A beautiful, well-maintained landscape has a big impact on your home’s appearance and value. If you’re currently taking care of your own landscaping needs, you know how much time and energy it requires. Perhaps you have considered professional lawn care services, but have no knowledge of available services and prices in your Northern NJ area.
Before you make your decision, take a look at some helpful information that will give you a better idea of what to expect.
Determine Your Landscaping Needs
Professional lawn care prices will vary based on the services you need for your property, so you must first determine your needs. If you just need someone to mow your lawn regularly, prices will be minimal. Charges will probably be based on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly service arrangement.
If your landscaping needs are more complex, you should expect to pay more for those services. First, take a good look at your entire landscape and note things you like and things you want to change. Here’s a few questions to ask yourself:
- Do you want to make changes to your existing landscape layout and design?
- Do you want to add or remove existing trees, shrubs or foliage?
- Do you want to add more depth or color to your landscape?
- Would you like to add outdoor features, like decorative pathways and walkways?
- Would you like to add a swimming pool, spa or hot tub?
- Would you like to add an outdoor pond or fountain?
- Would you like to have an outdoor kitchen?
- Would you like to build a fence or retaining wall for added privacy and security?
- Do you want a low-maintenance landscape to conserve water?
- Do you want an organic, chemical-free lawn?
Professional landscape companies offer many more valuable services for your home other than simply mowing the lawn, so knowing your current and future landscape wants and needs will help you hire the best professional lawn care company for the job.
Basic Landscape Services – $1,500 – $10,000
Although professional lawn care services may vary between landscape companies, they will typically include basic landscape services on a regular basis. Basic services may include:
- Weekly or bi-weekly lawn mowing and maintenance
- Border edging for sidewalks, walkways and driveways
- Periodic feeding and fertilizing
- Necessary weeding
- Hedge and foliage trimming
- Removal of leaves, dead growth and yard debris
- Cleaning driveways, walkways and pathways
- Spring and Fall yard cleanups
Since property size, layout and needs are different for each home, prices will vary, but here’s an average range of prices you can expect for professional lawn care in Northern NJ areas:
- Lawn Mowing (2 hours): $25.00-$95.00(includes labor, equipment, preparation, cleanup)
Expect to pay in the high end of the estimated price range for a licensed, bonded and insured landscape contractor and for complex or rush projects. Hire carefully, and verify the quality of work for the professional lawn care provider you choose.
- New Landscaping: $3,600 – $9,000
- New Sod: $2,300 – $4,800
- Lawn Resloping: $1,500 – $3,300
- Deliver Mulch: $900 – $2,000
In addition to your specific landscape wants and needs, other factors that can impact your overall costs for basic landscaping and maintenance include:
- Your location
- The size of your yard
- The current condition of your landscape
- Excessive yard cleanup
- Removal of dead or diseased trees and plants
- Land clearing and debris removal
- Changes you make to your landscape layout or design
- The materials and plants you select for your yard
Many landscape companies will also provide additional services outside the scope of weekly or bi-weekly basic maintenance. Additional services may include:
- Lawn renovations
- Small plantings
- Pruning of ornamental trees and shrubs
- Mulching
- Irrigation system repairs
- Organic lawn care
Organic Lawn Care – $3,500 – $7,500
Today, many Northern NJ homeowners want organic professional lawn care services to create a safe outdoor environment for family members and pets. Organic lawn care is a safe, effective way to create and maintain a green, healthy landscape without the use of harmful or toxic fertilizers, pesticides and other lawn care products. Organic mixtures of nutrients and soil conditioners will promote healthy root systems, improve resistance to disease and increase plant vitality to ensure a beautiful year-round lawn and landscape. If you’re interested in a green lifestyle with organic lawn care, talk to your landscape contractor about organic landscaping services and prices for your Bergen County, NJ home.
Prices for organic lawn care in Bergen County will vary based on your needs and the landscape contractor you use. Good, regular maintenance should include Spring, Summer and Fall applications to keep your lawn, trees and shrubs healthy and pest-free. Talk to a reputable, professional landscape contractor who is knowledgeable and experienced in organic lawn care. Based on your needs, you can discuss specific services and prices that are right for your home.
Organic Tree and Shrub Care – $3,500 – $7,500
Your trees and shrubs can also benefit from organic professional lawn care with proper fertilization that’s essential for healthy trees, shrubs and plants. An organic fertilizer with deep-root action will add nutrients to your soil and promote healthy root systems and plant growth. Trees and shrubs with healthy, stable roots grow faster and are less susceptible to harmful insects, fungus and diseases. They will tolerate environmental stresses from intense sun and extreme cold much better. Services may include:
- Natural organic feeding
- Deep root soil conditioning
- Shrub deep root feeding
- Disease and insect control
- Mite and scale control
- Borer-Weevil control
- Winter overcoat proactive controls
- Pruning
Organic tree and shrub care will keep your trees and plants healthy, green and strong year-round, even through cold New Jersey winters. Regular maintenance usually includes Spring, Summer and Fall care to keep your trees and shrubs pest-free and chemical-free.
A special pest management program provides regular inspections of your trees, shrubs and plants to check for insects and diseases, so appropriate treatments can be applied. Visits will include reports that let you know the condition of your trees and plants and what treatments are done.
Garden Design – $4,000 – $8,000
A professional landscape contractor can help you create a beautiful outdoor garden with plants, flowers and bulbs that bloom at different times throughout the year. Garden design and maintenance services include a variety of arrangements to meet your landscape design costs in Bergen County.
Design and Planting:
- Annual and perennial gardens
- Containers and window-boxes
- New bulb plantings
- Garden design and renovations
- Seasonal plantings and outdoor displays
- Holiday decorating and outdoor lighting
Garden Maintenance:
- Spring cleanup for your garden
- Fall pruning of plants, foliage and flowers
- Cultivating and weeding of garden beds
- Fertilizing perennials and annuals
- Insect and disease controls
Landscape Maintenance Programs
A reputable, qualified professional lawn care provider will usually offer a landscape maintenance program in addition to regular landscape services. If you have dead or diseased trees, shrubs and plants, a landscape contractor can safely remove them and clear away the debris. Since large trees can fall resulting in damage to your home, car and neighbor’s property, this is not a job you want to tackle yourself.
A landscape maintenance program will provide site inspections throughout the year, and give you a service report with inspection results and problem solutions. This program is a great way to prevent major landscape problems before they occur and keep your property problem-free year-round.
Special Outdoor Features
In addition to professional lawn care services, a licensed landscape contractor can provide great design and build services for your home. Many landscape contractors have a formal educational and professional background in landscape architecture and they are knowledgeable and well-trained in building and construction. If you choose to add outdoor landscape features, you will pay more for these features, but they will add beauty and value to your home. Outdoor features for your home include:
- swimming pools
- outdoor spas or hot tubs
- outdoor water features, like fountains and waterfalls
- in-ground outdoor ponds
- outdoor terraces and patios
- fully-equipped outdoor kitchens
- outdoor fire pits and fireplaces
- outdoor pathways, walkways and driveways
- retaining walls and fences
- landscape lighting
Again, prices for outdoor features will vary based on size, design and materials, but your landscape contractor can give you an estimate after a site inspection and discussion about your specific wants and needs. If you’re interested in adding outdoor features, talk to your professional lawn care contractor about prices in Bergen County.