Our services
Turfing, New Lawns& Garden Plantingacross South Devon
Soil cultivated, de-compacted and graded before a single roll of turf goes down, because what happens under the lawn decides whether it survives its first summer.
30 years' experience · Horticulture-qualified on our work · £2 million public liability
30 years
Hands-on experience in Devon
5.0 rating
Average score on Google reviews
Fixed prices
Agreed in writing before we start
£2 million public liability
Fully insured, self-employed team covered
New lawns, turfing and planted borders, with the ground preparation that decides whether either survives its first summer.
What turfing and planting covers
New lawns from turf, soil preparation and grading, topsoil supply, planted borders and beds, hedging, mulching and bed edging. It's the soft landscaping that finishes a garden, and on a renovation it's deliberately the last thing we do.
Phil is qualified in horticulture as well as carpentry, so planting isn't handed to someone else at the end of a hard landscaping job. Aspect, exposure, soil and how much maintenance you actually want all shape what goes in.
Who needs it and when
New-build gardens are the classic case: a thin skin of topsoil over compacted construction subsoil, laid with turf that yellows by July. Re-preparing that ground properly is usually the only way to get a lawn that establishes.
It also suits tired lawns that have become more moss than grass, borders that have never been more than a strip of bare earth along a fence, and every garden renovation where the hard landscaping is finished and the planting is what makes it look complete.
Why ground preparation is the whole job
Turf is a living product with roughly a day of shelf life and a few weeks to root. Laid on compacted ground it cannot root, so it dries out, shrinks at the joints and goes yellow, and no amount of watering fixes compaction.
Cultivating, breaking up the pan, grading out the hollows, feeding the soil and firming it correctly is most of the labour in a new lawn. The turf itself goes down in an afternoon.
What's included
- Ground cultivated, de-compacted, graded and levelled
- Quality turf laid tight-jointed and rolled
- Planted borders and beds chosen for aspect and exposure
- Topsoil, mulch and bed edging supplied and laid
What it costs to leave it
Turf laid on compaction never roots
Grass on a compacted base yellows, shrinks and opens at the joints within weeks. The lawn has to be lifted and the ground redone: twice the cost of doing it once.
Poor grading leaves puddles
Hollows that look trivial on bare soil become standing water and moss once there's grass on them, and they're miserable to correct afterwards.
Wrong plant, wrong place
Planting chosen without regard to aspect, exposure or drainage fails quietly over a season or two: particularly on salt-exposed coastal plots in Torbay.
The common mistake: planting before the building work is finished
Soft landscaping put in before machinery, deliveries and barrowing are done gets compacted and damaged. Planting belongs at the end of the programme.
How the job runs
- Step 1
Site visit, soil and aspect
Phil looks at the existing ground, drainage, how much sun each part of the garden gets and how you want to use and maintain it.
- Step 2
Scheme and fixed price
Lawn area, turf type, topsoil quantity, planting scheme and edging are agreed, then you get one fixed price.
- Step 3
Clearance, cultivation and grading
Existing growth is cleared, the ground rotovated and de-compacted, stones and debris removed, topsoil added where needed, then graded and firmed to a consistent level.
- Step 4
Turfing and planting
Turf is laid tight-jointed and staggered, rolled and watered in. Beds are prepared and planted, then mulched, with clear instructions on watering through the first weeks.
- Step 5
Handover
We clear the site, walk the finished work with you and explain any aftercare. If anything needs attention afterwards, Phil is the person who answers the phone.
What you get out of it
A lawn that actually establishes
De-compacted, graded, fed soil is the difference between turf that roots in and turf that yellows.
Level, usable grass
Grading takes the hollows and bumps out before the turf goes down, when it's still easy to do.
Planting chosen for the site
Aspect, exposure, soil and salt all factored in by someone qualified in horticulture.
Instant finish
Turf gives a finished garden the day it's laid, rather than a season of waiting for seed to take.
Done last, done undamaged
On renovations, soft landscaping is sequenced at the end so it isn't compacted or trampled by the build.
Straight advice on aftercare
Clear guidance on watering, first cut and feeding, the few weeks that decide whether a new lawn thrives.
What a turfing job includes
A new lawn is mostly groundwork with grass on top.
- Clearance: removing old turf, weeds and debris rather than rotovating them back in.
- De-compaction, breaking up the pan left by construction traffic or years of foot traffic.
- Topsoil: imported and spread where existing soil is too thin or too poor to support grass.
- Grading and firming: levelling out hollows and consolidating evenly so the finished lawn doesn't settle in patches.
- Turf laying: quality turf laid staggered and tight-jointed, rolled, trimmed to the beds and watered in.
Planting, borders and Devon conditions
Borders are dug over, improved with compost and planted with the mature size of each plant in mind, then mulched to hold moisture and keep weeds down while things establish.
Coastal gardens in Torquay, Paignton and Brixham need salt and wind tolerance; shaded city gardens in Exeter need plants that cope with low light and dry soil at the base of a wall; exposed plots on the edge of Dartmoor need shelter planting before anything delicate.
Bed edging: timber, steel or a paving mowing strip, keeps the line between lawn and border crisp and makes mowing a great deal easier.
Examples of our work
Slide through photos of finished projects across South Devon.
Where we do this work
Related services
Back to the PC Landscaping homepage, see all services or get in touch with Phil.
Turfing & Planting: common questions
How much does a new lawn cost?
It depends on the area, how much clearance and de-compaction the ground needs, whether topsoil has to be imported, and the turf itself. Phil looks at the ground and gives one fixed price.
When is the best time to lay turf?
Autumn and spring are ideal because the ground is warm and moist. Turf can be laid through summer, but it needs committed watering in the first few weeks and we'll be honest about that.
Turf or seed?
Turf gives an instant, usable lawn and suppresses weeds while it establishes. Seed is cheaper but slow and vulnerable. For most gardens we'd recommend turf.
How soon can I walk on a new lawn?
Keep off it as much as possible for the first two to three weeks while it roots. We'll give you clear watering and first-cut guidance when we finish.
Can you plant borders as well as lay turf?
Yes: soil preparation, planting, mulching and edging are all part of what we do, and Phil is qualified in horticulture as well as carpentry.
Do you clear an overgrown garden first?
Yes. Clearance, removal of old growth and taking the waste away is regular work and is included in the price we quote.
Which areas do you cover?
Teignbridge, Torbay, Exeter and the South Hams, from our base in Denbury near Newton Abbot.
Client feedback
Recent words from South Devon gardens
“Phil finished the remainder of my featherboard fence. Started the job promptly, arrived on time and finished the job professionally.”
Big Steve
Featherboard fencing · Google review
“Fitted our hardwood deck and it looks great! Decent price and took just a couple of days plus they cleaned up after themselves.”
Steve Marson
Hardwood decking · Google review
“Phil and Nigel did a complete redesign of our garden, did a very professional job from start to finish… this is the second job they have done for us and we have another project for later in the year.”
Robert Down
Full garden redesign · repeat client · Google review
“Fab job for my pathway around my house and patio… Phil's suggestion and explanation of the construction work was the most solid.”
Hung Alice
Pathway & patio · Google review
Get a fixed price for your new lawn or planting
Phil looks at the ground, the aspect and the drainage, then quotes one fixed figure for preparation and planting.
30 years' experience · £2 million public liability · 8am–6pm, Monday to Friday