Winter is just around the corner! Is your landscape ready? No one wants to come to a dull or neglected property this winter. Employees and customers don’t enjoy walking past dead plants to get into the office. Dead branches and impeded walkways can also be hazardous. Add some life and safety to your commercial business this cold-weather season with these winter landscape ideas:
Winter Shrubs
Businesses often include shrubs as a landscaping staple because they are much hardier than flowers and offer a great pop of green. Consider shrubs that will add color to your property AND will withstand the winter cold. Many winter shrubs produce vibrant colors in flowers or berries beyond just your typical greenery.
Cool Weather Blooms
Winter may not be the time we typically think of planting flowers, but there are actually some flowers that wait until winter to bloom. Yellow and Purple Viola provide stunning color. Let R.D.Tinsdale Landscaping help you find some brilliant color for your winter landscape!
Winter Interest
When selecting plants for landscape, be sure to consider all four seasons of the year in your area and include elements that will be of interest throughout the year. Fire, water and sculpture features are also something to consider for a year-round function. Often these features placed in areas protected from the wind and facing south can be comfortable year-round and create interest in the winter landscape.
Location
When considering winter landscape designs, be sure to consider snow removal paths. It is something you may not consider in summer or spring, but it will definitely have an impact come winter. Consider not just the path of snow removal, but also the clearances needed to store the snow. Avoid planting fragile or delicate plants in areas with heavy traffic or where snow will pile up.
Salt
Along with winter comes salting business walkways and driveways. This salt is essential for the safety of your employees and customers. In salting, a lot of access can spill over to your plants. Some plants withstand this salt better than others so are better for a winter landscape. The following shows varieties are particularly salt-tolerant or salt-intolerant. You will want to stick with tolerant plants in areas where salt will be used regularly.
Particularly salt-tolerant trees and shrubs:
- Alders
- Ash
- Black Walnut
- Birch
- Spruce
- Siberian Elm
- Russian Olive
- Silver and Norway Maple
- White Oak
- Mulberry
- Juniper
- Siberian Pea Shrub
- Poplar
- Honey Locust
Salt-intolerant trees:
- Scotch Pine
- Black Cherry
- Red Oak
- Hemlock
- Black, Red, and Sugar Maple
Trees
Winter is the best time to prune and trim your trees and bushes. When we prune in winter, it doesn’t cause new growth until spring, at which time the tree has access to the moisture, sunlight and nutrients it needs to support healthy growth. In addition, dormant pruning gives trees time to heal from pruning cuts before warmer weather brings out destructive insects and pathogens.
Late fall, early winter is also a good time to remove trees that are on their last leg. In winter those dead branches cover with snow or ice. They become heavy and more likely to break off and could hurt someone or damage property. In addition, pruning off branches that are already heavy can be helpful. A well-tended tree is one of the premier winter landscape features.
Wrapping
Certain trees have thin bark and young trees are still not strong. During the winter the sunlight will warm parts of the tree but not the entire tree. This can cause areas on the bark to form gaping holes. To prevent this damage, wrap the tree in a protective tree guard or burlap. This can also keep animals away from the lower parts of a more fragile tree.
Drainage
Not removing snow from your commercial property can be costly. Flooding, standing water, or dirty slush can ruin your landscape all year long, not just the appearance of a winter landscape. Be sure that you have adequate drainage to allow this moisture a place to escape. This is especially necessary in areas where snow clearing gets piled up.
Water
We don’t typically think of watering plants in the winter but dormant plants in winter will still need water. If you have a particularly dry or windy winter you will want to make sure your plants have what they need. Watch for dry soil and be sure to offer winter moisture as needed to keep the plants healthy and ready to bloom in spring.
Spray
In winter, the heavy sunshine can cause the leaves of the tree to lose moisture. This also happens in spring and summer, but during those seasons, the tree can simply pull more moisture from the ground. In winter, the ground is frozen and the trees aren’t able to compensate for the lost moisture. Anti-desiccant sprays prevent moisture from escaping through the leaf tissue. Think of it like lip balm for leaves – it’s a coating on the “green” of the evergreen that holds in the moisture and prevents damage to the plant from the extreme temperatures.
Winter Plants
There are some plants that reward homeowners with winter displays or interest. The snow on a bush or shrub, glistening in the sunlight, can be absolutely spectacular. Everyone can use some spectacular in the midst of a cold winter. Here are some suggestions for winter plants:
- Cornus Argenteo Marginata
- Ilex
- Evergreens
- Rosa Rugosa
- Japanese Maple
- Tsuga Canadensis
- Acer Griseum
- Polystuchum
- Polypodium
- Willow
- Hedra heliz
- Fruiting Shrubs and Trees
Winter is also a great time to plan for new landscaping (and reserve your spot on our mowing schedule!). Call us at 317-636-9408 to get started.
We know that taking the winter landscape season into consideration when planning and designing means your landscape can, indeed, be striking during all seasons. Whether it is for your home or business, at Aisling View we want to help you keep your landscape looking outstanding for all four seasons of the year!
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