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  • Your local garden design, build & maintenance specialists are knowledgeable, experienced and passionate about creating beautiful outdoor spaces. Contact us today to find out how we can help you!
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Garden Landscaping

at would your dream garden look like? A tranquil space to unwind, a vibrant hub for entertaining, or a low-maintenance retreat that still feels alive and seasonal?

Whatever you’re picturing, the right garden landscaping can bring it to life. At Bonsai Landscapes, we combine thoughtful design with practical, eco-conscious techniques to create spaces that truly work for you.

Have you searched for ‘landscaping services near me’? You’re in the right place. We offer both hard landscaping and soft landscaping options to suit your garden’s size, layout, and purpose. Our expert team is here to help you shape your vision into a sustainable, beautiful reality.

Call us today on 07477 968735 to book your free consultation.

Parkstone
London Garden

Landscape Gardeners in Dorset

The Bonsai Landscapes is a family run business based in Dorset with a friendly team of talented designers, gardeners and garden builders. 

Hard Landscaping

If your garden needs a major redesign, a certain amount of hard landscaping will be required. Hard landscaping features include:

  • Bedding and planting schemes
  • Rockeries
  • Water features and ponds 
  • Sheds, summer houses and outdoor structures
  • Patios, paths and decking
  • Fencing
  • Ornamental walls and brickwork
  • Arches and pillars
  • Garden fabrications 
  • Play areas
  • Levelling, drainage and concrete bases

Soft Landscaping

Soft landscaping refers to the plants and natural, decorative elements of your garden. The soft landscaping services we can provide include:

  • Planting and hedging
  • Turfing
  • Irrigation systems
  • Advice and maintenance recommendations

As we’ve worked in the garden industry for many years, we have a number of contacts in all specialist fields of garden landscaping and design, including ponds, lighting and fabrications. Not only does this mean that your garden will be finished to the highest standard, but you also won’t have the stress of dealing with lots of different contractors and suppliers.

What Is Garden Landscaping?

Garden landscaping is the process of reshaping and enhancing your outdoor space, both functionally and aesthetically. It’s about more than just looks, as effective landscaping improves drainage, increases biodiversity, and adds value to your property.

Whether you want a complete overhaul or just a few key upgrades, landscaping gives structure and purpose to your garden.

There are two main types of landscaping: hard landscaping and soft landscaping. Understanding the difference helps you plan a balanced, cohesive design.

Hard Landscaping

Hard landscaping refers to the solid, structural elements in your garden. These are the foundations that give the space form and usability all year round, with examples including:

  • Patios and Pathways
  • Decking
  • Retaining Walls
  • Fencing and Gates
  • Raised Beds
  • Driveways and Edging

Hard landscaping is crucial for accessibility, zoning, and long-term durability.

Soft Landscaping

Soft landscaping is all about the living, organic elements of your garden. It brings in colour, movement, and seasonal interest, and supports local wildlife, contributing to better air quality. Common soft landscaping features include:

  • Trees, Shrubs, and Flower Beds
  • Lawn Laying and Turfing
  • Hedge Planting and Pruning
  • Wildflower Borders
  • Mulching and Soil Improvement

This is where your garden comes to life. Whether you want a pollinator-friendly planting scheme or evergreen structure, soft landscaping is key.

A well-designed garden uses both hard and soft landscaping. One provides structure, the other brings life. Together, they create a harmonious, functional outdoor space that reflects your lifestyle and values.

At Bonsai Landscapes, we work with you to strike this balance perfectly, every time.

Why Choose Bonsai Landscapes?

At Bonsai Landscapes, sustainability isn’t an afterthought - it’s central to everything we do. We design and build with the future in mind, using high-quality, ethically sourced materials that are kinder to the planet.

Our fully insured, Dorset-based team is known for being reliable, approachable, and deeply knowledgeable. With decades of experience in transforming outdoor spaces, we bring both creativity and care to every project.

Whether you're planning a complete redesign or a more subtle update, our eco-conscious approach to garden landscaping ensures results that are as enduring as they are beautiful.

Our Garden Landscaping Process

1. Initial Consultation

We begin with a friendly chat to understand your vision, needs, and budget. This is your chance to tell us what you love and what you want to change.

2. Site Assessment & Quote

Next, we visit your garden to assess layout, access, and any site-specific challenges. We provide a clear, no-obligation quote tailored to your goals.

3. Garden Design Planning

Once approved, we create a custom design that blends form with function, incorporating both hard and soft landscaping where appropriate.

4. Project Delivery & Installation

Our experienced team carries out the build with care and attention to detail. We stay in touch throughout to ensure everything is running smoothly.

5. Aftercare & Ongoing Maintenance

Your new garden deserves proper care. We offer maintenance services to keep it thriving and beautiful for the long term.

Let’s bring your garden landscaping vision to life with a process that’s collaborative, thoughtful, and completely bespoke.

Landscaping and Beyond

Once we have completed work on your beautiful garden, we can also offer advice and maintenance services to help you care for your new plants. If you don’t have the time to keep your perfectly landscaped garden looking its best, we’re here to help. Our full garden maintenance service includes pruning shrubs and small trees, planting, mulching, feeding, edging, moving, jet washing, leaf blowing, and general tidying. 

The Bonsai Landscapes team has worked in some of the country’s finest gardens and has been a part of several award-winning garden designs, including at the Chelsea Flower Show. To benefit from our unrivalled skill and experience, and transform your garden into your very own paradise, get in touch today to arrange your free design survey and quotation.

Simply call us on 07477 968735 or pop us a message via our online contact form. 

Garden Landscaping FAQs

Hard landscaping includes the built elements like patios, fencing, and paving. Soft landscaping refers to the living parts, such as plants, grass, and flower beds. Both are essential for a complete, well-balanced garden.

It depends on the size and complexity of the garden. Small projects might take a few days, while larger garden landscaping transformations can take several weeks. We’ll give you a realistic timeline during your consultation.

In most cases, no. However, if your project includes large structures or changes to drainage or boundaries, planning permission may be required. We’ll advise you on this as part of the process.

Absolutely. Every garden landscaping project is tailored to your preferences, site conditions, and goals. We work closely with you to ensure the result feels personal and practical.

Not necessarily. Many sustainable materials and practices are cost-effective in the long term. Our goal is to deliver environmentally friendly garden landscaping that fits your budget.

Yes, we do. Regular maintenance helps protect your investment and ensures that the living elements of your garden landscaping continue to thrive. We offer flexible packages to suit your needs.

Case Studies
La Jeg, Provence France - Supporting Anthony Paul
It was a great privilege being asked by international Garden Designer Anthony Paul to assist with the planting of the new gardens at the world renowned sculpture gardens La Jeg in Provence.
Landscape planting, Parkstone Poole - Supporting Ian Stubbs
Bonsai Landscapes in 2017 was involved in the supervision and installation of a very large Landscape planting project in Parkstone, Poole.
Courtyard Design, Build and living wall installation - Collaboration Michelle Brown
Design and Build small urban outdoor courtyard space, approximately 60m2.
Tropical Planting Design and Installation
In September 2023, Bonsai Landscapes team were asked to design and install a tropical planting scheme within a set of planters in a garden at a home in Broadstone.

News

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28th March 2025
If you’re seeking a natural, eco‑friendly way to manage garden pests, then hopefully this guide on how to attract dragonflies and repel mosquitoes will be of tremendous benefit. In this blog we’ll explain why dragonflies are invaluable allies – voracious predators of mosquitoes and other nuisance insects – and how choosing the right plants can both draw these beneficial hunters to your outdoor space and deter mosquitoes naturally.
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Coastal Garden Design: Plants and Features for Coastal Gardens
04th March 2025
The coast has a unique set of characteristics thanks to the sea line. The ocean brings in salty air, plenty of wind and sandy soil. Not everything can hack these features, making the location challenging sometimes. This can especially be the case in your garden. So, coastal garden design is carefully curated with these location features in mind.
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Top 8 Garden Design Trends for 2025
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Some of you might be sitting there thinking gardening is for old people, something repetitive to keep their minds busy while they turn over soil and plan which bulbs they will be planting and when. However, gardening is actually quite a dynamic activity, with trends changing all the time.
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How to Prepare Soil for Planting
22nd October 2024
Whether you are out in your garden to plant spring and summer flowers or vegetables or braving the colder weather to create a winter wonderland of plants and flowers over Christmas, you want to ensure you prepare the soil. Soil preparation is just as important as any other part of gardening for successful planting. With this in mind, how do you prepare soil for planting?
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