Photo courtesy of www.dreamhomegarden.com

Landscaping in October can be both fun and challenging. It’s the time of year when the weather is starting to change and your plants and yard have to get ready for winter. There are a lot of things that should be done around this time of year to ensure that your yard will be in it’s best shape once the weather really starts to get chilly. There are also a lot of fun things you can do for your yard if you want to deck it out for Halloween. John Madison Landscape gives you several tips here:

• Lighting can be very crucial to obtain the right ambiance for your outdoor living area. During the winter months as the days get shorter it can be a good idea to have the right outdoor lighting for security reasons. The right outdoor lighting also provides more space to entertain guests (an almost certainty during the holidays!) John Madison Landscape‘s experienced staff can design the best arrangements for your landscape needs.

Photo courtesy of www.rutgers-leslie.blogspot.com

• Although you may be tempted, don’t store the lawn mower in the garage for the winter just yet. As long as the grass continues to grow, even if it’s much slower, it should be mowed.
• Remove leaves from lawn to reduce lawn problems.  Put them through a shredder and use as mulch or add to your compost pile. Don’t burn or discard them.
• Take control of your weeds. Uprooting them or using herbicide are the most effective weed killing practices, however, beware of the herbicide you’re using. Leave the area you applied with herbicide alone for 7 days before reseeding.
• Although temporary trees and shrubs can be planted up until the ground freezes, mid-October is generally a good cut-off date for planting evergreens. The goal is to allow enough time for evergreens to root out into the existing soil before winter arrives.
• If you are interested in giving your yard an update for Halloween, consider these easy and inexpensive ideas:
  

  Photo courtesy of www.gardenersreach.com/

• Transform your dead flower beds into mini graveyards. Plastic tombstones, skeletons, and even fresh mounds of dirt can be used to create an eerie space.
• Evergreens can also be decorated for Halloween landscaping. Halloween lights or spiderwebs can be draped over evergreens, or plastic decorations, such as bats or skeletons, can also be hung. Just be sure none of them will damage the plants.
• Halloween landscaping can even be carried over to your trees. Large hanging decorations are perfect for tree limbs. Reapers, skeletons, and witches can be hung in large scale.

Click here for more October landscaping tips, or call us at 407-935-9151 to schedule an appointment for a free estimate.