Services by season
Portland yards run on the rain. Here's what we do in each season, what it costs and when to book. The current season comes first.
Fall
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.
- 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.
- Fall planting
- $26 per 1-gallon plant, installed
- Natives planted now settle in with the rain and need far less water next summer.
- Bulb planting
- $340 per 100 bulbs, installed
- Tulips, daffodils and native camas, in the ground by mid-November for spring color.
- Aeration and overseeding
- $240 to $480 per lawn
- Done by October 31, while the soil is warm enough for seed to sprout.
- Rain gardens
- $22 to $38 per sq ft, installed
- Dug before the soil is saturated and planted as the rains return.
Book by November 20 for a leaf cleanup before Thanksgiving.
Winter
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.
- 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.
- Drainage fixes
- $48 to $75 per linear foot
- French drains, regraded low spots and downspouts moved away from the foundation.
- 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.
- 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.
Spring
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.
- Spring cleanup
- $450 to $1,100 one visit
- Perennials and grasses cut back, beds weeded and edged, winter debris hauled away.
- Compost or bark mulch
- $115 per cubic yard, spread
- Two inches on every bed holds moisture into August and keeps weeds down.
- Planting
- $26 per 1-gallon plant, installed
- Natives and perennials from Oregon growers. Shrubs in 5-gallon pots are $85 each, installed.
- Lawn renovation
- $380 to $850 per lawn
- Moss raked out, core aeration, compost topdressing and overseeding.
- Irrigation start-up
- $145 per system
- Turned on in April and checked zone by zone. Leaks and broken heads fixed on the spot or quoted first.
Book by March 20 for an April cleanup.
Summer
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Drip conversion
- $650 to $1,800 per system
- Spray heads in the beds replaced by drip lines that water at the roots.
- 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.
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.
Not sure what your yard needs this season?
A site visit is free within our service area. Marisol or Ben walks the yard with you and sends a written estimate within five business days.