Find a trusted landscaper in Sydney

Sandstone, clay and steep blocks

Much of Sydney sits on sandstone, and you notice it the moment a landscaper starts digging. On the North Shore, the Northern Beaches and through the Sutherland Shire, rock often lies a spade’s depth below the lawn, so levelling a yard can mean a rock breaker rather than a shovel. The upside is that sandstone makes handsome walls and steps, and rock that comes out during the dig can sometimes go back into the wall.

Western Sydney is a different story. Heavy clay soils across much of the region hold water after rain, then shrink and crack in a dry spell. That makes drainage the first thing a good landscaper looks at: agricultural drains behind walls, a fall away from the house on any paving, and soil improvement before turf or planting goes in.

Then there are the slopes. Many of Sydney’s leafier suburbs climb steep hillsides, and turning a slope into usable space usually means retaining walls and terraces. Taller walls, or walls close to a boundary or building, generally need an engineer’s design and council approval, so ask your landscaper what yours needs before anything is dug.

Water rules and bushland edges

Sydney Water’s Water Wise Guidelines apply all year and limit when sprinklers and watering systems can run. If a new garden includes irrigation, put it on a timer for early morning or evening, and choose plants that can handle a dry spell once they’re established.

If your yard backs onto bushland, layout and plant choice matter for fire as well as looks. The NSW Rural Fire Service publishes guidance on keeping fuel low near the house, spacing shrubs and trees, and picking less flammable plants. A landscaper who works near the bush regularly will know it.

Structural landscaping licences in NSW

Gardening and planting don’t need a licence in NSW, but structural landscaping does once the job is worth more than $5,000 including GST. That covers retaining walls, paving, driveways, decks and pergolas. Ask for the landscaper’s licence number, check it’s current on the Verify NSW licence check, and confirm the class covers structural landscaping. For a walk-through of the lookup, see our NSW licence checks page.

Landscaping prices across Sydney

Labour usually runs about $50 to $100 an hour, though most build work is quoted as a fixed price, and Sydney sits at the top of that range. For materials laid, expect roughly $10 to $25 a square metre for new turf, $60 to $120 for paving, and $250 to $700 for each square metre of retaining wall. A small makeover with turf, beds and planting typically lands around $3,000 to $10,000. The landscaping price guide covers more jobs, and every figure there is indicative.

Matched with one landscaper

Describe the yard and the suburb it’s in. The landscaper we match you with has been vetted for licence, insurance, ABN and reviews, so there’s no directory to scroll and no list of businesses ringing you. Our landscapers page explains how it works for garden jobs, all trades in Sydney are a click away, and the free quote form asks only a few questions.