Your Go-To Guide For Hardscape Maintenance During Winter

Those warm, balmy days are almost behind us as Perryville and the greater USA moves closer to winter nights, hot chocolate and fireplaces. And while homeowners will think that winter brings with it slow-growing grass and less outdoor maintenance, they’d be wrong.

Your gardens, landscape and hardscape do require maintenance during the colder months, and with this, we at Swan Creek have provided a quick five-minute guide to hardscape maintenance. With these tips, you’ll be able to ensure your outdoor living spaces and projects survive the cold and come out unscathed from all that the cold brings with it.

What Hardscape Needs A Little TLC?

When we talk about hardscape, we’re referring to everything from steps, walkways, drainage, outdoor lighting to paver driveways, patios, retaining walls, water features, sitting areas and firepits, among other things made of brick, wood or stone. During winter you still want to keep your walkways functional and aesthetically pleasing and your decks and patios in good condition so that, like most flowers, they don’t have to be ‘replanted’ or ‘remowed’. In colder months, hardscape maintenance is essential, so don’t think for a second that low maintenance means no maintenance during this month. Harsh weather and freezing cold temperatures can affect your hardscape if you don’t maintain these elements and prep them for winter.

Quick Tips We Recommend For Your Hardscape Maintenance

Your first step is prepping the furniture. During colder months, and left mostly unused, your outdoor furniture is left empty and to the exposure of the harsh weather. You can cover your furniture, bring those pretty cushions indoor or place your outdoor furniture in the garage or shed. The same can be said about firepits – cover them up.

When it comes to your water features, remove the tropical plants and fish as they won’t be able to handle the cold or iced water. Then give it a good clean, with a thorough dry. Drain the water lines and switch the water feature off. If your pond has fish within it that can withstand the colder water temperatures, be sure to keep the circulation on during winter.

Once that has all been done, it’s time to prep your deck. Start by power washing your deck and then sealing it. Be sure to trim the plants, trees and bushes which are close to your deck as mould and moss can travel from these plants to the deck wood. Then always give a good sweep before winter hits and during this season. Never leave debris and leaves on your deck.

When it comes to drainage and gutters, it is crucial to give all your drainage elements a thorough clean. Water, snow and ice collect in your drainage elements, so be sure to clean them out before and during winter.

During winter, if snow falls, be sure always to remove snow and ice using a plastic shovel and tools as metal tools will damage your walkways, driveways and patios. Sometimes its better to sweep away ice and snow than shovel it. Also, avoid de-icers like salt as this is harsh on hardscape elements.

Call Us During Winter For All Your Hardscape Maintenance Solutions

We know it’s cold so stay warm indoors while you get the hardscape maintenance team at Swan Creek to do all your maintenance and ensure your outdoor areas are beautiful, clean and well maintained even through winter. Call us on 410.378.8668 or visit our website for all our hardscape offerings, https://www.swancreeklandscaping.com/our-services/hardscape.