It can be tempting to forget about the outdoors in the winter, especially when we have cold temperatures like we’ve had the past week!

However, doing just a little work in the garden in the winter months can reap serious rewards in spring, and throughout the year.

Natural yard care begins with creating a strong foundation of healthy soils, and planning ahead to make sure the right plant ends up in the right place. Plants that get exactly what they need from their environment are more able to defend themselves against pests, disease, and drought in later months.

Some of our tips don’t even require leaving your front door! Read on for some of the best ways you can set your landscape up for success in the coming year.

Prune, Maintain and Protect

Late winter is the best time to prune stone fruit trees, and it’s easier to do yourself than you might think! Proper pruning promotes airflow and discourages disease, which means you’ll be less tempted to reach for chemical treatments later on. Check out this resource from City Fruit for proper pruning techniques.

Although spring and fall are the best times to apply mulch, there’s never really a bad time to add mulch to your garden in the northwest. On beds that haven’t been mulched in a while, or around new plantings, mulching to a depth of 3” is ideal for moisture retention and weed suppression.  Mulch can help protect plant roots from freezes, and will begin to break down over the wet winter months, helping you build healthy soil. Be careful not to mulch deeply in areas with established perennials in winter – less than an inch, if at all.

Mulching a large area? Check out Chipdrop.com to potentially receive a free delivery of arborist wood chips.

 

Lawn Care Prep

If you have a lawn (and you love it) sharpen your mower blades now before the spring rush. Sharp cuts aren’t as stressful for the grass plants, which means you need to do less to keep the lawn looking lush next year.

To make sure your lawn thrives year round, the first thing to consider is your soil health. Winter is a great time to test your soil health to see if it needs amendments, such as lime, to bring it into a balance that supports grass.

One of the best ways to create healthy soil on your lawn is to mulch mow – leaving clippings on the grass to break down and restore nutrients. You can mulch mow, also known as grass-cycling,  with any type of mower. However, if you need a new mower, consider replacing your mower with a mulching mower that chops up blades of grass more finely and pushes them down towards the roots, creating a cleaner look and helping them break down more quickly. Mulch mowing can reduce the need for additional fertilizers by up to 50%!

We like this guide for natural lawn care tips for all four seasons.

If you don’t love your lawn, or you’re not really using it, remember that the best thing you can do for natural yard care is to reduce the size of your lawn or eliminate it altogether. A variety of trees, shrubs, and smaller plants provide a more complex ecosystem. Larger plants with deeper roots manage rainwater runoff more effectively, and use less water to stay healthy once established. They also provide better habitat for a variety of pollinators and urban wildlife. This is especially true if the landscaping uses native plants!

Support Wildlife

If you haven’t tidied up your yard completely  – great! Leave seed heads and berries on your plants provides a food source for birds throughout the winter.

Install nesting/roosting boxes – Nesting boxes aren’t just used for nesting in the springtime – they can also be an important place for birds to seek shelter during the winter.

Make brush piles – piling up fallen twigs and branches in a corner of your yard can create shelter for small animals, insects, and birds. Don’t pile brush up next to your home, as this could allow uninvited visitors in.

Provide fresh water – a source of unfrozen water is crucial for wildlife during heavy freezes. Regularly refreshed water dishes or heater bird baths can help. If you have a hummingbird feeder that you maintain throughout the winter, have a plan to keep it thawed – we like wrapping incandescent holiday lights around the feeder, LEDs are great for reducing your energy usage in light displays, but be careful not to use LED lights for this, as they don’t emit enough heat to do the job.

Make a Plan

Think about your garden over the course of the past year. What worked for you? What didn’t? Were you sick of your dead lawn or your high water bill in August?

Now is the time to consider reducing your lawn and planting low-maintenance natives in the spring for easier gardening years ahead. Check out the City’s Yard Smart Rain Rewards program, and schedule a site visit to see if you could be eligible for up to $5,000 in rebates to help replace lawns with rain gardens or native landscaping.

Hire a Landscaper

Are you someone who is more likely to hire a professional than pick up those pruners yourself? Consider hiring landscapers who are Eco Pro Certified Sustainable Landscape Professionals by the Washington State Nursery and Landscape Association. Eco Pro landscapers have received extensive training in natural yard care practices, so you can trust that your garden – and our local ecosystems – are in good hands.

If you love your landscaper already, but you’re not sure if their practices are environmentally sound, start a conversation! The City of Seattle has a natural yard care guide, translated into 15 languages, to help get you going.

 

What are you up to in your yard this winter? Let us know in the comments!