Prep Your Yard for the Cold
Find out why October is the perfect time to prep your lawn for winter-and ensure a flourishing spring.

Prep Your Yard for the Cold By Lynne Goldman all is the perfect time to prepare your yard for winter—and it's not just about raking endless leaves. Professional landscapers say that proper pruning now can help ensure healthy shrubs, trees, and flowers come spring. Even if you have small yard, consider hiring a pro for the autumn "cleanup." After all, do you really want to tackle tall ladders, sharp pruning shears, loose branches—and all that—on your own? Get an expert to do the job and relax. But whatever you decide, here are some basics of fall lawn care: Experts advise against pruning in early fall, while sap is still running. Prune too early, and the tree will treat it as a wound and try to recover. Pruning now is more of a "haircut" than a major chopping job. Take a few inches off the top, but don't overdo it. Focus only on evergreens and needle shrubs, such as boxwood, yews, and false cypress. Flowering shrubs, like azaleas and rhododendrons, should be pruned after they flower, in early summer. Some trees—like ornamentals such as non-fruit-producing pear, cherry, and maple—can be pruned in November, after the tree goes into dormancy. Check with a landscaper to be sure of what's best for your garden. Neat, clean lawns are pretty, but it's all right to leave some leaves in the garden beds for the fall and winter, and then remove them come spring. Just make sure not to cover the base of the plant. Grind up the leaves and you've got great organic matter to apply to the soil. If you have a compost pile, be sure to turn it before adding this season's leaves. Get flowerbeds ready for spring by planting bulbs and covering them with mulch. Also, divide and separate perennials, like astilbe and peonies. Cut your lawn a little shorter before winter, leaving it at just under two inches. Experts say this ensures the best shoot growth in spring, and also keeps mice and moles from burrowing into the grass over the winter. Spread some grass seed to encourage root growth. Fertilizing, aerating, and seeding your lawn in the fall lets it rest for the winter—and helps ensure it awakens come spring. Consider mowing the lawn together with fallen leaves—the combo of grass cuttings and leaves creates healthy mulch. F Pruning Surprisingly, autumn is a great time to plant new shrubs and trees. Why? The top growth has stopped, but the roots continue to grow, especially during winter warm spells. Consider protecting your shrubs, too. Got a bush that deer just love to munch? Cover it with netting. Or a holly, rhododendron, or mountain laurel that sits in a warm spot? Cover it with burlap to keep the sun off, so the plant doesn't warm up and respond by growing, assuming that it's spring! The garden doesn't have to become a bleak place in winter. You can cultivate plants that have different colored leaves, and produce berries that attract birds. To add color to the garden, think lavender, holly, cypress, and other evergreens, which come in different shades and colors. Coral bells (also called heuchera) are a hardy perennial available in many colors, shapes, sizes, and growing needs. Their foliage adds color to the winter garden and many will stay evergreen through the cold months. Ornamental grasses, like elephant grass (miscamphus) or little bluestem (schizachyrium), are native grasses with excellent autumn color. Just as paint color can affect the overall mood and ambiance of a room, so can colorful houseplants. Bromeliads and orchids are available in dozens of cozy winter colors, such as deep reds, burnt oranges, and warm yellows. High-quality exotic houseplants are low maintenance, will last the entire season indoors, and provide health benefits—such as cleansing the air by reducing carbon dioxide, removing pollutants, and acting as a natural humidifier. s Time to plant! Think four seasons Presenting a Smart Collection of Elegant Gifts for Men, Women, and Home Leaves, leaves, leaves CROSS LAMY BOSCA MOndAinE Cut and seed Bring the outside in Tasteful accessories include these classic designs: • Personal leather items by Bosca • Fine writing instruments from Cross and Lamy • Swiss timepieces by Mondaine Opening in OcTOber Sources: Leader Landscaping, Berkeley Heights; Joseph Mulroe Landscaping Design, Verona/Roseland; Overdevest Nurseries, Bridgeton; Weed Man of Bergen County, River Edge 617 Valley Rd • Upper Montclair 973-744-7500 SuburbanEssex.com 23 October 2009

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