We hope that you all had a great holiday season and are excited for what lies ahead in 2010! We have some new ideas and plans that we will be keeping you up-to-date with, including various lawn-care recommendations, new company 'green' billing methods and our plans to keep your lawns looking and remaining healthy during this coming year!
For now we have some WINTER LAWN PREPARATION TIPS that we recommend for you during this season that will keep your lawns at their best during the winter conditions:
- Keep heavy leaves off the lawn as much as you can
- A light layer of leaves can be mulched up by the mower but heavier loads will overwhelm new grass and weaken existing lawns-rake or blow them off
- Do not stop mowing as long as the grass is growing and most turf still is- keep it cut every few weeks at about 2.5 inches…any longer encourages winter fungus and traps winter debris
- Do not mow the lawn too short, this will leave the crowns of the plant weak and exposed to frost and injury
- Before putting the mower away take off the blades and arrange to have them sharpened for next year….or buy a new set and have them ready for this spring
Similarly here are some GARDEN TIPS we hope you find helpful
HYDRANGEA Big blue hydrangea bloom on two year old wood so DO NOT CUT THESE DOWN. They do look a little ugly in the winter but next year’s blooms are contained in the tall stems so mulch the base well and leave it alone. If your hydrangea was too big and falling over it is a good idea to thin it out- but this should be left until Spring when about 1/3 of the old canes can be removed and any winter damage cut out.
PRUNING It is a little late to prune extensively because you do not want to promote new growth that will get damaged by frost. However you can do some trimming of established bushes if they are flopping all over the place and obscuring other plantings.Tougher plants like juniper can certainly be trimmed back now and look over your trees too for any branches that are dead and might do damage in a wind storm.
MULCH Mulch is essential over the winter in protecting plants, shrubs and trees from the damaging effects of the cold, the wind and the freeze/ thaw cycle. Shallow rooted plants such as rhododendron, azalea, mountain laurel and perennials are particularly prone to winter damage and a protective layer of mulch is very beneficial. Mulch can be any insulating material: shredded bark, leaves, hay or pine needles. Do not pile the mulch too heavily around the trunk or stem of the plant-this damages the shrub and encourages girdling of the trunk when mice and voles eat the bark under the cover of the mulch. The mulch should insulate the root system.
That's all for now... we hope that you are finding time to enjoy this winter weather and please call us if you have any questions regarding winter recommendations, future lawn care or anything in general.
Happy New Year! Frank and Diana Byrne
860-669-1880
