A land manager’s work is never done. Daily tasks may change, but they never cease. Each season brings its own labor, even winter. As is always the case, weather conditions dictate much of our work. Winter’s shorter days and frigid temperatures limit hours spent outdoors, leaving precious time to plan for the coming season between windows of decent weather.
Winter is prized for the way it reveals the structure of a landscape, a prime opportunity for major and minor pruning as well as for planning future edits and enhancements. Not only is it easier to see branches when they’re bare, but they’re also least susceptible to intrusion by disease and pests during winter. Pests and disease are less active in the cold and the plants’ vascular systems are dormant, minimizing sap loss and allowing for faster healing.
Winter isn’t only about subtraction. It’s also the best time to identify where additional structural elements or vegetative screens are needed visually and to buffer noise and exhaust, an especially important consideration in our very urban location. When outside conditions are unworkable, field notes and photos aid memory to inform days indoors, scouring availability lists and combing sources to procure just the right plants for each purpose and place. As the land lies frosty and asleep, plans are already made and plants already being procured for more spring plantings in the Pool.
