There are many reasons people love the holidays, but a big one is having the chance to decorate your yard for the season. Whether it’s setting up decorations, stringing lights on the branches of trees or simply keeping your front lawn immaculate despite the snowy conditions, New Jersey homeowners love to show off their holiday spirit when December comes around each year. However, after the holidays are over and it’s time to start preparing for the new year, there’s much work to be done when it comes to cleaning up your yard. Here are several steps you should take to make sure that you have a beautiful January ahead.
Dispose of Your Christmas Tree Properly
Though it might seem tempting just to throw it away (trees just decompose, won’t they?), the proper way to get rid of your tree is to recycle it. This method is much more environmentally friendly and ensures that the tree will not go to waste. Companies cut the old tree into wood chips to use in wood and paper products instead of just being sent to a garbage dump. Some wildlife agencies place trees in recreational lakes to serve as viable fish habitat.
Recycling
There are several ways to get your tree from your home to a recycling center. For starters, in many cities you can simply leave it on your curb on a certain day to be picked up by your garbage service provider. You can also drive your tree to a local recycling center to drop it off, or check with your local department of public works to see if there is a tree recycling or mulching program in your community. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, there is more than 4,000 local Christmas Tree recycling programs throughout the country. A nonprofit organization (such as a local Boy Scout troop) might also pick up your tree for recycling, but this depends on the area in which you live. Finally, if it is small enough and you have the right tools, you can cut the tree down to fit in your yard waste container, and dispose of it in the normal way.
Clear Away Your Holiday Decorations
Though it might be tempting to leave all your decorations hanging up indefinitely (especially if you’re proud of a particular decorating job you did or display you put together), they begin to lose their appeal after a certain amount of time passes. Therefore, it’s important that you take down and put away all of your specific holiday-themed decorations, although the timeline that you can follow for this varies.
When They Should Disappear
As a general rule of thumb, outdoor, Christmas-related decorations should be taken down by the second week of January. Meanwhile, more generic “winter-themed” items, such as holiday wreaths, can be kept up through the end of January at the latest (by then, they’re probably beginning to die anyway). Make sure to stay organized when putting away your decorations so that you can easily use them again the next year!
Start Planning Next Year’s Plants
With the start of the new year comes a whole new opportunity for gardening! Once spring sets in, you’ll have the chance to try out new types of plants for your yard, so you should start planning ahead now. Go to plant sales and start looking at garden catalogs for seeds that you’d like to buy, or new ideas for landscaping options.
Native Plants
Consider using native plants this year for a more sustainable take on gardening, as well as heirloom plants that are often overlooked but unique. Begin your new year’s gardening adventure by adding potted evergreens to your entry areas to prevent your yard from looking completely bereft after you take down the green decorations. That way, you have some greenery left after the major holiday push subsides.
Consider Hiring a Landscaping Service
Now is the perfect time to reconsider or revamp your landscaping, whether that means something as simple as removing snow or as complex as adding new features. You can hire a company to install new outdoor lighting, which can help get you through the dark nights of winter that are still left or simply give your yard a new look for the spring.
Snow Removal
You can also get professional snow removal services, which will help get that winter blanket off of your lawn so you can start getting it ready for your spring landscaping plans. Landscaping services help you design a new look for your garden if that’s something you want to change and can take care of everything from the architecture to the plants themselves.
With some attention, your lawn can be free of holiday and winter debris so you are ready for the spring thaw.
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