Spring means busy season for landscape and lawn maintenance companies

Last week's taste of warm weather served as a reminder that spring is still coming after one of the coldest Illinois winters in decades.

For landscape and lawn maintenance companies, it was an indicator that one of their busiest times of the year is about to begin.

"It's been a long winter and people are starting to think about what they can put in," said Cathy Stetson, manager of Changing Seasons Landscape Center in Marion. "It's a good time to get (landscape installations) booked because once the weather starts warming up, time slots start filling up and it's hard to get installations scheduled."

At Tri-County Lawn and Tractor in Murphysboro, a line of lawnmowers awaited servicing on Monday while mechanic Jason Fred used a forklift to position a recently received shipment of 20 new Cub Cadet machines.

"Everybody wants to get their oil changes, blades sharpened and get everything ready before mowing season," said Fred, who said he services between 300 and 400 machines per year. "We don't do just Cub Cadet, we do all models."

According to industry market research company IBISWorld, landscaping services is a $74 billion industry that is forecast to experience rapid growth in the next five years as the construction sector recovers from the recession.

IBISWorld predicts that growth will encourage households and businesses to return to outsourcing yard care by 2019, while the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted a 14 percent increase in landscape architect jobs by 2022.

"I think the housing market is fixing itself and people are putting equity back into their homes whether they're staying put or selling," said Scott Grams, executive director of the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association. "That drives the landscape industry."

Grams said that he believes 2014 will be a flat economic year for landscapers, but better availability of plant material in 2015 could spur industry growth.

"Because of the recession, nurseries cut back on the number of trees they ordered, which hurt homeowners and landscapers," Grams said. "Tree prices in some areas have doubled and I would advise consumers that if they're looking for a deal on landscaping, now's the time."

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Spring means busy season for landscape and lawn maintenance companies