re: Anyone did their own landscaping vs hiring someone? Cost difference?

I have done a fair amount around my houses and growing up when my parents moved or built a house we did a lot of our own landscaping.

Whatever the plants you want cost, you can figure 3-4 times that is what it will cost to get it planted professionally.

Pay attention to the spacing suggested on the label. Otherwise the plant will fill in and be too close and be higher maintenance trying to keep it pruned back. We spend a lot of time and effort trying to get a naturally 6 foot high bush not to block a window or keeping plants from overtaking sidewalks.

Builders plant too close for instant curb appeal and some landscapers will charge more for the additional (and within a few short years frequently unncessasary plantings) so they have incentive to plant too close together.

Some other advice is to dig a $20.00 hole for a $5.00 plant--meaning work the soil well, use ammendments and don't just dig it so the hole is only big enough for the pot it came out of. That is also a good reason to do it yourself if you get satisfaction from DIY stuff. Many of the people you hire will only do the minimum to complete the job and get paid.