Sunshine Gardens: Celebrating 30 Years

from Henlow March 2022

British Pie Week

Celebrating 30 Years

(And still going strong!)

I cannot believe we have reached our 30th year in maintaining gardens in the North Herts/Beds area. In that time, we have maintained and landscaped 1000’s of gardens, big and small. It all started in 1992 when my full time Insurance job allowed me plenty of time during the day which helped with childcare for our two children, but still left spare time that I didn’t know how to fill. I loved maintaining our 100ft garden in Baldock, so I thought why not maintain and tidy other gardens too for extra income for my family. Back then we didn’t have internet and google so the only way to put our name out there was placing adverts in the local paper, Yellow Pages and Thompsons Directories. Although, if you missed the cut off point for the Directories then you had to wait for a whole year to get in! Our first job came in and off I trotted to quote, it was to dig up a small apple tree stump and roots - Easy job!?? (Or so I thought). The quote of £25 was accepted and I went round a day later with all my home DIY tools (How naive was I?). It was June, very hot and 5 hours later I managed to cut away the last of the roots. 5 hours!! I thought it would be a couple of hours at the most - welcome to the real world of professional gardening Dave. It didn’t put me off too much and I soon realised there was more to this gardening lark than I first thought. The adverts were working and soon had a steady stream of accepted quotes, which was great! However, after a month or two, it became apparent how many times the customers said, “I’m so glad you have actually turned up.” The gardening and landscaping industry was renowned for letting clients down, I was so shocked, and it dawned on me there was a huge gap in the market for reliable and regular gardeners. I made it my mantra, if I said I was coming to give you a quote, I would turn up and meet you! (Regardless of what happens) and I have remained steadfast to that ethos. One of earlier landscaping project was for The Hertfordshire Football Association in Letchworth Garden City. They had built a new stand, changing rooms and clubhouse and wanted their frontage completely landscaped. After planting a new 100ft hawthorn hedge along the perimeter, we commissioned bespoke double metal entry gates. We finished with a beautiful new lawn, eye-catching shrubs and trees to complete the project. That was 25 years ago and to this day I still get a buzz seeing it every time I go pass. The years have flown by since those early days and we’ve had some highs and lows on the way, our premises have been broken into three times – it was heart-breaking. We have also met some wonderful customers, some who have now sadly passed away. We now maintain over 300 client’s gardens/grounds (residential and commercial) on a regular weekly or fortnightly basis. I have a strong team of 7 gardeners who love their job ensuring our customers gardens are looking their best. We also have 2 landscapers who carry out all our fencing, patio, decking and artificial lawn projects and we are fortunate to be fully booked until the end of April 2022.

I feel very grateful to be in this situation when other companies have unfortunately suffered during the past 2 years. Of course, it’s not just about the gardening aspect which keeps us successful. We now have a great office team running everything behind the scenes, with Office Manager Stella Piper and Assistant Sarah Henderson, ensuring phones are answered in a timely manner and quotes are sent out within 48 hours of my quotation appointment, along with many other important and vital activities ensuring the business runs smoothly. Our regular clients receive a bi-annual Newsletter which keeps them informed of their schedule, what work we will be carrying out in the coming seasons amongst other articles. They also receive an automated email two days prior to a planned visit, keeping them informed all the way. Our teams are super friendly and amenable and use only the top of the range commercial machinery to carry out the work. We also take away all the green waste after the completion of each visit so no need to use brown bins. We invoice once per month and accept a whole range of payment methods including our new automated payments, credit/debit card, cheque, and BACS transfers. We make it as easy as we possibly can.

What do you want from your garden?

You are just one call or email away from sitting back, relaxing and letting us do all your hard work for you, so you can enjoy a lovely looking garden at the weekend. As well as garden maintenance, we also carry out one off tidy-ups, we love tackling garden nightmares and getting your outdoor space back into shape so you can utilise it again. Now is the best time to book your visit in readiness for Spring and Summer. Just Google “Sunshine Gardens Baldock” and see our 50 plus genuine 5-star reviews and testimonials for your peace of mind.

Do you have a garden that needs transforming? Can we help you with your landscaping project?

We can transform your tired and neglected gardens using our imagination and skills enabling you to enjoy your outdoor space. Book early though as we are already fully booked until the end of April/May 2022. Contact us for a free written quotation which will be sent to you within 48 hours. We are proud to be one of the most long standing and trusted garden maintenance and landscaping companies in your area.