It’s the number one question landscapers receive in the cold winter months, “Can I landscape in winter?” Perhaps you have recently moved into a new home, or the summer simply got away from you. Whatever the reason, the answer is YES! Read on to learn more about what you can accomplish in your yard this winter.
Winter is Prime Time to Plan Your Landscape
In order to get an early jump on your dream landscape in spring, consider consulting with a landscape designer during winter. Waiting until spring to begin the process often leads to increased wait times between the design and final installation of your project. Need a dose of inspiration to aid in planning your landscape? Check out our Pinterest pages!
Is it Safe to Plant? Know Your Zone
Knowing which plant hardiness zone you live in will aid you in deciding whether you can safely plant during winter months. Colorado ranges from zone 3 to 6, indicating that we could have extreme minimum temperatures during winter months. Because of this, we will not plant perennials, ornamental grass, or turf during winter. We will, however, continue with planting of trees and shrubs. It is very important to note that all plant material requires winter watering over the cold season. Snowfall is simply not enough moisture to keep plants alive, especially those that are newly planted. Learn more about the importance of winter watering here.
Complete Hardscaping Projects
Winter can be a great time for installing hardscapes. Hardscaping refers to any non-living portion of your landscape, whereas the softscape includes any vegetation. It is not uncommon to have your hardscape installation completed during cold weather, while waiting to install plant material in warmer months. Sometimes deep freezes will prevent the installation of retaining walls or other landscape features that must be dug deeply into frozen ground and may impact compaction.
Hardscaping Includes:
- Fire Features
- Patios
- Retaining Walls
- Water Features (installed but not turned on in freezing temps)
- Walkways
If you elect to complete landscaping projects in winter, you should install netting and straw waddles to disturbed soil to keep the soil from blowing or washing away.
Want to learn more? Check out our blog on planting for winter interest or request a consultation.
