Now that the winter weather is officially upon us many homeowners are getting ready for the holiday season.
Adding decorations to the inside and outside of the home is a favorite activity this time of year. Shopping and getting things marked off of the holiday gift list are also big priorities in the coming weeks.
If you are entertaining guests or having holiday overnight visitors, you will also want to make sure that your yard is safe and prepared for the winter weather.
The cold weather and frost can create some dangerous outdoor scenarios but, there are some things that you can do to prevent this.
Here are a few tips for winter weather landscaping:
The first thing to do is to trim any low hanging branches from the trees on your property. This is especially important for those trees that have branches hanging over your home. When the winter storms hit, having low hanging branches can lead to serious damage to your roof if the storm has high winds or even added weight to the branch from frost or snow. You will want to remove any chance of damage in advance by removing these branches preemptively.
The next thing to do is to take all of the leaves up from your walkways and driveway. If left lying around, the leaves will get wet and could create a slippery surface for people to walk on. Also, leaves will gather small pools of water and that water could become frozen if the temperatures drop low enough. This freeze will lay on top of the leaves and could lead to slip and falls as the surface of frozen leaves is very difficult to walk on.
If you have any equipment out in the yard – this is the time to get it indoors and stored away. Your lawn mower, shovels, rakes, garden hoses, and any garden tools should all be brought indoors and put away. If these items are left in the yard, they could easily get covered with debris or falling leaves and will be difficult to see. Someone walking through or playing in the yard could get seriously injured.
Follow these simple tips for getting your yard ready for the winter weather. It is officially time to transition things from the ‘cool’ weather to the ‘cold’ weather and these tips will help.