When you own a home, ensuring your property is safe for you, your family, and any other residents is always a priority. There are obvious measures you can take to secure your home, such as installing an alarm system, surveillance cameras, and perimeter fencing. But there are also other ways to increase safety on your property that will protect you from more than just potential criminals. In fact, there are simple actions you can take with your landscaping that will protect you and your family from a number of different hazards.
Check out a few of these easy tasks you can tackle to make your landscape and entire property safer for you and everyone on it!
Keep up with groundskeeping maintenance.
Unruly vegetation and unkempt plant life can make your landscape more dangerous than you might think. Fallen tree branches, twigs, long grasses, overgrown shrubbery, dead leaves, and similarly out of control vegetation can easily trip someone walking in your yard or driveway. This kind of debris can also catch fire pretty easily, making it especially hazardous in backyards with firepits, outdoor kitchens, and grills.
Another thing to consider is that if your landscape does not appear to be maintained, it is more likely to attract the attention of thieves and vandals. Not only does overgrown landscaping provide easy hiding spots, but it can also give the impression that your house is vacant (i.e., an easy target).
Properly store landscaping tools, equipment, and supplies.
Leaving landscaping items such as pruning shears, rakes, lawn mowers, shovels, bags of mulch, etc. laying around on your property creates a few different safety issues. The most obvious is that someone could trip over a piece of equipment and either fall onto the ground or onto that tool and hurt themselves.
If you have kids or pets, they could mistake some of these dangerous tools and supplies as toys—the last thing you want is for your toddler to play with the buttons on your power saw. Similarly, if dangerous chemicals such as pesticides or pool cleaner are left out, they can be knocked over and cause damage to vegetation or skin, or even be ingested by a child or animal who doesn’t know better.
Add stone or brick walkways to your yard.
Installing a walkway in your front and/or back yard creates a clear path to help direct foot traffic for residents and visitors. This will reduce the risk of somebody tripping on plants, large debris (such as tree branches), and any items you may not realize were left out in the yard. Paths are particularly helpful for households with small children or elderly family members who may have trouble walking.
Stone or brick will also be easier to walk on than grass, especially in wet conditions that can make the ground more slippery. Plus, breaking up your grass with a section of stone, brick, or concrete will help reduce fire risk on your property too.
Install landscape lighting.
High-quality landscape lighting makes it safer to traverse your property at night and in low-visibility conditions, such as snow or rain. Illuminating your landscape also deters potential intruders, who are more likely to approach a property where they can remain hidden in the dark.
Lighting should be placed along any walkways and near entry points, like the front and back doors, windows, and garage. Once you have lighting installed, be sure to check on your bulbs and fixtures regularly to ensure they’re still working.
As a full-service landscaping company skilled in design, installation, and maintenance, VistaPro Landscape is more than equipped to help you make your landscape safer. Our team will work with you to design a landscape that is beautiful, functional, and secure, so you can enjoy your outdoor space without worry.
Get in touch with VistaPro today to get started on the landscape of your dreams!