As the growing season winds down here in Central Illinois, it’s easy to think the work in the yard is done for the year. In reality, what you do in the fall has more influence on how your landscape looks next spring and summer than almost anything you’ll do once the weather warms back up.
Start With the Soil
If your beds have been in place for a few years, fall is a good time to work in compost or aged organic matter. Cooler temperatures and fall rain help it break down and integrate into the soil over the winter months, so your plants have better footing right out of the gate next season.
Clean Up With a Purpose
A thorough fall cleanup does more than make the yard look tidy going into winter. Leftover plant debris, fallen leaves left in thick mats and dead annuals can harbor disease and pests that carry over into next year. Clearing this out reduces the chances of dealing with those same problems again in the spring.
That said, not everything needs to be cut back. Certain perennials and ornamental grasses provide winter interest and shelter for beneficial insects and birds. If you’re not sure what to leave standing and what to remove, this is a good conversation to have with whoever is caring for your landscape.
Protect What You’ve Invested In
If you have irrigation, don’t forget to have it blown out and shut down before the first hard freeze. A cracked line from ice damage is a far more expensive fix in spring than the cost of proper winterization now.
Think Ahead on Hardscaping
If you’ve been considering a patio, walkway or retaining wall project, fall and winter are actually great times to plan and design. Getting your layout, materials and budget worked out now means you can be first in line once installation season opens back up, giving you more flexibility on timing before the spring rush fills up the schedule.
Existing hardscape features benefit from attention too. Check paver joints for any that have shifted or lost jointing sand over the summer, and make note of any areas where water has been pooling instead of draining away. These are far easier and less expensive to correct now than after a full winter of freeze and thaw cycles.
A Little Effort Now Goes a Long Way
The homeowners who tend to be happiest with their landscaping in June are usually the ones who did a handful of simple things the fall before. If you have questions about what your specific landscape needs heading into winter, it never hurts to walk the property with a professional and get a second set of eyes on it before the ground freezes.
Working in compost, cleaning up thoughtfully, winterizing irrigation and getting ahead on any hardscape plans doesn’t take much time, but it sets the entire following season up for success.
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