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Landscape design and installation built for Florida heat

Galapagos Lawncare & Services provides landscape design & installation in Celebration, Davenport, Four Corners, ChampionsGate and Clermont, Florida. New beds or a full front-yard redo, planned for Florida sun and rain and, where needed, HOA approval. Call (407) 577-6400 or request a free quote online; our crew serves you in English or Spanish.

Overview

The problem

Builder-grade landscaping often uses plants that struggle in full sun or sit in standing water after summer storms.

What you get

A front yard that looks finished, drains well and doesn’t need constant replanting.

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By the Galapagos Lawncare Team · Last updated

What you get

Everything in one visit

What does landscape design and installation include?

Our landscape design and installation service takes a front yard, a side yard or a single bed from idea to planted. We look at the site, sketch a layout, choose plants and materials, help with HOA paperwork when your community needs it, and then do the install: bed prep, edging, planting, mulch or rock, and irrigation adjustments for the new beds.

How do we design for Florida?

Design here starts with UF/IFAS’s Florida-Friendly Landscaping principles. The ones that shape most of our layouts:

  • Right plant, right place. Match each plant to the sun, shade, soil and space it will have when it’s full-size, not when it’s in a nursery pot.
  • Water efficiently. Group plants by water needs so beds and lawn don’t share a zone that drowns one or starves the other.
  • Mulch. A 2–3 inch layer of organic mulch around established plants holds moisture and keeps weeds down.
  • Reduce stormwater runoff. Beds and borders that slow water down instead of sending it, and your mulch, into the street.

What should you think about first?

  • How you use the yard. A front yard that just has to look good for the street is a different design from a backyard with kids, dogs and a grill.
  • Maintenance. Shrubs that outgrow their spot mean trimming forever. Choosing plants by their mature size keeps the work down.
  • Views and access. Windows, the A/C unit, hose bibs, the utility box and the path the trash cans take.
  • Budget and phasing. A big project can be done in stages: hardscape and main beds first, accents later.

Will my HOA approve it?

Many neighborhoods in Celebration and ChampionsGate require architectural review before front-yard changes. Florida law (s. 373.185, F.S.) keeps deed restrictions from prohibiting Florida-friendly landscaping, but the HOA can still review the plan. We prepare a simple plan and plant list for you to submit. Approval is the association’s call, so we wait for it before installing.

Installation, step by step

Before digging, the job is called in to Sunshine 811 (Florida law requires notice at least two full business days ahead) and irrigation lines are located. Then old plants and turf come out, beds are shaped and edged, soil is prepared, plants go in at the right depth and spacing, and mulch or decorative rock goes down. New plants get establishment watering on the schedule your water district allows.

Related work

Many designs include pavers for a walkway or patio edge, and most finish with mulch. See our landscaping work in Celebration and Clermont.

Sources

Simple process

How it works

  1. Site visit

    Sun, shade, soil, drainage, irrigation and how you use the space.

  2. Plan and quote

    A layout and plant list with a written price; HOA submission help where needed.

  3. Prepare

    Sunshine 811 notice, irrigation lines located, old material removed, beds shaped and edged.

  4. Plant and finish

    Plants set at the right depth and spacing, mulch or rock, and establishment watering scheduled.

Common questions

Questions about landscape design & installation

Can you help with HOA approval?

Yes. For landscaping changes we prepare a simple plan and plant list you can submit to your association. Approval itself is up to the HOA.

Do I need to call 811 before planting a tree?

Florida law requires anyone excavating to notify Sunshine 811 at least two full business days before digging, and the statute has no homeowner exemption. When we plant or grind stumps, we request the locate.

How do you price a landscaping project?

We look at the area, the materials (plants, mulch, stone, pavers), the prep work and the access for equipment. You get a written quote with those items listed, so you can change a line without redoing the whole project.

Can my HOA stop me from planting a Florida-friendly yard?

Not on that basis. Florida Statute 373.185 says a deed restriction or covenant can’t prohibit an owner from implementing Florida-friendly landscaping. The HOA can still review things like plant height or placement, so we work from your community’s written rules.

What does the landscape design process look like?

We walk the property, listen to what you want and what bothers you, and look at sun, drainage and HOA limits. Then you get a plan and a plant list with a written quote. Installation starts after you approve it.

How often do new plants need water?

More than established plants, and the water district allows extra days for new landscaping. In Osceola (SFWMD), days 1–30 allow any day except Friday and days 31–90 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. We leave a watering schedule that fits your address.

Do you submit the plan to my HOA?

We prepare a simple plan and plant list; the homeowner normally submits it, because the application is in the owner’s name. We wait for approval before installing.

Do new beds need changes to my sprinklers?

Often, yes. Lawn spray heads in a new bed waste water and soak foliage. We adjust or cap heads and set establishment watering within your district’s rules.

Can a landscape project be done in phases?

Yes. A common order is hardscape and main beds first, then accent plants and lighting later. The plan shows the whole picture so each phase fits.

How much does landscape installation cost?

It depends on the size of the area, the plants and materials, how much has to come out first, and any hardscape. After the site visit you get a written price before any work starts.

Service areas

Where we offer this

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