Jan 18 • Jordan Felber

6 Ways to Earn Income as a Landscape Designer

landscape design software rendering

Image sourced from iStock

For many landscape designers, the gap between skill and income can feel confusing—and frustrating. You may understand spatial planning, planting strategies, and design software, yet still struggle to find consistent, well-paid work. This disconnect is more common than most designers realize.

The reason is rarely talent. More often, it comes down to access, positioning, and professional structure.

Landscape design sits at the intersection of creativity, technical expertise, and professional services. Unlike more standardized fields, there is no single or linear path to earning income. Designers often piece together work through freelance platforms, referrals, competitions, or small residential projects—without clarity on which avenues build long-term value versus short-term cash flow.

The following sections outline the most realistic ways landscape designers earn income today, along with the limitations of each, and how designers can move from simply finding work to building a professional practice.

1. Freelance Project Work and Online Freelance Platforms

For many designers, freelance work is the first step into earning income through landscape design. This typically includes concept plans, planting layouts, CAD drafting support, or visualization work for homeowners, contractors, or architecture firms.

Freelancing works because it lowers the barrier to entry. Designers do not need a formal studio, licensure, or a large portfolio—only the ability to deliver a clearly defined scope of work. Online freelance platforms have amplified this accessibility by connecting designers directly with clients seeking short-term help.

These platforms reward specialization and clarity. Designers who perform best tend to offer narrowly defined services, such as planting plans for small residential gardens or drafting support for architects, supported by strong visual examples rather than credentials alone.

However, freelance work is often transactional. Designers are paid for outputs rather than outcomes, and pricing pressure is constant. While this approach can generate income quickly, it can also limit earning potential and create cycles of underpricing, unclear scopes, and inconsistent workloads. Without clear systems and positioning, freelance work can feel reactive rather than strategic.

Best websites for freelance work: Upwork

2. Design Competitions

Design competitions and open calls are rarely discussed as income strategies, yet they play a meaningful role in many designers’ careers.

These opportunities allow designers to explore ideas without client constraints, develop conceptual work, and build narrative-driven portfolio pieces. While many competitions are unpaid or speculative, they can serve as credibility accelerators, particularly for designers seeking to reposition their work or enter new markets.

The value of competitions lies less in immediate financial return and more in visibility and portfolio depth. When approached strategically, competition work can help designers demonstrate thinking, process, and design rigor—qualities that are often difficult to convey through small freelance projects alone.

Competitions are most effective when used intentionally, not as a primary source of income, but as a means of strengthening professional positioning.

Best websites for architecture competitions: Buildner, ArchDaily

3. Government and Institutional Opportunities (RFPs)

Public agencies, municipalities, and universities regularly publish Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for landscape-related work, ranging from campus planning studies to public space improvements.

Many designers never pursue these opportunities, not because they lack the design ability, but because the process feels opaque or intimidating. RFPs require a clear understanding of scope, professional documentation, and confidence in pricing and delivery.

In the United States, many federal opportunities are listed on SAM.gov, while state and city governments maintain their own procurement portals.

These projects often offer higher budgets, clearer scopes, and greater professional credibility than typical freelance work. However, success in this space depends on structure—strong portfolios, proposal frameworks, and a clear professional narrative that aligns with institutional expectations.

Best website for opportunities: ASLA RFQs and Opportunities

4. Subconsulting for AEC Teams

Beyond direct client work, many landscape designers earn income by supporting architecture firms, engineering teams, or real estate developers as subconsultants.

This work often includes early-phase concept studies, planting strategies, open space diagrams, or streetscape narratives. Designers are brought in to support broader project teams, particularly when landscape expertise is needed during feasibility, entitlement, or schematic design phases.

Subconsulting roles are often more stable and better compensated than homeowner-facing freelance work. They also expose designers to larger projects and more professional workflows.
However, these opportunities typically require clearer positioning and more refined documentation. Firms look for designers who can communicate professionally, respond efficiently, and integrate seamlessly into multidisciplinary teams.

5. Visualization and Presentation Services

Some landscape designers earn income by focusing exclusively on visualization and presentation rather than full project delivery.

This includes producing renderings, diagrams, axonometric drawings, and conceptual visuals for architects, developers, and contractors. These services help clients communicate ideas, secure approvals, or win work—selling clarity rather than construction.

Visualization work avoids many of the regulatory and liability challenges associated with construction documentation. For designers with strong visual communication skills, it can be a meaningful and lower-risk income stream.

This path is particularly viable for designers who are fluent in design software and interested in supporting projects without managing full scopes or client relationships.

6. Planting Design as a Standalone Service

Planting design is one of the most underutilized income paths in landscape design.

Many designers generate income through planting-only services, such as garden renovations, contractor-ready planting plans, seasonal planting refreshes, or native planting strategies. These services can be offered independently, without providing full hardscape or construction documentation.

Because planting work is less regulated and highly tangible for clients, it is often one of the most accessible ways to earn early design income. It also allows designers to build trust, demonstrate expertise, and establish relationships that can later expand into larger scopes of work.

For designers with horticultural backgrounds or strong plant knowledge, planting design can be both financially viable and professionally rewarding.

Joining the Landscape Design Accelerator

While each of these avenues can generate income, many designers eventually encounter the same limitation: inconsistent work, underpricing, and uncertainty about how to progress professionally.

At this stage, the issue is no longer access to opportunities, but the absence of structure—clear positioning, client-ready systems, and confidence in how to present and price work.

The Landscape Design Accelerator was created for designers at this inflection point. It is not another software course, but a focused, application-driven program designed to help designers move from skill acquisition to earning income through design.

For designers who feel capable but underpaid, or who want to transition into more professional, higher-value work, structured guidance can provide the clarity and momentum needed to build a sustainable practice.

Join the Landscape Design Accelerator and learn how to turn skill into income.