How to Get Your Yard Ready for a Pacific Northwest Winter

Winter around Puget Sound is mostly about water: months of steady rain, saturated soil, and the occasional hard freeze or windstorm. A good fall routine protects your plants, lawn, and hardscape and makes spring much easier.

Clear leaves before they mat down

Wet leaves pack into a heavy mat that smothers grass and blocks light. Clear them off the lawn regularly through fall instead of waiting for every last leaf to drop. Leaves in beds can be shredded and left as a light mulch, but keep them off the lawn and away from the base of shrubs.

Clean gutters and check drainage

Clogged gutters overflow onto beds, wash out soil, and can push water toward your foundation. Clean them after the main leaf drop and make sure downspouts carry water well away from the house. Walk the property during a heavy rain and look for spots where water pools. Those are the areas where a drainage fix, such as a French drain or regrading, can save a lot of trouble.

Winterize irrigation

If you have a sprinkler system, shut it off and blow out the lines before the first hard freeze. Water left in the pipes and backflow device can freeze, crack fittings, and lead to an expensive repair in spring. Disconnect hoses from outdoor spigots too.

Prune the right plants, skip the wrong ones

Fall is a good time to remove dead, damaged, or crossing branches and to cut back spent perennials. Hold off on heavy pruning of spring-flowering shrubs like rhododendrons and azaleas, since cutting them now removes next year's blooms. If you have large trees near the house, have any weak or overhanging limbs checked before windstorm season.

Mulch beds

A fresh 2 to 3 inch layer of mulch or bark insulates roots, reduces winter weeds, and keeps soil from washing out in heavy rain. Keep mulch a few inches away from tree trunks and the base of shrubs.

Give the lawn a last mow and feed

Mow at a normal height until growth slows down, then do a final cut. A fall fertilizer application helps roots store energy for winter and green up faster in spring. Fall is also a great time to aerate and overseed thin areas while the soil is still warm.