Landscaping in Baltimore is usually a scrap of ground, not an acre. Rear yards are narrow, shaded, and fenced by brick. A front planting bed might be a couple of feet between the marble steps and the sidewalk, with a street tree the city already owns. Water from a downspout has nowhere to go but the alley or the cellar. If the yard is washing toward the house, that is the lead, ahead of any talk about flowers.
Shade is the design. Tall rows and mature trees leave moss, thin grass, and soil that stays packed. Ivy on brick holds damp against the wall. A yard that never dries will rot a sill and feed pests even if it looks green from the alley. Containers, a small brick patio, and a single tree that has outgrown the fence are more common projects than a broad lawn. Say the size in plain language: a rear court, a front strip, or almost no soil at all.
Drainage on these lots is fussy. The alley may be higher than the back door. The neighbor grade may send water along a party wall and into your foundation. A clogged yard drain or a downspout that stops at the first joint will flood a basement that a suburban swale would have saved. Grading you can still do is measured in inches, and it still matters. Mention any low spot you can see after a storm, and mention if the cellar door faces that spot.
If you want planting, say whether you need something that can live in shade and in reflected heat off brick. If you want a tree dealt with, say whether limbs are on the roof, lifting the walk, or simply filling the gutter. Hauling debris out of a rowhouse yard means the alley or the front steps. There is often no side gate wide enough for a truck. Mowing, where there is grass, is a small visit. Do not describe a court as if it were a suburban lot.
Walk the back step and the downspout before you call. Landscaping in Baltimore should keep water out of the cellar and make a small yard usable between brick walls. Say court, strip, tree, or drain. Call the number on this page.