You may think winter is the time to relax your landscaping efforts and instead wait for spring to focus on getting your lawn in the best possible shape. But fortunately, our milder Florida climate makes it possible — and smart — to keep up with your landscaping all year long.
At SkyFrog Landscape, our certified arborists have offered our customers expert guidance for years. Read on to learn our suggestions for effective landscaping tasks you can do during the colder winter months.
Plant Cold-Resistant Flowers
Winter makes a great time to plant cold-weather tolerant annuals such as amaryllis, azaleas, geraniums, snapdragons, in addition to the following varieties.
Pansies
When planted in the winter, pansies are a perfect cold-tolerant annual that you can enjoy all through the spring months. Pansies can grow 2-3 inches wide in a single color or with a dark center. They prefer lots of sunlight and being planted in rich, well-drained soil.
Camellias
Camellia japonica has white flowers growing on a bushy plant, and camellia sasanqua has rosy pink flowers and white edges that grow vertically. These 2 camellia varieties do well in our Florida climate when planted in well-drained soil with slight acidity. They need partial shade, and they can grow anywhere from 4-20 feet tall.
Petunias
Petunias come in various colors, sizes, shapes, and even scents and grow in tiny blooms to veritable flower mounds. They are cool-weather tolerant, grow anywhere from 6-12 inches tall, and will bloom all year for you to enjoy in your landscape.
Protect Your Plants With Mulch
As you plant your garden, don’t forget to add or refresh your mulch to a layer of about 3 inches deep to insulate the plant and its roots from the cold weather. Mulching has multiple benefits, including that it prevents weed growth and helps maintain soil temperature as our Florida climate fluctuates, protecting your plant roots from resulting damage. Mulching in the winter also saves you time in the spring to spend focusing on other landscaping tasks.
Prune Away for Optimal Growth
The winter months are also a great time to prune non-spring flowering trees and shrubs, as well as deciduous fruit trees. If you have roses, they should be pruned during the first few months of the year. It’s always wisest to prune your trees during the cold, dormant season.
Mistletoe
Mistletoe is parasitic by nature, weakening and destroying trees, especially if the tree has been weakened by pests, storms, age, or cold weather. Winter is the perfect time to remove mistletoe, either by pruning the infested branch or having the growth-regulating chemical Ethephon applied. Both of these methods should only be performed by a landscaping professional, as improper pruning can damage a tree’s structure. Ethephon can only be applied by a licensed pest control expert.
Spanish Moss
Spanish moss can harm your trees by blocking them from receiving sunlight or retaining water and becoming too heavy for the tree to bear. Spanish moss can also disguise visible signs of disease, insect infestations, or injury, and it is a haven for nasty pests such as ticks, fleas, or chiggers. As with mistletoe, Spanish moss should only be removed by a professional landscaper.
Don’t Let the Sun Set on Your Landscaping This Winter
Even though you may want to ease off your landscaping until spring, the colder months are actually the perfect time to pay your yard some extra attention and keep it looking its best through the winter season. Trust the experienced team at SkyFrog Landscape to help you achieve the landscape of your dreams through our expert design and installation, maintenance, fertilizer and pest, irrigation, hardscape, outdoor audio, and lighting services. Contact us today to get your free quote and schedule a consultation.
