Fall: after the first frost
Leaves come down around and after the first fall frost. In metro Atlanta NOAA's normals put the median first frost between early and late November depending on the place: earlier in the outer suburbs, later around the airport and the core of the city. Each city page gives its own date. A cleaning booked after that date, once the trees over the roof are bare, catches most of the year's leaves in one visit; one booked in October may need a second.
Spring: after the pollen and catkins
Pines shed pollen and oaks drop catkins in spring, and maples and sweetgums add seeds. That mat is fine and wet and settles into downspout outlets. A spring cleaning after it is down keeps the gutters clear for the summer thunderstorms.
How many times a year
- Pines over the roof: needles fall all year. Two cleanings or more, and fine-mesh guards are worth a look.
- Hardwoods over the roof: one cleaning after the fall drop, one in spring.
- No trees within reach: once a year.
The City of Atlanta measured tree canopy over 45.7% of its land in 2023, and over 80% in its leafiest neighborhood. Count the trees whose branches reach the roof, not the trees in the yard.
Between cleanings
Walk around the house during a hard rain once in a while. Water sheeting over the front of a gutter, a downspout that is not running, or a splash next to the foundation shows where the trouble is before it shows on the fascia.