7 Winter Landscaping Services to Offer Year-Round

Many people think landscaping is only a summer job, but that's not true. You can offer plenty of landscaping services in the winter to keep your lawn care business running and your customers happy. Here are some of the most popular and profitable winter landscaping services you can add during the off-season, plus how to price and plan them.

Snow removal

Snow removal is the most obvious and essential winter landscaping service. Whether you use a shovel, a snow blower, or a snow plow, you can help your customers clear their driveways, sidewalks, parking lots, and roofs of snow and ice. Snow removal is a matter of convenience but also of safety and liability. For a closer look at timing, see our guide on snow removal in Ottawa.

Check local rules before you buy a plow. In Ottawa, snow plow contractors need a City business licence, a registered plow, and at least $2 million in liability insurance, while people who use only shovels or manual snowblowers don't need a licence, according to the City of Ottawa's snow plow contractor licensing review. Other cities set their own rules, so check with yours.

A few things make a snow route work:

• Stake driveways in the fall. Put markers along driveway edges and gardens before the ground freezes, so you don't plow up lawn or curb.
• Set a trigger depth in writing. Agree on how much snow has to fall before you come out, so clients know when to expect you.
• Plan the route by priority. Clients who leave early for work or have mobility needs go first.
• Have a backup. A spare blower or a second operator keeps you going when a machine breaks mid-storm.

Ice control and salting

Ice control pairs naturally with snow removal and is often where the liability sits. Salting or sanding driveways, walkways, and steps after a plow visit keeps clients safe on freeze-thaw days, which are common in Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto.

Use only as much salt as the surface needs, and sweep up what's left once the ice melts. Too much salt burns the lawn along the driveway and damages nearby shrubs. That damage also gives you spring work: raking out dead edges, flushing the soil with water, and overseeding.

Holiday light installation

Another way to brighten up your customers' properties in the winter is to offer holiday light installation. Many homeowners and businesses want a festive light display, but they don't have the time, skills, or equipment to do it themselves. You can provide a complete service that includes designing, installing, maintaining, and taking down the lights after the holidays. You can also upsell other decorations, such as wreaths, garlands, and planters.

Install in late fall, before eavestroughs and roofs ice over. Use clips instead of staples or nails, so lights come down without damaging shingles or trim. Offer takedown in January as part of the same price, and store the client's lights labelled by house section so next year's install goes faster.

Winter lawn preparation

Winter lawn preparation helps your customers protect their lawns and gardens from harsh weather and prepare them for spring. Most of this work happens in late fall, before the ground freezes. It can include:

• Draining all sprinklers and hoses to avoid freezing
• Aerating and fertilizing the soil to improve its health and drainage
• Pruning trees and shrubs to prevent damage from snow and ice
• Wrapping plants and young trees in burlap to protect them from frost and road salt spray
• Removing dead grass and plants from flower beds to prevent pests and diseases
• A final short mow and leaf cleanup to lower the risk of snow mould
• Removing and storing patio furniture to prevent rust and decay

Winter mulching

Winter mulching is another service that can benefit your customers' landscapes. Mulching is applying a layer of organic or inorganic material over the soil to conserve moisture, regulate temperature, suppress weeds, and add nutrients. Winter mulching can help your customers' plants survive the cold by:

• Insulating the roots from freezing and thawing cycles
• Reducing soil erosion and compaction from snow and rain
• Providing organic matter that decomposes slowly and feeds the soil
• Making bare flower beds look tidy

Lay winter mulch after the first hard frost, not before. Mulching too early can keep the soil warm enough to invite mice and voles to nest in it. Keep mulch a few centimetres away from tree trunks and shrub stems to prevent rot.

Weed removal

Weed removal is a service you can offer for most of the year. Weeds compete with your customers' plants for space, water, nutrients, and light, and they can harbour pests and diseases. In Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal, weeds go dormant once the ground freezes, so the winter version of this job happens in late fall: pulling perennial weeds by the root and laying mulch to block spring seedlings. In milder climates like Dallas and Miami, weeding can carry on through the winter.

Weed removal can help your customers maintain a healthy lawn and garden by:

• Preventing weeds from spreading seeds and roots
• Improving soil aeration and drainage
• Reducing allergens
• Increasing curb appeal and property value

Other winter landscaping services

Besides the main services above, there are other options you can offer depending on your customers' needs. Some examples are:

• Roof snow raking: clearing snow from the lower edge of roofs to reduce ice dams. Work from the ground with a roof rake, never on an icy roof.
• Dormant pruning: late winter, before buds open, is a good time to prune many trees and shrubs, since branches are bare and easy to see.
• Leaf removal: removing fallen leaves from lawns, gutters, roofs, and drains in late fall to prevent mould, pests, and clogs.
• Tree and shrub planting: planting in late fall, after leaves drop and before the ground freezes, when plants are dormant and less stressed by transplanting.
• Pressure washing: cleaning patios, decks, fences, and siding. Save it for late fall or mild days above freezing, since water left on walkways turns to ice. Ezi lists pressure washing jobs in Ottawa too.

How to price and package winter work

Once your services are set, marketing tips for local service providers can help you fill your winter calendar.

Clients like predictable bills, and you want predictable income. Most winter work fits one of three models:

Model	How it works	Best for
Seasonal contract	One price for the whole winter, paid up front or monthly	Snow removal for regular residential clients
Per visit	A set price each time you come out	Light snow years, occasional clients, salting
Package	Several services bundled at one price	Fall cleanup, lawn prep, and light installation together

Write down what's included: trigger depth, which surfaces you clear, whether salting is extra, and what happens after a storm that runs past your normal route. Clear terms prevent most winter disputes.

Why choose Ezi for your winter landscaping services?

If you want to offer reliable winter lawn care services in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Gatineau, or the surrounding regions, Ezi can help. Ezi is a platform that connects you with local customers on demand, all year round. Whether you'd like to offer snow removal, holiday light installation, winter lawn preparation, winter mulching, weed removal, or any other service on this list, Ezi helps you fill your schedule. Browse open snow removal jobs in Ottawa to see what's available this winter.

While you're between snowstorms, check out our guides on how to treat a lawn for chinch bugs and how to take care of your lawn in Ottawa, plus our beginner's guide to lawn care, to round out your service offerings.