I love fall. I love the changing leaves, the cooler temperatures, football, pumpkins, and so much more. I love being outside and enjoying the fun fall surroundings. But when I am outside in my yard I realize there is something I don’t like about fall. When I look around my yard I tell myself “Get your yard ready for winter.” Ugh! That’s no fun. Fun or not, it has to happen.

Getting your yard ready for winter always seems like a HUGE task before I start. I dread it because it just doesn’t sound fun. Like so many other things, getting your yard ready for winter seems much less complicated if you break it into smaller pieces. Looking at the parts individually make the big task seem doable and less daunting. I’ve made myself a list and it really helps. Here are the items on my get your yard ready for winter list.

Trim trees
I actually like doing this once I start. Fall is a great time to trim and prune many trees. A simple internet search will yield many resources for instruction and tips on your kinds of trees. I think of it like giving a tree a haircut – go slow and don’t take off too much at first. You can trim the tree back further but you can’t reattach cut too short limbs and branches.

Trim plants and bushes
This is a lot like trimming the trees. Fall is usually a good choice for trimming. Another simple internet search or two and you’ll have lots of information on your specific plants. Many plants are much happier in the spring if they were trimmed the right way in the fall.

Clean out flower beds and pots
I’m always hesitant to do this job. Sometimes I think it makes the landscape look barren and ready for snow and ice. Cleaning out the dead growth and the overgrown plants is a very important part of getting your yard ready for winter. Make sure you know enough about your plants. Are they annuals or perennials? Don’t pull out the plants that are sure to come back in the spring. If you have plants you want to split or divide, so another quick internet search. Some plants prefer to be split in the fall.

Cut grass short
I think this is one step in getting your yard ready for winter that is often overlooked. Don’t skip it! Longer grass serves as a great home for rodents and other icky wildlife. Yikes! That is enough to make me mow the yard twice! I hate critters, especially when they try to move in to my space. Another plus to cutting the grass short is that grass that is cut short will also resist lying down or matting during the winter. Your grass will be happier in the spring if you cut it short when you are getting your yard ready for winter.

Wrap trees and plants
This is another of the get your yard ready for winter tasks that I overlooked for years. A tour of a local nursery opened my eyes to wrapping trees and plants. Not all trees and plants need to be wrapped but there are many that will survive cold winter much more easily if they are wrapped with burlap or another wrapping material. Again, turn to the internet and look up your specific trees and plants.

This is only part of what needs to be done outside to get your yard ready for winter. Watch tomorrow for part two of my tips! Have tips to share? Let us know! We love hearing from you!