Landscaping Proposal Template
The short answer
Price a landscaping install as one fixed total built from crew hours at $45–$75 per person-hour plus plants and materials marked up 25–50%, then ask for a 25–50% deposit that at least covers the nursery order. Customers sign when they can see exactly what they are buying, so break the proposal into site prep, planting, hardscape, irrigation and cleanup, with square footage, plant counts, container sizes and mulch depth written into each line. Put any design fee on its own line so the drawing is paid for even if someone else builds it. Lighting, drip zones and a first season of bed maintenance work well as optional items the customer ticks on acceptance, which keeps the base price readable. Close with the terms that cause the most arguments: the plant replacement warranty and its watering conditions, how weather moves the start date, who removes green waste, and when the balance is due.
A landscaping proposal is a priced scope of work with a signature line. Start from this template, or let the AI draft one from a plain-English description of the job, mark the add-ons optional, and send a link the customer accepts on their phone. The invoice, and the deposit invoice if you set one, are created the moment they accept.
What belongs in a landscaping proposal
Landscaping proposals fail on scope creep: the customer pictures the finished yard, you priced the beds. Spell out square footage, plant counts and sizes, soil and mulch depth, irrigation zones, and who hauls debris. Separate design from installation, and price seasonal maintenance as its own optional item so a one-time install does not silently become a recurring contract. Weather delays and plant availability belong in the terms, and so does the plant warranty, which customers assume is longer than it is.
What a landscaping proposal should spell out
Most disputes on landscaping jobs trace back to something the proposal left vague. Write each of these down before the customer signs.
| Part of the proposal | What to spell out |
|---|---|
| Measured areas | Square footage of every bed, lawn and hardscape area, with a marked-up photo or sketch attached so both sides see the same boundaries. |
| Plant schedule | Species, count and container size for each plant, and what happens if the nursery is out and a substitute is needed. |
| Soil and mulch | Mulch type and depth in inches, cubic yards of soil or amendment, and whether old mulch is removed or topped up. |
| Irrigation | Number of zones, drip or spray, controller make, and whether you tie into the existing system or install a new one. |
| Debris removal | Who removes sod, roots, rock and green waste, how many loads the price covers, and the charge for each extra load. |
| Plant warranty | Replacement period, the watering schedule it depends on, and exclusions such as deer, drought restrictions and customer-moved plants. |
| Schedule and weather | Target start week, how rain or frost days push it back, and how much notice you give before the crew arrives. |
| Ongoing care | Whether any follow-up visits are included, and that seasonal maintenance is a separate optional agreement with its own price. |
Sample line items
Realistic 2026 US pricing for a typical job. Every number is editable; optional items are the ones the customer decides on.
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Site prep: strip sod and grade 600 sq ft bed area | 1 | $850.00 | $850.00 |
| Plant installation: 24 shrubs (3 gal) and 6 trees (15 gal), materials included | 1 | $3,400.00 | $3,400.00 |
| Hardwood mulch, 3 in depth, delivered and spread | 8 | $95.00 | $760.00 |
| Drip irrigation for new beds, 2 zones, tied to existing controller optional | 1 | $1,250.00 | $1,250.00 |
| Landscape lighting: 8 path lights and transformer optional | 1 | $1,600.00 | $1,600.00 |
| Monthly bed maintenance, first season (6 visits) optional | 6 | $140.00 | $840.00 |
Required items: $5,010.00. Optional items if all are chosen: $3,690.00. Rate ranges for this trade are in what to charge for landscaping work. Price the job first with the free lawn mowing bid calculator.
Terms that belong in a landscaping proposal
Promise extended coverage on the bid: a longer warranty on labor is often what wins landscaping work against a cheaper number, and it costs nothing on the day you offer it. Set the terms on the proposal and they print with the scope the customer accepts, carry through to the invoice, and start counting down when that invoice is paid. From there warranty tracking keeps the coverage dates, an estimate of the labor and parts you could still owe, and any callback filed against the job.
Need something lighter? Use the landscaping estimate template for a quick number, or the landscaping invoice template when the work is done.
Jobs change once the work starts. When landscaping work grows or shrinks after the customer has signed, send a change order: they approve the added or credited work and the new total on their phone, and the unpaid balance invoice updates itself.
How the proposal gets accepted
Send the link. The customer sees the scope, ticks the optional items they want and watches the total update, types their name, agrees to the terms, and accepts. The acceptance is recorded with the timestamp, IP address, browser, and a hash of the content. The invoice is generated from exactly what they selected, with the deposit invoiced first when you set one.
Frequently asked questions
Should a landscaping proposal itemize plants?
Yes, by count and container size. A line that reads 24 shrubs, 3 gallon, is a scope; a line that reads plants is an argument waiting to happen. Itemizing also lets the customer trade down sizes to hit a budget without renegotiating the whole job.
How much deposit should a landscaper ask for?
Twenty-five to fifty percent is normal, and it should at least cover the plant order, which you cannot return. State that the deposit reserves the crew date so cancellations are handled by the terms rather than by goodwill.
How should a landscaping proposal handle plant substitutions?
Say that if a listed plant is unavailable you will substitute one of equal size and similar habit, and that any substitute costing more needs the customer's approval first. Name the plants that matter most to the design as no-substitute items. This keeps a nursery shortage from delaying the whole install or turning into a dispute at the walkthrough.
What if the customer changes the design halfway through the install?
Treat it as a change order: write the added or removed work, the price difference and any schedule impact, and get it signed before the crew does it. Moving a bed after it is edged and planted costs labor twice. The proposal terms should say plainly that changes after acceptance are priced separately.
When should the balance on a landscaping install be due?
At completion, after a short walkthrough where the customer confirms the plant count and cleanup. For installs that run longer than a week, bill a progress payment when a stage finishes, such as hardscape before planting. Put the payment points in the proposal so nobody is surprised by an invoice midway.
Can customers accept this proposal online?
Yes. Send the link, and the customer ticks the optional items they want, types their name, and accepts on any device. The acceptance is recorded with the time, IP address, and a hash of the content, and a signed PDF is produced. See how e-signature works on Numulo.
More for landscaping jobs
- Landscaping estimate template
- Landscaping invoice template
- Lawn mowing bid calculator
- What to charge for landscaping work in 2026
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