Landscaper in Boise, Idaho

Spring in Boise shows you everything wrong with a yard. Sprinkler heads spray the fence, the lawn comes back in brown patches, and the slope out front washes mud onto the sidewalk after the first good rain. A landscaper in Boise has to fix the ground under those problems, not just cover them with new plants.

I'm Kabe Hockema, and I've been doing this work since 2012. I'm on every job myself, from the first shovel to the final cleanup. Here's the hands-on landscaping I do, with a link to each service.

Artificial turf installation

Turf is only as good as what's under it. For artificial turf installation I dig out the old lawn, lay and compact a crushed rock base, and slope it so rain and pet urine drain through. Then the turf is seamed, pinned down and filled with infill.

Concrete masonry

Concrete masonry is building with block and poured concrete. I use it for footings, seat walls, pads for a hot tub or shed, and block cores that get a stone face. Concrete here needs a solid base and control joints, or freeze-thaw cycles will crack it.

Desert landscaping

Taking out a thirsty lawn is the usual start of desert landscaping. I remove the turf, convert the sprinklers to drip, and plant high desert natives, grasses and succulents with rock mulch. Once the plants root in, your watering drops a lot.

Driveway landscaping

Driveway landscaping is the work along the drive: clearing weeds, setting steel or stone edging, adding rock or mulch, and planting things that survive piled snow and heat bouncing off the concrete. A clean edge along the drive makes the whole front yard look cared for.

Driveway or walkway paving

For driveway or walkway paving, the base does the work. I dig out the old surface, add compacted gravel in layers, screed sand, lay pavers or stone, and lock the edges. A thin base is why so many old walks in town have heaved and cracked.

Grading & resloping

Grading & resloping means moving soil to change how the yard slopes. I do it when a patio drains toward the house, when a hill is too steep to mow, or when a yard needs a flat terrace cut into it. The goal is a gentle fall away from the foundation.

Grass seeding

Grass seeding only works when the soil is ready. I loosen it, add compost, level it, and seed with a mix that suits Boise, often turf-type tall fescue or Kentucky bluegrass. Then it needs light, steady watering for several weeks.

Landscape installations

Landscape installations take a yard from bare dirt to finished: sprinklers, soil, plants, mulch, edging and sod or seed. It's what a lot of people in new Meridian, Kuna and Star subdivisions need. I break up the compacted builder fill first, because roots can't push through it.

Outdoor step construction

Outdoor step construction is about steps that don't shift. Each tread sits on a compacted base or footing, with a slight pitch so water runs off instead of freezing in place. I build with block, stone slabs and pavers, matched to the patio or path.

Sod installation

Sod installation gives you a finished lawn in a few weeks. I grade the area, amend the soil, check that the sprinklers reach everything, and lay sod tight with staggered seams. Spring and fall are easiest, though summer works with careful watering.

Stone masonry

Stone masonry is building with natural rock by hand: dry stacked walls, mortared stone, flagstone, veneer over block and outdoor fireplaces. Each stone is fit to the ones around it. That takes time, and it's why stone costs more than block.

Walkway landscaping

Walkway landscaping is the work alongside a path: borders, edging, low plants, rock and path lights. I often redo this around a walk that's still in good shape, which costs far less than tearing out concrete that doesn't need it.

Yard drainage

Standing water after a storm and dead patches in the lawn often trace back to drainage. For yard drainage I install French drains (a gravel trench with a perforated pipe), downspout lines, catch basins and dry creek beds, then send the water somewhere it can soak in.

Green landscaping

Green landscaping means a yard that uses less water and fewer chemicals. That can mean drip irrigation, a smart sprinkler controller, native plants that feed pollinators, compost in place of synthetic fertilizer, and lawn kept to the areas you use.

Hydroseeding

Hydroseeding sprays a slurry of seed, mulch and fertilizer onto bare soil. It suits big areas and slopes where sod would cost too much and dry seed would blow or wash away. The mulch holds moisture, which helps during a hot, windy Boise spring.

Landscape management

Landscape management is looking after a yard once it's in: pruning, bed cleanup, mulch, sprinkler checks and seasonal adjustments. A new landscape needs the most attention in its first couple of years while plants root in. Ask at your consultation what level of care fits your yard.

Lawn landscaping

Lawn landscaping shapes the lawn to fit the yard. I set clean curves a mower can follow, add edging so grass stays out of beds, and fix sprinkler spacing so the lawn waters evenly. A smaller, healthy lawn usually beats a big patchy one.

Pool landscaping

Pool landscaping has its own rules. Plants near a pool should drop few leaves, have no thorns, and handle splashing and reflected heat. Paving needs to stay cool and grippy under bare feet. You can see one in my poolside backyard renovation.

Rock landscaping

Rock landscaping uses gravel, river rock, cobble and boulders in place of bark or lawn. Rock doesn't blow away in the wind or break down like bark does. I leave planting pockets in it so the yard doesn't look bare.

Stone landscaping

Stone landscaping uses larger natural stone as features: boulders set partly buried so they look like they've always been there, flagstone stepping paths and stone edging. A boulder sitting on top of the soil looks dropped. Setting one well takes a machine and a good eye.

Tree landscaping

Tree landscaping covers planting new trees and building beds around existing ones. I pick trees by their mature size so they don't crowd the house or the neighbors. I also plant at the right depth, since a tree set too deep in clay can struggle for years.

Yard grading

Yard grading is the final shaping of soil across a whole yard, usually right before sod, seed or a new install. It removes low spots where water sits and leaves a smooth surface that slopes gently away from the house, so the lawn mows flat.

Yard landscaping

Yard landscaping is the fix for a yard that's tired or unfinished, front or back. It might mean new beds, a cleaned-up lawn, a few trees and a path. I start with the changes that make the biggest difference and build from there.

Hardscaping

Hardscaping is everything built rather than planted: patios, walls, paths, steps, fire pits and outdoor kitchens. It's the backbone of most yards I build. Hardscape goes in first so the heavy equipment is done and gone before the plants arrive and the new lawn goes down.

Retaining walls

Retaining walls hold back soil on a slope and make level ground. I build them with block, natural stone or boulders. Every wall gets a compacted base, drain rock behind it and a pipe at the bottom, so water can't build up pressure.

Garden design

Garden design is where a yard gets its color and texture. I plan layers of trees, shrubs, perennials and grasses so something is blooming or changing color from early spring through fall, with evergreens and grass seed heads to hold the shape in winter.

Garden decorating

Garden decorating is the fun part at the end: pots, a bench, art, a birdbath or accent boulders. One or two strong pieces give a bed a focal point. A lot of small ones tend to look like clutter, and they get lost once the plants fill in.

Outdoor water feature design

If you want to hear water from the patio, outdoor water feature design is the place to start. I plan the size, the spot, the power and the planting around it, so the feature fits the yard instead of sitting in it.

Who shows up to your job

I do. I take on a limited number of projects each season so I can run each one from consultation through installation. You get my direct number, and the person you talk to about a change is the person doing the work. If you'd like the yard planned on paper first, my landscape designer page covers the design side.

Hockema Landscape Design & Build holds Idaho contractor license #6871843 and is bonded and insured. The price of a landscaping job comes down to the size of the area, how much soil has to move, how hard the site is to reach, and the materials. I'll walk through those with you on site.

A landscaping year in the Treasure Valley

The seasons here set the schedule more than anything else.

• Spring. Sprinklers come back on and leaks show up. It's a good time for sod, planting and fixing drainage before summer.
• Summer. Heat and dry wind are hard on new plants and lawns. New work needs steady watering, and drip lines in beds help a lot.
• Fall. The best time to seed grass and plant trees and shrubs. Cooler air and warm soil help roots grow.
• Winter. Freeze-thaw cycles heave anything built on a weak base. It's a good time to plan next season's project.

The soil matters all year. Much of the valley is clay that drains slowly and runs alkaline, and new subdivisions often sit on packed builder fill. In Canyon County, a lot of yards water with irrigation district or canal water, which affects how sprinklers are set up and filtered.

Where I work

Boise comes first: the North End, the Bench, Harris Ranch and the Eagle foothills nearby. I also work in Eagle, Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell, Star, Middleton, Kuna, Garden City and Hidden Springs, and take projects in Sun Valley and Ketchum. See more on landscaping in Boise.

If your yard has water in it, I also work as a pond contractor and a fountain contractor.

When you're ready for a landscaper in Boise who stays on the job from start to finish, schedule a consultation or call (541) 961-7269, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.