This is my first time in the Gardenweb Forums. I live in Mclean, VA and need to landscape 1/2 acre for a new home we are moving into. Could anyone recommend sources (garden centers, tree farms, etc.) for trees, shrubs, etc. and/or installing them as well? I am assuming I need someone not too far from Mclean, but if you believe a garden center further out in Virigina would be able to ship the trees and plants and install them, I am happy to go further out, especially if it will save some $$ (not a lot left after the construction!). We will need about 50 new trees (white pinees, crapemyrtles, redbuds, dogwoods, nellie hollies, etc.) and later, lots of other shrubs, perennials, grasses, ground covers, etc.

Thank you for any advice you might be able to provide.

Right down the road, Merrifield Gardens is a nice place to shop. I see
a lot of Meadows Farms trucks about the area. With that kind of plan,
you should get the full attention of a landscape designer, and get to
pick your trees (so I hear) from the nursery (vs garden center).

Having lived in N. Va. all my life, I will suggest doing your research and shopping around. Your big name places such as Merrifield G.C, Betty's azalea ranch, and Campbell and Ferrara are all great places to find perennials, unusual trees and the such, they are very expensive for their landscape services. I would suggest in your situation call grigg landscaping in Manassas. You will find your smaller out of the way companies much less expensive than the big three. Unfortunately, if your taking out a huge tree to move it, the only company that can do it is Merrifield.

If you are interested in saving money I'd suggest starting with smaller trees. Everyone wants the immediate impact of a big specimen tree--but you'll pay a hefty premium for the extra size--especially if you have them delivered and installed.

I think Costco (at this time of year) and Meadow Farms has the best prices on plants. They don't have the selection of the big nurseries but often they have a surprisingly good variety of the common trees (flowering cherries, hollies, and japanese maples).

Alternatively, you could divide your grand project into smaller sections and install your garden over a couple of years. This may make the most sense unless you have more than $20k to spend.

Filbert