PLANTING DESIGN
Jasper Green plans planting for Sydney gardens where the layout is already in place, or is being handled by someone else. We start with the site: its sun and shade through the year, its soil and water, and the wildlife it could support. Then we choose plants that will still suit the garden in ten years, not only on the day they go in.
Recent projects
Thornleigh
(Planting under way).
A shaded corner on the bushland edge, planted with natives that belong beside the bush, and only low groundcovers inside the pool fence’s no-climb zone.
Asquith
(Completed 2026)
An east-facing terrace with only morning sun, planted with forest-floor tropicals that stay green all year
Who this service is for
This service is for owners whose garden layout works but whose planting doesn’t: beds that never fill out, shrubs that have swallowed the path, or planting inherited from previous owners that no longer suits the house. Others want more birds, bees and lizards, or a garden that needs less water and less of their weekend. We also prepare planting plans for developers keeping an existing garden’s structure, and for landscapers whose clients want more than a standard plant list.
If the paving, levels or layout need to change too, see Residential Landscapes, Front Gardens, Courtyards or Rooftops + Balconies.
Planting issues we regularly resolve
- Plants that keep failing: replacing a dead plant with the same plant usually repeats the loss. We work out why it failed first, from the hours of sun across the seasons, the soil, the drainage and what else is competing for water, then choose for the conditions the garden really has.
- Dry shade and root competition: under established trees and in the shadow of buildings, the soil is often dry and crowded with roots. We use plants that tolerate those conditions, plant them at a size that can establish, and keep new planting out of the way of the tree’s roots.
- Wildlife and habitat: layered planting, from canopy to shrubs to groundcover, with locally native species where they suit, gives birds, insects and lizards food and shelter through the year. Plants listed as weeds in your area are left out. Our article on native groundcovers covers one layer in more depth.
- Water use: plants are grouped by how much water they need, chosen for Sydney’s rainfall and mulched to hold moisture, so irrigation goes only where it is needed. The maintenance guide sets out watering through establishment and beyond.
- Privacy and maintenance: screening is chosen to reach the height you need without outgrowing the space, and mixed rather than planted as a single species, so one pest or disease can’t take out the whole screen. Every plant is matched to the time you actually have for the garden.
How a planting project runs
- Discovery Call (free, 30 minutes). What’s growing now, what isn’t, and what you’d like the garden to do. A Site Diagnostic proposal follows by email.
- Site Diagnostic. Roughly an hour in the garden, looking at light, soil, drainage, the plants and trees worth keeping, and the wildlife already visiting. A written report with our recommended next step follows in 10 to 14 days. See the Site Diagnostic page.
- Scope of Works. The plans you’ll receive and a fixed fee for them, set before we start.
- Reverse Brief. Your priorities and limits in writing, for you to confirm.
- Planting concept. The character of the planting, its structure, the key species and where each layer sits.
- Planting plan and plant schedule. Every plant located, with species, quantities and pot sizes, ready for you, a landscaper or a gardener to buy and plant. A maintenance guide with irrigation notes comes with it.
- Construction support (optional). Checking plant stock on delivery and helping set out the plants before they go in.
Our process page covers each stage.
Fees
Planting projects start from $1,500, following a Site Diagnostic. The first call is free. Once we understand the site, the planting plan is quoted as a fixed fee in the Scope of Works and paid in stages. Larger gardens, more layers of planting and detailed habitat or water planning are what usually increase it. For a broader picture, read our guide to landscape design costs in Sydney.
Where we work
We work across Sydney. Planting projects take us from the terraces and cottages of the Inner West and Eastern Suburbs to established gardens on the Lower North Shore, and to bushland-edge properties on the Upper North Shore, where new planting has to sit comfortably beside the bush.
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 planting questions
Should we use natives or exotics?
Usually a mix works best. Locally native plants support the most wildlife and are suited to the local soil and rainfall, so they form the backbone of most planting plans. Exotics can add flowers, scent or structure, or suit the style of a period house. What we avoid are plants that spread into bushland, which councils list as weeds.
How long until the garden looks established?
Groundcovers and grasses usually fill in within one or two growing seasons, shrubs take two to three years, and trees longer. Planting at larger pot sizes or closer spacing gives a fuller look sooner but costs more, so the plan balances the two against your goals and budget. Planting in autumn or late winter allows plants to establish before the summer heat, and gets a full growing season behind them sooner.
Can we keep some of our existing plants?
Often, yes. Healthy trees and shrubs that suit the site give a new planting scheme maturity from the first day. The Site Diagnostic identifies which plants are worth keeping, which need care, and which are working against the garden.
Can our own landscaper or gardener plant it?
Yes. The planting plan and schedule are written to be installed by others, with every plant, quantity and pot size listed, as well as location details with measurements. If you’d like, we can check the plants on delivery and help set them out before planting starts.
What do we receive?
A planting plan showing where every plant goes, a schedule listing species, quantities and pot sizes, and a maintenance guide covering pruning, feeding and irrigation through establishment and beyond.
Will the garden bring in wildlife?
Planting can provide food, shelter and water, but what arrives depends on what already lives nearby. Connected canopies from adjacent properties helps to establish ecosystems and wildlife corridors. A garden close to bushland or a park will see more visitors sooner, while even a small inner-city garden can attract bees, butterflies and small birds over time when it offers flowers through the year and dense shrubs for cover.
Start with a conversation
Tell us about your garden on a free 30-minute Discovery Call, and we’ll suggest the right first step.
