Best Personal Loans for Landscaping Projects
Professional landscaping can give your home extra curb appeal and make your outdoor space more livable. Here are lenders that offer personal loans for landscaping.
2025 Best Personal Loan
Fair Credit
Upgrade accepts lower credit scores than similar lenders, and it offers multiple rate discounts for its personal loans.
2025 Best Personal Loan
Fair Credit
Upgrade accepts lower credit scores than similar lenders, and it offers multiple rate discounts for its personal loans.
2025 Best Personal Loan
Debt Consolidation
A LendingClub personal loan is a standout option for qualified borrowers who want to pay off debt with flexible terms.
2025 Best Personal Loan
Debt Consolidation
A LendingClub personal loan is a standout option for qualified borrowers who want to pay off debt with flexible terms.
Best Egg is worth considering for borrowers looking for a secured loan or to consolidate debt.
Best Egg is worth considering for borrowers looking for a secured loan or to consolidate debt.
Rocket Loans is a solid online loan option for good- to excellent-credit borrowers who need to borrow money fast.
Rocket Loans is a solid online loan option for good- to excellent-credit borrowers who need to borrow money fast.
Prosper is a peer-to-peer online lending platform that accepts borrowers across the credit spectrum.
Prosper is a peer-to-peer online lending platform that accepts borrowers across the credit spectrum.
2025 Best Personal Loan
Good Credit
LightStream is a solid option for good- and excellent-credit borrowers, with no fees and a promise to beat competitors’ rates.
2025 Best Personal Loan
Good Credit
LightStream is a solid option for good- and excellent-credit borrowers, with no fees and a promise to beat competitors’ rates.
» MORE: Compare the best home improvement loans
What is a landscaping loan?
A landscaping loan is a personal loan used to finance an outdoor project. Personal loans are unsecured, which means collateral isn't required. Some lenders offer fast funding so that you can receive the money within a day or two.
To determine the cost of a landscaping loan, you need to know the loan amount, its annual percentage rate and the repayment term.
APRs for landscaping loans range from 6% to 36%, and repayment terms can be two to seven years. Your rate and loan amount are based on information like your credit and income. Borrowers with high credit scores, strong income and little existing debt often receive the lowest rates.
A $5,000 landscaping loan with a 10% APR repaid over two years would cost $5,537. The same loan with a 36% APR would cost $7,086.
Once you know the loan amount, calculate monthly payments to see whether a personal loan fits your budget.
» MORE: Compare personal loans for decks and patios
Pros and cons of landscaping loans
Pros
Fast funding. If you’re approved for a loan, some lenders offer same-day funding. Generally, you won’t wait more than a week to receive funds.
Fixed payments. Personal loans have fixed interest rates and are repaid in predictable monthly installments. You know exactly what you owe each month and when the loan will be repaid.
Easily compare offers. Many lenders let you pre-qualify for a personal loan to see your potential rate, term and loan amount before applying. Pre-qualifying doesn’t impact your credit score.
Cons
High rates. Personal loan APRs are often higher than other financing options like home equity loans and lines of credit.
No tax benefits. Interest on personal loan payments isn’t tax-deductible. If you use home equity to pay for a home improvement project, you might be able to deduct the interest.
High borrower standards. Lenders typically favor borrowers with strong credit and high income. While some lenders accept bad credit, rates can be high.
» MORE: Home improvement loans for bad credit
How to get a loan for your landscaping project
Here are four steps to getting a landscaping loan with the best rates and features for your project.
Check your credit. Comb through your credit report for any errors before applying. You can get a free copy of your report with NerdWallet or at AnnualCreditReport.com.
Compare lenders. Pre-qualify with multiple lenders to ensure you get the best rate and terms available. If you're deciding between two lenders, compare loan features like low rates, fast funding or autopay discounts to break the tie.
Gather documents. Many lenders require income verification and some form of identification. Collect documents like W-2s, bank statements and a government-issued ID to help expedite the application process.
Apply. Many lenders let you apply online, though a local bank or credit union may require a branch visit. In most cases, lenders can fund an approved loan within a few days.
» MORE: How to apply for a personal loan
Landscaping loan alternatives
Cash: Before applying for financing, consider whether you can save up and pay for the project with cash. This is the interest-free (and cheapest) way to pay for new landscaping.
HELOC or home equity loan: Home equity loans and lines of credit have lower rates and longer repayment terms than personal loans and require collateral. Here are a few things to know about using your home equity to pay for your project.
Collateral: With both options, you use your home as collateral to borrow from your equity. This helps to keep rates low, but it means a lender can take your home if you fail to repay.
Tax benefits: You can write off the interest you pay on a HELOC or home equity loan if you use it to finance a home improvement project. The tax benefits are the same for both products and aren’t available for personal loans or credit cards.
Long repayment terms: The long repayment terms on HELOCs and home equity loans — typically 30 years — keep their monthly payments lower than personal loans.
Time: A HELOC or home equity loan requires a home appraisal, which can mean weeks before you receive funding. If your renovation is small, it may not be worth the potential costs and effort.
Compare home equity loans and HELOCs to decide which is best for your landscaping project.
Credit cards: High interest rates on most credit cards make them an expensive financing option. But for smaller DIY projects that require some shopping, a credit card may do the trick. A credit card for home improvements can help you avoid interest or earn rewards.
Here are three credit card options for DIY and small outdoor projects:
Use a 0% intro APR card when you feel confident you can pay off the balance during the promotional period — typically 15 to 21 months. If you can’t pay the card’s balance by the end of the introductory period, you’ll pay the card's regular APR.
A rewards card can get you cash back or other perks when you make certain types of purchases. Some cards have rewards specifically for home improvement purchases. Try to avoid carrying a balance or the interest you end up paying could offset the rewards.
Store credit cards can reward you for buying most of your landscaping supplies from one store. Store cards’ lower credit requirements make them more accessible to fair-credit customers. You may be limited to using the credit card at the store that issues them.
How much does landscaping cost?
According to the home improvement website Angi, a full landscape installation costs between $1,249 and $6,281, with an average project cost of $3,650. The overall cost of landscaping will depend on the size of your project; a new flower bed can cost below $1,000, while a gazebo can cost nearly $10,000.
Once installed, prepare your budget for ongoing yard maintenance and repair costs. Yard cleanup, tree trimming and a fresh coat of paint can cost a couple hundred dollars or more a year.
Methodology
How we chose the best personal loans
NerdWallet’s editorial review process evaluates and rates personal loan products from more than 30 financial technology companies and financial institutions. We collect over 60 data points and cross-check company websites, earnings reports and other public documents to confirm product details. We may also go through a lender’s pre-qualification flow and follow up with company representatives. NerdWallet writers and editors conduct a full fact check and update annually, but also make updates throughout the year as necessary.
Star rating categories
We evaluate more categories than competitors and carefully weigh how each factor impacts your experience. Lenders can receive a maximum of 5.0 stars. Here's the breakdown of each factor:
Affordability: 25%
We review lenders’ annual percentage rate offerings and the competitiveness of each lenders’ APR range. We also assess whether a lender charges an origination fee and any opportunity for borrowers to receive a rate discount.
Customer experience: 20%
We consider the experience of the consumer trying to manage a personal loan, which means accessibility of customer service representatives, whether borrowers can choose and change their payment due date, and the ability to track their loan on a mobile app.
Underwriting and eligibility: 20%
We consider the rigorousness of each lender’s underwriting practices and how widely available their loans are. This category includes whether a lender does a hard credit check before providing a loan, the range of credit profiles they accept and how many states their loans are offered in.
Loan flexibility: 20%
We assess how flexible lenders can be with borrowers, including whether they offer multiple loan types, personal loan amounts and repayment term options and whether they offer direct payment to creditors on debt consolidation loans.
Application process: 15%
We consider the lender’s full application process, including a borrower’s ability to preview their loan offer via pre-qualification, whether basic loan information such as APR range and repayment terms are available and easy to find online and how quickly a loan can be funded after approval.
Our star ratings award points to lenders that offer consumer-friendly features, including: soft credit checks to pre-qualify, competitive interest rates and no fees, transparency of rates and terms, flexible payment options, fast funding times, accessible customer service, reporting of payments to credit bureaus and financial education. Our ratings award fewer points to lenders with practices that may make a loan difficult to repay on time, such as charging high annual percentage rates (above 36%), underwriting that does not adequately assess consumers’ ability to repay and lack of credit-building help. We also consider regulatory actions filed by agencies like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. We weigh these factors based on our assessment of which are the most important to consumers and how meaningfully they impact consumers’ experiences.
NerdWallet does not receive compensation for our star ratings. Read more about our ratings methodologies for personal loans and our editorial guidelines.