Snow, Vegetable Gardens and Landscaping in Winter

You feel that icy weather out there? Winter has hit the Hamptons—and there’s more to come. But just because your yard and gardens may look as if they’ve settled in for a long winter’s nap doesn’t mean you should. From preventing snow damage to planning vegetable gardens, our friends and Hamptons East Landscaping reveal that there’s plenty you can do now for a beautiful Hamptons garden come spring.

The Question: What can I do in winter when I look outside and see everything barren and it’s 20 degrees?

The Answer from Hamptons East Landscaping: Start planning your strategy and your gardens for next year. Think about adding a vegetable garden to your property—there are very elaborate vegetable garden designs that you can make yourself. Pick a nice day and rent a rototiller and till dehyrated manure into soil and lyme and let it sit all winter, so when spring comes your ground is perfect. Start purchasing pots for porches and color schemes for flowers, and make a list of annuals and the quantity you want to purchase next season. Start thinking about adding lighting to your landscape. Starting now will insure that its done by summertime.

The Question: Is it a good idea to knock heavy snow off my shrubs?

The Answer from Hamptons East Landscaping: Boxwoods and arborvitaes are the biggest host to snow damage. It’s their compact and tight forms that allow snow to build up on them. I would definately knock the snow off of any tight, compact shrubs you have on your property, especially the expensive ones!

Have more questions about landscaping and gardening during the winter and getting ready for spring? You can contact Hamptons East Landscaping at (631) 885-2627 or at hamptonseastlandscaping.com. You might even see your questions answered here at Ask the Expert.