Everything you need to know before hiring a landscaper.
Lawn care services focus on maintenance: mowing, edging, fertilizing, and weed control. Landscapers provide a broader range of services including design, installation of plantings, hardscaping (patios, walkways, retaining walls), irrigation, and drainage. Many landscaping companies offer both.
A professional landscape design plan costs $2,000–$7,000 for a typical residential property. Installation of the designed landscape (plants, mulch, edging, grading) adds $5,000–$30,000+ depending on scope. Simple plantings or sod installation is at the lower end; full outdoor living spaces with hardscaping are at the higher end.
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Find a ContractorCool-season grasses (fescue, bluegrass, ryegrass) germinate best in fall (late August–October) when soil temps are 50–65°F. Warm-season grasses (Bermuda, zoysia, St. Augustine) thrive when planted in late spring to early summer. Sod can be installed almost any time the ground is not frozen.
A typical visit includes mowing, edging along borders and hardscape, blowing off clippings from driveways and walkways, and trimming around obstacles. Fertilization, aeration, overseeding, weed control, and pest treatment are usually separate services billed additionally.
Most lawns benefit from core aeration once per year, ideally in fall for cool-season grasses and late spring/early summer for warm-season grasses. Heavily compacted soils or high-traffic lawns may benefit from twice-yearly aeration. Aeration improves water and nutrient penetration.
An in-ground irrigation system delivers water to your lawn and garden zones automatically via buried pipes and pop-up sprinkler heads or drip emitters. It conserves water compared to manual watering, promotes consistent plant health, and adds property value. Installation typically costs $3,000–$8,000 for a standard residential system.
Patchy lawns are commonly caused by compaction, shade, poor drainage, pests, disease, or poor soil quality. A soil test identifies nutrient deficiencies. Solutions include core aeration, overseeding, topdressing with compost, adjusted irrigation, shade-tolerant grass varieties, and targeted pest or disease treatment.
A rain garden is a shallow depression planted with water-tolerant native plants that collects and filters stormwater runoff. It reduces erosion, replenishes groundwater, and filters pollutants. Rain gardens are an effective landscaping solution for low-lying wet areas and are encouraged in many municipalities with rebates.
Yes. A written contract should specify services included, visit frequency, pricing for standard and additional services, contract term and cancellation policy, and who provides materials for installation projects. For installation projects, include a detailed scope of work, plant list, material specifications, and payment schedule.
Look for licensed and insured landscaping companies with local reviews. For design and installation, ask to see a portfolio of completed projects similar to yours. Verify that the company is licensed in your state (requirements vary). Get written quotes from at least three companies and check references.