and cold temperatures might have been pummeling the region recently. But staying bundled up inside gives homeowners the opportunity to start dreaming of warmer weather that’s just around the corner.

If you’ve caught a bit of cabin fever or are simply not a fan of winter, you can use this time to start planning this year’s landscaping projects.

You’ve got 3 1/2 weeks to plan before the first day of spring, and likely a little bit longer for ideal temperatures. More often than not, a finished landscape that you’re likely to love and enjoy starts with planning.

According to an article by Christopher Starbuck, of MU Extension’s Department of Horticulture, once the use areas of the property are defined, the homeowner should take a closer look at environmental aspects of the property, such as soil drainage, what areas are affected by winter winds, how shade patterns change throughout the year, and consider leaving the area directly south of the house open so sunlight continues to warm the house during the winter.

It’s especially important to know what the climate is always like. The climate, Naylor Landscape Management says, helps “determine what types of plants will look great.” The Garden Continuum explained one of the most common mistakes people make when gardening or landscaping is growing the wrong plants in the wrong region.

There are many DIY landscaping tips, as well as experts online who can help you improve your garden or landscape area.

MarthaStewart.com says before mowing the lawn it is important to reseed after cleaning up winter debris. Removing diseased plants would also be good because it can help the landscaper or gardener relieve compaction and have rich, living soil to assist in plant growth.

The four key stages to cleaning up your landscape for spring includes debris removal, pruning and thinning, soil and bed preparation and finally application treatments. Application treatments for fertilizers or pesticides should be carefully looked at before you apply them to any plant.

It is also important for you to trim any dead branches that might be attached to your plants, as well as remove dead flowers or leaves.

There are lots of ways you can go about landscape cleaning and design. It’s all about the matter of size of area you are trying to cover.

Continuing Education

At CG Design & Landscape, we value Continuing Education opportunities that benefit our employees and clients.

Thanks to SynaTek Frederick, MD and the other participants for a great day of learning today! From Pesticide Safety to Disease Treatment & Control, Equipment Calibration and more, it was a worthwhile trip to New Holland, Pennsylvania (and Shady Maple Smorgasbord) for our Team. 👍

Winter Landscaping Tips

Learn how to add texture, color, and beauty to your yard with these six simple winter landscaping tips.

Gardeners in snowy regions have plenty of reasons to get cold feet about winter: Plants are at rest and their bright colors dissipate, leaving a palette of white and gray. And with nothing to plant, they might think there are few winter landscaping tips -- or to dos. In fact, careful planning in spring, summer, and fall -- plus a few easy accents during winter -- can lead to a beautiful landscape that shines against the stark relief of the restful season.

Here are six winter landscaping tips to make you love your yard in every season.

1. Focus on bark. Sure, deciduous trees lose their leaves in wintertime, leaving their branches and trunks in focus. But that can be a good thing, Pierson says, "if you have any interesting ornamental trees that have really visually distinctive bark, which will end up adding winter interest."

Many of those trees and some shrubs are smaller, meaning they're easier to find spots for in the winter landscape. A few of Pierson's favorites include dogwoods and birch trees, great for both texture and color.

2. Include berries. Many trees and shrubs have berries they hold onto during fall and winter, and those can provide food for birds overwintering in your area. "Crabapples hold their little fruit," Pierson says, and they make a great addition to the winter landscape. "A holly with berries is really beautiful," she says.

3. Remember evergreens. Evergreens are great in the winter landscape for many reasons. First, there's color: Evergreens are not just green; they're available in yellow, such as Gold Thread false cypress, and blues, including dwarf blue spruce, and all colors in between. And evergreens just make good design sense, Pierson says. "They are really important for a winter landscape, but they make good focal points all year-round," she says. "I always like to have at least one or two evergreens and work a border around those. When you are planting a new bed, you always want to have at least one evergreen."

4. Rely on your hardscape. Winter is a good time to critically assess your landscape, figuring out where it's missing focal points. The solution to enhancing your winter landscaping might not be a plant at all. "Winter is the best time to consider hardscape," Pierson says. "A trellis, a bench, an arbor, even a garden sculpture are really essential."

5. Adorn your summertime containers. Window boxes, hanging baskets, winter-hardy containers: All are indispensable for winter landscaping. Miniature dwarf Alberta spruce and broadleaf evergreens, such as Japanese Andromeda, holly and rhododendron, are perfect for wintertime, but they all have to be watered during dry periods. You don't have to spend money on plants, Pierson says. "Fill containers with evergreen boughs of different textures and colors and interesting twigs," she says, "anything with color in it."

6. Stick with four-season perennials. Some perennials have evergreen foliage -- ornamental grasses, hellebores, even dianthus with its beautiful low-creeping foliage -- making them great for winter landscaping, Pierson says. "Make sure to read the plant label and find out if the plant has foliage in the winter, so you can see it year-round," she says.

Winter is also a great time to stock up on the nonplant elements you'll need for the next year's garden, Pierson says. "It's a good time to bargain-shop for anything for the garden," she says. Take a tape measure, research plants, figure out seeds you'll need, and write down what worked and what didn't in the current year.