MAINTENANCE

OPERATION
 OBJECTIVES:
In this lesson it will:

explain the core concepts of

landscaping
Maintenance operation
Identify different types of services
offered in landscaping
QUESTIONS:
What is the important significance of
maintenance operation in landscaping?

If you were the one to be a landscaper, do

you think having a maintenance operation is
important to create organized planning?
WHAT IS
LANDSCAPING
MAINTENANCE?
Landscaping maintenance, also known as
groundskeeping, is all about keeping the landscape of
your property clean, attractive, and safe. It typically
consists of the upkeep of the yard, garden, driveway,
and more. In addition to this, it also includes seasonal
tasks such as spring and fall cleanup, weeding and
fertilizing, lawn care, snow removal, and more.

MAINTENACE
OPERATIONS
General Bed Maintenance/Detailing
This service includes weeding, debris removal, removal of dead
plants, ground-cover trimming/spraying, monitoring, and the
removal of browning leaves and branches. This is a must-have
service as it ensures your property maintains its curb appeal
year-round.
Autumn Clean-Up
This is a more in-depth cleaning which includes bed
maintenance, edging, mulching and raking. This type of service
is similar to a deep-clean of your house and only needs to be
done one to three times per year.
 Pruning/Hedging

Making sure you conduct pruning and hedging at the correct time of the year is vital to
maintain the best possible plant health. By hiring an expert landscaping professional they will
make sure your plants are pruned at the optimum time for their species. Pruning can also be
done to remove dead blooms, maintain the shape and size of the plant and promote growth.
Hedging is more shaping plants into geometric forms. Both are important to maintaining your
landscape.

Landscape Feeding and Protection

Plants depend on nutrients to maintain their look year-round. Some plants require a large
amount of nutrients to survive. Boxwood are a good example of this type of plant. By
proactively adding a plant feed/protect program to your landscaping plan, you’ll get
specific feeding for your pants and soil. Services like this also typically have a disease and
pest prevention service that deal with common issues such as black-spot and other forms of
mildew, bag-worms, aphids, etc.
 Lawn Protection and Feeding

To have a pristine lawn, you might have to consider giving them a bit more love and
attention. Lawn chemical programs feed the turf and protect it against a number of pests
and diseases such as brown-patch, grubs, and several fungal issues. Most turfing program are
a 5-7 step process that is applied at the ideal time of year to your turf. Unfortunately
weather patterns can affect this plan so things may need to be adjusted to make sure your
lawn stays on track. During super wet years additional applications are sometimes needed
during the super-wet years to control moisture related issues.

Irrigation System Management

Most maintenance contracts will include this service. Modern sprinkler systems are mostly
automated, however during winter the water in the sprinkler systems can freeze and expand
due to the cold temperatures which causes damage to their system. The damage to repair is
often much more expense than maintaining the system and having all of the lines blown out
by a professional landscaper. Some contracts also include a monthly check in for optimum
usage/water efficiency.
 Mulching

Most maintenance plans typically schedule mulching work to be completed once or twice a year
depending on the contract. Mulch is visually pleasing and also has a number of lesser known
horticultural benefits: root insulation, weed minimization, and water retention.

Leaf Removal

Leaf removal is almost always customized to match the clients expectations, and the property.
Sometimes once or twice a year is enough for leaf removal, however during autumn sometimes
times up to seven removals can be completed so that a property stays clean all the time.

Lawn Mowing
Lawn mowing is one of the most common landscape maintenance tasks and will almost always be
included. Double check with the landscaper you work with as mowing prices often included edging
and blowing hard surfaces.
 OPP DROUGHT CONTINGENCY
PLAN- LANDSCAPE

Drought watch

1. Conduct drought awareness

meeting with OPP Landscape
crew members
2. Identify water leaks
3. Minimize equipment washing to
only that necessary to ensure the
safe operation and proper
functioning of equipment.
4. Install water shutoffs on all water
hoses.
 Drought warning
1. Mandatory reduction of water consumption by 15%.
2. Water consumption reduction at The Arboretum State
3. Restrict equipment washing.
4. Restrict water use on paved surfaces.
5. Restrict cleaning of landscape areas.
6. Restrict pressure washing of outside spaces.
7. Restrict watering at nursery, except between the hours of 5:00
pm-9:00 pm.
8. Restrict the watering of plant material, except between the
hours of 5:00 pm-9:00 pm.
9. Shut off landscape water features.
 Tips!
Not all landscaping companies will provide all of these extra services, it is therefore important to find a
company that provides all of the services that you require. This will ensure you achieve the desired results for
your landscape.

Make sure you have the basics covered

Typically a landscape maintenance contract will cover all of the basics to make sure your landscape is
healthy and looking at its best. These include: mowing, lawn fertilization, pest control, garden cleanup,
mulching, leaf removal, edging and trimming.

Know when you will receive different services

Another critical component of a landscaping maintenance plan is to know how often you will receive
various services. Make sure your contract includes a calendar or list of what services will be completed
and when. It might not have definite dates, but should at lead have the approximate times of the year
when you will receive certain services.

Ask what isn’t included in your maintenance contract

It’s important to know what services your landscape maintenance plan will include, but its equally
important to ask what isn’t covered. Most maintenance contracts won’t cover: plant replacement, new
plants, special projects and repairs. If these are services that are important to you, talk with your
service provider about adding these as additional add-ons.
Budget your landscaping maintenance
Before engaging a landscaper make sure you have a breakdown on the costs
involved in each of their services or hourly rates so you can put together an annual or
quarterly budget that works for you. Ask your landscaper if they can provide a line-
by-line cost breakdown for all of their services. That way you can stay on top of your
budget throughout the year and if there are extra costs you will be ready.
Build a relationship with your Landscaping provider
Ultimately to get the best value out of your landscaping provider you will want to
have a long-term work relationship with them. That way over time they will know
exactly what to do to keep on top of your garden and landscapes year-round and
you won’t have to stress about onboarding another provider.
Here are some quick tips that will help you build a long-term relationship with your
landscaper:
Organize a meeting with your landscaper and ask who will be managing your
account and who you need to contact if you have any questions
Get a calendar or schedule (a maintenance plan) so you aware of all of the work
that will take place over the year.
Don’t treat your landscaper as just a ‘service-provider’ allow them
to be your trusted partner, let them know what parts of your
gardens a priority and the business/personal reasons why. That
way your landscaper will be able to tailor the plan to get the most
bang for your buck and look after the parts of your garden that
are the most important to you.
Still looking for the perfect landscaping expert to help you with
your maintenance? Garden Life Landscapes offers numerous
landscape maintenance services that can help you maintain a
pristine garden year-round. If you are interested, we offer a
completely free garden landscape consultation where we will run
through all of the options with you and develop the ultimate
maintenance plan that is custom-tailored for your landscape.
Thank
you!!