5 Tips To Prepare Your Yard For Winter

October and the beginning of November is a busy time of year for our teams as we prepare all of our gardens for winter to make sure our plants are healthy and our irrigation systems are properly winterized for the upcoming deep freeze Chicago will soon undergo. There are several things that we recommend when putting your gardens and outdoor spaces to rest for winter. Here are a few recommendations below! And, if you don’t have time to do this work on your own, we have an excellent maintenance team that can help you design, plan and install seasonal containers, select and plant your bulbs and do yard clean ups for you. Join our email list or contact us directly at info@rooftopia.com for more information! Give us a call at 773-904-7036 if you need help navigating the changing seasons or winterizing your outdoor space!

Leaf clean up:

When all of your leaves have fallen you can remove them from your lawn or hardscape to make sure it doesn’t stain your materials or smother sensitive plants. However, if you can leave the leaves, we recommend shredding them and adding them back to your garden beds for a layer of insulation. Leaf compost is great mulch for your perennial garden beds if you’re inclined to “leaf them be”! Leaving the leaves and allowing ornamental grasses to remain uncut for the fall and winter provides a shelter for loads of beneficial insects. It’s our goal to strike a balance between removing fall leaves and debris when appropriate, and also allowing healthy leaf debris to remain in place to benefit the plants and our eco-system. We’ve already composted 1.8 tons of leaves and garden debris this fall!

Remove annual flowers:

Once the temperature dips below 40 degrees many of our favorite summer plants are doomed. It’s sad to see them go but time for adding some lovely fall plants that can tolerate the cooler weather through mid-November. If fall isn’t your favorite you can also get them ready for some lovely winter evergreens, branches or decor that can keep your space looking vibrant though the dark days of winter.

Plant Spring Bulbs:

Fall is the best time to plant your spring bulbs! The spring crocus, daffodils, tulips, fritillary & allium are such a delight; waiting for the days to get longer and searching for signs of the new spring life in the garden is how we get through those last long winter months. Planting a variety of bulbs for early, mid and late spring color is the best way to improve your spring mood and add loads of color to your outdoor space before it’s warm enough for the summer plants to emerge. We highly recommend adding bulbs for a burst of joy in the spring!! This is also a fun activity to do with your kids every year as they will also love watching them sprout in the spring.

Wrapping trees and Evergreens in burlap:

Newly planted trees, arborvitae and other evergreens in windy or exposed locations like a rooftop deck benefit from some extra care prior to winter. We recommend wrapping some shrubs and trees in burlap to give a little extra protection from sun scald or wind burn during the cold but sunny days of winter.

Winterize your water pipe:

You have to make sure to shut off any exterior water spigets. We also recommend draining water from any of your irrigation lines, hoses or watering systems to prevent any dreadful damage due to freezing or unprotected pipes. All of our irrigation systems are winterized before the temperature gets consistently below freezing. Don’t forget to water your plants by hand if you still have fall annuals in containers. As we’ve seen this first week of November in the 70s, the plants still benefit from water but your pipes need to be dry!