Landscaping · Nashville, TN
The Nashville homeowner's guide to landscaping
What the work involves, what drives the price, what your options are, and what a bad job looks like — written so you can judge any landscaper in Middle Tennessee, including us.
Warning signs
How to know you need us
If you recognize any of these, it is worth having somebody look before it becomes a larger job.
- Beds that have outgrown their shape and lost their edge
- Water standing in the yard, or running toward the house after rain
- A slope too steep to mow or use for anything
- Foundation plantings grown up over the windows
- A new build handed over with turf and nothing else
- Outdoor space you never actually sit in
Your options
More than one right answer.
A landscaper who only ever recommends the most expensive option is not giving you advice. Here is the honest range.
Design first, build in phases
A full plan drawn once, installed over two or three seasons. Spreads the cost without ending up with a yard assembled from unrelated decisions.
Planting and beds only
Reshaping, soil preparation and planting, with no hardscape. The largest visual change per dollar in most yards.
Hardscape led
Patio, walls, steps and lighting first, planted afterwards. Right where the aim is usable outdoor space rather than a view.
Drainage and grading first
Where water is the actual problem, everything else is decoration. Sometimes the honest recommendation is the least exciting one.
What it costs
What actually drives the price.
We do not quote landscaping over the phone, because an honest number needs somebody to look at the job. These are the things that move it.
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Hardscape versus planting
A planting plan is a fraction of what a patio or a retaining wall costs. Most landscape budgets are decided by how much of the project is built rather than grown.
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Base preparation
Excavation depth, gravel type and compaction under a patio or wall is invisible the day after it is finished and is what decides whether it is flat in ten years.
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Access for equipment
A back yard reachable only through a gate means everything is barrowed by hand, and that changes the labor on a hardscape job substantially.
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Grade and drainage
Sloped sites need retaining, steps and drainage before anything decorative happens, and clay soil makes drainage a structural cost rather than an optional one.
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Plant size at install
The same design planted in three-gallon shrubs or in mature specimens is two very different numbers. One looks finished immediately; the other looks finished in three years.
Every estimate is free, written and carries no obligation — including the parts we would find only after starting, which are priced up front rather than left open.
What happens
From your call to the finished job.
Site visit and design
One to three weeks. We look at light, drainage and how you use the space before drawing anything.
Plant sourcing and scheduling
Specimen material and stone can carry lead time, and planting is scheduled for when things actually establish here rather than when it suits the calendar.
Hardscape build
Excavation, base, then the build. The base days look like nothing is happening and they are the days that matter.
Planting and establishment
Beds prepared, planted and mulched, with watering guidance for the first season — which is when most new planting is won or lost.
Done badly
What goes wrong, and why it matters.
These are the shortcuts that make a quote look cheaper and cost you more later. Ask anyone you are considering about them.
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Planting into unamended clay
A hole the size of the root ball backfilled with the same clay is a container with no drainage.
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Volcano mulching
Mulch piled against a trunk holds moisture on the bark and rots it. It should be pulled back from the stem.
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Building a wall without drainage
Wet clay behind a wall exerts far more pressure than the soil alone. It will lean whatever it is built from.
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Choosing plants at the nursery in spring
Everything looks good in April. The test is what survives a Tennessee August in the position you are putting it.
Before you hire anyone
Six questions worth asking any landscaper.
Including us. If a contractor cannot answer these easily, that is the answer.
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Are you licensed for landscaping and can I see the certificate?
A licensed and insured contractor will have this to hand and will not be irritated by the question.
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Is the estimate written, itemized and free?
A verbal number is not an estimate. Itemized means you can compare two quotes on the same basis.
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What happens if you find something once you start?
The honest answer names a rate and a process. The answer to worry about is that it never happens.
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Who is actually doing the work?
Employee crew or subcontractor is not a wrong answer either way, but you should know which, and who carries the insurance.
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What is the workmanship warranty, and is it in writing?
Materials carry a manufacturer warranty. Workmanship is the contractor, and it should be written down.
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Will you pull the permit?
For permitted work, a contractor who suggests skipping it is telling you something important about the rest of the job.
FAQ
Choosing a landscaper in Nashville
How do I choose a landscaper in Nashville?
Check the license and the insurance certificate, get the estimate in writing and itemized so you can compare quotes on the same basis, and ask what happens if something is found once work starts. A contractor who cannot answer those easily has told you what you need to know.
Should I get more than one quote for landscaping?
Yes, and compare what is in them rather than the number at the bottom. The cheapest quote is often cheapest because it leaves something out, and on landscaping the thing left out is usually the preparation that decides how long the work lasts.
Is the cheapest landscaping quote usually a bad idea?
Not automatically — but an unusually low number is information. Ask specifically what is included, what grade of material is quoted, who is doing the work and what the workmanship warranty is. If all four answers are good, the low quote is a good quote.
Do I need a permit for landscaping in Nashville?
It depends on the scope. Metro Nashville and the surrounding counties permit and inspect a good deal of this work, and a contractor suggesting you skip a required permit is telling you something about how they approach the rest of the job. We pull the permits our work requires.
How far in advance should I book landscaping?
A few weeks where you can. Booking in the quiet season usually means better scheduling and sometimes better pricing than booking in the rush, and it gives you time to make the selections properly.
Free estimate
Need a landscaper in Nashville today?
Tell us what is going on and we will get you a free estimate from a local landscaper. No obligation, no pressure.