We look after gardens and grounds: mowing, pruning and shaping, weeding, planting, irrigation, cleaning of paths and drainage channels, clearing leaves and seasonal treatment of plants.
A schedule, not a rescue operation
Plants grow here nearly all year, and an unattended plot closes over within a month. Regular visits cost less than clearing an overgrown garden twice a year, and the plot never reaches the state where a guest arriving for the season sees a jungle in the photographs’ place. For a rental property the grounds are part of the first impression, and they are the part owners abroad notice last.
Before the rainy season
Channels and drainage cleared, gutters cleaned, branches over the roof cut back, and the fall of the paths checked. This is the work that decides whether water goes into the drainage or into your plinth all winter, and it has to happen in autumn rather than after the first storm — by then the channel is already full and the water has found its own route.
What we watch for
Roots lifting paving or growing into drainage lines. Branches touching the roof or the facade, which wear both. Plants that have outgrown their position and now shade a whole terrace. Damp at the base of walls where the soil level has crept up over the damp-proof course. These are cheap to correct early and expensive later.
Irrigation
Seasonal start-up, checks through the summer, repairs and winterising. We keep the valves accessible so a repair is a visit rather than an excavation.
Price
A monthly fee based on the area, the plantings and the frequency. Larger work such as tree removal, replanting or a new irrigation line is quoted separately.