Landscape maintenance in Oshawa is the routine care that keeps a property looking looked after from spring to late fall: cutting the lawn, trimming the edges, tending garden beds and clearing leaves. The City of Oshawa also sets clear standards for owners, including a 20 cm limit on grass and weeds that applies to the boulevard as well as the yard. Michael Durham Landscaping looks after Oshawa lawns and gardens on a weekly or every-two-weeks schedule, so the property stays tidy without you keeping track.
How Our Oshawa Maintenance Visits Work
Our lawn maintenance service runs on a fixed route, so your property is cut on the same day each time.
- You pick the frequency. Weekly visits suit the strongest growth from May to September; every two weeks works for lawns that grow more slowly.
- Edges finished every visit. We string trim along garden beds, walkways and fences and line edge along driveways and curbs.
- Clippings left on the lawn. We mulch by default so the nutrients go back into the soil. Bagging is available if you ask for it.
- Seasonal work built in. Spring dethatching, summer fertilization and fall aeration and overseeding can be part of the plan, and we offer a four-application fertilization program.
For beds and hedges, our garden maintenance visits follow a written checklist: weeding, deadheading, edge trimming, mulch top-ups and pruning. Our yard cleanups in spring and fall cover the whole property, front curb to back fence, and everything we collect leaves the site with us.
What Oshawa's Lot Maintenance By-law Asks of Owners
Grass and weeds no taller than 20 cm
Oshawa's Lot Maintenance By-law 127-2007 says no owner may let grass or weeds on a lot grow higher than 20 centimetres (8 inches). The by-law counts both owners and occupiers as "owners", so tenants share the duty. In a fast-growing stretch of spring, a missed cut or two is enough to get close to that height, which is the main reason a set schedule matters.
The boulevard counts too
Section 4.6 requires every owner to maintain the boulevard next to their property and not to allow waste, grass or weeds over 20 cm, or noxious weeds on it. The by-law makes one exception: an owner who has City permission under Oshawa's Boulevard Gardens program can plant a garden there, as long as it is kept up and meets the City's terms. If you have one, mention it when you book.
Noxious weeds must be removed
The by-law requires owners to remove and destroy noxious weeds, dead or alive. It lists accepted methods, including pulling them out, cutting the stalks before the seeds ripen, and turning the soil. Herbicide is allowed only where it does not break another Ontario law, and the City's lawn page reminds residents that Ontario's cosmetic pesticide ban stops most chemical spraying on lawns and gardens.
Yard waste left lying around
The by-law's definition of waste includes grass clippings, tree cuttings, brush, leaves and garden refuse, and owners may not let waste build up on a lot or the abutting boulevard. Piles of cut branches or bags of leaves left in a side yard all season can count.
Rules change, so confirm the current by-law with the City of Oshawa before relying on it.
Oshawa's Own Yard Waste Collection
The City of Oshawa runs its own curbside yard waste collection. It happens every other week on your garbage day, from mid-April until early December. Paper bags or clearly marked open-top containers are accepted if each weighs under 20 kg, and yard waste in plastic bags is not collected. Twigs and brush can be tied in bundles up to 1.2 m long and 20 kg, with no branch thicker than 10 cm.
Some things the City will not take: soil, sod, stones, clay, stumps, large branches and grass clippings. The City's Waste Tips page explains that clippings cause problems at the compost facility and suggests leaving them on the lawn to break down, which saves time and helps the grass. That is the same reason we mulch by default.
The City also warns against raking or blowing leaves or yard waste onto the street, because it can plug catch basins and cause flooding and makes roads slippery, and it says fouling the road with yard waste is subject to enforcement. Our cleanups haul everything off the property instead.
Lawn Care Advice From the City
Oshawa's Weeds, Plants and Lawns page gives practical guidance that lines up with a good maintenance plan. It recommends mowing at two and a half to three inches to help keep weeds out, overseeding with the right grass so the lawn stays thick, and about one inch of water a week including rain, since overwatering can bring pests and disease. It points residents to Durham Region for the days watering is allowed, and notes that Oshawa is in plant hardiness zone 5b.
The City's yard waste page also encourages a lighter touch for pollinators: leaving some leaves, seed heads and dry stems over winter and holding off on spring cleanup until late spring. If you would rather keep some beds natural over winter, say so when you request a quote.
Commercial Properties in Oshawa
The 20 cm limit and the boulevard duty apply to businesses as well as homes. For plazas, offices, rental properties and multi-unit buildings, our commercial property maintenance contracts cover lawn care, garden upkeep, seasonal cleanups and snow management under one agreement.
Common Questions
What is the grass height limit in Oshawa?
20 centimetres, or 8 inches. Oshawa's Lot Maintenance By-law sets that limit for grass and weeds on the lot and on the boulevard beside it.
Does Oshawa collect grass clippings?
No. Grass clippings are not accepted in the City's yard waste collection. The City suggests leaving them on the lawn, and we mulch them back in by default.
How often is yard waste picked up in Oshawa?
Every other week on your garbage day, from mid-April until early December, in paper bags or marked open-top containers under 20 kg each.
Can I plant a garden on the boulevard in Oshawa?
Only with City permission under the Boulevard Gardens program. Otherwise the by-law requires owners to keep the boulevard free of waste and of grass or weeds over 20 cm.
Book Landscape Maintenance in Oshawa
Contact us for a free quote on lawn and garden maintenance for your Oshawa property. For fall timing, read our fall lawn care tips for Durham Region, and for patios, sod and other projects, see landscaping in Oshawa.
Sources: City of Oshawa, Lot Maintenance By-law 127-2007 (consolidated); City of Oshawa, Yard Waste; City of Oshawa, Waste Tips; City of Oshawa, Weeds, Plants and Lawns.