Autumn is not the end of green space maintenance – plants in your yard, balcony or terrace can provide year-round enjoyment

Autumn is not the end of green space maintenance – plants in your yard, balcony or terrace can provide year-round enjoyment

When spring arrives and the snow melts, we often think about green space maintenance. But the beauty of the green spaces around your home, the balconies and terraces of apartment buildings, can be enjoyed all year round. Liudmila Dementenko, works manager at Civinity Namai, explains how to prepare plants for autumn and how to ensure that green spaces remain attractive even after the first snowfall.

Prepare your green spaces for winter

In early autumn, green spaces start to be prepared for winter. Traditionally, according to Civinity Namai, plants in green spaces are pruned, fertilised and prepared for winter in early autumn.

When preparing plants for winter, it is recommended to whiten the trunks and main branches of fruit trees to protect them from temperature changes. Evergreen shrubs should be netted to protect them from snow, the weight of which can break the branches. Mulch is recommended for shrubs in green spaces to protect the roots from the harsh cold weather. Perennial flowers should also be cared for by removing dead flowers, cutting the leaves and mulching the roots. All plants should be watered and fertilised with plant-specific products.

This is a good time to adjust the planting plan

Autumn is a good time to make adjustments to your planting plan. Once the leaves have been raked off the trees and the area has been tidied up, you can see the big picture of the green space and decide which plants are too many, which are overgrown, which need to be removed or replanted.

“If you’ve been dreaming of new plants in the summer, but were afraid they wouldn’t grow, autumn is the perfect time to do it. This is the time of year to plant newer, taller trees, which should take root during the autumn and, after resting over the winter and gathering strength, will be ready to be green in the spring,” says L. Dementenko.

Don’t forget the plants on your balcony or terrace

Residents who decorate their balconies and terraces with plants are advised to first remove annual flowers and to tie up potted shrubs or trees to protect them from the approaching frost. It is also recommended to fertilise plants before covering them.

According to Dementenko, plants need more space as they grow over time and should be transplanted into larger pots or moved into the ground in autumn.

Plant plants that will keep you happy in the cold season

Once annual flowers have bloomed, your yard, balcony or terrace doesn’t have to remain plant-free until spring. If you want to enjoy plants during the cold season, plant a variety of sedges, coneflowers and hydrangeas. These plants are naturalistic, semi-wild and decorative in both winter and summer.

“We are seeing a trend that more and more people want to enjoy plants in winter. Herbaceous ornamental plants have recently become fashionable, which are not characterised by large, chunky flowers, but rather by a clear structure that they retain in winter. Plants such as bloodroot, sage, astrantia, astilbe do not wilt and fall over in late autumn after a frost, but instead wither and brighten up their surroundings,” says the Civinity Namai specialist.

Make sure your balcony is in good working order

More and more city dwellers are using their balconies as a cosy extra space to grow plants and, in the run-up to Christmas, decorate them with multicoloured garlands of outdoor lights. Keeping your balcony in good condition is important for its enjoyment. A balcony needs to be in good working order to bear its own weight, as well as the weight of the pots and the soil, plants and people on it.

“If you notice any damage to the balcony’s structure or signs of water leakage, we recommend that you immediately contact the apartment building administrator, who will assess the balcony’s technical condition and recommend next steps. Balconies in an emergency condition are immediately cleaned up and temporarily covered with netting to protect residents, passers-by and material property. We do not recommend that balconies in poor, but non-emergency condition be heavily stocked with plant pots and other items and that repairs be planned in advance together with the building administrator,” says Civinity Namai’s works manager.