Tips On Preparing Hedges For Winter

Keeping your landscape looking beautiful year-round is not always easy as it seems. This is because many of the included futures will need very different types of care throughout the different seasons. This is certainly the case when it comes to your hedges. Preparing these for the incredibly cold temperatures that they will invariably face when winter is at its strongest could be vital for keeping them hearty and even alive. Following are a few simple tips for preparing hedges for winter.

To start, you definitely want to spend some time inspecting this foliage before implementing any preventative strategies. You will find that there are some plants that require a greater level of protection than others. Taking a quick tour of your land will give you a better understanding of just how diverse this foliage is and of how different individual needs are likely to be.

It is usually the case that these plants tend to be a lot more tolerant of cold weather when they have been properly cared for during the more temperate seasons. If you are entering fall and have not paid your hedges much attention throughout the spring and summer, then they will likely experience more problems. This makes it important to do all that you can to prune, water and care for these features during all seasons.

This is also true of pre-winter waters. Giving them generous amounts of water before the ground freezes and before their various elements have been subject to freezing temperatures is generally best. This will eliminate the likelihood of drought stress and prime them for soaring through short-term, stressful seasons.

As you tour your property and inspect your trees, take stock of those that will be exposed to the greatest amount of wind. Just like the local wind chill factor can make fall and winter temperatures seem significantly cooler to you, they can also have the same impact on your foliage. Shrubs that are planted next to the building will have protection from this structure.

Those plants that do not have benefit of protection from a primary or secondary building structure will probably need to be covered. This is coverage that you can create with burlap or other soft barrier. This barrier will block winter winds and diminish the impact of the wind chill factor.

You also have the option of erecting a temporary fence. This can be comprised of either wood or plastic. In fact, some home and hardware stores sell features like these ready-made. Ask a knowledgeable store rep at your local home store whether this company keeps temporary snow fences in stock.

Beyond preventing damages from excessively low temperatures, you also want to take steps to mitigate heavy snow loads. This is especially true if your hedges sit beneath a shed or low hanging roof that might deliver many pounds of snow to fall directly onto their branches. Keep in mind that heavy snow loads can be swept to the ground to prevent this from happening. You can also erect short-term coverings to minimize the impact caused by the release of snow and ice from building surfaces.

Whenever there is any doubt about the best shrub care for your area, be sure to reach out to a professional landscaping company or tree service. These entities can make a number of helpful recommendations for keeping your hedges safe throughout the coldest points of the year. For a very reasonable cost, they can also implement a number of these strategies for you.