Who installs the lighting?

Our own crew installs low-voltage lighting. Line-voltage work is done by licensed electricians we manage.

Should I plant a big tree or a smaller one?

Often a smaller one. Within about five years, smaller trees often catch up to larger ones, because big trees go through more transplant shock.

Are specimen trees guaranteed?

Usually not. We guarantee our work, but a like-for-like replacement for a specimen tree is often impossible, so we say so up front.

Can you work with the garden I already have?

Yes. Garden facelifts are part of what we do, and where something is worth keeping, we keep it.

Is my project too small?

No. Small projects are welcome, from one-day jobs up.

It depends on how many beds and fixtures, plant sizes, and whether line-voltage power is needed. We give you a rough budget range at the free discovery meeting.

How long will it take?

It depends on the size of the job, the weather, permits and approvals, and our existing bookings. We give you a timeline once the scope is set.

Cut stone slab steps set between boulders and new planting, with low path lights beside them — Slab steps set between boulders and new planting, lit low so they’re easy to find after dark.

A flagstone front walk curving through drifts of purple blazing star, coneflower, anise hyssop and sedum to the porch of a brick house — A front walk through drifts of coneflower, blazing star, anise hyssop and sedum.

Planting and lighting

Lighting extends the day and makes your yard somewhere you want to be after dark. We design it as part of the plan, along with the planting. It suits homeowners building a new yard, and those who want more from the one they have.

Book a free discovery meeting Small project? Let’s talk

What’s included

Lighting design: Designed as part of the plan, not added at the end.
Low-voltage installation: Our own crew installs low-voltage lighting.
Aiming and adjusting: We come back after dark to aim and adjust it.
Line-voltage power: Done by licensed electricians we manage.
Planting design: A plan for your yard, drawn with the stone, structures and slope in mind.
Planting installation: We plant what we design, as part of a larger build or as a job on its own.
Large and specimen trees: We plant them. Specimen trees usually aren’t guaranteed, because a like-for-like replacement is often impossible, so we say so up front.
Irrigation: Through irrigation contractors we work with. We build it into the project or introduce you to them.
Garden facelifts: New life for an existing garden, without rebuilding the yard.

How we approach it

We plan for how the yard looks and works after dark from the start. We also look at what’s already there before we plan anything new. On The Back Bar, the old wisteria stayed: we pruned it hard the season before and dug by hand around its roots.

It starts with a free discovery meeting at your place. See how it works, step by step

A ring of low planting around the trunk of a mature front-yard tree, with curved beds and lawn — Planting around a protected tree in Burlington. Design: Rooted Landscape Design. Built by Natural Landscape Group. Photography: Koru Creative.

Planting that feeds bees and butterflies: coneflower, blazing star, anise hyssop, Joe-Pye weed and sedum, in drifts that bloom from early summer into fall.

The plan, then the garden

Every bed, boulder and light is drawn before we dig. Here’s the plan we drew for one yard, and the garden we built from it.

Planting and lighting plan of a garden around a house: curved beds edged with boulders, shrubs and perennials, trees and each light marked — Our planting and lighting plan, and the finished garden: new beds, boulders and path lights along the walk.
Planting and lighting plan: Natural Landscape Group.

A concrete walk between new planting beds with boulders, Japanese forest grass and a path light, below an armour stone wall and a wooded slope — Our planting and lighting plan, and the finished garden: new beds, boulders and path lights along the walk.
Planting and lighting plan: Natural Landscape Group.

Related work

White colonial house with new stone walk, planting and edged driveway

Burlington, 2020–2021

New Classic

Designed by Rooted Landscape Design, built by NLG: stone entry, a driveway shaped around a protected tree, and a natural stone patio. Burlington, 2021.

Design: Rooted Landscape Design. Built by Natural Landscape Group.

Curved brown deck reaching out over a terraced, planted slope

Waterdown, 2014–2015

Into the Trees

One step out from the sliding doors: a curved PVC deck pushed out over a steep Waterdown slope, with armour stone terraces and paths to a lower patio.

Natural stone pool deck with waterfall and covered lounge

Georgetown, 2016–2017

Solid Ground

A repair to the coping (the stone edge of the pool) turned out to be a floating pool. We took it out, drained the ground and rebuilt the yard in natural stone.

See all our work

Common questions

Who installs the lighting?: Our own crew installs low-voltage lighting. Line-voltage work is done by licensed electricians we manage.
Should I plant a big tree or a smaller one?: Often a smaller one. Within about five years, smaller trees often catch up to larger ones, because big trees go through more transplant shock.
Are specimen trees guaranteed?: Usually not. We guarantee our work, but a like-for-like replacement for a specimen tree is often impossible, so we say so up front.
Can you work with the garden I already have?: Yes. Garden facelifts are part of what we do, and where something is worth keeping, we keep it.
Is my project too small?: No. Small projects are welcome, from one-day jobs up. More on small projects.
What will it cost?: It depends on how many beds and fixtures, plant sizes, and whether line-voltage power is needed. We give you a rough budget range at the free discovery meeting.
How long will it take?: It depends on the size of the job, the weather, permits and approvals, and our existing bookings. We give you a timeline once the scope is set.