Temperatures have plummeted, the trees are gradually turning red, yellow and orange, and autumn is well underway. We will soon be treated to our first snowfall. It signals that it?s time to get our yard ready for the cold season.

We often say ?better late than never?, but in this case, it?s ?never better than early?. Everybody knows that fall weather is unpredictable. It is not funny if it rains on the weekend you had planned everything and it snows the following week. So, plan ahead and follow these steps to get your yard ready for winter!

1. Apply fall fertilizers and mow the lawn one last time

This will build potassium reserves in your perennials, trees, grass and shrubs to resist against the very cold season. Freshly-mowed and fertilized, your grass will get through the winter and start spring in good health.

2. Bag the leaves

The widespread idea that leaves feed the grass is a myth! In fact, decomposing leaves on the ground rot and smother the grass. So bag them, and pull the weeds and cut the dead flowers while you are at it.

3. Protect the little guys

If you planted small bushes last spring and are worried that they might not survive the glacial season, anchor them with wooden stalks and wrap them in burlap once their leaves have fallen off.

4. Thoroughly clean and put away the outdoor furniture

Before putting your outdoor furniture away, make sure they are completely clean and dry: you don?t want them housing insect colonies come spring!

5. Shut all valves and put away the hoses

Frozen water can cause a lot of damage, so to avoid burst pipes, empty the hoses, close the indoor and outdoor valves, open the tap to empty it, then put everything away.

6. Maintain the asphalt driveway

As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So put the odds of having a sound driveway come spring in your favor, fix all cracks right way and then seal everything.

Happy fall cleaning! ;)

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