As temperatures drop and frost warnings appear, it’s time to protect your landscape investment. Winterizing isn’t just about surviving the cold months but about setting your plants up for a strong comeback next spring. And here’s the thing: winterizing doesn’t have to be complicated if you focus on the right priorities.
Why It Matters in Missouri
Our St. Louis winters are unpredictable. One day it’s 60 degrees, the next it’s below freezing with ice storms. This temperature roller coaster is tough on plants, especially those that aren’t fully established. Proper strategies help your landscape weather these extremes and emerge healthy when the growing season returns. Keep your curb appeal top-notch by implementing the following techniques before the cold front rolls in.
Protecting Your Plants
Young trees need the most attention, especially anything planted in the last two years. Wrap trunks of thin-barked trees like maples with tree wrap to prevent sun scald and frost cracks. Start from the bottom up, overlapping layers, and remove in early spring.
Shrubs that struggle in cold weather should be wrapped in burlap or shielded from wind. Protect roses by piling mulch around their base about 6 inches high. Skip pruning for now because cutting them back triggers new growth that will get damaged by frost.
Most perennials that have been in your garden for a while can handle our winters just fine. A good layer of mulch makes things easier on them though. Once the ground is frozen hard, add about 4 inches of mulch to keep things stable. Without it, that freeze-thaw cycle we get can literally push plants out of the soil.
Protect container plants by moving them to sheltered locations. Unlike plants in the ground, potted roots are exposed to freezing temperatures on all sides.
Lawn and Irrigation Care
Keep mowing until growth stops, usually by late November, but drop your height slightly for the last cuts. This reduces snow mold diseases. Fertilize cool-season grasses like fescue in fall to help them stockpile nutrients for spring growth.
Protect your irrigation system from freeze damage by shutting it down properly. Turn off the water supply, drain all the lines, and use compressed air to blow out any remaining water from sprinklers. Don’t forget to disconnect hoses and turn off water to outdoor faucets from inside your house.
Hardscape Protection
Winter’s freeze-thaw cycles can damage patios, walkways, and walls. Clean gutters and ensure water drains away from hardscaped areas. Avoid rock salt for ice removal. It damages surfaces and harms plants. Use sand or kitty litter instead. Seal your hardscape surfaces while temps are still above 50 degrees!
Garden Cleanup Strategy
Gardeners disagree about how much to clean up in fall. Removing everything gets rid of places where pests hide, but leaving some plants gives beneficial bugs and birds somewhere to shelter. Our advice? Clean up any diseased plants and weeds but leave healthy grasses and flowers with pretty seed heads like coneflowers.
Tool Care and Spring Planning
Give your tools some TLC before winter hits! Clean off dirt, oil up metal parts, and store them away somewhere dry. Empty gas tanks or add fuel stabilizer to keep equipment happy. Bring cushions inside and cover anything that can’t handle Missouri weather.
While you’re stuck indoors this winter, start dreaming up next year’s garden makeover. Order those tempting seed catalogs, research new plants, and sketch out your grand schemes. Snap some photos now so you’ll remember exactly which spots drove you crazy this year.
Weather Reality
In St. Louis, we get weather from all directions from arctic blasts, to Gulf moisture, and everything in-between. Keep an eye on the weather and be ready to throw extra protection on plants when those brutal cold fronts roll through.
Don’t overdo protection though. Most established plants adapted to our climate don’t need extensive covering. Focus efforts on newly planted items, borderline-hardy plants, and valuable specimens.
The Key Takeaway
Winter prep work really shows in spring results. Protected plants start growing sooner, bloom better, and have fewer issues. Instead of dealing with cold-weather damage, you get to enjoy a thriving landscape right from the start.
Remember, some negative impacts are normal. The goal isn’t preventing all damage, because that’s just impossible. You’re minimizing stress and giving plants the best chance to thrive when conditions improve.
Need help preparing your landscape for winter? Our team of horticulture experts at Horstmann Brothers knows exactly what protection strategies work best for Missouri’s unpredictable weather. From irrigation winterization to plant protection, we’ll make sure your landscape is ready for whatever the chilly months bring. Contact us today to schedule your service and be prepared.