With the end of summer (sigh… cry) comes fall in and around Ottawa.
Short as it is, fall (or autumn, if you will) is a beautiful time of year in Eastern Ontario and Quebec. The leaves are turning all sorts of vibrant shades, the smell of fireplaces begins to permeate the air, and pumpkin spice everything is on offer.
When it comes to yards and trees, fall means cleaning up and preparing for winter.
In this edition of the Croft Tree Experts Ottawa tree blog, we’ll focus on tips for fall cleanup for your yard or property.
What Lies Ahead for Fall Cleanup
If you own a home or property in the Ottawa area, you may already have a routine down when it comes to fall cleanup.
But we’re giving some pointers for new homeowners and those who may want a refresher or a “life hack” on keeping up with those fall chores to get your yard or property in good shape before winter sets in.
1. Clean Eavestroughs, Gutters & Downspouts
Fall (autumn) means falling leaves. Lovely to look at, but not great when the leaves clog your eaves, gutters and/or downspouts. If not removed, these leaf clogs can lead to flooding, which has a very unwanted domino effect of water pooling and posing the threat of flooding.
2. Rake & Remove Leaves from the Ground
Raking leaves is a fall tradition in Ottawa and elsewhere in the region. It will probably take more than one pass at getting all the leaves raked up and put out for collection. After all, you do your yard but your neighbour procrastinates, and meanwhile those gusty autumn winds blow their leaves into your lawn (doh!). But sure enough, sooner or later you can have a clean lawn before the snow comes, leaving (no pun intended) less for you to do in the spring (wet leaves in the spring can contain mold and/or breed mosquitoes).
3. Get the Flowers & Plants Ready for Winter
Another part of your yard you’ll want to tend to is the garden – or anywhere else you’ve got plants and flowers outside the house. It’s time to dispose of any flowers and plants that aren’t able to last through the winter, and wrap carefully other ones. Perennials are usually fine through even an Ottawa winter, but in the fall it’s a good idea to trim or cut irises, peonies and the like.
4. Prune Trees & Take Care of Any Necessary Tree Removal in Ottawa
The last item on the list is one that you’ll want to consider first: Trees.
If you have small trees, hedges or bushes you can trim these yourself or hire a service (technically for trees it’s called ‘pruning’).
For larger trees, pruning branches and sections promotes healthy tree growth. A great time to perform this is after the leaves have fallen but before the snow and ice accumulate. The same goes for tree removal, should you require this.
Tree pruning is best performed by a tree service.
Tree removal most definitely should be performed by a professional tree expert, preferably a trusted, experienced company with a certified arborist on staff.
Count on Croft Tree Experts for Ottawa Tree Removal & Tree Pruning
Whether you’re doing fall cleanup and are looking for expert tree pruning services, or you need tree removal for a tree that is dead, dying or posing a threat to people and/or structure, count on Croft Tree Experts.
We have certified arborists on staff and are backed by years of tree experience and training.
Contact us today to find out more and book an appointment for Ottawa tree services.