Keeping your mobile home landscaping looking sharp through the warm months is difficult. There are weeds, rodents, and heat to contend with. But when winter comes along, you can sit back and relax, right? Nope! It’s just as important, if not more, to pay close attention to your landscaping during the winter.
So if you’re ready to get out into your yard and better maintain your landscaping this winter, read on. Here are 6 landscaping tasks you can do during the winter to keep your plants and trees looking great for spring.
#1 Rake often
Raking leaves and debris off your lawn is an essential step. And not just in the fall, after all the leaves come down either. Keep raking throughout the winter. Soggy leaves can make their way up to your mobile home and pile up next to your skirting. Small pieces of trash, pushed onto your yard by snowplows, can make your landscaping look awful. Avoid this by raking your yard often throughout the cold months.
Now, if you live in a southern climate where snow is infrequent and melts soon after falling, this job will be easy for you. But even if you live up north where snow stays around for months, you still can benefit from this tip. Simply rake your yard every time you have a warm spell and the snow melts for a few days. This might not be often, depending on where you live, but do your best.
#2 Prune trees and bushes
After the leaves fall off your trees and bushes, it’s easy to spot where you should prune. Remove damaged branches or limbs that are growing wrong. Pruning during the winter, when the tree or bush is not growing, actually reduces stress on the plant. So pruning during winter is actually a great habit to get into.
#3 Hydration is important…even in winter!
Even though plants are mostly dormant during winter, some still need water to survive and continue to be healthy. Hydrate evergreen and decorative trees, such as fruit trees, regularly during the winter.
#4 Keep off the grass
Walking across your yard during the cold months can damage your lawn. Since your grass isn’t growing, and mud and slush are everywhere, walking on it isn’t helping anything.
This tip might be hard to implement if you have kids. There’s no way they’re missing out on playing in the snow! (Or just playing outside without snow). But if you don’t have children or you live in a rainy climate, this is something you should consider. Keep off your lawn when you can.
#5 Minimize salt
Rock salt is commonly used to de-ice roads, walkways, and driveways during winter. Although it’s impossible to eliminate road salt, there are ways to protect against it, which we’ll talk about in just a minute.
Salt damages plants, drawing water away from their roots. If you use salt on your driveway or walkways, avoid piling the snow that your shovel from those areas onto your lawn. Especially avoid putting it near the bases of trees, bushes, and other plants.
You could even eliminate salt altogether and switch to using sand or another plant-safe substance instead.
#6 Protect your plants and trees
Protecting your landscaping is vital during the winter. If you want gorgeous landscaping come spring, going the extra mile to protect your trees and plants during the winter will pay off.
Which plants should you protect?
Here are some plants and trees that need extra TLC during the winter:
- Plants that are near roadways where road salt is prevalent
- Delicate plants such a hydrangeas
- Trees that will be targeted for chewing by winter wildlife
- Older trees that may break under pressure from snow and ice
- Small bushes and shrubs.
Keeping plants and bushes safe during winter
To keep plants warm and unharmed during winter, you may want to grab a few blankets or burlap sacks to put over them. Secure with twine for added protection. If small shrubs are in danger of being crushed by falling snow, build a DIY triangular frame to put over them.
Keeping trees safe during winter
Surround trees with wire mesh if you’re worried about rodents. Young trees with thin bark are in danger of being chewed on, and they can also be damaged by frost. Wrap them in burlap if they’re at risk of being killed by frost.
Tie old or delicate limbs of larger trees together to strengthen them. After a heavy snowfall, brush off your trees, don’t shake them.
Get ready for spring!
Getting ready for spring includes keeping up on landscaping tasks throughout the cold months. If you do these 6 easy tasks this winter, you’ll have a healthier, happier yard come spring. For more great ideas, check out our tips on how to fix common mobile home landscaping problems. Keep your yard beautiful all year round!
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