Some landscape projects need more than a planting plan. Slopes, water flow, big trees, commercial frontage and city review all call for trained design judgment. Madison Planting & Design Group offers that through licensed landscape architecture. If you’re looking for a landscape architect in Madison, MS who can also build and maintain the finished work, you’ve found one.
Licensed, and part of a design/build team
MPDG’s landscape architecture work is led by Kirk Cameron, ASLA, who holds Mississippi Landscape Architect License #433. The company also holds a Louisiana Department of Agriculture Landscape Contractor License (#072828) and has been affiliated with the American Society of Landscape Architects. Details are on our Affiliations & Licenses page.
What makes MPDG different from a stand-alone design office is what happens next. Most landscape architects hand you drawings and step away. We can take the plan through installation with our own crews, then care for the property through our maintenance program. The person who drew the plan is never far from the job site.
What a landscape architect does on your project
A landscape architect looks at the whole site before choosing a single plant. On a typical project that means:
- Site analysis: sun and shade, soil, existing trees, views, slopes and where storm water collects, so drainage is solved on paper first.
- Master planning: organizing patios, walks, lawn, beds, pool areas and parking so they work together, even if you build in phases.
- Hardscape layout: sizing and placing stone patios, steps, entrances, courtyards and retaining walls that fit the architecture of the building and the grade of the site.
- Planting design: choosing trees, shrubs and seasonal color suited to central Mississippi’s zone 8b climate and heavy clay soils.
- Coordination: working with your architect, builder or pool contractor so the landscape is part of the plan, not an afterthought.
When hiring a landscape architect pays off
Commercial and development sites
Local ordinances often require professional landscape plans. The City of Madison’s landscape ordinance says development needing a subdivision plat or site plan must include a landscape plan “prepared by a landscape architect or other professional thoroughly familiar with landscape plant materials and design.” It also says tree surveys must be sealed by a registered land surveyor or landscape architect. In Ridgeland, projects go through the city’s Architectural Review Board, and plans are checked against the city’s landscape and tree ordinances. Always check the current rules with the city. We’re glad to help you work through them. See commercial landscaping.
Custom homes and major renovations
If you’re building or renovating, bringing in a landscape architect early helps with grades, drainage, pool placement and outdoor living spaces before concrete is poured.
Complex yards
Steep lots, wooded lots, yards with standing water, or properties where you want a pool, patio, fireplace and garden to feel like one space all benefit from a unified plan. Browse our portfolio for courtyards, rock creek beds and natural stone work planned this way.
Landscape architect or landscape designer?
Both can create a beautiful yard. The difference is training and licensing. In Mississippi, landscape architects are licensed by the state, and their training covers grading, site planning and construction documents as well as plants. For a simple bed renovation, a designer’s plan may be all you need. For site-wide planning, commercial work or plans a city will review, a licensed landscape architect is the safer choice. MPDG offers both levels of design, so we can match the service to the job.
How we work
- Discovery: we meet at the site, learn your goals and gather any surveys or house plans you have.
- Concept: we sketch options for layout and style and review them with you.
- Final plan: we develop the chosen direction in enough detail to price and build.
- Build (optional): our installation crews build the plan through our custom design/build service, including natural stone hardscapes and planting.
Serving Madison County and beyond
From our Canton office we serve Madison, Ridgeland, Canton, Gluckstadt, Flora and the wider Jackson metro, plus projects elsewhere in Mississippi and Louisiana.
Talk with a licensed landscape architect
Whether you have a survey in hand or just an idea, we can help you plan it properly. Call (601) 859-5915, Monday–Friday, 8:00–5:00, or send us your project details.
