A front garden put back together after the builders left

A lot that has just had a house built on it is not a garden yet. It is compacted subsoil, a grade that runs the wrong way, and whatever the builder threw down on the last day.

Start with the grade

The first thing we fix is where the water goes. That usually means regrading away from the foundation, dealing with the downspouts properly, and putting in drainage where the fall alone will not do it. Everything after this depends on getting it right, and it is invisible once the turf is down.

Hold what needs holding

Where the ground drops away at the drive or the front walk, a low block wall gives you a level bed instead of a bank that erodes into the path every winter. It is also the cheapest way to make a plain frontage look finished.

Plant for the site you have

Plants get chosen for the aspect, the soil and the amount of care the owner actually wants to give them, then set out at spacings that suit their mature size rather than looking full on day one. Beds are edged and mulched so they hold their shape between visits.

Then keep it

Most front-garden rebuilds roll straight into a maintenance round, because the first two seasons are when a new planting is either established or lost. We can pick that up weekly or as a six-month or yearly programme.