Written by

Tom Grupa

September 6, 2024

Edited by

Sarah Noel

Landscaping costs

Landscapers charge $50 to $100 per hour for a 2-person crew, or $25 to $50 per person. Landscaping costs $4 to $12 per square foot for basic services. Small landscaping projects cost $300 to $800 while large jobs cost $2,000 to $4,000 on average.

Landscaping cost per square foot

Landscaping costs $4 to $12 per square foot, depending on the yard size, location, and job complexity. Labor is the biggest expense at around 80% of the total cost. 

Landscaping costs per hour

Landscapers charge $50 to $100 per hour for a two-person crew or $25 to $50 per person. Rates vary according to the job type, size, and location.

New landscaping installation cost

The cost to landscape a new house is $3,000 to $15,950 on average, depending on the yard size. Realtors recommend spending 5% to 15% of the total home value on landscaping. New landscaping typically requires 4 or more workers over several weeks.

Landscaping prices

Landscaping prices start at $300 to $800 for small maintenance tasks. Costs go up to $2,000 to $4,000 for large jobs like sod or sprinkler installation.

Average landscaping prices list

The following table shows popular landscaping projects and pricing:

Landscaping price guide

Landscaping services include:

• A gardener costs $75 to $250.

• Leaf removal costs $150 to $350.

• Lawn aeration costs $75 to $250.

• Tree stump removal costs $100 to $400.

• Stump grinding costs $120 to $400.

• Fill dirt costs $5 to $25 per cubic yard.

• Land clearing costs $1,150 to $3,680.

• Lawn mower repair costs $40 to $90.

Lawn seeding cost

Lawn seeding costs $0.04 to $0.18 per square foot, including labor and materials. Installing a new sprinkler system at the same time is advisable to make the grass grow evenly. A new lawn can take up to 30 days to re-grow.

Sod installation cost

• Sod installation costs $1 to $2 per square foot, including new sod.

• New sod prices alone are $0.30 to $0.80 per square foot.

• Installing new sod creates an instant new lawn but can cost more for delivery.

Artificial turf installation cost

Artificial turf costs $6 to $17 per square foot installed. Artificial grass lasts 15 to 25 years and is the easiest to maintain. Benefits of artificial turf include water conservation and avoiding groundwater pollution from lawn weed-and-feed sprays.

Sprinkler system installation cost

The cost to install a sprinkler system is $1,800 to $5,200, depending on lawn size and if you already have landscaping installed. Installing a drip irrigation system costs $300 to $1,200 per zone.

A rainwater collection system costs $200 to $2,500 for an above-ground, 50- to 200-gallon rain barrel system. Collecting rainwater is a sprinkler alternative for irrigating a lawn or garden.

Landscape curbing installation cost

Landscape curbing costs $400 to $2,200 on average, depending on the style and material. Curbing with retaining walls or edging accentuates garden areas and prevents erosion.

Misting system installation cost

A misting system installation costs $1,000 to $2,500 on average. A misting system is an effective way to cool an outdoor area in warmer climates.

Pond installation cost

The cost to build a pond is $1,800 to $6,900 for a shallow 4'x6' garden pond or up to $15,300 for an 8'x11' pond. A koi pond costs $3,500 to $17,000 on average installed, excluding the fish.

Ponds are a great addition to your landscape that helps solve yard-drainage issues and attracts local wildlife and butterflies.

Water fountain installation cost

Water fountain installation costs $1,500 to $8,000 total, depending on the material, size, and type. A water fountain increases maintenance but typically increases the home's value as well.

Lawn grading cost

Yard grading costs $0.40 to $2.00 per square foot. The excavation equipment necessary can require removing fencing or gates around the backyard.

Landscaping maintenance cost

Landscaping maintenance costs $100 to $200 per month. This price includes general yard maintenance and lawn treatments. The total cost depends on the size of your yard and the amount of work requested.

Lawn care prices

• Lawn care costs $40 to $80 per hour.

• Lawn mowing prices are $30 to $85 per visit.

Mulching costs

Mulch costs $15 to $65 per yard delivered. One cubic yard of mulch covers 110 to 120 square feet at 3' deep. For smaller projects, mulch costs $2 to $7 per bag that covers 7 to 9 square feet.

Mulching has benefits like:

• Replenishing soil nutrients

• Root protection around plants

• Keeping the soil at an ideal temperature

• Moisture rentention for less watering

• Weed blocking

Tree trimming costs

Tree trimming costs $200 to $900 per tree on average, depending on the tree size and type. Tree trimmers typically offer discounts for trimming multiples trees in the same visit.

Tree removal costs

Tree removal costs $300 to $2,000 per tree on average, depending on the tree size and location. Larger equipment is necessary for hauling away and disposing of trees more than 25' tall.

Landscaping material costs

The following table shows average landscaping material prices:

Cost of landscaping rocks

• Landscaping rock prices are $50 to $160 per cubic yard.

• Landscape boulders cost $120 to $350 per ton.

• Gravel prices are $15 to $75 per cubic yard.

Additional backyard landscaping costs

Landscaping cost estimator

• The cost to build a deck is $25 to $50 per square foot.

• An in-ground pool costs $25,000 to $100,000.

• A concrete patio costs $4 to $12 per square foot.

• A cinder block wall costs $60 to $240 per linear foot installed.

• A brick mailbox costs $600 to $1,500.

• A retaining wall costs $40 to $300 per linear foot.

• A French drain costs $10 to $35 per linear foot.

• Backyard renovation costs can range from less than $10,000 for minor projects to over $150,000 for major upgrades like installing an inground pool and a surrounding deck or patio with an outdoor kitchen.

Fence material costs

Fencing prices are $5 to $25 per foot, depending on the material.

Landscaping costs by type

The following table shows the average cost for hardscaping, softscaping, and xeriscaping:

Hardscaping

Hardscaping costs $2,000 to $45,000, depending on the project size.

Hardscaping projects include:

• Backyard paths

• Gazebos

• Patios and decks

• Retaining walls

• Pergolas

• Any landscape construction with wood, brick, concrete, or stone

Softscaping

Softscaping costs $9 to $12 per square foot. Softscaping includes all types of plants like trees, shrubs, vegetable gardens, and flowerbeds. Plants are classified as annuals, biennials, and perennials depending on when they flower.

Xeriscaping

Xeriscaping costs $6 to $18 per square foot or more with extensive design plans. This landscaping type is for arid climates conserving water. Landscapers install plants that occur naturally in that climate type with minimal water needs.

Landscape design cost

Landscape design costs $700 to $3,000 on average, depending on the size, location, and project complexity.

• A small backyard garden design costs $300 to $600.

• Landscape designers charge $50 to $150 per hour.

• A landscape design consultation fee is $100 to $200.

A landscape architect costs $100 to $250 per hour or 5% to 20% of the total project cost when supervising installation as well.

What does a landscape architect do?

Landscape architects have a university degree and state licensing in horticulture and design. Their work involves drawing up official construction and design plans for permits. Sometimes they provide full design-and-build management too.

Landscape architects specialize in:

• Creating detailed plans with exact property measurements

• Designing new hardscaping

• Creating new drainage and irrigation systems

• Re-grading land to install multiple new yard features

• Retaining walls

• Pools

Architects typically focus more on larger commercial projects, while landscape designers do more smaller-scale residential projects. 

What does a landscape designer do?

Landscape designers have general experience in gardening to make simple, conceptual designs without hardscaping or drainage changes. These designers don't need a degree or license in many states. A designer is ideal for simple landscaping projects and plant selection.

Does landscaping increase home value?

Landscaping can increase your home’s value by 10% to 30% depending on the quality and type of improvements made. Create an appealing outdoor space that adds value and attracts potential buyers by mixing hardscaping features like patios and walkways with softscaping elements such as trees and colorful flower beds.

Landscaping styles

A landscape designer helps homeowners choose a design style that suits their yard needs best. Popular landscaping styles include:

• Cape Cod - These gardens feature pergolas, picket fences, shutters, window boxes, birdhouses, birdbaths, and native grasses. The color palette includes coastal-home colors like white, cream, light yellow, and light gray.

• Colonial - This style features stone walls, picket fences, stone paving, arbors, and an unstructured array of flowers with pastel colors. Large yards also include traditional outdoor cooking areas Inspired by early settlers like stone ovens.

• English - The English garden style is informal with gentle slopes, native wildflowers, cobblestone paths, and statues. The rustic and organic setting often includes sweet-smelling herbs and rounded hedges.

• Mediterranean - This style combines Spanish, French, Tuscan and American Southwest landscaping elements. Common features include tiered fountains, terracotta pots, bocce balls, columns, ornamental grass, or cypress trees.

• French - Gardens in the French style feature lots of symmetrical designs, cast-iron garden seating, glazed pots, columns, birdbaths, terraces, and fountains. This type is labor-intensive, colorful, and formal.

• Spanish - A garden with Spanish styles is symmetrical and features walled sections, patio and courtyard areas with tiered fountains, Saltillo tiles, Cantera stone, urns, and terraces. Reflecting pools are surrounded by arches, benches, fruit trees, and drought-tolerant plants.

• Tuscan - The Tuscan style features stone paths and walls lined with box hedges and plants in terracotta pots. These yards often have gravel paths through a maze with benches.

• Southwest - This style suits arid regions and blends Native American and Spanish culture with clay pavers, terracotta tiles, fountains, and plaster elements. Bright-colored materials are common like red, brown, orange, and yellow.

• Country - Inspired by Victorian gardens, this style has vegetable and herb gardens, fruit trees, beehives, and birdhouses. Native wildflowers are filler between farmhouse and ranch elements.

• Japanese - Gardens in Japanese style have more water features and fountains, ornaments, small plants, and smooth river rocks associated with Zen design.

• Modern - The modern style contrasts wood, metal, and concrete elements. Designers use split-faced or unfinished concrete surfaces. Less plants appear in these layouts.

• Tropical - These yards feature palm trees, a pool with faux boulders, waterfalls, torches, and hammocks. A thatched roof or pergola is often above the patio designed in bold colors.

Which types of grass should I plant?

You should plant the type of grass that best suits your climate and soil type. All the different types of lawn grasses generally fall into one of two categories:

• Creeping - An example of creeping grass is Bermuda, which tolerates higher temperatures. Creeping grass grows along runners either above or below ground.

• Bunch - Grasses of the bunch type grow out from the center in "bunches." Mowing it higher will protect the center.

Warm climate grass

Light foot traffic

• Bentgrass - Tolerates acidic soil and full sun

• Bluegrass - Best in pH 6.5-7 neutral soil and full sun

• Fine fescue - Suitable in most soils and full sun or shade

Heavy foot traffic

• Perennial rye grass - Good for most soils and full sun

• Tall fescue - Suitable in most soils with full or partial sun

Cool climate grass

Light foot traffic

• Centipede - Tolerates acidic soil and full or partial sun

• Bahia - Suitable in most soils and full or partial sun

Heavy foot traffic

• Bermuda - Best in light, textured soil, and full or partial sun

• St. Augustine - Ideal for sandy soil and full or partial sun

• Zoysia - Suitable for pH 5.5–6.5 slightly acidic soil and full or partial sun

New construction landscaping

Landscaping the yard in a newly constructed home costs much more than improving existing landscaping.

Testing soil quality

A soil test costs $10 to $40 per sample for a complete soil composition analysis. Contractors will add compost, wood chips, soil amendments, or other fertilizers to make up for soil nutrient deficiencies. Soil improvement is essential before seeding.

Landscaping permit cost

Landscaping permits cost $50 to $400 for land leveling or grading projects. Most gardening and yard improvements won't require permits.

Additional fees apply for building new hardscaping:

• Deck permits cost $50 to $150.

• Pergola permits cost $60 to $150.

• Retaining wall permits cost $50 to $450 depending on the wall size.

Front or back yard

Invest more money into the front yard to boost curb appeal when re-selling a home. Spending more money on the backyard is worthwhile in warm climates or in neighborhoods where buyers expect a well-landscaped yard behind the home.

Tips before you start

When should I start my landscaping project?

Spring is the best time of the year for most landscaping work that involves planting and reseeding a lawn. Fall is ideal for pruning and preparing the grounds for frost in cold climates. Cheaper rates are typically available in late fall and early winter.

How do I save money with my landscaping project?

• Design the project with your designer or architect and install it one step at a time.

• Make sure each contractor sees the plans before doing their part to ensure the next part goes easily.

• Do land grading and hardscaping in the first year. Add plants later.

• Choose local materials to cut shipping costs for special items.

State-issued rebates

State governments in climates with water shortages offer rebates to any homeowners that alter their landscaping to use less water or permeable paving. Rebates typically apply for turf replacements, native plants, rainwater retention, permeable hardscape, and water-saving sprinklers.

Landscaping checklist

1. Budget – Know your budget for the entire project, including the planning phase as well as the implementation phase.

2. Schedule – Allow 1 to 2 weeks for the plans to come together as you work with your chosen landscape designer. Building a deck, pool, arbor, pergola, or land grading projects take longer.

3. Permits – Have your contractor take care of this aspect of the project.

4. Selection – Compare several designers and landscaping firms to see who suits your project goals best.

5. Visuals – Get layout plans from the designer to give you an idea of how it will look when it is all in place.

6. Experienced workers – Ask the designer to recommend other contractors for installation that they have worked with before.

Finding your landscaping company

Before hiring a landscaping company near you, be sure to:

• Compare multiple quotes from companies with 5+ years of experience.

• Ask if they have horticulture or design training.

• Verify that they have surety bonds and full liability insurance.

• Read their reviews on HomeGuide and Google.

• Request an itemized estimate and contract upfront.

• Beware of the lowest bids that often yield low-quality results.

• Don’t give a full payment. Follow a payment plan instead.