Garden design and plans
A scaled plan and plant list drawn for your block, your soil and the way you use the garden.
from $660
Landscapers in Heidelberg, Ivanhoe and Rosanna Gardens that suit the ground they grow in.
Big sloping blocks, heavy clay and old gums overhead. We design and plant for those conditions, so the garden still looks right in its third summer. Every job starts with a walk around yours.
Insured landscapers
- Free first site visit
- Written quote within three working days
- Plant list matched to your soil
In the garden this season
- Plant
- Natives, while the soil is warm
- Mulch
- 75 mm down before summer
- Lawn
- Aerate, top dress, oversow
Mid spring in Melbourne. This list changes with the season, and so does our advice.
01What we do
Design, planting, lawns and the built parts too.
Six kinds of work, done by one crew. Most gardens need two or three of them, and we quote each one separately so you can stage the job.
Planting and garden beds
Beds dug, improved, planted and mulched, with indigenous and cottage plants that cope with clay.
from $95 a square metre
Lawns and turf
New turf on a proper base, or a tired lawn aerated, top dressed and oversown at the right time.
from $42 a square metre
Paving and paths
Paved areas, stepping stones and gravel paths on a compacted base that stays put on reactive clay.
from $150 a square metre
Retaining walls and edging
Low walls and terraces for sloping blocks, drained properly behind, plus steel and stone edging.
from $450 a square metre
Garden maintenance
Regular visits for pruning, weeding, mulching and lawn care, from the same gardeners each time.
from $78 an hour
02How we work
What you can hold us to.
These are practices, and each one is written into the quote.
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Price agreed first
You get a written, itemised quote. Nothing is dug, cut or ordered until you have said yes to it.
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Plants chosen for your soil
We dig a test hole and check the drainage before we write a plant list, so the list suits the ground.
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Permits flagged early
If a wall, a tree or a water connection needs a permit or a licensed trade, we tell you at the quote.
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Written warranty
Twelve months on paving, walls and edging, and a replacement promise on new plants, both in writing.
03How a job runs
Four steps from first visit to handover.
Nothing starts until the price is agreed in writing.
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We walk the garden
About 45 minutes on site. We look at slope, shade and drainage, dig a test hole, and listen to how you use the space.
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You get a written quote
Itemised by area, with a plant list and any permit or licensed trade noted. It reaches you within three working days.
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We build and plant
One crew from start to finish. Paths and the neighbours' side stay clear, and the site is tidied every afternoon.
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We hand it over
A walk through the finished garden, a watering guide for the first summer, and your warranty in writing.
Redgum Hollow is a small landscaping crew based in Heidelberg. We work on the hills between the Yarra and Darebin Creek, where the blocks are big, the ground slopes and the soil is heavy clay. Those conditions decide what a garden can be, so we start every job by looking at them.
05Prices
What garden work costs around here.
Real starting prices for 2026. Slope, access and soil change the number, which is why the site visit comes first.
All prices are in AUD and include GST. Built work is quoted per job after a site visit, because slope, access and soil change the cost. Your quote is confirmed in writing before any work starts.
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Site visit and quote
We walk the garden, check the soil and drainage, and measure up.
- Test hole and drainage check
- Written, itemised quote in three working days
- Permits and licensed trades flagged
Freeabout 45 minutes on site
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Planting plan Our pick
A scaled plan and plant list you can build in stages.
- Scaled drawing of beds, paths and lawn
- Plant list with pot sizes and quantities
- One round of changes included
- Yours to keep, whoever builds it
$660typical front or back garden
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Garden maintenance
Fortnightly, monthly or once a season. Two hour minimum.
- Same gardeners each visit
- Green waste taken away
- A note on what was done and what is due
$78an hour, per gardener
06From customers
What people said after the job.
They dug a hole and filled it with water before they would talk about plants. Turned out the back bed barely drained. They raised it, put in correa and lomandra, and nothing has died since.
Old sleeper wall was leaning over the driveway. Quote said up front it was under a metre so no permit needed. New wall has a drain behind it and the lawn above is finally dry.
Buffalo went down in October and they came back twice to check it. The watering sheet on the fridge was the bit that saved me. First mow at three weeks, just like they said.
07Where we work
Heidelberg and the suburbs around it.
We keep to a small patch so we know the soil and can come back to check on a garden.
Areas we cover
- Heidelberg
- Ivanhoe
- Rosanna
- Fairfield
- Northcote
- Thornbury
- Preston
- Reservoir
Hours
- Monday to Friday
- 7:30 am to 4:30 pm
- Saturday
- Site visits by appointment, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
We stay off clay when it is saturated. On wet days we message by 7:00 am and rebook.
08Questions
What people ask before they book.
Cost, timing, permits and what happens if a plant dies.
How much does a site visit cost?
The first visit is free. It takes about 45 minutes. We walk the garden with you, dig a small test hole to check the soil and drainage, and measure up. You get a written, itemised quote within three working days. If you want a full scaled planting plan drawn, that is a separate service from $660.
What does a new garden usually cost?
It depends on size, slope and access, but here are honest starting points. Planted and mulched garden beds are from $95 a square metre. New turf on a prepared base is from $42 a square metre. Paving is from $150 a square metre. Retaining walls are from $450 per square metre of wall face. A typical front garden with new beds, planting and a path comes to between $6,000 and $15,000. Everything is itemised so you can do it in stages.
How soon can you start?
Maintenance visits can usually start within two weeks. Planting and turf jobs are booked three to five weeks ahead for most of the year. In spring, and for paving and walls, allow six to eight weeks. A wall that needs a permit takes longer, because the engineering and permit come first. We give you a start week in the quote and tell you early if weather moves it.
Do I need a permit for a retaining wall?
Sometimes. In Victoria a retaining wall generally needs a building permit and engineering when it is 1 metre or higher, when it is close to a boundary, or when it supports a structure such as a driveway or a building. Most garden walls we build are lower than that. We measure at the site visit and tell you in the quote. If a permit applies, we arrange it with a registered practitioner before any digging starts.
09From the garden
Advice we give at the front gate.
Plain notes on clay, lawns and mulch, written for gardens in Melbourne's north east.
What actually grows in Melbourne clay, and how to plant into it
Clay gets blamed for every plant that dies in the north east. The soil is rarely the problem. The way the hole is dug usually is.
Read the post
When to lay turf or oversow a lawn in Melbourne
The right month depends on which grass you have. Here is how to tell, when to do the work, and how to water a new lawn so it takes.
Read the post
How much mulch a garden bed needs, and which kind
Mulch is the cheapest thing you can do for a garden before summer. Here is how deep to lay it, how much to order and the mistakes to avoid.
Read the post
Show us the garden.
The first visit is free and takes about 45 minutes. You get a written quote within three working days.