In this guide

  1. DIY
  2. Pro
  3. Cost
  4. Middle

1. When DIY makes sense

Planting is not complicated. If the following are true, do it yourself and keep the labour cost:

  • Containers are 3-gallon or smaller and you can lift them comfortably
  • The layout is simple — a short bed, a few specimens, no critical alignment
  • Ground is already reasonable — no drainage correction or heavy clearing
  • You will water consistently for two months
  • Timing is flexible

Read how to plant a shrub first. Depth is the thing people get wrong, and it is entirely avoidable.

Our Miami-Dade nursery yard where plants are grown and prepared
On siteWhere plants are grown and readied

2. When it is worth paying for

  • Large stock. A 15-gallon or larger plant is heavy, awkward and easy to damage — including damaging yourself.
  • Long hedge runs. Even spacing across 60 feet is harder than it looks, and uneven spacing shows permanently.
  • Drainage or soil work. If the ground needs correcting, that is the part that decides success and it is genuinely skilled work.
  • A deadline. Selling the house, an event, a compliance date.
  • Physical limits. Miami heat plus digging is a real consideration, and there is no prize for pretending otherwise.

3. The honest cost comparison

DIY saves labour. It does not save as much as people expect, once you count:

  • Tool hire or purchase
  • Multiple trips if you cannot transport everything at once
  • Your own time, at whatever it is worth
  • The cost of replacing anything planted incorrectly

That last one is the hidden expense. A hedge planted too deep or unevenly spaced does not fail immediately — it underperforms for years, and correcting it later means lifting and resetting plants that have partly established.

The larger saving is usually buying grower-direct rather than doing the labour yourself.

4. The middle option

Most people do not need all-or-nothing.

Buy and have delivered, plant yourself. Removes the transport problem, which is the genuinely awkward part, and keeps the labour saving.

Have the difficult parts planted. We plant the large specimens and the long hedge run; you do the smaller bed planting afterwards.

Have it planted, maintain it yourself. The planting is what decides establishment. Watering afterwards is straightforward once someone has told you the schedule.

Tell us the budget and we will suggest which split gives you the most for it.

Not sure which way to go? Tell us the plant sizes and run length and we will say honestly whether it is worth paying us. Ask us.

Frequently asked questions

Is it hard to plant a hedge yourself?
Not technically, but even spacing across a long run and consistent planting depth are harder than they look, and mistakes show permanently. Short runs of small stock are very manageable.
What size plants can I handle myself?
Most people manage 3-gallon comfortably and 7-gallon with help. Anything 15-gallon or larger is heavy, awkward and easy to damage in transit.
Do you deliver without planting?
Yes. Delivery on its own is a common option — it removes the transport problem while keeping the labour saving.
Will you plant plants I bought elsewhere?
Our planting service is built around plants we supplied, since we know how they were grown and rooted. Call and describe the situation and we will tell you honestly whether we can help.