Landscaping cost is one of the hardest numbers to pin down online, because “landscaping” covers everything from a $35 lawn mow to a $50,000 backyard rebuild. That’s why one site tells you the average is about $1,500 and another says $8,500. Both can be right. They’re averaging different things.
The useful way to budget is to split it into three buckets: routine jobs (mowing, mulch, trimming, cleanup), mid-size installs (new beds, a lawn, lighting, a small patio), and full renovations with hardscape. Below are real prices for each, including what LawnGuru customers pay for common jobs.
Quick Answer: Landscaping cost depends on the job. Routine work like mowing, mulching, and hedge trimming runs $35 to about $700 per visit on LawnGuru (mulch averages $694, hedge trimming $417). Planting and bed installs typically cost $1,000 to $6,000. Full yard projects with patios, walls, or lighting run $15,000 to $50,000+. By area, most installs fall around $4.50 to $12 per square foot (NerdWallet, citing Angi). Hardscape is the expensive part.
Landscaping Cost at a Glance
| Project tier | Typical cost | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Routine maintenance | $35 to $700 per visit | Mowing, edging, mulching, hedge trimming, yard cleanup |
| Basic installs | $800 to $3,000 | New flower bed, a few shrubs or trees, front foundation planting |
| Intermediate projects | $1,000 to $6,000 | Sprinkler system, landscape lighting, small paver patio, grading |
| Full front or backyard renovation | $6,000 to $50,000+ | New lawn, beds, trees, patio, walls, irrigation, lighting |
| Major hardscape | $6,000 to $87,000+ | Outdoor kitchen, retaining walls, pool and surround |
Sources: LawnGuru job data; NerdWallet (citing Angi); Willow Gates Landscaping; Ross NW Watergardens.
Why Landscaping Cost Estimates Disagree So Much
Look at the numbers ranking on page one right now:
- One national lawn marketplace reports an average around $1,400 to $1,660.
- NerdWallet, citing Angi, puts the average project near $3,650, with a range of $120 to $4,300.
- A calculator site claims most homeowners spend $4,500 to $22,500, with an average around $8,500.
- A Pennsylvania design-build firm, Willow Gates, says expect at least $2,000 for a basic install and $30,000+ for extensive work.
- Ross NW Watergardens, a Portland firm, says most of its projects run $20,000 to $60,000.
The low averages include lots of single, small jobs like a mulch delivery or one tree. The high ones are design-build companies whose customers are redoing whole yards. Before you compare any quote to an “average,” figure out which kind of job you’re pricing.
LawnGuru Prices for Everyday Landscaping Jobs
Most landscaping spending isn’t a once-in-a-decade remodel. It’s the recurring work. Here’s what LawnGuru customers pay per job:
| Service | LawnGuru average | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Lawn mowing | $35.23 | $28 to $45 |
| Power edging | $49 | $20 to $70 |
| Sprinkler start-up | $80 | $51 to $111 |
| Aeration | $123 | $74 to $193 |
| Weeding | $151 | $134 to $325 |
| Dethatching | $176 | $136 to $212 |
| Yard cleanup | $328 | $174 to $487 |
| Hedge trimming | $417 | $177 to $659 |
| Tree work | $425 | $300 to $1,200 |
| Mulch installation | $694 | $329 to $1,060 |
| Seeding | $829 | $378 to $1,280 |
Source: LawnGuru service pages, October 2026.
For more detail on the biggest line items, see our guides to mulch cost and hedge trimming cost.
Landscaping Cost Per Square Foot
NerdWallet puts typical landscaping at $4.50 to $12 per square foot for projects like lawn installation, planting, and simple design elements:
| Area landscaped | At $4.50/sq ft | At $12/sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| 200 sq ft | $900 | $2,400 |
| 500 sq ft | $2,250 | $6,000 |
| 1,000 sq ft | $4,500 | $12,000 |
| 2,000 sq ft | $9,000 | $24,000 |
Two cautions. First, measure only the area you’re changing, not your whole lot. Second, per-square-foot pricing breaks down fast once hardscape is involved. Willow Gates goes as far as calling square-foot pricing bad for the industry, because it’s too easy for a contractor to miss costs or a homeowner to misunderstand what’s included. Use it to sanity-check a budget, then get an itemized quote.
Hardscape vs. Softscape Costs
Softscape is the living part: lawn, plants, trees, mulch. Hardscape is the built part: patios, walkways, walls, lighting, structures. Here’s how common features price out, from NerdWallet’s Angi-sourced ranges and two design-build contractors:
| Feature | Typical cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Mulch (material) | $30 to $120 per cubic yard | NerdWallet |
| Bark mulch vs. decorative gravel | $30 to $40 vs. $80 to $300 per yard | Willow Gates |
| Shrubs, 3-gallon | $20 to $40 each (plant only) | Willow Gates |
| Tree, installed | A $125 tree becomes $300+ with labor, soil, staking, mulch | Willow Gates |
| Flower bed installation | $800 to $3,000 | NerdWallet |
| New sod lawn | $3 to $6 per sq ft (Portland) | Ross NW |
| Sprinkler system | $1,700 to $3,550 | NerdWallet |
| Landscape lighting | $2,000 to $6,000; $350 to $550 per fixture | NerdWallet; Ross NW |
| Patio (concrete, pavers, or stone) | $2,000 to $5,800; $10 to $60 per sq ft by material | NerdWallet; Ross NW |
| Lawn grading | $1,025 to $3,300 | NerdWallet |
| Retaining wall | $3,250 to $9,000 | NerdWallet |
| Outdoor kitchen | $6,000 to $25,000 | NerdWallet |
For specific line items, see our guides on sprinkler system cost and landscape edging cost.
What Is the Most Expensive Part of Landscaping?
Hardscape. Patios, retaining walls, outdoor kitchens, and pools cost far more per square foot than plants, because they involve excavation, base material, heavy equipment, and skilled installation. The calculator site estimates hardscape takes 40 to 60% of most full-yard budgets even when it covers less than 30% of the area. Willow Gates says to expect at least $4,000 for any hardscaping project.
After hardscape, the next big swings are large specimen trees ($700 to $1,000 installed for big ones, per Willow Gates), irrigation, and grading or drainage work that doesn’t show but has to happen first.
Landscape Design Fees
Design costs range widely. NerdWallet says designers or landscape architects can charge up to $150 an hour. Ross NW puts a typical design at $1,500 to $3,500, and up to $10,000+ for complex properties. Willow Gates says its designs run $200 to $1,000 and notes many nurseries offer free or cheap designs if you buy plants from them, and some designers credit the fee if you hire them to build.
For a simple refresh of existing flower beds, you often don’t need a formal design. For grading, walls, or drainage, you do.
Hourly Rates: Is $100 an Hour Too Much for Landscape Work?
Not necessarily. NerdWallet reports landscapers who bill hourly usually charge $50 to $100 an hour, and Ross NW lists $50 to $70 an hour for power trimming and $75 to $150 for hand pruning.
That can look high next to worker pay. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median wage of $19.27 an hour for grounds maintenance workers (May 2025), $18.82 for landscaping and groundskeeping workers, and $24.50 for tree trimmers. The hourly rate a company bills has to cover more than wages: equipment, fuel, insurance, dump fees, drive time, and overhead. And $100 an hour may be a crew rate for two people.
What matters is total job cost. A $100-an-hour crew that finishes in two hours beats a $50-an-hour worker who takes five.
How Much for 2 Hours of Yard Work?
At $50 to $100 an hour, two hours of yard work runs roughly $100 to $200 for one worker, plus any dump or disposal fees. For a defined cleanup, LawnGuru’s yard cleanup averages $328, with most jobs between $174 and $487, priced by the job rather than the hour.
What Is a Realistic Budget for Landscaping My Home?
It depends on what “landscaping” means for your project. Rough anchors from contractors:
- Front foundation beds on a one-story home: $1,000 to $3,000 (Willow Gates).
- Plantings around an average new home: $4,000 to $8,000 (Willow Gates). Check whether your builder already included lawn seeding or sod.
- A full front yard refresh with new lawn, 10 to 15 plants, a couple of trees, and boulders: $6,000 to $8,000 (Ross NW, Portland).
- Front and back together, basic: starts around $13,000 (Ross NW). Adding irrigation, lighting, and drainage can add $10,000 to $18,000.
- Full backyard renovation: $15,000 to $50,000 (NerdWallet).
A practical method: list must-haves and nice-to-haves separately, price each from the tables above, and add 10 to 15% for surprises like drainage or poor soil.
Ongoing Landscape Maintenance Costs
A new landscape needs upkeep, and that’s a recurring line in your budget. Ross NW, in Portland, lists full landscape maintenance at $125 to $300 a month year-round and seasonal cleanups at $500 to $1,500. Willow Gates notes maintenance can run under $1,000 a year for a basic front bed and over $10,000 for a large estate.
Building it from LawnGuru job prices, a typical yard with weekly mowing for about 26 weeks ($916), one mulch install ($694), two hedge trimmings ($834), and one fall cleanup ($328) lands around $2,770 a year. Our lawn care cost guide breaks down the lawn side in more detail.
Other Cost Factors: Permits, Grading, Access, Location
- Permits. Large hardscape projects may need a building permit. NerdWallet estimates $500 to $2,760.
- Slope and drainage. Grading runs $1,025 to $3,300 by NerdWallet’s numbers, and walls on slopes cost more.
- Access. Ross NW notes backyards usually cost more than fronts partly because access for equipment is harder.
- Location. Labor rates vary by market. The calculator site estimates the same job can swing about 40% either way by region.
- Plant size. A small potted tree costs a fraction of a 15 to 20 foot balled-and-burlapped specimen, per Willow Gates.
How to Save on Landscaping: Phase the Project
- Phase it. Phasing spreads cost over seasons. Do the front yard this year and the back next year, as Ross NW describes. Put grading and drainage first, plants second, decorative extras last.
- Plant smaller. Smaller shrubs and trees cost less and catch up in a few seasons.
- Choose bark over stone where it makes sense. Bark mulch runs $30 to $40 a yard versus $80 to $300 for decorative gravel, per Willow Gates, though gravel doesn’t need replacing yearly.
- Do the easy parts yourself. Planting perennials and spreading mulch are DIY-friendly. Leave walls, grading, electrical, and irrigation to pros.
- Keep hardscape small. A path instead of a patio, or a smaller patio, saves the most money per decision.
- Get itemized quotes. It’s the only way to compare bids line by line.
If your project starts with getting beds in shape, LawnGuru’s mulch installation averages $694, with most jobs between $329 and $1,060, and is one of the cheapest ways to make a yard look finished before bigger work.
Does Landscaping Add Value to Your Home?
Curb appeal helps a home show well, and the IRS does treat landscaping as a real improvement. That doesn’t mean every dollar comes back at sale. Hardscape and mature trees tend to last; trendy plantings and high-maintenance features may not matter to the next buyer. Spend on what you’ll use and what a buyer would also want to maintain.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I write off landscaping on my taxes?
Usually not for a personal home in the year you pay. But IRS Publication 523 lists landscaping, walkways, fences, retaining walls, and lawn sprinkler systems as improvements that increase your home’s basis, which can reduce taxable gain when you sell. Rental and business properties follow different rules. Ask a tax professional about your situation.
What is the 3-5-7 rule in landscaping?
It’s a design convention, not a cost rule: plant in odd-numbered groups of three, five, or seven so beds look natural rather than lined up. It can help with budgeting, though, since it pushes you to buy fewer types of plants in repeated groups.
How much does landscaping cost for a small yard?
At NerdWallet’s $4.50 to $12 per square foot, a 200 sq ft area runs about $900 to $2,400 and 500 sq ft about $2,250 to $6,000. Hardscape pushes it higher.
How much does front yard landscaping cost?
Basic foundation beds on a one-story home run $1,000 to $3,000, per Willow Gates. A fuller refresh with lawn, shrubs, and trees runs $6,000 to $8,000 in Ross NW’s Portland market.
How much does backyard landscaping cost?
A basic backyard planting runs $7,000 to $10,000 in Portland, per Ross NW. A full renovation with hardscape runs $15,000 to $50,000, per NerdWallet.
How much does landscape maintenance cost per month?
Ross NW quotes $125 to $300 a month for full year-round maintenance in Portland. Pricing it job by job on LawnGuru, a typical yard runs about $230 a month averaged over a year.
How much does it cost to plant a tree?
Plan on more than the tree price. Willow Gates says a $125 tree typically becomes $300 or more after labor, soil amendments, staking, and mulch, and large specimen trees run $700 to $1,000 installed.
How much do shrubs cost?
Three-gallon shrubs, a standard trade size, typically cost $20 to $40 each before labor, per Willow Gates.
How much does mulch installation cost?
LawnGuru’s mulch installation averages $694, with most jobs between $329 and $1,060. Material alone runs $30 to $120 per cubic yard, per NerdWallet.
Is sod or seed cheaper for a new lawn?
Seed is cheaper upfront. LawnGuru seeding averages $829 for a typical job, while sod runs $3 to $6 per square foot installed in Ross NW’s market, so a 1,000 sq ft lawn in sod would be $3,000 to $6,000.
Is hiring a landscape designer worth it?
For grading, walls, drainage, or a full redo, yes. Mistakes there are expensive to fix. For a simple bed refresh, a sketch and a good contractor are often enough. Ask whether the design fee is credited if the same company builds it.
Why do landscaping quotes vary so much?
Scope, plant sizes, materials, access, and overhead all differ between companies. Ask each contractor for an itemized quote with plant sizes, material types, and quantities, then compare line by line.
