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Winter Landscaping Tips for North Dallas

While the winter season requires far less landscape work compared to the long list of spring landscaping duties, there is still plenty to be done. In this article, we share 9 essential winter landscaping tips for North Dallas area residents to prepare for the cold season.

Apply Mulch

Install mulch in landscaping beds to help insulate the roots of plants and trees and provide nutrients throughout the winter months.

Protect Plants

If you have plants in your landscaping that are winter tender, especially tropical landscaping plants, plan to protect them during a hard freeze by covering them with burlap or a frost blanket.

Common examples of winter tender plants in North Dallas would be anything with a planting zone of 8 9 or 10.

Install Cool-Season Annuals

There may not be as large of a selection cool-season flowers compared to spring time flowers or fall flowers for the Dallas area, but winter is a great time to plant cool season annuals. Blooming annuals, such as the Panola, Pansy and Viola can be installed in flower beds and bloom throughout the winter months.

If you’re looking for some plants with interesting foliage this winter season, consider planting Dusty Miller, Cabbage, Kale and ornamental grasses like Juncus Grass or Fountain Grass.

Plant Winter Hardy Trees

The winter is actually the best time to plant trees. The soil temperatures in North Dallas stay well above freezing, so even though some plants are dormant, the soil is alive and providing a great environment for root establishment.

Planting trees in the winter gives them a head start for the big growth push in the spring.

Prune Trees & Shrubs

Pruning trees and shrubs is a perfect late fall, early winter landscaping task. It’s best to get this done before the first freeze as the freezing temperatures can cause a bit more stress on the plants.

Wrap Palm Trees

Similar to covering winter-tender plants during harsh winter temperatures, it’s a good idea to wrap palm trees with burlap. Some palm tree owners plan to wrap them before Thanksgiving and unwrap them in March, leaving them protected for the whole winter season.

Adjust Irrigation System

While our warm season grasses and most plants go dormant throughout the winter season, it’s still a good idea to water everything with your sprinkler system at least twice each month.

Watering your plants and sod actually fortifies them to fight against freeze damage.

Furthermore, North Dallas can often experience mild winter temperatures in the fifties and sixties, so they will appreciate the water during these warm spells.

Rake Leaves

One obvious winter landscaping task will be to clean up after your trees shed their leaves. Raking up leaves can be a season long task as trees go dormant at different times. You can see some trees shedding as early as October in North Dallas while other deciduous trees shed later in December.

Clean Flowerbeds

The final winter landscaping task will be to clean up your flowerbeds. Just as your trees will shed their leaves, many perennials and deciduous shrubs will shed as they go dormant for the winter. Plan to rake and add a fresh layer of mulch to insulate plants and prevent unwanted grass in flower beds.

Just as your plants use the cold season for a well-needed rest, your winter landscaping duties definitely slow down. However, if you enjoy being outside and puttering in the garden, there are still plenty of things to do.