Here’s What Landscaping Costs in Canada

Detailed Rates Based on Hourly and Flat-rate Pricing (Updated for 2025)

Simon Dauphinee

Published: June 13, 2025

Is your backyard just a patch of grass, or is it an extension of your living room, a second dining room and an outdoor sanctuary? For many Canadians, their backyard is a green haven of escape.

With more people working remotely and craving outdoor space, our yards are pulling double duty, with homeowners investing accordingly. A 2024 TurfMutt Foundation survey found that 79 percent of Canadians view their yard as an extension of their home, and 47 percent rank landscaping as one of their top investments in their home. What’s even more telling is that more than 4 in 5 Canadians believe a yard is key to living an environmentally friendly lifestyle.

Yet, the realm of home landscaping is vast, from patios and pollinator gardens to sod, fences and tree trimming. More and more Canadians see landscaping as more than curb appeal; it’s a personal, financial and environmental investment. It begs the question: How much does it cost to do a landscaping project?

This guide breaks down landscaping prices across the country, including hourly and flat rates, regional averages and tips to help you get the most value for your money.

If it’s just lawn mowing you need, have a look at our Lawn Cutting Cost Guide instead as it delves specifically into the costs associated with maintaining the lawn.

What is Landscaping

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Before we delve into the cost of landscaping, it’s essential to understand what the term actually means. Landscaping refers to the design, installation and maintenance of outdoor spaces, but it’s a broad field that typically falls into two main categories: softscaping and hardscaping.

Softscaping

Softscaping encompasses all the living elements of your landscape, including plants, trees and other living features that require regular care and maintenance. Softscaping services focus on creating and maintaining healthy, vibrant outdoor environments using organic materials and can include:

• Grass cutting, seeding, aerating and sod installation
• Tree and shrub planting and trimming
• Garden creation and maintenance
• Soil grading,  planting and mulching

Hardscaping

Hardscaping involves the non-living and structural components of an outdoor space, creating the features that shape the layout and usability of the yard. Hardscaping projects typically involve hiring a landscape contractor and require construction materials such as stone, concrete, or wood, as well as tasks like excavation, drainage installation and masonry work. Services can include:

• The creation of driveways, patios, walkways and retaining walls
• The construction of fencing, arbours, gazebos, pergolas and decks
• It could even extend into the installation of an outdoor kitchen, pool or hot tub

Landscaping Prices: An Overview of How Landscapers Charge

Like most home services, there is a range of pricing and charging methods. Canadian landscapers typically charge hourly or flat-rate.

Hourly – Rates range from $50 to $150 per hour, depending on the service required, the project’s complexity and the landscaper’s experience. This pricing model is ideal for routine tasks such as planting and mulching.

Flat-rate (aka project-based or fixed price) – This pricing method bundles all project costs – design, labour and materials – into a single price, and is often used for large jobs, such as patios, retaining walls or complete garden installations. However, some common projects, such as lawn mowing or tree trimming, can be charged at a flat rate.

Additional consideration – Some companies may also charge by the linear foot, for tasks like garden bed creation, or by unit, for example, a per plant price for garden planting.

What Affects Landscaping Prices?

Type of Service

The difference between hardscaping and softscaping projects will make a significant difference. For example, routine maintenance, such as lawn mowing, costs significantly less than building an interlock patio. For tasks such as tree trimming, the size of the tree will be a determining factor in the cost.

Materials Used

Natural stone, decorative gravel and premium plants significantly increase costs. For example, stone can run you $40–80 or more per square foot, while poured concrete could be closer to $15–$30 per square foot.

Location

Landscaping services in urban centres like Vancouver and Toronto are consistently more expensive due to higher labour and material costs.

Project Complexity

Curved pathways, multi-level beds or special drainage systems increase material costs, labour hours and the need for skilled trades.

Seasonal Timing

Spring and early summer are peak seasons, so booking in late fall or winter can lead to off-season discounts of 10–15 percent. Additionally, booking regular services, such as weekly grass cutting, could provide savings. 

How Much Does It Cost to Do Landscaping in Canada?

National Spending Average

According to ScotiaAdvice Mortgages, homeowners typically spend 1–3 percent of their home’s value annually on home maintenance. While not all home maintenance involves landscaping, it does include some softscaping tasks, such as mowing, raking and weeding.

Nevertheless, you can extrapolate this rule into an annual landscaping budget where an additional 1-3 percent is set aside specifically for the cost of, say, a backyard landscaping project. With the average Canadian home price hovering around $680,000, that equals a range of $6,800–$20,400. A budget of this size can cover the cost of a retaining wall and garden bed planting, or the installation of a 250-square-foot interlocking brick patio.

How much does landscaping cost for a small yard? 

For simple projects like lawn mowing, weeding and planting in a yard under 1,000 square feet, you can expect to pay $250–$1,000, depending on your location and the frequency of service.

Tips to Hire the Right Landscaper

Whether you’re booking a one-time job or a complete yard overhaul, here’s how to find qualified landscapers in Canada.

Compare at least 3 quotes – Research landscapers in your area and create a short list of three to five. Reach out to the companies and request a detailed estimate for the specific project you are interested in. Ensure that each company receives the same information, allowing you to compare costs accurately. Look for itemized labour, materials and optional services. Select the company that provides the best balance of experience, value and price. 

Book off-season – If you’re flexible, consider scheduling major work for late fall or early spring, as rates are often lower during the shoulder seasons.

Go local – Use local landscapers with strong reputations or who are members of the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association, ensuring you know they are knowledgeable and accredited. It’s also best to use companies with active business licenses (if your municipality requires them to operate legally) and that can provide proof of insurance.

Do some legwork – If you are capable, take the initiative to order and coordinate the delivery of specific items, such as plants or bulk gravel. Homeowners who purchase for themselves can save significantly by avoiding markup.

Get a contract – With any project, no matter how small, get a contract. Always insist on a written agreement that includes a clear payment schedule, start and end dates and a comprehensive list of materials. Even if it’s a simple quote that both parties sign, a contract ensures all parties are on the same page. 

So, that gives you an idea of how much landscaping costs in Canada. Landscaping services are varied so the answer is multifaceted, but if you’re looking to budget, adhering to a simple rule of spending 1–3 percent of your home’s value will provide a healthy budget to work from. Couple that with thoughtful planning, such as booking in the off-season and comparing quotes, and you can control your landscaping price without compromising on quality.

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