Fall 2026 · Leaf cleanups and fall planting now booking
Portland yards, built for the rain.
Rain gardens, native plantings, patios and year-round care from a licensed Portland crew. Drag the line across the photo to see this Woodstock yard before we started.
Woodstock, Southeast Portland. A 140 sq ft rain garden and native planting replaced the lawn in seven working days, for $14,600. See the project
This spring in Portland
The soil warms, the ferns unroll and everything grows at once. Spring is for cleaning up after winter, feeding the beds and planting before the dry months.
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Spring cleanup
$450 to $1,100 one visit
Perennials and grasses cut back, beds weeded and edged, winter debris hauled away.
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Compost or bark mulch
$115 per cubic yard, spread
Two inches on every bed holds moisture into August and keeps weeds down.
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Planting
$26 per 1-gallon plant, installed
Natives and perennials from Oregon growers. Shrubs in 5-gallon pots are $85 each, installed.
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Lawn renovation
$380 to $850 per lawn
Moss raked out, core aeration, compost topdressing and overseeding.
Book by March 20 for an April cleanup.
This summer in Portland
July and August barely get an inch of rain between them. It's the season to build patios on dry ground and to make every gallon of irrigation count.
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Patios and pavers
$28 to $45 per sq ft, installed
Permeable pavers or basalt flagstone on a compacted base. Most patios take four to six days.
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Smart irrigation controller
$425 to $650 installed
A WaterSense-labeled controller that adjusts to the weather. We fill out the Portland Water Bureau rebate form with you.
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Drip conversion
$650 to $1,800 per system
Spray heads in the beds replaced by drip lines that water at the roots.
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Watering visits for new plantings
$48 per visit
Twice a week through the first summer, so this spring's plants make it to the October rains.
August patio builds are usually booked by June 30.
This fall in Portland
The rains come back in October while the soil is still warm. Roots keep growing all winter, which makes fall the best season to plant here. It's also when the maples drop everything at once.
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Leaf cleanup
$285 to $650 per visit
Lawns, beds and paths cleared, leaves hauled to compost. Most yards need two or three visits between October and December.
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Fall planting
$26 per 1-gallon plant, installed
Natives planted now settle in with the rain and need far less water next summer.
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Bulb planting
$340 per 100 bulbs, installed
Tulips, daffodils and native camas, in the ground by mid-November for spring color.
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Aeration and overseeding
$240 to $480 per lawn
Done by October 31, while the soil is warm enough for seed to sprout.
Book by November 20 for a leaf cleanup before Thanksgiving.
This winter in Portland
The wettest months show you exactly where water sits in your yard. Trees and shrubs are dormant, so it's the right time to prune, fix the drainage and plan the spring build.
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Dormant pruning
$95 per hour per pruner, 2-hour minimum
Fruit trees, Japanese maples, hedges and overgrown shrubs, cut back to the branch collar and cleaned up the same day.
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Drainage fixes
$48 to $75 per linear foot
French drains, regraded low spots and downspouts moved away from the foundation.
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Bare-root planting
$22 per hedge plant, installed
Bare-root trees and hedges go in from January to March, for much less than potted stock.
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Design plan
$650 credited to the build
A scaled plan with a plant list and phases, ready for the spring build window.
Design plans started in January are ready for a March build.
The Portland yard calendar
What we do in a yard each month, under the rain that falls on it. The vertical line marks today.
Portland gets 36.9 inches of rain in an average year. 82 percent of it falls from October to April, and July and August get 1.05 inches combined.
Average rain per month, in inches
- January: 5.03 in
- February: 3.68 in
- March: 3.97 in
- April: 2.89 in
- May: 2.51 in
- June: 1.63 in
- July: 0.51 in
- August: 0.54 in
- September: 1.52 in
- October: 3.42 in
- November: 5.45 in
- December: 5.77 in
When we do the work
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Dormant pruning Best: December–February. Also possible: March and November.
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Drainage fixes Best: November–February. Also possible: March and October.
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Spring cleanup and mulch Best: March–April. Also possible: February and May.
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Planting natives and shrubs Best: March–April and October–November. Also possible: February, May and September.
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Lawn aeration and overseeding Best: April and September–October. Also possible: May.
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Irrigation checks Best: May–August. Also possible: April and September.
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Patios and pavers Best: May–September. Also possible: April and October.
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Rain garden builds Best: August–October. Also possible: July and November.
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Bulb planting Best: October–November. Also possible: September.
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Leaf cleanup Best: October–December.
Before and after, around Portland
Five yards we rebuilt, photographed from the same spot before the work and after the plants filled in.
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Seasonal maintenance from $195 a month
The same crew on a set schedule all year. You get a text with photos after every visit.
- SpringCleanup and edging, first mows, summer bloomers pruned, irrigation turned on.
- SummerMowing high, deadheading, drip and controller checks, new plants watered.
- FallLeaves, perennials cut back, bulbs planted if you ordered them, rain garden inlets cleared.
- WinterOne visit a month for dormant pruning, storm debris and a check of drains and downspouts.
What Portland homeowners say
4.8Google rating, 287 reviews
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Rated 5 out of 5
Our front lawn turned into a pond every November. Marisol tested the soil, sized the rain garden to the roof, and the first big storm this month drained in a few hours. The ferns are already filling in.
Hannah L.Woodstock
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Rated 5 out of 5
Ben's crew built our paver patio in five days and left the side yard cleaner than they found it. The final invoice matched the estimate line by line.
Derek M.Sellwood
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Rated 4 out of 5
We waited almost six weeks for a spring start date, which was hard to hear in March. Once they started, the native planting went in fast, and Tuan's maintenance visits since then have been excellent.
Priya S.Eastmoreland
The people in your yard
A Portland company of 16. These are the three you'll talk to.
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Marisol Ortega
Co-owner and landscape designer
Designs every rain garden and native planting we build. Spent eight years growing natives at a nursery in Clackamas County before starting Pinecrest with Ben in 2011.
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Ben Whitaker
Co-owner and construction lead
Runs the two build crews: patios, drainage, steps and rain garden digs. Spent twelve years on hardscape jobs around Portland before Pinecrest.
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Tuan Nguyen
Maintenance lead
Plans the routes for our 140 maintenance clients and still visits many of them himself. With Pinecrest since 2015.
Licensed, bonded and insured in Oregon
- Oregon requires a Landscape Contractors Board license for landscape construction work done for pay. We hold one, and our license number is printed on every estimate and contract.
- Every project over $2,000 gets a written contract, as the Board requires.
- Licensed businesses carry a surety bond, $20,000 since January 1, 2026, and at least $500,000 in liability insurance. Our liability coverage is $2 million, and every employee is covered by workers' compensation.
- Before you hire anyone, look them up on the Board's license lookup.
Look up a license on the Oregon LCB website
Sources Oregon Landscape Contractors Board, License Requirements; Oregon Landscape Contractors Board, Consumer Guide; Oregon Landscape Contractors Board, Insurance, Bond and Coverage Requirements.
Questions we hear every week
Something else? Call (503) 555-0159. The office opens at 7 am on weekdays.
When is the best time to plant in Portland?
October and November. The rains settle new plants in and roots keep growing through the mild, wet winter, so they need much less water the next summer. March and April work too, with regular watering through the first dry season.
Do you work in the rain?
Yes, for most jobs: planting, pruning, leaf cleanup and maintenance. We don't dig or lay pavers in saturated soil, because it compacts. When that happens, we call the day before and move your date.
Are you licensed in Oregon?
Yes. Oregon requires a Landscape Contractors Board license for landscape construction work done for pay. Our license number is on every estimate and contract, and you can look it up on the Board's website.
Do I need a permit for a rain garden?
Usually not for a typical yard. Portland requires one if you remove more than 10 cubic yards of soil, if the property has a slope of 10 percent or more, or if it sits within 50 feet of a wetland or a waterbody. We check this before we design.
How do maintenance plans work?
The same crew comes on a set schedule, every two weeks from March to November and once a month in winter. You pay a flat monthly price on the 1st, by card or ACH autopay, and you can cancel with 30 days' notice.
Can you get rid of English ivy and blackberry?
Yes. Ivy is cut off the trunks first, then pulled from the ground. Blackberry crowns are dug out by the root. Both grow back from fragments, so we plan two or three follow-up visits in the first year.
Get a free estimate
Tell us about the yard. Marisol calls you within one business day to set up a site visit.
Request sent. A confirmation email is on its way.
Marisol calls you within one business day to set up the site visit.
Mon–Fri, 7 am–5 pm
- Monday to Friday7 am–5 pm
- Saturday8 am–noon
- SundayClosed
Portland, OR 97206
Free parking in our gravel lot off SE 62nd Ave. The office is on the ground floor, step-free from the lot and wheelchair accessible. Get directions
hello@pinecrestpdx.com