How Much Does Landscape Installation Cost?

Landscaping Costs by Location

In general, homeowners may be tempted to spend more on landscaping in the front yard to help their homes sell faster, but backyard landscaping costs can be significant if designing a relaxing place to spend time on the weekends or in the evenings after work.

Backyard Landscaping Cost

Basic backyard landscaping costs could include something as little as planting a shrub ($25 to $50 per shrub). If you plan to install a deck, pool, patio, or even outdoor kitchen in your backyard, however, you might spend $50,000 to $100,000 or more.

Front Yard Landscaping Cost

Front yard landscaping costs may include a front porch or deck design, but usually, homeowners focus more on appealing flowers, trees, and shrubs. Expect to pay up to $3,000 on a nice flower bed, while planting multiple trees could cost upwards of $700.

Contrary to what you might think, front yard landscaping costs are generally lower than backyard landscaping costs because the work is generally more focused on softscaping (working with live plants and trees) than hardscaping (constructing things like decks and patios).

Landscaping Prices List

Individual flowers, trees, and shrubs will come with their own landscaping costs, which can vary based on the plant's size and the installation's complexity. The table below offers average prices for various planting services.

How Much Do Trees Cost to Plant?

It costs between $100 and $300 to plant a tree, with most homeowners spending an average of $200 per tree. It’s cheaper to plant 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 five 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.

Landscaping budgets go much further than the initial tree planting cost, however. Over the years, you’ll also need to budget for:

• The cost of tree pruning: $400–$800

• Tree trimming costs: $200–$760

• Tree removal prices: $200–$2,000 

Cost to Plant a Large Tree

Planting a mature tree—one 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 two to three times the cost of the shrubplus $50 to $100 per hour. Shrubs are priced per 3- or 5-gallon container and tend to be small bushes and trees.

Privacy Hedge Cost

A privacy hedge costs between $1,700 and $2,400, depending on the length and local labor rates. They are generally cheaper than the cost of a fence, but they may require more maintenance over the years, including pruning. Alternatively, you can hire a lawn care company to manage the annual maintenance for a low cost.

Cost to Install Flower Bed

Installing a flower garden costs$1,000 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 local 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 your landscape professional to create a space for flower or vegetable gardens.

Cost to Install Sod and Artificial Turf

Installing sod costs an average of $2,000, with a price range of $1,050 to $2,925. Artificial turf installation costs around $5,100, but you could pay anywhere from $2,950 to $7,475. Real grass is less expensive up front, but you need to consider the ongoing maintenance costs (like hiring a local lawn care service) if you’re not willing or able to do the upkeep yourself.

Additional Landscaping Costs

Landscaping costs can vary significantly based on the scope of work, from simple planting or mulch installation to more complex design work and land grading and excavation costs.

Landscape Design

When hiring landscape designers near you, expect to spend roughly $200 per hour. For a full design plan, you’ll 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 encompassing softscapes and hardscapes. 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.

Land Grading

Regrading a yard costs between $1,000 and $3,225, with most homeowners spending about $2,100. You might need to level your yard to direct water away from a foundation or to retain moisture in a garden. If you are unsure how your lawn should be graded, find an architect who can advise ahead of your landscaping project.

Mulch Installation

Mulching a garden costs between $100 and $300, including the actual mulch and the labor to add a 3-inch layer to the garden. For a 500-square-foot garden, expect to pay around $175. You can cut costs significantly by doing the labor yourself.

Sprinklers and Irrigation

The cost to install a sprinkler or irrigation system in your yard ranges from $1,675 to $3,550. If you own several acres of land that you intend to plant, you might spend up to $10,000 per acre. These systems do require upkeep over time; if the system fails, you’ll spend between $125 and $400 in sprinkler repair costs.

Other Project-Specific Costs

Depending on the scope of your landscaping project, you may need to budget for some of these other costs:

• Deck construction costs: $4,125–$11,600

• Landscape curbing prices: $750–$1,900

• Cost of aerating a lawn: $75–$200

• Lawn seeding cost: $450–$1,650

• Sprinkler winterization costs: $50–$125

• Cost to dethatch yard: $100–$700

Cost to Install Landscaping by Type

Softscaping work is generally more affordable than hardscaping and xeriscaping, but much of the price depends on the scope of each project. We’ve broken down typical landscape installation costs below:

Softscaping Cost

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

Softscaping refers to your outdoor space's soil, lawn, and plants. This could be as simple as reseeding the lawn or as complex as putting in a brand new flower bed to add a riot of color all through the summer. You can hire a gardener to help with the initial installation and the upkeep.

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.

For many of these projects, you may also need to budget for the cost of a building permit.

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–$1.50 per square foot to install.

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

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

Xeriscaping Cost

Xeriscaping costs $3,000 to $24,000 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. If you live in a drought-prone area, landscape and garden designers near you are likely well versed in creating projects that conserve water. Both synthetic turf and xeriscaping can save you money over time by saving you water and labor.

• Indigenous planting: Instead of xeriscaping, which uses drought-resistant plants, you can also consider mixing hardscaping with native (also called indigenous) plants in your area. These plants thrived before modern irrigation and do well in your climate without help.

• Synthetic turf: Synthetic grass ($2,950–$7,475) 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.

Water Features and Décor

You can add unique water features to your landscape project for a more inviting backyard space. Talk with a backyard designer near you to understand the impact of the following on your total project costs:

• Misting system installation costs

• The cost of pond installation

• The cost to build a pool

• Water fountain installation prices

When adding features like a pond, fountain, or misting system 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 plan. 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, you’ll have added costs to keep them alive and healthy.

New Home Landscaping Installation Costs

Landscaping for a new home tends to cost significantly more than improving an existing space. Starting from scratch, you can expect to pay around 10% of the property's value on landscaping. 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, and install retaining walls, flower beds, water features, and more. A blank canvas is fantastic because it's easier to create the exact outdoor space you want, but it's also more expensive; you're starting the installation from nothing.

You’ll likely need help from several professionals, including local lawn seeding services and local gardeners. For a patio, you’ll need to hire a paving company. You'll need to find a local tree service to plant new trees, trim existing ones, or even knock one down.

Landscape Installation Labor Costs

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

You'll pay extra for materials, ranging 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.

Landscaping Maintenance Costs

After the initial landscaping installation, you’ll need to take care of ongoing maintenance—or pay a professional to do it. This could mean hiring local lawn fertilization services and local lawn mowing teams or paying gardeners to take care of your flowers. Patios and pools require special maintenance each year.

Depending on the type of work, you could spend as little as $25 a week to $1,000 per tree in need of trimming. Lawn mowing costs range from $50 to $200, while lawn fertilization costs run between $75 and $400.

DIY vs. Hiring a Landscaper

Small landscaping jobs make excellent DIY projects. The weekend DIYer can accomplish things like planting trees and flowers. 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 anything more complex than planting a few shrubs or a tree, find a local backyard landscaper for quality work backed by a guarantee. Backyard landscaping costs can be high, but prices reflect the level of specialized labor and equipment required.