Winter Hours
January 2 – February 28
10–5 Daily • Closed Sunday
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Outdoor Living & Landscape Maintenance
Here are a few timely tips for the upcoming cold and dormant winter season
Outdoor Living
Deck & Patio Furniture
Begin by cleaning off dirt and grime built up over the last six months or more and dry off as needed. Bring pillows and umbrellas into the house for safekeeping. Stretch heavy-duty patio covers over furniture which will stay outside during winter months. Tie the covers onto the furniture to prevent from blowing around in harsh winds. This will also keep water and snow away from the surface of the furniture.
Chiminea
Protect your chiminea against the weather with a furniture or fountain cover, or bring them inside during cold winters. Before storage, remove the sand. Then, remove the chiminea from its stand and store it on a pallet that allows for airflow–never lift it by the neck.
Water features
Drain the water from fountain prior to the first freeze of the season. Remove the pump and bring it indoors. Now is a great time to clean the pump to remove any debris that may have accumulated throughout the year. Store your fountain pump in a bucket of water and keep it in a warm indoor spot to keep the gaskets from drying out.
Cover your fountain with a tarp or fountain cover. Fill each fountain basin with burlap sacks, old blankets or other absorbent materials to keep condensation from accumulating and freezing inside. This prevents the fountain from cracking due to expansion and contraction of water.
Landscape Lighting
Make sure your system is ready for the shorter length of daylight. Check timers for proper settings
and make sure photo eyes are unobstructed by any plants and debris. Be sure all fixtures are clean and bulbs operational. Adjust the direction of lights as needed. Add to existing lighting systems or install new ones to provide highlights on plants and architectural features and to provide security.
Fall Lawn Care
Grass
Overseeding, lime application and fertilization are best done in September. 
Also, consider aerating and dethatching your lawn in the fall. Lawns should be mowed to no more than 2" tall for the last cut of the season. Be sure to rake leaves up off the lawn. A final application of high nitrogen fertilizer should be applied in mid-November.
Pond Closing
Fall feeding of fish
Continue to feed your pond fish regularly into the fall, as long as they continue to eat the food quickly – within a few minutes. Once water temperatures fall below 60º, switch to a wheat-germ based food that is easier to digest. Stop feeding completely when pond temperatures are below 50º.
Pond Plants
After the first frost, discard tropical and annual plants. Prune back dead foliage on hardy perennials with the exception of hollow stemmed plants such as Horsetails and Rushes, which may lead to rotting. Leave Water Lilies and pond plants submerged at the bottom of the pond. Marginal shelf plants can remain in their normal position.
Netting the pond
Before the onset of fall leafs dropping, cover your pond with netting. Remove after all leaves have fallen off the trees and before the pond freezes.
Filter & Pumps
If you turn off the pump and filter for the winter, be sure to drain all plumbing. External filters, UV's, and external pumps will need to be drained. Submersible pumps should be left in the pond or in a bucket of water in a warm place to keep the seals from drying out. Cold water holds more oxygen than warm water and the fish's respiration is slow, thereby eliminating the need for additional circulation and aeration. The bacteria in the biological filter does not work in cold temperatures, therefore, the only reason to run the filter is to keep the bacteria alive. If you choose this method, be sure to clean the filter with pond water to eliminate good bacteria loss before starting up in the spring.
Fall Plant Care
Plant Care
Perennials should be cut down, divided and fertilized at this time–use Espoma Plant-tone, an organic line of fertilizers. 
Trees and shrubs should be pruned in the cooler temperatures of fall. All evergreens and acid-loving plants will benefit from an application of Espoma Holly-tone. Deciduous trees and shrubs should be fed with Espoma Plant-tone. Don't forget to add seasonal color and interest such as Mums, Pansies, Cabbage and Kale to extend your outdoor gardens throughout this transitional season.
Winter plant protection & Deer-Proofing
Apply a minimum of three applications of Wilt-Proof or Wilt-Stop to evergreen plants to prevent moisture loss and leaf burn from cold winter winds. 
There are several effective deer-proofing products that, if used in combination, will thwart these four-legged creatures from devastating your landscape. Physical barriers, such as netting and chemical controls like Deer Scram or Deer Tech Winter Spray, will prove to be a good defense for most trees and shrubs.
