Birmingham Landscaping

Birmingham's Best Landscaping Company

For areas of your yard that may be rocky or have less-than-ideal growing conditions, a spreading ground cover is an ideal solution. Laying sod may be the perfect solution to quickly establish grass in sparse areas of your landscape. We will prepare the soil, till the ground to remove old clumps of grass, then put down an even layer of topsoil. Once fertilizer is applied, we can then start laying sod, pressing the pieces firmly into the dirt. It will then be important to thoroughly water new sod every day for two weeks, ensuring your new lawn is properly established.

When selecting different varieties of plants, it is important to consider how much sun different areas of your yard receive and when. It is also important to know the soil’s pH and composition in determining which plants will flourish. As a local landscaper, we are familiar with Alabama’s growing conditions and which plants are best suited to your particular area. Knowing the mature size of plants, and the space, light, and soil conditions needed to ensure they thrive enable us to design a beautiful landscape you will enjoy for years.

​Incorporating a small pond or above ground water feature is another way to bring interest and tranquility to your landscape design. We will help you determine a location best suited for a fountain, waterfall, or pond. It’s important that the area allows for proper drainage and will not be under any large trees that will continually fill the pond with leaves.

Saturday night barbecues, dinner parties and relaxing summer evenings are made even better with outdoor lighting. Outdoor lighting can be installed on patios, decks, stairs, garages and more to enhance your exterior space. Good outdoor lighting will improve your home's value, provide security at night, show off your home when it's dark, and allow you to entertain outside as late as you like.

At J & M Landscapes, we understand the importance of outdoor lighting, including the products used and the placement of each light.  Let us know what areas of your property you'd like illuminated and we will design the perfect outdoor lighting plan to suit your needs.

Consider these five tips when hiring an expert to install outdoor lighting for you:

1. Understand the Different Types of Lighting Installation

There are two main types of professional landscape lighting installation - hardwired and plug-and-play systems. Hardwired systems typically take up less space than splashier plug-and-play ones but they require running cables under ground or above ground along structures like decks or stairways. If accessible by foot traffic, this type is best suited to light up stairs leading to front porch or deck off the backyard.

2. Know the Lighting Lingo

Although outdoor lighting seems simple enough, you'll need to understand some basic terms in order to ensure you get what is best suited to your property and landscape design. Some of these terms include lumen output, footcandles and lux.

3. Consider Your Needs for Security When Installing Outdoor Lights  

The more light a residential property has outside at night, the less likely a potential intruder is going to be able to hide on the property undetected. That said, it's important not to over-light a property as doing so can give it an "unwelcoming" appearance from neighbors - or even lead criminals on the prowl elsewhere where they feel safer hiding in shadows. Ideally, your home and pathways will be illuminated, along with specific features in the yard.

Also, consider installing an outdoor light with a motion sensor to illuminate dark spots where potential intruders could hide. It's important not to let the device get too bright, however - if it does, you'll end up blinding your neighbors and they may install their own lights or call law enforcement. Use the lighting needs of the property as a guide for this type of installation.

4. How Much Will It Cost?  

The cost of installing outdoor lighting will depend on how extensive the project is and what types of materials are used. Basic installations using low voltage systems can start at just $700 , but the average range is something like $1,500-$3,000 . Higher-voltage systems can be significantly more expensive, both to install and to  run.

5. Will It Work With My Landscape?  



One of the most important factors in determining whether an outdoor lighting installation will work is access to power - if you don't have any, then it's not going to happen. If you do, though, and your landscape doesn't interfere with the running and placement of conduit (electrical wires) and the like, then the only thing that matters is whether or not there's a way for light to get from your house into your yard - lights can be installed directly onto buildings as well as on poles. In cases where there isn't a path from indoors out to the yard, supplemental lighting may be necessary so that landscaping elements can still be enjoyed at night.