A landscape without trees and shrubs is just a yard. It is flat, open, and unfinished — the kind of space you look at rather than live in. Trees and shrubs are what give a property depth, structure, privacy, color, and the sense that the landscape has been intentionally designed rather than simply maintained.
For Oakland County homeowners, the right combination of professionally installed trees and bushes does something that no hardscape feature can replicate: it grows. It gets better every season. A tree planted today is shade in ten years, a wildlife sanctuary in twenty, and an irreplaceable part of your property's character in thirty. A row of professionally installed shrubs along a fence line becomes a living wall of privacy and color that transforms how you use your backyard entirely.
But planting the wrong tree in the wrong place — or installing shrubs without proper soil preparation and spacing — leads to failure, frustration, and wasted investment. The difference between a landscape that thrives and one that struggles almost always comes down to plant selection and installation quality.
This guide covers everything Oakland County homeowners need to know about professional bush and tree installation — the right plants for Michigan's climate, what different planting projects cost, how professional installation works, and why it matters more than most homeowners realize.
Michigan's climate is both beautiful and demanding. Oakland County sits in USDA Hardiness Zone 6a — a zone that supports a wide variety of trees and shrubs but also delivers hard winters, late spring frosts, summer heat, and clay-heavy soil that challenges root development. Planting the right species is essential. Planting them correctly is equally critical.
Here is why professional bush and tree installation consistently outperforms DIY planting in Oakland County:
Proper plant selection for Michigan's conditions. Not every tree or shrub sold at a big-box retailer is well-suited for Oakland County's climate, soil, and growing conditions. A professional installer selects plants that will thrive in your specific site — accounting for sun exposure, soil drainage, mature size, and seasonal performance. Choosing the wrong plant for the site is the single leading cause of planting failure in Michigan.
Correct planting depth and technique. Planting too deep is one of the most common and most damaging installation errors. A tree planted even a few inches too deep will develop root girdling, bark suffocation, and long-term decline — problems that often don't become apparent for several years. Professional installation ensures every plant goes in at the right depth with the right soil preparation around it.
Proper spacing for long-term performance. Shrubs and trees planted too close together compete for water, nutrients, and light — leading to poor growth, disease susceptibility, and a crowded, overgrown appearance within a few years. Professional planters design spacing based on mature plant sizes, not how the plants look on the day they are installed.
Soil preparation and amendments. Oakland County's clay-heavy soil drains poorly and can become compacted, limiting root development. Professional installation includes breaking up the planting hole, amending the soil as needed, and establishing proper drainage around the root ball — giving every plant the best possible start.
Mulching and aftercare guidance. Proper mulching retains moisture, moderates soil temperature, and prevents weed competition around new plantings — dramatically improving establishment success. Professional installers mulch correctly and provide aftercare guidance specific to your plants and your property.
Shrubs and bushes are the workhorses of any Oakland County landscape. They provide structure, define spaces, create privacy, frame the home's foundation, and deliver color and texture across all four seasons. Professionally installed shrubs are used throughout the property — in foundation plantings along the home's base, in planting beds throughout the front and backyard, in hedgerows along fences and property lines, and as accent plants throughout the landscape design.
At Driftwood Landscape, we install shrubs as part of complete landscape design projects and as standalone planting services for homeowners who want to upgrade specific areas of their property without a full redesign.
Cost of professional shrub installation in Michigan:
Ornamental trees are the signature plants of a refined Oakland County landscape. Smaller in scale than shade trees, ornamental trees bring exceptional visual interest — spring flowering, striking fall color, distinctive branching structure, or year-round evergreen presence — to key focal points in the landscape.
Popular ornamental trees for Oakland County properties include Japanese maples, redbuds, ornamental cherries, serviceberries, dogwoods, crabapples, and magnolias. These trees are placed where their visual impact is maximized — flanking an entry, anchoring a corner of a planting bed, providing a focal point in a courtyard, or complementing a patio or outdoor living space.
Cost of professional ornamental tree installation in Michigan:
Shade trees are long-term investments that pay dividends in comfort, property value, energy savings, and natural beauty for decades. A mature shade tree can reduce summer cooling costs, provide habitat for birds and wildlife, anchor the property's canopy, and become the defining feature of the landscape for generations.
In Oakland County, premier shade trees include sugar maple, red maple, linden, oak, honey locust, and tulip tree — all of which perform well in Michigan's climate and grow into magnificent specimens that become the backbone of a mature, established landscape.
Shade trees require extra care during installation. The larger the tree at planting time, the greater the transplant stress — proper root ball handling, planting hole preparation, post-installation watering, and staking are all critical to establishment success. Professional installation is especially important for shade trees because the investment in the plant itself is significant and replacement is costly.
Cost of professional shade tree installation in Michigan:
Evergreens are the workhorses of year-round landscape structure in Oakland County. Unlike deciduous plants that lose their foliage in fall, evergreens provide continuous screening, color, and texture through every Michigan season — including the long gray winters when the rest of the landscape is dormant.
Evergreen trees and shrubs are used extensively for privacy screening, foundation plantings, windbreaks, and as anchor plants throughout the landscape that hold the design together when deciduous plants have gone dormant.
Popular evergreens for Oakland County include arborvitae, emerald green arborvitae, Eastern white pine, Blue spruce, Norway spruce, Hicks yew, inkberry holly, and boxwood. Each has specific characteristics — growth rate, size at maturity, sun and shade tolerance, and maintenance requirements — that make them right for some applications and wrong for others.
Cost of professional evergreen installation in Michigan:
Foundation planting — the arrangement of shrubs, ornamental grasses, and smaller trees along the base of a home — is one of the most visible and highest-impact planting services available to Oakland County homeowners. Done well, foundation planting frames the home beautifully, softens the transition between the structure and the landscape, and dramatically improves curb appeal.
Done poorly — or left to decline into overgrown, mismatched, or dead plantings — a home's foundation planting becomes a liability rather than an asset.
Driftwood Landscape designs and installs foundation planting as both standalone projects for homeowners who want to refresh or replace outdated plantings and as part of complete front yard landscape transformations.
Choosing the right plant for Oakland County's Zone 6a climate, clay-heavy soil, and four-season weather is essential for long-term success. Here are some of the top performers Driftwood Landscape relies on across Oakland County properties:
Arborvitae (Thuja spp.) — The most popular privacy shrub in Michigan. Dense, columnar, evergreen, and cold-hardy. Ideal for screening along fences and property lines. Emerald Green arborvitae is the most popular variety for Oakland County — it stays narrow and dense without heavy pruning.
Viburnum — One of the most versatile native shrubs for Michigan. Excellent four-season interest with spring flowers, summer foliage, fall color, and winter berry clusters. Arrowwood viburnum and Autumn Jazz viburnum are outstanding performers in Oakland County.
Inkberry Holly — A native evergreen holly with a dense, rounded form and excellent cold hardiness. Provides year-round screening and wildlife value. Performs beautifully in Oakland County's clay soils and handles wet areas better than most shrubs.
Yew (Taxus spp.) — One of the most dependable foundation and border shrubs in Michigan. Extremely cold-hardy, shade-tolerant, and adaptable to pruning into virtually any shape. Hicks yew is a top choice for formal hedges and foundation settings.
Hydrangea — For homeowners who want dramatic summer and fall flowering, hydrangeas are hard to beat. Endless Summer and Incrediball varieties perform well in Oakland County and deliver massive flower displays from midsummer through fall.
Spirea — Fast-growing, low-maintenance, and colorful. Magic Carpet and Little Princess spirea provide reliable spring and summer color with minimal upkeep. An excellent choice for mass plantings and bed borders.
Sugar Maple — Michigan's iconic tree. Spectacular fall color, strong structure, and a long lifespan make sugar maple one of the most valuable shade trees an Oakland County homeowner can plant. Best in well-drained soil with plenty of root space.
Redbud (Cercis canadensis) — One of the showiest ornamental trees in Michigan. Covered in vivid pink-purple blooms in early spring before any leaves emerge — a spectacular visual display that makes every property look extraordinary. A top choice for entry features and patio focal points.
Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.) — A native ornamental tree that delivers four seasons of interest: white spring flowers, summer berries that attract birds, outstanding fall color, and attractive branching in winter. One of the most ecologically valuable and visually rewarding trees for Oakland County.
Eastern White Pine — Michigan's state tree. Fast-growing, graceful, and extremely effective for screening and windbreaks. Best planted in masses or rows for maximum visual impact and screening effectiveness.
Japanese Maple — For premium focal point plantings, Japanese maple is in a class of its own. Delicate, layered foliage in red, green, or purple tones; outstanding fall color; and a sculptural branching structure that is beautiful year-round. Requires a protected location in Oakland County — afternoon shade and wind protection extend performance.
Linden (Tilia spp.) — One of the best shade trees for Oakland County's clay soil conditions. Linden is adaptable, tolerates urban conditions well, produces fragrant summer flowers, and grows into a magnificent oval canopy. Greenspire linden is a reliable choice for street-side and front yard planting.
Every installation begins with a thorough assessment of your property — sun and shade patterns, soil conditions, drainage, existing plantings, and how you want the space to look and function. We recommend specific trees and shrubs based on your site conditions and design goals, not just what happens to be available.
Before any digging begins, we lay out the planned plant locations on your property so you can visualize the finished installation. This is your opportunity to adjust spacing, positioning, or plant selection before anything is in the ground.
Oakland County's clay soil requires attention before planting. Planting holes are dug to the correct depth and width — typically two to three times the width of the root ball — and soil is amended as needed to improve drainage and root development conditions around each new plant.
Each tree or shrub is installed at the precise correct depth — with the root flare at or slightly above grade, never buried. Proper planting depth is one of the most critical factors in long-term plant health. The backfill is carefully tamped to eliminate air pockets around the root ball, and each plant is firmed and leveled.
A proper mulch ring is installed around each new planting — typically 2 to 4 inches deep, pulled back from the trunk or stems to prevent rot and rodent damage. Correct mulching retains moisture through Oakland County's dry summers, moderates soil temperature through freeze-thaw cycles, and suppresses weed competition during the critical establishment period.
Larger trees are staked after installation to prevent wind rock during the establishment period — typically six months to one year. Stakes are installed to support without restricting natural movement, and removed after the tree has established.
Every new planting needs consistent moisture during its first one to two growing seasons to establish a strong root system. We provide specific watering guidance for every plant installed, so you know exactly what each plant needs and when.
Here is a practical cost summary for Oakland County homeowners planning a planting project:
Individual shrubs: $40–$150 per plant installedOrnamental trees: $200–$2,000+ per tree depending on size and speciesShade trees: $250–$3,000+ per tree depending on size and speciesEvergreen trees (privacy): $150–$1,500 per tree depending on sizeFoundation planting package: $1,500–$8,000+ for a full front-of-home installationFull property planting project: $5,000–$25,000+ for comprehensive tree and shrub installation throughout the landscape
Factors that affect cost in Oakland County:
Plant at the right time. In Michigan, spring and fall are the best planting seasons. Spring planting gives trees and shrubs a full growing season to establish before their first winter. Fall planting — particularly through October — allows root establishment during cooler temperatures with less transplant stress. Avoid planting in the heat of summer whenever possible.
Invest in the right size. The temptation is always to buy the largest plants available for immediate impact. But larger plants experience more transplant stress and take longer to establish than smaller plants. In many cases, a smaller plant installed in ideal conditions will overtake a larger plant installed under stress within just a few growing seasons.
Water consistently during the first two years. The number one reason newly planted trees and shrubs fail in Oakland County is inadequate water during the establishment period. New plants need consistent moisture — especially during the first summer — to develop the root system they need to survive Michigan winters and thrive long-term.
Mulch properly and correctly. Apply 2 to 4 inches of mulch around each new planting in a ring that extends at least 18 to 24 inches from the trunk or stems. Keep mulch pulled back from direct contact with the trunk. Refresh mulch annually as it decomposes.
Choose plants for your specific site conditions. The most important planting decision you can make is matching the right plant to your specific site. Full sun vs. part shade, well-drained soil vs. wet clay, exposed and windy vs. protected — every site is different, and the plant selection needs to reflect it.
When is the best time to plant trees and shrubs in Oakland County?Spring (after the last frost, typically mid-April through May) and fall (September through October before the ground freezes) are the optimal planting windows in Oakland County. Fall planting is particularly effective for trees because cooler temperatures reduce transplant stress while the soil is still warm enough for root development.
How long does it take for new trees and shrubs to establish in Michigan?Most shrubs establish within one to two growing seasons with proper watering and care. Trees take longer — typically two to three years for smaller ornamental trees, three to five years or more for larger shade trees. During this establishment period, consistent watering is the most important factor in long-term success.
Can I plant in clay soil in Oakland County?Yes — with proper soil preparation and the right plant selection. Many trees and shrubs perform well in clay soil, and Oakland County's soil can be amended and improved at planting time to give roots the best possible start. The key is choosing plants that are adapted to heavier soils rather than fighting the soil with plants that require perfect drainage.
How far apart should I space shrubs?Spacing depends entirely on the mature size of the specific shrub. As a general rule, shrubs should be spaced so they will lightly touch at maturity — not overlap significantly. This is one of the most common mistakes in residential plantings: installing shrubs at a spacing that looks open and sparse on day one but becomes overcrowded and overgrown within five years.
How much watering do new trees and shrubs need?Newly planted trees and shrubs in Oakland County typically need one to two deep waterings per week during dry periods in the first growing season. Deep, infrequent watering is more effective than frequent shallow watering — it encourages roots to grow deep rather than staying near the surface where they are vulnerable to drought and freeze-thaw stress.
At Driftwood Landscape LLC, we know that plants are alive — and that how they are selected, installed, and cared for in their first few seasons determines everything about how they perform for the next fifty years.
We select trees and shrubs that are proven performers in Oakland County's climate, soil, and growing conditions. We install every plant at the correct depth, with proper soil preparation, correct spacing, and appropriate mulching. We give our clients the specific aftercare guidance they need to support their new plantings through establishment.
From foundation plantings along the front of your home to shade trees anchoring the backyard to evergreen privacy screens transforming how you use your outdoor space — we approach every planting project with the same expertise and care that we bring to every hardscape installation on an Oakland County property.
If you are ready to add lasting beauty, structure, and value to your landscape through professionally installed trees and shrubs, we are ready to help you make it happen.
The right trees and shrubs — planted correctly, in the right place, at the right time — will grow more beautiful every single year. The team at Driftwood Landscape is ready to assess your property, recommend the right plants for your specific conditions, and install them with the care and expertise that gives every plant the best possible start.
