This has been one of the hardest winters in decades. I expect there will be a lot of landscapes that are devastated from the chill. It is important that you do not jump the gun and trim too soon. If you trim now and then get new growth, then the new growth becomes susceptible to future freezes.

One of the questions I get most often is this,

"If a plant is already brown should I still cover it in future freezes?"

The answer is, yes. The reason is, at this stage, it is all about protecting the stems and the trunk of the plant.

If there is something good to come from the freeze, that would be the ability to identify microclimates in your yard. Look around your yard now and see if there are particular planting beds, areas under trees, or spots where the grass is greener. If this exists, these could be warmer microclimates and make note for the future because these will be great spots for planting tropicals.

The lawn should be very brown right now, and a lot of the dead grass clippings could build up and help create a thick layer of thatch. To help reduce it and have it decompose quickly, this tonic will be of great value.

Garden Rebel Thatch Reducer Tonic:
To a 20 gallon hose-end sprayer add

1.1 cup of Murphy's oil soap
2.1 cup ammonia
3.1 cup regular cola
4.1cup beer

Shake sprayer, turn on the hose and this will cover 1,500 square feet.

So many yards have deteriorated over the last several months and the worse it looks the less work it seems that people will do simply because of discouragement. Look at it this way, it is a brand new year and we can literally start with a brand new canvas.

One of the reasons so many people are overwhelmed is because they try to cope with too large of an area at one time. If you break the landscape down to sections or phases and just concentrate on one phase at a time, the sun will begin to shine again...so to speak.
For example, let us say that in the front yard you have a large foundation bed, in addition, there are two very large free form islands in the lawn. It would be best to just deal with the foundation bed first, because even on a small to medium sized home, this could mean dozens of new plants and each variety needs to be thought out carefully, so that the design will have longevity.

Once phase one is planted, you can now switch gears and concentrate all of your efforts on phase two, which are the island. Stand back at the street edge and look at these islands and try to make the following decisions. Do I want a tree in the island? Is a fruit shade or flowering tree best? Do I want flowering shrubs and if you, how big should I allow them to become. For example if they are two big they may hide the other plants behind them.

You most likely will need some ground cover so you need to decide what type and style you want. Clumping or spreading, greenery or flowery? The rule is spend a little more time thinking things out in the beginning and it will save you time energy and money in the end.