Landscape design + installation — Miami, FL
We design and build modern outdoor spaces that survive August in South Florida — and look sharp doing it.
AR Landscape Design is a small Miami studio that does one thing: outdoor spaces built for this climate. We start every project on foot — sun angles at 3pm, where the water sits after a storm, the tree you can't move, the fence line you hate. Then we draw it, then we build it: grading, irrigation, lighting, planting, stone. We plant for South Florida — sabal palms, clusia hedges, muhly grass, coontie, native wildflowers — because a yard that fights this heat always loses. Clean lines, honest materials, planting that fills in and gets better every year. That's the whole philosophy.
One crew from sketch to soil. You talk to the people doing the work — no hand-offs, no surprises mid-project.
A full plan for your property: layout, plant list, materials, lighting positions. We walk the site, measure sun and drainage, then draw a plan you can actually build — with us or on your own. You get a scaled drawing, a plant schedule with botanical names, and a phased build order so you can spread the cost.
Sample — design plans from $1,200
We do the digging. Bed prep, soil amendment for sandy Florida soil, proper planting depth (the number-one killer of new plants is planting too deep), staking where needed, and a thick mulch layer. We plant in the cooler months when we can, and we water everything in the day it's planted.
Sample — planting beds from $850
Low-voltage LED lighting that makes the yard usable after dark: path lights, uplights on palms and specimen trees, step lights, subtle wall wash. We aim fixtures away from windows and neighbors, keep color temperature warm, and put it all on a timer you don't have to think about.
Sample — lighting packages from $600
South Florida gives you both problems: months of rain, then weeks of nothing. We set up drip zones matched to plant water needs, fix the low spots where water sits after storms, and route downspouts away from beds. Less runoff, lower water bill, no more swampy corner.
Sample — quoted per site
Pavers, stepping-stone paths, low seat walls, fire-pit pads, edging that actually holds. We compact the base properly (skipping this is why patios sink), set clean lines, and leave you a surface that drains instead of puddling. Pairs with planting so the whole yard reads as one design.
Sample — quoted per site
For yards we built — or ones we didn't. Pruning at the right time of year (never hack the crape myrtles in spring), fertilizer timed to the growing season, mulch refresh, irrigation checks before summer, and storm-season cutbacks so the next big wind doesn't rearrange your trees.
Sample — care plans from $180/visit
Three recurring project types. Every build below is a sample concept showing how we think — your yard gets its own plan.
A walled courtyard that was all concrete and glare. We cut in planting pockets, ran a clusia hedge along the hottest wall, and layered in shade-tolerant understory — gingers, ferns, bromeliads. Now it's the coolest room of the house.
St. Augustine grass was losing the fight with the oak's shade. We replaced the whole front with layered native beds — muhly grass drifts, coontie, wild coffee — and a shell path to the door. Water use dropped, and the curb view finally matches the house.
A pool deck that went dark at 7pm. Twelve low-voltage fixtures — palm uplights, path markers, one wall wash — plus a ring of silver buttonwood to soften the fence. The yard now gets used more after sunset than during the day.
Things we tell every client in Miami. Free advice, no appointment needed.
June through September, plant in the morning and water deeply the same day. Afternoon storms help, but they don't replace a real soaking at the root ball. New plants need daily water for the first two weeks here — the sun is not negotiable.
Three inches of mulch drops soil temperature and holds moisture through the dry weeks. Keep it off the trunks — the "mulch volcano" rots bark and invites pests. A flat donut, not a mountain.
One warm path light every eight to ten feet beats a floodlight every time. You want to see where you walk and catch the shape of the planting — not turn the yard into a parking lot.
First visit: we walk the property, talk through what you want, and tell you honestly what's possible and what it costs. No pressure, no 40-page proposal unless you ask for one.