The short answer: Canadian landscapers charge roughly $50 to $150 an hour in 2026, but quote most maintenance by the job — a fall clean-up with leaf removal at $170 to $600, hedge trimming at $200 to $600 (about $4 to $6 a foot for hedges under 6 feet), mulch at $45 to $150 per cubic yard spread, and sod at $1.70 to $3.50 per square foot installed. This guide covers the work a solo operator or small crew does; for per-cut mowing prices, see our lawn mowing rates guide.
Landscaping prices in Canada (2026)
Maintenance landscaping is quoted per job. These are typical residential ranges for a standard city or suburban lot:
| Job | Typical price | How it's built |
|---|---|---|
| Spring clean-up | $250–$600 | Rake, clear beds, edge, haul; large yards $850+ |
| Fall clean-up and leaf removal | $170–$600 | By lot size and tree cover; extra visits extra |
| Hedge trimming | $200–$600 | $4–$6 per foot up to 6 ft tall; more for taller hedges |
| Garden bed maintenance visit | $80–$240 | Weeding, deadheading, edging: 2–3 hours at $40–$80 |
| Mulch refresh (3 cubic yards) | $135–$450 | $45–$150 per yard supplied and spread |
| Sod install (500 sq ft) | $850–$1,750 | $1.70–$3.50 per sq ft installed |
Ranges compiled September 2026 from Canadian price guides and published rate cards, checked as of September 2026: Green Building Canada ($50–$150 per hour, hedge trimming $200–$600, mulch $45–$150 per cubic yard, sod $1.70–$3.50 per sq ft), Absolute Home Services (GTA spring clean-ups $300–$850+, bed clean-up $40–$80 per hour, mulch labour $65–$85 per yard plus materials), Toronto Tree Services (hedge trimming per foot by height), Gardenzilla (Toronto fall clean-ups $170–$425+), Calgary Lawn and Garden (fall packages $179–$269), and Ottawa Landscapers (clean-ups $250–$600). The mulch, sod, and garden-bed rows multiply those unit rates by a typical job size.
What should you charge?
Two picks and a slider — your range, your projected income.
That's the plan — Biller is how it actually lands in your account.
Quote it, book it, get paidEstimates from this guide's market ranges — your market decides the rest.
Quoting $400 clean-ups? Get paid before the leaf bags hit the curb.
Biller turns each quote into a scheduled job and a one-tap invoice — clients pay by e-Transfer or card, and card and Autodeposit payments are recorded as they land.
Start free — no credit cardPricing each service
Spring and fall clean-ups (leaf removal)
Clean-ups are the bookends of the season and the easiest landscaping to sell — every yard needs them, and they lead straight into a weekly mowing or maintenance contract. Price by lot size and tree cover, not by the hour: Toronto's Gardenzilla publishes roughly $170 for a semi or townhouse, $255 for a detached home, and $340 for a larger detached home, plus HST, built on $90 per staff hour and a $45 travel charge. A lot under mature maples in November is a two- or three-visit job; quote it that way up front rather than discovering it on the second Saturday.
Say what happens to the leaves. Bagged at the curb for city pickup costs you bags and time; hauled away costs you a trailer, tipping fees, and a trip. Put it in the quote.
Hedge trimming
Hedges price by the linear foot and the height. Published Toronto rates run about $4 to $6 per foot for hedges up to 6 feet, $6 to $9 for 6 to 10 feet, and $9 to $12 for 10 to 14 feet. Above that you're on scaffolding or a lift, and the job becomes tree work. Quote both sides and the top separately if the neighbour's side is a different access problem, and include clean-up and hauling — cedar clippings are bulky.
Garden beds and mulch
Bed maintenance (weeding, deadheading, cutting back, edging) is ideal recurring work: a monthly or bi-weekly visit at an hourly rate, or a fixed price per visit once you know the yard. Mulch is a once-a-year upsell on the same beds. Price it per cubic yard spread, and add delivery and barrowing distance — a backyard reached through a narrow side gate is slower than a front bed at the curb.
Sod and small installs
Sod, new beds, shrub and perennial planting (published at roughly $20 to $85 per plant installed) are the small installation jobs a maintenance business can take on. Price materials at cost plus a markup, labour by your hourly rate, and always include soil prep — sod laid on bad soil dies, and the client will call you, not the sod farm.
What this guide doesn't cover: hardscaping
Interlock patios, retaining walls, and large grading projects are a different business: heavy equipment, locate requests before digging, bigger insurance, and quotes in the thousands to tens of thousands. If a maintenance client asks, refer it to a hardscaping contractor you trust — and keep the maintenance contract.
Setting your own rate
The market range tells you what's plausible. Your season tells you what's survivable:
- Find your hourly floor. Add up equipment (trimmers, blowers, a trailer and its replacement), fuel, disposal, insurance, and the unpaid hours quoting and driving, then divide by the billable hours you'll really get between April and November. That number is your minimum; quote jobs from it.
- Charge a minimum per visit or a travel charge. A 30-minute hedge touch-up still costs a full load-in, drive, and load-out. Gardenzilla's $45 travel charge is one public example.
- Sell the season, not the job. A client who books spring clean-up, monthly bed maintenance, a mid-summer hedge trim, and fall leaf removal in April is worth more than four one-off calls — and fills your calendar before the rush.
Then position: insured, on time, photos before and after, a written quote the same day. In a trade full of cash-only operators, looking like a business is worth the top third of the range.
Are you undercharging?
Five quick questions. Be honest — nobody's watching.
Are you booked solid more than two weeks out?
A full calendar is the market telling you your price is too low.
Have you raised your rates in the last 12 months?
Costs went up this year. If your rate didn't, you took a pay cut.
When you quote a price, does anyone ever say no?
If nobody ever pushes back, you're leaving room on the table.
Do you charge for travel time — or build it into your price?
Unpaid driving between jobs quietly eats your real hourly rate.
Do you drop your price whenever someone asks for a deal?
Discounting on request trains clients to always ask.
Priced about right
You're showing the classic signs of healthy pricing — price pushback now and then, regular raises, travel accounted for. Your next win isn't the rate, it's the time you lose to admin between jobs.
You're leaving money on the table
A couple of undercharging signals showed up. The fix is usually one honest raise for new clients — $5 more per job on a full week is thousands a year you're currently donating.
You're seriously undercharging
Almost every signal fired. Booked solid, never raising, never hearing no — that's not luck, that's a price well below what your market would pay. Raise your rate for every new client starting this week; your regulars can follow later.
Sell the whole season. Invoice each visit in one tap.
Biller lets clients book from your link, puts every clean-up, hedge, and bed visit on your schedule, and sends invoices with reminders for the ones still unpaid.
Start free — no credit cardFree plan · Pro $99/year · Built for Canada — e-Transfer and card payments
Not ready? Try the free invoice generatorBuilding a year-round route
Landscaping is the middle of the exterior-services year. Weekly lawn mowing is the recurring base that keeps you at the same houses all summer; landscaping jobs are the higher-ticket add-ons. In fall, eavestrough cleaning pairs naturally with leaf removal, and Christmas light installation and snow removal carry the same clients through winter. Spring brings pressure washing and window cleaning back around.
When GST/HST starts to apply
Landscaping is a taxable service in Canada, but you don't charge GST/HST until your revenue crosses $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters — the CRA's small-supplier threshold. A full season of mowing plus clean-ups and hedges can get there by September, and it all counts as one business. Once you're over, you register, add tax to every invoice, and remit it. The full rules are in our plain-English GST/HST guide.
Prices are market ranges compiled from the Canadian sources linked above in September 2026 and will vary by city, lot, and job.
Common questions
How much do landscapers charge per hour in Canada?
Canadian landscapers charge roughly $50 to $150 per hour in 2026, depending on the service and the market. For maintenance work like clean-ups and garden beds, published GTA rates sit around $60 to $90 per worker per hour, and some companies add a travel charge per visit. Heavier installation work and specialised skills price toward the top of the range.
How much does hedge trimming cost?
Most Canadian hedge-trimming jobs cost $200 to $600. Toronto cedar trimming runs about $4 to $6 per linear foot for hedges up to 6 feet tall, $6 to $9 for 6 to 10 feet, and $9 to $12 for 10 to 14 feet, so a 40-foot hedge under 6 feet is roughly $160 to $240. Height, access, both sides versus one, and hauling the clippings move the price.
How much does leaf removal cost?
A fall clean-up with leaf removal typically costs $170 to $600 in Canada. Published Toronto prices run from about $170 for a semi or townhouse to $340 for a larger detached home plus HST, Calgary fall packages start around $179 for a regular yard, and Ottawa clean-ups run $250 to $600. Heavily treed lots and multiple visits cost more.
How much does mulch installation cost?
Mulch supplied and spread costs roughly $45 to $150 per cubic yard in Canada. GTA landscapers quote about $65 to $85 per yard for the labour plus the cost of the mulch. A typical front-and-back bed refresh uses 2 to 4 yards, so price the delivery, the barrowing distance, and the bed edging along with the material.
How much does sod installation cost in Canada?
Sod installation runs about $1.70 to $3.50 per square foot installed, including the sod, soil preparation, and laying. Small patch repairs sit at the top of that range per square foot because setup and delivery are spread over less area; whole-yard jobs sit lower.
Should I charge by the hour or by the job for landscaping?
Quote maintenance by the job (a clean-up, a hedge, a bed refresh) and use your hourly rate privately to build the number. Clients want a fixed price for a finished yard. Hourly billing works for open-ended garden maintenance with regular clients who trust you, and for add-ons found on site.
Do I need to charge GST/HST on landscaping?
Not until your business revenue passes $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters, the CRA small-supplier threshold. Landscaping plus weekly mowing can cross it in one season, so track your running total from the first job. Once you're over, you register and add GST/HST to every invoice.
More exterior-service pricing: lawn mowing, gutter and eavestrough cleaning, pressure washing, window cleaning, Christmas light installation, and snow removal.