Custom Landscaping Services
Home & Garden Landscapes specializes in custom residential landscaping services. We are known for our mature specimen plant installations — a fundamentally different approach to landscaping that delivers immediate privacy, shade, and beauty rather than asking you to wait years for results. Serving the NC Triangle region since 2002, we source and install specimen-grade trees, hollies, magnolias, and cold-hardy palms at heights that create a finished landscape from the day of installation. Our team holds advanced horticultural credentials from NC State University and operates under NC Licensed Landscape Contractor License #2591.
Our Landscaping Services
Instant Privacy Screening
Privacy screening is one of our signature services. Rather than planting young nursery stock and waiting five or more years for coverage, we install mature hollies, arborvitae, and cryptomeria at heights that deliver immediate, year-round privacy from the day of installation.
Our most-recommended privacy screening plants for North Carolina include Emily Bruner Holly (Ilex × ‘Emily Bruner’), which reaches 20–25 feet at maturity and performs in conditions ranging from full sun to full shade; Nellie Stevens Holly (Ilex × ‘Nellie R. Stevens’), a fast-growing evergreen reaching 15–25 feet; Green Giant Arborvitae, which can grow 3–5 feet per year in ideal conditions; and Cryptomeria japonica, a refined, fast-growing evergreen that serves as an excellent alternative to the widely failing Leyland cypress.
Whether your screening need is a property boundary, a pool surround, a road-facing exposure, or a neighbor view, we assess your sun and shade conditions, soil, and spacing to recommend and install the right plant material at the right size.
Mature Specimen Tree Installation
Many of the trees we install arrive between 10 and 20 feet in height — specimens that would take decades to reach through conventional landscaping. We source multi-trunk crepe myrtles, weeping Japanese maples, stately Southern magnolias, and a wide range of deciduous and evergreen trees from specialty growers across the region.
Specimen tree installation requires more than planting expertise. Moving and establishing large trees demands proper equipment, correct planting depth and root zone preparation, and post-installation care knowledge. Our crews handle every element of the process, from delivery through final placement.
Common specimen tree installations we complete across the Triangle region include Southern magnolia cultivars installed at 8–20 feet; multi-trunk crape myrtles used as courtyard or driveway specimens; weeping and upright Japanese maples as focal plantings; mature shade trees for immediate canopy coverage; and ornamental evergreens for year-round structure.
Cold-Hardy Palm Installation
Select palm species are well within the hardiness range of North Carolina’s Piedmont region. The Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) is reliably cold-hardy to USDA Zone 7b and has been successfully established across the Triangle. With proper species selection and siting, palms bring a distinctive, low-maintenance elegance to residential landscapes that no other plant category can match.
We provide expert guidance on species selection for your specific zone and microclimate, source palms at mature heights, and handle full installation — including the specialized staking and aftercare that newly installed palms require to establish successfully.
Swimming Pool Landscape Design & Installation
Poolside plantings face conditions that challenge many plant species: reflected heat, occasional chemical splash, high-traffic surroundings, and the need for year-round visual interest without excessive leaf drop into the water. We design and install pool landscapes using plant material specifically selected to thrive in these conditions, layering privacy screening, specimen focal trees, and lower-story plantings to create a complete outdoor retreat.
Curb Appeal & Landscape Renovation
Outdated foundation plantings, overgrown shrubs, and failed Leyland cypress hedges are among the most common renovation challenges we address. We specialize in complete landscape renovations — removing failing plant material and replacing it with healthy, appropriately sized specimens that restore and elevate a property’s appearance immediately.
If your Leyland cypress hedge has been affected by Seiridium canker, Botryosphaeria dieback, or the bagworm pressure that has devastated hedges across North Carolina, we offer a full replacement consultation and can recommend proven alternatives that will not be subject to the same vulnerabilities.
Historic Property Landscape Restoration
Significant historic properties require a landscape that matches their scale and character. We have worked with historic homes and estates across the Triangle region, drawing on 22+ years of horticultural expertise and a deep plant catalog to select and install period-appropriate plant material at the maturity these properties demand.
Signature Plant Material
Our plant catalog includes more than 80 species and cultivars. Below are several of the plant categories most frequently specified for privacy screening, specimen installations, and landscape renovation projects across the Triangle.
Screening Hollies
Emily Bruner Holly (Ilex × ‘Emily Bruner’) and Nellie Stevens Holly (Ilex × ‘Nellie R. Stevens’) are among the most dependable year-round screening plants for North Carolina. Both species are evergreen, deer resistant, and reliably cold-hardy in USDA Zones 6–9. Emily Bruner Holly is particularly valued for its performance in shaded conditions, making it the preferred choice when screening along wooded property lines or north-facing exposures.
Southern Magnolias
Magnolia grandiflora cultivars are available in our catalog at heights from 8 to 20 feet. We carry multiple cultivars suited to different landscape needs — from compact columnar forms appropriate for tighter spaces to broad-canopy specimens for large-scale installations. Southern magnolias serve dual purposes as specimen focal trees and large-scale screening plants.
Japanese Maples
We source and install Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) specimens in a range of forms — upright, weeping, and dissectum varieties — at sizes that create immediate visual impact. Multi-trunk specimens are frequently used as courtyard focal plants, entry plantings, and garden accents.
Cold-Hardy Palms
Trachycarpus fortunei (Windmill Palm) and select other cold-tolerant species are available for installation across the NC Piedmont. Expert species selection for your specific hardiness zone and microclimate is part of every palm installation consultation.
Cryptomeria & Evergreen Screening Trees
Cryptomeria japonica is a refined evergreen with a mature height of 30–40 feet and a growth rate that makes it an outstanding Leyland cypress replacement. Additional evergreen screening options in our catalog include Green Giant Arborvitae, Thuja plicate (Western Red Cedar), and a range of broadleaf evergreens suited to sun and shade conditions throughout the Triangle.
Why Choose Home & Garden Landscapes
- NC Licensed Landscape Contractor, NCLC #2591, in continuous operation since 2002
- Advanced horticultural credentials from NC State University; 22+ years of hands-on expertise with NC Piedmont plant material
- Access to specimen-grade plant material through specialty grower relationships unavailable to general landscaping contractors
- Mature installations that deliver a finished landscape on day one — not a starting point that requires years of growth
Frequently Asked Questions
General Landscaping
Yes. Select cold-hardy palm species, notably Trachycarpus fortunei (Windmill Palm), are reliably cold-hardy in USDA Zone 7b, which covers Raleigh and much of the NC Triangle. Proper species selection and siting — particularly avoiding low-lying frost pockets and ensuring good drainage — are key factors in long-term survival.
We regularly install Southern magnolias, Japanese maples, crepe myrtles, hollies, arborvitae, cryptomeria, and cold-hardy palms at heights ranging from 8 to 20+ feet, depending on the species. During a site consultation, we can identify the specific sizes currently available in our inventory.
Emily Bruners will typically top out at about 18 feet after about 20 years. They will get about 8 feet across which means they can be used for areas where spread is a concern.
This is a major consideration. Very few plants like wet feet except for plantings like Weeping Willows or Birches. If you have a wet area, the plants can be planted higher and then topsoil used around them for a mounding effect. This would allow you to plant in a spot with poor drainage or a wetter area. Planting level in these types of areas will not work and the plants will typically drown out.
10 year old green giants can reach 20 + feet tall and 12 feet across so plant them where they have the room to spread.
Privacy Screening
Are you planting in the shade or sun?
Sun, shade or a combination of both are important consideration when determining which types of plants to use for landscape privacy screening. Typically, coniferous evergreens or needled evergreens need a sunny location in order to thrive. A partial shade/sun environment can work. For instance if the site is sunny for half the day and shady in the afternoon, many coniferous evergreens will work in this environment. In our area, Green Giant , Emerald Green Arborvitae and Cryptomeria are coniferous evergreens frequently used in landscape screening. Both prefer sunny locations but can tolerate a site that gets half and half with sun/shade exposure. Broadleaf Evergreens like Southern Magnolia, evergreen hollies, Chindo Viburnum and Ligustrum will work in either sun, shade or a mixed location of sun and shade. With consistent irrigation, evergreen hollies like Robin and Emily Bruner Holly can withstand deeper shade locales even when planted amongst hardwoods.
How much space is between property line and house or walkways?
The distance from a property line and your house are important considerations. If you have 20 feet from the back of the house to the property line, you cannot plants with a large spread like Green Giants. They will overwhelm the spot and encroach on the neighboring property. In tighter spots like this, you may need to go with Emerald Green Arborvitaes, evergreen hollies or Chindo viburnum.
Are you seeking instant or long-term results?
Instant results often mean more mature sizes at the time of installation. This influences cost. For example, if the area you need to screen is 12 feet high and you need it instantly covered, you are going to need mature plantings. These will need to be transported with heavy equipment in many instances as the rootballs for example could weigh 3500 pounds on a 12-14 feet Emily Bruner Holly. A plant this size can cost depending on the volume of plants used around 2800.00 per tree installed. If you have time and are willing to allow the plantings to fill in over several years, you can chose smaller plants which frequently don’t require the need for heavy equipment. Costs for a 7-8 feet Emily Bruner Holly would be somewhere in the range of 750.00 per plant installed.
This depends on a lot of factors including the following; do you want instant screening or are you willing to wait for several years? Plant type also will determine this as well. For instance, twelve Green Giants could be planted 8 feet apart in a zig-zag pattern and will form a nice barrier in about 3 years if you have room for them to spread. If you don’t have room for spread, you may be forced to consider broadleaf evergreens like Emily Bruner Holly, Chindo Viburnum or Ligustrum. These will not spread as wide so you’ll need more. A good spacing for the broadleaf evergreens is about 6 feet between each plant so you’d need about 16 plants.
In most cases, a complete privacy screen can be designed, plant material sourced, and installation completed within a few weeks of your initial consultation. The installation itself is typically completed in a single day for most residential screening projects.
It depends on whether you want larger and more instant coverage or can wait for the results as well as the amount of distance you are trying to screen. Usually, bigger and more instant results will cost considerably more than smaller plantings.
Either broadleaf evergreens like hollies or Chindo viburnums or coniferous evergreens like Green Giants if you have the room for the spread.
Fencing will work as long as you don’t need a high privacy screen. Most HOAs and municipalities have limits in terms of height on fencing so you may not get the height you need. In some instances, you may want to use evergreen plantings and a fence in combination with each other. In other instances, you may want to use only landscape screening plants. Typically, fencing is cheaper than larger landscape plantings but will only provide 6 to perhaps 8 feet of coverage.
The most reliable Leyland cypress replacements for North Carolina landscapes are Emily Bruner Holly, Nellie Stevens Holly, Green Giant Arborvitae, and Cryptomeria japonica. All four species provide year-round evergreen coverage and are not subject to the Seiridium canker and Botryosphaeria dieback that have caused widespread Leyland cypress failure across the Southeast.
Broadleaf evergreens like Chindo viburnum, Ligustrum and Evergreen hollies are more tolerant of being planting in a setting with mature hardwoods and/or pines. Pines are easier to plant amongst as there is typically less root competition for water and nutrients. Remember that when there is active root competition from mature trees, you will need to provide more supplemental irrigation for the plantings.
Emily Bruner Holly is one of the best privacy screening trees for shaded areas in North Carolina. It performs reliably in conditions ranging from full sun to full shade, is deer resistant, and reaches mature heights of 20–25 feet. It is hardy in USDA Zones 6–9 and is well-adapted to the NC Piedmont climate.
Schedule a Free Consultation
Home & Garden Landscapes serves the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Apex, Wake Forest, Hillsborough, Mebane, and Greensboro areas. Call 919-801-0211 or use the contact form below to schedule a free on-site consultation.
NC Licensed Landscape Contractor · NCLC #2591 · www.homeandgardenlandscapes.com · Established 2002
