There’s a lot more to a fall cleanup than just raking leaves. Sure, the yard needs to be raked to avoid side eyes from your neighbors, but fall cleanups are also essential for keeping your yard healthy and beautiful throughout the year. Leaves, dead plants, and debris can pile up fast. By bringing in the pros to do a thorough clearing of your outdoor space, you are also preparing your lawn and garden for winter and giving yourself a head start on the really fun stuff…spring gardening (or, just playing outside!) Not sure where to start (or still not convinced you should bother with it all?) 

Read on to learn the key components, benefits, and considerations of a solid fall clean up (and why it’s about more than just raking… and raking… and raking).

1.  Leaf me out of this!

The basic elements of a solid fall cleanup involve cleaning the flower beds, lawn, and hard surfaces such as walkways or decks. Obviously, that starts with removing the leaves from these areas. (And, if you do it yourself, where are you going to put all those leaves? And when are they going to get picked up?) 

Once all those pesky leaves are gone, it’s finally possible to see what you’re dealing with underneath, and focus on clearing unwanted plant material and fallen or dead limbs. This is also the time to do a pre-winter prune on some of your perennials to ensure they’ll bounce back full force in the spring.

What you gain: You’re protecting your lawn (and your family!)

As fallen leaves and other yard debris decompose, they create a breeding ground for mold, fungi, and bacteria, which can harm your lawn, trees, plants. Even more importantly, mold and bacteria can trigger allergies and cause other illnesses for your family. The more it snows and melts, the more that breeding ground flourishes and invites pests and diseases into your landscape. Mold and fungi can suffocate your lawn and spores can even travel into your home, bringing allergens inside. Cleaning up this debris before winter ensures your soil and plants get the oxygen and nutrients they need, and ensures your yard is a safe haven for your family and all things fun in the fall season.

2. The grass is always greener… if you let it breathe! 

The winter months can be harsh on plants, especially those that thrive in warm weather. Accumulated debris and dead leaves can smother your lawn and cause bare patches in the spring. Clearing the leaves helps your grass to properly grow and flourish by allowing sunlight through in the last weeks before the cold arrives. Putting your outdoor space in the hands of an experienced and knowledgeable crew will position your yard to have a better chance at a lush and vibrant spring landscape.

What you gain: You’re setting your lawn and spring garden up for success 

A little proactive maintenance goes a long way. Hiring professionals to take preventive and protective measures can save your plants from the worst of winter. It’s much easier to prepare for the winter season now than to wait until inches of snow cover the ground. After all, the energy and money you’ve spent investing in your landscape is worth protecting.

3.  Fall is time for fun

Gathering around the firepit and having apple cider on the patio is a lot more enjoyable when your space is full of friends and family and not leaves and twigs. The big drop is no joke and the hours you spend with a rake in hand on your few precious fall weekends would be better spent exploring pumpkin patches, apple orchards, hay rides and corn mazes. Leave that back-breaking work to the guys who do this for a living and go treat yourself to a pumpkin spice latte. 

What you gain: Quality time with your friends and family and a little me-time before the madness of the holiday season is upon you!

4. There’s even more to consider after the basics are done.

While the main focus of a fall cleanup is leaf removal and preparation for spring, you should also ask your landscaping pros if you need any of the following add-ons: 

• Trimming and pruning trees and shrubs
  • If fall comes late and your trees weren’t ready for pruning in late summer, you can add a professional pruning for your trees and shrubs to give them the leg up they need for spring success. 
  • This allows the plant to work only on keeping the healthiest parts of itself alive in the harsh winter months, ensuring it comes back strong in the spring. 

• Storm drain clogs

• • If your yard slopes toward the street and your leaves tend to wash that direction, you can ask your landscaping crew to clear out the storm drains before bigger trouble and drainage issues start to brew. 

• Gutter clutter

• • Leaves and debris easily collect in gutters, making for quite the removal process. 
  • Clearing your gutters in the fall helps prepare for winter weather and prevents water damage to your home. 
• Fertilizing cycles
  • If you are on an ideal fertilizing cycle (seven times per year is the recommended schedule,) a fall cleanup clears the yard so the last round of fertilizer can be applied in October, before the ground freezes up. 
  • This final round of fertilizer for the year should include a healthy dose of gypsum to give your lawn the nutrients it needs to survive the winter and recover in the spring.
    
    

Life’s short. Work less. 

Fall is over in the blink of an eye and a solid fall cleanup requires more than just raking the yard.  If you’d rather spend the last few weekends of warm weather taking a walk in the park or heading out of town for the weekend, let your friends at Heath Outdoor handle your fall cleanup for you.

About Heath Outdoor

Heath Outdoor, a premier, local, family-owned landscaping company established in 2009, proudly serves the vibrant communities of Indianapolis and its surrounding areas. Strategically located in the heart of Indianapolis, we extend our expert landscaping and hardscaping services to both commercial and residential customers in Carmel, Westfield, Fishers, Geist, Noblesville, Zionsville, Avon, Plainfield, Brownsburg, McCordsville, Greenwood and beyond. 

Design and build services include:

Custom gardens and landscapes, paver patios and walkways, water features and recreation ponds, custom outdoor fire pits and fireplaces, outdoor kitchens, pool and spa vaults, tiny houses, storage sheds, pergolas and decks, retaining walls, fencing and playgrounds. 

Commercial and residential property maintenance services include: 

Mowing, mulching, planting and watering service, irrigation and drainage system installation and repairs, seasonal property clean-ups, and snow and ice management. In 2024, Heath Outdoor added eco-focused private gardening and garden coaching to our property maintenance services through a partnership with Spotts Garden Service. 

Custom event decor services: 

Planning a wedding or other celebratory event and looking to create an extraordinary backdrop? Let the event design team at Heath Outdoor transform your space with rental plants, lighting and custom structures. We’ll work with your event designer to bring the vision for your event to life and create an experience your guests will never forget. 

Why Heath Outdoor?

We’re not just in the business of landscaping—we’re in the business of finding solutions and bringing dreams to life. Whether it’s crafting breathtaking commercial outdoor spaces or creating custom outdoor living areas from scratch, we’ve got the passion, expertise, creativity and team to make it happen. 

At Heath Outdoor, we’re also committed to giving back to the community, through our Juneteenth service project, annual participation in the Indy Pride parade, Butter Art Fair and Feast of Lanterns sponsorship and neighborhood beautification efforts. 

The Hurst Brothers family of companies

Heath Outdoor is a Hurst Brothers company. Other brands in the Hurst Brothers family of companies include: Indy Insulation and Spray Company and Spotts Garden Service.

Ready to transform your outdoor space?