Landscaping in Woden Valley

Woden Valley takes in the suburbs of Chifley, Curtin, Farrer, Garran, Hughes, Isaacs, Lyons, Mawson, O’Malley, Pearce, Phillip and Torrens. These are the suburbs the ABS places in its Woden Valley area, which was home to 39,279 people at the 2021 Census. We cover all of them, along with the Woden town centre.

The ACT Government’s Woden District Strategy names Mount Taylor, Farrer Ridge and Isaacs Ridge among the nature reserves that border the district. Gardens that back onto that bushland are better planted with species that will not seed into the reserve.

The same strategy describes an older district where many suburbs have larger blocks and higher tree canopy. In 2020, every Woden suburb except Phillip had more than 25% canopy cover.

Big trees change how a garden is planned. Lawns struggle in deep shade and under shallow roots, so beds of shade-tolerant planting and mulched areas often replace grass there. Paths and paving are laid to avoid cutting through major roots. Leaf drop also means more regular clean-ups, which our gardening services cover.

The strategy also notes that residents value the Radburn layout in part of Curtin, where houses face onto shared green space with no back fences. In a layout like that, the garden facing the common land is on show to neighbours and passers-by, and it works best when the planting suits that open setting.

For Curtin owners weighing up a bigger project, our article on landscaping costs in Curtin explains what drives a budget, from site preparation to materials.

Many Woden Valley gardens were planted decades ago and have grown past their best. Renewal work usually includes:

• Removing overgrown or crowded shrubs so the better plants can breathe.
• Replacing worn lawn, or swapping it for beds where grass will not grow.
• Renewing edging, steps and paths that have cracked or lifted.
• Moving from hand watering to drip irrigation on new beds.

Landscaping across Woden Valley tends to keep the best of the old garden, so the result looks settled rather than new.

On an older block, a good result usually comes from a plan made before anything is removed. Landscape design sets out what stays, what goes and how the new parts fit. From there, our landscaping team builds it, with one project manager as your contact.