Photo courtesy of www.rockshelterldc.com

Here are some simple tips from John Madison Landscape to prepare your yard for next year’s beautiful landscape:

• You won’t have to water your lawn much once it is dormant (has turned brown), but do water if the soil is powder dry.
• Apply preemergent herbicides to control winter annual and perennial broadleaf weeds like chickweed and henbit. Apply postemergence  herbicides only when weeds are present.
• Fertilize trees and shrubs (that have been planted for at least a year) when they turn dormant.
• Water broadleaf evergreens on warm days.
• Check for and control any white grubs. Now that temperatures are lower, use dormant oil sprays to control scale insects.
• Protect plants from rabbit or other animal damage in the winter by enclosing them in a circle of chicken wire or hardware cloth. Some plants that are favored by rabbits in the winter include: small Common Witchhazel, Fothergilla, Burningbush, Flowering Quince, smaller Korean and Japanese Maple, Canada Hemlock, Japanese Kerria and Clethra.
• To keep your yard healthy with just enough water, it is important to set your timer with a watering schedule that suits your area considering the amount of rainfall you usually get. For example, here in central Florida, a suggested watering schedule is two days a week (such as Monday and Thursday) with an irrigation run time in November of 32 minutes.
• If you wish, create a display of fall colors with cool season plants. Some to try are calendula, pansies, and ornamental cabbage.
  

  Photo courtesy of www.bbgardens.org

• Many bulbs like to get their start in cool weather. Bulbs to plant this month include amaryllis, crinums, and daylilies.
• Divide and replant overgrown perennials and bulbs now so that they establish before the coolest weather arrives.

If you are thinking about getting a landscape design for the upcoming spring, November is the perfect time to contact us for a free estimate on a professional plan. A quality design will give your landscape efforts focus and direction. Plus, contacting us earlier in the season means faster turn-around time! If you would like to set up a free estimate with one of our landscape designers, call us at 407-935-9151 or click here.