How Much Does Landscaping Cost? A Season of Maintenance in MetroWest MA

In Massachusetts, the growing season runs roughly from April through November. A typical maintenance plan for a home in towns like Framingham, Natick or Holliston covers a spring cleanup, weekly or every other week mowing with trimming and edging, mulch in the beds once a year, shrub and hedge pruning once or twice, and a fall cleanup when the leaves come down.

Many homeowners add snow plowing for the winter so the property is covered all twelve months by one crew. Others pick only the pieces they cannot handle themselves. Both approaches work. The key is knowing what each piece costs so you can decide.

These are general market ranges for an average suburban lot (roughly a quarter to half acre) in MetroWest. They are not a quote, and your property may land above or below them.

Lawn mowing: most homeowners pay roughly $40 to $75 per visit for mowing, trimming and blowing. With weekly service through the season, that is often around 26 to 30 visits.

Spring and fall cleanups: typically around $200 to $500 for spring and $250 to $600 for fall on an average lot. Wooded lots with many oaks can cost much more.

Mulch installation: for most homes, roughly $400 to $1,200 per year, depending on how many cubic yards the beds need and how much edging and weeding comes first.

Hedge trimming and shrub pruning: often $200 to $600 per visit for a typical foundation planting and a short hedge, more for long privacy hedges or tall shrubs that need a ladder.

Snow plowing: seasonal contracts for a residential driveway in our area commonly run several hundred dollars to over a thousand dollars per winter, depending on driveway length and what the contract covers.

Put those together and a full season of maintenance (mowing, two cleanups, mulch and one pruning visit) for an average MetroWest lot often lands somewhere around $2,500 to $5,500. Smaller lots with every other week mowing can come in lower. Large properties, like the multi acre lots common in Sherborn and Hopkinton, can easily run higher because every service takes more time.

Adding a winter snow contract on top of that gives you a rough year round number. Many homeowners find it easier to budget once they see the full year on one page instead of paying for each job as it comes up.

Lot size and layout. More lawn means more mowing time. Lots with slopes, tight gates, many beds or obstacles to trim around take longer than open, flat lawns.

Trees. Big oaks and maples mean heavier cleanups and more debris after storms. Many MetroWest neighborhoods are full of mature trees, and that shows up in the fall cleanup line more than anywhere else.

Mowing frequency. Weekly mowing costs more over the season than every other week, but grass in a wet New England spring grows fast. Skipping weeks often means longer, heavier cuts that stress the lawn and may cost more per visit.

Condition of the property. A yard that has been neglected for a few seasons needs catch up work: overgrown shrubs, weedy beds, thin soil. The first year usually costs more than the years after.

Bundling. Booking several services with one company often saves money over hiring separately, because the crew is already on site and can combine trips.

Start with mowing, since it is the largest share. Multiply a per visit price by the number of weeks you want service, usually late April to early November. Then add a spring and a fall cleanup, your mulch, and one or two pruning visits.

Next, be honest about your trees and beds. If you have a lot of oaks, plan on the higher end of the fall cleanup range. If your beds are large, check how many cubic yards of mulch they need at about 2 to 3 inches deep, which is the depth most horticulture guidance recommends.

Finally, decide what you will do yourself. Some homeowners mow their own lawn but hire out cleanups, mulch and snow. Others want everything handled. A good company will build the plan around what you actually need instead of selling a fixed package.

Online ranges only get you so close. The real cost depends on things that are easy to see in person and hard to guess from a description: how fast your lawn grows, how the beds are laid out, how many trees hang over the yard, and how the driveway sits for snow.

Procopio Landscaping & Design offers free estimates with no visit fee and replies within 24 hours, in English, Portuguese or Spanish. We look at the property, ask what you want handled, and give you a clear price for the season. If something is not right during the season, we come back and fix it at no cost.