Landscaping in Petworth, DC

Local Landscaping in Petworth, Washington

Petworth, in 20011, is a classic DC rowhouse neighborhood built mostly from the 1910s through the 1930s. Long rows of brick porch-front houses line streets like Allison, Buchanan, Crittenden and Taylor, centered on Grant Circle and Sherman Circle along New Hampshire Avenue. Georgia Avenue and Upshur Street carry shops and restaurants, and the Georgia Ave-Petworth Metro sits at the south end. Front yards are small, raised terraces in front of covered porches, and rear yards are surprisingly deep, running back to alleys with parking pads and garages.

With deep yards, Petworth owners often do whole backyard makeovers: paver patios, fire pits, new sod or a small lawn, raised vegetable beds, privacy plantings and fence lines softened with shrubs. Many yards slope toward the house or the alley, so French drains and regrading are common. Front terraces get new retaining edges, steps and low plantings that suit the porch. Rental and flip properties call for cleanups and simple, low-care landscapes, and families often want a play lawn with a patio close to the kitchen door.

Front terraces are often public space under DDOT, so walls and fences there need input before changes. Soil in many yards is compacted from years of parking and foot traffic and needs loosening before anything new goes in. One call connects you with a local pro who works Petworth rowhouse lots and knows how to haul from the alley.