December Tips
LAWNS AND LANDSCAPING

Contact: Diane Relf, Extension Specialist, Environmental Horticulture

October 1996

  • You need to renew your landscape periodically. Most shrubs need to be replaced every 15 to 20 years, less frequently than the furniture and decor inside the house!

  • We often forget the spots outdoors where rain doesn't reach. Check moisture around foundation plantings beneath a roof overhang and water if necessary.

  • Do filling and grading around the yard. The loose soil will settle during the cold months.

  • Minimize traffic on a frozen lawn to reduce winter damage.

    Monthly Tips have been prepared since 1986 by various staff of the Office of Consumer Horticulture including Ellen Bennett, Michelle Buckstrup, Susan Day, Susan DeBolt, Sharon Dendy, Kate Dobbs, Sheri Dorn, David Gravell, Virginia Nathan, Jenny Shuster, Ellen Silva, and Ruth Sorenson. Resource material for the development of this information includes the Virginia Master Gardener Handbook; Extension Publications and newsletters from VCE, numerous other states, and the USDA; and an extensive library of over 900 books, magazines, and journals. Project funded by The Virginia Gardener Newsletter subscription fees. Diane Relf, Project Director and Content Specialist.

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