🌲 December Landscaping Guide: Smart, Local Tips to Protect Your Property This Winter
December in Metro Vancouver brings rain, windstorms, mild cold snaps, and plenty of moisture. Even though it feels like landscaping season is over, this is actually one of the most important months for homeowners, strata councils, and businesses to stay ahead on property maintenance. Winter landscaping in Vancouver protects your investment, improves safety, and sets the stage for greener, healthier growth in spring.
These December tips from local Vancouver landscapers will help you understand exactly what should be done — and why it matters.
🍂 Cut Back Perennials That Have Finished for the Season
By December, many classic Vancouver perennials like hostas, black-eyed Susans, peonies, daylilies, bleeding hearts, and ornamental grasses are fully collapsed. Leaving that soggy foliage in place attracts pests, encourages fungus, and makes garden beds look neglected.
Cutting perennials down now:
🌱 Reduces slug and pest habitats
🍄 Prevents fungal issues common in Vancouver’s wet winters
🧹 Keeps garden beds tidy
🌼 Encourages stronger spring growth
This task instantly improves both appearance and plant health.
🌿 Light Trimming Is Safe and Smart in Vancouver’s December Weather
While heavy pruning waits until late winter, our mild climate allows for safe, light trimming and shaping throughout December. Vancouver landscaping crews often tidy hedges like cedars, laurels, yews, Portuguese laurels, and boxwoods at this time of year.
Light trimming helps:
👀 Improve sightlines around walkways and driveways
❄️ Prevent branches from bending under wet snow
✨ Maintain clean curb appeal
🌫 Reduce moss buildup in damp, shaded areas
It keeps your landscape looking sharp even during the dark, rainy season.
🍁 Fresh Mulch Installation Is a Secret Winter Advantage
Mulch installation in Vancouver is often underestimated in winter, but December is one of the best months to refresh your beds. A 2–3 inch layer of composted mulch offers huge benefits during our rainy season.
Why mulch now:
🛡 Insulates plant roots during cold snaps
🌧 Prevents soil erosion from heavy rain
🌱 Suppresses early spring weeds
🌿 Improves soil quality as it breaks down
🏡 Makes garden beds look clean and professionally maintained
For strata and commercial landscaping, mulch is one of the highest-impact winter upgrades you can invest in.
🌬 Stay Ahead of Storm Debris from Winter Wind Events
Windstorms are part of December life in Metro Vancouver. Fir needles, cones, branches, and leaves build up quickly on lawns, walkways, parking lots, and patios.
Regular debris cleanup prevents:
⚠️ Slippery walkways
💧 Clogged drains and pooling water
🟫 Lawn suffocation and dead patches
🏘 Messy, neglected-looking common areas
Consistent winter cleanup is essential, especially for strata and commercial properties.
🧹 Keep Lawns Clear of Leaves All Winter
Winter leaf buildup is one of the biggest causes of lawn damage in Vancouver. Wet leaves block airflow, promote fungus, and attract crane flies — a major local lawn pest.
Keeping your lawn clear:
🍃 Improves oxygen flow
🍀 Prevents winter lawn diseases
🐛 Reduces pest activity
🌿 Helps the lawn come back greener in spring
Even light, regular leaf removal goes a long way.
💧 Check Drainage After Heavy Rainfall
Because Vancouver receives so much rain in December, this month is the best time to identify drainage issues on your property.
Watch for:
💦 Puddles that linger for long periods
🌧 Soil washing out of garden beds
🏠 Water flowing toward buildings
⬇️ Downspouts draining into planting areas
❄️ Icy patches forming on shaded walkways
Fixing drainage early protects your landscape and improves safety for residents and visitors.
🌱 Protect Newly Planted and Sensitive Plants
Most established plants in Vancouver survive winter easily, but younger or more delicate plants may need extra protection.
Good candidates for protection:
🪴 Newly planted shrubs
💜 Young lavender
🌿 Some ferns
🌺 Hydrangeas in exposed areas
Simple solutions like mulch collars, burlap wraps, or temporary wind protection prevent freeze shock during cold snaps.
🏡 Why Winter Landscaping Matters for Vancouver Properties
Winter landscaping is preventative landscaping. Whether you’re maintaining a single-family home, strata complex, or commercial site, December is a crucial month for protecting your outdoor spaces.
Consistent winter maintenance helps you avoid:
🍂 Spring die-off
🌧 Soil erosion
🐛 Pest issues
🟦 Lawn damage
💸 Costly drainage repairs
🚶 Overgrown or unsafe walkways
A well-cared-for winter landscape looks better, lasts longer, and wakes up healthier in spring.
If you’d like help with winter landscaping services, our Alljobs crews work all season long, providing mulch installation, debris cleanup, hedge trimming, lawn care, garden bed maintenance, and full strata and commercial landscaping. Whether you prefer to tackle certain tasks yourself or want a reliable Vancouver landscaping team to take it off your plate, December is a month you don’t want to overlook.
✅ Alljobs Landscaping — All Your Outdoor Needs
📞 (604) 295-6158 or 📲 DM us
🌐 www.alljobslandscaping.com
📍 Serving Burnaby, Vancouver, Surrey, Coquitlam & beyond
Design. Build. Bloom. ✍️🌿🧱🌺 From Blueprint to Bloom — We Build Landscapes That Last.
