Landscaping Services in Georgia
Landscaping in Georgetown, Savannah GA Area
Georgetown is a settled place. Most of it went up in the late 1970s and early 1980s across the Little Ogeechee from the Savannah city limits, and the trees planted back then have had forty years to do their work. Loblolly pines that arrived as saplings now stand seventy feet over the rooflines. Beds that were sized for small shrubs are holding plants three times what anyone planned for.
That's a particular kind of landscaping problem, and it's not the one a brand-new subdivision has. Georgetown yards mostly don't need to be started - they need to be brought back.
Decker Landscape & Design installs mulch and decorative rock, plants shrubs and trees, handles landscape cleanups and full bed restoration, corrects grading and drainage, clears brush and overgrowth, and runs skid steer and tractor work where a property has room for it.
Mulch Installation
Our Georgetown landscapers pull weeds, recut edges, and install fresh mulch down at the right depth. On a forty-year-old property, recutting the bed lines alone changes how the whole yard reads.
Landscape Cleanups
Overgrown property cleanups, weed removal, brush removal, bed cleanouts, trimming, debris removal, leaf and needle cleanup, and general landscape restoration for residential and commercial properties.
Plant & Shrub Installation
Shrubs, trees, ornamental grasses, perennials, and other landscape plants. We remove or relocate what isn't working, prep and amend the beds, and finish with mulch or rock.
Decorative Rock Installation
New rock installation or replacement of existing rock, with bed prep, landscape fabric, and edging. Old material removed and hauled off when needed.
Grading & Drainage
Yard grading and regrading, correcting low spots, improving water flow, spreading topsoil or fill, drainage improvements, and preparing ground for planting.
Land Clearing
Brush clearing, overgrowth removal, small tree and vegetation removal, and reclaiming rear property lines and wooded edges that have closed in.
Skid Steer & Tractor Services
Material moving, dirt and rock spreading, grading, Harley raking, site preparation, and cleanup - on properties with the access to accommodate equipment.
Our Georgetown Landscaping Services
Custom Landscaping in Georgetown
Forty years in, most Georgetown properties have accumulated a few things: beds that have shrunk as turf crept in, shrubs that were never going to fit where they were put, a bare patch under the pines where nothing has grown in a decade, and a back corner that's slowly gone over to the woods.
Our custom work includes full bed redesign and restoration, replacing overgrown foundation plantings with correctly sized shrubs, shade plantings and ground covers for areas under canopy, reclaiming rear property lines, front-entry and walkway plantings, drainage correction, and converting beds between mulch, pine straw, and decorative rock.
Landscaping Under Pines
Downtown Savannah's landscaping problem is live oaks. Out here it's pines, and they're a different animal entirely.
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Pine shade is dry shade, and that's the hard kind. Oaks cast dense shade but their canopy lets rain through in a decent soaking. A stand of loblollies shades the ground and drinks aggressively through shallow feeder roots, so the soil underneath stays dry even after a good rain. Plants that would handle shade elsewhere fail here because they're short on water, not light. Anything going in under pines has to tolerate both.
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What actually works underneath: azalea, camellia, aucuba, holly fern, autumn fern, liriope, mondo grass, and Asiatic jasmine. These are the reliable performers for the conditions, and all of them are happy in the acidic soil that decades of needle drop create.
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Stop trying to grow grass there. Under a mature pine canopy, thin struggling turf is the default outcome no matter how much seed and water go into it. Converting that area to a mulched or pine straw bed with shade plantings looks better, costs less to keep up, and ends the annual argument with the lawn.
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Pine straw is a legitimate choice here, with tradeoffs. It fits the setting, it's inexpensive per application, and the trees drop a fresh supply every year. It also breaks down quickly in this heat and blows out of exposed beds, so it usually needs refreshing two or three times a year. Hardwood mulch costs more per application but holds longer. Which makes sense depends on how often you want it done.
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Keep it off the trunks. This applies to straw and mulch both. Piling material against a trunk holds moisture where the bark isn't built for it. You should be able to see where the trunk flares out into the roots at soil level.
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Go easy on the roots. Pine feeder roots run shallow and wide. Trenching through them or spreading fill over the root zone to level a low spot stresses a tree that's already competing hard for water. Plant in pockets between roots rather than cutting through them.
Summer (June - August)
Warm-season lawns wake up from dormancy as the soil warms. Spring is also when live oaks shed last year's leaves and pine trees coat everything in yellow pollen, which makes it prime
time for a thorough yard cleanup and a fresh layer of rock or mulch before the summer heat.
Hold off on fertilizing until your lawn has fully greened up and soil temperatures are consistently around 65°F, since feeding warm-season grass too early can stress it. If you have azaleas, have
them trimmed shortly after they finish blooming, because trimming later in the year can remove next spring's flower buds.
Storm Season on a Wooded Lot
Hurricane season runs June through November, and summer thunderstorms don't wait for it. On a lot with mature pines, that means debris - and it means thinking ahead about what's overhanging what.
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Pines come down before most other trees. They're tall, shallow-rooted, and top-heavy, and in saturated ground with high wind they're often the first thing to go. That's not a reason to panic about every pine on the property, but it is a reason to have someone look at ones leaning over a house, a driveway, or a power line before a storm rather than after.
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Pre-season is the time for clearing. Brush and overgrowth crowded up against a house, a shed, or a fence line is harder to deal with once it's tangled with storm debris. Clearing it back in spring makes cleanup afterward far simpler, and it's easier work in cooler weather anyway.
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After a storm, we handle the ground-level work. Limbs, brush, downed small trees, and the general mess a coastal storm leaves behind - cleared, cut up, and hauled off. On a wooded Georgetown lot that adds up fast, and it's more than most homeowners want to load into a pickup themselves.
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What we don't do, and won't pretend to. Large trees down on a structure, hung up in other trees, or anywhere near power lines are a job for a tree service with the rigging, the insurance, and the training for it. We'll tell you plainly when that's what you've got. Getting that wrong gets people hurt.
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Needle and leaf drop is its own season. Pines shed heavily, and it lands in gutters, beds, and roof valleys. A scheduled cleanup once or twice a year keeps beds from disappearing under it and is cheaper than a full restoration later.
Spring (March - May)
Georgetown Landscaping FAQs
Georgetown and the surrounding southwest Chatham County neighborhoods, plus Savannah, Pooler, Bloomingdale, Port Wentworth, and Garden City. Not sure if we reach your street? Just ask.
Convert the area from lawn to bed. Pine shade is dry shade, and turf won't hold in it. Shade plantings like azalea, camellia, aucuba, holly fern, and liriope, set into a mulched or pine straw bed, do far better and look intentional instead of struggling. It's one of the most common jobs we do on lots like these.
Pine straw suits the setting, costs less per application, and matches what's already falling from your trees - but it breaks down fast and often needs refreshing two or three times a year. Hardwood mulch costs more up front and holds considerably longer. If you'd rather deal with beds once a year, mulch usually wins.
Depends on the plant and how far gone it is. Some recover well from hard renewal pruning. Others were the wrong size for that spot from the day they went in, and you'll be fighting them every year. We'll walk the beds and give you a straight answer on each one.
Yes - limbs, brush, downed small trees, and general debris, cut up and hauled off. Large trees on a structure, hung up in other trees, or near power lines need a tree service with the right rigging and insurance, and we'll tell you when that's the situation.
Not a mature one. We handle brush, overgrowth, saplings, and small trees. A tall pine near a house needs a certified arborist and a proper tree crew - and if it's leaning over a structure, that's worth doing before storm season rather than after.
Yes. Brush, briars, privet, and volunteer growth along a rear line is common on lots that back onto woods, and clearing it back is straightforward work. We'll haul off what comes out of it.
Often. Settled low spots, downspouts emptying in the wrong place, and grading that sends water toward the house rather than away are all correctable. What grading can't fix is a high water table after days of rain - this is low ground, and we'll tell you honestly which one you're dealing with.
Hardwood mulch once a year, usually in spring. Pine straw more often - two or three times a year in exposed beds. Two to three inches is the right depth either way, pulled back from trunks and stems.
Fall. Cooler weather lets roots establish before their first summer, which matters even more under pines, where new plantings are competing with established tree roots for water.
Georgia's Water Stewardship Act limits landscape watering from public water systems to between 4 p.m. and 10 a.m., year-round. New plantings are exempt for their first 30 days - exactly when they need it most. Drip irrigation, soaker hoses, and hand-watering with a shut-off nozzle are also exempt.
