Is it worth paying a landscaper to plant shrubs and perennials?

Paying a landscaper is worth it when the job is beyond what you can lift, dig or design, or when you cannot look after the plants for their first season. It is usually not worth it for a handful of small container perennials or shrubs going into a bed you can reach with a hose. The plants are the same either way; what you are buying is labor, judgment about plant choice and placement, and correct planting.

What actually decides whether new plants live

Many new shrubs and perennials that fail are not killed by pests. They are planted too deep, in a hole too narrow, in soil that holds water, or left to dry out. Virginia Tech's tree guidance puts it bluntly: "Mechanical damage and improper tree care kill more trees than any insects or diseases."^[3] Its list of planting mistakes includes digging the hole too narrow and over-amending the backfill, digging too deep or filling the bottom with gravel, leaving treated or synthetic burlap on, and piling up excessive mulch.^[3] The same mistakes hurt shrubs.

Plant choice matters too. Some plants are fussy about soil. Mountain laurel and azaleas have very fine roots and a low survival rate in clay soils unless the backfill is amended.^[2] And Virginia Tech warns against relying on one or two species, because too few species puts a large share of the planting at risk if a pest problem arrives.^[2] Someone who plants for a living should know which plants suit your soil and spot.

Then there is time. Shrubs and trees can take up to three years to get established,^[4] and the first summer is the hardest, because the potting soil of most container-grown plants holds only a one- to two-day supply of water.^[2] Whoever plants, someone has to water.

When doing it yourself makes sense

• A few container perennials or small shrubs, in a bed that is already dug and drains well.
• Plants you can lift and carry yourself, with a hose that reaches.
• You are willing to follow the steps on this page, including the drainage test and the utility locate.
• You will be home to water through the first summer.

The step list here walks through planting a shrub the way Virginia Tech recommends. Perennials go in the same way on a smaller scale; our guide to when to plant perennials in Virginia covers timing.

When paying a landscaper is worth it

• Many plants or a whole bed. Digging dozens of wide holes is days of work, and a crew does it in hours.
• Large or balled-and-burlapped shrubs. They are heavy, and setting them at the right depth without breaking the root ball takes practice.
• Old shrubs to remove. Overgrown foundation plants come out with big root masses.
• Problem soil. Rocky fill, construction debris or a site that fails the drainage test needs more than a shovel.
• You want a design. If you cannot picture the finished bed, design is where professional help adds the most.

Does professional landscaping add value to a house?

Virginia Tech summarises survey research on how landscaping affects what buyers think a house is worth. Respondents ranked design sophistication first, at 42 percent of the value added, plant size second at 36 percent, and variety of plant types third at 22 percent.^[1] Moving from a lawn-only house to a well-landscaped one raised perceived value from 5.5 percent in Louisiana to 11.4 percent in South Carolina,^[1] and very minimal landscapes, with a simple design and small plants, actually detracted from value.^[1] The author concludes that investing in the services of a landscape design professional will optimize the value of a home,^[1] and notes that the value of a landscape improvement increases over time as trees and shrubs grow.^[1]

Two cautions. These are perceived values from a 1999 survey of home and garden show visitors in seven other states, not Virginia sale prices. And the factor that mattered most was design, not who held the shovel, so paying for a plan and planting it yourself can capture much of the benefit.

What to check when you hire

• A written plant list with species, sizes, quantities and spacing, so quotes compare. Our guide to what shrub planting costs in Virginia lists what a quote should include.
• The utility locate. Virginia 811 says, "From fences to gardens, for any digging project, contact Virginia 811 three days before"^[8] digging. Agree who requests it.
• Licences for anything beyond planting. The Board for Contractors' landscape service contracting specialty covers work by means of excavation, clearing, grading, construction of retaining walls for landscaping purposes, or placement of landscaping timbers.^[5] Check those businesses on DPOR's License Lookup.^[7]
• A pesticide license for weed control. Under Virginia law, "No person may apply or recommend for use any pesticide commercially without a pesticide business license and the employment of a certified commercial applicator"^[6] responsible for the work.
• Insurance, aftercare and replacement terms in writing, including who waters and what happens if a plant dies.

Stop and call a pro if

• The shrubs are too heavy to move or set safely by hand.
• Water stands in your test hole a day later, or runs toward the house.
• Old shrubs, stumps or big roots have to come out first.
• The plan needs grading, a retaining wall, drainage or irrigation.
• Utility marks run through the bed, or you hit anything buried while digging.

Browse more lawn and landscaping answers, see garden and bed planting services, or look up lawn and landscaping businesses around Blacksburg. If you decide to hire, describe the job once and local businesses quote it.