Landscaping Services in Philadelphia, PA

Landscaping in Philadelphia

Philadelphia gardens are small, shaded, walled, and frequently sitting on rubble. They are also part of a citywide stormwater strategy that will help pay for improving them, which is a genuinely unusual advantage.

The Rowhome Yard

A typical Philadelphia rear yard is 15 to 20 feet wide and 20 to 40 feet deep, enclosed by walls or fences on three sides.

Light is the first constraint. Two to four hours of direct sun is common, and it moves through the season. Before buying a single plant, watch where the sun actually falls across a day in June. Most rowhome garden failures are plants chosen for conditions the yard does not have.

Soil is the second. Philadelphia rear yards frequently sit on demolition rubble, old privy pits, coal ash, and construction fill. Digging often produces brick, mortar and slag rather than soil. Practical responses:

• Raised beds with imported soil, which sidesteps the problem entirely and is often the fastest route to a working garden.
• Soil testing for lead, which is genuinely warranted in older neighbourhoods, particularly if you intend to grow vegetables. Penn State Extension offers affordable testing. Where lead is elevated, raised beds with a barrier layer are the standard response.
• Broad shallow amendment rather than deep digging, which just brings more rubble up.

Access is the third. With no rear alley, every wheelbarrow of soil comes through the house. This is the single largest cost driver in a Philadelphia rowhome garden and it should be discussed explicitly in any quote.

Street Trees

Street trees in Philadelphia belong to the city and are managed by Parks and Recreation.

• Planting is free through Tree Philly and through neighbourhood Tree Tender groups, which supply and plant the tree.
• A permit is required to plant, remove or heavily prune a street tree.
• Unauthorised removal carries penalties.
• Sidewalk and utility work near a tree requires protection measures.

The city's canopy is unevenly distributed, and adding a street tree measurably reduces summer temperature on the block. It is one of the few free improvements available to a rowhome owner.

Stormwater Is Where the Money Is

Philadelphia's combined sewer overflows into the rivers during heavy rain, and the Water Department has spent two decades funding green infrastructure to reduce it. For a homeowner this means real subsidy.

Rain Check has historically provided residential properties with:

• Rain barrels, free with a workshop.
• Downspout planters, installed at subsidised cost.
• Permeable paving for a yard or driveway, subsidised.
• Rain gardens, subsidised.
• Depaving — removing impervious concrete and replacing it with planting.

Terms and availability change, so confirm the current programme, but the general posture has been consistent and generous.

Beyond the subsidy, disconnecting a downspout to a planted area helps your own basement. Philadelphia rowhome basements are frequently damp, and roof water discharged next to the foundation is usually part of the reason.

Plants for Philadelphia

Philadelphia is USDA zone 7a, with the dense urban core running warmer.

Shade and part shade — Oakleaf Hydrangea, Smooth Hydrangea, Hosta, Christmas Fern, Hellebore, Heuchera, Foamflower, Wild Ginger, Solomon's Seal, Japanese Maple, Serviceberry, Redbud.

Sun, where you have it — Little Bluestem, Purple Coneflower, Black-Eyed Susan, Aromatic Aster, Amsonia, Switchgrass, Ninebark, Summersweet.

Tough urban conditions — Inkberry Holly, Sweetspire, Winterberry, Bayberry, Serviceberry.

Small trees for a small yard — Serviceberry, Redbud, Fringetree, American Hornbeam, Japanese Maple. Avoid anything that will outgrow a 20-foot yard, which includes most of what a general nursery will sell you.

Native species from the Piedmont region handle Philadelphia's clay, its humidity and its winter reliably, and they support far more insect and bird life than an equivalent ornamental planting.

Costs in Philadelphia

Hand-carry access surcharges of 20-40% are normal where there is no rear alley.

Timing

• Autumn is the better planting season for trees and shrubs. Warm soil and cool air let roots establish without the plant supporting foliage.
• Spring for perennials and for broadleaf evergreens, which desiccate over winter if planted in autumn.
• Soil is workable from late March, though a wet spring can push that back. Working wet clay destroys its structure, so wait.
• Leave perennial stems standing over winter where you can. They insulate the crown and shelter overwintering insects.

Tips for Philadelphia Homeowners

1. Watch the sun for a full day before choosing plants. Most rowhome garden failures start here.
2. Test the soil for lead before growing food in an older neighbourhood.
3. Apply for Rain Check. It is real money for work you probably want done anyway.
4. Get a free street tree through Tree Philly rather than planting one yourself.
5. Ask how material reaches the yard and get that access cost priced up front.