Landscape maintenance in January can be challenging, especially considering the recent cold spell. The worst cold in thirty years has hit British Columbia’s Lower Mainland. Now what? Well, bundle up and follow me. If you take a good look you can stay busy.
Ornamental grasses provide winter interest but my rule is that once the grasses stop looking beautiful, they are good to go. This grass looked fine until this week. So I cut it down to a small mound. Done.
Tree work. Take out any dead branches and suspicious “wildlife trees”. This dead cedar trunk served no real purpose so I took it down with a small chainsaw.
The three small maple branches on the left are dead. And now gone.
Staking. This Choisya got hammered by snow. So we pulled it back off the walkway with ArborTie.
Ugly corners. Bramble and invasive Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) formed an ugly corner, in the sun on a breezy morning. It’s all good. For now.
Spirea japonica can be sheared to a low mound in winter. It will push out with new growth in spring.
Prune out damaged branches. Snow-damaged cedar branches were touching the Staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) tree. I pruned them out.
Edit dead shrubs. This shrub was by a high-profile walkway since summer. Long overdue. Winter time is perfect time for editing dead shrubs.
Prune out damaged shrubs. This Viburnum davidii looked bad so I pruned out the low branches on the right. Another quick job that makes the shrub look much better.
Missed perennials. It’s OK if you find missed perennials from last fall. Just flush cut the flower stalks and wait for spring.
Blowing. This forested boulevard was due for a thorough clean up blow. Blowing forests clean is a ridiculous idea but this is a boulevard bank with mature trees. I found lots of leafiness and cedar drop. Winter is a good time for this task. I also took out dead tree branches. Just check for pedestrians once in a while so you don’t cover babies in dust.
Warmer weather is coming in mid-January, allegedly. Until it comes, stay warm and busy with winter maintenance tasks. Take a good look at your landscape. There is plenty of work. If you know where to look.
