Hedgehogs Alert – ‘Tis the season to be careful

Hedgehogs Alert – Remember, Remember…

Ed's Garden Services Hedgehog Mascot

Let’s talk about hedgehogs…

We love hedgehogs. There, we said it. Hedgehogs are indeed very close to the hearts of Ed’s gardeners. They really are fantastic little garden buddies. Quietly going about their business of eating many plant destroying insects and snails. Aside from doing this very important job, they look very cute as well. Well, quietly isn’t strictly true though. They are very good at minding their own business but they can be fairly vocal, with a variety of grunts, snuffles and squeals. Quite the little characters they are. We consider it our privilege to be so close to nature on a daily basis and to share the garden with them.

How can we help?

We do our best to help our spiky little friends whenever we can. We were able to help this very little guy in the photo get back to safety. Dan, our Ed’s gardener in Great Bookham, found him wandering by the side of the road and was able to escort him out of the danger’s way.

Of course we all love this spectacular crunchy time of year when the beautiful autumnal leaves come tumbling down in swirls. All glorious but thoughts quickly turn to getting them cleared away when it all turns a bit messy. Actually, we can help with that, but that’s a topic for another day. Hedgehogs are predominantly nocturnal and like nothing better than dozing away for significant parts of the day. They particularly enjoy curling up in a cosy pile of leaves and other garden waste to have a nice long nap. Please do keep this in mind when moving piles of leaves and garden rubbish that have been left, even for a little while. That way no harm will come to any hedgehogs. Our gardeners always have a thorough check through any piles that have been sitting before we move anything.

Remember, remember the 5th of November

Finally, and very importantly for hedgehogs, Bonfire Night is almost here. In particular, please do check thoroughly that there are no little sleeping beauties inside before you set alight any bonfires.

To sum up

Happy hedgehogs, happy Ed’s gardeners


Lawn stripes worthy of Wimbledon

Lawn stripes showcase

Lawn stripes are a really big thing for Kevin, our Ed’s gardener in Raynes Park. Kevin takes a lot of pride in getting them just perfect. They can be the crowning glory of a lush and wonderful lawn. We are sure that you will agree that this lovely specimen is most definitely Wimbledon-worthy! Kevin prides himself on having a whole range of customers with beautiful lawns just like the one in his photo.

And so, we caught up with Kevin and asked him what his secret ingredient was for such spectacular lawns. This is what he had to say …

“The secret is continuity of care. Lawns need a lot of care to get them looking their very best. Therefore, I work with my customers and look at the job holistically. That is to say, providing care and attention all year round to make sure that lawns can flourish to be the best that they can be. When customers see the results of this, they are very keen to keep the process going so that they can enjoy their beautiful gardens to the fullest. Each lawn is different and it is all about coming up with the best care plan for treatments and mowing, taking into account all the external factors affecting the lawn in question.”

” I really enjoy all my gardening jobs but I get a special sense of satisfaction from nurturing lawns and bringing them forth to be quite splendid specimens. I’ve been doing this job for quite a while now and yet a perfect lawn still never fails to thrill.”

If you need any help with getting your lawn looking glorious, please get in touch. Ed’s can most certainly help to turn your dream lawn into reality.

Ed’s Gardeners going the extra mile

Ed’s Gardeners going the extra mile – Mark saves the day

Ed’s gardeners going the extra mile is a common theme in our business. Here is a recent example…

Ed’s gardeners going the extra mile – The background

Mark runs his Ed’s gardening business in Ramsgate, Kent. He recently got an unusual request from a customer. Their young children are obsessed with pirates and were besides themselves at the idea of having their own pirate ship to play on in their garden. The customer had been able to find a wonderful wooden galleon pirate ship. However, the garden wasn’t totally flat and the ship needed full assembly and to be installed properly to make it safe for the children. The customer asked Mark if he would be prepared to do the job. They recognised that it was outside his usual remit and also at a busy time of year.

Ed’s gardeners going the extra mile – The job in hand

Mark tells us ” I thought about the scope of the project and was confident that I could complete the job to a high standard. Now, who would dare disappoint apprentice pirates! And so, it was a yes from me, one very relieved customer and some very excited junior pirates.”

“I planned the various stages of the job. There were three parts to it. First of all, I had to level the ground so that the structure would be on a flat surface. Next, I had to insert pins into the ground sunk in concrete to make sure that the structure would be secured properly. Finally, I had to build the actual pirate ship and get it in place.”

Ed’s gardeners going the extra mile – The end result

“The job ran very smoothly and each phase was quite straightforward. I was able to complete the job in good time. Just as well as my mini customers were waiting patiently in the wings in extreme anticipation of the final result. No pressure!”

“Chatting with my customer afterwards, they mentioned that the junior pirates have already set their sights on a garden climbing frame for essential pirate training. They wondered if I might lend a steady hand once again. Of course, was my reply.”

” I love the challenge of types of unusual jobs. This was a particularly nice one as there is something very special about sharing children’s excitement in a project.”

Our Ed’s gardeners can help you fulfil a whole range of your garden’s requirements. Please just get in touch.


Stourbridge New Gardener Alert

Mark Barker has recently joined Ed’s to run his gardening business in Stourbridge and surrounding areas. Mark has a background in education, although he has also been a keen hobby gardener for many years. All trained, business-ready, van freshly branded and raring to go, Mark is available to take on a whole range of gardening work in the Stourbridge area.

Here is what Mark has to say, “I am so much looking forward to getting started with my brand new business. I know the Stourbridge area very well. Having lived there for a long time, I look forward to servicing my local community. I am available immediately to fulfil a whole range of garden maintenance needs. I look forward to building relationships with a number of customers. Indeed I hope many of them will turn into regular customers. And so, it is so exciting to be setting up a local gardening business within the Ed’s brand. In conclusion, I’ve wanted to do this for a long time and, now it is real, I couldn’t be happier.”

Mark’s core services are lawn mowing, hedge cutting, garden tidy-ups, garden clearances and turfing. Please get in touch if Mark can help you get your garden back in shape for spring.

Gardener Reading Material

Gardener reading material is certainly the topic of today. Why? Well, it is World Book Day today and that means we should all be thinking about our very favourite books. In schools all over the country there are children taking part in the fun day. They go into school with their favourite book and dress up as one of its key characters. Lots of fun is had by all and a love of reading is fostered at the same time.

“What does all this have to do with Ed’s Garden Services?” you may ask. Well…

The Big Tiger Day…


Penny and Pierre are very busy running their Ed’s business in Camberley. However, when they are not busy gardening, they are very involved grandparents. Penny sent this photo into the Ed’s office today. It was taken of her five year-old grandson this morning. Penny’s grandson is a great reader and loves all sorts of books. His favourite book of the moment is “Tiger” and he most definitely looked the part in his fantastic outfit. Obviously Penny’s daughter takes after her mum in the clever hands stakes as she made the tiger outfit. Dad made the tiger mask.

The Star of the Day…

Consequently,Penny’s grandson won the school prize for the best homemade outfit. No surprise really – what a scary tiger (with a lovely smile)! Celebrations all round at home afterwards (we wonder if there may even have been a tiger who came to tea!)



And so, delighted with winning his prize, Grandma was put on the spot and asked if she had a very favourite book. Gardener reading material must be a thing, surely? Without missing a beat, Penny responded “Of course I do. It’s Eddie’s Garden. What else would it be!” Everyone was very amused by that, not least the clever tiger, who pointed out that Penny even has her Ed’s garden uniform outfit to go with her favourite book.

Gardener Goodwill

Gardener goodwill to all our Ed’s customers

As 2022 draws to a close, Ed’s has had another fulfilling year meeting all our loyal customers’ gardening needs. We are at our happiest when we are helping you keep your gardens looking fabulous, whatever the season.

We thank you for all your support and we are very much looking forward to working with you in 2023.

We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

May your days be merry and green.

With very best wishes from everyone in the Ed’s team

Transforming Gardens is the name of Jack’s game

Transforming Gardens – The Background

Transforming gardens is at the very core of Jack Bayford’s gardening business. Jack runs his Ed’s gardening business in Hitchin. Before joining Ed’s Jack had a career as a professional groundsman for a premiership football team. Jack says “Although it was always my plan to run my own show, my formative years installed a passion in me for delivering above and beyond. Only the absolute best would do in my previous job and that is something that I have brought to my own Ed’s business. I treat every job like my whole reputation depends on it. I think it is the only way to be. The payback for that dedication is having really happy customers. I get a true kick out of that.”

We asked Jack to give us an example of a recent garden transformation. Here is his story…

Transforming Gardens – The Job

“This job was quite a sensitive one. My customer had very recently lost his mother and the garden of her well-loved home had fallen into disarray as she had spent her final days in a nursing home. She had been a keen gardener when able and, in later years, loved nothing more than sitting in her conservatory watching the birds feed and bathe in her garden. My customer said that it made him sad to see her pride and joy in such a mess. Furthermore, my customer lived some way away from his mother’s home and we needed to discuss the details and access remotely. Without due care, this could have ended up being really impersonal.”

Jack’s approach

“I made sure to call my customer at the outset to have a good chat about his requirements. I then went out to view the garden and some helpful neighbours gave me access. Immediately I could see that it was quite a full-on job. The garden wasn’t huge but there were both front and back gardens to tackle. Furthermore, both had become very overgrown and it was difficult to see the condition of the lawns underneath. However, I was confident that I could restore some former glory with a bit of TLC.”

Communication is key

“Consequently, my first step was to share my thoughts in detail with my customer. I explained exactly what the job would entail, how I would go about it in steps and how much it would cost.” My customer was very appreciative of me laying things out so clearly. He was very happy for me to go ahead and he hadn’t even met me.”

Putting plans into motion

“This was how the garden looked before”.

“And this was how it looked after my efforts…”

“I love taking ‘before and after’ photos for my own job satisfaction. However, in this case they were also a very important part of keeping my customer in the loop.”

Happy Endings

“I was really happy with how the job turned out. However, more importantly my customer was delighted with the end result. He said that it brought him peace of mind at a time when he had so many other things to think about. The icing on the cake was when he said that he had called the neighbours to thank them for the access arrangements. They had commented on my professionalism and what a pleasant chap I was. Every gardener loves a compliment!”

If Jack can help you with any of your gardening needs, big or small, please do get in touch.

Unique Gardening jobs

Tim’s Latest Challenge

Unique gardening jobs are a key part of Ed’s. Ask an Ed’s Gardener and they will tell you that no two days are ever the same. Gardening jobs can vary greatly from mowing large lawns to delivering mini-projects with a very specific remit.


Tim runs his Ed’s business in Taunton and always enjoys meeting his customers’ needs. Tim thrives on the challenge of different types of jobs. He has recently completed a transformation of a new build front garden. This is what Tim has to say about it…

Unique Gardening Jobs – The Background

“One of the things I love about Ed’s is the variety of my work. You never quite know what a customer is going to want doing. I enjoy the challenge of that. This recent job was the front garden of a new build house. The turf that had been laid by the housebuilder was not of a very good quality and, although shrubs had been planted, it had all been done in quite a haphazard way. Furthermore, as it was the front garden and visible to all, the owner felt that the space really impacted on the look of their house.”

The “Before” Shot

Unique Gardening Jobs – The Plan

“I had a good chat with the customer as there were clearly a range of options from which they could choose. However, it became clear that, rather than fill up the space with lots more greenery, the customer preferred a clean-cut look that was visually pleasing but also really low maintenance. The maintenance aspect is a very important consideration when deciding on the best course of action. And so, following a good chat, we charted our course of action. Consequently, we were going to remove everything, put down a membrane and lay bark. We would have a few specifically chosen plants to grow in the space. And so, to work…”

The End Result

“My customer was really happy with how it all turned out. They said it was exactly what they wanted. It looked good and it was very low maintenance. A good result all round!”

The “After” shot

Indeed, if you would like some help sorting out your own garden, Tim would be very happy to help. Please do get in touch.

Ed’s All-round Gardeners

From the Garden to the Cricket Field

Ed’s all-round gardeners is a term that generally describes us well. No garden maintenance job is too big or too small. We are happy to turn our hands to a whole range of different gardening services. We provide all of the following services:-

  • mowing,
  • hedge cutting,
  • patio washing,
  • tidy-ups
  • garden clearances.

Ed’s All-round Gardeners – Community Spirit

However, Guy Lilford, our Ed’s gardener in Maidenhead (West) takes being an all-rounder to a whole new level. Guy is a very experienced Ed’s gardener who provides a whole range of gardening services to his loyal customer base. Many have been customers for a long time and he has very good relationships with him. Guy’s gardening business fits very well with the satisfaction he gets from being actively involved in his local community. Here is an example of how he took this involvement one step further…

Ed’s All-round Gardeners – Bringing the Ashes to Berkshire


When Guy’s village primary school announced plans for a local fundraising village cricket match with a replication of the Ashes tradition, Guy was more than happy to roll up his sleeves and lend a hand. He volunteered to be one of the sponsors of the cricket match as well as actually playing in it himself. Here is what Guy has to say…

“I have always been a big cricket fan and enjoy playing too. When our local village primary announced plans to run a charity “Ashes” competition, my interest was piqued. They were replicating the ashes tradition and customising it for our own little Berkshire village. Charmed by the concept, I volunteered to play immediately but then thought it would be a great initiative to sponsor and all for a good local cause. And so I put my Ed’s business forward as a match sponsor. All our players had the Ed’s logo, as well as those of the other sponsors, printed on our cricket shirts.”

Ed’s All-round Gardeners – The Match


“It ended up being a really fabulous day, with the whole local community involved. The match was great fun with everyone in good spirits (even the losers!).”

A New Village Tradition


“We followed up our cricket match with tea and home made cakes. Furthermore, the sun shone for us throughout the day and we raised a good sum of money. It was really great to catch up with some friendly faces and my whole family had a lovely time. I often see people when I am out and about wearing my Ed’s uniform so it was a change to be in full cricket gear (although the Ed’s logo was still present!). Everyone was buzzing and saying how we should definitely make the cricket match a new Hurst annual tradition. The Hurst Ashes – who knew that Ed’s would become part of English cricket tradition! “

Gardener News

Gardener News – Marcus is the new Dave

Gardener changeover ahead

Farewell to Dave

We have some gardener news at Ed’s. Dave, our Ed’s gardener in Andover has recently decided to hang up his gardening gloves, sell up and move from Andover to Suffolk. Dave has spent five happy years as an Ed’s gardener. We are all very sorry to say farewell to Dave, who has been a great and enthusiastic member of the Ed’s team. He will most certainly be missed.

However, we are also very happy that Marcus, will take over the service of many of Dave’s lovely customers. Marcus has recently moved from Streatham to run his Ed’s business in Stockbridge and surrounding area. Dave has delievered a very smooth handover. Furthermore, Marcus is very much looking forward to provide the excellent customer service that Dave has delivered.

Marcus on the job

At Ed’s we pride ourselves on this level of customer service which includes providing continuity as much as we possibly can. Our team of experienced gardeners like nothing more than to help each other out and be great team players. In many cases this can lead to them growing their own businesses. As is the case with Dave and Marcus.

We wish both Dave and Marcus all the very best in their future endeavours.