Garden Landscaping Cost

Looking to find out what the cost to landscape a garden is in 2025?

If you'd like to get an idea of the average cost of landscaping, then you can expect to pay around £500.

Our guide includes garden landscaping costs per m² for different types of projects, like laying turf and installing decking or patio. On top of that, we cover how much landscapers charge in 2025, additional landscaping costs you might need to budget for, and more!

We have a range of companies specialising in garden landscaping near you ready to give you a free, no obligation quote!

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How Much to Landscape a Garden?

So, how much does a landscaper cost in the UK?

Gardeners charge between £30 and £60 per hour, or £110 to £180 per day.

Labour costs will fluctuate depending on your location in the UK, and the contractors' experience.

What about job-specific landscaping costs?

That's harder to pin down.

This is because the landscaping cost for laying new turf, a new patio, decking, or building a garden wall can be influenced by:

• The size of your garden
• Your location in the UK
• The ease of access to your property

Garden Landscaping Prices

Ready to see some job-specific garden landscaping prices?

Take a look at our cost table below for representative garden landscaping costs:

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Cost of Garden Landscaping Materials

Let’s now take a look at the garden landscaping cost based on the materials in particular.

This will give you an idea as to how much you might spend to undertake this work DIY:

Additional Landscaping Costs

When hiring a gardener, you may also want to tag on some additional garden work at the same time to make the most of their day's charge.

Let’s take a closer look at outdoor jobs you can get done simultaneously:

Garden Fence Installation

What about having your garden fencing replaced?

The average garden fence installation cost is around £1,500 in the UK. However, the cost depends on the number of fence panels required, the height of the fencing, and the type of fencing you're after.

If your garden fences have been damaged in bad weather, your exterior security is compromised, and can lead to further damage if left broken.

Getting your fences replaced at the same time as other gardening work makes perfect sense to optimise the gardeners' daily rate.

Shed Installation

Don’t have a shed? Or is your current shed worn down beyond repair?

The average new shed cost is around £1,020.

Sheds are great garden additions, helping to keep your home's exterior tidy, and securing any gardening equipment you may have that you don't want left outside or brought into your home.

Garden Waste Removal

After landscaping is complete, there’s likely to be a significant amount of garden waste that needs to be disposed of.

The average garden waste removal cost is around £200.

If you want to hire a skip instead to deal with your waste, this can cost closer to £220 for a mini skip.

It’s possible that the landscaping contractor/company that you’ve hired will deal with the waste removal for you for an added fee, so make sure you check this before booking anything extra.

How Much Do Landscapers Charge?

Now, let’s discuss landscaping labour costs.

In the UK, gardeners will usually charge between £30 and £60 per hour, equating to £110 to £180 per day.

This averages out to the total cost of landscaping a garden being around £505.

How Long Do Landscaping Jobs Take?

Depending on the job's scope, your timeframes will be different. Here's what you can generally expect:

• Turf laying - Half a day up to 3 days
• Artificial turf laying - 1 to 2 days
• Decking installation - 2 to 4 days
• Raised vegetable bed - 1 to 2 hours
• Building a garden pond - 1 to 5 days
• Laying a patio - 1 to 2 days

Both the labour cost and timescale will vary depending on the size of the installation, the number of labourers hired, ease of access, and the current condition of the work area.

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What Impacts How Much Garden Landscaping Costs?

Type of Landscaping

One of the most important cost factors is the type of work.

For instance, laying turf or installing a patio would likely cost a few hundred pounds, but the installation of artificial grass is likely to cost thousands.

Size of Garden

The scale of your garden may or may not be directly linked with the cost. That obviously depends on whether or not the landscaping work is to cover the entire garden.

However, as a rule of thumb, the bigger the garden, the larger the work is likely to be.

The larger the landscaping work, the pricier the supplies will be, and most likely, the higher the labour cost will be. Therefore, garden size often correlates with a two-fold increase in job price.

Condition of Garden

The better the state of the garden, the easier the work will likely be, and the lower you can expect your labour costs to end up.

Not only that, but if the garden is in a poor condition to start with (e.g., overgrown trees, shrubs, and other plants), there’ll be more waste to remove at the end of the project, increasing your overall costs.

Ease of Access

The easier it is to access your garden, the faster the job will be, and the cheaper it will be.

Location of Property

Labour prices tend to be higher in the southeast of England and London in particular, but lower in regions such as Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the north of England.

What's Involved in Garden Landscaping?

We’ll now take a closer look at the steps involved in landscaping a garden:

Initial Planning

Before you begin anything, you’ll need to decide what type of landscaping work you want.

Once you've decided, you can start reaching out to local landscapers that fit the bill. We suggest you gather at least three quotes to compare costs.

Preparation

Before any work begins, you can reduce your overall project costs by carrying out some prep work yourself.

This can be as simple as removing garden furniture and pruning shrubs/plants.

Your chosen landscaper will need to visit the site before the project begins to measure the space and survey the land to make sure there aren't any unexpected issues (e.g., the land is significantly uneven, requires levelling, or pitches to be adjusted).

Then, on the day of the work, the landscaper will begin to prepare the garden and set up any necessary supplies and equipment.

Landscaping

Once everything is in place, it’s time for the landscaping to get underway.

This step of the work may be broken up into several phases (e.g., cut the decking boards, assemble the subframe, lay the boards out, add the solid composite deck boards, depending on your exact project).

Waste Removal and Wrapping Up

Once the work is complete, any waste will be disposed of, and the area will be tidied up before work concludes.

Can I Landscape a Garden Myself?

While it is possible to undertake landscaping as a DIY job, you should only do so if you know exactly what’s involved, and you have the skills and experience necessary to undertake the work.

If you’re unsure about anything, it’s best to hire a professional.

Some jobs may need to be signed off - such as where planning permission approval is required, or if a building control officer needs to survey your work.

Further to that, as with any DIY work, landscaping comes with a range of hazards and dangers.

For example, with heavy tools and equipment, there is always a risk of injury, and the same applies to carrying or dealing with heavy loads.

And, if you carry out the work incorrectly, you'll end up having to pay a professional to come by and complete the work for you.

Building Regulations & Planning Permission for Landscaping

Building regulations and planning permission regulations vary depending on the specific job:

• Small garden projects will usually fall under permitted development.
• If you do need planning permission, this will usually cost £528, with a decision being given within 8 weeks.
• Building control will come into play if you are planning on building a structure such as an outbuilding, shed, or other structure.
• The cost of this will vary project to project, so it's best to find out on an individual basis in these situations.

Types of Landscaping

Let's break down the various types of landscaping in more detail:

Laying Turf Cost

Natural turf installation costs around £15 per m², and gives your outdoor space an organic, traditional feel.

Pros

• ✔ Authentic grass, traditional-looking
• ✔ Less expensive than artificial grass

Cons

• ✖ Requires quite a bit of maintenance
• ✖ Prone to damage and disease over time

Artificial Grass Cost

Unlike real turf, artificial grass doesn't require much maintenance, but it does cost more at around £20 per m².

Pros

• ✔ Durable and long-lasting
• ✔ Little to no maintainance required

Cons

• ✖ More expensive than real turf
• ✖ Less authentic in appearance

Decking Cost

Installing decking is a great way of creating a social fixture in your garden. The average cost of decking is around £1,750.

Pros

• ✔ Quicker to install than paving
• ✔ Fits in aesthetically with most modern gardens

Cons

• ✖ Can become slippery when wet
• ✖ Regular cleaning and treatments required

Patio Installation Cost

Installing a patio is an alternative to decking. Like with a deck, a patio can create a nice social spot that is especially valuable during the summer months in the UK.

There are various patio materials (e.g., concrete, tile, brick, and granite) and styles to choose from. The average cost of laying a patio is £1,200.

Pros

• ✔ Durable and low-maintainance
• ✔ Lots materials and designs available

Cons

• ✖ Can be expensive to install
• ✖ Hard to install if you don't have a perfectly even surface

Planting Cost

Landscaping often involves plenty of planting. Whether that means adding new plant pots, fresh flowers to a small plot of land, creating a raised garden bed, installing crawlers, or strategically adding plants to attract pollinators like bees.

The typical garden maintainance cost is around £200 in the UK.

Pros

• ✔ Decorative, instantly improving your garden's appearance
• ✔ Lots of plants to choose from for different settings

Cons

• ✖ Upkeep will be required throughout the year
• ✖ If you have a large garden, adding plants/shrubs to it can become expensive

Checklist: Hiring Contractors for Garden Landscaping Work

Here's what you should consider when hiring a professional landscaper.

Gather at least 3 quotes from different landscape gardeners near you to get an idea of the range of prices in your area. Find out their experience, and if it aligns with your project needs.

Next, take a look at their previous projects and read past customer reviews to get a feel for their work style and ethic.

When you've chosen your landscaper, ensure all quotes are in written format with itemised breakdowns of all costs. Be sure to ask if waste removal is included in the quote or is separate.

Lastly, make sure they are insured in the event of any accidents during the project while on-site.

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