In the dark of winter, your landscaping dreams can shine bright.
You might be wishing you could do more this year for your landscape but fear that it is all over. Is it too late to do specific gardening tasks? Is it impossible to work on landscaping projects at all during winter? While most plants are dormant, your landscape dreams don’t have to be. Can you landscape in the winter?
Can You Landscape in the Winter?
Yes, you can! For the past decade, Maryland’s winter temperatures have been very mild. Our snowfall has been minimal, and the ground hasn’t really frozen past 4”. All this means that landscaping can continue into the winter months.
Dry-lay patios, walkways, and driveways can be installed throughout the year, as long as we are building on non-frozen soil. And since we dig down 6”+, we don’t have to worry.
Plants are dormant in the winter, including evergreens. Their systems slow and they are taking up a lot less nutrients, therefore it is a good time to plant and transplant. You just have to be careful of the freezes at night! A newly installed plant does not have the established root mass, so it can succumb to freezing quicker and easier. The Landscape Design Center has a one-year warranty on all new plants, so we wouldn’t install anything if we weren’t comfortable doing so.
As long as the ground is not frozen, it is still possible to landscape in the wintertime.
Reasons to Landscape in Winter
Shorter Wait Times
Why choose the winter to pursue your landscaping goals? One is that you can take advantage of the potentially slower season for landscapers and get your project scheduled earlier. Fewer people are likely to bother when the holidays are full steam ahead and everyone wants to stay indoors. Even so, January and February are colder than December, and you never know when you’ll have an unseasonably warm winter.
More Creativity and Lower Costs
Landscape contractors in Maryland slow down in the winter, but we don’t stop completely. If a contractor has no work in the winter, be weary, but since we slow down, we do try to be more competitive with our proposals. We also have time to be creative since we aren’t flooded with jobs. Winter is a great time to get a unique landscape and form a long-lasting relationship with your Landscape Designer.
Get More Use Out of Your Outdoor Property
The second reason is that you can get more out of your outdoor living areas as soon as winter and spring. Outdoor patios, decks, etc., are not off-limits in winter if you design them to be cozy all year long. If it is a new walkway or driveway, you can enjoy it, no matter the season.
Winter Landscaping Ideas
Some landscaping tasks are seasonal, such as bulb planting and leaf raking. However, there is still a lot you can accomplish:
- Hardscaping installations: A patio, walkway, paver driveway, swimming pool, water feature, fire feature, etc. As long as the ground is not frozen below 6”, these installations are possible.
- Fix a failing retaining wall that might be on the to-do list, but you don’t want to disturb the property when it is beautiful and nice outside.
- Planting trees and shrubs: Trees and shrubs are hardy enough to establish their roots in the soil in winter. Evergreens add color, privacy, and a rest stop for birds and critters.
- Installing outdoor lighting: Outdoor lighting is especially appreciated in winter, when it gets dark at 5 PM in Maryland.
- Installing wildlife-friendly features: Add a birdhouse, bird bath, or wildlife feeding station to your yard for fun.
The Landscape Design Center Is Here To Serve You
At The Landscape Design Center, the client is our number one priority. We are committed to creating, improving, and maintaining the environment – an environment in which our clients live, work, and play. Feel free to ask us questions or contact us for an estimate, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and YouTube to stay up-to-date on all of our latest news.
