Greetings!
As the temperatures drop and the sky darkens with predicted snow, our December "tips" are aimed at making your winter landscape chores a little easier!
Thanks for reading!
The Staff and Crew at Boulder Landscape and Design
www.BoulderLanDesign.com
|
 Shovelry Is Not Dead!
Clearing the white stuff the easy way...
Boulder County Cities and Towns require snow to be removed from residential sidewalks within 24 hours of a snowstorm. (In Boulder it is by noon the day after a storm.) It is the homeowner or renter's job to take care of this chore, unless your HOA has made other arrangements.
So what is the best way to make a physically challenging and time consuming task more manageable? Follow these simple tips:
- If the snow is under two inches and the forecast is for clear skies and warmer temperatures the next day, let the warm Colorado sun take care of it! A minimal amount of snow will typically be gone the next day by noon.
- Powder snows of up to three inches can be easily swept away with a broom.
- In a major storm, if it is not blizzard conditions, it helps to get out and shovel frequently during waking hours to eat away at the task. This prevents overloading your shovel and possible injuries.
- If you can, shovel before neighbors walk on the snow. Compacted snow tends to turn to ice and stick to the walkway, making your job tougher!
- Lift with your knees and come to a full stand before twisting to toss the snow.
- When the weather is very cold, wrap a scarf around your mouth to warm the air. Deep inhalation of cold air can aggravate lung and heart problems.
- If you have a wide or long driveway or walk, consider buying a snow blower.
- Hire a snow removal professional. They are more reliable than the neighborhood kids and less expensive than a snow blower, even over several seasons!
Boulder Landscape and Design offers you a seasonal snow removal contract. We will show up automatically within the allotted removal time and clear your walks, steps, decks and driveways. We even do snow removal on rooftops if requested, and we are fully insured. Call 303-443-3460 to schedule your snow removal.
|
Winter Mulching: Nature's Comforter for Your Plants' Roots
The Farmer's Almanac Calls for Cold and Snowy for 2010 Colorado Winter
Though trees and plants are dormant during the cold winter months, they may still suffer damage from frigid temperatures, winter drying and pooling ice around their roots. Though pruning in the spring can mitigate problems of frozen, dead branches, it is in the root systems that horticulturalists see problems which cause mortality for trees and plants in early spring.
An additional layer of mulch on garden beds and around trees during winter can help alleviate drying and keep soil temperatures warmer. Mulch will also keep ice from pooling around plant stems and roots, a problem that can cause "freezer burn" and dessication of crucial rootlets responsible for early uptake of moisture in the spring.
Shredded mulches are better at winter protection than chunky barks, and break down into helpful compost more easily over the years. If you prefer the bark pieces but want to protect your landscape's roots, you may rake back the bark chunks, install a shred on the soil and then recover with the bark. The more stable shredded mulch may also keep your bark from dislodging during winter storms and winds.
Boulder Landscape and Design offers a Four Season Maintenance Plan that includes over-mulching in winter as well as winter watering. For the best health for your property, call us for a free Four Season estimate at 303-443-3460.
|
Last Call for Winter Fertilizer for Your Lawn
Slow release nutrients over the winter build strong roots for spring. 
Though we have been programmed to look for the rapid greening of lawns in spring as a sign of turf health, early spring fertilizers actually push the new grass blades to their limits, often weakening the overall health of the grass plant in the process.
A much more nurturing way to ensure an optimal lawn is to feed it with a slow release winter fertilizer that will strengthen the roots of the plant first and allow it to produce healthy green blades on nature's schedule. There will be plenty of green showing in the spring and your lawn will be less likely to suffer from fungus or pests than a forced lawn!
Apply a slow release winterizing fertilizer no later than mid-December to beat the hard soil freezes of winter. Boulder Landscape and Design offers winter fertilization with organic compounds as part of their Four Season Maintenance Plan or as a single service. call us at 303-443-3460 to schedule.
|
|
Thanks for reading our newsletter! Boulder Landscape and Design offers Holiday Lighting, Four Season Maintenance Plans, Gutter Cleaning and Snow Removal as part of our services. Be sure to take advantage of our coupon below and pass our newsletter along to your friends.
Sincerely,
The Staff and Crew
Boulder Landscape and Design
|
