Winter Survival Guide for Landscapers: Strategies for Off-Season Success

For landscapers, the winter months can be brutal.

Revenue plummets, employees are less engaged, and alternative revenue streams are hard to find. If you want to keep your lawn care operation active in the off-season, this winter business survival guide will show you:

• Unique winter landscaping services you can offer

• Smart tips for keeping employees engaged

• Ways to make the most of off-season revenue

Get ready to turn your landscaping company around and start enjoying the benefits of a year-round business. This winter lawn prep guide will help you avoid why landscaping businesses fail.

Learn how Aspire empowers responsive decisions with real-time data and greater accuracy in profit and loss reporting. Now let’s get out there and conquer this winter season.

1. Snow removal services

For landscapers, snow removal services are a winter survival necessity, particularly in areas with plentiful snow accumulation.

Landscapers can provide many different types of snow removal services with their equipment, including:

• plowing,

• shoveling, and

• de-icing services.

Snow removal helps keep parking lots, driveways, walkways, and other areas clear and navigable.

Removing snowfall requires specialized equipment, such as salt spreaders, snow blowers, and snow plowing equipment. Methods like pre-treating areas with de-icing chemicals can help prevent ice and snow build-up.

Want to know the other must-have tools for a growth-oriented field service business? Check your landscaping equipment against this list here.

As with any job in landscaping, safety should always be the priority.

During winter service calls, your team in the field should always wear proper clothing, use reflective markers on their equipment, and maintain equipment to ensure the job is done efficiently and safely.

Employees should always be trained to operate heavy equipment and work in hazardous conditions.

By offering snow removal services, landscapers can maintain consistent revenue flow through winter and even secure more property maintenance contracts.

Next, we’ll discuss the winter revenue you can gain through holiday lighting installation and decor.

2. Holiday lighting installation and decoration

For landscapers looking for a winter survival strategy for their lawn mowing business, holiday light installation and removal services can generate reliable profits.

The process of installing Christmas lights installation typically consists of several stages:

• consultation

• installation

• upkeep, and

• removal

During the consultation phase, the installer works with the homeowner to design a custom, festive lighting display to match their holiday theme. Installation includes placing lights on trees, shrubs,  flower beds, and around entryways and windows of homes or commercial properties.

Part of winter maintenance for holiday lights includes ensuring they’re working throughout the winter and look as good as when they were installed. After the holiday season is over, the landscaper will remove the decorations from the customer’s property and store them.

Offering holiday lighting services to customers can open up new revenue streams and increase customer loyalty for landscaping contractors.

Okay, now let’s talk about winter tree and shrub pruning.

3. Tree and shrub pruning

Winter is the best time for tree and shrub pruning, even in climates where snow accumulation isn’t a concern, which requires sharp, clean cutting tools and precise cuts.

Pruning trees and shrubs in the winter dormant season can promote growth. The plant is relieved of excess crowding, and more sunlight and air can reach healthy branches. Pruning also improves the shape and form of trees and shrubs.

Installing winter annuals is also an essential landscaping service during the cold season. Young trees and shrubs should be planted in the winter as cooler temperatures are ideal for establishment.

When spring rolls around, your trees and shrubs will look healthier and more vigorous because of the winter pruning and maintenance during the cold season. Winter pruning keeps all landscaping looking its best all year round.

Okay, now let’s mulch and prep garden beds for winter.

4. Mulching and bed preparation

Mulching and bed prep are winter tasks for any landscaping business’s turf and soil maintenance for spring lawn care and provide a variety of valuable benefits for your customer’s landscapes:

• Suppression of weeds: Mulch prevents weeds from germinating.

• Retains moisture: Help lawn areas stay moist by reducing moisture evaporation.

• Insulates soil: Protect the roots of plants from rapid temperature changes.

Preparing garden beds in winter is ideal to maximize soil health and readiness for spring planting.

When preparing a garden bed for winter, keep in mind the basic steps to be followed:

1. Remove debris: Like leaves, dead vegetation, and other plant matter.

2. Add organic matter: Adding compost to the soil if needed.

3. Mulch: Apply a layer of mulch to protect soil and improve soil structure if needed.

Properly prepping garden beds in the winter means plants will have the best-growing conditions in the next season.

Garden bed prep also prevents pests and diseases that can harm your customer’s flower beds and turf so their gardens and lawns look their best all year round.

Now let’s talk about indoor plant care services in the winter.

5. Indoor plant care services

Offering indoor plant care services to residential and commercial customers allows landscapers to keep the billing cycle going and enjoy customer loyalty outside of the summer months.

Many landscapers offer indoor plant care services, including:

• watering

• pruning

• repotting, and

• controlling common plant pests and diseases

These services help keep plants healthy and looking good.

Residential and commercial customers may be interested in the benefits of reliable indoor plant maintenance, including being able to showcase harder-to-care-for plants, better indoor air quality, and improved aesthetics.

Indoor plants and greenery also boost moods and productivity, so they’re an asset to any home or business space.

By offering indoor plant care services, lawn care companies can add to their offerings to clients and provide year-round landscaping services to keep clients happy and engaged when their properties are too snowy and cold to do exterior landscaping.

Now let’s talk about yard cleanup services.

6. Yard cleanup services

Yard cleanup is important for a clean and healthy landscape, especially with winter weather.

When the snow melts it’s the perfect time to plan and prep for the next season so yards can be used again.

Landscapers offer yard cleanup services:

• Leaf removal: Clearing fallen leaves from lawns and flower beds.

• Debris cleanup: Removing branches, dead plants, and other garden debris.

• Garden bed clearing: Preparing beds by removing and fertilizing old plants and weeds.

Regular yard cleanup helps prevent pests and diseases by eliminating hiding spots and breeding grounds. It also reduces weed growth, ensuring a healthier landscape in the spring.

• Pest prevention: Keeps pests from overwintering in debris.

• Disease control: Reduces the risk of plant diseases by removing infected material.

• Weed suppression: Prevents weeds from taking root and spreading.

Effective yard cleanup prepares the garden for new growth, making spring maintenance easier while forming part of your winter lawn care services.

Next, let’s explore the benefits of gutter cleaning and pressure washing during winter.

7. Gutter cleaning and pressure washing

Gutter cleaning and pressure washing are winter tasks for any landscaping business’s residential and commercial customers, especially regarding property values and curb appeal.

Gutter cleaning especially prevents winter water damage, ice dams, and structural issues for residential and commercial customers.

When gutters on a roof are full of debris, water can seep into the roof and overflow onto interior surfaces like ceilings, walls, and insulation. It can also flow to the foundation and cause water infiltration issues on the property.

• Gutter cleaning should be performed regularly to ensure water is properly drained off the property and away from home foundations.

• Pressure washing improves the appearance of driveways, sidewalks, patios, building exteriors, and trim and keeps residential and commercial properties looking their best all year.

Benefits of regularly scheduled pressure washing services for residential and commercial clients include:

• Increased curb appeal: Keeps exteriors clean and looking attractive.

• Protects property value: Prevents long-term damage to concrete and wood surfaces.

• Improved safety: Algae and grime, which cause slip and fall accidents, are removed.

Next, we'll discuss the importance of business planning and lead generation during winter.

8. Business Planning and Lead Generation

Using the winter months for business planning and lead generation means continued success and growth for lawn care business owners.

Business planning during the off-season for a lawn care business includes:

• Reviewing financials: Analyze revenue, expenses, and profitability to identify areas for improvement.

• Updating marketing materials: Refresh your website, brochures, and social media profiles.

• Setting goals: Establish clear objectives for the upcoming year, including sales targets and service expansion.

• Implement business management software: Set your business up with streamlined processes and improved efficiency for the next season.

Aspire’s landscaping business management software provides real-time, drill-down data to give business owners unparalleled insights into job costing, productivity, and sales to improve decision-making and guide your planning.

While few companies or homeowners hire landscapers during the winter months, field service businesses can still drive lead generation with strategies including: 

• Networking with existing clients: Strengthen relationships and ask for referrals.

• Attending industry events: Connect with peers and potential clients.

• Leveraging online marketing channels: Use SEO, social media, and email campaigns to market new business services.

• Use Aspire’s Marketing Pro: Create targeted direct mail and email campaigns by leveraging existing customer and property data.  

This will keep your business competitive and ready for the busy seasons.

Next, here’s a bonus tip!

Bonus: Take a Vacation!

Taking a vacation during the winter months is a well-deserved reward for hard work and a chance to recharge for the busy season.

Work-life balance is important for business owners and employees. Taking time off to rest and relax offers:

• Better mental health: Reduces stress and prevents burnout.

• Increased productivity: Coming back refreshed can boost efficiency and creativity.

• Stronger relationships: Quality time with family and friends.

Get your team to take vacations, and you’ll have a healthier, happier workplace and long-term success.

Now let’s see how the right technology can help you maximize your peak season.

Make the Most of Your Peak Season with the Right Technology

To thrive in winter landscaping, businesses can diversify their services by focusing on the most profitable winter jobs, such as:

• Snow removal

• Holiday lighting installation

• Pruning

• Mulching

• Yard cleanup

• Gutter cleaning

• Pressure washing

Planning and lead generation are key to the growth of your landscaping business, and taking a vacation helps maintain a work-life balance.

Get reliable data and unparalleled business insights to drive more informed planning by using the off-season to implement Aspire. Add Marketing Pro to your in-office toolkit to create targeted marketing campaigns right from your CRM.  

Book a free demo today and discover how to maximize your potential.