RESIDENTIAL LANDSCAPES
Jasper Green plans and designs residential landscapes across Sydney, from suburban backyards to whole properties, across the Inner West, Eastern Suburbs and North Shore. Most of our work starts with a garden that isn’t working: a layout that wastes space, a slope nobody uses, or planting left over from a renovation. We understand your goals and the opportunities and limitaitons of a space before recommending what should change.
Recent projects
Thornleigh
(Planting under way).
An unused corner of a suburban backyard turned into a flexible fire pit, seating and dining area, built by the owners from our working plans.
Glebe
(Construction in progress).
An exposed, empty backyard planted for shelter first, so a layered tropical garden can grow in a space that was too hot in summer and too cold in winter.
Who this service is for
This service suits homeowners with an open backyard, a garden that wraps around the house, or a whole property that needs to work as one. Many are partway through a renovation, or have just finished one and are left with the garden. Others have lived with their garden for years and want it to suit the way they live now. Small backyards belong here too, including the ones with a lawn, a shed and not quite enough room for everything on the list.
If your space is an enclosed, mostly paved courtyard, see Courtyards. For balconies, rooftops and apartment terraces, see Rooftops + Balconies. For front gardens, often with heritage overlay, see Front Gardens. Building a duplex? See New Builds + Developments.
Landscape issues we regularly resolve
- A compromised layout: a path that cuts the garden in two, an outdoor table in the wrong sun, a lawn too small to use. Having the courage to change what exists almost always delivers better results than working is there.
- Sloping yards: levels, steps and retaining decide how much of the garden you can actually use, and they are expensive to change once built. We bring in engineers where retaining walls need one.
- Existing trees: a mature tree shapes the site including shade, soil and root space, and council may protect it. We work with it’s microclimate, with an arborist’s input where needed.
- Sustainable, low-maintenance gardens: plants, soil, mulch and watering are chosen together so the garden copes with a Sydney summer without daily attention. Our guide to native groundcovers covers one part of that.
- After a renovation or build: gardens often inherit decisions made without them in mind, such as raised floor levels, stormwater outlets and services in awkward places. We work out what can still be changed and what the garden has to work around. More on planning the garden during a renovation.
How a landscape project runs
- Discovery Call (free, 30 minutes). We talk about the garden, what you’d like from it and what has held it back. We then email you a proposal for a Site Diagnostic.
- Site Diagnostic. A visit of one to two hours to investigate the slope, soil, sun, drainage, trees and the rules that apply, followed within 10 to 14 days by a written report and a recommended pathway. The Site Diagnostic page explains what it covers.
- Scope of Works. What you will receive and what it will cost, agreed before any further work begins.
- Reverse Brief. Our written account of your goals, priorities and constraints, for you to confirm or correct.
- Concept. A layout and planting direction for the whole garden.
- Working plans. Layout, levels, planting and materials documented in detail to enable pricing and construction.
- Construction support (optional). Site visits during the build to answer questions and keep the garden on track.
Our process page goes through each stage in more detail.
Fees
Residential landscape projects start from $2,000. The Discovery Call is free, the Site Diagnostic comes first, and the fee for the rest of the work is set in the Scope of Works once we know what the garden involves. Larger and steeper sites cost more, mainly because of levels, drainage and the amount of documentation they need. Payment is staged as the work progresses. Our guide to landscape design costs in Sydney explains what drives the fee.
Where we work
We work across Sydney. Most of our residential landscape projects are family homes on established blocks, often after a renovation or extension, in Leichhardt, Haberfield, Summer Hill and Marrickville; Woollahra, Vaucluse and Bellevue Hill; and Lane Cove, Mosman, Wahroonga and Thornleigh.
Who you’ll work with
Damian Norton founded Jasper Green on the view that good outcomes start with understanding people, places and the problems that connect them.
With a degree in design and a postgraduate certificate in garden design, he brings decades of experience in strategy and problem-solving to landscape work, based around careful investigation of each site and client needs.
Damian leads every Jasper Green project, from the first call to construction support, and brings in arborists, engineers and other specialists when a project or site needs them.
Frequently asked residential landscape questions
How long does a landscape project take?
The Site Diagnostic visit takes one to two hours, and the report follows within 10 to 14 days. Once the project is begun, a concept takes from two weeks and working plans from four weeks, with larger, steeper or more complex gardens taking longer. If you are working to a building or renovation deadline, mention it on the first call so the stages can be planned around it.
How much does landscape design cost?
Our fees start from $2,000 and are fixed in a Scope of Works after the Site Diagnostic, so you know the cost of the plans before you commit. Building the garden is a separate cost, paid to your landscaper, and it depends far more on levels, access, retaining, paving and drainage than on plants. Working plans also let different landscapers quote on the same basis.
How much maintenance will my garden need?
That is something you decide at the start. The time you want to spend in the garden is part of the brief, and plants, surfaces and watering are chosen to suit it. A garden planned for an hour a month looks different from one planned for a keen gardener, and both can work well.
How can I fit everything on my wishlist into a small backyard?
This really depends on the space and the ask, but often compromises have to be made. We prioritise your goals into what you will use frequently, seasonally and occasionally, then look for opportunities where features can be multi-functional and modular, such as steps wide enough to sit on or a lawn that doubles as play space. Anything left out is then a choice you make knowingly, not something discovered after the build.
Can I add a pool?
Often, yes, but a pool changes the whole garden: levels, machinery access, fencing rules, approvals and usable space. We plan the garden and pool as one space, and recommend bringing in a specialist pool builder early, so the pool and the garden are resolved together rather than one squeezed in around the other.
Do I need council approval for garden works?
Many garden works need no approval, but some do. Removing or pruning protected trees, taller retaining walls, decks, pools and work in heritage conservation areas can need a development application or a complying development certificate, and the rules vary between councils. The Site Diagnostic checks which apply to your property before you commit. Our article on council rules for Sydney gardens explores the possible consents required.
What is the difference between a landscape designer and a landscaper?
A landscape designer works out what the garden should be and documents it; a landscaper builds it. Keeping the two separate means the plan is made for your site rather than around the capabilities or preferences of a builder. This means you can compare multiple landscaping quotes to achieve the same design. If you are unsure who to call first, read should you hire a landscaper first?.
Start with a conversation
Tell us about your garden on a free 30-minute Discovery Call, and we’ll suggest the right first step.
