Planting Design & Garden Borders in Newbury
Garden design, patios, planting and full landscaping across West Berkshire. Free surveys, fixed written quotes, tidy workmanship.
Newbury Landscaping designs and plants borders across Newbury and West Berkshire, and everything we plant starts from one fact: this is chalk country. Free-draining, low in nutrients, alkaline at pH 7.5–8 — brilliant for half the plants in the nursery and a slow death sentence for the other half.
That's why we work to the RHS right-plant-right-place principle rather than a wish list. Get the match right and borders here romp away with barely any irrigation; get it wrong and you replant every spring. Every scheme is priced as a fixed written figure after a free visit.
What thrives on West Berkshire chalk
The downland flora gives the game away: this is lavender, salvia and ornamental grass country. Mediterranean and steppe plants — lavender, rosemary, nepeta, verbena, euphorbia — love the sharp drainage. Roses do well with generous feeding. Yew, box alternatives, viburnum and osmanthus give evergreen bones. What sulks or dies is the acid-loving catalogue: rhododendrons, camellias, most heathers and blue hydrangeas all want the ericaceous soil we simply don't have, and no amount of feeding changes the chemistry underneath. We'll say so plainly rather than sell you plants that will fail.
Designing for twelve months, not June
Structure first
Evergreens, clipped forms and small trees hold the border together in January when everything else has gone to ground.
Succession
Bulbs into early perennials into late salvias and grasses — planned so something is always carrying the border, April to November.
Winter interest
Seed heads left standing, cornus stems, grasses that catch frost — the layer most gardens forget.
Soil improvement
Chalk is thin and hungry, so every bed gets organic matter dug in and a 50mm mulch to hold moisture through summer.
Planting costs in Newbury
| Work | Guide price (2026) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Border planting, 2–3L stock | £45 – £75 per m² | Design, plants, prep, mulch |
| Border planting, larger stock | £80 – £140 per m² | Instant-impact 5–10L plants |
| Standalone planting plan | £350 – £750 | Drawn to scale, plant-by-plant |
| Bed preparation only | £15 – £30 per m² | Clearance, compost, mulch |
2026 guide prices. Bigger stock costs more and looks finished sooner; smaller stock establishes better on dry chalk. The written quote sets it out both ways.
Borders that work with the rest of the garden
Garden design
Planting as part of a full garden masterplan.
Hedging & screening
The living boundaries around the borders.
Frequently asked questions
Ready for a free, no-obligation quote?
Call 01635 884658