Hurricane-Season Yard Prep: The Pinellas County Checklist

Every June, Pinellas yards divide into two groups: the ones prepared in May, and the ones creating debris piles in a watch window when pickup is already suspended. This is the checklist we run — as a company and at our own houses.

Trees: prune for structure, not drama

The wind damage that matters comes from predictable failures: codominant stems, overextended limbs above roofs, deadwood, and canopies so dense they catch wind like sails. Proper structural pruning — selective thinning by someone who knows species behavior — addresses all four. What doesn’t help: topping (creates weakly attached regrowth), lion-tailing, and the palm pineapple cut. Book real tree work for late spring; good arborists’ calendars fill by April.

Drainage: find the failure before the storm does

Walk the property during the first heavy June downpour with a coffee and honest eyes. Where does water stand? Which swale has quietly filled with mulch? Is the pool overflow clear? Gutters, downspout extensions, catch basins, and the outfall at the street — ten minutes of observation now schedules a fix in July instead of a claim in September.

The projectile audit

Wind doesn’t need to uproot an oak to break a window — it uses your own yard first. Standing inventory: potted plants, patio umbrellas, trellises not anchored to structure, garden art, stacked pavers from that unfinished project, trampolines. Assign each item a storm home (garage, pool, strapped-down) before the cone appears. Pro tip nobody follows: photograph the yard annually for insurance while it’s intact.

Hardscape and structures

Pergolas and shade sails built to code ride storms out — that’s what engineered footings and rated hardware are for. What fails: aftermarket shade sails left rigged (drop them at a watch), string lights on loose hooks, and gates left unpinned to slam themselves apart. Paver surfaces themselves are effectively stormproof; it’s what sits on them that flies.

After the storm

Resist immediate replanting of leaning trees — many recoverable trees are lost to hasty removal, and many hazards are created by amateur chainsaw work in wet soil. Stand trees back up and stake within days if roots are intact; call for assessment on anything large. Salt-flooded beds want a fresh-water rinse as soon as taps allow.

Want it handled instead?

Our maintenance plans fold storm prep into the calendar — structural pruning scheduled in spring, drainage checked monthly, and a documented pre-season pass every May. June 1 arrives either way; prepared is optional.