DIY vs. Hiring a Professional Landscaper: What's Worth It?

We're not going to tell you to hire us for everything — that's not honest. Some things really are worth doing yourself. Others cost more in the long run than just paying someone.

Worth doing yourself

• Basic mowing if you already own a decent mower and have the time.
• Watering. No one needs to hire out for this.
• Small annual plantings — flats of impatiens or petunias in a bed you already have.
• Light weeding in existing beds.
• Leaf blowing off hard surfaces.

Worth hiring out

• Mulching. Not because it's hard, but because 5 yards of mulch is a full weekend of wheelbarrow trips and back pain that a two-person crew knocks out in 3 hours.
• Fertilization. Wrong product, wrong timing, or wrong rate can burn the lawn or waste hundreds of dollars. Pros use the right products for the season.
• Pruning mature trees or large shrubs. Bad pruning permanently deforms a plant.
• New bed design and edging. The difference between a homeowner's first bed and a pro's is visible from the street for the next 10 years.
• Hardscape (paths, walls, patios). Not a beginner project.

The real math

A lot of homeowners tell us they tried to keep up with everything themselves and burned out around July. If you're losing your Saturdays to yard work you don't enjoy, hiring a crew for the recurring stuff (mowing + fertilization + cleanups) often costs less than one weekend at the shore that you skipped to catch up.

Want a straight recommendation on what's worth doing yourself in your yard? Ask us. We'll tell you.