How Much Does Landscape Installation Cost?

Landscape Installation Costs

Generally, landscapers charge $50 to $100 per hour for labor and the use of their tools and equipment. And, if you hire a landscape designer, you'll pay them $200 per hour for the initial design and planning work. 

But, of course, you'll pay extra for materials, which varies from $0.14 per square foot for new grass seed, to $50 per square foot for a high-end patio and $125 per square foot to install a pool.

New Home Landscaping Installation Costs

Landscaping for a new home tends to cost significantly more than improving on an existing space. Starting from scratch, you can expect to pay around 10% of the property's value on landscaping. So, if you have a $300,000 home, you'll pay around $30,000 for landscaping, including hardscaping, softscaping, and water features. 

With a new home, the outdoor space is barren and unfinished. You'll need to bring in lots of high-quality topsoil, lay walkways and patios, install retaining walls, flower beds, water features, and more. A blank canvas is fantastic in the sense that it's easier to create the exact outdoor space you want, but it's also more expensive, because you're literally starting the installation from nothing.

Plant Installation Prices

Plant installation costs $3,360 on average with a typical range between $1,325 and $5,660. However, you might pay anywhere from $300 to $10,800 or more depending on the size of the job. Plant installation includes flowers, shrubs, trees, and grass. Landscaping pros, including designers and installers, charge anywhere from $50 to $150 per hour or $4 to $10 per square foot.

How Much Does It Cost to Plant a Tree?

Planting a single tree costs anywhere from $150 to $300 but it’s cheaper to do multiple trees at once. Five small trees range from $300 to $700, or $60 to $140 per tree. About 30% of the cost is labor.

Most trees you purchase are small to plant, ranging from 5 to 15 feet tall. It makes it easier to transport and install. If you want to DIY this project, you’ll need a truck or trailer for transport, with other simple tools being a shovel and a garden hose.

Cost to Plant a Large Tree

Planting a mature tree, something that’s past the sapling stage and usually more than 15 feet tall, costs $1,500 to $3,000 per tree. They require large machinery to dig, transport, and lift into place. The process not only requires larger machines, but more space, time, and crew members.

How Much Do Landscapers Charge to Plant Shrubs?

Landscapers charge $25 to $50 per shrub to purchase and install them. They figure the price based on 2 to 3 times the cost of the shrub plus $50 to $100 per hour. Shrubs are priced per a 3 gallon or 5-gallon container and tend to be small bushes and trees.

Cost to Install Flower Bed

Installing a flower garden costs $300 to $3,000, depending on the size and whether you already have the bed installed or not. Installing just the flowers runs on the lower end, or $300 to $1,500. Putting in a new bed with borders pushes that price upwards to $1,000 to $3,000 for each garden.

Many people want a landscaper to design their lawns and gardens but enjoy tending to their own flowers and planting new ones each year. If this is the case for you, ask that the space be made for flower or vegetable gardens.

Cost to Install Sod and Artificial Turf

Installing sod costs an average of $6,500, with a price range of $5,800 to $7,200. Artificial turf installation typically costs around $4,600, but you could pay anywhere from $2,700 to $6,500. It costs less to install artificial turf because there's less preparation and maintenance. Artificial turf weighs less and is easier and less time-consuming to install, although it will never match the natural look or feel of real sod.

Softscaping Cost

Softscaping costs between $25 and $10,000, depending on what your installation involves. Adding a single bush to your softscape can cost as little as $25. However, installing sod and installing and planting up flower beds can cost $10,000 or more.

Softscaping refers to the soil, lawn, and plants in your outdoor space. So whether you're reseeding the lawn or putting in a brand new flower bed to add a riot of color all through the summer, this counts as softscaping.

Xeriscaping Cost

Xeriscaping costs $10,000 to $30,000 and covers your entire outdoor area, from the front yard to the back. Xeriscaping utilizes plants, shrubs, ground covers and rocks that need very little water to thrive. While far more expensive than simple sod, the maintenance and water costs are low by design.

A xeriscape landscape doesn't have to look like a desert. Carefully chosen shrubs, trees, plants and flowers can provide vibrant, lush color as well as water conservation.

Drought Tolerant Landscaping Cost

You’ll spend anywhere from $3,000 to $30,000 for drought-tolerant landscapes. With droughts so common in many parts of the country, more landscape designers are creating projects that conserve water. Both synthetic turf and xeriscaping can save you money over time by saving you water and labor.

• Indigenous Planting: Besides xeriscaping, that uses drought-resistant plants, you can also consider mixing hardscaping with native (also called indigenous) plants to your area. These plants thrived prior to modern irrigation and do well in your climate without help.

• Synthetic Turf: $3,000–$7,000. Synthetic grass can provide the swaths of green you want without the watering. In the past decade, synthetic grasses have grown much softer and more natural looking.

Hardscaping Costs

Hardscaping, the process of adding inanimate features like patios, walkways, and gazebos, costs anywhere from $300 to $100,000 or more. The only limits on price come from the size of your yard, design, and budget. Hardscaping tends to cost more than softscaping because it requires construction materials that are more expensive than soil and plants.

Hardscape Cost per Square Foot

Your hardscaped project might range anywhere from $1 to $150 per square foot. Without knowing your project, it’s impossible to narrow it down. For example:

• Pea gravel costs $0.50 to $1.50 per square foot to install.

• Patios cost $5 to $50 per square foot depending on the material you use.

• Pools cost $50 to $125 per square foot.

Water Features and Décor

When adding features like a gazebo, pond, fountain, misting system, or pond to your landscaping, make sure that you fully understand the ongoing costs of energy and regular maintenance. Thinking about all aspects of your water features and other décor will help you with your planning and the better you plan, the better prepared you are for unexpected costs.

For example:

• Ponds need consistent maintenance so that they don't grow mold or mildew.

• Areas with harsh winters mean either de-icing or emptying your water feature every year.

• If you introduce aquatic plants or fish, that is even more of a maintenance cost.

Additional Landscaping Costs

Landscaping Maintenance Costs

Landscape Design Cost

Landscape designers cost around $200 per hour. For a full design plan, expect to pay anywhere from $2,000 to $7,000, with most people paying roughly $4,500. 

Sometimes called landscape architects, these professionals plan a cohesive outdoor space that encompasses both softscape and hardscape. They work within your budget to create a space that you love. These pros know what to plant where, when a lawn needs regrading to avoid water pooling and causing problems along your home's foundation, and which trees to plant to give you lovely dappled shade in summer.

DIY vs. Hire a Landscaper

Small landscaping jobs make excellent DIY projects. Things like planting trees and flowers can be accomplished by the weekend DIYer. However, having a professional install a flower bed, regrade the land and put in the shrubs means you’ll have a guarantee on the work and often the plants. For professional guaranteed work with quotes for your project, find a local landscaper. Remember to get at least three quotes, check references and prior work.

FAQs

Does backyard landscaping add value to your home?

Backyard landscaping can add value to your home, but the biggest benefit is in how fast it’ll sell. It’s a great idea to update your yard if you live in an area with a competitive housing market.

How much should I pay for landscape design?

Landscape designers charge $500 to $5,000 on average.

How do you maintain a landscape?

You maintain a landscape with regular pruning, planting, fertilizing, aeration and soil testing. You can do this yourself, of find a landscaping professional to take care of your yard for you.