Gardens that outgrow the plan
We turn tired yards into outdoor rooms you actually use. Twelve years ago it was one truck and a love of native plants; today it is a studio of designers, horticulturists and builders who still get their hands in the soil on every job.
Why we started
I kept seeing gardens designed for the photo and not for the family. We build the opposite: places that get fuller and better loved every year.
Maya Lindqvist, founder and lead designer
- One crew designs and builds, so nothing is lost between the drawing and the dig.
- Native first: at least half of every planting is local to your soil and rainfall.
- Close by: we work within 30 minutes of the studio, so we can check in often.
Recent work
Four gardens from the last two seasons, from a courtyard to a whole acre.
Ask about a project like these
“We eat outside every evening now. They drew it, built it, and still come back each spring to check on it.”
What we do
Four services, booked on their own or together. Every garden is priced after we have walked it with you, and the quote is fixed.
Garden design
A full plan for your garden: layout, levels, planting and lighting, drawn to scale and walked through with you on site.
- Site survey, soil test and sun study
- Concept sketch, then a scaled final plan
- Planting schedule with every species named
- Itemised build quote, yours to keep
Planting and softscape
Beds, borders, hedges and lawns, planted in layers so something is flowering or fruiting in every season.
- Soil preparation and compost
- Native-first plants from local growers
- Mulch and drip irrigation
- A care sheet for every species we plant
Patios, paths and walls
The bones of the garden: stone paths, timber decks, retaining walls and steps, built on proper bases so they stay level.
- Bluestone, granite and recycled brick
- Spotted gum decking and Corten edging
- Permeable paving that lets rain soak in
- Drainage and levels done before anything pretty
Seasonal garden care
Four visits a year from the people who planted it: pruning, feeding and replacing anything that struggled.
- Free for the first two years on our builds
- Pruning and shaping at the right time of year
- Soil feeding and mulch top-up
- A short note after each visit on what changed
How a garden happens
From the first cup of tea on your back step to the garden's third spring, most builds take six to ten weeks. The line in italics under each stage is a promise, written into every quote.
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Day one
We walk the site
A free hour on site with a designer: how you use the space, what you love, what drives you mad. We test the soil and note where the sun falls.
Every plant chosen for your soil and light, not pulled from a catalogue.
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Week one
You get a sketch
A hand-drawn concept and a planting board, with a fixed price for the design. Change it as often as you like before we draw it to scale.
You see the whole garden before the first shovel goes in.
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Weeks 2–8
We build it
Levels and drainage first, then stone and timber, then planting. The same crew from start to finish, with a short update every Friday.
Native plants, drip irrigation and permeable paving: less water, more wildlife.
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Years 1–2
We come back
A visit each season to prune, feed and replace anything that struggled, free on every garden we build.
A fuller garden in year three than on day one, with a two-year plant warranty.
From sketch to garden
Every garden starts as a drawing you can hold. Scroll on and the pencil study for a hillside garden in Eltham becomes the garden itself, eighteen months after planting. Drag to compare.
- Site
- Sloping block, about 1,800 square metres
- Design
- Two weeks, three rounds of changes
- Build
- Ten weeks, autumn into winter
- Planting
- Clipped westringia, lomandra and gum saplings
The crew on your site
Alongside Maya, the four people who will be in your garden. Whoever draws it is on site the day it is planted.
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Daniel Okafor
Landscape architect
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Ruth Harlow
Head horticulturist
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Leo Martins
Build crew manager
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Tom Avery
Irrigation and soils
What we build with
Five materials do most of the work in our gardens. Each one weathers well and looks better with age.
Bluestone
Paths and steps. Darkens beautifully in the rain.
Spotted gum
Decks and benches that silver off over time.
Corten steel
Edging and planters with a stable rust skin.
Crushed granite
Paths that drain and stay put underfoot.
Native grasses
Movement and seed heads through winter.
Before you book
The questions we hear on almost every first visit. Anything else, ask us on the walk.
What will my garden cost?
Every garden is priced on its own: size, slope, access and what you want it to do all change the number. After the free visit we send a fixed quote, itemised line by line, and it only moves if you change the plan.
How long from first visit to finished garden?
Most gardens take six to ten weeks: about two weeks of design, then four to eight on site. You get a start date before you sign anything.
Do I need a council permit?
Most planting and paving does not. Retaining walls over a metre, large decks and some tree removals do. We check on the first visit and handle the application if one is needed.
What happens at the free site visit?
An hour in your garden with a designer: how you use the space, the soil, where the sun falls. A sketch follows within a week, with no obligation to go ahead.
Do I need to be home during the build?
No. Leo, our build crew manager, is your one contact from the first dig to the last plant, and you get a short update with photos every Friday.
What if a plant dies?
Every plant we put in is covered for two years. If one struggles, we replace it on the next seasonal visit, free.
Let’s plan your garden
A free first visit: we walk the site with you, test the soil and send a sketch within a week.
Book a site visitRequest a site visit
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