With Thanksgiving behind us, it’s time for many homeowners in the Weymouth, Marshfield, and surrounding area to begin decorating their homes for the holidays. Holiday lights are a huge part of that tradition. They add color, sparkle and much needed brightness to the landscape – vital as short days mean it starts getting dark very early.
As your Weymouth lawn service, we’d like to take a moment to talk about how to safely light your outdoor trees, shrubs and bushes. This is especially important this year, as drought conditions have left many trees in rough shape. Extremely dry trees burn very easily. 2016 has been tough on a number of levels. Avoiding a fire in the front yard would be a good thing.
Begin by visually inspecting the tree, shrub or bush you’re planning to hang lights on. If it’s an evergreen, are the needles plentiful and healthy? Run your hand along a branch. If needles fall to ground in quantity, the tree may be too dry to light safely. Orange, brown, or missing needles are also a good sign you don’t want to light this tree. It is generally safe to light dormant – not dead! – deciduous trees. Deciduous trees are trees that lose their leaves in the fall. If your trees dropped their leaves well before September, play it safe and skip lighting that tree this year. Trees that kept their leaves until the normal time are a safer choice, as is adding lights to your home, mailbox, and other man-made outdoor features like gazebos and swings.
The other important component to safe outdoor lighting is the lights. Here in the Weymouth region we love tradition – but those traditional outdoor lights you may have inherited from your parents or snagged at a yard sale may not be the safest option. Some of these lights get extremely hot. That’s why you see manufacturers switching to LED lighting: they’re brighter yet cooler. All light sets, no matter what type, should be inspected end to end before being hung. Any breaks or frayed wires means it’s time for that set to go. Happy holidays!
