Mariani Landscape Offers Expert Tips For Fall Yard Clean-Up
LAKE BLUFF, Ill. - With fall yard clean-ups in full swing right now, Mariani Landscape is offering expert tips and advice to Chicagoans on how to best protect their yards, landscaping and plants during the harsh winter months and better prepare for the spring growing season next year.
Based in Lake Bluff, Mariani Landscape is the premier landscaping company in the Chicago area and is advising homeowners and renters to set aside time for a few simple, practical steps that will help protect their yards and plants during the winter months. These tips were inspired by Mariani's more than 60 years of experience designing and caring for landscaping at some of the finest properties in the Chicago area and will help Chicago area residents better set up for success heading into 2023, so that when the spring warm-up hits, yards are ready to go.
Mariani's Top 10 Expert Tips for Chicago area fall yard clean-up:
1. Planning - Make time to complete your fall yard clean-up by Thanksgiving at the very latest. This will ensure you've protected your trees and plants for the winter months ahead. Also check your community's leaf collection rules and schedule to time your clean-up when your yard waste can be removed quickly and easily. No one likes a pile of leaves left at the curb for too long blowing back into their yards.
2. Leaves - Be especially sure to clean out all window wells and other hardscapes of leaves and debris which could cause drainage or safety issues.
3. Lawn - Keep mowing your lawn for the next few weeks before it goes completely dormant. Keeping it cut short reduces the chance of snow mold during the winter.
4. Perennials - Cut back all perennial plants to help foster more growth in the spring. There might be few that you want to keep for winter interest, such as ornamental grasses, but most do better with their dead growth being removed.
5. Hydrangeas - To stimulate spring growth, consider cutting back any overgrown or droopy hydrangeas as part of your fall yard clean-up routine. If your hydrangeas are still looking presentable, you can wait until early spring to prune them.
6. Protect Your Plants - Allow some leaves to cover plant beds to help protect plants during the winter. Removal of leaf debris from garden beds using aggressive raking and leaf blowers can be very detrimental to the plants and soil around them.
7. Anti-Desiccants - Applying anti-desiccants can be a powerful tool to help protect evergreens over the winter. This coating can be sprayed on your plants to help protect from wind burn during the winter. Yuu should plan to apply twice, once now and once again in February if there's a slight warm up.
8. New Tree Planting - Trees planted past late-October will have a lower success rate of surviving the winter. This is especially true for evergreens, which are often grown on tree farms south of Chicago and not as well suited for an immediate transition to the colder weather. It's best to wait until next spring to plant these. For any tree or shrub plantings, be sure to give the rootballs of the trees a really good soaking before heading into winter and before outside faucets are turned off.
9. Hedges - To protect against the winter elements and especially salt used to melt ice, be sure to use burlap screening around hedges and boxwoods that are more likely to be exposed to salt and winter elements. Most people don't think about the impact of salt to their plants and apply more salt than they need to. Pet-safe salt is well known, but plant-safe salt isn't talked about. Boxwood hedges, in particular, don't like salt.
10. Trees - Wrap the lower part of the trunk of smaller diameter trees to avoid damage foraging animals over the winter.
"If you own a car, you have to change the oil. If you own or rent a property, it's equally important to clean up your yard this fall and protect your investment," said Nate Birch, Vice President of Maintenance Sales for Mariani Landscape. "It's important to set yourself up for success in the future and a good growing season in the spring."
In addition to a full range of landscape design, construction and maintenance services, Mariani also provides yard clean-ups for residents in need of assistance.
About Mariani Landscape
Mariani is an award-winning, family-owned Chicago landscape design and construction firm that has served greater Chicagoland and northern Illinois for more than 60 years. Mariani is a trusted market leader in the residential landscape industry, and has earned an innovative reputation for designing, constructing, maintaining, and enhancing extraordinary landscapes. Mariani is committed to delivering the best client experience, providing the best career opportunities for associates, and being the best steward of the earth. For more information, visit Mariani Landscape.