Autumn in New England is known for its breathtaking foliage. This beauty is paralleled by diminishing hours of daylight and falling temperatures, inducing trees to ultimately shed their leaves all over your yard.  These factors make it difficult to complete your seemingly endless to-do to list of critical tasks to prepare your house and surrounding landscape for the winter weather ahead.  Sudbury Design Group is here to help.

Our goal is to provide you with a reference that will ultimately lead to the successful winterization of your property. This list can be overwhelming at times so we have organized it in a simple and sequential format.  In addition, we have recommended professional affiliates and/or a helpful link to a trustworthy source to answer any questions that you might have.

1. Winterize Your Swimming Pool and/or Spa

• Inspect the integrity of the pool: check for leaks, cracked tile, etc. and address any concerns before closing.
• Clean the water – Vacuum any debris, balance the PH, calcium and alkalinity for easier opening in the spring.
• Lower the water Level – It depends on the type of pool and the material of your cover but lowering to 2’ below your skimmer is a good general rule.
• It is vital to check the water level throughout the winter & pump if necessary
• Blow water out of all circulation lines, heater, pump, and filter. Add nontoxic anti-freeze.
• Clean and store the handrails, ladders, diving board, basketball hoop, etc.
• Remove tabs from the timer and turn it to the ‘off’ position. Turn the circuit breaker off or remove fuses from the pool circuit.

Sudbury Design Group highly recommends Aquaknot Pools for your winterization and all of your pool needs.

2. Seasonal Planting

Reinvigorate your fading gardens, planters and urns by planting colorful fall annuals such as Mums, Aster, Kale, Ornamental Cabbage, grasses & vegetables.

Sudbury Design Group offers a Seasonal Planting Service year round.  For more info see our Seasonal Planting Page.

3. Fall Lawn Care

Proper lawn care is vital throughout the year but fall lawn care is the most important. The goal is to prepare the lawn to survive the winter weather and ensure growth in the spring. If the soil is heavily compacted, aeration and dethatching procedures would be advisable to soften the soil, and improve the overall drainage.  A subsequent slice seed application helps promote additional growth.   If you enjoy treating your own lawn, you can use organic fertilizers to reduce your environmental footprint. (Mother Nature’s Cuisine)

It is advisable to hire a professional to service your lawn year round.  They will identify the type of lawn you have and provide a regiment of treatments based on your individual needs.

Sudbury Design Group recommends the services of Leuders Environmental for any lawn care needs.

4. Fall Cleanup

• Rake and remove fallen leaves.
• After the first killing frost, clean all beds by removing annual flowers from the garden, till/turn soil over, and pull weeds.
• Cleanout vegetable gardens: Once the veggies have harvested, remove the entire plant and turn the soil over to deter disease.
• Perennials should be cut back.
• Water all of your evergreens and apply anti-desiccant to your broadleaf evergreens.
• Protect any of your vulnerable plants with burlap to prevent wind damage
• Mulch beds with salt marsh hay to retain moisture.
• Clean gutters to ensure proper drainage and avoid ice-dams in the winter.
• Power-wash the exterior of your house and accessory structures.
• Add fuel stabilizer to your lawn mower and maintenance equipment for winter storage.
• Prune dead branches and cable vulnerable limbs to prevent winter damage on trees.

For large limb pruning, tree removal, and cabling we recommend Bartlett Tree Experts.

5. Winterize Irrigation Systems and Exterior Water Sources

Following the completion of your fall lawn treatment, the next step is to turn your water off and blow out your irrigation system to prevent pipes from freezing and cracking.

• Shut off the water supply to any exterior spigots.  After you shut off the interior valve, open the spigot outside to drain any water sitting in the line and leave open for the winter.
• If you don’t have a large compressor, it is sensible to hire a professional irrigation contractor to winterize your system.  We have worked together on countless jobs and highly recommend Design Irrigation for any installation or service needs (781) 246-1222.

If you would like to tackle this project on your own, follow these instructions from Hunter Irrigation

6. Bring In Outdoor Furniture and Garden Amenities

With frost on the horizon, it is time to store your outdoor products.

• Clean, repair, and store your outdoor furniture.
• Empty and store urns and garden ornaments that are not “frost proof”
• Drain and store bird baths, fountains, garden hoses etc. to prevent freezing and cracking.
• If you plan on using frost-proof urns throughout the winter, make sure there is an air space between the urn and the surface it is sitting on.  To achieve this, place a few pieces of wood underneath the urn.

7. Plant for Spring

Now that your gardens have been tilled it is time to get your spring bulbs in before the ground freezes.

• If you have a limited number of bulbs, it is better to plant them in clusters instead of spreading them out.
• You will want to plant the bulbs at a depth of 2.5-3 times the size of the bulb.
• For more spacing, planting depth, and proper planting technique use this University of Illinois website as a reference: The Right Way to Plant Bulbs

Planting bulbs also falls under the Seasonal Planting Service provided by Sudbury Design Group.

8. Deer Prevention

After investing hard work, time and money into your landscape the last thing you want is for deer to feast on your shrubs and perennials.  With a limited food supply, deer are more prone to snack on your plants in the winter than any other season. Try these methods of prevention:

• Use physical barriers such as fencing or netting
• Selection and placement of plants can contribute to a deer-free landscapeUse a refined palette of plant material that is less likely to attract deer and strategically place more susceptible plant species closer to the house where deer are less likely to be.
• Spray with organic deterrents

If none of these methods work, Sudbury Design Group highly recommends OhDeer Inc which is a local, up and coming business, which uses environmentally friendly products to discourage pesky deer from eating your plants.

9. Snow and Ice Preparation

• Be proactive and store sand and ice melt prior to snowfall.
• Delineate your driveway with markers to prevent lawn damage.
• Have your snow blower serviced or contact your plow contractor to make arrangements for the upcoming winter.

10. Prepare for Spring Projects

You have finished your to-do list for the fall.  Now it is time to think ahead to the spring. Are you considering a landscape design project such as a pool, terrace, wall, walkway, outdoor kitchen, or garden?  Winter is a great time to start the design process with Sudbury Design Group.  The design, permitting, and construction drawings can be completed throughout the winter months so your project is ready to be built in the spring.