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Ted Lare Design Build & Garden Center has planned and built landscapes across Des Moines for more than 40 years. Our landscape design services in Des Moines cover the whole property, from the first drawing to the last plant in the ground.
Every designer on our team holds a landscape architecture or landscape design degree from a Major University, so a trained landscape designer will plan your yard around its real conditions. We bring these landscape services to Des Moines and Central Iowa homeowners who want an outdoor space that fits their home.
Good design also lifts your property value. That means that every season you enjoy the yard, you are also protecting the home’s value.
Anything you build in a Des Moines yard has to survive the winter. Ground shifts as it freezes, and plants that can’t take the cold won’t make it. A good plan answers the weather first.
Good design starts underground. Before we set a single bed, we plan the grading so water drains away from your house. Des Moines clay soils hold water, which is why we solve drainage on the plan before the digging starts.
Plant choices carry just as much weight. Species that handle deep cold and heavy clay settle in and thrive, while the wrong pick struggles or dies off in a season or two. Iowa State University Extension’s guide on what to plant in your landscape shows how hardiness and soil should steer those picks.
Every project runs on a custom plan built for your lot. Below are the pieces we design and install most often for Des Moines homeowners, each tied back to your full landscaping services.
Custom landscape design is where the whole project gets decided. Your designer walks the property to read the slope, the soil, and the path of the sun. From there we draw a master plan for the layout and planting, with drainage solved before anyone breaks ground. By spending time planning and designing up front, you can see the finished yard before the first shovel hits the ground.
Your patio, outdoor kitchen, and fire feature all belong to one layout. We design outdoor living spaces where those pieces line up with the sight lines and foot traffic, so the yard feels planned instead of pieced together. That might be a kitchen off the back door or a pergola over the patio. See it on our outdoor living page.
Hardscape sets the bones and framework of the yard. Our patio design work covers paver and natural stone, plus the walkways and steps between spaces. Paver patio installation gives you a clean look backed by a lifetime material warranty, while natural stone stays one of a kind for decades. Strong hardscape design also plans for any seat walls needed and grade changes in the landscape.
Plenty of Des Moines lots sit on a slope, and a wall or two can turn that slope into a useful flat space. We build decorative walls that frame a bed or patio, and structural walls that hold back a hillside. As retaining wall contractors who design and install in-house, we design the walls into the larger plan so it works with your drainage, circulation, and future patios.
A backyard reads best when every part answers to one plan. Our backyard landscaping pulls the trees, beds, lighting, and water features into a single design. Because we run our own garden center, you can be sure the plants are top quality and look amazing the first day they are planted. Landscape lighting then carries the yard into the evening.
You get one team from the first sketch to the final planting. We design the plan and our own landscape crews build it, all under one leadership. A smooth start to finish, no hassle process is what our Design-Build team delivers. For the full step-by-step, see our Des Moines design and build process.
Good design pays you back in more than looks. A well-planned yard raises your home’s value and its curb appeal, and gives you usable outdoor space most of the year. Done right the first time, it also cuts upkeep, since the plants suit the site and the hardscape sits on a solid base.
Our professionals can also steer you in the right direction, when considering a full tear-out or a partial re-do of existing landscaping in Des Moines. We aim to keep as much “good” as possible, often keeping mature trees and other solid foundational pieces of the landscape.
We want to maximize the total value we provide, in every decision we make.
A landscape designer plans how your whole property looks and works before anything gets built. At Ted Lare that person holds a landscape architecture degree from Iowa State or other Major Universities, so they are technically trained to design things to last and look great. They can design about anything outside of your house, to give you a functional and beautiful outdoor space.
Cost depends on the size of your yard, the materials, and the scope of the work, so a flat rate would not be honest. We start with an on-site visit where a designer builds a plan and a real estimate around your property. We can provide preliminary estimates prior to working on the project as well, to give you a better idea of costs.
The consultation starts with a designer walking your property. They take measurements and photos, talk through how you want to use the space, and flag issues like drainage, erosion, and shade. Your designer will then answer any questions you have and give you some initial thoughts on the design direction, and estimate the time frame to develop the plan.
Yes, and it is a lot of what we do in the older Des Moines neighborhoods. Many established yards have good elements buried under overgrowth or a dated layout. We keep what is worth saving, like mature trees, and rework the rest into a plan that fits how you live now.
Plan your timeline in two parts. The design phase runs a few weeks, from the first walk-through to a plan you approve. Building it takes a few days for a planting refresh or several weeks for a backyard patio area or other construction projects.
Yes. We design the plan and our own crews install it, all under one roof. Your project never gets handed to an outside contractor partway through, so one team stays accountable start to finish.
We do, plus walkways, steps, pools, and outdoor kitchens. Hardscape like patios and retaining walls often impact the entire design, so we incorporate all the construction elements in our initial designs. Each piece connects back to your full landscape plan.
Three things set us apart. Every designer holds a landscape architecture degree or landscape design degree from a major university.. We have designed and built across Central Iowa for more than 40 years. And we run our own garden center, so you know the plants in your design will be top quality, looking great on the 1st day of installation.
Yes. Our landscaping services cover the Des Moines, Iowa metro, including West Des Moines, Waukee, Clive, Urbandale, Johnston, Ankeny, Altoona, Indianola, and Norwalk. We also travel farther into Iowa for a small added charge. If you are outside the metro, contact our team and we will let you know if it is possible.
Every Ted Lare project starts with a conversation about your goals and your budget. From there, our designers build a custom landscape design shaped around your home and how you use the yard. That might be a new patio, a full outdoor living space, a fresh retaining wall, or a backyard rebuilt from scratch.
Ready to start? Schedule a landscape consultation and put our landscape design services in Des Moines, IA to work.
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