Our Services

Design & Installation

Serving Bethesda, Rockville and nearby Montgomery County, MD.

What we do

Site analysis — sun, soil, drainage and how the yard actually gets used
A custom planting plan chosen for our Maryland climate and for the maintenance level you want
Hardscape, lighting and irrigation designed to work together, not fight each other

Planning and pricing

When you are trying to establish a landscape the first thing to evaluate is what you want out of the space, and then the property it all has to sit on, because both of those have a big impact on where a design lands. A stand-alone plan is one thing and a full-property build with the plantings and the hardscape and the lighting all together is quite another, so the ranges below are a starting point and not a quote.

At Nature’s Friends, our proudest work and most glowing customer praise is for our landscape designs. We have been transforming yards into lush, serene, and sustainable natural spaces for over 20 years. Perhaps you just need some recommendations for a particular bed and aren’t sure which shrubs or plants would make sense. Or maybe you are ready for a full redesign of your back yard, installing an outdoor kitchen, living area, firepit, gazebo, or your new pool deck landscaping. Whatever the project, large or small, we have design ideas that you’ll love, and will work with you to customize a solution, install it professionally and on time.

Our landscape designs will look beautiful on day one, but more importantly, we design with the next 10 years in mind. The height of every shrub, the spreading shady canopy of trees as they grow, the crowding and spacing of each placement is factored into a design.

What Should I Consider in my Landscape Design?

Cliff’s landscape designer will discuss your project and walk around the yard together. During the design process, we will be considering:

Your personal taste, types of plants you like, colors
How you will use the space: entertaining others? Quiet solitude? Children or pets in the yard?
Level of maintenance: we’ll suggest designs and plants that fit your desired level of maintenance
Existing structures, hedges, trees and shrubs, beds to incorporate
Drainage flow on your property, slope of yard
Sun patterns throughout the year
Utilities/watering options/proximity
Hardscape options such as walkways, patios, decks outdoor kitchens, firepits, fencing

Our landscape designer will then design and draw a scale plan for your yard onsite that you will have when completed. Our plan will consider your tastes and desires, as well as making new suggestions if needed. The whole process can take between 3-4 hours.

Hardscapes

Adding even a small feature such as a bench or path will give your landscape a more finished and aesthetically appealing look. And a new outdoor kitchen, patio and/or firepit are life-changing additions for families who love entertaining or “living” in their backyard.

Maryland is Home

Having lived and designed in Maryland for over 20 years, we understand the climate here, and know which plants and trees thrive. 99% of the plants in the plans are native and if necessary deer resistant. All conditions are taken into consideration when designing plans.

Plan the yard and the approvals together

A planting plan can change where rainwater goes, especially when it also includes a patio or new paths. If stormwater is part of the problem, Montgomery County RainScapes describes eligible project types and where its rebate program applies. It excludes parcels inside Rockville, Gaithersburg and Takoma Park. Check the property’s municipality and any association review before assuming a design qualifies. Read more about landscape drainage and planning in Garrett Park.

Gallery and visual examples

Bethesda, MD

Complete Backyard Transformation

Full landscape redesign including new planting beds, native perennials, and a natural stone border to define garden zones.

Chevy Chase, MD

Front Yard Curb Appeal

Redesigned front entrance with layered shrubs, ornamental grasses, and seasonal color plantings for year-round interest.

Montgomery County, MD

Front Yard Garden Design

Colorful front yard garden featuring a stone retaining wall, ornamental grasses, blooming perennials, and a decorative garden sculpture as a focal point.

Ready to get started?

Get a Quote

What a design-build project with us looks like

The professionals here at Nature's Friends Landscaping would be pleased to walk the property with you, talk through how you actually want to spend your time out there, and then put a plan on paper for the beds, the trees, the hardscape and the lighting. When you are happy with it our own crew is the one that puts it in the ground, so you are not being handed from one subcontractor to the next.

What's included

Site analysis — sun, soil, drainage and how the yard actually gets used
A custom planting plan chosen for our Maryland climate and for the maintenance level you want
Hardscape, lighting and irrigation designed to work together, not fight each other
Mature, nursery-grade plant material sourced from growers we have used for years
A single crew and a single point of contact from first sketch to final walkthrough

Why the high end costs what it does

A good design has some built in benefits you do not see for the first year, the soil prepared properly, the plants that were the right size to begin with, the drainage that keeps a bed from drowning after a hard rain. Of course we would all like a yard to look finished on day one, but that is very often not the case, so the prep is where a premium project spends its money and it is why those yards still look right many seasons on. Choosing the right plant for the spot is important too, you don't want something the deer will strip to nothing or a shrub that drowns in our heavy clay, so we work compost through the ground and lean on Maryland natives like redbud and little bluestem that the deer tend to pass by.

2026 Pricing Guide

Design & Installation — What It Costs

A rough guide for 2026 in our area. Where a project lands depends on the size of the property, how much hardscape and lighting is involved, and the size of the plant material you want at install.

Service Level	Typical 2026 Range	What's Involved
Design & master plan (stand-alone)	$2,500 – $9,000	Full drawings, plant schedule, 3D where it helps
Garden & bed renovation	$8,000 – $25,000	Reworking existing beds, new plantings, edging, mulch
Full-property design-build	$35,000 – $150,000+	Plantings, hardscape, lighting and irrigation as one project

Design fees are often credited toward installation when you build with us.

Ranges are informational 2026 estimates for professionally installed work in the Bethesda & Montgomery County area. Every project is different — contact us for a free, itemized quote.

Good to Know