8 Tips for Commercial Landscaping in Winter

If you want your commercial property to look attractive all year round, you will need to adopt a winter landscaping plan.

Your commercial property or office is the physical shop window of your business, and the place where you welcome visitors and hold face-to-face meetings. If it doesn’t always look its best, it could seriously harm your curb appeal.

Failing to take proper care of your grounds before the winter weather strikes could damage its ability to survive cold temperatures and snowfall that are likely to follow. Then, when spring arrives, your landscape could be in desperate need of help and attention.

Luckily, there are some top winter landscaping tips to follow that will significantly benefit your commercial property’s appearance and save you time and money in the long run.

1. Aerate and Scarify Lawns

During autumn your grounds are likely to develop a layer of dead grass and moss called thatch. If these dead stems and roots are left on your lawn, they could kill healthy grass and destroy your landscape for the spring.

Aerating and scarifying your grass removes the dead roots and churns the soil so that water, oxygen, fertilizer and grass seed can penetrate the surface. It will also encourage fresh grass growth so that your lawn survives the cold winter and looks great come springtime.

2. Remove Dead Leaves

If your commercial building is near trees, your outdoor area could quickly become covered by leaves when they fall off during autumn.

This can be disastrous for your lawn as dead leaves will block out sunlight, causing grass to thin out and preventing fresh growth.

Removing dead leaves is a simple but effective way to ensure your lawn is given the best possible chance for regrowth so it maintains its green and lush appearance.

3. Trim Your Trees

When temperatures drop during winter trees become dormant. With a few exceptions, this is the them as they won’t lose energy trying to recover, so when warmer months arrive, they look healthy and in perfect shape. Dormant months run from November to March, depending on weather, for trees. In dormant season trees have no leaves, are able to close their wounds quicker and any pests are less likely to be active.

Another handy tip is to add fertilizer to your trees to boost their resistance to insects and disease during winter and early spring.

The trunks and bases of smaller trees and shrubs can also be wrapped in materials like polypropylene, paper or burlap to protect them from harsh winds and prevent damage from salt or grit from nearby roads and pavements.

4. Prune Your Perennials

Even perennials such as lavender, sedum, geranium and Japanese anemone suffer during cold temperatures, so it’s best to cut them back before winter arrives. This will remove decaying material and fungal growth and prevent damage by pests and disease.

Pruning your perennials will also leave your commercial landscape looking neat and tidy. By tending to your perennials now it will ensure they return in spring in healthy shape.

5. Protect Your Pathways and Car Parks By Gritting

Pathways and uncovered car parks can become covered in ice and snow during winter months, cause issues with access to buildings and are a potential injury hazard for visitors and pedestrians.

Cracks and potholes on pathways and roads can also develop when ice and snow build up. A commercial gritting contractor will undertake all your gritting work for you to ensure your premises remains safe for all users during the cold winter months.

6. Plant Now for Next Spring

Numerous plants, shrubs, and perennials as well as bulbs including daffodils, crocus, hyacinths and tulips thrive and do well when they are planted in autumn. This allows them to bed in before temperatures plummet during colder months and fight off harmful frost.

Planting now also means they will emerge as strong and healthy plants in spring to enhance the general appearance of your commercial property.

7. Protect Your Plants and Flower Beds

If your commercial property’s landscape contains flower beds and tender plants, it is important to protect them before frost sets in or snow arrives.

It is wise to insulate tender plants from the cold weather with a layer of mulch made from dead plant material like compost, leaves, grass clippings and bark. This will also provide nutrients for the soil as the mulch slowly rots and helps to retain water to keep flowers and plants healthy.

A professional landscaping service will remove dead weeds and vegetation and put in new plants better suited to surviving the winter.

8. Protect Your Water Source

Frozen pipes and sprinklers that serve your commercial landscape can be expensive to fix when they burst. This can be avoided by taking a few simple steps to prepare for the winter months.

Make sure hoses, pipes and fountains are properly drained so they do not become damaged. All gutters should also be cleaned to prevent standing water from freezing and damaging drainage systems.

It is acceptable to water your landscape in winter until the temperature drops below 4 degrees Celsius and there is no snow cover.

9. Remove excess snow

Landscaping in winter months could involve clearing snow from your commercial property and gritting surrounding areas. This will ensure all car parks, patios and pavements near your building or office remain safe and accessible.

Planning ahead and using a professional landscape and grounds care company to remove snow and ice will minimise the risk of slips, trips and falls. If you own or manage a commercial property you could be putting yourself at risk by neglecting to ensure it is free from snow and ice.

Developing a snow removal plan will also ensure your office or commercial building remains open at all times and does not need to close while snow and ice are removed.

Can Grounds Care Group Take Care of Your Commercial Winter Landscaping?

We are a professional and respected landscaping and grounds care company providing a range of services including grounds maintenance, landscaping, gritting and environmental services to a variety of sectors. If we can help keep your commercial property looking great all year round contact us now.