If you’ve invested a large amount of time and money in building and maintaining your yard, it seems an awful waste to let it decay from the harsh winter season. And while some level of damage is unavoidable, homeowners can minimize damage using these five simple tips.

Combat Frost Heaving

Frequent freezing then thawing of yard soil during fall or spring seasons can cause the ground to expand and contract, which ultimately causes damage to the roots and uprooting of shrubs and new plants off the soil. To combat frost heaving, apply 4 to 6 inches of mulch to maintain constant ground temperatures.

Combat Salt Damage

Salt is applied to sidewalks and roads to melt ice during the winter season. Unfortunately, as helpful as salt is to de-icing the ground, it can also cause or amplify Winter-induced injuries and plant decay including bud decay and twig dieback. Salt running down underground can get absorbed by plants and damage their roots and foliage. To avoid salt damage, try to plant flora as far away as possible from highly salted areas and from where there is heavy foot and vehicle traffic.

Combat Pests

Mice, rabbits, deer, and vole are all potential suspects that can cause serious damage to flora during the cold weather. These animals can consume soft twigs, bark, and plant foliage. Deer can inflict serious damage to trees when they rub their antlers against it. If a tree becomes too unstable and damaged to be near you and your family, make sure to contact tree removal service providers like Pete & Ron’s Tree Service.

Maintaining Deciduous Flora

Deciduous trees and shrubs lose their foliage during autumn season and have adapted to the cold climates by becoming dormant during winter season. While they have adopted to protect themselves, homeowners can practice techniques to make sure that plants enter dormancy state before temperatures drop down to significant levels. For instance, you can install plastic or wire guards around trees to protect young, tender barks from chomping mice and rabbits

Because plants and trees respond differently to Winter stress, it is of utter importance to learn and research about the ones you have in your yard. Some cold hardy trees like Larch and Lodge-Pole Pine may require less to no maintenance at all during winter, and intervening may only cause more harm than good to it. The same goes for several hardy shrub roses that require no winter protection.