Structure first
Trees and evergreen shrubs go in first — they define the garden's shape and take longest to mature. Everything else is planted around them.
Priced by area
Five bands. Fixed prices.
Five bands. Fixed prices.
Named saplings.
Garden work goes wrong when it is quoted vaguely and revised halfway through. So we banded ours by area — each with a fixed inclusive price covering the survey, the drawings, the planting plan and a sapling package listed species by species, agreed before anyone picks up a spade.
📐 Measured survey
Dimensions, levels, existing planting, services and access — recorded, not estimated from a photo.
🧪 Soil test
pH plus NPK on every band, with the amendment quantities written into the plan.
☀️ Sun & wind study
Where the light actually lands across the day and the seasons. This decides the whole layout.
📖 Drawings you keep
The plan is yours whoever builds it. We are not holding your garden design hostage.
The five bands
Find your area
Prices are inclusive for the Beppu / Oita City area and cover the plan plus the sapling package listed. Hardscape, lawn and irrigation materials are itemised separately in your quote.
Side by side
What each band includes
| Included | Balcony | Courtyard | Family | Estate | Farm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measured survey | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Soil test + amendment plan | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (full baseline) |
| Scaled layout drawing | Sketch | 2D | 2D + zones | 2D + contours | Field layout |
| Planting schedule | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Rotation calendar |
| Sapling package | 7 plants | 27 plants | 52 plants | ~160 plants | To plan |
| Raised beds built | — | 2 | 4 | Optional | Field beds |
| Irrigation | Solar drip | 1 zone | Multi-zone + timer | Automated multi-zone | Mains + hydrants |
| Lawn / meadow | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | Cover crop |
| Composting system | Bokashi | Tumbler (option) | Tumbler included | Three-bay | Compost yard |
| Lighting scheme | — | Optional | Optional | ✓ | Task lighting |
| Follow-up visits | 2 / 90 days | 2 / 90 days | Quarterly, 12 months | Phased, 5 years | Season-long |
| Install time | 1 day | 3–4 days | 1–2 weeks | 3–6 weeks | Per site |
Plant counts are typical for the mid-point of each band and are finalised after the survey.
Before you enquire
How to measure your space in five minutes
You do not need anything precise to get a useful first answer from us. A rough rectangle and a compass direction is genuinely enough to place you in a band.
1
Pace the two longest sides
One normal stride is close to 0.75 m. Multiply the two figures for an approximate area in square metres.
2
Note which way it faces
Stand with your back to the house and check your phone compass. South-facing changes everything about what will grow.
3
Count the hours of direct sun
Under 3 hours is shade, 3–6 is part sun, over 6 is full sun. Check at three points in the day if you can.
4
Photograph it from all four corners
Four wide photos tell us more about levels, walls and existing planting than any amount of description.
5
Dig one hole and fill it with water
Thirty centimetres deep. If it has not drained within four hours, we are designing around a drainage problem.
Between two bands? We quote the lower band and add the difference by the square
metre rather than pushing you up. Ask and we will show you the arithmetic.
Plant in autumn if you can. Saplings planted October–November get a full season of
root growth before their first summer. It is the single biggest factor in whether they survive.
Sapling packages
What "a sapling package" actually means
Not a vague allowance. A written list of species, pot sizes and positions, agreed before purchase.
Something to eat
Every band above balcony includes at least one fruiting tree. Yuzu, fig, persimmon or ume, chosen for your soil, aspect and how much shade you can accept.
Something for pollinators
Perennials and companion flowers are not decoration. Without them your fruit set drops and your aphid problem gets worse.
Spaced for maturity
Planted at final spacing, not at what looks full on day one. A garden that looks slightly sparse in year one looks right in year three.
90-day guarantee
We plant it, you follow the written care schedule, and if it fails inside 90 days we replace it at no cost.
Swap freely
Do not want persimmon? Swap it. Any species of equivalent value can be exchanged at planning stage at no charge.
Plan questions
Before you commit
Half of it, yes. If you appoint us for the build within six months of receiving the plan, 50 % of the plan fee is credited against the build cost. If you take the drawings elsewhere, you owe us nothing further — the plan is yours outright.
Hardscape materials (paving, stone, timber beyond the listed beds), lawn turf, irrigation pipework and fittings, lighting hardware, and any tree surgery on existing trees. All are itemised separately with supplier prices shown — we do not mark materials up invisibly.
Survey within one to two weeks of booking. Drawings ten to fourteen days after the survey. Then the install is scheduled to the right planting season — which for trees and shrubs means we will often recommend waiting until October rather than planting into a Kyushu June.
Frequently — the balcony and courtyard bands are designed for it. Everything is container-based, fixings are landlord-safe or freestanding, and the whole garden can be lifted and moved when you do. Tell us it is rented at enquiry stage and we design accordingly.
Yes, and for estate and farm bands we usually recommend it. The plan is drawn in full, then built in phases you can afford — structure and soil first, hardscape second, detail planting last. Nothing gets dug up twice.
That is what the soil test is for, and it happens more often than you would think — particularly on new-build plots where the topsoil was scraped off. The amendment plan and its cost are written into the quote before you commit, so it is never a mid-project surprise.
Start a plan