Landscaping is often thought of as a 3-season affair. Spring cleaning, summer sprinkler repairs, and fall leaf removal are just a few of the many services that landscaping contractors offer during the course of the year, but what about winter? While most outsiders imagine the Denver area to be covered with snow all winter, the truth is that for the most part we’re blessed with relatively mild winters. Many businesses tend to shift their landscaping priorities to just handling snow and ice on their property (and for good reason) but the mostly clear weather and cool temperatures make it a great time of year for other landscaping services, too.
Lawn and plant care, remedial work, or even designing new landscape features are all just as viable in the winter as they are throughout the rest of the year, so there’s no reason to let your plans hibernate for the winter.
Here are just a few landscaping services and tasks you can tackle in winter:
7 Colorado Winter Landscaping Tasks
Add Color With Winter Seasonal Plants
One of the simplest and most visually striking landscaping tasks you can do in mild winters is to add winter seasonal plants. Colorado is home to a large variety of winter-friendly plants that can add much needed color to an otherwise dull landscape.
Some of the most visually appealing Colorado winter plants are:
- Red Twig Dogwood
- Prickly Pear
- Holly Plants
- Rocky Mountain Juniper
- Colorado Blue Spruce
Prep Your Landscape for Spring
Although most of your landscape might be dormant through winter, it can still benefit from some winter care to help it thrive again come spring. Spring prep is best when done in the fall, but winter is still a good time to get your property ready for spring if you are running behind.
Colorado has very dry air and relatively low soil moisture in winter. Winter watering will help prevent root damage that can make your lawn struggle once temperatures start to rise again in late spring / early summer.
Flowerbeds also need to be cleaned up and prepped for spring. Spring bulbs can be planted generally from November to January. Winter-friendly plants are always a welcome addition to otherwise empty flowerbeds, too.
Tree and Shrub Care
Trees and shrubs can also benefit from winter care. Dormant pruning allows you to make more aggressive cuts with less risk of harming your trees and shrubs.. Dead or damaged branches should be removed no matter the season, but especially in winter – snow, ice, and winds can easily cause them to break. Winter is also a good time for removing trees and shrubs altogether, as it’s much easier to handle trees and shrubs that have gone dormant (i.e. leafless).
Make Exterior Lighting Upgrades
Whether it’s for decorative, safety, or security purposes, lighting upgrades are something to consider no matter the season. Winter is an excellent time of the year to consider upgrading your old lighting or installing new fixtures because the relative lack of vegetation can make it easier to identify areas that need better lighting.
Some exterior lightings upgrades to consider include:
- Path Lighting
- Downlighting
- Floodlighting
- Shadow Lighting
- Decorative Lighting
Create “All Weather” Outdoor Spaces
Making outdoor common areas available to customers on your property can add a lot of appeal to your property and help promote your business as a place to come and spend time outside. In the winter, though, special considerations need to be taken for cold temperatures and winter weather.
If you want people to take advantage of your outdoor areas during winter, it’s important to have all-weather furniture and covered spaces in case of snow or rain. Heating is another thing to consider; patio heaters, fire pits, and even outdoor fireplaces are all popular outdoor heating solutions for many businesses.
Creating warm, cozy outdoor areas will make your business an inviting place for people to spend time outdoors year-round, no matter the weather.
Make Drainage Improvements
Drainage improvements are another year-round service that can greatly benefit your property. In the winter, all the runoff from melted snow will move to the lowest point on your property. In many cases this isn’t a problem, but it can lead to hazardous conditions on the property or even harm your lawn. Walkways covered in puddles are a slip-and-fall accident waiting to happen on cold, icy mornings, while lawns that are constantly flooded are susceptible to disease, pests, weeds, and dead turf.
You can avoid icy walkways and flooded lawns by implementing drainage improvements. A few common landscape drainage systems are:
- French Drains
- Channel Drains
- Dry Wells
- Yard Drains (aka Catch Basins)
Make Other Landscape Improvements or Renovations
Although many people consider “spring cleaning” to be the time to tackle landscape enhancements or renovating existing features, Colorado’s relatively dry, mild winters are also a good time to make improvements to your property.
Some great landscaping projects to tackle during winter include:
- Hardscape repairs or installation
- Installing new flowerbeds, trees, or shrubs
- Creating or upgrading outdoor common areas
- Adding mulch or gravel to flowerbeds, along walkways, etc.
- Xeriscaping transformations
Looking for Winter Seasonal Landscape Service for Your Denver Business?
Our team at GroundMasters Landscape Services has the expertise you need to tackle any landscape service or project, no matter the season.
Our year-round services include lawn care, sprinkler system maintenance, tree & shrub care, snow & ice removal, and even storm cleanup for when bad weather hits.
We can also help you with any landscape enhancements or repairs you need to create a landscape to be proud of.
To see what GroundMasters can do for your Denver-area business or commercial property, give us a call at (303) 750-8867 or get in touch with us online to get started.