Landscape Design & Installation in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX

Quick answer

Landscape design and installation in Dallas-Fort Worth means choosing plants and layouts that handle clay or rocky soil, summer heat and drought, and city watering limits. Group plants by water need, use drip in beds, and plant trees and shrubs in fall when you can. Texas SmartScape and Texas A&M AgriLife publish regional plant lists.

Last updated October 22, 2026

A landscape plan that works in Dallas-Fort Worth has to handle a few things at once: clay or rocky soil, summers with long stretches of heat and little rain, occasional hard winter freezes, and city watering rules that limit how often sprinklers can run. A good designer or installer starts with the site and those limits, then picks plants and materials, not the other way around.

What a design and installation project usually includes

Site visit. Your goals, budget and maintenance tolerance, plus sun and shade, slopes, where water runs, and any HOA landscape standards.
Plan or sketch. Anything from a marked-up photo to a scaled drawing with a plant list. Ask what's included before you agree.
Soil preparation. Removing turf or weeds and working compost into beds. On heavy blackland clay that matters a lot; on thin soil over limestone, raised beds or imported soil may be needed.
Hardscape, drainage and irrigation first. Walls, walkways, drainage and sprinkler or drip lines go in before plants.
Planting and mulching. Trees and shrubs set at the right depth and beds mulched to hold moisture through summer.
Establishment watering. New plants need regular water through their first summer, even tough natives. Ask how that fits your city's watering schedule and whether your city offers a new-landscape exemption.

Plants that hold up in Dallas-Fort Worth

Most of the metro falls in USDA hardiness zone 8, with the 2023 USDA map placing much of it in 8b. That number only covers winter lows, though. The bigger test here is summer heat, drought and alkaline soil. Texas SmartScape, a regional program run through the North Central Texas Council of Governments, keeps a searchable database of plants that are native or adapted to the region's soil and rainfall, and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension publishes landscape plant guidance for North Texas. Both are good places to check a proposed plant list.

Plants to avoid

Some plants that were sold for years in North Texas spread into creeks and woodlands. The Texas A&M Forest Service lists Chinese privet (ligustrum), Japanese honeysuckle and chinaberry among invasive plants in North Texas. Planting them isn't illegal, but a good designer will suggest better options.

Design for the water rules

Group plants by water need so beds and lawn can be zoned separately.
Use drip irrigation in beds. Several cities in the metro treat drip and hand watering differently from sprinklers.
Cut back turf in hot, narrow strips and deep shade, where it rarely thrives.
Texas law (Property Code section 202.007) generally keeps HOAs from banning drought-resistant landscaping or water-conserving turf, though an HOA can still regulate design and maintenance. Check your HOA's approval process before you start.

Timing

Fall is generally the best time to plant trees and shrubs in North Texas. Roots keep growing through the mild winter and the plants are better set before the next summer. Spring planting works but needs closer attention to watering. Design work can happen any time, and late winter is a good time to get on a company's schedule before the spring rush.

Questions to ask a landscape company

Is design included, or is it a separate fee?
Do you guarantee plants, and what voids the guarantee?
How will establishment watering work with my city's watering days?
If the project includes weed or insect control, who holds the pesticide license?
Can you provide a certificate of insurance and photos of similar work?

When you're ready, request a landscaping company and describe the area you want to change.

Frequently asked questions

Can my HOA stop me from putting in a drought-tolerant yard?

Texas Property Code section 202.007 generally voids HOA rules that prohibit drought-resistant landscaping or water-conserving turf. HOAs can still regulate the type of new turf and yard maintenance, so submit plans for approval first.

How much does landscape installation cost in Dallas-Fort Worth?

It depends on the size of the area, plant sizes, soil prep, irrigation changes and any hardscape or drainage work. Get written, itemized estimates from more than one company and compare plant sizes, quantities and guarantees, not just totals.

What are good low-water plants for Dallas-Fort Worth?

Plants that are native or adapted to North Texas soil and rainfall tend to do best. The Texas SmartScape plant database and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension are good places to check options for sun, shade and soil type.

Sources and further reading

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