A plan for a winter landscape is especially important in Indianapolis. It’s easy to forget the impact of snow and ice on the winter landscape as well as the impact of the snow removal process. A strategic plan goes a long way to a safe and visually appealing winter.
There are a couple of important points to consider for your winter landscape design plan. You want to look at the location of the vegetation as well as the types of plants in higher traffic areas.
Hours of effort into a landscape for it to be destroyed once snow comes is frustrating. It’s also a waste of resources. With the right plan, you will find a lower maintenance and heartier winter landscape.
Help from a trusted landscape company ensures the job is done right.
Winter Landscape Tip #1: Location of Vegetation
You want to consider the snow removal paths when planning your winter landscape. Do not plant trees or shrubs too close to the road or sidewalks, otherwise a plow cannot safely clear the path.
Different spaces need different clearances. For example, a road can need up to eight feet of push zone, or area where snow will be piled off the road while it melts. Sidewalks and paths obviously do not need quite as much space.
However, areas around doors are usually a place where you need a wider clearance and you do not want to plant delicate plants. These areas are high traffic and often require more salt to clear and prevent ice.
You may want to consider only annuals in this area or using raised boxes to protect your vegetation from salt, snow and traffic.
Planting many plants or more delicate varieties in push zones and doorways will likely be useless. The plants could get damaged or ruined during the snow removal process and, once the snow melts, there will likely be an unsightly mess.
You may also consider planting only annuals along sidewalks or roads. This way, once the time comes for snow removal, those plants have already been removed as part of your fall cleanup.
Winter Landscape Tip #2: Types of Plants
Taking into consideration the types of plants in the areas surrounding roads and sidewalks ensures they withstand both the excess snow and the salt used to de-ice the roadways and sidewalks.
Some plants tolerate salt better than others. If you incorporate these plants into your winter landscape, it prevents the need to replace as many trees, plants and shrubs once the warmer weather arrives.
Particularly salt-tolerant plants include:
- Ash
- Black Walnut
- Birch
- Spruce
- Siberian Elm
- Russian Olive
- Silver and Norway Maple
- White Oak
- Mulberry
- Juniper
- Siberian pea shrub
- Poplar
- Honey Locust
Salt-intolerant plants include:
- Alders
- Scotch Pine
- Black Cherry
- Red Oak
- Hemlock
- Black, Red, and Sugar Maple
Indiana Winter Landscape Expertise from Hittle Landscaping
Whether your goal is to find more salt-tolerant plants or you would like a complete overhaul of your space with winter landscape in mind, Hittle can help!
We have over 40 years working through the Indiana winters and can provide ideas and solutions to make your landscaping attractive during the winter and make ice and snow removal safer and easier once the cold weather hits.
