Ok so you decided to hire a professional landscape service to help you out, but what are the services they offer, and what services do you really need.
Landscaping maintenance services can integrate the entire state and health of your garden, from the most basic to the most complete
example of a landscaping services list
-
- general maintenance-detailing
spring/fall clean-up
pruning/hedging
landscape plant protection and feeding
lawn protection, feeding, and mowing
irrigation systems
mulching
weeding
leaf removal
- general maintenance-detailing
General Maintenance/Detailing
This service often includes weeding, ground-cover trimming/controlling, debris removal, removal of spent blooms, monitoring, and removal of browning leaves and branches. this can be considered basic service level
Spring/Fall Clean-Up
A more in-depth cleaning which includes everything in the point mentioned before plus the addition of perennial and grass dividing, bed edging, mulch raking, and seasonal perennial trim down. These services are like “deep-cleaning” of the landscape one to three times per year.
Pruning/Hedging
Pruning and hedging at the correct time of year for each type of plant are a must-have to plant health and bloom performance.
By hiring a professional, you have plants pruned at the optimum time for their species.
Pruning must be done to maintain shape or size, remove spent blooms, remove dead/diseased limbs, and promote growth.
Hedging is typically shaping plants into geometric forms.
Both are important to the landscape.
Landscape Plant Protect and Feed (Also known as Plant Health Care: PHC)
Plants feed on the nutrients in the soil. Some plants are what we call “heavy feeders”.
This means they pull a lot of nutrients out of the soil.
Lawn Protect and Feed
Lawn chemical programs both feed the turf and protect against a plethora of pests and diseases such as grubs, brown-patch, and several fungal issues.
Irrigation System Start-Up/Shut-Down
Irrigation start-up and shut-down are included in most maintenance contracts. Although everyone starts up their irrigation system in the spring (when they have one,) not everyone has their system winterized. By not having the water blown out of the lines, the water can freeze and expand during cold temperatures causing damage to their system.
Mulching
Mulching is typically done once or twice a year depending upon the contract.
Although many consider mulch visually pleasing, mulch has several horticultural benefits: root insulation, weed minimization, and water retention.
Leaf Removal
Leaf removal can be customized on most contracts to mirror a client’s expectations of the number of visits.
Some clients only want one or two a year. Those clients will have leaf build-up between visits since their provider only comes twice. Some clients prefer up to seven removals a season so that their property stays fairly clean all fall. This option is fully customizable.
Lawn Mowing
Mowing prices often include the string-trimming, edging, and blow-off of hard surfaces.
Keep in mind, not all landscaping services are going to offer all these services. You have to take the time to find a company that provides the services that are most important to you. This will ensure you achieve the desired results for your landscape.
