Landscaper vs Lawn Care Company: What Is the Difference?

A landscaper builds or changes your yard. Think new garden beds, a patio, a walkway or fresh sod. A lawn care company keeps the yard you already have looking sharp. That means mowing, trimming and edging, hedge trimming, and spring and fall cleanup. If you want something new, call a landscaper. If you want the same tidy lawn every week, hire lawn care.

What does a landscaper do?

A landscaper changes how your yard looks and works. The job usually starts with a plan or a drawing. Then the crew builds it.

Canada's National Occupational Classification is the federal list of jobs. It says landscapers plan and build landscaped spaces. That can include trees, shrubs, lawns, fences, decks and patios.

Landscape Horticulturist is also a Red Seal trade in Canada. The Red Seal description says these pros build and maintain gardens. They also build hard landscape pieces like patios, walkways and walls. They prepare estimates and advise clients on landscape projects.

So a landscaping job often looks like this:

• Designing a new front yard or backyard layout
• Building a patio, walkway or retaining wall
• Laying sod or planting new trees and shrubs
• Digging and shaping new garden beds

Landscaping is project work. It has a start and an end. Once the patio is done, the crew moves on to the next build.

What does a lawn care company do?

A lawn care company looks after the yard you already have. The work repeats on a schedule. Most of it happens every week or two from spring to fall.

Canada's job list has a group for landscaping and grounds maintenance workers. One of its example job titles is "grass cutter." The duties include cutting grass, raking and pruning shrubs. They also run power mowers and electric clippers.

For a homeowner, a mowing and maintenance company usually covers:

• Lawn mowing on a weekly or every other week schedule
• Trimming and edging along fences, beds, walks and the driveway
• Hedge and shrub trimming
• Spring and fall cleanup, like leaves, sticks and the first and last cut

You can see the full list on our lawn care services page. Nothing gets built. The goal is a yard that stays neat all season without you doing it.

Why do the two get mixed up?

Because the words overlap, and so do the companies.

The federal job list puts landscapers, landscape gardeners and lawn care specialists in the same group. It also puts landscaping contractors and grounds maintenance contractors together in one group. The Red Seal page says landscape horticulturists work for landscape contractors and for lawn service companies.

So a company called "Smith Landscaping" might only mow lawns. A company called "Smith Lawn Care" might also build patios. The name on the truck doesn't tell you much. Ask what they actually do each week.

What about "lawn care" that means spraying?

Here's one more twist. In the federal job list, a "lawn care specialist" visits clients, checks lawn health, and applies fertilizer, pesticides and other products. That same list says a provincial licence may be needed to apply chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

So some "lawn care" companies sell spray programs, not mowing. Ask which kind you're talking to. Our partner crews don't spray, and Golden Oak doesn't give pesticide or herbicide advice.

Which one do you need?

Ask yourself one question. Do you want your yard to change, or do you want it kept up?

You want to...	Call a
Build a patio, walkway or wall	Landscaper
Redesign a front yard or add new beds	Landscaper
Lay new sod or plant trees	Landscaper
Get the grass cut every week	Lawn care company
Keep edges crisp along the walk and fence	Lawn care company
Trim the cedar hedge once or twice a year	Lawn care company
Clear leaves and sticks in spring and fall	Lawn care company

Lots of homeowners need both, just at different times. You might hire a landscaper once for a new backyard. After that, a lawn care crew keeps it tidy for years.

How is the pricing different?

Landscaping is quoted by the project. The Red Seal description says landscape horticulturists prepare estimates. The price depends on materials, design and how long the build takes. Plan on a site visit before you get a number.

Lawn care is priced by the visit or by the season. The things that change it are different:

• The size of your lawn
• How often you want it cut
• Slopes, narrow gates and things to mow around
• Hedge length and height
• How many leaves need clearing, and whether they're hauled away

Because a lawn's size is the biggest factor, it can be measured from satellite images. Nobody needs to walk your yard. Read why lawn care is priced by lawn size for the full story.

What should you ask before you hire either one?

The checks are mostly the same for both. Ask these before anyone starts:

• What exactly is included? Get it in writing. For lawn care, ask if trimming, edging and blowing off the walk come with every cut.
• Are you insured? Ask for a certificate and check it's current. Our guide on how to check a lawn care company is insured walks you through it.
• Who shows up? For weekly work, the same crew matters. They learn your gate, your dog and your garden beds.
• What happens if it goes wrong? Ask what they do about a missed visit or a bad cut.

For a landscaper, also ask about the plan, the timeline and who handles permits. For lawn care, also ask how you'll know the job got done if you're not home. Our list of questions to ask before hiring lawn care has more.

Where does Golden Oak fit?

Golden Oak is on the lawn care side only. We don't build patios, lay sod or put in gardens. Our partner crews mow, trim and edge, trim hedges and shrubs, and do spring and fall cleanup.

Golden Oak Lawn Care matches you with a vetted, insured local crew in your city. They do the work. We stand behind it with the Golden Oak Guarantee. You can read what vetted and insured means for our network.

Here's what the Worry-Free Lawn Season includes:

• Your price by text in 60 minutes, measured from satellite images. You don't need to be home.
• The same vetted, insured crew every visit.
• A photo texted to you after every cut.
• On-Time Guarantee: if your crew misses your scheduled window, that cut is free.
• Love-It Guarantee: text us a photo within 24 hours, and your crew re-cuts it free within 48 hours.
• Season paid up front. Pause for vacations by text. Cancel anytime and we refund half of your unused visits.
• Your first cut is free when you book the season.

See how it works from your first text to your first cut.

Want it handled? Get your price in 60 minutes, or call 1-866-904-LAWN.

Landscaper vs Lawn Care Questions

Sources: NOC 22114: Landscape and horticulture technicians and specialists, NOC 85121: Landscaping and grounds maintenance labourers, NOC 82031: Contractors and supervisors, landscaping and grounds maintenance, Red Seal: Landscape Horticulturist trade description.