Late winter in Middle Tennessee is notoriously unpredictable. February can bring a few mild, sunny days one moment, only for temperatures to drop below freezing overnight and heavy rains or a thunderstorm to set in the next. For property owners across Forest Hills, Oak Hill, Franklin, Brentwood, and other regions in and around Nashville, this kind of weather can leave your gardens, lawn, trees, and irrigation system in pretty bad shape by spring.
It’s a period that is often overlooked when it comes to landscaping, yet late-winter prep plays an important role in how well your property transitions into the growth season. A proactive, late-winter landscape approach helps you uncover hidden damage, address hardscape issues, and protect plant health. Finding and resolving problems now reduces excessive stress on your landscaping elements and minimizes the risk of expensive repairs later.
As trusted landscaping and tree service experts, the certified arborists, horticulturists, and landscaping team here at The Parke Company work with homeowners, property managers, and municipalities across Nashville, landscaping regions. We provide comprehensive inspection and maintenance services, irrigation checks, installations, tree care, and responsive storm services to keep your property in its best shape year-round.
Get in touch with us now for a late winter softscape, shrubbery, hardscape, and garden bed check-up so that your property will be all set for spring’s debut.
Why February Is Critical for Catching Lingering Winter Damage
At the intersection of winter and spring, we have February, when damage from freezing temperatures, high winds, and Tennessee storms becomes apparent. Our region’s freeze-thaw cycles can place substantial strain on soil structure, plant and tree roots, and hardscape surfaces.
When temperatures shift, heavy clay soil expands and contracts, which can lift roots and impact grading. Winter landscaping looks for trees and shrubs that were weakened months earlier and are beginning to show signs of stress, such as dieback or discoloration. And your lawn can reveal zones damaged by excessive snow cover and prolonged rain.
We need to uncover these problems and fix them now so that your gardens bloom and thrive in spring and summer. Unidentified problems left to fester will set your garden and landscaping back, disrupting what you’d planned to come up next season and leaving you playing catch-up.
Beds, Shrubs, and Softscape Areas to Inspect
Inspecting planting beds, shrubs, and softscape areas late-winter for issues that need attention keeps problems at bay and repair costs down. At The Parke Company, we start by clearing your garden beds of accumulated debris, such as leaves and dead plant material. This serves a number of purposes. It prevents fungal growth, keeps pests from settling in, and offers a clear view of how things are progressing. We inspect your soil as well for compacting, which can suffocate roots, and will amend it with compost or other organic matter (provided it isn’t too wet) to optimize structure and aeration.
Drainage is also a key focus. Softscape areas that pool water after winter rains should be assessed and corrected now before problems progress.
Hardscape Issues Worsen by Freeze-Thaw Cycles
While plants, trees, and shrubs show visible signs of damage externally, hardscape damage develops beneath the surface. Patios, walkways, retaining walls, and driveways are particularly susceptible to the dangers of Nashville’s freeze-thaw cycles.
When water penetrates small cracks in concrete, stone, and mortar and then freezes and expands, cracks develop, and they worsen throughout the rest of winter and into spring. Pavers can also shift, and retaining walls can begin to destabilize. February inspections help you identify these issues and get ahead of them before spring’s rain accelerates deterioration.
Our team is very particular about inspecting hardscape elements for cracks, uneven surfaces, and areas where water is collecting. We level and stabilize pavers and seal untreated concrete or masonry to block any further moisture from seeping in.
We also ensure gutters and downspouts are directing water away from patios and walls, and that sloped grading encourages runoff. And we’ll inspect your retaining walls for bulging or leaning, which could indicate trapped water.
Last-Chance Mulching or Pruning Options
Mulching is one of the most effective winter landscaping strategies. A consistent, properly applied layer of mulch protects roots from temperature extremes, conserves moisture, and improves soil health. Mulching late winter is also important for insulating roots against sudden cold snaps and reducing or preventing soil erosion.
In addition to mulching, we prune shrubs such as boxwood, crape myrtles, and Liriope that are still dormant, allowing them to heal quickly. Pruning now also prevents the stimulation of new, tender growth that late frosts could damage.
For most deciduous trees, late winter is the safest and most effective time to remove dead, diseased, or hazardous limbs. Structural pruning at this time of year reduces the risk of storm damage later and gives your trees a strong start to the coming season. Oaks and elms on your property will require special care without pruning to prevent the risk of disease, which we’re careful to monitor and keep in perfect order.
Summer-blooming shrubs will also benefit from late-winter pruning because it encourages strong new growth. Redbud, lilac, and forsythia, however, are not pruned as they’ve usually developed their flower buds by now and should simply be left alone and monitored.
Giving Your Property Its Best Start to the Coming Seasons
With decades of regional experience, our team understands how Middle Tennessee’s unique soil and tough weather patterns impact residential landscapes, and we’re here to help you prepare your winter landscape for spring and the coming seasons.
Preserve the health of your gardens and trees by addressing winter damage now and preventing problems from becoming serious and costly down the road. With everything in order, there’ll be no delays to the spring planting process, and your seasonal irrigation schedule can be resumed without incident.
If you live in Middle Tennessee or manage commercial grounds in the region, the landscaping Nashville property owners and managers rely on starts here at The Parke Company, your trusted source for professional landscape preparation and maintenance.
Book your late-winter landscape check-up with our team today and gain valuable peace of mind knowing everything is on track for a healthy and resplendent next season.