Landscaping Services
Landscape design, installation, planting beds, outdoor lighting, and water features, drawn in 2D before we plant a thing. One owner-led crew turns a plan into a yard that fits your home and Iowa's seasons.
Landscaping That Starts with a Plan
Most landscaping companies start with plants. We start with a plan. A yard that was planted piece by piece, a tree here, a bed there, ends up feeling like a collection of parts instead of one space. A yard that was designed feels connected: shade where you want it, privacy where you need it, and beds and paths that lead somewhere.
That is why every full project at Larkin Landscape and Design begins with a free 2D landscape design on qualifying projects, a scaled plan that maps beds, plantings, lighting, and any hardscape before a shovel touches the ground. You revise it on paper, where changes cost nothing, and the same owner-led crew that drew it is the crew that installs it. From the first walk to the last plant, one team, one standard, one point of contact.
Five ways we design and build the living finish
Every one starts from a plan and is chosen for Central Iowa's soil, seasons, and how you actually use the yard.
Landscape Design
A scaled 2D plan that maps beds, plantings, lighting, and hardscape before anything is built. Free on qualifying full projects.
Landscape Installation
Grading, plant installation, sod and seeding, and finish work, carried out by the crew that drew your plan.
Landscape Beds
Bed renovation and tear-out-and-replace, clean edging, and mulch or rock lines that keep grass out and plants in.
Outdoor Lighting
Low-voltage systems we design and install ourselves: lit walkways, glowing beds, and uplit trees that keep the yard working after sunset.
Water Features
Ponds, koi ponds, and pondless fountains, designed into the plan from the start. Pondless is the low-maintenance, freeze-friendly option.
Landscaping designed for Iowa
Iowa asks a lot of a landscape. The soil runs heavy with clay, summers bake, and winters swing hard. A plant that thrives in a catalog photo can struggle in a Central Iowa yard, so the plan matters as much as the planting.
We lean on native, low-maintenance Iowa plants that are built for this zone and this soil, and we place them for the sun, drainage, and space they will actually have. Whether it is a full bed renovation or a from-scratch build, our landscape installation crews grade, plant, and finish to the plan so the yard looks right the first season and holds up for the ones after it.
Where the hardscape meets the living finish
A great yard is rarely all plants or all stone. A patio wants beds and lighting around it; a walkway wants planting to soften its edges. Because we build both sides, your hardscaping and your landscaping are drawn on the same plan and built by the same crew, so the seams line up instead of fighting each other.
That is how low-voltage lighting ends up wired into the design from the start rather than added on later, and how a pond or water feature gets placed where it belongs instead of squeezed in after the fact. One plan, one team, one finished yard.
How a landscape plan becomes your yard
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Consultation
We walk your property, learn how you want to use the space, and note the sun, slope, drainage, and soil that will shape the plan.
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Your 2D design
On qualifying projects we draw a free, scaled 2D plan so you can see beds, plantings, and lighting laid out before anything is planted.
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Plants and materials
We choose plants for Iowa's zone and your maintenance style, from low-effort natives to fuller, more detailed beds.
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Installation
The owner-led crew grades, plants, mulches, and finishes to the plan you approved, keeping the design intent through every stage.
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Walkthrough
We walk the finished yard with you and go over what was planted and how to keep it looking its best.
What homeowners say about our landscaping
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“Andrew was friendly and knowledgeable, and really took the time to understand my landscaping needs.…”
Alex GlennVerified Google review -
“Andrew and team did a great job sodding and seeding our lawn. He was very responsive and reasonably priced.”
Teresa GarsideVerified Google review
5.0★ across 27 Google reviews · Read all reviews on Google
Landscaping across Central Iowa
We design and install landscapes throughout the Des Moines metro and beyond, from landscaping in Ames to design-led yards in Urbandale and landscaping crews in Adel. Every yard gets the same plan-first approach and the same owner-led crew.
See finished beds, plantings, and lighting in our project gallery, or request a free estimate to get your own plan started.
Answers before you call
What is the difference between landscape design and installation?
Will the plants actually survive an Iowa winter?
How much does landscaping cost?
How much maintenance will my landscape need?
Seasonal and planning guides from the Larkin blog
Plan your landscape with Larkin
Tell us about your yard and how you want to use it. You get a clear, no-obligation estimate, and qualifying projects start with a free 2D design.
Let's plan your landscape before we plant it
Urbandale • Ames • Johnston • West Des Moines • Grimes
Central Iowa's design-build landscaping crew. Free estimate, and a free 2D design on qualifying projects.