Gardeners You Can Trust

ABOUT US & HOW WE WORK

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Q1: What services does Consciously Grown offer? Consciously Grown provides expert organic garden maintenance, estate and grounds management, kitchen garden design and care, bespoke planting plans, garden design, tree surgery and hedge management. Our focus is entirely on long-term horticultural care for large gardens, estates and rural properties across Kent, East Sussex and the Surrey borders. We work without chemicals, think horticulturally, and take genuine long-term responsibility for how your garden looks, grows and evolves.

Q2: How do I book a consultation or get started? The first step is to arrange a consultation — we visit your garden, spend time with you in the space, and listen. We want to understand what you love about your garden, what frustrates you, and what you'd like it to become. From there we put together a tailored programme of care. You can arrange a consultation through our website, by phone on 07476 740021, or by emailing team@consciouslygrown.co.uk. There's no obligation and no sales pitch — just an honest conversation about your garden.

Q3: What areas do you cover? We care for gardens across Kent, East Sussex and the Surrey borders. Our territory covers Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone, Kings Hill, West Malling, Wadhurst, Lamberhurst, Cranbrook, Goudhurst, Benenden, Edenbridge, Penshurst, Crowborough, Forest Row, Oxted, Limpsfield, Longfield, Eynsford, Orpington, Chislehurst, Petts Wood and many more towns and villages in between. If you're not sure whether we cover your area, please get in touch — we'd love to hear about your garden.

Q4: Do you offer one-off garden visits? For our core garden maintenance and estate management services, we focus exclusively on long-term programmes — this is where we add real value, building knowledge of your garden across the seasons and making decisions that compound over time. For lawn mowing in West Malling, Kings Hill, Wrotham and Offham we do offer one-off and seasonal visits. If you're looking for a one-off clearance we're happy to recommend someone, but if you want a team to truly care for your garden long-term — we'd love to talk.

Q5: What makes Consciously Grown different from other gardeners? Most gardeners maintain a garden — they arrive, complete a list of jobs and leave. We take a fundamentally different approach. We bring RHS-qualified horticultural knowledge, a fully organic and chemical-free methodology, and genuine long-term thinking to every garden we care for. We observe your garden across all four seasons, think ahead, and make considered decisions about what it needs next. We become your garden's memory — noticing what changed, remembering what worked, building on what we learn each visit. You don't need to manage us. We manage ourselves.

Q6: Are you qualified and insured? Yes. Our team includes RHS-qualified horticulturalists and NPTC-qualified arborists. We are fully insured, members of The Gardeners' Guild, and work to organic and regenerative principles throughout. We currently care for over 100 gardens across Kent, East Sussex and the Surrey borders.

Q7: Do you work organically? Yes — entirely. We work without synthetic chemicals, pesticides or herbicides across all our work. We manage weeds, pests and disease through horticultural knowledge, timing, companion planting and organic methods. We believe this produces healthier, more resilient gardens in the long run — and our clients, who value their land and its wildlife deeply, consistently agree. Your soil improves. Your wildlife thrives. Your garden becomes more beautiful every year.

Q8: How much does garden maintenance cost? Our garden maintenance is priced at £30 per hour. We work in half-day minimum visits — typically 4 hours for a single gardener or 2 hours for a two-person team. Most of our regular maintenance clients are on weekly or fortnightly programmes. For lawn mowing in the West Malling and Kings Hill area, visits start from £60. For a full maintenance programme we'll give you a clear proposal following our initial consultation.

Q9: Do you work with all sizes of garden? We specialise in large gardens, estates and rural properties — typically gardens where there is genuine horticultural complexity and where consistent, knowledgeable care makes a real difference. Our minimum visit is half a day. If you have a large established garden, a kitchen garden, an estate or grounds that deserve proper expert care, we'd love to hear from you.

GARDEN MAINTENANCE

Q: What does regular garden maintenance include? Our regular garden maintenance covers everything your garden needs to thrive throughout the seasons — border management and weeding, lawn care and mowing, seasonal pruning and cutting back, hedge management, mulching and soil health, seasonal planting, deadheading, tidying and general horticultural oversight. For estate clients we also manage kitchen gardens, orchards, greenhouse growing, wildflower areas and specialist plantings. Every programme is tailored to your garden — we don't have a standard checklist because no two gardens are the same.

Q: How often should my garden be maintained? It depends on your garden's size, planting style and the standard you want to maintain. Most of our clients are on weekly or fortnightly visits during the growing season (March to October) with monthly or 6-weekly visits in winter. Larger estates and gardens with kitchen gardens typically need weekly attention throughout the year. We'll recommend the right frequency after seeing your garden and understanding how you use it.

Q: How do I restore a neglected garden? Restoring a neglected garden requires a structured approach — first assessing what's worth keeping, then prioritising the most impactful work. We typically start with structural clearing (removing invasive plants, overgrown shrubs, and accumulated debris), before moving to soil improvement, lawn restoration and replanting. We always look for what can be saved and built upon rather than starting from scratch — established plants and mature structure are assets, not problems. A neglected garden is often an opportunity in disguise.

Q: What is the difference between garden maintenance and estate management? Garden maintenance typically refers to the regular, practical care of a garden — mowing, pruning, planting, weeding and seasonal upkeep. Estate management is a broader, more strategic service that encompasses the long-term horticultural planning and oversight of larger properties — managing multiple garden areas, productive growing spaces, woodland, orchards, wildflower meadows and grounds as an integrated whole. Consciously Grown provides both, with estate management clients typically receiving a more comprehensive programme of seasonal planning and horticultural oversight.

Q: Do you work in the Surrey borders area? Yes — we now cover the Surrey borders including Oxted, Limpsfield, Tandridge, Godstone, Lingfield and Westerham. These areas are within our regular working territory and we welcome enquiries from clients across the Surrey borders who are looking for expert organic garden care.

KITCHEN GARDENS & ORGANIC GROWING

Q: How do I start a kitchen garden? Starting a kitchen garden begins with choosing the right location — most vegetables need at least six hours of direct sunlight daily, so aspect is critical. Good soil preparation is essential: we always recommend improving the soil with organic matter before planting, as healthy soil is the foundation of a productive kitchen garden. Raised beds are ideal for most kitchen gardens as they provide good drainage, warm up quickly in spring and make management easier. We can design, build and plant a kitchen garden from scratch, or take over the management of an existing one — sourcing organic plants and seeds, planning the seasonal rotation, and managing the garden throughout the year.

Q: What vegetables grow well in Kent and East Sussex? Kent and East Sussex have a relatively mild, maritime climate that suits a wide range of vegetables. Reliably productive crops include courgettes, French and runner beans, tomatoes (especially in a greenhouse or against a south-facing wall), salad leaves, spinach, chard, beetroot, carrots, onions, garlic, potatoes, squashes and pumpkins. Brassicas — cabbage, kale, broccoli, sprouts — do particularly well in the heavier clay soils found across much of Kent. Soft fruit including strawberries, raspberries, currants and gooseberries also thrive. We plan kitchen gardens to ensure there is something to harvest in every month of the year.

Q: Can I grow citrus or fig trees in Kent? Figs do very well in Kent — they actually prefer slightly restricted root runs and a warm, sheltered wall. Some of our clients have productive fig trees in their walled gardens and against south-facing walls. Citrus trees can be grown in Kent but need winter protection — they're best kept in a greenhouse or conservatory over winter and moved outside during the warmer months. Lemon trees in large pots work well for clients with a sheltered terrace or courtyard. We can advise on the best approach for your specific site and microclimate.

Q: What is companion planting and how does it help? Companion planting is the practice of growing plants together that benefit each other — deterring pests, attracting beneficial insects, improving soil fertility or simply growing more successfully in each other's company. Classic examples include growing basil near tomatoes (deters aphids and whitefly), planting marigolds through vegetable beds (attracts hoverflies whose larvae feed on aphids), and growing nasturtiums as a sacrificial crop to draw blackfly away from beans. In our kitchen gardens we use companion planting throughout as a natural, chemical-free approach to pest management and garden health.

Q: How do you manage a kitchen garden organically? Organic kitchen garden management centres on building healthy soil, working with natural systems and avoiding synthetic inputs. We feed the soil with compost and organic matter, manage pests through companion planting, physical barriers and encouraging natural predators, control weeds through mulching and timely intervention, and rotate crops to maintain soil health and break pest and disease cycles. We never use synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilisers. The result is a productive, healthy, resilient kitchen garden that improves year on year.

Q: What fruit trees work well in a Kent garden? Kent has a long history of fruit growing — it's called the Garden of England for good reason. Apple, pear, cherry, plum, damson, quince and medlar all do extremely well in Kent's climate and soil conditions. For smaller spaces, trained forms — espaliers, fans and cordons — allow multiple varieties to be grown against walls and fences. We help clients select varieties appropriate for their soil type and aspect, choose rootstocks that suit the available space, and manage the trees through the seasonal pruning and care cycle that keeps them healthy and productive.

WILDLIFE & ORGANIC GARDENING

Q: How can I attract more bees and butterflies to my garden? Attracting pollinators starts with plant choice — selecting nectar and pollen-rich flowers across a long season, from early spring through to late autumn. Key plants include alliums, salvias, verbena bonariensis, echinacea, single-flowered dahlias, catmint, lavender, comfrey, borage and late-flowering sedums. Equally important is avoiding pesticides, which harm beneficial insects as much as pest species. Providing habitat — log piles, undisturbed corners, hollow stems left standing over winter — supports a much wider range of wildlife than planting alone. We design all our gardens with pollinators in mind.

Q: How do I make a wildlife pond? A wildlife pond is one of the single most impactful things you can do for garden biodiversity. The key principles are: a gently sloping edge (so animals can get in and out), a range of depths, no fish (they eat amphibian eggs and larvae), no chemicals, and aquatic and marginal planting that provides habitat and oxygen. Position in a spot that receives at least half a day of sun. Wildlife will find it quickly — pond skaters, water beetles, frogs, toads and newts typically colonise within the first season. We design and install wildlife ponds as part of our broader garden and estate work.

Q: What is regenerative gardening? Regenerative gardening is an approach that goes beyond simply sustaining a garden's current condition — it actively improves the underlying ecological health of the land over time. This means building soil organic matter, increasing biodiversity, reducing chemical inputs to zero, managing water naturally, and working with natural systems rather than against them. Over time a regeneratively managed garden becomes more resilient, more self-sustaining and more beautiful. The soil gets richer. The wildlife gets more diverse. The plants grow more vigorously. It's the approach we take with every garden we care for.

Q: What is the best organic slug control method? The most effective organic slug control combines several approaches rather than relying on any single method. Copper tape around raised beds and pots creates a physical barrier. Encouraging natural predators — hedgehogs, frogs, toads, ground beetles, thrushes — through wildlife-friendly gardening provides ongoing control. Removing hiding places (boards, debris piles) near vulnerable plants reduces slug habitat. Biological control using nematodes (Phasmarhabditis hermaphroditis) is highly effective and completely safe for wildlife. Evening patrols and hand picking is time-consuming but highly effective for small areas. We never recommend slug pellets — even organic iron phosphate pellets can harm wildlife in the wrong conditions.

SOIL, WEATHER & CONDITIONS

Q: Why is my garden waterlogged? Waterlogging in Kent gardens is usually caused by one of three things: heavy clay soil with poor drainage, compaction from foot traffic or machinery, or a high water table in low-lying areas. The solution depends on the cause. For clay soils, regular addition of organic matter — compost, leaf mould, grit — gradually improves structure and drainage. For compaction, aeration and avoiding working the soil when wet helps considerably. For persistent structural drainage problems, installing French drains or a soakaway may be necessary. Choosing plants that tolerate wet conditions — moisture-loving perennials, willows, alders — can turn a drainage problem into a garden feature.

Q: How do I improve clay soil? Improving clay soil is a long-term process that rewards patience. The single most effective thing you can do is add organic matter — well-rotted compost, leaf mould, green waste compost — regularly and consistently. Over several years this transforms the soil structure from sticky and compacted to friable and well-draining. Avoid working clay soil when it's wet as this destroys its structure. Growing green manures in bare areas over winter adds organic matter and prevents erosion. Never add sand to clay — it can make the problem worse. We take a long-term approach to soil improvement across all our client gardens.

Q: How often should I water plants during a Kent summer? Watering needs vary enormously depending on soil type, plant maturity and the specific summer conditions. Established plants in good soil generally need far less watering than people assume — deep, infrequent watering encourages roots to grow deeply, making plants more drought-resilient. New plantings and container plants need much more regular attention. The best time to water is early morning or evening to reduce evaporation. Clay soils retain moisture well but can crack when very dry. Mulching is the single most effective way to reduce watering needs — a 5-7cm layer of organic mulch dramatically reduces moisture loss from the soil surface.

Q: What's the best compost for gardens in Kent? For most Kent gardens, a good general-purpose peat-free compost works well for planting and potting. We always recommend peat-free for environmental reasons. For soil improvement, well-rotted farmyard manure or homemade garden compost is ideal. For ericaceous plants (rhododendrons, camellias, blueberries) you need a specifically ericaceous (acidic) compost. For raised vegetable beds, a mix of topsoil and compost works well — we often recommend a 50/50 blend. We never use peat-based composts and always source from sustainable suppliers.

SEASONAL GARDENING ADVICE

Q: What should I do in my Kent garden in spring? Spring in Kent typically arrives in earnest from late February, with growth accelerating through March and April. Key tasks include cutting back any perennials and ornamental grasses left standing over winter, dividing congested clumps of perennials, applying a top-dressing of organic compost to borders, starting seeds under cover, planting summer bulbs (dahlias, gladioli, cannas) once frost risk has passed, and beginning the lawn care season with the first mow of the year. In the kitchen garden, sowing begins in earnest from March — starting with hardy crops like broad beans, peas, onions and brassicas.

Q: When should I prune roses in Kent? Roses in Kent are typically pruned in late February to mid-March — when forsythia is in flower is a traditional guide. The timing varies slightly depending on the type: hybrid tea and floribunda roses are pruned hard, climbing roses are pruned more lightly after their main flush, and once-flowering old roses are pruned immediately after flowering in summer. Rambling roses are pruned in late summer. The key principles are cutting to an outward-facing bud, removing dead, diseased and crossing wood, and opening the centre of the plant to air circulation. We prune roses as part of our regular maintenance programmes.

Q: When should I prune lavender in Kent? Lavender in Kent should be pruned twice a year for best results. The first cut comes in late summer (August-September) after flowering — cutting back by about a third to keep the plant compact and encourage bushy growth. A lighter tidy in spring (April) removes any winter-damaged growth. Never cut lavender back into old wood — it won't regenerate from bare stems. Regular pruning keeps lavender plants young and productive. Old, woody lavender plants that have been left unpruned often need replacing rather than renovation.

Q: When is the best time to scarify my lawn in Kent? Lawn scarification in Kent is best done in early autumn — typically September to mid-October — when the grass is still actively growing and can recover before winter. This timing allows the lawn to fill in the gaps created by scarification before cold weather arrives. A lighter scarification can also be done in spring (late March to April) to remove the thatch that builds up over winter. Avoid scarifying during drought or when the ground is frozen or waterlogged. Always follow scarification with overseeding and feeding to support rapid recovery.

Q: What should I plant in autumn in a Kent garden? Autumn is one of the best planting seasons in Kent — the soil is still warm from summer but rainfall increases, giving plants ideal establishment conditions. Spring bulbs (tulips, narcissi, alliums, muscari) should be planted from September onwards. Bare-root trees, hedging and roses can go in from November. Hardy perennials transplant and establish beautifully in autumn. In the kitchen garden, garlic and overwintering onion sets go in from October, and winter brassicas, chard and spinach provide harvests through the colder months. Autumn is also ideal for improving soil — applying mulch and compost before winter locks in nutrients and protects soil structure.

BESPOKE PLANTING PLANS & DESIGN

Q: What is a bespoke garden planting plan? A bespoke garden planting plan is a tailored document that specifies exactly which plants should be placed where in your garden, based on your specific soil type, aspect, light conditions, existing planting and aesthetic preferences. Unlike generic planting guides, a bespoke plan is created after a visit to your garden and a genuine conversation about what you want to achieve. At Consciously Grown every planting plan is designed around what you already have — working with your garden's existing character rather than imposing a design on it. You receive a beautifully printed plan with individual plant profiles, a colour palette, notes on how the plants work together and practical planting guidance.

Q: Can a planting plan work for an established garden? Yes — and in fact most of our planting plans are created for established gardens. An established garden already has structure, maturity and often sentimental planting that should be respected and built upon. A good planting plan for an established garden identifies what's working well, introduces plants to fill seasonal gaps, and creates a more cohesive picture over time. We always work with what's already there rather than suggesting a clean slate — unless the client specifically wants to start fresh.

Q: What plants thrive in clay soil in Kent? Many wonderful plants thrive in Kent's clay soils. For shrubs: roses (which love clay), hydrangeas, viburnums, philadelphus and cotinus all perform excellently. For perennials: astilbe, hemerocallis (daylilies), rudbeckia, persicaria, geraniums and asters all thrive in clay. For trees: acer, malus (crab apple), sorbus and betula all do well. The key with clay is to improve it gradually with organic matter and to avoid working it when wet. We select plants specifically suited to your soil conditions as part of every planting plan.

Q: What are the best plants for a north-facing garden? North-facing gardens can be genuinely beautiful — many of the most elegant and interesting shade plants thrive in lower light conditions. Excellent choices include ferns (athyrium, dryopteris, polystichum), hostas, astilbe, digitalis (foxgloves), hellebores, epimediums, pulmonarias, tiarella, brunnera and hydrangea anomala petiolaris (climbing hydrangea). For structure, aucuba, mahonia, sarcococca and fatsia all perform beautifully in shade. The key is choosing plants that genuinely suit the conditions rather than fighting against them.

Q: How do I create year-round interest in my garden? Year-round interest is achieved through deliberate layering of plants with different seasons of peak performance. A well-planned garden has structural evergreens providing form and colour in winter, early bulbs and blossom in spring, a peak of perennial flowering in summer, seed heads and late flowers in autumn, and winter-flowering shrubs and berries to close the year. At Consciously Grown we design every planting plan with this seasonal arc in mind — ensuring there is always something beautiful to look at whatever the time of year.

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LOCAL & PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE

Q: Do you provide garden maintenance in Sevenoaks? Yes — we care for a number of beautiful large gardens across Sevenoaks and the surrounding villages including Seal, Kemsing, Otford, Shipbourne, Weald and Borough Green. Our RHS-qualified team provides year-round organic maintenance, kitchen garden care and estate management throughout the Sevenoaks district. Sevenoaks is one of our most established areas of operation.

Q: Do you cover Tunbridge Wells for garden maintenance? Yes — we work extensively across Tunbridge Wells and the surrounding villages including Southborough, Pembury, Bidborough, Speldhurst, Groombridge and the wider High Weald area. We provide organic garden maintenance, kitchen garden care and estate management throughout the Tunbridge Wells area.

Q: Can you manage a garden in Maidstone? Yes — Maidstone and the surrounding villages including Bearsted, Aylesford, Barming, Loose, Coxheath and Boughton Monchelsea are all within our regular working territory. We provide year-round organic garden maintenance and estate care across the Maidstone area.

Q: Do you cover the Surrey borders for garden maintenance? Yes — we recently extended our territory to include the Surrey borders, covering Oxted, Limpsfield, Tandridge, Godstone, Lingfield and Westerham. These affluent Surrey border villages are within our regular working area and we welcome enquiries from clients across this area looking for expert organic garden care.

Q: Can you manage a garden near Edenbridge or Penshurst? Yes — Edenbridge, Penshurst, Chiddingstone and the surrounding villages are within our working territory. This is beautiful garden country with many large, established properties and we actively work in this area.

Q: Do you work in Crowborough or the East Sussex High Weald? Yes — we cover Crowborough, Forest Row, Hartfield, Withyham and Groombridge in East Sussex. The High Weald is one of the most beautiful and botanically interesting areas in the south east and we care for a number of properties in this area.

Q: Who provides organic garden maintenance near Oxted? Consciously Grown provides expert organic garden maintenance, estate management and kitchen garden care across Oxted and the Surrey borders. We are RHS-qualified, fully organic and offer long-term horticultural care for large gardens and estates in the Oxted, Limpsfield and Tandridge area.

Q: Do I need planning permission for a garden room in Kent? Planning permission requirements for garden rooms in Kent depend on size, proximity to boundaries, and whether the property is in a conservation area or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Generally, a garden room under 2.5m high that covers less than 50% of the garden and is not forward of the principal elevation does not require planning permission as a permitted development. However rules vary and it's always worth checking with your local council — Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council, Sevenoaks District Council, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and Maidstone Borough Council all have permitted development guidance on their websites. This is not planning advice — always verify with your local authority.

ESTATE & LARGE GARDEN MANAGEMENT

Q: What does estate garden management include? Estate garden management with Consciously Grown typically covers regular grounds maintenance, seasonal planting programmes, border development and management, kitchen garden and productive growing care, tree surgery and arboricultural oversight, hedge management and topiary, wildflower and meadow management, orchard and fruit tree care, and the ongoing horticultural planning that keeps a large garden improving year on year. Every estate is different and we tailor our programme entirely to yours.

Q: How do you approach managing a large estate garden? Managing a large estate garden requires a different approach to standard garden maintenance. It begins with understanding the garden as a whole system — its different areas and their relationships, its seasonal rhythms, its existing character and what it's trying to be. We create a programme of care that balances the immediate (keeping everything looking good week to week) with the long-term (improving the soil, evolving the planting, managing the trees and structure for the future). We meet with estate clients regularly to discuss progress and plans, and we always involve the client in decisions that affect the character of their garden.

Q: Can you manage a garden with a kitchen garden, greenhouse and orchard? Yes — this is exactly the kind of complex, multi-element garden we specialise in. Managing productive elements alongside ornamental grounds requires specific horticultural knowledge — understanding crop rotation, seasonal sowing schedules, fruit tree pruning, greenhouse management and the integration of productive and ornamental planting. We care for a number of estates with exactly this combination of elements and take great pleasure in the complexity and variety it involves.

HOW WE WORK

Q: What happens at a garden consultation with Consciously Grown? A consultation typically takes 45-90 minutes depending on the size of your garden. We walk the whole space with you, listen carefully to what you love about it and what you'd like to change, assess the soil, the plants, the structure and the conditions. We ask questions — about how you use the garden, what matters most to you, what hasn't worked in the past. We then go away and put together a tailored proposal. There's no obligation and no hard sell. It's simply an honest conversation between people who love gardens.

Q: Do you give gardening advice as part of your service? Yes — sharing our horticultural knowledge is a natural part of how we work. We're always happy to explain what we're doing and why, suggest plants, discuss options and give our honest opinion about what would work best for your garden. Many of our clients tell us that working with us has genuinely increased their own knowledge and enjoyment of their garden. That's exactly the kind of relationship we want to build.

Q: How do you communicate with clients about their garden? We keep things straightforward. After each visit we're happy to leave brief notes about what we did and anything we noticed. For estate and large garden clients we schedule regular catch-up conversations — in person where possible — to discuss progress and plans. We respond to calls and messages promptly. We believe communication should feel natural and easy, not formal or transactional.