If I had to guess there are probably people keeping literal trash on their patios. Maybe not you, but they are pretty much softly saying clean up your shit before we do it for you.

If you are wondering whether or not your things are garbage...Im gonna say then those things are probably not garbage and you are fine. Common sense should inform you what kind of things a landlord would want to clean up. If you have empty flower pots you don't want trashed, can you put them inside for a day or out a sign on them saying to not throw them away? If the owner is rarely there it seems like the path of least resistance is to just hide them for a day or two then put them back.

Leases by default almost always say that you are responsible for upkeep of the appearance of the unit unless other wise stated (like if lawncare was included). Yes its language that could be abused, but it's also a common sense rule where if you have literal trash on your patio, I'm actually doing you a big favor by cleaning it up for free and not charging you. So the owner is within his right to some degree... That said an over zealous owner could just have a hair up his ass. This is the shit that property managers have to deal with regularly. Rich pricks with no people skills are alot sometimes.