A garden doesn’t always need a blank canvas.
Work with what’s there, change what isn’t working and make a plan for what comes next. Choose the kind of help that feels closest to your project.
Design & landscape
Start with the way you want to live outside. A design brief brings together the layout, planting, materials and work needed to connect them.
Build a sample briefA scope to discuss
- A conversation about how the space is used
- Site observations and a written design scope
- Layout, planting and material direction
- A staged construction scope for review
Before the conversation
Bring a rough site sketch, a few photos and the things you want to keep. Existing plans can help, if you have them.
What needs a closer look
Access, levels, drainage, existing trees and required approvals need assessment before a construction price or schedule can be agreed.
What to ask for in the scope
Separate the design deliverables from construction: concept layout, revision allowance, materials direction, staged work, price and payment schedule. Name who organises approvals and specialist input.
Usually a separate conversation
Engineering, approval fees, major drainage, tree work and lighting or irrigation by other trades should be named and priced separately unless expressly included.
Planting & refresh
When paths and boundaries already work, a considered planting refresh can give the garden a new rhythm. Start with the plants to retain, the gaps to fill and the amount of care you can give.
Build a sample briefA scope to discuss
- Review of existing planting and site conditions
- A planting direction suited to the brief
- Bed preparation and mulch scope
- An establishment-care plan to discuss
Before the conversation
Note where the sun falls, which plants you enjoy and what you find difficult to maintain. You don’t need to know plant names.
What needs a closer look
Plant suitability depends on the actual site, available water, soil, pets and how the space is used. Image references are not planting prescriptions.
What to ask for in the scope
A plant list with sizes and quantities, the beds included, soil and mulch scope, removal of unwanted material, and a written establishment-care plan.
Usually a separate conversation
Replacing paths, moving retaining walls, treating major drainage problems or removing substantial trees belongs in a different scope.
Garden care
Care starts with understanding the garden you already have. A useful maintenance brief separates everyday tasks from problems that need a specialist or a bigger project.
Build a sample briefA scope to discuss
- A walk-through of priorities
- An agreed routine-care task list
- Seasonal tidy-up and plant-care discussion
- Notes on changes to revisit
Before the conversation
List the jobs that keep slipping down the weekend list and anything you want left untouched. Tell us about pets and access restrictions.
What needs a closer look
Tree surgery, hazardous trees, major drainage repairs and specialist treatments need separate assessment. No fixed visit frequency is assumed.
What to ask for in the scope
An agreed task list, time or visit basis, seasonal priorities, green-waste arrangements, access instructions and how extra work is approved.
Usually a separate conversation
Tree surgery, major earthworks, repairs to structures and specialist treatments should not quietly become part of a routine-care visit.