Most planting around here fails for one reason: a hole dug into clay and filled with soft soil turns into a bucket. We prepare the whole bed instead. The clay is loosened, gypsum and compost go in where a test says they will help, and plants are set slightly high so water drains away from the crown. Then the bed is mulched and watered in. You get a list of what went where and a watering guide for the first summer.
What is included
- Old plants, weeds and roots removed and taken away
- Soil loosened and improved across the whole bed
- Plants supplied, set out for your approval, then planted
- 75 mm of coarse mulch, kept clear of trunks and the house
- Drip line laid if you want it, with mains connection by a licensed plumber
- A watering guide for the first summer
How we do it
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Check the ground
We dig a test hole, fill it with water and see how fast it drains. That decides how the bed is built.
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Prepare the bed
The bed is cleared, loosened to a spade's depth and shaped so water moves away from stems and walls.
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Set out and plant
Plants are placed in their pots first so you can see the layout and move anything before it goes in.
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Mulch and water in
Every plant is watered in by hand, the bed is mulched, and we walk you through the watering guide.
Signs you need this
- Water sits on the bed for a day or more after rain
- New plants yellow and die in their first winter
- Nothing grows in the dry shade under the gum trees
- The bed is mostly weeds, bare soil and one tired shrub
- Soil has washed down the slope and exposed the roots
Show us the garden.
The first visit is free and takes about 45 minutes. You get a written quote within three working days.