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Garden Landscaping Tips for Beginners

A great design begins with the proper landscaping to showcase your property. Garden landscaping can seem daunting at first if you’re new to it, but really there are some simple steps you can follow to have a beautiful yard your neighbours will envy. From plant selection and placement to soil needs and light conditions - learn everything you need to know about garden landscaping. ...

What To Do In The Garden This November

November is a busy month in the garden, with spring truly underway & lots of new growth.  To help with that new growth & also future proof your garden for what might be a long hot summer, feeding & mulching are two jobs that can really help your garden thrive over the coming months....

Swimming Pool Landscape Design | An Overview

At Sculpt Gardens, we have worked closely with homeowners to create the swimming pool of their dreams.  We consider the positioning, surrounding landscape, and gardens to ensure a cohesive, stunning effect that sits well with their existing home and gardens. You can create an oasis in your own backyard and we can help your vision become a reality. Swimming pools are not just a positive addition for your enjoyment. They also increase the value of your home. An outdoor pool is even more ...

Function First | Landscape Design Ideas for Busy Families

With all that comes with family life, it can seem that there’s always too much to do, and never enough time – and certainly not for pulling weeds. Having a garden at home doesn’t mean that you have to devote all of your precious spare time to it.By choosing a low-maintenance design that is suited to your backyard, you can have the green spaceof your dreams and still have time for the important things.Read on for Sculpt’s tips on planning a landscape design that is low maintenance AND wor...

How To Choose The Perfect Water Feature For Your Garden

Have you ever thought about incorporating a water feature into the design of your backyard, but unsure where to start? Water invokes feelings of calmness, serenity and balance. Your garden likely already includes manyof the five zodiac elements – wood, fire, earth and metal...is water the missing link to creating yourbalanced backyard paradise? While we might usually associate the sounds of running water with the wild, you can absolutelyincorporate a slice of the great outdoors into your own A...

The 10 Garden Makeover 'Must Do's That'll Literally Add Thousands To Your Sale Price

Get your trees & hedges trimmed.Get weeds under control - weed beds, weedspray pathways, driveways & front kerbway.Mulch garden beds and top up aggregates such as pebbles, shell or stones.Weed & refresh pots and containers - make sure there is something simple & attractive at the front door.Put away or fold down washing line.Remove all dead or ugly plants and remove dead / brown leaves from remaining plants.Feed and weed lawn 4 - 6 weeks before you sell.Waterblast pathways and driveways if ...

Garden Design in the North Shore: Our Top 5 Tips

We happen to be North Shore Auckland experts! We know the soil, the weather and the best ways to get the most out of your beautiful garden.Our team at Sculpt Gardens got together and decided to share our top garden design tips specifically for this part of Auckland; with these little know-hows up your sleeve, you’ll be creating a successful and stunning North Shore garden in no time at all....

Your Ultimate Guide: Design A Native New Zealand Garden

We’re incredibly lucky to have a wide range of beautiful New Zealand native plants in this stunning country of ours. Due to our unique eco-system, they’re often the most sustainable solution for your garden too (and are usually low maintenance!).  One of the best ways to attract wildlife - especially birds - is to design a garden with plants native to Aotearoa, and we’ve got you covered with this ultimate guide to get you started! Ready to wake up to the sound of a Tui call in your ga...

Auckland Home Sellers Landscape Checklist

Landscaping your Auckland property, ready to hit the market at top-price? Here’s our quick checklist to ensure you’ll stand out to all those potential buyers....

Tropical Garden Design: Everything You Need To Know

A tropical garden design style is all about the density of planting. Tropical plants are mostly about the leaves rather than the flowers; many have glossy, and often quite large, leaves with patterns on them, or foliage that has distinctly different colours on the top and underside. In a tropical landscape, the aim is to create a closely planted garden where plants appear to jostle for space. Plants should be chosen based on their height, size, shape and texture of their leav...

Garden Ideas For A New Zealand Summer

If you haven’t been out in the garden much over the wet winter, one of the first things to tackle is your outdoor furniture – yip, we’re talking about giving it a good clean! A scrub with warm water & sugar soap will get your furniture looking as good as new. To clean your deck, brush the timber down with a soft broom to remove any dirt or leaves. A high pressure cleaner will wash away any remaining dirt. Next up we suggest you use a deck clean product to thoroughly clean the area, before...

What To Do In The Garden This October

Now is the time for planting tomatoes & all your other summer vegetables.  Prepare your beds by adding new compost & sheep pellets....

What To Do In The Garden This September

It is officially the start of spring! With the evenings getting longer, we have a few more daylight hours to potter in the garden in the evening. Spring is about preparation and getting the soil ready for all the growth that will occur in the warmer months....

Low Maintenance Gardens | Easy Landscaping For Rental Properties

More often than not, when we chat with clients with rental properties we hear a common question, “What’s an easy landscaping choice for a rental?”. Rental property gardens need to be low maintenance, while still looking attractive to potential tenants (us Kiwi’s love the quarter acre dream!).  By making smart choices right from the beginning on garden layout, plantings, and surface choices, you can achieve a low maintenance solution which still looks attractive, adds value to your...

How to Landscape a Small Backyard

Just because you have a smaller garden, doesn’t mean you can’t stand out.  Make the most of your small backyard with these easy garden landscape design ideas. Maximum impact with half the space!...

What To Do In The Garden This August

We get excited in August as it is rose pruning time.  Roses aren't really meant to grow in Auckland.  It never really gets cold enough for the rose to 'hibernate', rest and recover before having to produce those beautiful blooms.  That is why they need to be regularly fed to keep them growing & producing and why we try to prune in the coldest months, when there is less chance they will actively grow. If you have roses and would like them to be professionally pruned this year, get...

What To Do In The Garden This July

Welcome to July - in NZ gardens this is a great month to continue winter planting with seasonal plants. Roses, fruit trees & camellias are all looking fresh & healthy in garden centres.  Remember to use a good quality garden mix & fertiliser when planting. Now is also a good time to mulch to suppress those weeds, keep plant roots warm & improve soil structure. If you are wondering about roses - we are August rose pruners here & will be sharing rose pruning tips & techniques next month. Here...

8 Top Tips From a Garden Designer

Creating your ideal backyard is all about designing a beautiful garden that’s perfect for your needs. However landscaping your garden to a professional standard can seem like a massive feat when you’re looking at a blank canvas -  where do you start? Do you have a consult with a garden designer, hire a landscaper, or give it a go yourself?It’s crucial to note that homes that are landscaped can increase in value; which is essential if you are looking at selling in the near future. The ...

What To Do In The Garden This June

Welcome to June - I hope you are enjoying the colourful display from the Camellias this month.  They can be slow growing, but the pretty petals and glossy leaves are hard to beat as a hedge or as a stand alone shrub at this time of year. Prune in June is a bit of mantra for our team for those trees that have finished fruiting - such as feijoas.  Make sure your tools are sharp and clean to help prevent disease spreading between your plants.  We use Dettol wipes for our tools betwe...

How To Keep Your Plants Alive!

You take it home and plant it. Easy! Surely the sun and rain should take care of it, right?1 week later you’re looking at a severely drooping plant and wondering where on earth you went wrong.Perhaps unsurprisingly, there are a few expert tricks to make sure your plants stay alive and thus ensuring your garden looks gorgeous all year around.  Luckily for you, we’ve put together a handy checklist to ensure your planting is always successful....

What To Do In The Garden This May

Welcome to May - I hope that you have a source of juicy large feijoas, surely one of the best things about autumn time.   We were lucky last week to be tidying a garden with a huge feijoa fall, which weren't loved by the tenants.  We happily tidied them away and took them home to grateful children. We've highlighted a few May jobs that will keep you busy on sunny days in your garden. Enjoy the month of May.   Claire & the team from Sculpt Gardens...

7 Tips To Create a Low Maintenance Garden

A gorgeous garden that’s low maintenance, designed with impeccable style, and looks good all year around. Sound like a dream?Fortunately for you, a low maintenance garden is totally achievable. With a few simple tips and tricks you can create a gorgeous garden that you’ll love to spend time in, without the fuss.The key to this look is to embrace your inner minimalist, plan your landscaping with maintenance in mind from the beginning, and choose your planting wisely....

How To Plan Your Outdoor Entertaining Area

Landscaping in Auckland is often about utilizing outdoor space for entertaining! If you plan to use your deck or patio for entertaining, follow these guidelines for planning the right size space....

What To Do In The Garden This April

If you have trees & shrubs to plant, now is the time to do it so they can establish over the cooler, wetter months.  ...

How To Choose The Perfect Plants

Autumn is the best time of year to plant new specimens into your garden.  For many, plant shopping usually ends in one of two ways — buying a few random 'pretty plants' or not buying anything at all because you don't know what will look good or grow well. Read on to pick up some of our top tips to help you choose the perfect plants for your Auckland garden....