From indoor plants to whole gardens
Garden Grit started in 2017 as Green Leaved Garden, selling indoor plants while I finished my horticulture studies and raised a family. The plant customers started asking about their outdoor gardens, the gardens turned into regular maintenance, the maintenance turned into pruning, design and planting work, and the business was rebranded as Garden Grit to match what it had become: a hands-on gardening and landscaping service for Adelaide's eastern suburbs.
Qualified, and still studying
I hold a Certificate III in Horticulture from ARO College at Carrick Hill in South Australia, and I am currently studying garden design. That matters in practice. It is the difference between cutting a hedge and knowing which hedge can take the cut; between laying turf and preparing the soil so the turf survives February; between planting what is on special and planting what will still be alive and in proportion in five years.
A female tradie in the garden
I am a woman working in a trade where that is still unusual. Plenty of clients tell me they chose Garden Grit for exactly that reason: they feel more comfortable with a woman in the garden and in the house, whether that is an older client living alone, a family with young kids, or someone who simply prefers it. It is not a gimmick. It is just who turns up, and it is the same person who quoted the job.
How I work
- Every job starts with a site visit and ends with a fixed written quote.
- I do the work myself. Where a job needs a second pair of hands or a specialist trade (an arborist for a large tree, a plumber for a new tap), I say so and arrange it.
- Advice is part of the service. If a plant is in the wrong spot, I will tell you before I plant another one next to it.
- Sustainability is practical, not a slogan: drip irrigation over sprays, mulch over bare soil, plants chosen for Adelaide's climate, green waste composted where it can be.
Workshops and community
Alongside the garden work I run hands-on plant workshops for libraries, community gardens, schools, childcare centres and other organisations: beginners' indoor plants, grow-your-own produce, preparing the patch for the season and keeping backyard chickens. If your group would like one, get in touch.
