For people who are tired of replacing their gardener.
Qualified horticulturists maintaining established gardens in Toorak, Hawthorn, Kew, Malvern, South Yarra and Armadale. The same team, every fortnight, for as long as you'd like.
Qualified horticulturists
Formal qualifications. Not just experience.
The same team, every visit
No subcontractors, ever.
Inner east only
Six suburbs. Exceptional depth.
Well Tended is a premium recurring garden maintenance service operating exclusively in Melbourne's inner east: Toorak, South Yarra, Armadale, Malvern, Hawthorn and Kew. All maintenance is carried out by fully qualified horticulturists on a fortnightly or scheduled program. New clients begin with a complimentary on-site garden consultation. Call 03 9961 6078, Monday to Friday.
Four ways we care for your garden.
Whether your garden needs a specialist for your formal hedges, careful preparation before auction, a confident start in a new property, or watchful eyes while you travel: we have a program for that.
Hedge trimming & formal garden care
Inner-east gardens often feature formal box hedges, pleached trees, topiary and structured borders that require horticultural knowledge, not just a hedge trimmer.
- Box hedge shaping, pleached tree maintenance, topiary care
- Timed to the plant's growth cycle. Never cut at the wrong season.
- Rose pruning, camellia care, wisteria management
- Complete green waste removal included
Pre-sale garden preparation
The garden is often the first thing buyers see at auction. We prepare gardens for sale campaigns, timed to your photography and inspection dates.
- Auction-ready styling timed to your photography and campaign dates
- Maintained through the campaign. Immaculate at every inspection.
- Pre-photography intensive: pruning, mulching, edge work
- Campaign-period top-ups between inspections
New property garden care
Just bought an established garden? We assess what you've inherited and help you understand it before recommending an ongoing program.
- Full inventory of the plants you've inherited
- Care plan for established features: mature box, wisteria, camellias
- Identification of anything in decline or needing intervention
- Transition to an ongoing maintenance program after settlement
Garden care while you travel
Long trips, summer holidays, second homes. We keep your garden looking exactly as you left it for as long as you're away.
- Watering, monitoring and mail-bin coordination to your dates
- Weekly or fortnightly visits depending on season and absence length
- Photographic visit reports sent direct to your inbox
- Plant health monitoring with immediate notification of issues
Four reasons the inner east trusts us with their gardens.
The same horticulturist, every time.
We don't use subcontractors. The person who visits your garden on day one is the same person who visits on day five hundred. They know your box hedge, your roses, your wisteria, and they'll notice when something isn't right before you do. This single commitment separates us from every mass-market operator in Melbourne.
Qualified, not just experienced.
Every team member holds a horticultural qualification from Burnley College or Melbourne Polytechnic. We can identify your plants, diagnose disease or nutritional deficiency early, and advise on replacement planting when something needs to change. Skills that require training, not just time with a pair of shears.
We show up. Without being asked.
Our scheduling system handles your calendar automatically. You'll receive a brief notification before each visit and a short summary after: what was done, what we noticed, anything that needs attention. You should never have to wonder if your gardener is coming this week. That anxiety is exactly what we exist to remove.
Discreet, professional, unhurried.
Our vehicles are sign-written and clean. Our team wear uniforms. We never leave a mess, never cut corners and never bring unnecessary disruption to your street. We operate the way good service has always operated: quietly, capably and without needing to be managed.
Your garden, maintained without you thinking about it.
Start with a no-obligation garden consultation. We'll walk your property, talk through what you have and put together a program that removes the garden from your mental load. Permanently.
Request a garden consultationOr call 03 9961 6078 · Monday to Friday · 7:30 am to 5:00 pm
We take on a small number of new clients each quarter to maintain service quality. If you're considering engaging us, we'd encourage you to reach out sooner rather than later.
Your garden, maintained without you thinking about it.
Start with a no-obligation garden consultation. We'll walk your property, talk through what you have and put together a program that removes the garden from your mental load. Permanently.
Request a garden consultationOr call 03 9961 6078 · Monday to Friday · 7:30 am to 5:00 pm
We take on a small number of new clients each quarter to maintain service quality. If you're considering engaging us, we'd encourage you to reach out sooner rather than later.
What sets a qualified horticulturist apart.
Gardens in the inner east have decades of investment behind them. Here's what to look for, and what every Well Tended client can expect.
Formal horticultural training.
A qualified horticulturist holds a Certificate III or IV in Horticulture from an accredited institution. This covers plant taxonomy, soil science, disease diagnosis, pruning theory and seasonal plant management. For an established garden with mature plantings, this expertise makes a measurable difference to plant health and longevity over time.
Written programs, not verbal promises.
Before we begin, every Well Tended client receives a written maintenance program: visit frequency, seasonal priorities, specific plant care requirements and clear scope. Nothing is left to interpretation. You know what to expect, when to expect it, and what it costs. No surprises at invoice time.
Fully insured, ABN registered.
Well Tended operates as a fully insured, ABN-registered business. Public liability insurance protects your property at every visit. Our team work as employees, not contractors, which means consistent standards, consistent accountability and consistent cover.
Questions worth asking any gardener.
Before engaging any garden maintenance service for an established garden, ask: are your team members formally qualified in horticulture? Do you use subcontractors? Will the same person visit each time? Do you carry public liability insurance? Can you provide a written maintenance program? The right answers are worth waiting for.
From first conversation to set-and-forget.
Most clients tell us the same thing after their first few months: they stopped thinking about the garden. That's exactly the point.
Garden consultation.
We visit your property, walk the garden together and talk through what you have, what you love and what you want to stop worrying about. No obligation. We never quote over the phone.
Your written program.
We put together a tailored maintenance program (visit frequency, seasonal priorities, specific plant care) and you review it before we begin. Clear scope, clear expectations.
Your horticulturist.
We assign a single qualified horticulturist to your garden. They'll be your point of contact, manage every visit and be the person you see on site, every time, without exception.
Set and forget.
Your garden goes on a scheduled program. You receive a brief visit summary and a clean invoice each cycle. That's the last time you need to think about it until spring.
The inner east is our home ground.
We work exclusively in six of Melbourne's most established suburbs: a deliberate choice. It means our horticulturists know every microclimate, soil type and garden tradition in the area.
We maintain gardens within these six suburbs exclusively. Enquiries from outside our area are referred to trusted colleagues.
Questions we're asked most often.
Everything we hear at the first consultation, answered here, in full, so you have what you need before we even speak.
How much does garden maintenance cost in Melbourne's inner east?
Program costs depend on your garden's size, complexity, visit frequency and the specific work required. We provide written, itemised quotes following your initial on-site consultation, never over the phone. Our programs are designed for established gardens that require genuine horticultural care, and we price accordingly. To get an accurate picture for your garden, the first step is a consultation.
How often should a garden like mine be professionally maintained?
For most established gardens in our service area, we recommend fortnightly visits during the growing season (September through April) and three-weekly visits over winter. Gardens with formal hedges, topiary or significant rose collections may benefit from additional specialist visits in spring and early autumn. We'll recommend the right frequency during your initial consultation based on your specific garden.
What's the difference between a horticulturist and a regular gardener?
A qualified horticulturist holds a formal qualification in plant science, soil science and garden management: typically a Certificate III or IV in Horticulture. This means they can identify plants accurately, diagnose disease and nutritional deficiencies, understand seasonal timing for pruning, and make informed decisions about your garden. For established gardens with mature plantings, this expertise makes a genuine, measurable difference to the health and appearance of your garden over time.
Can you maintain our garden while we're travelling overseas?
Absolutely. Many of our clients are away for extended periods, sometimes months at a time. Clients on a recurring program continue their regular scheduled visits with no interruption. New clients travelling can arrange a care program before departure, including irrigation monitoring, seasonal work and brief photo updates if useful. We coordinate with housekeepers or property managers as needed and work to whatever communication preference suits you.
Do you take on one-off garden maintenance jobs?
We take on one-off engagements in two circumstances: pre-sale garden preparation for auction campaigns, and initial garden assessments for clients who have recently purchased a property. We don't offer general one-off tidy-up services: our model is built around ongoing relationships with gardens we get to know over time. Many clients who come to us for a pre-sale or new-property engagement choose to continue with a recurring program from there.
How long does pre-sale garden preparation take?
Most pre-sale garden preparation can be completed within seven to fourteen days, depending on the size of the garden and what it needs. We work backwards from your photography date and ensure the garden is at its best on the day. For gardens that need significant remediation (overgrown hedges, damaged lawns, tired beds) we'll be honest about what is achievable in the time available. Contact us as early in the campaign process as possible for the best results.
Do you service areas outside Toorak, Hawthorn, Kew, Malvern, South Yarra and Armadale?
We work exclusively within our six-suburb cluster. This is a deliberate decision, not a logistical limitation. Concentrating our work within a tight geography means our horticulturists are never stretched, are always punctual and are deeply familiar with the specific soils, microclimates and garden traditions of the inner east. If you are outside our area, we are happy to refer you to a trusted colleague who operates in your suburb.
Your garden, maintained without you thinking about it.
Start with a no-obligation garden consultation. We'll walk your property, talk through what you have and put together a program that removes the garden from your mental load. Permanently.
Request a garden consultationOr call 03 9961 6078 · Monday to Friday · 7:30 am to 5:00 pm
We take on a small number of new clients each quarter to maintain service quality. If you're considering engaging us, we'd encourage you to reach out sooner rather than later.