Landscape design in Yarmouth, Maine.
Lot size in Yarmouth depends heavily on where the property sits. Chapter 701 sets a one-acre minimum for a single-family lot in the Medium Density Residential district, two acres in Low Density Residential and three acres in Rural Residential, while the Village and island neighborhoods are older and tighter. A full-property design for a half-acre lot off West Elm Street and one for a three-acre parcel out on the rural edge start from different questions, but both get the same approach from us: walk the site, plan grading, drainage, hardscape and plantings together, then build it with our own crews.
Designing inside the shoreland numbers
For waterfront property the plan has hard limits built in. In the 75-foot buffer along water bodies and wetlands, Yarmouth's shoreland rules allow no cleared opening larger than 250 square feet in the canopy, one footpath up to six feet wide, and selective cutting only while a points-based standard for a well-distributed stand of trees is kept in every 25-by-50-foot block. Across the shoreland portion of the lot, lawns, driveways, structures and septic areas together may not exceed 25 percent of that area or 10,000 square feet, whichever is greater.
A design that respects those figures from the first sketch avoids redrawing later. On many Royal River and Casco Bay lots, that means placing the patio and lawn in the existing clearing, framing views by pruning rather than cutting, and filling the buffer with native shrubs.
Island properties add another layer. Cousins and Littlejohn islands have been linked to the mainland by a bridge and causeway since 1955, and exposed island lots call for a planting palette and a construction sequence that suit wind, salt and access.
Drainage and trees as part of the plan
Yarmouth's comprehensive plan describes wide swings in soil drainage, with Scantic and Lamoine silt loams on the wetter end. On those sites the grading plan, swales and any drain lines are drawn before plant locations, because a bed or patio in the wrong low spot fails no matter how well it is built.
Trees get the same early attention. Yarmouth has been a Tree City USA for forty years, and in 2022 the Town Council created a Tree Advisory Committee that produced a list of preferred species for new planting and a set of practices for protecting trees on development sites. Both are practical inputs to a design, and our licensed arborist can assess which existing trees are worth building around.
Design · Planning · Full Installs
How we handle landscape design
We design landscapes that work as a whole — plantings, patios, walls, grading and drainage planned together before the first shovel breaks ground. Whether it is a full property redesign or a single outdoor living space, we walk the site, draw the plan and build it with our own crews.
See the full landscape design service page or everything we do in Yarmouth, Maine.
Landscape Design in nearby towns
- Landscape Design in Cumberland
- Landscape Design in North Yarmouth
- Landscape Design in Falmouth
- Landscape Design in Freeport
- Landscape Design in Gray
More services in Yarmouth
- Hardscaping in Yarmouth
- Retaining Walls in Yarmouth
- Landscaping in Yarmouth
- Planting & Garden Beds in Yarmouth
- Hydroseeding, Sod & Turf in Yarmouth
- Lawn Aeration & Overseeding in Yarmouth
- Fall Cleanup & Leaf Removal in Yarmouth
- Commercial Mowing & Cleanups in Yarmouth
- Excavation & Land Clearing in Yarmouth
- Septic Systems in Yarmouth
- Tree & Shrub Services in Yarmouth
- Tree Removal in Yarmouth
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Landscape Design in Yarmouth? Let's talk.
Tell us about your property and we will walk it with you — free estimates, straight answers, stonework guaranteed to hold its lines.
Mon–Sat 7:00am – 5:00pm · Based in Cumberland, Maine