The Essential Lawn Care Services List Your Clients Want To See

From scraggly grasslands to picture-perfect garden retreats, a lawn care career begins with a single mow.

Lawn care and landscaping services cover a wide range of tasks that keep outdoor spaces healthy and beautiful. They can be as simple as regular mowing or as complex as a complete landscape redesign.

Whether you’re thinking about starting a lawn care business or already own one, this guide will help you grow your lawn care services list. Discover the most common lawn care and landscaping offerings that attract clients and help your business stand out from the crowd.

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5 Popular Lawn Care Services

A well-maintained lawn is the cornerstone of any beautiful outdoor space. That’s why commercial lawn care services focus on keeping grass healthy, lush, and green throughout the year.

Let’s explore five essential services lawn care companies typically provide:

1. Mowing

Regular mowing is the most basic lawn care service, but also one of the most crucial. It involves cutting grass to an ideal height. This encourages healthy growth and prevents weeds from taking over.

Professional lawn mowing services use high-quality, well-maintained equipment to ensure an even cut across the whole lawn. They may bag or mulch grass clippings, depending on the client’s preferences and the lawn’s needs.

2. Edging and Trimming

While mowing takes care of the main lawn area, edging and trimming focus on the details. Edging creates crisp, clean lines along sidewalks, driveways, and flower beds. Trimming involves cutting grass in hard-to-reach areas that mowers can’t access, such as around trees and fences. Together, these services give lawns a neat, manicured appearance.

3. Mulching

Mulching is the process of applying a protective layer of material over soil. In lawn care, it often means spreading organic materials like wood chips or bark around trees and in garden beds. As mulch breaks down, it improves soil health.

This service keeps soil moist, weeds at bay, and soil temperature at the perfect levels. Proper mulching can really improve the look of landscaped areas while promoting plant health at the same time.

4. Fertilization

Lawn fertilization involves adding nutrients to the soil to promote healthy grass growth. A professional fertilization service starts with understanding the soil’s current nutrient levels. It’s also important to know the grass type’s specific needs.

With the soil and grass profiled, the next step is applying the right blend of nutrients at the right times throughout the growing season. This helps lawns stay green, grow thicker, and become more resilient.

5. Weed and Pest Control

Keep lawns free from weeds and pests for a healthy, attractive yard. Weed control includes both preventive measures and lawn treatments for existing weeds. Pest control focuses on managing insects and other small animals that can damage grass and plants. Lawn care businesses use a mix of chemical and natural methods to address these issues.

5 Common Landscaping Services

A man in protective clothing, gloves and rubber boots mows the grass with a trimmer

While lawn care focuses on maintaining grass, landscaping services go a step further. They help you design, create, and enhance outdoor spaces. Landscaping transforms a plain yard into a beautiful, functional relaxation space.

Let’s explore five of the most common services landscaping companies offer:

1. Landscape Design

This service involves planning and creating a blueprint for outdoor spaces. Landscape designers work with clients to understand their needs, preferences, and budgets. They then create a plan that may include elements like plants, water features, and hardscaping. A good design considers factors like the property’s natural features and ease of maintenance.

2. Planting

Planting services bring designs to life. These involve selecting and placing trees, flowers, and other plants in the right spots. Landscapers consider each plant’s needs for sunlight and soil type. They also think about how plants will look together and how they’ll grow over time. Proper planting keeps the landscape beautiful and healthy for years to come.

3. Irrigation

Irrigation services include both planning and installing watering systems. A good irrigation system ensures that plants get the right amount of water without waste. This includes strategies like sprinklers for lawns and drip systems for garden beds. It can even include smart systems that adjust watering based on weather conditions.

4. Hardscaping

Hardscaping refers to the non-living elements in a landscape. It includes features made from hard materials like stone, concrete, and wood. Common types of hardscaping include:

Patios. These outdoor living spaces are often made of stone or concrete.
Walkways. Paths guide homeowners and their visitors through the landscape.
Retaining Walls. Walls hold back soil and create level areas in sloped yards.
Water Features. Elements like fountains and ponds add visual interest and soothing sounds.

5. Lighting

Landscape lighting adds to the beauty and functionality of outdoor spaces after dark. Great lighting highlights key features of the landscape and improves safety along walkways. It also creates a welcoming atmosphere for evening gatherings.

Common lighting services include planning, installing fixtures, and setting up control systems.

Packages and Special Add-Ons

Lawn care and landscaping businesses don’t have to stick just to the basics. Many companies create packages that combine several services at a discounted rate. This approach can attract more customers and increase the value of each job.

Another way to spice up your service offerings is to offer special add-ons. These are extra services clients can choose to go above and beyond with their lawn care or to address less common needs. They can help your business stand out from competitors and boost profits.

Let’s take a look at some popular add-ons to consider offering:

Aeration

This process involves making small holes in the soil to allow air, water, and nutrients to reach grass roots more easily. Aeration helps reduce soil compaction, which can happen due to heavy foot traffic or mowing.

Lawn aeration is usually done once or twice a year. It can significantly improve the health and appearance of a lawn. Many customers see aeration as a valuable add-on to their regular lawn care routine.

Tree and Shrub Care

For a beautiful yard, caring for trees and shrubs is just as important as lawn care. Regular tree and shrub maintenance helps maintain the overall health and appearance of the landscape. It can also prevent safety issues from overgrown or unhealthy trees. This service can include pruning, fertilizing, and treating for pests or diseases.

Overseeding

This service can dramatically improve the look of a thinning lawn. It’s a popular add-on in the fall or spring. The process involves spreading grass seed over an existing lawn to fill in bare spots or make the grass thicker. Overseeding can help repair damage from foot traffic, pests, and harsh weather. For best results, pair it with aeration.

Seasonal Clean-Up

Yards face different challenges throughout the year. Seasonal clean-up services help keep outdoor spaces tidy and healthy no matter the weather.

For example:

Fall. Crews perform fallen leaf removal to prevent them from smothering the grass. They might also trim back perennials and prepare flower beds for winter.
Winter. This often involves removing snow from driveways and walkways. It can also include protecting sensitive plants from frost.
Spring. This is when it’s time to clear away winter debris, like fallen branches. Many lawns also need dethatching to remove dead grass.
Summer. Yard clean-up in the summer months might focus on trimming fast-growing plants and removing weeds. It’s also a good time to refresh mulch in garden beds.

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3 Tips for a Successful Lawn Care Business

Lawn care service worker with hedge trimmer

Running a successful lawn care business takes more than just a green thumb. You have to be smart about how you manage your company, too.

Here are three top tips to help your lawn care business succeed:

Use High-Quality Equipment. Invest in quality tools and keep them in good shape. This helps you work faster and do a better job. And in turn, happy customers will recommend you to others.
Treat Customers Well. Always be friendly, professional, and on time. Listen to what your customers want and make sure they’re happy with your work. Good service leads to loyal clientele and more business.
Market Your Company. Let people know about your services. To show off your work, make a website, use social media, and even try local ads or flyers. Consider offering deals and promotions to attract new customers.

Send Professional Invoices With Joist

Your clients want beautiful outdoor spaces—not messy invoices they have to wait hours or days to receive. That’s where Joist comes in.

Create and share invoices in just minutes with Joist’s easy-to-use mobile invoicing tool. You can record payments, issue reminders, and easily keep track of your monthly sales. It all happens in one place.

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