Grass beside planting
Show where stems overhang the lawn so the mowing boundary is clear.
KENSINGTON / KEEP WHAT MATTERS
Kensington Garden Care for Established Planting
An established garden does not need to lose its character to become easier to enjoy. Start with the plants you want to keep, then describe where growth, weeds or fallen material are getting in the way.
- Mark treasured plants before any cutting
- Explain how equipment reaches the borders
- Choose the first area to bring under control
- Include cuttings in the agreed brief
DEFINE THE FIRST INTERVENTION
What is hiding the garden you want to keep?
A SENSIBLE OPENING BRIEF
Garden maintenance
Begin with a marked photograph and two or three priorities. Include plants that must not be touched so maintenance can be assessed around them.
Check maintenance boundaries ↗LOOK BETWEEN THE PLANTS
Divide the garden by the decisions it needs
Permanent structure
Flag screening shrubs that should retain their role even after suitable shaping.
Mixed beds and pots
Distinguish established plants, self-seeded growth and areas you genuinely want emptied.
Routes through the garden
Specify removal of loose debris or encroaching growth; surface washing requires a separate discussion.
Material leaving the beds
Allow for how cuttings will be gathered without covering the plants being protected.
KENSINGTON / PLANT-FIRST PLANNING
Show what a photograph cannot explain
If your Kensington garden contains plants inherited with the property, you may not know all their names. That need not stop an enquiry: number them in photographs and say which you value. A broad instruction such as “clear the beds” can obscure the difference between weeds and wanted seedlings. Where the only route is through the home, include doorways, floor changes and the point where material would be gathered. These details help define a realistic visit without assuming every property has the same layout.
01 / Photograph retained planting
02 / Trace the route from entrance to bed
03 / Identify an acceptable stopping point
ASSESS THE DETAIL
Careful work needs more than a garden measurement
ROUTINE GARDEN CAREA quote for
A quote for
selective care.
Send an overview alongside close views of crowded beds. Agree what is being handled and how the resulting material is dealt with before accepting the total.
LIGHT GARDEN CLEARANCE£100–£300
This published light-clearance range is a guide only. Selective maintenance around established plants is assessed separately, not priced from this band.
See clearance pricing| Service | Details affecting the assessment | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Routine garden maintenance | Planted density, agreed priorities and proposed repeat visits | Quote after assessment |
| Lawn mowing & edging | Grass size, edges and the route for mowing equipment | Quote after assessment |
| Hedge & shrub trimming | Retained shape, plant dimensions and quantity of trimmings | Quote from photographs / assessment |
| Small green-waste collection | Prepared green material and distance to the loading point | From £40 |
| Light garden clearance | The nominated section and its removal requirements | Typically £100–£300 |
| Large overgrown garden | Extent of overgrowth and the practical clearance sequence | From £500 |
Why two equal-sized gardens can differ
A densely planted bed may require more selective attention than an open patch of the same size. Access through a building, extra carrying and purchased materials also belong in the assessment. Do not read the clearance guides as a fixed hourly rate for a gardener.
CARE, NOT A BLANKET CUT
Useful help around existing planting
Lawn care
Keep the grass presentable without treating every thin patch as a mowing problem. Describe edges and awkward corners as well as the lawn itself.
Explore lawn care
Hedges & shrubs
Identify the shrubs that provide the garden's structure. Suitable trimming depends on what they are, their condition and the extent of change requested.
Explore hedges & shrubs
Garden clearance
Where unwanted growth has overtaken a section, separate it from retained planting. Clearance can make room to assess what remains; it is not a redesign.
Explore garden clearance
Garden maintenance
Combine selective weeding, seasonal attention and light pruning around a written keep list, rather than asking for all vegetation to be reduced.
Explore garden maintenance- Work
- Selective attention to grass and planted areas
- Spaces
- Your own garden, or shared space with permission
- Visits
- An initial tidy followed by care if agreed
- Area
- Kensington address enquiries; attendance checked individually
- Price
- An assessed scope, including access constraints
LET THE PLANTS SET THE PACE
Retained planting needs seasonal judgment
A neat appearance is not a reason to cut every species at once. Agree suitable work after considering the living garden.
Spring
Emerging plants can be hard to distinguish from unwanted growth. Flag uncertain areas before border weeding begins.
Summer
Check how growth affects access and lawn edges, while allowing weather and plant condition to influence the task list.
Autumn
Discuss where leaf gathering is needed and which standing plants should remain, rather than requesting bare beds throughout.
Winter
Use clearer views of the structure to plan future attention. Frozen or saturated ground may rule out work that seemed straightforward.
EXAMPLE OF A RESTRAINED TIDY
Making space without starting over
These illustrative views explain a possible sequence; they do not document a Kensington customer or guarantee an outcome.
Read the existing space
The path and planting need distinguishing before a useful tidy can be described.
Attend to selected areas
Gather loose material while retaining the garden elements chosen in the brief.
Review what remains
A more legible route can be the objective, without replacing the surrounding planting.
BRIEF CHECK
Make the important decisions before the visit
- Must the whole garden be included?
- No. A single border can be a complete brief if its boundaries and the intended finish are clear.
- Who identifies the plants to keep?
- Tell the gardener what matters to you; use marked photographs where names are uncertain and discuss unresolved plants before cutting.
- Can the initial visit be a trial tidy?
- A one-off appointment can focus on agreed priorities without committing the rest of the garden to the same treatment.
- What would a continuing arrangement cover?
- Specify the maintained beds and lawn, then review tasks as growth changes rather than repeating identical cutting each time.
- Where will the removed growth go?
- Choose an agreed onsite destination or quoted removal. Neither option should be assumed simply because weeding is included.
- Is every shrub part of routine gardening?
- No. Size, condition and required work matter; major tree operations are outside ordinary light pruning.
- Should planting purchases come first?
- Wait until suitability, supply and the planting task have been discussed, particularly where existing roots already occupy the bed.
START SMALL OR KEEP UP
Choose how much continuity the garden needs
| Visit choice | One-off gardening | Regular maintenance |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Assessing and tidying a chosen border | Following growth in the retained planting |
| Frequency | A separately agreed appointment | Intervals considered against actual plant needs |
| Scope | A defined keep list and first priorities | A record of boundaries and changing seasonal tasks |
CHOOSE THE DEGREE OF CHANGE
Maintenance and clearance are different briefs
| Service | Your objective | What to describe |
|---|---|---|
| Garden maintenance | Retain the established arrangement | Weeding and suitable seasonal attention between named plants |
| Lawn care | Restore an orderly grass boundary | Mowing area, encroaching edges and ground condition |
| Hedges & shrubs | Keep useful screening in shape | Plants involved and limits to any proposed reduction |
| Garden clearance | Reclaim a nominated patch | Unwanted material to remove and retained features to protect |
PROTECT THE INTENT
From marked photographs to agreed care
Record the keep list
Name or number valued plants and show the surrounding growth clearly.
Set practical limits
Discuss access, material handling and where the agreed tidy should stop.
Resolve uncertainties
Review plant identity, active nests and unsuitable ground before proceeding with affected tasks.
Check the retained garden
Look at completed priorities and note anything better left for another occasion.
A precise finish is more useful than a broad promise
Alesta's gardening information describes routine care, not an automatic landscaping package. If your aim includes substantial removal or rebuilding, raise that explicitly rather than expecting it within a selective tidy.
Read how Alesta plans gardening workPLANTED-GARDEN QUESTIONS
Before booking care in Kensington
What if I do not know a shrub's name?
Number it in a photograph and explain whether you want it retained. Uncertainty should be resolved before work that could remove or change it.
Can a self-seeded plant be left in place?
Yes, identify it as wanted growth in the brief. A general weeding request does not communicate which seedlings you have chosen to keep.
Will a tidy reduce my screening hedge?
Not unless suitable trimming has been agreed. Explain the screening function and desired limits so the proposed work can be assessed.
Can equipment pass through my flat?
Describe the route and provide doorway photographs. Suitability needs checking; a garden without external access should not be booked on assumptions.
Is plant replacement included in maintenance?
Replacement plants, compost and planting tasks require agreement. Routine care does not automatically include new materials or a redesigned border.
What happens if nesting activity is noticed?
Affected cutting must be reconsidered rather than proceeding through an active nest. Other suitable priorities may be discussed for the appointment.
Could only the front bed be maintained?
Specify that bed and exclude the rear garden in the enquiry. A limited area still needs a clear access and waste arrangement.
Are the garden pictures local completed jobs?
No. They are illustrations of garden tasks and layouts, not evidence of work at a Kensington property or a forecast of your result.
KENSINGTON / ACCESS DETAILS
The garden entrance matters as much as the address
Ask whether attendance can be arranged for the complete Kensington address. Then explain any internal route, steps or shared door; the map alone cannot establish equipment access or permission to use a passage.
Open Kensington in Google Maps ↗Gardening services near Kensington
KENSINGTON / BEGIN WITH THE KEEP LIST
Tell us what your garden should retain
Share a few marked photographs, the address and the first area needing attention. Discuss a selective plan that respects the planting already there.
Call about selective garden careGarden imagery is illustrative and does not portray an Alesta customer commission.
