FALL CLEAN UP and LEAF REMOVAL

The final preparation to your landscape before winter is one of importance, and is needed to ensure your lawn and plantings make it through the winter in healthy condition. Any plant diseases spreading in the fall will likely remain there until the spring thaw by living in leftover debris like leaves, dead branches, soil or other fungal-holding material. Elementssuch as mycelium, spores and other reproductive fungal cultureswill span the winter in dead plant materialand infect your yard againin the spring. Because of this, leaves and debris must be removed from all planting bed and lawn areas, and dead material from perenials and flowering plants must be cut back and disposed of. At this time it is also a good idea to clean debris from gutters around your home, if this step is missed water damming could occur, causing ice to form under shingles and damage your roof as a result.

BURLAPPING SHRUBS

Covering plants with burlap can protect plants from a common condition known as winter burn, a damaging condition caused by a combination of winter sunlight and depleted soil moisture (this willspecially affect evergreens and can be easily spotted by the drying of leaves or needles from the outside inward). Burlap is more effective than plastic because it allows the plant to breathe so air circulatesand heat isn't trapped.