Winter Yard Prep Checklist for Northern Virginia Homeowners
Winter in Northern Virginia can be unpredictable—mild one week, deep freeze the next. A little prep in late fall goes a long way toward protecting your landscape and giving you a head start in spring.
The checklist
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Remove the last of the leaves. Leaves left on the lawn all winter smother the grass and invite disease. Get them off before the first hard freeze.
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Cut back perennials that die back to the ground. Leave ornamental grasses and seed-head plants standing—they look great in winter and feed the birds.
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Late-fall fertilizer application. A final feeding in late November builds root reserves for winter and gives you a faster green-up in spring. This is the most important feeding of the year for tall fescue.
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Prune with care. Late winter (February) is the best time to prune most deciduous trees and shrubs—they're dormant, so pruning doesn't stress them. Avoid pruning spring-blooming shrubs until after they flower.
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Protect sensitive plants. Wrap young or thin-barked trees with tree wrap to prevent sunscald and animal damage. Mulch around the base of tender plants (but not against the trunk).
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Clean and store tools. A little maintenance now means your tools are ready when spring hits.
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Mark your beds. If you get snow, edge markers help us (or you) avoid damaging beds and plants when shoveling or plowing.
What we handle
We do full fall cleanups—leaf removal, perennial cut-back, bed cleaning, and winter prep—plus late-fall fertilizing for our lawn care clients. Want to hand it off? Request a free estimate.
