Cotswold Paving and Landscaping is a full-service garden landscaping team—which means we can assist with everything from a complete garden transformation, the design process to turn your dream garden into reality, and highly-skilled hard landscaping to construct hot tubs, raised beds, patios, paving, fencing and any other features you’d like to have in your outdoor space.
One of the often overlooked aspects of that service is the ability to ensure that once your initial ideas have been brought to life and you have a garden design you are delighted with, it stays looking just as good for years to come.
Many homeowners value our friendly service and longer-term maintenance help just as much as our landscaping expertise. We keep gardens, decks, and play spaces fully functional, clear of excess growth, and in excellent condition long after your landscaping project is complete.
Here, we summarise the big contrasts between a gardener and a landscaper, the scope of our services across Oxford, and why maintenance and upkeep are vital to sustaining a beautiful exterior.
Gardening vs Landscaping: The Primary Differences
Part of the misconception about the breadth of our services as landscape gardeners is down to the interpretation of local businesses who describe themselves as either landscapers or gardeners. In reality, these are slightly different professions because:
- Gardeners tend to focus only on soft landscaping—that means planting borders and raised beds, trimming trees, treating lawns, weeding, pruning, and general plant care. Most gardeners can undertake simple upkeep jobs but won’t manage anything larger, such as laying a patio or constructing a wall.
- Landscapers provide a hybrid blend of hard and soft landscaping, which means we can carry out any work you need, however small or large. With a deep understanding of what you want from your outside space, we can design and plan paths, borders, walls, paving, fences and layouts; advise on shrubs, flowers, and climbers; and complete all of that work through our multi-skilled in-house teams.
Of course, there are some Oxford landscapers who provide a specific service, such as garden renovations or design projects, but who cannot undertake periodic maintenance work.
Our goal is to ensure every valued client has one team they can trust to oversee their garden as it matures and evolves.
What Is the Advantage of Having a Landscaper Maintain My Garden?
The vast majority of homeowners and clients, from landlords to investors, families to retirees, want gardens that maximise their outdoor space.
That could mean designing a clever garden around a small layout, optimising a sun trap to flood your home with light, or defining separate zones for kids, pets, dining, ponds, water features, herb gardens and storage or parking.
While some love to spend a Sunday afternoon mowing the lawn, de-weeding the patio, or re-staining the fencing, we recognise that these tasks can be fairly labour-intensive and, in some cases, require specialist know-how to ensure the finish is designed to last.
Hiring a new gardener is certainly an option, but we almost always find it is more costly to depend on multiple professionals to manage every element of your garden upkeep, especially after long, cold, wet winters when there are likely to be several tasks that need attention.
For example, you might need:
- A fencing contractor to repair or replace panels that have been blown down or damaged.
- A lawn specialist to reseed and weed your lawn or re-turf areas without any grass growth.
- A patio or block paving provider to fix slabs, regrout tiles or replace brickwork.
- A tree surgeon to deal with trimming hanging or dead branches.
- A gardener to manage new planting for the spring, cut back overgrown shrubs, or get your flower beds and climbing plants back into good condition.
Rather than relying on numerous tradespeople and companies, we always recommend using our end-to-end service.
Our professionals will already know your garden, the soil conditions, your priorities, and the ideal materials for your home. They can combine every service you require, reducing disruption to your routines, time spent on upkeep work, and the overall cost of maintaining a beautiful garden.
How to Manage Periodic Garden Upkeep After Having Your Outdoor Space Landscaped
Depending on the size and layout of your garden, the best option is usually to schedule seasonal maintenance. This gives us the opportunity to spend a day or two—or longer for bigger outdoor spaces—repairing any damaged hard landscaping, checking that plantings and shrubs are healthy, removing weeds, and managing aspects like pest control.
It’s also very likely that if you’ve had your garden professionally landscaped by the Cotswold Paving and Landscaping team, those jobs will be minimal, and newly erected or installed materials like flagstones, block paving, or patio slabs will still look as new for an extended period.
That’s because attention to detail during the initial garden design makes a world of difference.
For example, laying a proper weed membrane will prevent weeds from growing between paving or brickwork, checking that drainage is sufficient will avoid water pooling or dampness, and constructing a wall or boundary with the right materials will stop it from deteriorating earlier than it should.
However, a fully equipped and highly experienced landscaping team can complete any maintenance work required, focusing on keeping your garden tidy, manageable, and neat without any greater upkeep tasks than you are comfortable with.
Consulting With Expert Oxford Landscapers to Transform Your Garden
If you’re dissatisfied with your garden, need a new driveway, want a multi-functioning front garden, or would like to bring nature and colour back to your home, our professional teams are always on hand to help.
We’ll happily advise if there are particular materials, layouts, or plantings that are ideal for the soil in your area and your expectations.
Along with gardening services and outdoor property maintenance, we can recommend the best options to ensure your garden maximises its natural beauty and features bespoke designs that are entirely based on your requirements, the way you use your garden, and the level of maintenance you’d like to commit to.