BEAUTIFUL RESIDENTIAL LANDSCAPE DESIGN TO LAST A LIFETIME

Whether you want us to design and construct an extravagant water feature, a colorful garden, or a beautiful pool or spa, McHale Landscape Design will help you create the landscape of your dreams! Using our professional expertise, we tailor our designs to fit your lifestyle, ensuring that your project is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also functional and unique. Some of our custom residential landscaping services include:

• Critical areas
• Gardens & plantings
• Native plantings
• Water features
• Green roofs

Custom Landscape Design: Outdoor Living Transformed

At McHale Landscape Design, we believe a great residential landscape isn’t just something you admire from a window—it’s a space you live in, entertain in, and grow with. Whether you’re dreaming of a serene garden retreat, an inviting backyard pool, or a full-scale outdoor living environment, our team is here to bring it to life. We specialize in custom residential landscape design throughout the region from four regional offices across Maryland and Northern Virginia, blending form and function into spaces that reflect your lifestyle and enhance your home’s natural beauty.

We call it single-source design-build. Our process ensures that every member of our award-winning team actively interacts and communicates with each other from start to finish of your landscape project.

For over four decades, we’ve been shaping the outdoor living spaces with timeless craftsmanship, thoughtful design, and a commitment to excellence that’s rooted in every detail.

Our Design-Build Process: What to Expect

Single-source design-build sounds simple, but clients often ask what it looks like in practice. Every McHale project follows the same four steps, from the first site visit to the care that follows. One team carries your project through each step, so nothing gets lost between design and construction.

Step 1: Consultation and Site Visit

Your project starts at your property, not in our office. A McHale designer walks the site with you to learn how you live, entertain, and move through the space. Along the way, we study grades, drainage, sun exposure, soil, and existing trees. Regulatory factors get flagged early too, such as Critical Area buffers, county permits, or HOA review. Finding these issues before design begins prevents costly surprises later.

Step 2: Signature Design-Build Plan

After the consultation, our designers and landscape architects prepare a proposal that outlines scope, estimated costs, and schedule. Once you approve it, we develop a preliminary plan for your space. That plan then grows into a comprehensive master plan with an in-depth cost analysis. It specifies layout, materials, plants, lighting, grading, and drainage. Some plans also include a custom fly-through video of the finished landscape. Throughout this step, we review each draft with you and refine it until you are confident in the plan.

Step 3: Construction by Our Own Crews

Our in-house masons, carpenters, and landscape technicians build what our designers drew. Because design and construction sit on one team, the designer stays available to make decisions in the field. You also receive regular progress updates, so you always know where things stand. Plants come from our own nursery, which gives us control over size and quality.

Local example: At Riverview, a 12-acre estate on the Potomac River, the homeowner introduced new ideas mid-project. As a result, our role expanded from installation to managing masonry, irrigation, drainage, and planting. The crew even transplanted a 24-inch caliper Willow Oak from our nursery to anchor the front entry.

Step 4: Walkthrough and Ongoing Care

When construction wraps up, we walk the property with you. You will learn how to care for new plantings and how to run lighting and irrigation systems. Since the first year matters most for new plants, every client gets clear care guidance. Many clients then stay with our maintenance team to protect their investment.

Local example: Our relationship with the Chesapeake estate in Royal Oak began with design-build work in 2008. Today, our crews still provide weekly garden care, turf care, water management, and arbor care there.

For more detail, visit our design-build process page or read What Is Included in a Luxury Residential Landscape Design-Build Project?

Design-Build Process FAQs

Custom Residential Landscape Design Across Maryland and Northern Virginia

No two properties and no two visions are ever the same. That’s why our design process starts with listening. From the first conversation to the final plan, we tailor each project to your unique needs and the character of your site. Our award-winning designers craft comprehensive master plans that guide every element of the installation.

Combining classic principles with innovative ideas our designs are both practical and breathtaking. Our team approaches every project with the same attention to scale, proportion, and purpose.

An Endless Amount of Striking Possibilities for Your Residential Landscape

McHale owns and operates our own nursery. For over 30 years we have established great relationships with the best growers in the industry, which guarantee the best quality plants in your garden.

McHale Landscape Design follows the standards implemented by the American Nurseryman Association and Landscape Contractors of America. Our team is licensed by the Maryland Department of Agriculture and Maryland Home Improvement Commission. McHale holds all the necessary state and county licenses, and follows every regulation, including soil tests and nutrient management programs. We employ six Registered Landscape Architects, seven Certified Technicians, and five Certified Professional Horticulturists.

Each project includes using slow-release fertilizer and pre-emergent herbicide to ensure healthy growing plants and to prevent the invasion of weeds. McHale has developed its own soil amendment mix of sand, pine fines, Leafgro, and soil to provide the nutrients needed to ensure the proper development of your garden. We recycle our debris into usable nutritional soil amendments and follow “green” practices.

One Team From Concept to Construction

From sleek, modern designs to natural, freeform styles, we build landscapes that integrate seamlessly into their surroundings. Add custom stonework, loggias, outdoor kitchens, or fire features to create a complete outdoor living space in the communities we serve that’s ready for every season.

As a full-service landscape design build firm, we manage every phase of your project under one roof—from concept through construction. This integrated approach ensures efficiency, quality control, and a seamless experience for our clients.

Our in-house craftsmen, masons, horticulturists, and project managers work side by side with our designers to execute every detail to the highest standards. The result is a landscape that’s not only beautiful on day one—but continues to thrive and evolve for years to come.

Landscape Design Rooted in Your Community

Every region we serve has its own soils, regulations, and weather. A waterfront lot in Annapolis faces different challenges than a wooded slope in McLean. That is why each of our four regional offices is staffed by designers who work in those communities every day. Find your area below to see the towns we serve, the site conditions we plan for, and recent work nearby.

Annapolis and Anne Arundel County

Our Annapolis office serves homeowners across Anne Arundel County and the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. We work regularly in downtown Annapolis, Eastport, Annapolis Neck, Bay Ridge, and Hillsmere. North of the Severn, our crews are often in Severna Park, Arnold, Cape St. Claire, Gibson Island, and Crownsville. To the south and west, we serve Edgewater, Davidsonville, Crofton, and the South River communities.

Site Conditions We Plan For

Many of these properties sit inside the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area, which covers land within 1,000 feet of tidal water. As a result, projects often involve shoreline buffers, impervious surface limits, and mitigation planting. Salt spray, sandy coastal soils, and heavy deer pressure also shape our plant choices. In addition, homes in the Annapolis Historic District need Historic Preservation Commission approval for many exterior changes. Our landscape architects manage these reviews as part of the design process, and our Critical Area services cover the permitting side.

Local Project: Severn River Residence

At the Severn River Residence, a sloping waterfront lot had serious drainage problems during a whole-home renovation. We added a dry creek bed, a catch basin hidden under river stone, and new lighted stone piers at the entry. Oakleaf hydrangea, osmanthus, abelia, and nepeta now frame the approach and the views toward the river.

Annapolis Office: 911 West Street, Annapolis, MD 21401
Phone: (410) 990-0894
Getting here: Our office is on West Street, a short drive from Route 50 and Route 2. Get directions

Learn more: Landscape Architecture in Annapolis: Designing Within the Critical Area and Garden Design in Annapolis.

McLean and Northern Virginia

From our McLean office, we serve Fairfax County, Arlington County, and eastern Loudoun County. Clients come to us from McLean neighborhoods such as Langley, Chesterbrook, and Salona Village. We also work throughout Great Falls, Vienna, Oakton, Falls Church, and North Arlington.

Site Conditions We Plan For

Lots here are often steep, wooded, and close to stream valleys. Fairfax County protects many of these areas as Resource Protection Areas under its Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance. Consequently, grading, retaining walls, and drainage work frequently need county review before construction starts. Dense clay soils drain slowly, so we build drainage into every patio, wall, and planting bed. Mature oaks and tulip poplars also need careful root protection during construction. Many neighborhoods add HOA architectural review, and we prepare the drawings those boards expect.

Local Project: Walker Road Residence

The Walker Road Residence is a thirty-year-old Virginia home on five acres with dated, characterless landscaping. We terraced a new lap pool across several levels, with a tile water wall, a sheer descent, and a spa. A solid cedar pergola now covers the outdoor kitchen, and travertine terraces tie the spaces together. Finally, a granite cobblestone and gravel driveway sets the tone on arrival. Our crews continue to maintain the property today.

McLean Office: 6819 Tennyson Drive, McLean, VA 22101
Phone: (703) 760-8600
Getting here: Our office is in central McLean, minutes from the Capital Beltway (I-495). Get directions

Learn more: Landscape Design in McLean and Landscape Architect vs. Design-Build Firm.

Clarksburg, Upper Montgomery County, and Frederick County

Our Clarksburg office serves upper Montgomery County and southern Frederick County. Locally, we work in Clarksburg Village, Arora Hills, Cabin Branch, and Clarksburg Town Center. Nearby communities include Germantown, Boyds, Damascus, Darnestown, Poolesville, and Gaithersburg. Heading north, we also serve Urbana, Monrovia, and Frederick.

Site Conditions We Plan For

Much of Clarksburg is new construction. Builders often strip the topsoil and leave compacted clay behind. Before planting, we test and rebuild the soil so new landscapes can root properly. New lots also tend to have raw grading, builder-grade drainage, and few established trees. Parts of Clarksburg fall within county Special Protection Areas, including Ten Mile Creek, where stormwater rules are stricter. Planned communities usually have HOA design guidelines as well. Meanwhile, larger rural lots near the Agricultural Reserve bring wind exposure and deer.

Local Project: Seneca Summer

The Seneca Summer project began with runoff reaching the house from the rear yard. We built a stone retaining wall and an extensive French drain system that redirects water away from the foundation. Next, we enlarged the screened porch, rebuilt the fireplace, and added a circular firepit patio with a low seat wall. A new travertine pool deck and steps to the upper lawn completed the project.

Clarksburg Office: 23023 Frederick Road, Clarksburg, MD 20871
Phone: (301) 972-9090
Getting here: Our office is on Frederick Road (Route 355), just off I-270. Get directions

Learn more: Landscape Design in Clarksburg and Outdoor Living Spaces in Clarksburg.

Easton and Maryland’s Eastern Shore

Our Easton office serves Talbot County and the surrounding Eastern Shore. We work throughout Easton, St. Michaels, Oxford, Royal Oak, Tilghman Island, Trappe, and Wye Mills. In Queen Anne’s County, we serve Kent Island, Queenstown, and Centreville. Further out, our clients include homeowners in Chestertown and Cambridge.

Site Conditions We Plan For

Land here is low and flat, and it is often bordered by the Miles, Tred Avon, Wye, and Choptank rivers. High water tables and sandy soils affect drainage, hardscape bases, and plant selection. Most waterfront parcels also fall under Critical Area rules, with protected buffers along the shoreline. Open fields and wide rivers bring strong wind and salt exposure. For that reason, we favor tough, regionally adapted plants and build hardscape to handle wet winters.

Local Projects on the Shore

In St. Michaels, the Harbortown Residence started with overgrown shade trees blocking a remodeled waterfront cottage. We opened the entry with a granite-bordered arrival court, white cedar fencing, and a gravel drive edged in granite pavers.

In Royal Oak, our Chesapeake estate has been a design-build client since 2008. Our crews transplanted fifteen mature red maples and graded, sodded, and irrigated more than nine acres. The property also includes a pool, outdoor kitchen, pergola, and fire pit, and we still maintain it weekly.

Closer to town, the Easton Kitchen Cutting Garden brings raised cedar beds, a picket fence, and a custom garden retreat to a riverfront property.

Easton Office: 29459 Pintail Drive, Easton, MD 21601
Phone: (410) 770-9449
Getting here: Our office is just north of downtown Easton, near Route 50. Get directions

Learn more: Landscape Design on Maryland’s Eastern Shore: What Makes Easton Different.

Headquarters in Upper Marlboro

Our main office at 6212 Leapley Road in Upper Marlboro supports all four regions from Prince George’s County. Not sure which office covers your property? Call (301) 599-8300 and we will connect you with the right team.

Ready to transform your property into a refined outdoor retreat?
Let’s design and build something extraordinary together.