Landscaping in Philadelphia is the ground behind a rowhouse, and there is not much of it. An alley, a fence, a brick patio, a single tree, or a strip of soil along the party wall. Some blocks have no rear yard you can stand in. Roof decks and planters show up on renovated rows and they are structure problems before they are gardens. The street tree out front may not be yours. Shade is the next house. Rain has one low spot, and it is usually the basement door.
Drainage beats planting. A downspout into the only bed, a patio pitched at the house, and soil against the brick will keep the cellar damp. That is the job to describe first. A leader shared with the alley can be the whole flood. Say where water stands after a summer storm. Containers dry out in the heat reflected off brick, then sit wet all winter. Irrigation is a rare need here and a freeze risk if it is left charged. Most of these yards want less water against the wall, not more.
Cleanup is real work: weeds in the brick joints, a limb on the flat roof, trash that collects at the alley gate. A tree rubbing the cornice or the parapet is a roof call as much as a yard call. Material comes through the house or down a narrow side if you have one. Say which. A weekly mow is the wrong offer if you do not have grass. Say patio, soil, or planters so the work matches the lot.
If the basement takes water, lead with that. If you want beds, say how much sun the slot of yard actually gets, which may be almost none. Skip a lawn plan. Say whether a gate opens to an alley. That gate is how anything heavy arrives. If the project is only keeping growth and soil off the foundation, say so. On a row, that is often the entire useful scope.
There is no hill to terrace. Landscaping in Philadelphia is a small flat yard, an alley, and the water heading for the cellar. Call the number on this page.