Winter Weather in Pittsburgh Landscaping

Today, in Pittsburgh, the temperature was not very "wintry". The good news is that if you needed some landscaping work done before the end of the year, today was the last day of decent weather to do it. But, what other wintry landscaping could be done? Is snow removal the ONLY winter landscaping? And what major concerns should you have when doing landscaping, or hiring a landscaper, for summertime landscape and hardscaping projects? (click here for info)

How does winter weather affect landscaping in Pittsburgh?

Winter weather in Pittsburgh can force many summertime projects into a hiatus for a few months. As winter and cold weather start to become more of a reality, so too does rain, wind and snow.

The largest issues with winter-time landscaping is the snow. Cement doesn't harden correctly during cold months in Pennsylvania. You can purchase special cements and mortars, as well as heaters for those areas, but for most projects, you should wait until March or April, at the earliest.

Other issues are concerning softscaping changes in your landscape. Everything from mulch, to planting new trees and foliage, to gardening all cannot be correctly done in wintry weather.

What are winter landscaping ideas?

There are many Pittsburgh landscaping ideas that can be handled in winter months. And no, once again, I'm not only talking about snow removal and snow plowing.

One simple hardscaping project would be excavation and building of dry retaining walls; ones without the use of mortar. These do not need to worry about cracking nor fragility being created by using cements and mortars in cold weather. Even excavating and digging can be done in most cold ground that hasn't fully frosted yet (in January, the ground is a LOT harder to dig into).

Another is tree pruning and removal. Because winter months usually mean less precipitation (specifically rain), trees lose their leaves and become dryer. This is a good time to remove access branches, portions and even from the trunk down from your landscape.

What are summer landscaping ideas?

Summer months work best for creating water structures and shading elements like pergolas and gazebos. Also, gardening and other softscaping should be done from May into August.

One issue you might have is in August, as it's Pittsburgh warmest month. This is because the temperature can occasionally see 100 degrees temps. The extreme temperatures can have adverse effects on concrete (improper water evaporation), rainfall/flooding and the heat of transplanting new, fresh, healthy flowers and plants into dry ground.

Where to find more landscaping information?

If you would like to find out more about Landscaping in Pittsburgh PA, visit the site and take part in some of the free guides and offers.