Garden Services Folkestone – Variety is the spice of life

Garden Services Folkestone – Meeting all your gardening needs

Garden Services Folkestone is one area where Ed’s Garden Services has a strong presence. Provision of garden services can vary greatly in nature of work. Of course, one factor is the changing seasons. However, another big factor is the fact that Ed’s gardeners do their absolute best to tailor their services to their loyal customers’ needs.

Garden Services Folkestone – Matthew May

Matthew has been an Ed’s gardener in Folkestone for almost ten years. During that time, Matthew has gained a great amount of gardening experience. He has also turned his hand to a very wide range of different types of gardening jobs.

Garden Services Folkestone – Matthew’s impressive track record

Matthew is a modest chap but we are only too happy to sing his praises. Not only is Matthew an excellent gardener but he unfailingly shows strong commitment to great customer service. We may be a bit biased but the British franchise association aren’t. Indeed, Matthew was a Finalist in their prestigious National Franchisee of the Year Award a few years ago. This was in recognition of his all-round business skills and commitment. A star indeed!

Garden Services Folkestone – Matthew’s reflections

We caught up with Matthew recently to talk about what is closest to his heart. Providing excellent garden services in Folkestone, of course, but more precisely…

“I don’t feel like I’ve been running my gardening business for ten years. That is because the work I do is so varied that I never get bored. I am very lucky to have some great customers who trust me to get (and keep) their gardens looking great. This gives me a lot of scope for creativity and resulting job satisfaction. I enjoy nothing better than surprising my customers with a truly excellent gardening job that surpasses their expectations by a long way”.

Is it all about the mowing?

“Of course I do a lot of mowing jobs. Sometimes I have been asked if this gets boring and the short answer is… Never! Every lawn is different and I take great pride in getting all my jobs just right. I do love my stripes as well – here is a photo of one of my lovely local lawns.”

Variety is the spice of life

“Clearly, it’s not all about mowing. My hedge cutting jobs feature strongly as well as big garden clearances and jet washing patios as well. I really do anything my customers need to get their gardens looking as good as possible.”

“I do like to keep my fingers green – it’s gardener credibility to get some planting soil under the fingernails! Planting jobs can be fun and really creative. It is important to discuss with my customer what they really want in terms of colour, texture and of course blooming period.”

Any big projects?

“Sometimes, my work involves managing a significant garden redesign. My customer was delighted with the end result in this one. I was really pleased with how it turned out too.”

“This is the “before” photo…”

“The ‘work in progress’ one…”

“And the finished article…”

“My golden rule – always, always discuss with the customer what they really want. I may sound like I am stating the obvious but it is all too easy to get caught up in your own transformation vision. I take time to chat things through properly and give my customer time to mull things over in the process.”

“My life as a gardener is really fulfilling. I love the scope of my job and really couldn’t imagine doing anything better.”

If Matthew can help you with any of your gardening needs, please do get in touch

16th January 202018th September 2020

Fencing with Fabulous Results in Norfolk (North and West)

Fencing Project Completed with Ed's van beside

Fencing Solutions by Stuart

Fencing is a great job for the cooler months. Stuart, our Ed’s gardener in Norfolk (North and West), along with his team, recently completed an excellent local fencing job.

The Fencing Challenge

Stuart‘s customer was a bit tired of the part hedge/part picket fence which they looked out onto at the front of their property. They really wanted a uniform look. Their goal was a high fence which would effectively screen the front of their property. They also wanted a solution which would look attractive.

The Fencing Solution

Stuart discussed the project with his customer and they agreed on a high-quality and very smart fencing solution.

The Fencing Project

Stuart had his brief in place and it was full steam ahead…The job was quite a challenging one for Stuart and his team but was less daunting when they broke it down into different stages:-

Removing the old picket fence – this actually ran the whole breadth of the property but was hidden by the large laurel hedge;
Removing the large laurel hedge – this was a big job as the hedge was tall, wide and mature;
Stump grinding;
Erecting the new fence.

The Great British Weather!

Stuart says “We had been hoping for some nice crisp late-autumn days. Such weather is perfect for a precision job like this. However, as luck would have it, ridiculously wet weather hit. Consequently, we took the decision to stop for a couple of days rather than risk compromising the end result due to the terrible weather conditions. Fence erection of this type is very precise work and it requires the right conditions to get it absolutely right.”

It was the right call. The weather improved a bit and the guys were able to work through some strong winds and heavy showers to crack the job. They finished the fence erection in ideal conditions on a beautiful morning. It felt a world away from the apocolyptic weather of just days before!

The End Result

High quality double sided fencing delivered by Ed's Gardener Stuart from Norfolk

A millimetre perfect run of superb quality double-sided fence panels. What a beauty!

Stuart says ” Jobs like these are challenging and can be a little nerve-racking. You are working with very heavy and expensive fence panels which need total precision to get optimal results and we don’t settle for anything less.” He added ” However, they are hugely satisfying jobs, there is nothing better than seeing a perfect fence at the end of the hard graft.”

Stuart’s customer was absolutely delighted with their brand new fence and thought it looked stunning. We have to agree!

If you have any fencing or general garden maintenance requirements in Norfolk (North and West), please do get it touch. Stuart would be delighted to help you.

5th November 201918th September 2020

Garden Services Great Bookham Hedgehog Patrol!

Garden Services Great Bookham – Dan’s garden services

Dan Bates, our Ed’s Operator in Great Bookham, provides a long list of garden services. He loves keeping gardens looking shipshape. Dan covers lawn mowing, hedge cutting, pressure washing, fencing and turfing in East Horsley, West Horsley, Clinton and Effingham as well as Great Bookham and Little Bookham. However, Dan has just added a new garden service to his list. And the new one is…hedgehog patrol!

Garden Services Great Bookham Hedgehog Patrol

Our garden-friendly little friends…

Our Ed’s Operators are very fond of hedgehogs. We meet them on occasions when we are gardening and they really are a force for good . Hedgehogs are very effective pest controllers and love nothing better than a good compost heap to curl up in. They eat bugs and other pests and quietly go about their business without causing any trouble at all. They are quite shy creatures but we do meet face to face from time to time. When they see us, they tend to wander off to a quiet spot in the garden and mind their own business.

However, yesterday Dan was driving between gardening jobs in Great Bookham and found this cute little fellow wandering just a bit too close to the main road. Hedgehogs (as their name would suggest!) love sleeping in hedges and when these hedges border busy roads, it can lead to trouble when they wander out for a bit of fresh air.

Dan did what any reliable Ed’s Operator would. He found a safe place to stop his Ed’s van, parked up and walked back to move the hedgehog to safety. However, he just had to get a quick photo of the little guy first as he was so very cute.

Bonfire Alert!

Hedgehogs are quite topical today, with it being 5th November. As well as compost heaps and hedges, hedgehogs are very partial to curling up in leaves and twigs. An unlit bonfire is a very attractive place for a hedgehog for a quick autumn nap.

So, please do be very vigilant this evening. Make sure you check through the unlit bonfire for any sleeping hedgehogs before you set the bonfire alight. If you find a hedgehog, use a handkerchief or dish towel or even a bunch of autumn leaves to gently pick him up. Then move him to a quiet spot before the bonfire and firework festivities begin. He will be very grateful for it!

16th October 201918th September 2020

Garden Services Bookham – Dan’s the man

Garden Services Bookham

Garden services Bookham required? Dan is your man!

The Background

Garden services Bookham? Look no more!

Experienced Ed’s Operator, Dan Bates, has been providing excellent gardening services in the Thames Ditton area for almost five years now. Although Dan has loved running his business in Thames Ditton, a change of family circumstances is now bringing him a new business focus. Why? Well, like many families, Dan and his family have recently moved out to Bookham. Consequently, Dan is looking to grow his business on his doorstep. Furthermore, he is really looking forward to the challenges that will bring him.

Therefore, Dan is developing his business in Bookham and surrounding areas including East Horsley, West Horsley and Clandon.

Garden Services Bookham -Dan’s Business

“Although we loved our life in Thames Ditton when our children were younger, we are now into the realms of different considerations. The children are growing all the time. Furthermore, in recent years we have added a dog into the mix! Consequently we definitely needed more space! Above all else, we are an outdoorsy family and we all love Bookham and the beautiful surrounding countryside to walk our dog in. We have now moved into our new house are all really excited about fitting into our new community. Also, I am really thrilled to have the opportunity to grow my business in a more rural setting.”

“I am providing a whole range of garden services as follows:-

Lawn Mowing
Turfing
Power washing
Garden tidy ups
Garden clearances
Fencing.”

Garden Services Bookham – Dan’s Priorities

” I have a lot of good experience to bring to my new customers. I take real pride in my work and I always focus on customer satisfaction. My reviews are testament to this. The way I see things is that I love a good job done. Above all, a job is only a really good one if the customer is delighted. That’s the real test'”

“However, I must confess, I really am very precise with how I like my lawns to look. This lawn is a very good example of some great stripes!”

Great garden services - beautiful stripy lawn

“However, there is a lot more to garden services than just lawn mowing . Also, the demands of the garden change over the seasons. Certainly, that’s the beauty of my job – the changing seasons bring always mixes things up a bit and life is never boring. And I definitely enjoy taking on a whole range of different types of jobs. Also, I am happy to tackle big ones as well as small ones. As they say, variety is definitely the spice of life!”

Finally, if you think that Dan can help you with any of your gardening requirements, please do get in touch for a no-obligation estimate.

18th September 201918th September 2020

Lawn mowing ready in Royal Tunbridge Wells

Lawn Mowing and other garden maintenance services …

David Ross would so much rather be lawn mowing than sitting in an office. David has just set up his own Ed’s business in Royal Tunbridge Wells. He tells us about his vision for his business…

My background…

“So how did I come to see my future in lawn mowing rather than Corporate life you may ask! My previous role was in Corporate sales but I have always had a real passion for gardening. I am so excited to have the opportunity to focus on my love of the outdoors and doing practical gardening work. It is great to be able to earn a living doing something I really love.”

My training…

“I am now fully trained and all ready to go. I havemy brand new Ed’s uniform and my vehicles smartly branded and I’m business-ready. It is my view (and the Ed’s ethos) that it is really important to have professional kit and vehicles as well as being able to do a very good job. I want to look smart for my customers to complement delivering excellent work. As far as I am concerned, it is all part of the package.”

“I shall be providing a whole range of garden maintenance services. In addition to lawn mowing, I am fully trained in:-

Hedge cutting
Turfing
Power washing
Garden tidy ups
Garden clearances
Fencing.”

“It is true that I have always done a lot of practical gardening jobs whenever I’ve had the opportunity. However, with Ed’s I’ve had comprehensive on the job training to ensure that I am ready to provide excellent service right from the start. I really liked that thoroughness about Ed’s when I was choosing the right franchise business for me.”

“My training has involved spending time with experienced Ed’s Operators to develop my knowledge and give me the right grounding for developing my business. I knew I had the underlying skill set for this line of work. However, I’ve really honed that and now have full confidence to go out and deliver excellent gardening services.”

“I mowed this lawn on one of my training days. I think the Ed’s Operator who took me out was really quite impressed. t’s true to say that I really do love my stripes!”

My goals…

“My main goal is to focus on satisfying customers and go the extra mile for them. I know that excellent customer service is key to building a really strong customer base. My business will thrive if I can build a foundation of loyal customers who come to me for repeat regular gardening services. That is the absolute key to a good, sustainable gardening business. “

“I am more than happy to help you with any of your garden maintenance requirements. Please do get in touch if you think I can help and I will be delighted to give you a free estimate.”

21st August 201918th September 2020

Lawn mowing…and a lot more besides

Beautifully mowed garden with stunning flowersStunning garden with flowers

The background

Lawn mowing is quite a big thing for Bob Dulieu, our Ed’s Operator in Horsham. He tends to do a lot of lawn mowing, especially over the summer months. However, with one of Bob’s customers, lawn mowing doesn’t come into his service at all . It’s actually another of Bob’s skills that has come into play recently! Bob tells all…

The remit (no lawn mowing required)

“I’m very lucky to help to look after a beautiful garden locally. The garden is not only beautiful but is quite large as well. The first time I saw the garden, I could see that a lot of love and hard work had been focused on it.”

“The owners are a lovely couple who have lived in their property for a number of years. Over the years, the gentleman has spent a great deal of time in his garden. He has always taken great pride in it. Although taking care of it was always quite a big commitment, he loved seeing the results of all his hard work.”

“As time moved on, the demands of the garden started to be an issue. However, it was a difficult matter as the owner really didn’t want to get out of the driving seat, as it were. The couple really needed some help but it had to be someone the customer could get along well and trust to do exactly what he wanted done with his garden. It would have been heartbreaking for someone to come in and ruin the fruits of all his labours.”

The arrangement

“I was very sensitive about the situation from the outset. As soon as I met the customers, I realised that the garden really meant a lot to them. Letting go was difficult and I needed to really listen to what they wanted from me.”

” We managed to come up with a solution which worked really well. The gentleman wanted to continue to mow the garden on his own and I would work alongside him doing all the rest, exactly to his specification. In effect, we got on really very well. We have now been doing that for a few years and we have got to know each other quite well. I always find myself looking forward to my time spent working together in the beautiful garden.”

The future

“Quite recently, my customers decided that it was time to bite the bullet and downsize. There is always the issue of leaving memories behind of a place where you have lived many years. In this case, it was even worse as there was the love for the garden to deal with as well.”

“My customers confided that, although it had to be the right thing to do, it was a real wrench for the gentleman to have to leave his cherished garden behind and he found it quite upsetting that he wouldn’t be able to see it any more. I was really quite affected by how upsetting the situation was for him”

Capturing the memories

” I found myself thinking about it quite a bit and then an idea came to me. In my previous life before Ed’s, I ran a professional photography business some years ago. We specialised in architectural and landscape photography and were one of the first companies to use drones in photography. We were acclaimed for our work and published in two magazines. I just knew that, given the mandate and the time to photograph it properly, I could do the garden justice and create some beautiful photographs to immortalise it for my client.”

” I was slightly nervous about suggesting it to my client’s wife. Not quite what you expect your gardener to suggest! She was really touched by the idea though and knew that her husband would just love the idea. She thought it would be even more special if we could keep it under wraps and just surprise him with the end result. A conspiracy was born!”

Tactics time!

“We plotted together that the customers would be away for a long weekend and I would have a window of opportunity to take my time and take all the photos I needed. I thoroughly enjoyed the task. It was even more enjoyable due to the fact that I suspected the final product would be much cherished.”

The grand finale

” Having done all the editing work necessary, I sent off my photos and had it made into a really beautiful book. Then we presented it to my customer and it was such an emotional moment. To say that the gentleman was completely overwhelmed by the gesture is an understatement. Even his wife underestimated just how much it would mean to him.”

‘Since then, I have had a number of calls from my customer, saying how appreciative he is and just how much the book means to him”

“It has been a wonderful experience for me as well. Going beyond the call of duty I suppose but the job satisfaction I got from being able to deliver that was just immense.”

Bob's customer's beautiful garden with beautifully mown lawn — Bob’s customer’s beautiful garden

If Bob can help you with any of your garden needs in the Horsham area, please just give us a call…

13th July 201918th September 2020

Lawn Mowing on a grand scale

Lawn mowing meadows by day…

Lawn mowing is something that Pierre and Penny Krycler know a lot about! Pierre and Penny run their Ed’s gardening business in Camberley and their days involve a lot of cutting grass. They really enjoy all their jobs but were tickled pink with this recent job. They have been running their Ed’s business for over five years. However, this was the first time that they have been asked to mow a meadow!

Pierre says,” It’s really good fun when we get new jobs such as this one as they are quite different from our usual garden maintenance jobs.”

Penny said,” We had a really good time doing this job. It was a challenging one on account of the size of the job. However, we always try our best to meet our customers’ needs and give each job our very best shot. The customer was very happy with the end result.”

Pierre added, “Penny also had some fun taking photos of this job. In some of them, it’s case of ‘spot the gardener’ – me!

…. and cultivating vegetables in their spare time

Pierre and Penny’s passion for gardening spills over to their home life as well. They are the first to admit that they have really caught the gardening bug since joining Ed’s. They take a lot of pride in maintaining their own lovely cottage garden in their spare time. Pierre and Penny are modest about it all but their vegetables are really quite something. It is no surprise that they tend to take their local village show by storm! Penny says, “It’s really funny but when we started growing vegetables it was just experimental. However, we realised that we are pretty good at it and now we take it a lot more seriously! You would think that, after a long day’s gardening, we would want to be couch potatoes. But no, we would rather be concentrating on the potatoes in the garden!”

Penny says “Our life sounds so quintessentially British – mowing meadows by day and cultivating our own vegetables for village shows in the evenings. In truth, it really is quite idyllic and we wouldn’t choose any other life.”

If you think Pierre and Penny can help you with any of your garden maintenance needs, please do get in touch.

5th June 20195th June 2019

Lawn mowing at its best

Lawn mowing in beautiful Norfolk

Gardening is what I enjoy, whatever the setting. However, this garden is something very special…

Lawn mowing is something that Stuart Thackeray is very good at. He runs his Ed’s business in rural Norfolk (North and West). Stuart recently shared with us a photo of one of his beautiful gardens. Stuart says ” This is a new garden that I’ve just added to my customer portolio. We’ve just mowed this very large lawn for the first time. The garden is a large woodland one in the most amazing of settings. The garden is truly stunning and a was a pleasure to be in.”

“Mowing this garden properly takes quite some time – two of us take more than two hours to get this result. However, who would complain about working hard in this beautiful environment! And just look at those stripes!”

“It is always so rewarding to see the results of your hard work and I must say I was very pleased to review the finished result here. It was a beautiful day as well and the birds were singing. I honestly don’t think you could dream up a more idyllic landscape.”

“We feel very privileged to be able to tend such wonderful gardens. However, no job is too big or small. Also, whilst we love mowing, we are always happy to help with a whole range of garden maintenance services. From mowing to hedges to jet-washing patios, turfing or fencing…Variety is the spice of life, as they say.”

Stuart joined Ed’s Garden Services in 2014 and started his business in New Malden in Surrey, having worked in London for many years. He loved running his garden maintenance business and enjoys providing excellent customer service but wanted to do it in a place he loved. Stuart had grown up in rural Norfolk and wanted to relocate back there to run his gardening business. He subsequently moved to Whissonsett, near Fakenham, to run his gardening business…. mission accomplished!

If you think Stuart and his team can help you with your garden’s needs, please do get in touch.

23rd May 201918th September 2020

Lawn Mowing – Bob’s earned his stripes

Bob’s Lawn Mowing – first cut for a brand new lawn

Bob Dulieu, our Ed’s business owner in Horsham, is proud of all his lawn mowing jobs but this one is just a little bit extra-special.

Bob told us why he is so proud of this lawn mowing job? “That’s because only a matter of months ago, this lovely lush lawn was just a rather scrappy piece of gravel. Hard to believe, isn’t it?”

From gravel to lawn mowing – the remit…

“We went to visit the customer to talk through exactly what they wanted. The customer really didn’t like the gravel bed and wanted something far more colourful. They were keen to have new lawn laid but only if it could look really good. We were confident that we could deliver in this respect.”

And so, this January (less than four months ago), Bob and his team (including Baloo the dog, Bob’s quality control manager) started work on the garden makeover.

The sequence of events…

Bob followed the sequence of events as follows:-

First of all, they dug out the gravel bed.
Next they added topsoil and loam
Finally…. they carefully returfed the whole area.

The newly laid lawn…

Luckily, Baloo had been on site throughout to check that everything was being done to the highest standard!

Bob was really pleased with the end result. But more importantly, what did the customer think. The customer was thrilled with the work carried out. They couldn’t believe the transformation and were delighted that Bob’s team were able to make such a difference to their garden. They were very keen for Bob to follow up with the lawn maintenance going forward.

A happy stripy ending…

Bob’s just been back to complete the first mow. He said ” It feels great to see this lawn looking so good. That’s because we have been responsible for every stage of it. If we hadn’t done the work to such a high standard, the end result could never have looked so good. As they say, the proof is in the pudding. I love my stripes and I think you’ll agree that these ones are the icing on the cake ‘”

The customer is even more delighted with the job now that they have seen the very end result.

And what’s Bob’s job now? “My job is to keep everything looking just as fantastic going forward!…Baloo will keep me on track of course!”

24th April 201918th September 2020

Lawn Mowing…and much more besides

Lawn Mowing and many other skills

Mark Stanton has just very recently set up his own gardening business in Ramsgate, providing lawn mowing and many other gardening services. We caught up with Mark to find out how he is getting on in the early days of his new venture. Over to Mark…

My Training

“Time really has flown since I decided to go ahead with setting up my Ed’s Gardening Business. Since starting, I’ve had great training on delivering all the core Ed’s services. These services are lawn mowing, hedge cutting, pressure washing, turfing etc. All my training needs have been rigorously covered and I’ve felt that I have been more than well-prepared for actually doing the job. In addition, I’ve found that the business skills training has been really good.

Ed’s Spring Training Session

I’ve been very lucky that an Ed’s Spring training session took place a couple of weeks ago. The timing for that was just perfect for me and the content was excellent. The training day gave me a great insight on how to grow my business successfully. In addition, I got the opportunity to meet a lot of other Ed’s Operators. The session really reinforced just what is achievable if you put the right building blocks in place as you go along.”

My Work

“I’ve had some really interesting gardening jobs already. I’m also meeting some really lovely customers and I’m thoroughly enjoying doing my absolute best to ensure that they are really happy with my work.”

A Huge Garden Clearance

“Recently, I’ve worked on a very large garden clearance as one of my first jobs. The garden had not been touched for almost twenty years and it was a big job with a high level of challenge. It’s definitely true that I got huge satisfaction from completing this job. It was a very physical job but immensely rewarding. “

“It was actually a really interesting job for me, a bit like a jigsaw puzzle. To start with, it was impossible to see what the layout of the garden was . It was just one big jumble with layers upon layers of years of growth. Gradually the footprint of the garden started to appear and I could see the care that had initially been taken it laying it all out and adorning it with garden seats and planters. To be honest, it was a bit like a mini Lost Garden of Heligan!”

“I really enjoyed the work but by far the best bit was the fact that the customer was hugely appreciative of the work I did. “

“And some photos of the after…”

My Five star reviews

“* * * * * Mark has done a fantastic job at my father in-law’s and has brought the garden back under control ready for regular maintenance, would recommend for all garden services.”

The value of a job well done

“I’m finding that I’m getting strong recommendations from happy customers already, which is wonderful for my confidence. I think that’s the best accolade you can get for your work, someone recommending you to a friend, family member or neighbour because you have made a great impression by doing a brilliant job for them. I get huge satisfaction from that.”

My thoughts for the future

“I suspected I would love doing gardening for a living and I do. It’s lovely to see spring all around and I can’t wait to develop my business as much as I can in the season ahead.”

“I know that the lawn mowing season is just beginning. I’m really looking forward to developing lawn mowing and hedge cutting and building u my regular customer base. “

Please get in touch…

Mark delivers all of the following core services:-

Lawn mowing
Hedge cutting
Turfing
Power washing
Garden tidy ups
Garden clearances
Fencing

Please give Mark a call if he can help you with any of your garden maintenance requirements in the Ramsgate area.