Smart Winter Preparation Can Prevent Costly Spring Repairs
Winter in the Lake George basin can be beautiful, but it can also be hard on shorelines, lawns, patios, retaining walls, plantings, and drainage systems. Snow accumulation, ice, frozen soil, heavy runoff, and repeated freeze-and-thaw cycles can gradually weaken even a well-maintained property.
The damage is not always immediately visible. A small drainage issue may become a washed-out slope by spring. Water trapped beneath pavers can freeze, expand, and cause shifting. An unprotected shoreline can lose valuable soil during snowmelt.
Taking the right precautions now can protect your property, preserve your shoreline and help your landscape emerge stronger in spring.
1. Keep Drainage Paths Clear
One of the most important winter landscape practices is ensuring that water has a safe place to go. Before heavy snow arrives, remove leaves, branches, soil, and other debris from: drainage swales, catch basins, culverts, downspouts and trench drains.
Blocked drainage systems can cause water to pool around foundations, patios, retaining walls, and planting beds. When that standing water freezes, it can expand and damage nearby surfaces.
Proper drainage can reduce the amount of sediment and pollutants that may be carried toward Lake George during winter thaws and spring snowmelt.
2. Protect Your Shoreline From Erosion
Shorelines are especially vulnerable during winter. Ice movement, wave action, runoff, and melting snow can loosen soil and expose roots.
Avoid removing established shoreline vegetation unless it is absolutely necessary. Deep-rooted native shrubs and perennials help hold soil in place and slow the movement of runoff.
3. Use Care Around Permeable Pavers and Hardscapes
Permeable pavers are designed to allow water to move through the surface and into the properly open stone base below. Open stone base is a relatively new technique in paver systems to provide a place for surface runoff to go. This helps reduce runoff, standing water, and erosion.
During winter, avoid applying excessive sand to driveways near permeable surfaces because these materials can clog the joints and reduce drainage performance.
Deicing products should also be used sparingly. Excessive salt can damage plants, degrade masonry materials, and wash into nearby waterways. A professionally installed paver system with the correct open base material is far more likely to withstand Northern New York’s demanding winters.
4. Prepare Plants, Lawns, and Trees for Snow and Ice
Healthy landscapes are more likely able to survive winter stress. Before the ground freezes, remove diseased plant material, lightly prune broken branches, and apply mulch where appropriate. Mulch can help regulate soil temperatures and protect plant roots, but it should not be piled directly against tree trunks or shrub stems.
Sensitive shrubs may benefit from burlap screens in locations exposed to road salt, harsh winds, or falling snow. Protecting those plants that are prone to deer damage is paramount. It is best to eliminate plants that are prone to deer damage over time. Reducing the plants that attract deer in your landscape keeps them away from grazing on your other plants.
Protecting Your Property Protects Lake George
Every property within the Lake George basin has the potential to influence our Lake’s water quality. Runoff from roofs, driveways, lawns, and hillsides can carry sediment, salt, fertilizers, and other pollutants toward the lake.
Reduce your reliance on lawn fertilizers. Proper drainage, permeable surfaces, shoreline vegetation and responsible winter maintenance can help reduce that impact on the Lake.
Protecting your shoreline and landscape is not only an investment in your own property. It is also a commitment to your legacy and the long-term health of our Lake George.
Experience Matters on the Lakeshore
For more than 40 years, DeFranco Landscaping has helped property owners create and protect their properties throughout the Lake George basin. From shoreline stabilization and drainage improvements to permeable pavers, retaining walls, planting design, patios, and complete landscape construction, the DeFranco team understands what it takes to build a sustainable landscape that is in harmony with the Lake.
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