Typical pricing varies with the regional market. A way to find out is to get multiple estimates, which should result in more than one operator coming in at about the same price. And show you what you should be paying. Pertinent characteristics (such as plant size) of materials to be used will have to be known in order to make meaningful comparisons of estimates.

Otherwise what does your photo show? If you are thinking of replacing the existing bed with a narrow strip confined to the area to the left of the green line doing so will present the problem of conflict with the existing shrub placement. A placement that is coordinated with the existing bed shape, will involve removal of more than one specimen of some size - if the arrangement is now to be changed to a narrow strip of planting between the metal fence and the green line.

Also if you make it so the lawn comes to the wood fence where the green line reaches to it, produces a square corner that corner will be hard to mow.

"... I'm worried I'm going to make a mistake (not going to achieve the effect I'm going for ..." While we aren't able to help much to analyze pricing, since it's a detailed process and market specific, we can help analyze your concept. Show us your yard and the plan and explain what effect you're going for. Say what benefits you're expecting to obtain from the finished work.

Four live oaks? Surely you don't mean that. Live oaks will get 60 ft tall and 100 ft wide at maturity. You don't have room for even one.

The very small area you show could hold one small tree--dogwood or something like that, a couple of small shrubs and some perennials.

How long do you expect to live in this house? On average Americans move every decade. While you think a live oak adjacent to the pool is a good idea, it will be impossible to sell your home in the future. Build a cabana.

Your album is filled with one landscape mistake after another. Your plan will take a somewhat decent landscape and turn it into one giant colossal amateur's error. Landscape error #1. You can not grow grass in the shade of a live oak, much less four of them. End of discussion.

it sounds like you are going to be way overplanted.. just too many plants for the yard .. unless we are just not seeing your other 3 acres ... is this your idea .. or the SELLERS idea???

if its your idea.. we can help you ... lets call it an intervention ... lol ..

if its the sellers idea ... well.. you might want to find someone else .. or at least get multiple quotes

fixing sprinklers is actually pretty easy ... if you were inclined.. i bet you could DIY it.. surprisingly cheap .... if you had some minor tools and were willing to be challenged ... there are some very good online sources for parts and knowledge ... and most is probably available bigbox.. but you wont have a peep to help ... for example: https://ww3.rainbird.com/homeowner/support/Irrigation-Troubleshooting.htm

ken

Sorry, I didn't take pictures of my entire 7000 sqft yard. I have plenty of space for the trees. Only 1 would go in the space pictured, as I very specifically explained in the captions of the pictures. I only mentioned the other 3 trees as it relates to the price. I didn't ask for advice on where or how they should be planted.

So much of this comment section is unhelpful and downright insulting. "You can't grow grass in the shade of a live oak." I keep hearing this and yet there are HUNDREDS of live oaks in my neighborhood with luscious green lawns under them. Surely, there is more to the picture. More likely, you can't grow grass right up to the trunk of an oak with a low, dense canopy, but you can grow grass that reaches within a few feet of the trunk, under an oak with a high or well-trimmed canopy that lets light in on the sides for at least 4 hours a day. That's the kind of scientific expertise I'm looking for, but I keep running into know-it-alls that don't actually know what they're talking about. It seems like I've found some more on Houzz. I'll keep looking.

Before I get any "how were we supposed to know you have much more yard for the other 3 trees when you didn't include pictures of it", well you were supposed to read what I wrote instead of assuming. I never said or suggested that I was going to plant 4 trees in the space pictured.

It is a very well established fact that virtually all types of turf grasses struggle to grow in much shade. They are just not very shade tolerant plant species. In addition to that, you have the issue of trying to establish a lawn in an area that is heavily populated (or will be populated) by tree roots that rob the soil of nutrients and moisture necessary for the lawn to thrive. Lotta work and $$ involved with growing a thick, dense lawn under any shade tree canopy!!

And those "know it alls" you are so quick to dismiss included several very experienced landscape professionals, so I wouldn't be quite so eager to toss around rude, dismissive comments to those that are only attempting to give you the benefit of their considerable experience.

I wouldn't hire these "professionals" in a million years with their attitude.

I'm much more likely to believe my own eyes than people, like you in the Pacific Northwest, or Chris in NC, or Lacey in WV, who know nothing about the climate in Houston or what kinds of grasses grow here.

It always surprises me when someone posts here asking for advice, receives it and then summarily dismisses it.

btw, you are not hiring them....they are offering advice for free! And nothing is stopping you from going elsewhere to see if someone will provide more agreeable......but not necessarily accurate information.........in response to your queries.

It always surprises me when someone posts here asking for advice, receives it and then summarily dismisses it

The inherent problem is it is free advice from unseen strangers. If it was being paid for, different story.

Meanwhile, on another currently active thread, where it was asked what to do with landscaping:

Based on everyone's input here (And a huge thank you for everything - I wasn't expecting so much response as a novice to this site)

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5902402/best-way-to-cover-a-large-hill-in-the-backyard#n=9

No, I didn't get advice. I got condescension like "Your album is filled with one landscape mistake after another". I got absolutely false hyperbole like "You can not grow grass in the shade of a live oak". It may be difficult, but it is absolutely possible. I can see it with my own eyes, all throughout my neighborhood. Someone who tells me it is not possible clearly doesn't know what they're talking about. Probably just mindlessly repeating what they heard from someone else, without thinking for themselves or understanding the fundamental factors at play: exactly how much sunlight is required, whether it can get in from the side during early or late hours, whether the grass species is suitable for spreading into shady areas, etc. How can I know all this as an amateur but these pros don't?

" exactly how much sunlight is required, whether it can get in from the side during early or late hours, whether the grass species is suitable for spreading into shady areas, etc. How can I know all this as an amateur but these pros don't? "

If you know all that, then why are you asking here? Maybe it would be helpful or generate better responses if you revealed what type of turf grass you are growing and how much direct sunlight it receives.

Despite my living in the PNW, I do know what grass types do best in your area and exactly how shade tolerant they may be. But then it appears you are not receptive to any information that might disagree with your preconceived opinions.

I am totally receptive. You keep trying to tell me what I am, but you're wrong.

I am not receptive to insults. I am not receptive to a lie that I can see with my eyes is a lie. I am receptive to learning the subtleties of the truth, if anyone would take the time to explain it. Instead, what I get is a stream of insults and bad faith assumptions.

Your album shows nine photos.

#1 looks to be a poolside planting. I see a sago, what looks like Nandina, (or roses?) and Ligustrum, crape myrtle. Roses take a lot of painful maintenance, in my opinion. The sago spot is too close to the pool for live oak, from what I can make out. in other photos you have tree roots close to the surface. You'll get those from the live oak. I would be concerned about your pool infrastructure here. Perhaps instead of live oak, plant a small umbrella-form tree here. You'll still get shade over the pool, eventually, but not the problems. Maybe a wide, small tree holly like 'Eagleson' or Yaupon would be good. Virtually spineless. Or perhaps a loquat. Or a Sabal mexicana palm. Something that can be limbed up of course. Then you can underplant it with a lush subtropical planting that would look good close up from pool, and be a showpiece 'hammock' -- such as lower palms like Livistona, Ginger (variegated Alpina spp.), slower growing cycads, holly or other evergreen ferns, Agapanthus, and ground covers like Asian Jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum) .

#2 Remove crape myrtles. Agreed. They don't look great and they are mostly deciduous. You should aim for evergreen. The Ligustrums will form a hedge, but need regular maintenance. Eventually they can get tall (15'+) and leggy with exposed bases (like along that wooden fence). Perhaps a lower-growing, compact evergreen would be a better choice? Maybe there's a dwarf Ternstroemia (Cleyera) that would work here. Or variegated Pittosporum? Dwarf Yaupon holly or Dwarf Bottlebrush.

#3 Remove the trees. Those almost look like Ligustrum to me, but can't tell. I would probably remove and put something of a focal point in the corner. Maybe a nice Sasanqua camellia for show?

#4 Those are not crapes. They almost look like Photinia to me. Here, for a friendly screen, I'd consider Podocarpus or Ternstroemia. Forget Hollywood juniper (way too wide) or Leyland (60 to 70 feet high!). Junipers need absolute full sun or they drop needles and you're left with leggy plants again. Plus they have needles and are not friendly. They may get fungus from your humidity unless good air circulation.

#5 Surface roots come from live oak?

#6 Same tree roots?

#7 Same tree roots?

#8 Same

#9 Looks like path is being used. Why not do a nice paver pathway or a sidewalk to match your pool deck? Where does it lead to? If it's being used, grass will have a hard time growing.

Look around yours and other neighborhoods. Take photos of plants in similar situations that appeal to you. Share your photos with the landscaper. Have fun!

Okay.....here you go. The only type of grass with even the slightest bit of shade tolerance for your area is St Augustine. And even that requires at least 4 hours of sun at a minimum. The more shade it receives, the thinner and more sparse it will appear and you will have weed issues. Weeds proliferate where lawn grasses grow weakly and that, unfortunately, is a lawn care fact of life regardless of location.

And in addition to the shade, you will be dealing with competition from the tree roots and that just exacerbates the sparsity of shade grown turf. You will need to overseed annually to have any hope of a thick, dense lawn.

Thank you, @Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A.

#1 Let me throw in another twister. I want the yard to be safe for a dog. Will a holly tree be ok? I'm not so keen on spiky leaves that hurt to step on or brush past, either.

#2 I'm with you on the evergreen. I've got a landscaper who will be trimming everything for me. They planted the new young ligustrums on my last project (just a couple weeks ago). I'm happy with just ligustrum and knockouts on this edge, but how should I arrange them so that (1) I'll get a screen and (2) the roses won't die? Roses in front and ligustrums in back? Vice versa? Roses between ligustrums?

#3 They might be ligustrum. I'm going to let them stay for now since they provide the only shade on this edge of my backyard. I'd like to put a live oak on the other side, next to the road. I'm thinking once it grows it can stretch over the road (I like that look) and shade my backyard, and then I can remove the trees in my backyard. Am I off?

#4 Podocarpus may be the perfect tip. Found online: "Japanese Yew is an evergreen tree with a narrowly upright and columnar growth habit." That description is exactly what I'm looking for. I'll check it out, thank you.

#5, #6, #7, #8 Surface roots come from live oaks on the side of the property, near the road. These trees are not in any of the other pictures. Can I remove these without endangering the trees? If it's not an always yes or always no (and I don't think it's either), what are the factors I should consider?

#9 The path is not being used. It looks used because I had it cleaned up as part of the last project. Back then I thought I might like to keep it, but I've since changed my mind.

Thank you, @gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9). St Augustine is planted all throughout my yard. It grows everywhere in Houston. It's what most of my neighbors have (the rest have Zoysia). Any specific tips for dealing with the other issues? I'm trying to cut out surface roots, and I'll stay on top of weeding with the help of my landscaper and instructions from Lawn Care Nut.

I guess I was too terse and particularly annoying in my hyperbole. I did not however need to see or know you had 7000 sqft of yard to recognize the colossal number of landscape errors in the making. Sounds like a lovely neighborhood where you live.

"I'm much more likely to believe my own eyes than people, like you in the ..."

That is also true of the people giving advice here. Most of us have been advising for a number of years and we see more often than not homeowners incorrectly or ineptly describing conditions, only to later find out if a decent photo comes in, how far off they were. Instead of berating people for their supposedly over-the-top skepticism, it's better to allay it and then, eventually, the ball might get rolling a little easier. Sometimes, we also try to provide a hard-hitting description of the homeowner's existing conditions, or their chosen direction, in order to make a point, as some of them must be shaken hard in order to see the light. One might be surprised how much people can live with their daily surroundings and never have awareness that a change is sorely needed.

As far as the grass under oaks, it could be misleading to see lawns from a distance, such as from the street. Many times, if one is able to see the same lawn close up, it might look more like the scalp of an 86-year-old. Even if one can grow grass under them today, tomorrow may be a different story as trees are constantly changing over time. There is no picture here (what we must believe) of a well-limbed up oak so it's understandable that we'd all think it's not. The basic rule is, if you mention something it needs to be corroborated with accurate pictures.

"... we can help you ... lets call it an intervention ... lol .. " I laughed so hard! John, sometimes people here also try to add a little humor, just to make the threads more fun to read. Don't take it too seriously.

#1 Let me throw in another twister. I want the yard to be safe for a dog. Will a holly tree be ok? I'm not so keen on spiky leaves that hurt to step on or brush past, either. You'd have to find a spineless holly -- such as Ilex integra. Or Ilex 'Eagleson' which is actually not too bad. Yaupon is spineless and commonly used in your region. I don't know about dogs eating berries. You'd have to look that up. Of course loquats are cool once they get big and limbed up.

#2 I'm with you on the evergreen. I've got a landscaper who will be trimming everything for me. They planted the new young ligustrums on my last project (just a couple weeks ago). I'm happy with just ligustrum and knockouts on this edge, but how should I arrange them so that (1) I'll get a screen and (2) the roses won't die? Roses in front and ligustrums in back? Vice versa? Roses between ligustrums? Ligustrums will be taller than the roses. So Ligustrums in the back. I guess both will need regular pruning then. I would opt for Ligustrums in the back and something more low and mounding in front -- like Indian Hawthorn or 'Wheeler's Dwarf' or 'Mojo' Pittosporum. But you may like the summer-long blooms of the roses?

#3 They might be ligustrum. I'm going to let them stay for now since they provide the only shade on this edge of my backyard. I'd like to put a live oak on the other side, next to the road. I'm thinking once it grows it can stretch over the road (I like that look) and shade my backyard, and then I can remove the trees in my backyard. Am I off? Should work! They might also be rejuvenated.

#4 Podocarpus may be the perfect tip. . Look at some at a good nursery. You might like!

#5, #6, #7, #8 Surface roots come from live oaks on the side of the property, near the road. I'm not a tree expert. Don't know.

Landscaping is a series of choices. At the end of the day, the only choice that matters is yours. That being said...in most cases, the answer people give says more about themselves than about what you may want. Does not matter what the question is about.

There is no choice one person can make that another person cannot second guess or otherwise denigrate in an attempt to make their own choice seem better...even if their own choice is exactly the same.

Based on a quick evaluation of the materials list, I just may ask for the number of your landscaper. Granted, I am far away in a different market and there are many things that go into how people charge. But if that is the materials list and that is the price...it seems fair. Want to know for reals? Call other local contractors.

BTW, nice to know things never really change.

"Landscaping is a series of choices."

This is perfectly true. But good landscaping - or landscape design - is governed by choices that are influenced by specific site conditions as well as basic design principles. One of the fundamental concepts that underlies the whole process is the very simple "right plant, right place". And this concept is the one that seems to be most flagrantly disregarded in this specific situation.

btw, the price quoted wouldn't even come close to covering the costs of materials and work described in my area. YMMV

"in most cases, the answer people give says more about themselves than about what you may want."

As it should be for any honest, experienced and knowledgeable landscape professional. Giving the client what they want and what will actually work on any given site is a balancing act. The vast majority of client's have close to no knowledge of plants, soils, climate zones or basic garden maintenance. It is our job to steer them away from things that are doomed to failure or very high expense to keep it alive, contained and healthy because that is what they want.

It is the landscaper who always tells you what you want to hear that you should be leery of.

I want to lean on the landscaper's expertise to correct my misconceptions, to educate me, to discover my preferences and offer me good options that meet those preferences, where "good" is a combination of low maintenance, water requirements within a budget, high chance of successful growth, low chance of plant death or pet sickness or building damage. Sometimes I feel my landscaper is giving me that, sometimes I feel he's telling me what I want to hear to sell me more, sometimes I feel like he doesn't know what he's talking about (maybe his own misconceptions or just ignorance). So I come online, here and elsewhere, trying to find corroborations of what I hear from him, and frankly, I get a bunch of different opinions and advice. No one points to any authoritative sources. I guess landscaping is less a settled science than I expected it to be.

If one question draws ten different opinions, and my post has ten questions in it, then the conversation gets unruly quickly. If I come back, I'll break my questions into separate, smaller, self-contained posts.

There is a big difference between a 'landscaper' and a 'landscape designer'. Sometimes - but not always - those two functions meld. So one may be just agreeing with you or following your wishes without much further consideration and the other offering much more stronger, directed advice. And then there is the background and experience of the individual regardless of their professional title. Some have minimal plant knowledge while others have extensive horticultural training, which includes both a broad knowledge of many different plants, common pests and disease and how to treat and an understanding of soils and how they affect plant growth.

Ideally you want to find someone that has as many of these attributes as possible. But because the industry is not really regulated, you can get anything from soup to nuts, from those who are no more skilled than being able to dig a hole and plant right side up to those with highly developed skills and extensive experience.

How does you guy fit into this mix?

Keep in mind most folks on this forum are responding from regions other than yours. I suppose some things are universal, such as 'design concepts', etc., but only someone who really knows your climate, soil type, drainage issues, sun exposure, and can see and walk your property first-hand, can make the best plant recommendations.

Seems like your free advice from this forum was several suggestions that oaks aren't your best choice

" several suggestions that oaks aren't your best choice "

Certainly not to replace the cycad by the walkway in the first album photo!! Wrong plant, wrong place!

And some folks on this forum seeing pictures of crepe myrtle, Ligustrum, squares of St. Augustine sod plastered on top of thin grass, oak trees and pine trunks and sago palms by slime green swimming pools are taken right back to where they grew up in N. Florida and graduated college with a degree in horticulture. They might even know what it is like living under a Live Oak tree. Houston is essentially the same climate and same plant wise as N. Florida.

But yes for the best advice, actually being on site to understand specific site conditions and client needs and preferences is best.

Quick question: you said your yard is 7,000 sq.ft. Is that correct?

I'm worried that you might not be aware that Live Oaks take many years (!!!) to achieve 'shade tree' status. And the larger they are when planted, the slower they grow.

Also, Live Oaks are extremely messy trees. No one in their right mind would plant them anywhere near a pool. They shed copious leaves in the late winter as the new buds begin to grow; it's the normal growth habit for Live Oaks, which are not true 'evergreens'.

Their small leaves are slow to difficult to blow from walkways, a nightmare to clean from pools, and extremely slow to decompose. Did I say copious?

After the leaf fall comes the dreaded shedding of the male catkins, which build up in drifts for several weeks until they all finish dropping. This is another major pool clogger.

Then, there comes the winter acorn fall! Not only are they capable of dropping bushels of the little things, but they can become a hazard on pathways, and will stain a pool bottom.

I have overseen the landscape management programs of several coastal SC resort and golf properties, all of which were thick with Live Oaks, old and newly planted. They were a PITA.

I'm not even going to discuss the situation with the grass.

Why do you need to have any trees next to the pool? The further away trees are from a pool the less pool maintenance and cleaning will be involved.

Run! Girl Friend, Run! Your attitude is very off putting and I wouldn't try to help you if you were on fire.

Callistemon citrinus, Red Bottlebush. It can be trained as a small tree to 25’ tall. That could look sharp and make some nice screening set back properly from your pool if you have enough sun.

Really, it wouldn't hurt to ask politely.