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Lawn Mowing & Turf Edging: $55–$85 per visit.

We cut residential turf at a clean three-inch profile using commercial walk-behind mowers with balanced, sharpened rotary blades. We do not use oversized riding equipment that compacts soggy Chicago topsoil and leaves rutted tyre tracks across residential sod.

Every visit includes precision string trimming along brick paver edges, timber fences, and foundation perimeters, plus high-velocity air sweeping of all walkways, drives, and patio stone.

• Included: Rotary walk-behind cut, line trimming, hardscape blowing, seasonal clipping management.
• Typical rate: $55 for lots under 3,500 sq ft; $70–$85 for larger parcels up to 12,000 sq ft.

Shrub & Hedge Trimming: $32–$81 per job.

Ornamental hedges require formative pruning that respects their natural growth habits. We shape boxwood, privet, yew, and lilac with sharp manual bypass shears and dual-reciprocating trimmers, tapering hedges subtly outward toward the base.

This architectural taper ensures that sunlight reaches ground-level foliage, preventing the hollow, woody undergrowth common in neglected Midwest hedge rows. All clippings are thoroughly raked from surrounding beds, bagged, and positioned for disposal.

• Included: Formative pruning, hedge deadwood removal, clipping raking and bagging.
• Typical rate: $32 for standalone shrub touch-ups; $58–$81 for continuous perimeter hedge lines.

Leaf Clearance & Autumn Clean-up: $120–$225 per visit.

Autumn leaf fall in Chicago requires fast intervention before cold rain freezes wet foliage onto lawn turf. Heavy wet leaves suffocate grass crowns, restrict soil oxygen exchange, and foster grey snow mould under winter snowpacks.

Our clean-up crews blast leaves out of deep shrub beds and fence lines with high-velocity blowers, rake turf borders clear, aerate compacted leaf layers, and bag debris into heavy paper yard sacks.

• Included: Bed air-sweeping, lawn raking, crown clearing, bagging, curbside staging.
• Typical rate: $120 for moderate leaf accumulation; $180–$225 for heavy mature oak or maple canopies.

Targeted Plant Installation: $150 per job base labor rate.

Successful planting in Chicago depends on proper soil preparation. Illinois urban yards typically rest on dense clay that drains poorly in wet springs and bakes hard as concrete in mid-summer heat.

We excavate planting pits twice as wide as the root ball, scarify circling roots to prevent girdling, incorporate organic compost to loosen surrounding clay, set the plant crown slightly above grade to avoid rot, and seal the bed with dark shredded hardwood mulch.

• Included: Soil excavation, root preparation, organic amendment, mulching, initial deep soak.
• Typical rate: Flat $150 base installation fee per planting session (plant materials billed at cost or client-supplied).

Green Zone Care & Bed Maintenance: $80–$150 per visit.

Maintaining healthy flower beds and perennial borders requires consistent soil hygiene. We clear invasive dandelion and thistle taproots by hand, edge borders with a crisp four-inch spade trench to prevent turfgrass rhizomes from invading, and replenish natural hardwood mulch to a depth of two to three inches.

Proper mulching keeps root zones cool in July, suppresses weed germination without chemical sprays, and gradually decomposes into fertile organic matter.

• Included: Manual weed extraction, spade trench edging, mulch distribution, deadheading.
• Typical rate: $80 for front courtyard beds; $120–$150 for expansive perimeter garden borders.

General Hourly Garden Labour: $33–$88 per hour.

When a property requires heavy recovery work that does not fit into a standard service visit, we work by the clock. This includes clearing neglected alley easements, removing thick invasive English ivy or wild grapevine from masonry, reshaping overgrown bed borders, and spreading bulk topsoil or compost.

Our hourly labor rate ranges between $33 and $88 per hour depending on work complexity, physical difficulty, and the specialized equipment required.

• Included: Heavy manual digging, invasive vine removal, alley clearing, bulk wheelbarrow distribution.
• Typical rate: $33–$45/hr for standard bed work; $60–$88/hr for intensive brush recovery and clearing.

Monthly Property Yard Retainer: $120–$350 per month.

For homeowners who want their yard kept in continuous, dependable order throughout the growing season from April through November, we provide scheduled monthly retainers.

Visits are scheduled bi-weekly or monthly and combine rotary lawn mowing, perimeter edging, hedge touch-ups, weed suppression, and seasonal bed clearing into one predictable monthly charge.

• Included: Bi-weekly turf mowing, regular hedge shearing, routine bed weeding, priority storm clean-up.
• Typical rate: $120–$180/mo for compact residential yards; $240–$350/mo for full-lot seasonal maintenance.

Chicago's USDA Hardiness Zone 6a climate demands plants that can survive winter lows of -10°F and high summer humidity. Below is our field-tested plant selection guide categorized by micro-condition:

To maintain our high standard of craftsmanship, Hortelisa enforces strict operational boundaries:

• No large tree felling: We do not take down trees over 12 feet tall. Large wood requires heavy crane rigging and certified arborists.
• No chemical weed sprays: We pull weeds manually and suppress growth with natural organic mulch rather than spreading chemical drift into residential yards.
• No artificial turf installation: We care exclusively for live residential sod and native perennial plants.
• No sub-contracted crews: All work is completed directly by Ivan Petrov and our dedicated in-house assistant.