If you live in New England, you are well acquainted with the weather here in the northeast. You have most likely seen your share of snow, but you have also witnessed dramatic swings in weather. You may be scraping your windows before you head off to work and the next day you could be taking a walk in 65-degree weather for lunch.

But one thing is certain. Eventually winter is coming and you’ll need to take care of that precious landscaping you’ve invested your time and money into getting just right. As landscaping professionals in Central Massachusetts, we know just how important it is to protect your landscaping for the upcoming winter months.

Here’s a few tips from our landscaping experts on how to get ready for winter.

Keep up with those falling leaves

Everyone, and we mean everyone… procrastinates when it comes to cleaning up the falling leaves in the yard. For many it seems like an endless job but if you don’t clean up your leaves before the snow flies, you’ll be causing damage to your lawn. You’ll have to do this a few times depending on how many trees you have on your property, but it will be worth it when you get to spring. If you have pine trees, you’ll also want to get as many pine needles as you can off the grass.

If you just don’t have the time to rake leaves and dispose of them properly, consider contacting a landscaping company that does fall cleanups.

Protect shrubs and small trees

While many shrubs that we plant in our yard can withstand the New England weather, you may have certain types that are more delicate than others. Not only more delicate but more expensive. It is not uncommon in Central Massachusetts to see ice buildup on trees and shrubs. If this happens, you could see damage in the form of broken limbs. And this can cause permanent damage.

If you want to protect certain plantings in your yard, you can build simple barriers with plywood to protect these investments over the winter. Another way is to wrap shrubs in burlap which can also protect your plantings. Once again, if you need help in getting this done, one of the best ways is to hire a professional landscaping company to assist you properly.

Trim back hazardous branches

Once many of the leaves have fallen from your trees, you can get a better idea of which branches should be trimmed back. These could be branches that are getting too close to your house or other tree limbs that have weakened over time and could cause a problem during the winter months.

If these branches are low enough and accessible, you could do this on your own, but you can also contact a tree professional to take care of these for you before the hard winter months.

Cleaning up your property, protecting your landscaping investment as well as preventing damage to your property before the winter months is a great way to ride into spring.

Need more help on protecting your landscaping investment during the winter months? Contact our team today!