Autumn is the time for planting, winter prep
Perennial plants, shrubs, trees and lawns require special attention
Greenwich may have weeks left on the calendar before autumn’s leaves begin to fall, but there’s still plenty of work to do to keep yards and landscaping ready for the coming seasonal changes.
“Most people don’t realize that fall is an ideal time for planting,” according to Maggie Bridge, manager of sales and marketing for Sam Bridge Nursery and Greenhouses on North Street in Greenwich. She’s also the vice president of the Connecticut Nursery & Landscape Association.
“Warm ground and cool air temperatures make this a perfect time for root development. Go ahead and install trees, shrubs, perennials, spring flowering bulbs, newly seeded lawns, and of course, seasonal annuals for color,” she advised.
Bridge said that the Nursery is getting fresh stock of foliage to plant throughout the fall.
It’s also time to give lawns a little TLC. “Feeding and seeding,” Bridge suggested. In anticipation of leaves falling, it’s good to create a fall cleanup plan now.
“Right now, you are looking at weeding, mulching, a final prune on formal shrubs; or, if you need to cut back a hydrangea, now is a good time. A good rule of thumb for flowering shrubs is to prune within four to six weeks of them finishing flowering, so you do not cut off next year’s blooms,” she explained.
After the fall cleanup, your landscaping may require further preparation for the winter ahead. “Around Thanksgiving, apply an anti-desiccant to your broadleaf evergreens, to prevent winter damage, and burlap any shrubs prone to wind damage or breakage from heavy snows,” Bridge said. “Give your shrubs a thorough soaking heading into winter. Most winter damage stems from plants being too dry in winter months.”
Lawns and gardens around Greenwich
Multimillion-dollar residences in Greenwich often compel buyers not just by their grand architecture and high-end design, but also for their landscaping and outdoor living spaces – increasingly important to buyers today. A couple of properties like this come to mind.
The 1920s-era English manor at 30 Round Hill Club Road enjoys the privacy and variety of 8.3 acres, with great expanses of open lawn, a serene in-ground pool setting, terraces, a tennis court, a fountain, and formal gardens. Ellen Mosher of Houlihan Lawrence is the listing agent for the $ 13.5 million property.
Scott Elwell, a broker with Douglas Elliman Real Estate, is the listing agent for the fivebedroom pre-war colonial at 63 Hillside Road in mid-country Greenwich. The property is currently listed for $4.65 million.
The lot spans a manageable 1.5 acres, and what makes the setting extra special is the professionally designed landscaping, how well it’s been maintained – by Roberto Fernandez Landscaping – and how it creates useful outdoor living spaces for the residents and their guests. Robin Kramer Garden Design created the landscaping and gardens here.
Elwell described the hydrangea and boxwood- and topiarylined pathway to the front of the home as a “gorgeous approach.” In the back of the home, there are sitting areas nestled among the landscaping, with open lawn, an in-ground pool with a border of hedges, and a magical, tuckedaway outdoor play space that kids will find enchanting. “It’s all usable, all used,” Elwell noted.
Another distinctive Greenwich home that presides over gorgeous grounds is 14 Cowdray Park, listed by Leslie McElwreath, senior global real estate advisor for Sotheby’s International Realty. The 1994-built 35-room, 31,000-square-foot English manor is listed for $30 million. Here, the 14.11-acre setting was brilliantly sculpted by renowned landscaping architect Simon Johnson and is expertly maintained by Ceci Brothers.
McElwreath tempts qualified buyers considering the property, suggesting a “stroll among the
Listed by Douglas Elliman Real Estate for $4.65 million, the pre-war colonial at 63 Hillside Road in mid-country sits among 1.5 acres, with professionally designed landscaping, an in-ground pool, and an abundance of outdoor living space. manicured foliage of your own private English garden, and escape into a world of your own.”