A useful maintenance proposal explains what happens in your garden and how the work changes through the year. Property size matters, but planting complexity, access, irrigation, and the level of detail you expect also shape the scope.
Start with the work
Walk the property with the provider. Identify lawn, planted borders, hedges, productive beds, trees, irrigation, and paved areas. Ask which tasks are included in routine care and which need separate approval. Do not assume tree work, irrigation repairs, replacement plants, or major seasonal work are included.
Understand the agreement
A recurring agreement may spread seasonal work across regular payments; an hourly or task-based arrangement may vary with work completed. Ask how visits, crew time, materials, disposal, and additional work are recorded. Confirm how weather, holidays, and access problems affect the schedule.
Compare like with like
Ask each provider to price the same property and service brief. A lower monthly amount can reflect fewer visits or a narrower scope. Compare the included tasks, expected condition of the garden, seasonal attention, and process for approving extras before comparing totals.
Where the detail adds up
Formal hedges, detailed pruning, steep or distant areas, seasonal planting, and multiple irrigation zones can all change the work involved. Discuss the garden you want over the coming year, including areas that could be simplified without losing their character.
Know who will care for the property
Ask who oversees the work, how site instructions are shared, and who responds when a plant or irrigation issue needs attention. Continuity depends on clear records and communication as well as the people doing the work.
Check the proposed scope
Verify the license and classification for the proposed work with the California Contractors State License Board. Ask for current insurance information and a written description of responsibilities.
Keep a shared record
Agree on a way to communicate requests and review completed work. See the Daily client dashboard for examples of shared visit information and property requests.
Talk through a care plan
Bring photographs, a list of priorities, and any drawings you already have to a conversation with our team. Request a consultation to discuss your property and next steps.
Write down what a visit includes
Two maintenance proposals with the same visit frequency can describe different work. List the areas covered and discuss pruning, weeding, irrigation observation, lawn care where applicable, seasonal cleanup, and disposal. Clarify which tasks happen routinely and which are scheduled separately. A garden with detailed perennial planting may require a different mix of attention from one dominated by established shrubs or open lawn.
Separate recurring care from improvements
Repairing an irrigation zone, replacing plants, renovating a bed, or adding mulch may fall outside the recurring agreement. Ask how those recommendations are presented and approved, and whether materials and disposal are included. A clear distinction makes the regular service price easier to understand and prevents useful improvements from becoming an undefined expectation.
Use the service record to review priorities
Our maintenance customers can review visit history, invoices, task requests, and completed work in the custom GFG dashboard. Use that record to discuss recurring concerns and seasonal priorities. If the landscape has changed substantially, revisit the care scope rather than assuming the original task list still fits. A useful comparison considers both the work promised and how its completion is communicated.
