Landscaping is a good job that many people do either full-time or on the side. However, people aren't always willing to pay you for providing them your services after the work's been done. Many landscapers are small enterprises that may not have a great process to ensure payment and may not know what their rights are under the law.
One idea is the possibility of filing a mechanic's lien. These allow people get a security interest in the property for certain work they do on a property. Typically these are done in the context of construction though, not landscaping. However, landscaping is work on a property, so could it qualify?
In Illinois, the Mechanics Lien Act does grant mechanics’ liens for “landscape work”, however case law restricts this and says that “mere preservation and maintenance of value does not reach the level of enhancement required by the Act”.