What should apartment landscaping include?

EPA landscape maintenance dimensions

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What should an apartment landscaping contract include?

EPA recommends reviewing landscape service agreements for water efficiency, energy efficiency and chemical-use targets: “Regularly review all landscape service and maintenance agreements to incorporate requirements, standards, and/or performance targets pertaining to water efficiency, energy efficiency, and use of fertilizer, herbicides, and pesticides.” (US EPA — WaterSense at Work: Landscaping (November 2023)); read 2026-11-06.

For an apartment grounds contract, turn those landscape service and maintenance agreements into a list of work areas and deliverables: lawn panels, planted beds, tree surrounds and irrigation zones. Ask each bidder to identify which landscape tasks are recurring, which are seasonal, and which need a separate proposal. For the fertilizer, herbicides and pesticides covered by EPA’s agreement review, request the proposed approach and reporting terms rather than leaving chemical use implicit in a general grounds-care line.

EPA’s landscape agreement guidance supports comparing the same performance targets across proposals. Put water efficiency and chemical-use reporting beside the landscape task list so a mowing-only proposal is distinguishable from a broader maintenance agreement.

Describe the apartment grounds and landscape tasks on InstaBids so written bids cover the same areas and work.

How should apartment landscaping bids address mowing and weeds?

EPA’s landscaping guidance recommends allowing grass to grow 2 to 3 inches tall before cutting: “Allow grass to grow 2 to 3 inches tall before cutting it. Raise the blade on mowers to allow grass to grow longer. Longer grass promotes deeper root growth and more drought-resistant turf.” (US EPA — WaterSense at Work: Landscaping (November 2023)); read 2026-11-06.

For the apartment lawn panels, ask bidders to state how their mowing plan uses EPA’s grass-height guidance and how they will adjust visits as growth changes. The 2 to 3 inches is height before cutting, not a promised cut height. Identify the turf areas included in mowing, and ask how the crew will report grass conditions that change the proposed schedule.

For weeds in irrigated landscaping, EPA gives a separate recommendation: “Pull weeds manually instead of using herbicides, which can contaminate local water sources.” (US EPA — WaterSense at Work: Landscaping (November 2023)); read 2026-11-06.

For the irrigated landscape, distinguish manual weed work in planted beds from mowing turf. EPA’s manual-weed guidance gives the manager a concrete way to ask whether that work is included or separately priced in each proposal.

Put mowing areas and manual weed work in an InstaBids request to compare those landscape tasks in writing.

What soil work belongs in an apartment landscape maintenance scope?

EPA recommends four to six inches of good topsoil to capture precipitation in managed landscapes: “Maintain a sufficient quantity of good topsoil—four to six inches deep—to capture precipitation as it falls. Healthy soils can hold onto infiltrated water for longer periods of time, making water more available for plants and reducing irrigation requirements.” (US EPA — WaterSense at Work: Landscaping (November 2023)); read 2026-11-06.

For an apartment landscape soil assessment, ask the bidder to describe existing topsoil depth and drainage before proposing soil work. EPA’s four to six inches describes good topsoil depth, not an instruction to add that much material everywhere. Separate the assessment from any proposed topsoil work so the written bid explains the locations, quantity and reason for each task.

For landscape plant beds and tree surrounds, EPA recommends approximately 3 inches of mulch: “Add approximately 3 inches of mulch to plant beds and around trees to cover bare soil. Mulch helps retain water by minimizing evaporation, reducing weed growth, moderating soil temperatures, and preventing erosion. Re-mulch areas annually to maintain soil coverage.” (US EPA — WaterSense at Work: Landscaping (November 2023)); read 2026-11-06.

For mulch in plant beds and around trees, record the bed areas and existing coverage, then ask how the proposal maintains EPA’s approximate depth. Identify whether the annual re-mulching described by EPA is included in the recurring agreement or quoted as a seasonal visit.

For landscape soils that receive regular foot or vehicular traffic, EPA recommends annual aeration: “For areas that undergo regular foot or vehicular traffic, aerate the soil annually to alleviate compaction and improve water infiltration rates.” (US EPA — WaterSense at Work: Landscaping (November 2023)); read 2026-11-06.

Add bed areas, topsoil observations and mulch coverage to the InstaBids scope before comparing landscape bids.

How should apartment landscaping plans group plants and irrigation?

EPA describes hydrozoning as grouping landscape plants according to their water needs: “Hydrozoning, or grouping plants according to their water needs, will promote efficient irrigation in those zones that require supplemental water.” (US EPA — WaterSense at Work: Landscaping (November 2023)); read 2026-11-06.

For apartment landscape planning, ask for a planting and irrigation-zone sketch that shows the grouping of plants according to their water needs. EPA’s hydrozoning guidance helps distinguish an isolated planting change from a proposal that also accounts for the irrigation serving that bed. Have bidders identify the existing plant groups and the zones they propose to address, so the written scope names the same landscape areas.

EPA also recommends shaded areas within the landscape: “Include shaded areas that dissipate heat and reduce evaporation. Consider planting additional trees and shrubbery to increase the amount of shaded area in the future.” (US EPA — WaterSense at Work: Landscaping (November 2023)); read 2026-11-06.

For the landscape’s shaded areas, ask the proposal to distinguish care of existing trees and shrubbery from any additional planting. EPA’s shade guidance explains the landscape objective, while the bid supplies the actual planting locations and maintenance tasks for this property.

Share planting areas and irrigation-zone photos in an InstaBids landscape request so bidders see the same grounds.

What irrigation maintenance should apartment landscaping services include?

EPA recommends encouraging landscape professionals to report and/or fix irrigation system problems: “Encourage landscape professionals to report and/or fix irrigation system problems. Many landscape professionals not only install and maintain plants in your landscape, but also install and maintain the irrigation system. These professionals can identify and report leaks or other inefficiencies over time.” (US EPA — WaterSense at Work: Landscaping (November 2023)); read 2026-11-06.

For apartment irrigation work, state whether the landscape crew is being asked to report problems, fix them, or quote repairs for a later decision. EPA describes landscape professionals identifying leaks and other inefficiencies over time; specify the report you want, the irrigation zones covered and who receives it. A written irrigation-problem report can identify the location, observed condition, proposed response and work included in the landscape agreement.

Compare irrigation system problem reporting separately from irrigation repair work. EPA’s report-and/or-fix distinction matters when one landscape proposal includes observations only and another includes hands-on maintenance; ask each bidder to state the boundary in the same scope.

Post irrigation observations and the landscape repair scope on InstaBids to compare what each written bid includes.

Divide apartment grounds care into named work areas

EPA’s landscape service agreement guidance separates water efficiency and chemical-use performance targets; the work areas below make those targets part of the grounds-care scope.

1. Map turf and mowing areas (manager and landscape bidder): EPA recommends allowing grass to grow 2 to 3 inches tall before cutting.
2. Inspect topsoil and planted beds (landscape bidder): EPA recommends four to six inches of good topsoil to capture precipitation.
3. Group landscape plants by water needs (landscape bidder): EPA describes hydrozoning as grouping plants according to their water needs.
4. Assign irrigation problem reporting (manager and landscape crew): EPA recommends encouraging landscape professionals to report and/or fix irrigation problems.

EPA landscape recommendations behind the scope

Copy this apartment landscaping scope checklist

• Landscape agreement: map lawn panels, planted beds, tree surrounds and irrigation zones; list recurring and seasonal tasks, with water efficiency and chemical-use performance targets.
• Mowing: identify grass areas and how the proposed schedule accounts for EPA’s 2 to 3 inches tall before cutting guidance; state the proposed cutting approach separately.
• Weeds: state the manual weed work included in irrigated landscape areas and how the crew reports recurring weed growth.
• Topsoil: document existing conditions and compare them with EPA’s four to six inches of good topsoil guidance before proposing soil work.
• Mulch: measure planted beds and tree surrounds; state existing coverage, the proposed approximate depth and whether annual re-mulching is included.
• Aeration: identify landscape areas with regular foot or vehicular traffic and whether EPA’s annual soil aeration recommendation is included.
• Hydrozoning: show the grouping of plants according to their water needs and identify which irrigation zones serve them.
• Irrigation problems: distinguish reporting from fixing; name the zones covered, report format, included repairs and work requiring a separate proposal.

Download this checklist as text

Compare landscape bids by tasks and irrigation responsibility

Compare each landscape service and maintenance agreement by the water efficiency and chemical-use targets it actually includes. EPA’s agreement-review guidance supports a common task list covering the same turf areas, planted beds and tree surrounds, with seasonal work identified separately.

For irrigation system problems, compare reporting-only coverage with proposals that also fix the problems. EPA’s report-and/or-fix guidance makes that boundary explicit; ask for the irrigation zones, included work and report deliverable in each landscape proposal.

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Sources

• US EPA — WaterSense at Work: Landscaping (November 2023), read 2026-11-06: www.epa.gov