Best Landscaper in Oshawa, Ontario

Local lawn notes

What the Best Landscaper in Oshawa Watches For

The City's Official Plan names three big land features: the Oak Ridges Moraine, the old Lake Iroquois beach and the Lake Ontario shoreline. All three shape the ground under Oshawa lawns.

An old shoreline runs through town

Long ago, glacial Lake Iroquois covered part of the land along today's lakeshore. A 1956 federal soil survey of the old Ontario County says so. Parts of its old shoreline still show as a slope.

The Official Plan uses that slope as a border. Eastdale stops at the former Lake Iroquois shoreline, and Pinecrest's plan points to the top of it. The local conservation authority counts 22 creeks that drain from the moraine down to the lake. On a slope, rain runs off fast, so a crew mows a bit higher there.

The lake sets the clock

Environment Canada normals (1981 to 2010) for the Oshawa WPCP station, near the lake, put the last spring frost around April 29. The first fall frost lands around October 14. That's about 168 frost-free days.

The same soil survey says the climate is mild along Lake Ontario, with colder winters and later springs farther inland. So north end lawns may start a little later than lakeside ones.

Height, water and clippings

The City says mowing at 2.5 to 3 inches helps keep weeds out, and that lawns need about 1 inch of water a week, rain included. Durham Region adds: never cut more than a third of the blade.

Oshawa doesn't pick up grass clippings, so your crew leaves them on the lawn to feed it. Weekly lawn mowing keeps clippings short enough to vanish. Tidy trimming and edging finishes the job.

Oshawa rules that touch your lawn

• Long grass. The Lot Maintenance By-law (127-2007) says grass and weeds can't top 20 cm (8 inches). The same limit covers the boulevard beside your lot. If a work order is ignored, the City can do the job and add it to your tax roll, with 15% interest.
• Watering. Durham Region makes odd-even lawn watering mandatory from May to September. Odd house numbers water on odd dates, even on even.
• Yard waste. Pickup is every other week, on garbage day, from mid-April to early December. Use paper bags or marked open-top bins under 20 kg (44 lb). No plastic bags.
• Brush. Bundles up to 1.2 m (4 ft) long and under 20 kg. Branches must be under 10 cm (4 in) across.
• Not collected. Grass clippings, soil, sod and stones. Don't rake or blow leaves onto the street. The City enforces that.
• Weed spraying. Ontario bans most cosmetic pesticides on lawns, so our partner crews don't spray.

Rules change, so check the City first. Sources: lot by-law, watering, yard waste, lawn tips, pesticides, climate normals, soil survey.