FALL TO WINTER TRANSITIONING

There are so many things that one can do to support their lawn’s health during the Winter, and to get one’s garden beds and trees ready for Spring! In today’s blog, we’ll explore winterizing your lawn, what plants and trees can be planted late, then break down what to do for each and why. 

First, let’s cover the lawn, no pun intended. If you want to get scientific, first test your soil. Your soil should be Switzerland, i.e., have a neutral pH. If it’s acidic, you’ll treat it with a bag of lime and if it’s alkaline it can be treated with sulfur. 

Get rid of those weeds! The “good” plants have to fight the “bad” plants for the nutrients in the soil. If one removes the plants you don’t want, it gives the plants you enjoy a better chance of survival through the Winter.

Add a THIN layer of Winter specific fertilizer to your lawn with a spreader. For your flower and tree beds, compost and manure work perfectly. Word of caution: don’t over-fertilize or you’ll risk burning the grass and plants.

Aerate the lawn! This gives worms and other burrowing insects a chance to work their way through the more dense and well traveled places in the yard, thereby reducing patchiness. While we’re on bald spots, after aerating, add cool weather seed to any bare patches you come across.

Overseed, overseed, overseed! This will ensure a rich yard in the Spring!

After you get your garden set up with the bulbs you like, cover them. This protects them so they won’t freeze and rot during a harsh Winter. Mulch works for covering most bulbs, but delicate shrubs and small flowering trees should be covered as well.

Continue to remove dead leaves and branches at this point of the season. Heavy, wet blankets of leaves will crush, smother, and kill any healthy grass underneath. 

The good news about your garden beds is that there are a bunch of beautiful and EDIBLE plants with which to fill your beds! Of course, there are the flowering bulbs that can be planted such as lilies, daffodils, crocuses, and irises but they won’t peek out until Spring. For a pop of color in the winter, you can add pansies and ornamental cabbages. Both of those are edible! Here are some more edible plants and when to plant them:

• Brussels sprouts: December-February
• Carrots and radishes: before the ground freezes
• Cabbage and kale: during the first frost
• Lettuce: before the first frost
• Spinach: November-January

Source: Northern Virginia Magazine

When it comes to trees and low-lying plants, ferns, maples, spruce, pine and any other deciduous trees do well when being planted this season. This is due to the fact that they are mostly stripped of their leaves and needles so the nutrients are flooding directly to their root development. 

There’s something we love about a garden bed that does double duty with both form AND function! Let this be your handy guide to keeping your lawn, flowers and trees healthy and safe this Winter so you can put your yard to bed.