South Louisiana cost guide

How Much Does Landscaping Cost in South Louisiana in 2026?

Quick answer: most homeowners pay $45 to $75 per mow visit, $150 to $400 a month for full-service maintenance, and $1,500 to $5,000 for a new planting or bed project. Drainage work, patios, and sod run into the thousands.

Louisiana yards have their own personality: gumbo clay soil, summer heat that fries the wrong plants, and storms that test every tree you own. Here is the full breakdown.

Average Landscaping Costs by Job Type

• Lawn mowing, per visit: $45 to $75 for a typical suburban lot. Most crews cut, edge, and blow.
• Weekly mowing plan: $150 to $300 a month during the growing season (roughly March through October here).
• Full-service maintenance (mow, edge, beds, pruning): $200 to $500 a month, depending on lot size and how many beds you have.
• Landscape design plan: $300 to $1,500. Some companies credit the design fee if you hire them for the install.
• Bed installation or refresh (plants plus mulch): $500 to $2,000 for a typical front yard refresh.
• Mulch delivery and install: $50 to $100 per cubic yard installed, or about $3 to $5 a bag if you DIY.
• Sod installation: $1 to $2.50 per square foot installed. St. Augustine and centipede are the go-to grasses here.
• Tree trimming: $200 to $800 per tree, depending on size and proximity to the house.
• French drain installation: $1,500 to $4,000 for a typical residential run. Drainage is a huge line item in Louisiana and worth every penny.
• Paver patio: $12 to $25 per square foot installed.
• Irrigation system: $2,500 to $5,000 for a typical residential system, though many Louisiana lawns get by without one thanks to the rain.

What Drives the Price Up or Down

Yard size and condition. A flat quarter-acre lot costs far less to maintain than a half-acre lot with slopes and overgrown beds. First cleanups always cost more than ongoing maintenance.

Scope of the project. Mowing is cheap. Grading, drainage, retaining walls, and hardscaping move you into contractor territory with very different pricing.

Plant and material choices. Native and well-adapted plants (crepe myrtles, azaleas, drift roses) are affordable and available everywhere. Specimen trees, imported stone, and high-end pavers push a project up fast.

Access. A backyard you can only reach through a 36-inch side gate means everything gets hauled by hand, and crews charge more for that.

Season. Spring is the busiest season and prices reflect it. Booking design and install work in late fall or winter often gets you a better quote and a faster start date.

Drainage reality. In Louisiana, what looks like a simple planting job often uncovers a drainage problem. Fixing water flow first adds cost upfront but saves the plants you are about to put in.

Money-Saving Tips

• Handle the mowing yourself, hire out the rest. Mowing is the easiest task to DIY. Spend your budget on beds, pruning, and drainage where skill matters more.
• Buy mulch and pine straw in bulk. A truckload from a landscape supply yard costs far less per cubic yard than bagged mulch from a big box store, and spreading it is a good weekend job.
• Plant in fall. Plants establish roots over the mild winter and need less watering, so you lose fewer of them.
• Phase big projects. Have a designer draw the full plan, then install it in stages over a year or two. You spread the cost and can adjust as you see what thrives.

When to Call a Pro vs. DIY

DIY is fine for: mowing and edging, spreading mulch or pine straw, planting beds from nursery stock, and pulling weeds. Soil-test before fertilizing (LSU AgCenter does them cheap).

Call a pro for: drainage and grading work (getting water flow wrong makes flooding worse), tree removal or large limb work (especially near structures or lines), irrigation installs, retaining walls, paver patios, and full landscape design if you want a cohesive plan.

The rule of thumb: if the job needs a machine, a permit, or could damage your foundation, hire it out. A French drain installed at the wrong slope is worse than no French drain at all.

Louisiana-Specific: Clay Soil, Drainage, and Storm-Proofing

This is the section that separates a Louisiana yard from a yard anywhere else.

Gumbo clay is your starting point. Much of South Louisiana sits on heavy clay that drains slowly and compacts easily. Beds should sit slightly mounded, not sunken, and the grade around your house should slope away from the foundation.

Drainage is not optional. If your yard holds water for more than a day after a storm, address it before you landscape. French drains, catch basins, and regrading are the standard fixes, typically $1,500 to $4,000. It is the least glamorous money you will spend on your yard and the most important.

Plant for the heat, not the catalog. Choose heat-tolerant, humidity-loving plants: crepe myrtle, azaleas, gardenias, lantana, drift and knockout roses, vitex, and native grasses. St. Augustine and centipede grass handle the climate far better than fescue ever will.

Think hurricane before you plant trees. Every tree you plant should be able to take a storm. Live oaks, bald cypress, and crepe myrtles have strong wood and flexible canopies that handle wind well. Avoid brittle, fast-growing trees near the house, and have mature trees assessed every few years. After every named storm, the cheapest tree work is the trimming you did the year before.

Keep mulch and beds off the house. In termite country, wood mulch piled against the foundation is an invitation. Keep a few inches of clearance between mulch and siding, and consider pine straw or rubber mulch near the house instead of hardwood mulch.

Cost figures are 2026 planning estimates for South Louisiana and vary by parish, provider, and job conditions. Request quotes from local pros for exact pricing.