Winterizing your yard

Brrrrrr…it’s cold out there! Oh, wait. That was last week. Today it’s sunny and in the 70s. Austin! If you’ve lived here long you know the winters can be somewhat bipolar. Hot one day, frigid the next, then right back to toasty. As hard as it is on we humans we can prepare by bringing a jacket and throwing on an extra layer. Our plants don’t have that kind of freedom and no one wants to have all their hard work throughout the rest of the year to be ruined by one frosty night. That’s why it’s important to winterize your lawn and landscaping while you’re getting your house ready for Austin’s colder months.

The simplest and perhaps most effective thing you can do is to mulch. Mulch like there’s no tomorrow! If you do no other thing to winterize your landscape, MULCH. Putting down a nice thick layer of mulch is like putting a magic blanket on your plants. Mulch helps insulate the ground from cold temperatures but it also helps retain water (we’re still in Stage 2 water restrictions) and prevents the soil from getting too hot once summer rolls back around. It’s a win-win-win.

Now is also the time to get some plants in the ground and do some pruning, if necessary. Here’s a handy checklist from The Natural Gardener to keep you and your lovely lawn on the right track.