Best Landscaping-gardening in Atlanta, GA — 16 Vetted Contractors

Likely yes, if the tree is 6 inches or more in diameter at breast height and you're within Atlanta city limits. Per the City of Atlanta's Tree Protection Ordinance, administered by the Department of City Planning's Arborist Division, removal without a permit can trigger recompense fees. If your landscaping project involves clearing trees, confirm your contractor is pulling this permit before work begins — it's the homeowner's liability, not just the contractor's, if it's skipped.

It depends on sun exposure. Tall fescue is the default for shadier intown lots and stays green through winter but can struggle in July-August heat without irrigation. Bermuda and Zoysia handle Atlanta summers better and are common in sunnier suburban lawns but go dormant and brown in winter. Because Atlanta sits in the turf transition zone, there's no single right answer — a landscaper should ask about your yard's sun pattern and mowing habits before recommending one over the other.

General landscape design and lawn maintenance are not licensed by the state. Two related services are: irrigation installation requires a license from the Georgia State Construction Industry Licensing Board, and commercial pesticide/fertilizer application requires a license from the Georgia Department of Agriculture. For general landscaping, licensing isn't your filter — references, insurance, and a written contract are.

In Atlanta, this is almost always one of two things: unamended red clay soil that's drowning or choking the roots, or watering restrictions during a drought-response period cutting off the deep watering new sod needs in its first 2-3 weeks. Before re-sodding, get a soil test through your county's UGA Extension office and ask your landscaper how they'll amend the clay, not just lay sod on top of it.

Fall (September-November) is generally considered the best window for planting trees, shrubs, and cool-season grass like fescue, since the soil is still warm but the summer heat stress is over. Spring (March-April) is the second-best window. Installing in the height of summer, including July, is riskier for new plantings unless the contractor commits to an aggressive watering schedule, since heat stress on unestablished roots is the top cause of failed installs.

Metro Atlanta periodically enters drought-response restrictions managed by the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management and the Metro North Georgia Water Planning District, which can limit outdoor watering to certain days or hours. Rules change based on drought conditions, so check the current status with Atlanta Watershed Management before scheduling irrigation-heavy work like new sod installation, and ask your landscaper how they'd adapt if restrictions tighten mid-project.

Kudzu, English ivy, and Chinese privet are common on wooded or edge lots around Atlanta, especially in older intown neighborhoods. Cutting back visible growth without addressing the root system just means it comes back within a season. A landscaper experienced with invasive removal will typically combine cutting, root excavation, and sometimes a follow-up herbicide treatment (which requires a licensed applicator) over multiple visits rather than a single cleanup.

Ongoing mowing and maintenance for a typical Atlanta lot runs $50-$150 per visit depending on lot size and service scope (mowing, edging, blowing, bed weeding). A one-time landscape overhaul — new plant beds, sod, mulch, minor hardscape — usually runs $5,000-$25,000+ depending on scale. Always separate these in your contract; bundled pricing makes it hard to tell what you're actually paying for maintenance versus installation.