It’s unquestionably an exciting time when you decide to revamp your garden space. It’s an opportunity to let your creativity go wild by adding depth here or an outdoor entertainment zone there. Before you get carried away, there are a lot of factors to consider such as landscaping your garden which is a big job by itself and requires professional assistance. Today at Bradstone we ask, how do you choose the right landscape gardener?

Why do you need a landscape gardener?

Landscape gardeners are professionals who will help refresh your home space without the hassle of moving. They specialise in all aspects of garden transformation including planning, construction and maintenance of your outdoor garden space. Most lay people will only have a rudimentary knowledge of gardening, construction or landscape design therefore, it is key to hire the help of an experienced specialist.

What do you need to begin your search?

To ensure you begin your search on the right foot you’ll need two components: basic knowledge and a clear brief. 

Knowledge

The internet is an invaluable source of information when it comes to researching your garden project. You’re not required to know the job inside at out, this is why you’re hiring someone! but it’s recommended that you understand the basics such as what work is involved, how long it’s likely to take, and the potential costs involved. Naturally, you’ll then be able to spot a good deal with greater confidence. 

A clear brief

The next preliminary step will be to have your garden plans laid out in a brief. Again, you don’t have to provide every step worked out in fine detail, this will be the job of your landscaper. Once you’ve completed your research, build a realistic idea that you’re happy with to provide to the tradesperson. This will not only help reduce overall completion time, but it’ll also help you find the person for the job. 

Under the umbrella term ‘landscape gardening’, you’ll find a plethora of skills, trades and jobs that range from building walls to planting shrubs. Clearly then, having a well-made brief means you can match the specialist to your project. The best tradespeople will be honest and let you know that they’re not able to complete your job or specialise in one particular area over another.

How do you make the right choice?

Understanding the field and being armed with a proper brief are great starting points to begin your garden journey. At this stage, you should move to find your garden landscaper and create a shortlist of a few tradespeople who can do the job.  The next step will be choosing the right landscape gardener that will be with you all the way. There are a few key aspects to look out for when deciding between your shortlist.

Experience

As with any job, it is important to look into reviews, case studies and work experience in the category you’re looking for. You’ll be looking for a landscaper with a glowing set of reviews from reputable sources, especially in the area you’re looking for. If you’re focusing on a paving project find the landscape gardener with the best experience there.

Accreditations

One of the most straightforward methods of identifying an accomplished landscaper is looking for their accreditations. Looking out for a membership to the Association of Professional Landscapers (APL) or professional bodies such as Alan Sargent or the Landscape Library is a great sign that they’ll deliver great work. 

How can Bradstone help?

Here at Bradstone, we make choosing your landscaper simple with our guaranteed quality assurance, plus we have a dedicated page with all the landscapers we work with. This means that if you choose an assured landscape gardener, you’ll not only receive a great professional service but also the added bonus of the Bradstone assured free 10-year guarantee on products and a 5-year guarantee on the installation.

After your research, you can easily access all our landscapers’ profiles online by location, telling you a bit about them and what they specialise in. So, you can pick whoever’s right for the job, and then simply ask them for a quote. Simply head over to our find a garden landscaper page or call us on 01335372222