Planting
Native Planting 101: Right Plant, Right Place
The single habit that predicts whether a planting thrives or limps along: choosing species suited to the climate and soil you actually have, not the one in the catalog photo.
Gardens designed to be lived in.
Real designers, photorealistic plans, and everything you need to bring your outdoors to life — or learn to design it yourself.
4.9 rating 2,300+ gardens designed Own your plans
Real Projects
The smartest path to a garden you love.
Design Packages
Pick the plan. We design the rest.
Where are we designing?
Essential
Backyard
$995
A focused concept for one zone — planting palette, layout, and a clear shopping list.
- One design concept
- Planting & materials list
- One revision round
- 2D layout plan
Most Popular
Classic
Backyard
$1,395
Our most-loved package. Full design with photorealistic 3D and builder-ready detail.
- Two design concepts
- Photorealistic 3D renders
- Two revision rounds
- Build-ready plan set
- Plant care guide
Signature
Backyard
$1,995
The white-glove tier — senior designer, unlimited revisions, and builder matching.
- Senior designer lead
- Unlimited revisions
- Lighting & irrigation plans
- Vetted builder matching
- Priority timeline
Groundwork School
Or learn to design it yourself.
Our courses teach the exact process our designers use — site reading, planting design, and plans a builder can price.
Browse Courses
Why Groundwork
A fundamentally better way.
01
Design solutions for every garden
Courtyards, slopes, rentals, blank paddocks — every space gets a considered plan, not a template with your address on it.
02
In-house experts, vetted builders
Horticulturists check every plant palette against your climate. When you are ready to build, we match you with builders we would use ourselves.
03
Own your design, build on your terms
Your files are yours. Build it all at once, stage it over seasons, or plant it yourself with our course in hand.
The Honest Comparison
4.9 · 2,300+ reviewsWhere each path really lands.
Groundwork Traditional landscaper DIY
Design expertise
World-class designers, onlineDIY — Solo guessworkTraditional landscaper — Whoever is local
World-class designers, online
Ability to visualise the result
Photorealistic 3DDIY — Pinterest & hopeTraditional landscaper — 2D plans
Photorealistic 3D
Speed & certainty of process
Guided, fixed-feeDIY — Fast but unguidedTraditional landscaper — Site visits, open quotes
Guided, fixed-fee
Ownership of your plans
Files are yoursDIY — Nothing build-readyTraditional landscaper — Locked to one firm
Files are yours
Path to construction
Vetted builders, optionalDIY — Cold callsTraditional landscaper — Their crew only
Vetted builders, optional
Hover any marker for the detail. Positions reflect what 2,300+ homeowners told us mattered most.
Take the Better PathClient Stories
Tens of thousands living better outside.
“Better than we imagined — and half what a local firm quoted for drawings alone.”
“The 3D render sold my husband before the first plant went in.”
“They captured a vision I could not articulate myself.”
“Our builder said it was the clearest plan set he had ever been handed.”
“Did the course, planted it myself, still get compliments weekly.”
“From dirt patch to dinner parties in one spring.”
Before & After
Explore the transformations.
BeforeCompacted lawn, no structure, nowhere to sit — the classic blank canvas.
AfterLayered planting, a place to gather, and a garden that earns the golden hour.
Learn how to do this yourself with our courses.
Explore the CoursesThe Community
You don't garden alone here.
Monthly live sessions, plant swaps, design critiques, and a few thousand people who also check the weather for their plants.
Join the CommunityThe Journal
All posts →Notes from the studio.
Design Process
Before You Build: Reading Your Site Like a Designer
Before a single plant or paver is chosen, we spend real time just standing in the yard. Here is what we're actually looking for, and why skipping it is the most expensive mistake in landscaping.
Outdoor Living
Small Courtyards, Big Ideas
A tiny courtyard doesn't need to feel cramped. Seven layout moves our designers reach for again and again to make small outdoor spaces feel generous, layered, and finished.
Live a better life outside.
Tell us about your space. A designer reviews every quote request personally — no bots, no obligation.
Design from $995Free quote · designer reviewed
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