When Should You Book a Full Landscape Cleanup?

A full landscape cleanup is the reset button for your property. It clears out the overgrowth, debris, and dead material that build up over a season and gets your beds, lawn, and hardscape back to a clean starting point. Timing it right makes a big difference in how good the yard looks and how long it stays that way.

Here in the Puget Sound area, our long, wet growing season means plants keep pushing growth well into fall and weeds never really take a winter off. That changes the timing compared to drier parts of the country.

The two best times: early spring and late fall

Early spring (late February through April)

A spring cleanup sets up the whole year. This is when we cut back perennials and ornamental grasses before new growth takes off, clear winter debris and fallen branches, pull the first flush of weeds while they're small, edge beds, and refresh mulch or bark. Doing it before plants leaf out means less damage to new shoots and a much cleaner result.

Book spring cleanups in January or February if you can. March and April are the busiest months of the year for landscapers around Seattle and the Eastside, and schedules fill up quickly.

Late fall (late October through early December)

A fall cleanup protects your property through our wet winter. Once most leaves have dropped, we clear them off lawns and out of beds, cut back spent perennials, prune what needs it, clean out gutters and drains, and lay down mulch to protect roots and hold back winter weeds.

Leaving a thick layer of wet leaves on the lawn all winter can smother the grass and invite moss and disease. That's one of the most common reasons lawns around here look tired by spring.

Other times a full cleanup makes sense

• Before listing a home for sale. Curb appeal is the first thing buyers see, often in the listing photos before they ever visit. Schedule the cleanup a week or two before photos.
• When you buy a new home or take over a property. A cleanup shows you what you actually have to work with before planning any bigger changes.
• Between tenants. Property managers can turn a unit faster when the outside is ready the same week as the inside.
• After a windstorm. Downed limbs and debris are easier and safer to clear before they sit and rot.
• When maintenance has slipped. If the yard has been neglected for a season or more, a one-time cleanup is the fastest way to get back to something a regular maintenance plan can keep up with.

Signs your yard needs a cleanup now

• Beds where you can't tell plants from weeds
• Shrubs crowding walkways, windows, or the side of the house
• Leaves or needles piled on the lawn or in corners
• Moss creeping into the lawn or across pavers
• Gutters overflowing or downspouts splashing onto beds
• Bare, faded bark with weeds coming through

What a full cleanup usually includes

Every property is different, but a typical full cleanup from our crew covers weeding and bed cleanup, cutting back perennials and grasses, shrub and hedge trimming, leaf and debris removal, edging along beds and walkways, a final mow and blow, and hauling away all the green waste. Fresh mulch or bark is a common add-on and gives the biggest visual improvement for the cost.

Cleanup first, then a maintenance plan

The best way to keep a yard looking good is to follow a full cleanup with regular maintenance, whether that's weekly, every other week, or monthly. It costs less over a year than repeated big cleanups and keeps your property looking finished all season.