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P.O. Box 772 CIVIC SQUARE ACT 2608

Landscape Design in Canberra

Landscape design in Canberra begins with how you want to use the outdoor space, then works out a layout, plants and materials that suit the block. ACT House & Landscaping Maintenance creates custom landscape designs for homes and commercial properties, and the same team can build the design once you are happy with it. Careful planning heads off costly mistakes, such as a lawn in deep shade or a patio where water pools. Here is how we approach a design and what to think about before we meet.

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What a Canberra landscape design covers

A design brings two kinds of work together. Softscaping is the living part: trees, shrubs, garden beds, ground covers and lawn. Hardscaping is the built part: paths, patios, decks, retaining walls and outdoor lighting. Irrigation and drainage run underneath both.

Any landscape design in Canberra also has to work with local conditions. Soil type, water availability and big swings in temperature between seasons decide which plants will thrive here with modest care, and native and water-efficient planting often earns a place for that reason.

How we approach a design

  1. Talk about how you live

    Who uses the yard, what you want to do in it, and how much upkeep you are happy to take on.

  2. Observe the site

    We look at the slope, the soil, sun and shade through the day, where water runs and what is already there worth keeping.

  3. Plan the layout and plants

    Paths, lawn, beds and living areas are placed so they work together, and the plants, trees and shrubs are chosen to suit each spot.

  4. Agree the plan and cost

    We talk the cost through with you, and building starts once you have approved the plan.

  5. Build and look after it

    The design is installed, and we can suggest a maintenance plan so it keeps looking the way it was meant to.

Plan around the trees you already have

Large trees often anchor a design, and in the ACT many of them are protected. ACT City Services sets out three size tests: a height of at least 8 metres, a canopy spread of at least 8 metres, or a trunk 1 metre or more in circumference when measured 1.4 metres up from the ground. Meeting any one of them makes a tree on private land protected, and work that may affect it needs permission.

Each protected tree also has a tree protection zone that reaches past the outer edge of its canopy, so paths, walls and new beds near a big tree need thought early in the design.

Designs for homes and commercial grounds

For homes, design work ranges from front yards and courtyards to complete garden makeovers. Our residential landscaping page covers what can be built once the plan is set, and our article on design ideas for established Kambah homes shows how an older garden can be reworked.

Business grounds need to look welcoming and be safe to walk through, with clear paths, ramps where needed and lighting for after dark. See commercial landscaping for that side of the work, and browse our project gallery for finished jobs.

Common questions

Can you redesign an existing garden instead of starting again?

Yes. Landscape renovation updates an established garden, replacing tired features and making the space work better while keeping what is worth keeping.

Can a design keep ongoing upkeep low?

Yes. Choosing plants that suit Canberra conditions, and placing them where they will grow well, is the simplest way to cut down on watering, pruning and replacing.

How do I get a design and a price?

Ring 0406 700 400 or use the contact page, and we will book a time to see the site. Our article on getting a custom design quote explains what to have ready.

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