Landscape Design Services in Fairhaven, MA

New England Tree & Landscape has been designing complete outdoor spaces in Fairhaven since the late 1980s. We handle every part of building a finished landscape from scratch - grading, drainage, hardscaping, planting, and lawns. We work from our 232 Huttleston Avenue location and cover properties across Plymouth and Bristol County.

 

When we say landscape design, we mean the whole property. Not just dropping in some plants. Not just building a patio. We're talking about everything that makes an outdoor space actually work. That means drainage that keeps water away from your foundation instead of pooling against it. Grading that creates flat, usable areas where you can actually put furniture or let kids play. Hardscaping that defines your outdoor rooms and connects different areas. Planting that gives you privacy from neighbors, shade in summer, and something to look at year-round.

 

A lot of Fairhaven properties sit on sloped lots or have drainage problems from the way they were originally graded. Water runs toward the house. Yards slope so much you can't use them. There's nowhere flat to put a patio or play set. That's where landscape design comes in - we're fixing the fundamental problems with how the property works, then building everything on top of that fixed foundation.

 

We've done complete landscape design for dozens of properties over at Bay Club in Mattapoisett, handling everything from excavation through final planting. Some properties start as bare lots with just builder's fill dumped everywhere. Others need complete renovation because the original landscaping failed or never worked right. Either way, we design and build the entire outdoor environment in-house with our own crews.

 

Landscape Design Plans

 

Every landscape design project starts the same way - we come out and walk your Fairhaven property with you. One of us brings a measuring wheel and notepad. We measure property lines, existing features, distances from the house. We check how the ground slopes and where water goes when it rains. We figure out where utilities are buried so we don't hit them during excavation. And we talk about what you actually need this outdoor space to do.

 

Need a flat area where kids can play without rolling down a hill? Want a patio big enough for your grill and table? Need privacy screening so you're not staring at your neighbor's house? Worried about water pooling near your foundation every spring? Got a slope that's impossible to mow? All of this goes into the design plan because landscape design means solving the problems your property has, not just making it look nice.

 

We draw detailed plans that show where everything goes. Retaining walls to hold back slopes and create flat terraces. Patios and walkways that connect different areas. Garden beds positioned where they'll actually get the right amount of sun. Trees placed for shade and screening. Lawn areas are graded so water drains away from the house. Drainage solutions like catch basins or French drains if you've got serious water problems.

 

The plan includes grading changes. We show how we'll reshape the land so water flows the right direction. It shows all the hardscape features with exact dimensions and materials. It maps out planting areas and lists what goes in them. You see the whole picture before we move any dirt.

 

You get a proposal that breaks down each phase of work and what it costs. Some clients want everything done at once and have the budget for it. Others do hardscaping and grading first, get that settled for a season, then come back for planting. We work either way. What matters is you understand what you're getting and what it costs.

 

Erosion Control Planning 

 

Fairhaven's got plenty of sloped properties, especially the older neighborhoods where houses were built before anyone cared much about proper grading. Properties slope toward the house instead of away. Water runs off hills and dumps into yards. Spring melt and heavy rain create erosion channels that get deeper every year.

 

Before we install anything permanent like patios or plant expensive trees, we need to set proper elevation and plan drainage. That means walking the property and figuring out the whole water story. Where does water come from? Roof runoff pouring off your gutters? Uphill neighbor's yard draining onto yours? Natural drainage from higher ground? Street runoff after storms?

 

Then we figure out where that water needs to go. Usually away from your house and hardscaping, directed toward street drains or lower areas of the property where it won't cause problems. Sometimes we need to catch it in drains and pipe it somewhere. Sometimes we can just regrade so it flows naturally the right direction.

 

Proper slope is critical for water runoff. Properties need to slope away from buildings at minimum 2% grade (about 2 inches of drop per 10 feet). Less than that and water doesn't drain. Too steep and you get erosion problems. We measure existing elevation, calculate where we need to add or remove soil, and set new grades that move water away from structures.

 

Drainage planning means accounting for how much water moves across the property during heavy rain. A 1000 square foot roof dumps over 600 gallons during a one-inch rain. That water needs somewhere to go. We plan drainage solutions that handle peak flow, not just normal conditions. Undersized drainage fails when you need it most.

 

Some properties need retaining walls to manage elevation changes and create flat, useable space on sloped lots. You've got a hillside but you want a level patio and lawn area. We build walls to hold back the slope and create terraces at different levels. Each level becomes useable space instead of just a hill you can't do anything with. Walls also prevent erosion on steep slopes by holding soil in place.

 

We use fill to build up low areas and loam to create proper growing medium on top. Everything gets compacted right so it won't settle later and create new problems. The goal is stable base for everything that comes after: hardscaping, planting, lawns. Getting the elevation and drainage right from the start means everything we install on top of it actually lasts instead of failing in five years because water undermined it.

 

Plant Selection and Installation

 

After grading and hardscaping gets done and we've got proper drainage working, we create the planting areas. This means bringing in quality loam to build actual growing medium where plants can establish, creating mulch beds with defined edges, and installing whatever the design calls for (trees, shrubs, perennials, groundcovers.)

 

Plant selection isn't about what looks pretty in a catalog. It's about matching what you need with what actually grows here. We're in Zone 6b with cold winters. Plants that thrive further south might struggle here. What works in warmer zones won't make it through our winters.

 

Need privacy screening from neighbors? We might use arborvitae or eastern red cedar where they'll thrive - upright, evergreen, grows densely. Got shade under existing oak trees? Hostas, ferns, and shade-tolerant shrubs like rhododendrons handle low light better than trying to force sun-loving plants to survive. Want color from spring through fall? We mix perennials with different bloom times so there's always something flowering. Bulbs in early spring, perennials through summer, asters and sedums into fall.

 

Installation means paying attention to details most people skip. We prepare beds with good loam and proper drainage so roots can establish instead of sitting in wet clay. We plant at correct depth.  Most people plant too deep and then wonder why their tree died three years later when the root flare rots out. We mulch correctly to retain moisture and prevent weeds, but not piled up against trunks like some landscapers do. We space plants based on their mature size, not how small and sad they look when we plant them. That shrub that's two feet tall now will be six feet in five years. We plant it where it's got room to grow.

 

Properties with no existing landscaping start with bare ground or just builder's fill. We bring in loam, create proper planting beds with good soil, install trees for shade and screening where you'll actually need them in ten years, add foundation plantings that frame the house without covering windows, and put in lawn areas. That's what landscape design means, building the entire outdoor environment from scratch so it works as a system.

 

Landscape Lighting

 

We plan lighting from the beginning even though it gets installed last. That way we know where to run wiring before we pour patios or create beds.

 

Low voltage LED lighting makes your landscape useable after dark. Path lights along walkways so you can see on winter nights. Uplights on trees for depth and shadows. Spotlights on your house. Step lights on stairs. Whatever the property needs.

 

We bury wiring deep so it won't get damaged. Quality transformers and fixtures that last. Position lights to illuminate what you want without glaring into windows or bothering neighbors.

 

Front entrance lighting helps guests find your door at night. Patio lighting extends outdoor time. Driveway lighting makes winter parking easier. Security lighting keeps your property visible after dark.

 

Complete Landscape Design Process

 

Grading and Excavation - We move soil to create proper drainage and flat areas. If your lot slopes toward the house, we regrade so water flows away. Need a flat patio on a hillside? We excavate and build retaining walls.

 

Hardscaping - Patios, walkways, walls, steps get installed before planting. Heavy equipment would destroy planted areas.

 

Loam and Bed Preparation - After hardscaping, we bring in quality loam for planting beds and lawn areas.

 

Planting - Trees, shrubs, perennials get installed per the design. We plant for privacy, shade, color, year-round interest.

 

Mulch and Finishing - We mulch beds to retain moisture and prevent weeds. Edge beds clean.

 

Lawn Installation - Seed, hydroseed, or sod depending on season and budget. Lawn areas get finished loam first.

 

Lighting - If design includes it, we install after planting but before final cleanup.

 

Most complete landscape design projects take several weeks to a couple months depending on size. We handle the entire outdoor space in-house, building everything from scratch.

 

If you've got a Massachusetts property that needs landscape design, call us at 508-763-8000 or stop by our Huttleston Avenue location. We can show you photos of properties we've completed across the South Coast and give you honest advice about what your property needs.