Emails every landscaper should send past customers

The landscaping emails that work are tied to what you built and the time of year. A spring cleanup coupon says the same thing to everyone. An email that knows the customer has a two-year-old paver patio, or beds you planted last May, reads like it came from the crew that did the work, because it did.

Here are twelve worth sending, project emails first, then seasonal ones, then the rest. Send each customer at most one a month, and skip a month rather than send filler. If two fit the same month, send the one about their own project. Review requests, proposal follow-ups and freeze warnings go out whenever the job, the proposal or the forecast calls for them.

Weekly maintenance customers already see your crew, so skip the check-ins and the “it’s been a while” email for them. They get the renewal, the seasonal emails and a yearly review request, and they’re your warmest leads for the next project.

I’m writing from Minnesota, where most jobs go in between spring and fall, so plenty of these land in winter. In the Sun Belt the calendar flips: fall is planting season, summer tests new plants, and mild winters still freeze. Each email says what to do when it lands at the wrong time.

1. The 90-day check-in

When: about 90 days after a patio, wall or irrigation install. New plantings get theirs two or three weeks in, or in the first week during summer heat.

Subject: How’s the new patio holding up?

It’s been about three months since we finished your patio. Next time it rains, take a look. Is water sitting anywhere, or running toward the house? Is a paver rocking or sitting low, or is sand missing from a joint? Send us a photo. We’d rather fix it while it’s small.

The ask: reply with a photo.

Why it works: it catches a base or drainage problem while it’s small, and the photo saves you a free trip for nothing. In a dry spell, tell them to run a hose on it; in winter, wait for the thaw. For a wall, ask about leaning or bulging blocks, or dirt washing out between them. For irrigation, ask about dry spots, soggy spots and sprinklers hitting the house, and if the system’s already blown out, say you’ll check it at the spring start-up.

For plantings, it’s about water. University of Minnesota Extension says to water new trees and shrubs daily for a week or two, every two or three days through week 12, then weekly until they’re established (UMN Extension). Ask for a photo before they change anything, because Penn State Extension lists wilted young shoots as a sign of too much water, not just too little (Penn State Extension). Before the first summer, resend the watering plan with the city’s watering days and your warranty’s terms.

2. The sealing conversation

When: for paver customers who didn’t seal at install, once the pavers are past their maker’s wait, in a mild, dry stretch inside the sealer’s temperature range. Customers you sealed hear from you again when it’s time to reseal.

Subject: Thinking about sealing the patio?

Sealing is up to you, and plenty of people skip it. It can deepen the color and make spills easier to clean up. If you’re curious, we’ll look at yours in the next mild, dry stretch, tell you straight whether it’s ready and worth doing, and quote it if it is.

The ask: book a sealing look.

Why it works: customers get mixed messages on sealing, and the paver makers themselves disagree. Unilock calls sealing more about looks than maintenance and says to wait 60 to 90 days after install (Unilock). Belgard says to seal, because concrete absorbs stains, and to wait one week or 30 days, depending on the sealer (Belgard). Both sell pavers, so follow the instructions for the products you used, and don’t promise what sealing prevents unless the sealer’s maker does. Unilock puts resealing at every three to five years, which is your next reason to write.

3. The one-year planting walkthrough

When: near the first anniversary of a planting job, while the plants are in leaf and before the warranty runs out. For a fall planting, that’s late summer, ahead of the anniversary.

Subject: Your plantings turn one. Want us to walk the beds?

It’s been about a year since we planted your beds, and your plant warranty covers [your terms] through [date]. Before it runs out, we’d like to walk the beds with you. If something didn’t make it, we’ll tell you what we think happened and replace it if the warranty covers it.

The ask: book the walkthrough.

Why it works: it makes the warranty mean something, so keep the sales pitch out of it and spell out your terms. Wait for leaf-out, because dormant plants are hard to judge. Illinois Extension’s test is to scratch a stem, since green underneath means it’s alive, and to wait until others of the same kind green up (Illinois Extension). If the anniversary comes first, decide whether you’ll honor the warranty until leaf-out, and say so. In the South, the first-summer email in #1 matters more. No warranty? Make it a free look.

4. The spring start-up and the fall blowout

When: in freeze markets, before each route starts, since a big route takes weeks to run. Where systems run all winter, skip the blowout, keep the spring check, and use the freeze warning below.

Subject: Time to get on the blowout schedule.

Water left in sprinkler lines, valves and the backflow preventer can freeze and crack them. Before the first hard freeze, we’ll blow out every zone with compressed air and shut the system down for winter. Reply and we’ll get you on the route.

The ask: book the blowout.

Why it works: it’s the sprinkler maker’s warning, too. Hunter says leftover water can crack the pipe and could crack the backflow assembly’s brass body, recommends a licensed contractor for blowouts, and opens its blowout instructions with an eye-protection warning (Hunter). That’s your answer to the customer with a shop compressor.

The spring start-up doubles as the coverage check, since plants grow and new heads settle. It’s EPA’s WaterSense checklist: inspect, connect, direct and select (EPA). EPA also cites an expert estimate that as much as half the water homes use outdoors is wasted by overwatering (EPA). That’s a national figure, not this customer’s bill. Say you’ll adjust the heads and quote any repairs.

Backflow test rules vary. Minnesota’s plumbing code calls for a test at installation and at least yearly after that (Minn. R. 4714.0603), while Texas requires a licensed tester’s test at installation, repair or replacement, and a yearly one on irrigation systems designated a health hazard (30 TAC § 344.50). Check yours, and only offer the test if you or a sub hold the license or certification it takes. If customers sign up once and you bill both visits automatically every year, check the renewal rules.

Where systems run all winter, write the freeze warning now and send it as soon as a hard freeze is in the forecast, even if they’ve already had an email that month:

A hard freeze is forecast for [night]. Before then, shut off the valve that feeds your sprinklers, turn the controller off, wrap any exposed pipe, and cover the backflow preventer, leaving the bottom open. After the thaw, turn the water back on slowly and watch the backflow preventer. If it sprays, shut it off and reply.

A North Texas utility, Walnut Creek SUD, tells customers to insulate an above-ground RPZ backflow assembly with a pouch that’s open at the bottom, since the valve drains from there, or to drain it if the valves allow (Walnut Creek SUD).

In Texas, irrigation work for hire takes a license (Tex. Occ. Code § 1903.251), and “all forms of advertisement for irrigation services, regardless of the type of media,” have to show the LI license number (30 TAC § 344.70). Put it in every email’s footer, with the irrigator’s name if the email goes out under a different business name.

5. Snow contracts, if you plow

When: in September, to addresses on or near your routes, with a last call in October.

Subject: Want us to plow your driveway this winter?

We plow driveways in [neighborhoods or towns] all winter. We come out after [2 inches] of snow, [walks are or aren’t included], and [we do or don’t come back for the pile the city plow leaves at the end of the driveway]. We can’t promise an arrival time during a storm, but [what you can promise]. Reply and we’ll send this season’s price.

The ask: reply for a price.

Why it works: contracts get signed before the first storm, and your routes, salt and subcontractors depend on the count. Your patio and planting customers may not know you plow. For yards you built, add a line no other bidder can write: “We put in your beds and sprinkler heads, so we know where they are under the snow.” Spelling out the terms up front heads off the usual plow complaints. Skip driveways far off your routes, and get the stakes in before the ground freezes. Here’s the winter calendar for landscapers. Don’t plow? Use this slot for your off-season work, like dormant pruning or holiday lighting, or color changes down South.

6. Fall booking

When: late summer, before the fall schedule fills.

Subject: Fall is the best time for a few things in your yard.

Fall is a good time to fix a thin lawn and to plant trees and shrubs. If you want aeration and seeding, a new tree, or a fall cleanup, reply and we’ll get you on the schedule before it fills.

The ask: reply to get on the schedule.

Why it works: the timing is the reason. University of Minnesota Extension’s calendar puts lawn aeration mid-August through mid-October and seeding early August through late September (UMN Extension). The Morton Arboretum near Chicago gives the same window for planting trees and shrubs, except for some, like magnolia and hemlock, that do better in spring (Morton Arboretum), and a Texas A&M AgriLife office calls fall the best time to plant them there (Texas A&M AgriLife). Warm-season lawns are aerated in late spring or early summer, and St. Augustine can’t be seeded at all (NC State Extension), so down South the lawn half of this is a spring email, with sod or plugs instead of seed.

7. Spring booking

When: January or February, before your spring calls start.

Subject: We’re booking spring now.

We’re putting together the spring schedule. If you want a cleanup, fresh mulch, new plantings or a design consult before [month], reply and we’ll hold you a spot.

The ask: reply to get on the schedule.

Why it works: a past customer who books in February doesn’t go collecting bids in April. Only say the schedule fills up if it really does.

8. The next phase of the yard

When: while you’re filling the next build season, for customers whose notes say what they wanted next. That includes maintenance customers, when your crew noticed something.

Subject: Still thinking about the [wall along the slope]?

When we built your patio last [season], you mentioned [the retaining wall along the slope]. We’re planning [spring or fall] builds now, so if it’s still on your list, let’s sketch it out while there’s room on the schedule.

The ask: book a design consult.

Why it works: they already trust your crew, and they told you what they wanted. Only send it when your notes say what that was. A “how about a fire pit?” email to every patio customer is a coupon with extra steps. For a maintenance customer, send it from the crew lead, with a photo of what they noticed.

9. The proposal they didn’t sign

When: a few days after a design/build proposal goes unsigned, then spaced out over the next few weeks.

Subject: Still thinking about the backyard?

If you’re still weighing the plan for your [backyard], here’s something that might help: [pick one: building it in two phases; what’s included, like grading, drainage and cleanup; handling the HOA approval or permit; when we could start]. Reply with any questions and we’ll answer them straight. And if you went with someone else, just tell us and we’ll stop following up.

The ask: reply, or book a second meeting.

Why it works: a big number can stall a good design, and phases give them a way to say yes to part of it. Only offer phases you’ve priced, and be straight about the cost: grading, drainage and walls go first, the crew sets up twice, and pavers bought a year later may not match. Send it from the designer who walked the yard. Here’s what to say when they want to think about it, and the five-email sequence we use.

10. The maintenance agreement renewal

When: before the agreement renews, timed off its date, with a reminder close to it. For a seasonal agreement in a cold market, that’s usually late winter.

Subject: Your maintenance agreement renews next month. Here’s what we did this past year.

This past year we took care of [what they actually got, like the weekly mowing, the fall cleanup and the winter pruning] and [anything you caught or fixed along the way]. Unless you cancel, your agreement renews automatically on [date] for another [season or year] at [price and how often it’s billed, plus last year’s price if it’s going up]. If you’d like to change it or cancel, reply here, call us at [number], or use [cancel link].

If your agreements don’t renew on their own, change “renews” in the subject to “is up for renewal,” and use this in place of the last two sentences:

Your agreement is up for renewal on [date]. Another [season or year] is [price, plus last year’s price if it’s going up]. To keep it, use [renewal link]. If you’d like to change anything, reply here or call us at [number].

The ask: renew if the agreement doesn’t renew on its own, or tell us what to change.

Why it works: it shows the work before it asks for another year. List only what they got, including the winter work if you bill year-round, and keep the cancel link even if it makes you nervous. Some states regulate the notice for agreements that renew on their own. If this email is that notice, keep upsells out of it. Here’s what to send, when, and the rules to check.

11. The review request

When: when the final invoice goes out or [a set number of] days after the crew’s last day, whichever comes first, for every customer. Maintenance customers get it once a year.

Subject: How did we do?

Thanks for letting us build your [patio]. Would you leave an honest review of the project? It takes about a minute, and it helps your neighbors find a landscaper they can trust.

The ask: one tap to your review page.

Why it works: the project is fresh, and it goes out without anyone at the office remembering to ask. One trigger for every customer keeps the timing from turning into a way of picking who gets asked. Google’s review policy prohibits selectively soliciting positive reviews (Google), and the FTC’s guide for businesses says “Don’t ask for reviews only from customers you think will leave positive ones” (FTC). Google also prohibits incentives for reviews, so no discount attached, and it prohibits requesting specific content, so don’t ask them to mention the crew or anything else in the review. One polite follow-up is plenty.

12. The 18-month check-in

When: after 18 months without a job, for customers who aren’t on an agreement. If that lands in winter, or in a Southern summer, hold it for the next booking season.

Subject: It’s been a while. How’s the yard holding up?

We haven’t been out since [last job]. If everything’s thriving, great. If the patio’s settling, a bed’s gone thin, or the next project’s been on your mind, we’d be glad to take a look, and returning customers get [your offer].

The ask: book a visit.

Why it works: a customer who’s gone quiet may just not have needed you, and this gives them a reason to call. Fill in [last job] in plain words, like “built your patio in May 2025,” not the job type from your software. Here’s how to bring them back.

Why these work

None of these is clever. Each one is tied to something real: the patio, the beds, the sprinklers and the season. That’s the difference between a cleanup coupon and an email from the crew that built the yard.

It’s also why the data matters more than the writing. Your job software already knows who had which project and when. Which pavers and sealer you used, what your plant warranty covers, which addresses are on a plow route and what the customer wants next are only there if your crew writes them down. We run this for landscapers on ServiceTitan or Housecall Pro MAX. Here’s how our email marketing for landscapers works, and what we know about keeping customers in the trades.