Having a beautiful yard is a major priority for many homeowners. Yards that are well taken care of can significantly improve curb appeal and raise the value of your home if you're thinking of selling it at some point.

As beautiful as yards can be, there are many dangers that come with having and working in such a space in your home. Even a simple yard with little more than grass and a few flowers could be harboring many dangers. Whether it's for you or your kids, it's important that you know how to make your yard safer through responsible landscape design and maintenance.

Avoid Poisonous Flowers and Plants

When we think about our yards, we tend to focus on how they look and not whether or not the beautiful plants in our yards are potentially poisonous. This isn't an issue for most homes since children above a certain age will know better than to eat a plant in the yard. However, a toddler won't and this can have deadly consequences. There are also plants that can cause skin irritations through contact.

Use Equipment and Herbicides as Instructed

Misuse of herbicides and equipment can make your yard a very dangerous place for humans and animals, including pets. For example, herbicides used on the wrong plants can end up getting ingested. Yard equipment can be even more dangerous. Lawnmowers and weed whackers can cause serious injuries if not handled properly. This is why professional landscape services companies should be hired to perform certain tasks instead.

Don't Leave Tools, Hoses, and Other Items on the Yard

Stepping on a rake may make for great cartoon humor but the dangers posed by items left on the yard are very real. Stepping on a sharp tool or tripping on a garden hose can cause very serious injuries. You should also eliminate natural hazards that can cause similar issues such as low tree branches, ant hills, holes, and thorns.

Make Your Water Features Child-Safe

Water features look good and make the home feel very luxurious. The downside is that these features are a huge drowning risk for small children. Deep pools can be dangerous even to adults if they don't know how to swim or if they're under the influence of alcohol.

Taking measures such as putting a fence around such water features or covering them when you're not using them can save lives. Water features should also have pumps to move the water around and prevent mosquitoes from breeding.