Atlanta’s landscape design market operates at a sophisticated level driven by the metro area’s affluent residential neighborhoods, its strong outdoor living culture, and a climate that permits year-round outdoor activity with proper plant selection and design. The city’s Piedmont geography, with its rolling terrain, varied soil conditions, and exceptional tree canopy, demands design expertise that goes beyond generic template plans to address site-specific drainage, shade management, and soil amendment challenges. Atlanta homeowners and commercial property owners have increasingly invested in outdoor living extensions of their interior spaces, fueling demand for designers who can integrate hardscape elements including patios, outdoor kitchens, fire features, and water elements within cohesive landscape plans. The city’s design community includes licensed landscape architects, certified landscape designers, and design-build firms that offer project management from concept through installation.
When selecting a landscape designer in Atlanta, clarify whether you need a licensed landscape architect, who can stamp and seal plans for permitted work, or a landscape designer, who provides design services for non-permitted projects. Look for designers with a demonstrable portfolio of Atlanta-market projects suited to your property type and size, and confirm that their plant palette reflects knowledge of Georgia’s native and adapted species appropriate for the Piedmont climate. Red flags include designers who present generic plans without site assessment, who cannot explain drainage solutions for Atlanta’s clay soil conditions, or who lack documentation of completed comparable projects. The best Atlanta landscape designers conduct a thorough site analysis before presenting design concepts and maintain involvement through the installation phase to ensure design intent is realized.
Top Landscape Designer Companies in Atlanta
1. Georgian Landscape Design
Phone: (770) 417-8737
Website: https://www.georgianlandscape.com
Service Area: Atlanta metro area
Awards & Recognition: Best of Gwinnett every year since 2013, Best of Houzz every year since 2013
Services:
- Custom landscape design
- Pool design and installation
- Outdoor living spaces
- Yard maintenance and management
About: Georgian Landscape Design has earned Best of Houzz and Best of Gwinnett recognition every year since 2013, a sustained decade-long track record of client-validated design excellence that is rare in any home services category. The company’s most distinctive operational policy is taking on only one project at a time, a deliberate capacity constraint that allows the full creative and management attention of the team to be focused on a single client from initial design through installation completion. This single-project model is a meaningful differentiator in a market where many design-build firms manage multiple projects simultaneously, diluting designer attention and project management focus. The company’s specialization in pools alongside landscape design addresses the Atlanta market’s strong demand for integrated aquatic features within outdoor living projects.
2. Bellwether Landscape Architects
Address: 300 West Wieuca Road NE, Suite 216, Atlanta, GA 30342
Phone: (404) 996-1232
Website: https://www.bellwetherla.com
Services:
- Licensed landscape architecture
- Residential landscape design
- Site planning
- Hardscape design
- Planting design
About: Bellwether Landscape Architects is a licensed landscape architecture firm based in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood at West Wieuca Road, providing professional landscape architectural services for residential and commercial clients. The firm’s licensed landscape architect credential is a meaningful distinction in a field where many practitioners offer design services without formal licensure or the professional accountability that licensure imposes. Licensed landscape architects in Georgia are required to hold a degree from an accredited landscape architecture program, accumulate supervised experience, and pass the national Landscape Architect Registration Examination, providing clients with a verified professional credential behind the design work. Bellwether also maintains an Augusta location, reflecting geographic reach across Georgia’s major markets.
3. Designed Landscapes
Website: https://www.designedlandscapes.com
Service Area: Atlanta metro area
Services:
- Landscape architecture and design
- Masonry including retaining walls and patios
- Planting design
- Deck and pergola construction
- Pool design and installation
- Outdoor kitchens
- Water features
- Landscape lighting
About: Designed Landscapes operates with a multidisciplinary team that includes certified landscape architects, landscape designers, and ecology doctorates, providing a depth of horticultural and ecological expertise that is uncommon in Atlanta’s landscape design market. The ecology doctorate credential on staff is particularly valuable for Atlanta projects where native plant communities, stormwater management, and sustainable planting design are priorities, as it brings academic rigor to design decisions that are often made on aesthetic grounds alone. The company’s full-service scope from masonry and planting through pools, outdoor kitchens, and water features allows clients to manage complex outdoor improvement projects within a single design-build relationship.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the difference between a landscape architect and a landscape designer in Atlanta?
A: A licensed landscape architect in Georgia has completed a four or five-year accredited degree program, accumulated supervised professional experience, and passed the Landscape Architect Registration Examination administered by CLARB. Licensed landscape architects can stamp and seal design plans required for permitted projects including grading, drainage modifications, and certain structural elements. A landscape designer may have strong horticultural and design training but does not hold a state professional license. For smaller residential projects not requiring permits, a skilled landscape designer may be entirely appropriate. For projects involving significant grading, drainage engineering, or structural elements, a licensed landscape architect provides both professional capability and legal standing.
Q: What does landscape design cost in Atlanta?
A: Design-only fees from Atlanta landscape designers and architects typically range from $2,500 to $10,000 or more depending on project scope and the designer’s credentials and market position. Design-build firms, which charge design fees as part of the overall project, often structure their design fee as a percentage of the total installation cost, typically five to ten percent. Full residential landscape installations designed and installed by a quality Atlanta firm range from $20,000 for a modest front and back yard treatment to $200,000 or more for estate-scale projects incorporating pools, outdoor kitchens, extensive hardscape, and custom lighting systems. Ongoing maintenance following installation is typically contracted separately at monthly or seasonal rates.
Q: How long does a landscape design project take in Atlanta?
A: The design phase for an average Atlanta residential project typically takes four to eight weeks from initial site assessment through final plan presentation, depending on project complexity and the designer’s current workload. Design approval and material procurement can add another two to four weeks before installation begins. The installation phase for a moderately complex project ranges from two weeks to three months depending on scope and the sequencing of hardscape, planting, and specialty elements like pools or water features. Large estate-scale projects may span six to twelve months from first design meeting to final installation. Spring and fall are Atlanta’s preferred installation seasons, creating heavy demand that can extend lead times for the area’s most sought-after designers.
Conclusion
Atlanta’s landscape design market includes several highly qualified firms capable of delivering sophisticated outdoor environments that integrate the city’s natural assets with thoughtful design and skilled installation. Georgian Landscape Design has demonstrated consistent award-winning quality since 2013 with a single-project focus that maximizes client attention and design integrity. Bellwether Landscape Architects provides licensed landscape architectural services from its Buckhead location for clients whose projects require the standing and expertise of a registered professional. Designed Landscapes offers a multidisciplinary team including ecology expertise for clients who want the most ecologically grounded and comprehensively executed outdoor environment possible. Contacting any of these firms for an initial design consultation is the recommended starting point.