Driveway edge
Erosion to River Rock
A washed-out driveway shoulder rebuilt as a stone-edged rock channel that carries runoff instead of losing soil to it.
Gaithersburg, Maryland · Est. 1993
Landscapes made
to be lived in.
A design–build studio shaping stone, water, light and planting into outdoor rooms for the finest homes in Montgomery and Howard County.
Water feature
Potomac, Maryland
30+Years designing & building
4.9 ★104 Google reviews
#1798MD Licensed Tree Expert
The studio
We do not install landscaping. We compose a place — then build every inch of it ourselves.
DEL Landscapes is a family-run design–build firm founded by David E. Lee in Gaithersburg, Maryland. For more than thirty years we have worked on the same ground: the wooded lots, sloping front entries and mature gardens of Montgomery and Howard County.
Every project begins on site, walking the property with the homeowner. We draw the plan, set the grades, source the stone and the plant material, and put our own crews on the job from the first cut to the final sweep. There is no subcontracted middle — which is why the drainage works, the walls stand, and the plantings look intentional five years on.
Our arborists hold Maryland Tree Expert License #1798, so the mature canopy that gives these properties their character is cared for by the same team that designs beneath it.
David E. LeeFounder & President
1993
Building in Montgomery County ever since
Selected work
A portfolio of
Maryland properties.
Water features, stone paths, front-entry transformations, drainage that disappears into the garden, and the tree work that makes room for all of it. Every photograph below is our own crew, on our own job.
Water feature · Potomac
The Waterfall Garden
A boulder waterfall and planted pond set into an existing slope, with a perennial border that carries colour from May through October.
Drainage & hardscape
The Dry Creek Crossing
A working storm channel disguised as a landscape feature — river rock, stone edging and an arched bridge on the approach to the house.
Lighting · Olney
Evening Composition
Low-voltage uplighting and path lights tuned on site after dark, so the garden reads as well at nine at night as it does at noon.
Stonework
The Woodland Walk
Irregular flagstone set on a compacted base, threaded between existing trees so not one root flare was cut.
Outdoor living
The Fire Terrace
A flagstone terrace and dry-laid fire pit sized to the family that uses it — three seasons of evenings outdoors.
Front entry
Foundation Renewal
Overgrown foundation shrubs removed and replaced with a layered, shade-tolerant palette that will not swallow the windows in five years.
HOA & community
Olney Entrance
Monument planting and seasonal rotation for a community entrance — the first thing every resident and buyer sees.
Craft
Setting Stone by Hand
Boulders are placed one at a time, turned until the face and the grain sit right. It takes longer. It is the difference.
Grounds care
The Long Border
Hand-cut bed edges and a defined tree line — the quiet maintenance detail that reads as money well spent from the street.
Making nature… neater.
DEL Landscapes · since 1993
What we do
Seven disciplines,
one crew.
Design, installation and long-term care under one roof — so nobody points at anybody else when something needs to be right.
-
A measured site walk, a drawn plan, and a planting palette chosen for your light, soil and deer pressure — not for the nursery's overstock.
- Site analysis and grade study
- Planting plans and phasing
- Material and stone selection
-
Patios, walkways, steps and retaining walls built on a proper base so they sit level through thirty Maryland freeze–thaw cycles.
- Flagstone and paver patios
- Retaining and seat walls
- Stone steps, paths and fire pits
-
Waterfalls, ponds and recirculating basins engineered to run quietly and planted so they look like they were always there.
- Boulder waterfalls and streams
- Ponds and pondless basins
- Aquatic and marginal planting
-
Wet basements, standing water and eroded beds solved with grading, French drains, channel drains and dry creek beds that read as garden, not plumbing.
- French drains and downspout extensions
- Channel drains and catch basins
- Dry creek beds and regrading
-
Low-voltage LED uplighting, path and step lighting, aimed on site after dark so the effect is warm and the fixtures disappear.
- Architectural and specimen-tree uplighting
- Path, step and safety lighting
- Transformer and timer setup
-
Pruning, hazardous removals, stump grinding and plant health care performed under Maryland Tree Expert License #1798 — including tight-access removals over roofs and pools.
- Crown cleaning, raising and reduction
- Large and hazardous tree removal
- Stump grinding and site restoration
-
Seasonal maintenance for private estates, HOAs and condominium associations — mowing, mulch, bed edging, seasonal colour and turf programmes.
- Bed edging, mulching and pruning
- Seasonal colour rotations
- Turf care, aeration and overseeding
Before & after
The honest
comparison.
No renderings and no staging. These are the same cameras, the same angles, weeks apart.
Front entry
Overgrown to Composed
Thirty years of unchecked foundation shrubs cleared and replaced with a layered planting that keeps its scale.
Drainage · Three stages
Swale to Feature
Before, during and after — a raw drainage cut re-laid in stone and finished with an arched bridge.
Stonework
Mud to Stepping Stones
A worn dirt track through a shaded slope replaced with set stepping stones and shade planting.
Drainage
Wet Foundation, Solved
Excavated foundation drainage with gravel backfill and piped discharge — invisible once the beds went back in.
HOA · Olney
Monument Replanting
A tired community entrance bed stripped and replanted in rows of seasonal colour.
Tree care
The canopy is part
of the design.
Mature oaks and tulip poplars are what make these properties worth what they are worth. Our arborists prune, treat and — when it is genuinely necessary — remove them, under Maryland Tree Expert License #1798, with our own crane and chipper crews.
How it works
From first walk
to final sweep.
Four steps, one point of contact, and a written scope before anyone touches a shovel.
01
The site walk
We meet you on the property, walk every corner of it, and listen to how you actually use the outside of your house. We look at drainage, light, soil and the trees you already have. No charge, no obligation.
02
Design & proposal
You receive a drawn plan and an itemised written proposal — materials, plant sizes, quantities and a schedule. A one-third deposit reserves your place in the build calendar; the balance is due on completion.
03
The build
Our own crews execute the work — grading, stone, drainage, planting, lighting. You get a named foreman, daily clean-up, and photographs as the job progresses so you can follow it even when you are not home.
04
Care
We walk the finished project with you, hand over a care schedule, and — if you want it — keep the property on a seasonal maintenance or plant health care programme so it looks in year five the way it did in week one.
Clients
4.9 stars,
104 reviews.
Verbatim from Google. Names, not initials.
★★★★★
“Responsive from the first call, and the consultation was far more detailed than anything else we were quoted. They understood the property.”
Nancy Little-OpekaGoogle review
★★★★★
“Our side yard went from the part of the house we ignored to the part the neighbours comment on. The quality shows.”
Jessica CarrGoogle review
★★★★★
“As a realtor I need work done fast and done right. They restored the gardens in time for listing photos and the house showed beautifully.”
Laurie FratangeloRealtor · Google review
★★★★★
“Same-day tree removal and you could not tell they had been there — every chip and branch gone.”
Tony JacobsGoogle review
★★★★★
“Professional tree removal and, more importantly, clear communication the whole way through. I always knew what was happening next.”
Aaron WertliebGoogle review
★★★★★
“Professional crew, thorough clean-up. They treated the property like it was their own.”
Timmy MorrisonGoogle review
4.9 average · 104 reviews · Montgomery & Howard County
Where we work
Montgomery &
Howard County,
Maryland.
We keep our radius tight on purpose. Crews are on your property in twenty minutes, not two hours — which is why we can be there the same week when a tree comes down.
Questions
Straight answers.
What does DEL Landscapes do?
DEL Landscapes is a landscape design–build and tree care company based in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The firm designs and installs custom landscapes, patios and stonework, water features, drainage systems, outdoor lighting and plantings, and provides tree pruning, tree removal, stump grinding and plant health care. It has operated in Montgomery County since 1993 and is owned by David E. Lee.
What areas does DEL Landscapes serve?
DEL Landscapes serves Montgomery County and Howard County, Maryland, including Gaithersburg, Potomac, Rockville, Bethesda, North Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Olney, Silver Spring, Kensington, Darnestown, Germantown and Clarksburg.
Is DEL Landscapes licensed and insured?
Yes. DEL Landscapes holds Maryland Tree Expert License #1798, which is required in Maryland to perform tree care work for hire, and carries liability and workers' compensation insurance. Certificates are provided on request before work begins.
How much does a landscape project cost in Montgomery County?
Cost depends on scope, access and materials rather than square footage alone. As general guidance for this market: front-entry planting renewals typically begin in the low thousands; flagstone patios and stonework are priced by area, base preparation and stone selection; drainage corrections depend on the length of run and depth of excavation; and tree removals are priced by size, proximity to structures and access for equipment.
DEL Landscapes provides a written, itemised proposal after an on-site walk, at no charge. A one-third deposit reserves the build date and the balance is due on completion.
Do you offer free estimates?
Yes. On-site consultations and written estimates are free for residential and HOA properties in Montgomery and Howard County. Call (301) 461-0779 or send a request through this site and we will schedule a site walk.
How long does a landscape project take?
Planting renewals and front-entry work are usually completed in one to three days. Patios, walls and water features typically run one to three weeks depending on size and weather. Drainage corrections are commonly two to five days. Tree removals are almost always completed in a single day, including clean-up and chip removal.
Do you handle drainage and standing water problems?
Yes. Drainage is one of DEL Landscapes' core services. Solutions include regrading, French drains, channel and catch-basin drains, downspout extensions, foundation drainage with gravel backfill, and dry creek beds that manage stormwater while reading as a landscape feature.
Do you work with HOAs and condominium associations?
Yes. DEL Landscapes maintains community entrances, common areas and monument plantings for homeowner and condominium associations across Montgomery County, including seasonal colour rotations, mulch and bed programmes, turf care and tree work.
When is the best time to plant in Maryland?
In Maryland (USDA zones 7a–7b), spring from mid-March through May and autumn from September through mid-November are the strongest planting windows, because soil temperatures support root establishment without summer heat stress. Hardscape construction, drainage work and tree removal can be performed year-round whenever the ground is workable.
Begin
Let's walk
the property.
Tell us a little about the project. We will call to arrange a site visit — usually within one business day — and the consultation is free.
From the journal
Notes from
the crews.
Practical writing on trees, drainage and planting in Maryland — by the people doing the work, not a content farm.
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