There’s a lot to consider when starting your lawn care business. What permits do you need to have in place? Which business insurance policies should you purchase? How will you organize your back-office operations?

On top of all that, you need to select which services to offer your customers. Keeping an organized list of your company’s offerings will make it easier to track pricing, build quotes, and communicate your landscaping services to homeowners.

Our list covers 20 popular lawn care services to recommend to customers as well as guidance for pricing your services and additional equipment to consider purchasing.

20 landscaping services to offer your customers

Lawn care businesses offer a variety of services — from general lawn care to professional garden design. Here’s a list of 20 landscaping services to get you started.

1. Lawn mowing

Every lawn needs mowing. For some clients, especially those with a lot of land, it’s something they’d rather pay a professional to do. Use a push or riding mower to cut the grass to a uniform height to maintain a neat and healthy appearance.

You can often pair mowing services with edging and trimming to maintain curb appeal. It’s also a great recurring service to offer clients.

2. Fertilizing

Fertilizers supply essential nutrients to the soil, promoting strong root growth and a lush green lawn. This service includes applying a balanced fertilizer mix at specific times of the year (typically in the spring). Fertilization amplifies color, prevents brown patches, and helps lawns recover from stress.

3. Weed control

No one wants weeds taking over their beautiful landscaping. Regular weeding involves using herbicides or manual removal to eliminate unwanted plants that compete with grass for nutrients. 

A typical process includes applying pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides. Effective weed control ensures a healthier lawn and reduces the need for frequent maintenance.

4. Lawn aeration

Aeration literally means “to introduce air into a material.” Lawn aeration involves puncturing the soil with small holes to allow air, water, and nutrients to penetrate the grass roots. 

This process helps alleviate soil compaction, enhances root growth, and improves the lawn’s overall health and appearance. You’ll need an aerator, which is a hand-pushed garden tool, to do this efficiently.

5. Seeding

Seeding involves spreading grass seed over an existing lawn or bare patches to promote new growth. The process includes preparing the soil, distributing seeds evenly, and watering regularly. Seeding helps repair damaged areas, improve lawn density, and maintain a uniform look.

6. Dethatching

Over time, a layer of dead grass, roots, and debris (also known as thatch) accumulates between the soil and grass blades. Dethatching removes this layer using a dethatching machine, which has rows of tines that reach beneath the grass to lift and remove the dead vegetation.

Dethatching machines can usually be used for aeration, too, as taking away excess thatch improves air circulation, water penetration, and nutrient absorption.

7. Lawn maintenance

Comprehensive lawn maintenance includes regular mowing, fertilizing, weed control, aeration, and pest management. It ensures the lawn remains healthy, attractive, and free of pests throughout the year.

Offering a complete lawn maintenance package is a great way to bundle your services. Customers save money compared to buying each service à la carte, and you gain more customer loyalty and experience.

8. Mulching

Mulching involves applying a layer of organic or inorganic material — such as straw, wood chips, or gravel — around plants and over soil. This process helps retain moisture, regulate soil temperature, and suppress weeds. Mulching also enriches the visual appeal of flower beds and garden areas.

9. Flower bed services

Also known as softscaping, flower bed services involve designing, planting, and maintaining flower gardens. Many homeowners value an aesthetically pleasing garden but seek help creating one.

When you offer flower bed services, you’ll select the client’s desired plants, prepare the soil, and arrange flowers for maximum visual impact. Well-maintained flower beds add color and beauty to any landscape.

10. Landscape design

Why stop at flower bed design? Landscape design involves planning and creating beautiful outdoor spaces. 

This service includes designing layouts for plantings, hardscapes (non-living elements like fire pits and water features), and garden accents. Professional landscape design enhances property value and creates inviting outdoor environments that your customers will be proud to call home.

11. Tree trimming

Having dead or diseased branches or trees on your lawn looks bad, and it’s not good for your lawn’s health, either. Tree trimming includes pruning branches to keep your trees healthy, safe, and looking their best.

This service includes removing dead or diseased limbs, shaping the canopy, and ensuring proper growth. Regular trimming prevents damage to property and upgrades the landscape.

12. Pest control

Pests can affect the overall health of your customers’ lawns. Pest control services target insects and pests, like grasshoppers and voles, that damage lawns and plants. 

This process includes applying pesticides, setting traps, and implementing preventive measures. Effective pest control protects lawns from damage and ensures a healthy environment.

13. Leaf removal

Leaf removal involves collecting and disposing of fallen leaves from lawns and garden areas. This service typically includes raking, blowing, and bagging leaves. 

It’s necessary all times of the year, but especially so in the spring and fall. Removing leaves prevents lawn suffocation, reduces pest infestations, and maintains a clean appearance year-round.

14. Yard cleanup

Yard cleanup is typically an add-on service that includes removing debris, fallen branches, and other unwanted materials from the lawn and garden areas. It’s essential for maintaining a neat and tidy landscape, especially after storms or seasonal changes.

15. Raking

Similar to leaf removal, raking involves using a rake to collect leaves, grass clippings, and debris from the lawn. This service not only helps maintain a clean lawn but also prevents thatch buildup and prepares the grass for growth in the spring and fall.

16. Lawn edging

Lawn edging defines the boundaries between the lawn and garden beds, walkways, or driveways. This service includes creating clean, crisp edges using an edger or spade. Proper edging enhances the lawn’s appearance and prevents grass from encroaching on garden beds.

17. Grub control

Grubs can damage lawns by eating grass roots and organic soil matter, causing brown or dead patches in the grass. Grub control targets the beetles’ larvae by applying grub-specific insecticides to prevent infestations. Controlling grubs ensures a healthier lawn and prevents grass thinning or fading.

18. Irrigation system installation

Installing an irrigation system ensures efficient and consistent watering of the lawn and garden areas. This service includes designing and installing sprinkler systems, drip irrigation, and timers. Proper irrigation promotes a healthy, green lawn and conserves water, making it an environmentally conscious service to offer.

19. Hardscaping

Hardscaping involves installing non-plant elements like patios, walkways, retaining walls, and driveways to strengthen the functionality and aesthetic appeal of outdoor spaces.

Hardscaping adds value to the property and creates durable, low-maintenance features. It’s a great aspect of a landscape design service that you can also offer as a one-off product.

20. Garden maintenance

Garden maintenance includes tasks like weeding, pruning, fertilizing, and pest control in flower and vegetable gardens. 

Regular maintenance ensures healthy plant growth, vibrant blooms, and productive vegetable yields.

Each of these services offers unique benefits that can significantly heighten the beauty, health, and value of a homeowner’s property. By providing a wide range of services, your landscaping business can cater to diverse customer needs and build a strong, loyal client base.

Now, let’s look at some tips for implementing these services in your landscaping company.

Integrating different lawn care services into your business

Offering a diverse range of lawn care services can set your business apart and attract a broader clientele. By integrating services such as fertilizing, weed control, pest management, and landscape design, you can provide comprehensive solutions that will satisfy clients’ various landscaping needs.

Using advanced lawn care software like GorillaDesk can streamline this integration. GorillaDesk offers features for scheduling, invoicing, and customer management, making it easier to coordinate multiple services with your technicians and improve the overall efficiency of your operations.

Stay organized and manage your schedule with GorillaDesk’s scheduling and dispatching features (Source)

Check out our lawn care software buying guide to learn more about how landscaping software can upgrade your business’s productivity.

How to measure the margin for different lawn care services

To ensure profitability, consider the profit margin for each service you’re considering offering before you add it to your list.

Start by calculating the total cost of providing a service, including labor, materials, and overhead. Compare this to the price charged to determine the profit margin. 

Monitoring these margins regularly helps identify the most and least profitable services, allowing you to make informed decisions about where to focus your efforts. Using a robust software system can help track expenses and revenues accurately, providing insights into your financial performance.

Do additional landscaping services require additional equipment?

Adding new landscaping services often means investing in additional equipment. For example, lawn aeration requires an aerator, while tree trimming might need chainsaws and safety gear. 

However, many tools can be used across multiple services. For instance, a high-quality mower can be essential for both lawn mowing and dethatching, while a versatile blower can be used for leaf removal and general yard cleanup. 

Carefully assessing the equipment needs for each new service will help you budget effectively and maximize the utility of your investments.

How to price your lawn care services

Pricing your lawn care services correctly is crucial for profitability and competitiveness. There are several strategies to consider:

• Hourly rates: Charging by the hour is straightforward and ensures you’re compensated for the time spent on a job. However, it may not account for the complexity of the work.
• Case-by-case pricing: This involves evaluating each job individually based on specific factors such as size, complexity, and required materials. It offers flexibility but requires thorough assessments.
• Material-based pricing: Charging based on the materials used can be effective for services like fertilizing or mulching, where material costs are a significant factor.
• Size of the area: Pricing based on the size of the area to be treated ensures that larger jobs are appropriately compensated. This method is often used for mowing, aeration, and similar services.

Additionally, offering bundled services or packages can provide value to customers and encourage them to purchase more services. A subscription model, where customers pay a recurring fee for regular maintenance, can also ensure steady revenue and customer loyalty.

Grow your lawn care business with strategic service integration

Integrating a variety of lawn care services into your business not only enhances customer satisfaction but also maximizes your revenue potential.

Regardless of which services you decide to offer, using lawn care software can make it easier to manage the day-to-day operations of your business. To learn more, check out how PurLawn lawn care in South Florida used GorillaDesk to reduce operating costs and grow its customer base.

Ready to elevate your lawn care business? Start your 14-day free trial with GorillaDesk and experience the benefits firsthand. Check out GorillaDesk’s lawn care software to get started today.