Fall and winter weather can be harsh on your landscape. Follow our three P's of fall plant care to ensure your landscape will remain healthy throughout the cold months!

PRUNE

As a general guideline, prune most perennials down to 1” above ground and shrubs can be pruned back by one-third. Do not prune spring-flowering shrubs such as Viburnum, Lilac or Witch Hazel. Spring-flowering shrubs produce their buds in fall, so pruning these before winter may prevent spring blooms from forming.  Ornamental grasses can be pruned in either the fall or spring depending on your preference. 

PROTECT

Protect your evergreens by applying an anti-desiccant, commonly referred to by the brand name Wilt-Pruf. Anti-desiccants are sprays that provide a protective coating to evergreen foliage to help retain moisture and prevent evergreens from drying out.  Burlap is also a defensive barrier, keeping plants protected from heavy snows that can crush and strong winds that can cause windburn. Some broadleaf evergreens such as boxwood are particularly susceptible to winter windburn.

PROVIDE

Provide additional benefit for your plants by supplying a fall fertilizer. Fall fertilizer helps builds a nutrient reserve your plants can access throughout the winter. Your plants will have stronger, more robust roots in the spring, leading to large blooms early in the coming year. 

With fall comes cooler weather and less daylight hours. Leaves are changing, temperatures are dropping and the holidays are coming up quickly! Your landscape can complement the season with usability and interest. Here are our top two landscaping trends for fall.

Warm colored flowers

Mums are a great way to tie in fall colors to your landscape. Mums, Pansies and Asters do exceptionally well in the cooler weather. Mums come in a wide variety of colors and can create focal points within your landscape beds. Use just one or all three of these flowers and you'll have wonderful pops of colors until the first hard frost!

Lit-up Landscapes

Not only does elegant outdoor lighting draw attention to a homes' exterior and landscape, but it also provides safety lighting for residents and visitors. Landscape lights come in a variety of light fixture styles and colors and you can select your lights to compliment your homes' ambiance. Properly planned lighting systems provide enjoyable surroundings when entertaining and, even when it's too cold to go outside, they create an interesting and pleasing view through the winter season. Additionally, color-changing LED lighting systems allow for instant color changes during holiday seasons, special events and can also be used to enhance landscape colors.

Use either of these landscaping trends and your landscape will be a hit this season!

Now that summer's over, it's time to prepare your lawn for fall! Here are some tips to keep your lawn healthy as it begins to get colder.

Aerate

Core Aeration allows nutrients and water to penetrate compacted soil. Aerating combined with fertilization in the Fall establishes a healthy foundation for next Springs' lawn growth. Below are some other reasons why aeration is important:

•Core Aeration allows for gas exchange, and promotes drainage. 

•Aerated lawns are stronger and more able to endure harsh conditions such as excess heat and droughts. 

•Core Aeration helps to relieve compaction all over your lawn, and is especially beneficial for high traffic areas. 

Select a slow-release, NO phosphorus Fertilizer

A hot summer can deplete your lawn's nutrients. Replenishing your lawn with nitrogen and potassium in the fall helps to create a nutrient base, promoting a healthy lawn early in the warmer seasons. 

•Nitrogen promotes protein growth.  

•Be sure to select a NO phosphorus fertilizer. Public Act 299 of 2010 prohibits the use of phosphorus fertilizers on residential or commercial lawns, beginning January 1, 2012. 

•Potassium helps prevent wilting and assists in additional protein growth. 

Slow-release fertilizers release Nitrogen over time, providing nutrients for a longer period of time and limiting the amount of salt running off into ground water.  

Don't cut too low

Not only can cutting too low lead to burnt grass, but it can also impact the way your grass grows. Cutting grass blades to 3” or more promotes healthy root growth. Leaving the clippings on the lawn recycles nitrogen back into the soil.

Be mindful

Excess fertilizer can be harmful to water supply. Sweep loose fertilizer into the lawn and keep fertilizer 20 feet away from storm drains. 

It's never too early to begin preparing! Following these tips now should help ensure your grass will come back healthy and beautiful in the Spring!

Soil is essential to plant health and growth.  People are accustomed to buying soil for their annual pots and gardens. The same consideration should also be given to the soil used in the landscape.

Here are three reasons why proper soil installation is important:

1. Proper soil installation provides a better environment for roots and plant growth.

Improvement of soil structure, water holding capacity and availability of nutrients are important for plants to grow. The better the soil texture, the better root growth.

2. Plants will grow more uniformly.

Proper soil installation allows for equal nutrients to be provided to you landscape plants creating a more uniform growth habit.

3. Soil amendments help achieve healthier color display.

Good drainage, adequate nutrients and available water will allow for annuals, perennials and other flowering plants to become more vibrant in color. Southeastern Michigan has a range of native soils that are not often ideal for non-native plants. Amending native soils will help achieve the drainage, nutrient and water retention for an ideal environment. 

Landscape using proper soil - at the time of installation.

Same landscape two years later, showing abundant growth and vibrance in plant color.

Welcome to Michigan; unexpected waves of heat, followed by frosty mornings, humidity and rain will keep you on your toes and leave you wondering when to plant your annual flowers. Factor in full sun, partial sun, partial shade and full shade requirements and annual flower options become overwhelming. Here are our suggestions for annual flower success.

Planting Time:

Generally spring annual flowers in Michigan are planted between Mother's day and Memorial Day. Planting after Mother's day reduces the risk of frost damage. Frost is still possible; be alert to frost warnings and cover annual flowers with a sheet or thin plastic to prevent damage. Remove coverings the next morning so your annuals don't bake in the sun.

Full Sun:

Cleome (spider flower): A tall annual, 24-48”, often used as a “thriller” in containers is heat and drought tolerant. Cleome bloom from planting to frost. 

Part Sun:

Lobularia (sweet alyssum): Highly fragrant small blooms cover this plant all season long and no deadheading required! Sweet Alyssum can also grow in full sun and is most commonly found with white flowers though lavender, darker purple and sometimes pink shades are available.

Shade:

Coleus: Grown for its beautiful foliage colors, Coleus can be used as a border plant in containers or in masses. 

Full Sun, Part Sun, Shade:

Wax Begonia: A homerun annual that can grow in just about any light requirement, wax begonia are used for mass plantings, edging, borders, containers and hanging baskets. Available with white, pink or red flowers, wax begonia have either shiny bronze or green leaves. The showy flowers bloom from May to October. 

Downpour? Bury that Downspout. Three Reasons Why!
 

Michigan is staying true to its reputation of unpredictable weather and has given its residents the gift of nonstop rain, ice, snow and a mix of all three for the past month. 
 

You may have noticed your lawn turning from a winter wonderland to a muddy mayhem. The water needs to go somewhere and with frozen ground the options are more limited. 

Pooling water is not only an eyesore but has the potential to cause even larger problems. A measure we recommend to reduce potential water problems is burying your downspouts. 

Why Bury? Three reasons.

1. Buried downspouts direct roof water collected in your gutter system away from the foundation of your home preventing water from entering.  
 

2. Buried downspouts are more aesthetically pleasing and help the landscape curb appeal of your home. 
 

3. Buried downspouts eliminate the hazard of above-ground downspout extensions. Above-ground extensions can pose a trip hazard and also typically discharge onto hard surfaces, creating the ideal location for ice patches in colder months.

We recommend hiring a professional to bury your downspouts. Professionals have access to high grade materials, know how to slope the downspouts away from your home properly and, let's be honest, the process is very labor intensive.
 

There are plenty of professional contractors to choose from and D.A. Alexander & Company, Inc. is here to help when you need it!

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