How Much Does Landscaping Cost in Cape Town?

Landscaping is hard to put a number on before anyone has seen the garden. A few new beds and a hedge line is one job; a whole back garden with new lawn, planting and irrigation is another. So instead of a made-up figure, here's what decides the price.

Top Trimmers quotes every landscaping job on its own, from your photos or a look at the garden. Our landscaping covers new beds, planting and garden design, with roll-on lawn and irrigation if you want them, and taking the waste away is R450 per load on our large trailer when it isn't already in the price. Quotes are free.

Landscaping prices, piece by piece

What is the typical cost of landscaping in South Africa?

There isn't one that means much. Landscaping covers everything from planting a single bed to rebuilding a whole garden, so a national average tells you very little about yours. What you can know is the price for your garden: we give you one, free, from photos or a visit, before any work starts.

What a landscaping job with us covers

• Garden design. We work out with you where the beds, plants and lawn go, and what will grow in your spot.
• Clearing the ground of old plants, weeds and anything else in the way.
• Preparing the soil for planting, because the ground here is often either sand or clay.
• Planting the new beds.
• Roll-on lawn, kikuyu or LM Berea, if the plan includes one.
• Irrigation, installed by the irrigation expert we work with, if you want it.
• Taking the waste away at R450 a load, or already in the price on some jobs. Ask which applies to yours.
• Coming back if there's a problem. If there are any issues, we're happy to come back, evaluate and correct whatever needs fixing.

Where the money goes in a new garden

• How much of the garden you're changing. One new bed costs less than a whole garden. The bigger the area, the more plants, soil and hours.
• What has to come out first. Old lawn, overgrown shrubs, stumps or rubble all take time to clear, and the waste is R450 a load to take away.
• The soil. Much of the northern suburbs sits on fast-draining, alkaline sand; the hills towards Durbanville and the Tygerberg have clay. Either can need work before plants will thrive.
• The plants you choose. How many you need, and how big they are when they go in, makes a real difference to the price.
• Lawn and irrigation. Each adds to the job, and each is quoted with it.
• Access. Soil, plants and lawn carried through the house or a narrow side gate take longer than a garden you can reach from the street.

Costs that show up after planting

• Waste. Clearing a garden fills trailers fast. Ask whether taking it away is in the quote. With us it's R450 a load when it isn't.
• Water. New plants and lawn need regular watering while they settle. The City's permanent rules allow garden watering only before 9am or after 6pm, so plan irrigation or your own watering around that.
• Looking after it. A new garden needs care to stay looking new. Our garden service starts from R200 for a small garden.
• Replacing plants that don't make it. A plant in the wrong spot costs money twice. Choosing for your soil, sun and wind from the start is cheaper.

Spending less without a worse garden

• Keep what's healthy. A good tree, hedge or established shrub is worth working around rather than replacing.
• Choose water-wise plants. Most fynbos plants are hardy and water-wise once they're established, and they like sandy, well-drained soil, which suits much of the northern suburbs. Less watering and fewer losses save money for years.
• Decide what you want before we start. Changes halfway through cost more than getting the plan right first.
• Show us what's around the area. Trees, walls, slopes and the way in all affect the work, so include them in your photos.

How your landscaping quote is worked out

Tylor looks at your photos, or comes to see the garden, and gives you one price for the work you've agreed: the design, clearing, soil, planting, any lawn or irrigation, and the waste if you want it gone. The quote is free and you'll have a reply within 24 hours of sending photos. You can pay by EFT or cash.

We've landscaped for homes and for bigger grounds too. For Canal West HOA in Sunningdale, a past client, we cleared and landscaped the front entrance and then watered it for a couple of months.

“Awesome service received from Top Trimmers from first point of contact to execution of the project. Professional and overall excellent service. Highly recommend”