Landscaping in Richmond is red clay between the coast and the foothills, plus a river that makes the low streets different from the hills. Church Hill and Oregon Hill send water at foundations. Shockoe and other bottom ground stay soft. Fan yards are small, shaded, and fenced, with a tree that owns the alley. If water moves toward the house, that leads the call. A green patch can still be feeding the basement.
Oaks shade the old blocks and fill every gutter. Clay heaves walks and shrinks away from foundations in a dry spell, then swells and sits wet. Moss on the north side is ordinary. Ivy on brick holds damp. A suburban lawn farther out is a different job from a court behind a townhouse. Describe the space as a hill, a bottom lot, a tight garden, or a regular yard. Do not skip the grade.
Downspouts that end at the stoop are a Richmond leak waiting on a landscaping visit. Areaways and basement entries on the old streets clog with leaves. Retaining edges on the hills matter when they lean. Irrigation should not soak a clay foundation and needs to be shut down before a freeze. Mowing is a small call where the grass is small. Tree work off a slate or shingle roof is not mowing.
Debris from a tight block leaves by the alley. A hill lot may have steps and no truck path. Plants have to stand humidity and, in the old streets, a lot of shade with a blast of heat off brick. This is not a beach planting plan and not a mountain one. It is river-city clay. Say tree, drain, grade, or bed so the visit matches the lot.
Walk the yard after a rain and see where the water stops. Landscaping in Richmond should keep clay water out of the house and make a shaded or a hilly yard usable between the coast and the foothills. Call the number on this page.