Land grading cost is $0.08 to $2.00 per square foot, with homeowners typically paying $770 to $3,000 to grade and level a 1,000 to 2,000 square foot lot. The price for grading an acre is $15,800 to $44,535, with a national average of $30,000. The cost to grade land varies with project size, site topography, fill dirt cost, permits, and waste removal.
Also known as yard leveling, landscape grading, or re-sloping, land grading reshapes the ground on your property, and it’s essential if you plan to:
During land grading, heavy equipment operators scrape off the ground’s surface, level the soil underneath, and cover it back up with new topsoil. This involves excavating to level a slope, hauling dirt to fill low spots, and compacting the soil. Grading contractors will bring bulldozers, backhoes, and skid steer loaders onto your land and usually work for up to a week.
In this cost guide:
Average land grading costs in 2024
Resloping land typically costs $770 to $3,000 for residential projects, including patio, fence, or swimming pool installation. You can pay as little as $310 to level the yard for a small patio or deck. More complex tasks, such as contouring the soil for drainage, can cost up to $6,910.
National average cost$1,700Typical price range$770 – $3,000Extreme low-end cost$310Extreme high-end cost$6,910We estimated the national average costs above based on a lot of 1,200 square feet with an average fee of $1.40 per square foot. Note that pricing varies with land size, slope steepness, dirt removal, and scope of the grading project.
Prepare to pay closer to the high-end cost if:
You can save money by leveling your land DIY if it is a small project, such as grading for a patio or walkway. You can also expect lower costs if the land is already cleared and excavators can dig into the ground without any obstacles.
Land grading cost estimator by size
The size of the area you need to regrade makes an exponential difference in pricing. Leveling a small lot of 500 to 1,000 square feet costs between $400 and $2,000, while grading an acre costs $15,800 to $44,350.
When searching for grading services and getting quotes, you’ll encounter pricing per square foot of land, per acre, and per hour of work. See below estimates for each case.
The cost to level a yard per square foot is $0.08 to $2.00, with an average of $1.40. This totals out at $800 to $2,000 to grade an area of 1,000 square feet.
The table below shows estimates of how much you would pay for projects of different sizes if your contractor charges by the square foot.
Project size Average cost based on square feet250 sq. ft.$200 – $500500 sq. ft.$400 – $1,0001000 sq. ft.$800 – $2,0001500 sq. ft$1,200 – $3,000The cost of grading land per square foot depends on the type of grading. If all you need is leveling and smoothing the top 1 to 3 inches of topsoil, the fee is lower. For rough grading, including leveling a slope or shaping the yard for drainage, the price will be closer to the high end.
Grading typeAverage cost per square footFine grading$0.08 to $1.00Rough grading$1.00 to $2.00Some companies price their grading services using a per-acre fee, especially if it’s a multi-acre project. The cost per acre is typically between $15,800 and $44,535, which means around $3,950 to $11,134 to grade ¼ of an acre. See prices for more project sizes below.
Project size Average cost based on acreage⅕ acre$3,160 – $8,907¼ acre$3,950 – $11,134⅓ acre$5,267 – $14,845½ acre $7,900 – $22,2681 acre$15,800 – $44,535Another option is to work with landscaping companies on hourly rates. The cost to grade a yard is typically between $40 to $180 per hour. This includes excavator, skid steer, backhoe, etc., plus operator fees.
Other factors that affect cost
When wondering how to estimate prices for site grading, keep in mind property size is only one factor. The total cost of leveling land is based on many factors, including the following.
Each grading project is different in complexity, size, necessary equipment, and hours of labor needed. Here are the average costs for the most popular.
ProjectAverage project costsLeveling for patio or deck$670 – $4,500Grading for driveway installation$1,000 – $5,125Leveling for the foundation of new construction or additions to a house$1,000 – $6,700Basic lawn re-leveling for landscaping$650 – $3,600Regrading around a foundation for drainage issues$835 – $3,000Grading to install a pool$200 – $850Removing a hill or slope$1,000 – $5,000Land grading cost also depends on how easily excavators, trucks, and heavy equipment can enter your property. A property with old tool sheds, sitting walls, fountains, boulders, and other obstacles makes working on-site more difficult and expensive.
You might need a recent topographic survey before grading your land. The cost is typically between $500 and $1,200 and varies with the size and complexity of your property.
A permit is necessary if you disturb over 5,000 square feet of land. The average cost of land grading permits varies from $150 to $485, with significant differences from county to county.
For example, in Garfield County, Kansas, you’ll pay $100 for minor grading projects under 20,000 sq. ft.; in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, the fee is $400. Pricing is higher for landscape grading over 20,000 sq. ft. (or 5,000 cubic feet of dirt).
For landscape grading of areas over 20,000 sq. ft., you might need a grading plan signed by a landscape architect. You’ll have to pay the landscape architect to review the plan, and most landscape architects charge $60 to $175 per hour.
Bobcats and excavators start grading after the land is cleared of trees, bushes, stumps, and boulders. The cost to clear land is typically from $810 to $5,870 per acre, with higher prices for heavily forested land. Below are the prices for removing individual trees or stumps.
Land clearing serviceAverage costRemoving a single tree (grading around a tree harms the roots)$385 – $1,070Removing a single tree stump$120 – $350You can choose to grade around existing structures such as sheds, old buildings, or even concrete patios. But if you decide to demolish or remove them, here are some costs you should expect.
ServicesAverage costConcrete removal$565 – $2,775Fence removal$270 – $750Demolition of structures$1,500 – $15,000To level sloped terrain, your grading contractor will cut dirt from the highest areas and use it to fill low spots. This is called “cut and fill” and requires excavation, a service with an average cost of $60 to $200 per cubic yard of dirt. Prices are higher for steep lots like mountain-side or hillside properties.
Sometimes, you will need additional dirt to fill low spots and level the yard. The typical price of fill dirt is $6 to $17 per cubic yard. This is the cost of the fill dirt alone, not including the fee for spreading it that grading contractors will also add to your bill.
Resloping is meant to keep water away from your home’s foundation. But you might still need a drainage system for your yard to protect your lawn, trees, and flower beds from standing water.
Drainage installation costs $1,500 to $11,000 per project and usually involves digging holes or trenches, so it’s best done with the re-grading project. French drains typically cost $10 to $75 per linear foot to install, and installing a dry well costs between $1,350 and $4,255.
Yard waste, construction waste, and dirt left over from grading and land leveling must be removed from the site. If removal is not included in your grading contract, this is how it will look to pay for it separately.
ServiceAverage cost Yard waste removal$60 – $515Construction waste removal$125 – $750Dirt removal$105 – $175Because topsoil is removed when grading your land, you must replace it with a new layer before seeding grass or planting flowers. The average cost of topsoil is $11 to $53 per cubic yard, including material and labor.
For steep-slope terrain, a terraced backyard can be a good alternative to leveling. This separates the yard into several flat sections placed at different heights in a step-like landscape design. Terracing a backyard costs between $2,100 and $9,300, depending on the linear footage of retaining walls and the price of fill dirt.
After reshaping, your yard surface is bare dirt, which exposes the terrain to soil erosion. Use soil covering and other erosion control methods to protect the land from soil migration. Here are the best options for preventing soil runoff and the average cost of each one.
ServiceAverage costRetaining wall installation$40 to $345 per linear footErosion grid$0.65 to $1.60 per square footSod installation$0.90 to $1.80 per square footGrass seeding$0.10 to $0.19 per square footHydroseeding$0.05 to $0.20 per square footBush and shrub planting$25 to $50 per shrub or bushMulch cost$45 – $130 per cubic yardOnce the slope is leveled, and the yard is smooth and even, you can start developing the land. Invest in landscaping services and install an effective irrigation system, a driveway, a patio, or a fence.
A recently graded yard is a blank canvas waiting for landscaping ideas. Expect a typical landscaping cost of $3,300 to $13,200 per project with an average price of $4.50 to $17.00 per square foot.
After adding new topsoil, your yard is perfectly shaped for flowers, grass, and trees. Install an irrigation system to water them more easily. A sprinkler system costs $0.20 to $1 per square foot, and drip irrigation costs $2 to $4.35 per square foot.
A stable and durable concrete patio needs sand and crushed stone as a base on a layer of flattened and compacted dirt. If you plan to install a deck or place a patio near the house, this add-on should also slope away from the house to prevent water infiltration.
The average patio installation cost is $2,290 to $6,420, while the typical cost of a deck is between $3,920 and $10,540.
We mentioned the cost of flattening land to install a fence, but you can also opt for a racked or stepped fence that follows the contour of the yard. The average cost to install a fence ranges from $2,000 to $4,500.
Pro cost vs. DIY cost
Land grading is definitely the type of complex work you should leave to professionals. It influences water drainage, soil erosion risk, foundation resistance, and plants’ access to water and nutrients. A lot can go wrong because of faulty land grading, including damaging your property value.
That being said, you may be able to pull off a DIY land grading project on a small area. Here are the tools you’ll need and their average costs.
Grading and leveling a small area to install a driveway, walkway, or patio can be done with hand tools, costing around $267. Here’s what you’ll pay on average to buy gradings tools and supplies.
Equipment neededAverage costLandscape rake$40Shovel$45Stakes$13.50Line and string level$20Tamper$48Wheelbarrow$140Total DIY cost of hand tools for land grading $267Note: Remember to call 811 and check the location of underground electrical grids, water pipes, or gas mains before digging. If you’re unsure how to grade and level the area, hiring a pro is always better. A professional can level the land for a patio or a deck starting at $670.
Land grading equipment can be rented for an average price of $265 to $500 per day or $795 to $1,515 per week. Most yard grading jobs take from 2 or 3 days to a week. See below the average rental cost for grading equipment. (These costs are for DIY only – they do not include labor costs for a professional operator).
EquipmentRental cost per dayRental cost per weekBulldozer (better on level terrain)$410 – $620$910 – $2,035Excavator (better on uneven ground)$240 – $470$850 – $1,480Backhoe (bigger bucket capacity)$185 – $500$615 – $1,600Skid steer loader (smaller bucket capacity)$240 – $340$780 – $1,060Dump truck$250 – $550$815 – $1,400Average cost to rent grading equipment $265 – $500 per day$795 – $1,515 per weekChoosing the right piece of equipment depends on project and land. This is where pros know best how to balance speed with power and volume. Plus, equipment rentals add up very quickly, so you might end up spending more money on the DIY approach than you would on hiring a pro.
Cost of land grading by location
Grading equipment rental prices and operator fees vary by state. You’ll also pay more to level a city yard than land in a rural area because of accessibility issues and higher labor costs.
The topography of your area is another cost factor. The price for grading flat land is typically lower than the cost of leveling terrain on hills or mountains.
To calculate grading cost, multiply the land size by the typical price range of $0.80 to $2.00 per square foot. For example, the price for a 2,000 sq. ft. lot is estimated at $1,600 to $4,000.
How much does it cost to grade a ¼ acre?The cost to grade a ¼ acre yard is typically between $3,950 and $11,134 but will vary with land topography, grading scope, fill dirt cost, and waste removal.
Can I grade my yard myself?You can level your yard to install a patio or a walkway. For more complex projects, like preparing the site for landscaping or construction, hire a contractor. Faulty grading causes drainage problems, cracks in concrete, and water damage to both yard and home.
Is land grading included in the cost of land?Razing old structures and land grading are considered ordinary land costs and can, in some cases, be part of the land price when buying or selling.
Can I use topsoil for grading around a house?Yes, you can use topsoil to fix negative grading around your house. Make sure the grade is at least 1 inch per foot for up to 10 feet from your home.
The average land grading cost is $0.08 to $2.00 per square foot, with a price of $15,800 to $44,535 for leveling an acre of land. Pricing varies with land survey cost, permits, slope steepness, soil type, and grading scope.
You can pay $200 to $850 to level land for an in-ground pool or $1,000 to $6,700 to prepare a site for a new home. Get quotes from a few grading contractors in your area and compare them to find the best price for leveling your land.
Note: Lawn Love may get a referral fee for matching you with contractors in your area.
Photo by Constanzo Bridgett, USFWS – Pixnio
Sinziana Spiridon is an outdoorsy blog writer with a green thumb and a passion for organic gardening. When not writing about weeds, pests, soil, and growing plants, she's tending to her veggie garden and the lovely turf strip in her front yard.
When designing a residential landscape, the most important step is to put a plan on paper. Developing a master plan will save you time and money and is more likely to result in a successful design. A master plan is developed through the 'design process': a step-by-step method that considers the environmental conditions, your desires, and the elements and principles of design. The goal is to organize the natural and man-made features in your yard into an aesthetic, functional, and environmentally sustainable landscape.
The five steps of the design process include: 1) conducting a site inventory and analysis, 2) determining your needs, 3) creating functional diagrams, 4) developing conceptual design plans, and 5) drawing a final design plan. The first three steps establish the aesthetic, functional, and horticultural requirements for the design. The last two steps then apply those requirements to the creation of the final landscape plan.
The process begins with a site inventory and analysis of soil, drainage, climate conditions, and existing vegetation. This is a critical step for both plant selection and placement and locating family activities and functions. It's important because the same climate conditions that affect the plants—temperature, humidity, rain, wind, and sunlight—also affect you, the user. The next step is to make a list of your needs and desires—this helps you determine how your yard and landscape will be used. The site and user analyses will also help you establish a theme for the form and style of your design. The functional diagram is then used to locate the activity spaces on the site and from this diagram a conceptual plan is developed. The last step is a final design that includes all the hardscape and planting details that are necessary for installation. Throughout the design process there are ten important things to consider:
A thorough inventory and analysis of the site is important to determine the environmental conditions for plant growth and the best use of the site. Issues of concern include the soil type, topography, and regional climate. The type of soil determines the nutrients and moisture available to the plants. It is always best to use plants that will thrive in the existing soil. Although soil can be amended, amendment is often costly and most times ineffective. Existing vegetation can provide clues to the soil type. Where plants grow well, note the soil conditions and use plants with similar growing requirements. Pay particular attention to areas where plants are not doing well and adjust when choosing new plants. Topography and drainage should also be noted and all drainage problems corrected in the proposed design. A good design will move water away from the house and re-route it to other areas of the yard.
Climate concerns begin with temperature: plants must be able to survive the average high and, most importantly, the average low temperatures for the region. Use the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (planthardiness.ars.usda.gov) as a starting point to choose plants appropriate for your zone, but remember microclimates within your yard can offer alternatives. Sun/shade patterns, the amount and length of exposure to sun or shade (Figure 1), create microclimates (sometimes called microhabitats). Recording site conditions and existing vegetation on a base map will reveal the location of microclimates in the yard. Plants usually fall into one or two of four microclimate categories-full sun, partial shade, shade, and deep shade. It is important to remember that sun/shade patterns change with the seasons and over time as trees get larger.
Figure 1.
Credit: Gail Hansen, UF/IFAS
It is essential to note all the existing conditions on an accurate base map when doing the site inventory (Figure 2). Utilities such as power lines, septic tanks, underground utilities and roof overhangs determine plant location. Use a surveyor's plat of your property for the boundaries and location of your home. Measure and note on the survey other structures and hardscape such as patios, driveways, or sidewalks. It is very important to hire a surveyor if you do not have a plat; guessing the location of boundaries can be a costly mistake.
Figure 2.
Credit: Gail Hansen, UF/IFAS
The users are typically you, your family, the family pets, and visitors, and each have their own needs. There are five things to consider: 1) how do you currently use the yard, 2) how do you want to use the yard, 3) aesthetically, how do you want it to look, 4) what is your maintenance style, hands-off or hands-on, and 5) what is your budget.
It is very important to consider how you currently use the yard. For example-which entry is used by whom, where do the kids play and where does the dog usually run? (Figure 3) Thinking about how you currently use the yard, and how you want to use the yard in the future (Figure 4), determines the need to re-organize old spaces into new spaces and amenities. It is also important to remember the vehicles used by your family; driveways and parking are space intensive. Budget concerns include the materials, initial installation costs and the on-going maintenance costs. Determine the time and money you are willing to put into maintaining the plants and hardscape-be realistic about your intentions and ability.
Figure 3.
Credit: Gail Hansen, UF/IFAS
Figure 4.
Credit: Gail Hansen, UF/IFAS
There are many different landscape design themes- from simple to complex, but it is helpful to choose one to guide your plant and material selection. Think of a theme as the inspiration for your garden. Many people find it helpful to look in gardening magazines and books for ideas. This is a good start, but be aware that the gardens in the photos were picked because they are outstanding examples. Look at the photos with a critical eye to gather ideas that you can adapt to your passion level, your budget and your site. Before choosing a theme it is important to look at the surrounding views of your property. Decide if you want to open your yard, close your yard, or a little of both, to these views. In other words, do you want the garden to enclose the space around you and relate mostly to the house, or do you want the garden to open views and look outward, relating to the surroundings? This will give you a starting point to think about a theme. Care should be taken to choose appropriate themes for your yard based on the architecture, the type of neighborhood, the topography, and the regional landscapes. This is called "sense of place", which means it fits with the surroundings.
There are both form themes and style themes. Every garden should have a form theme, but not all gardens have a style theme. In fact, many residential gardens have no particular style except to blend with the house by repeating details from the architecture such as materials, color, and form. All gardens, however, should use a form theme to create spaces for activities. In a form theme the organization and shape of the spaces in the yard is based either on the shape of the house, the shape of the areas between the house and the property boundaries, or a favorite shape of the homeowner. The form theme determines the shape and organization (the layout) of the spaces and the links between them.
Common themes include geometric, such as a circle, square, and rectangle; or naturalistic such as irregular (organic edge) or curvilinear (meandering lines) (Figure 5). Form themes are sometimes combined; geometric shapes are used for the hardscape and naturalistic shapes for the plantings. For example, plant bedlines are often curvilinear while the hardscape is square in form.
Figure 5.
Credit: Gail Hansen, UF/IFAS
Style themes are most often related to the architecture and they often simplify the design of a residential yard because materials and form are to some extent pre-determined. Many style themes today are a contemporary version of traditional garden designs. Architecture is usually the primary source of a theme, but themes can also represent a time, a culture, a place, or a feeling, such as serenity or calmness. The advantage to using a traditional style theme is the established set of forms and elements have historically worked well together and endured the test of time.
Because architectural styles typically fall into a formal or informal category, the landscape theme tends to be either formal or informal (Figure 6). Formal architectural and garden styles that can be used for inspiration include French, Spanish, Italian, and Middle Eastern. Less formal designs include Oriental, English, and American. Style themes can also apply to the planting plan and may include tropical, desert, meadow, woodland, marsh, or coastal plantings. Themes can be as simple as a color mix or plants with a distinct character- such as grasses-used repeatedly in the composition.
Figure 6.
Credit: Gail Hansen, UF/IFAS
The yard is an extension of the home where a variety of activities take place. A yard can generally be divided into three areas: public (the front yard), private (the back yard), and service (typically the side yard). The location of activity areas depends primarily on the type of area, the size of space needed, the type of activity, and the desired proximity to other activities and structures. A few examples of spaces include the front entry area that brings you and your visitors to your home, a cooking/eating/entertaining area (patio or deck), a play area, a dog run, a secret garden/relaxation area, a vegetable garden or hobby area, and a trash/compost/work area.
Perhaps the most important spatial concept for successful garden design is the creation of outdoor rooms in the yard. These spaces are often separated through the use of plant beds, sod areas, trees, planters, garden walls, arbors, level changes, and paved surfaces (Figure 7). The features are used to enclose or define the spaces and give them a room-like feel. For psychological comfort, creating spaces that are of human scale is important because most people prefer to be in places that feel protected and sheltering, rather than open and exposed. The outside wall of the house often serves as the first wall or starting point of an outdoor room. Incompatible uses should be separated, and related activities, such as cooking and dining, should be put together to make the yard more efficient and enjoyable. When using hardscape to create spaces, use construction material similar to that used in the house for continuity from the house into the garden.
Figure 7.
Credit: Gail Hansen, UF/IFAS
Pedestrian circulation in the landscape should move people through the yard and provide organizational structure. Outdoor rooms are typically linked by pathways, steps, and walkways, or openings with gates or arbors that encourage exploration and use of the entire yard (Figure 8). These spaces can also be linked by visual features such as a creek bed (wet or dry) that meanders through or beside several spaces, or a garden wall that begins at a patio, moves along a turf area and ends along a planted area.
Figure 8.
Credit: Gail Hansen, UF/IFAS
Using similar hardscape features and repeating plants pulls the eye around the garden. Important points along the way can be emphasized with plantings or features that draw attention and encourage movement in a particular direction. Moving along the path takes a person from one area to the next and allows the user to have a variety of experiences. In an informal garden the curves and bends of the path should partially conceal what lies ahead. This provides a sense of mystery that promotes exploration and discovery of the landscape.
From a design perspective, plant materials have three major functions in the landscape: aesthetic, structural and utilitarian. Aesthetically, plants create a visually pleasant environment and structurally plants organize and define spaces. Plants are utilitarian because they can transform the environment for the comfort of the user by modifying light, temperature and humidity. Plants can also be used to control noise and odor, and provide food for homeowners and wildlife.
For psychological comfort plants are used as physical or implied barriers for privacy and safety. Physical barriers block both the view and access to a space and include fences, walls and plant hedges. Implied barriers, typically low growing plants, block access but not the view (Figure 9). Other functions of plants include cleaning the air, preventing erosion and soil loss, retaining moisture in the soil, and returning organic matter to the soil.
Figure 9.
Credit: Gail Hansen, UF/IFAS
For these reasons, the types of plants to be used (such as trees, shrubs, or groundcovers) should be chosen in the early stages of planning. Plant types are chosen for their functional capabilities so that their future purpose and required space can be considered at the same time.
For structure and utility, trees and large to medium shrubs are the most important plants in the landscape, they contribute the most to microclimates (Figure 10), spatial organization, and security concerns. The size, form and texture (density) are the three dominant characteristics that determine how the plant can be used to make more pleasant microclimates and create a more functional, organized, energy efficient yard.
Figure 10.
Credit: Gail Hansen, UF/IFAS
Plants provide structure in the garden in the same way as do the walls of a building. Shrubs can act as walls in a space and the branches of trees form a ceiling canopy overhead. The overhead plane, the vertical plane and the ground plane should all be considered to create enclosure. Once the shape of a plant bed has been established, the plants should be massed (grouped) and layered to achieve visual unity and the desired amount of enclosure. The size of a plant mass will depend on the total size of the yard, the size of the individual plants in the mass, and the emphasis or impact desired from the plant material. Overlapping the masses of plants so that they are layered, both horizontally (Figure 11) and vertically (Figure 12) links the plants with an interconnecting pattern. Each plant mass is in front of, behind, or next to, another mass.
Figure 11.
Credit: Gail Hansen, UF/IFAS
Figure 12.
Credit: Gail Hansen, UF/IFAS
Repeating plants within a mass and repeating masses with similar plants ties the garden together.
The individual plant characteristics must be considered to successfully layer and mass plants. Each plant should complement or contrast a neighboring plant.
All plant compositions begin with the main structure plants, the large, mostly evergreen background plants-such as the trees and large shrubs. These plants separate or enframe spaces, control the size of the space, and provide the starting point for choosing the appropriate characteristics of the second layer, midground plants, for massing and infill. The final layer of plants, the foreground plants, includes the low growing plants that often provide emphasis or focal points.
Important points in the garden should be highlighted by the use of unique plants, distinct structures, or garden ornaments. Marking thresholds or entrances to spaces can be done with gates, arbors, and steps, or through the use of unique and colorful plants. The form and/or style theme of the garden will often help determine the important points and how they should be highlighted. Some styles have signature elements, such as a type of statuary or water feature, that are the hallmark of the style. Other important places in the yard are focal points, which is used to visually organize a landscaped area. The type of focal point often depends on the viewing perspective. Different perspectives or viewpoints can reveal different compositions in the landscape that may require a variety of focal points. Contrasting texture, shape, size and color will capture and hold the eye.
Detail in the landscape is derived from the visual quality of plants, hardscape, and garden ornaments. Sensual qualities such as scent, sound, and touch also add detail to the landscape. Various combinations of form, color, texture, and size create aesthetic qualities. Plants come in various forms-such as round, columnar, weeping, and spreading, that compliment or contrast with each other depending on how similar or different they are (Figure 13). Form is the most enduring quality of a plant and thus the most important characteristic.
Figure 13.
Credit: Gail Hansen, UF/IFAS
After form, texture is the next dominant feature of a plant; coarse, medium and fine textures can be used for contrast and emphasis in the landscape. Form and texture both trump color in the garden for most of the year. However, during certain seasons, color will be the most noticeable characteristic of the garden. To extend color displays throughout the year, use plants that have color in numerous plant parts, such as the foliage, bark, and fruit.
Various color schemes, based on color theory, are used for contrast or unity in a garden. Typically one color, two contrasting colors, or several analogous (similar) colors are repeated throughout the garden. Both color and texture affect distance and can change the perceived size of a space-warm colors and/or coarse texture make a space feel smaller; cool colors and/or fine texture make a space feel larger. The characteristics of individual plants affect balance, unity and emphasis in the composition. Dark colors and coarse textures make a plant look heavier and larger (more visual weight) and must be balanced with the same or with a larger mass of bright or light colors with fine or medium texture. Massing plants with similar colors and textures provides unity, but contrasting plants should be included to provide emphasis at important points.
To fully appreciate and experience a garden, all of the senses must be considered. The pleasant scent of plants, the sound of wind in the trees, the sound and texture of water, and the colors and textures of sculptures, pots and garden furniture all add to the experience of the garden. One detail that is often overlooked is the effect of light on the aesthetics of the plants. Light shining through a plant, such as a feathery grass, can change its appearance. The entire garden changes in function and appearance over the course of the day, and the course of a year, as the light and temperature change from morning to night and season to season.
Plant selection must consider a plant's growth rate, its mature size and form, and the maintenance it will require. Fast growing plants may or may not be desirable depending on the size of the site, the design intent, and the expected level of maintenance. It is important to know the eventual mature size of plants so they can be placed in the right location and spaced properly when they are installed.
Giving plants room to grow is a challenge because the common mature size is typically based on optimal growing conditions and the environmental conditions of a site may cause a plant to grow larger or stay smaller. If plants are spaced too closely (to simulate a fully grown landscape) the overcrowded plants will present a maintenance issue. Provide enough space so that, when fully mature, the plants are barely touching their neighbors and a somewhat solid growing mass is formed (Figure 14). It is important, however, to leave space so the plant does not touch the side of the house-this space allows for air circulation and home maintenance. Another common mistake is to plant too close to utilities such as AC units and meters.
Figure 14.
Credit: Gail Hansen, UF/IFAS
Be a good steward of the land through the wise use of plants, water, and building materials. The three areas of greatest impact are the use of resource-efficient plants, the management of water, and the use of environmentally sound hardscape materials. Before you remove any plant material, consider how you might be able to enrich your existing ecological capital. That is, look at what you have and decide if it is worth saving. Some plant material may simply be in the wrong place and can be transplanted for more favorable conditions. Look for resource-efficient plants when choosing new plants. Florida-friendly plants are long lived, insect and disease resistant, and don't demand frequent trimming, fertilizing, and watering.
The design phase is the time to consider incorporating the development of a rainwater catchment system. The availability of water will no doubt be limited in the future so you must decide the role of water in your design: where will you get irrigation water, how will you manage it, and how will you use it? The most obvious source will be rainwater and the use of a harvesting system to capture, move, and store it. The system can be an aesthetic design element if planned for early in the process. It is typically the first element to be installed because it sometimes requires earthmoving and underground piping.
Protecting resources also includes the use of environmentally friendly hardscape materials and non-toxic preservatives, stains, paints, and cleaners. Reusing construction materials will reduce the environmental impact of using new materials and keep old materials out of the waste stream. Before any demolition starts on your old patio, pool deck, arbors, or structures, consider how you might reuse the material in your new design. In addition to helping the environment it will also help your budget. If you will not be doing any demolition work in your yard, look for other sources of used material in your community.