Frequently asked questions

Hands-on care for all kinds of gardens: pruning, hedge shaping, seasonal planting, soil improvement, mulching where your site needs it, irrigation checks, working out what's wrong with sick plants, and regular care visits. I also do garden design and replanting plans, plus native and wildflower garden design, advice and planting.

Garden care and maintenance is $83.50 per hour, with a quote first. There is no travel fee on the North Shore. Native garden advice is a separate service: see the native garden advice page for the options.

RF Horticulture is not registered for GST, so no GST is added to any price on this site.

Yes, for garden care, maintenance, planting and installation work. Native garden advice is a separate, paid service, because you get a written shortlist or plan to keep. The native garden advice page explains the options.

Yes, a short visit first. Together we agree how often I come (say fortnightly or monthly) and how long each visit is, charged at $83.50 per hour.

The Walk is about 1 to 2 hours on site, and you get an emailed shortlist of 10 to 15 local native species within 48 hours. The Advice Visit + Plan is a 90-minute visit followed by a full written plan within 7 days: the local bush your garden probably once was, plants for each layer (trees, shrubs, groundcovers), a sketch of where they go, habitat ideas, which weeds to tackle first, a 12-month to-do list and where to buy plants.

Yes, if you book work with RF Horticulture within 60 days. The native garden advice page has the details.

Sydney's North Shore from Mosman to Wahroonga, including Neutral Bay, Cremorne, Lane Cove, Chatswood, Willoughby, Roseville, Lindfield, Killara, Gordon, Pymble, Turramurra, Wahroonga and St Ives. If you're nearby, ask anyway.

I hold a Certificate III in Horticulture from Ryde TAFE (2019) and have years of professional horticulture experience. I'm ChemCert accredited, first aid trained and hold a skid steer ticket.

No. RF Horticulture is an independent business and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency, council or botanic garden.

Large trees often need council approval first. In Ku-ring-gai, for example, any tree 5 m or taller, or with a trunk 150 mm or wider at ground level, generally needs Council permission. I'll flag trees that may be protected, and refer tree work to a qualified arborist.

Autumn (March to May) is the best time on the North Shore: the soil is still warm and winter rain helps roots settle in before summer. Early spring is the second-best window. Avoid big plantings in summer unless you can water reliably.

Yes, especially in their first year, in pots, and in fast-draining sandy soils. How much depends on your soil and site. A common hidden problem in native beds is water-repellent soil, where water beads up and runs off instead of soaking in. See the free watering natives guide, or ask me to check your site.

Hand removal comes first. Where weedkiller is the right tool, I'm ChemCert accredited (trained in safe chemical use) and follow the product label or APVMA permit.

It depends on your garden, so there is no set depth or top-up schedule. I check your soil on a visit and work out whether a bed needs mulch, what kind and how deep. Too much mulch can keep soil soggy, starve new plants of nitrogen and rot stems. Where mulch is used, it is coarse mulch only, usually 50–75 mm deep, set for your site (no fine mulch or fine layers underneath), spread onto moist soil and kept clear of stems and trunks. My free guide, Mulch and your soil, explains more.

For native advice visits, yes: walking the garden together is the most useful part. For regular maintenance, not necessarily, as long as access is arranged.

Yes. Several councils give residents free local native plants (for example Hornsby's Native Plant Giveaways and North Sydney's Native Havens). If you pick some up, I can include them in your planting plan and plant them for you.

A small DIY corner of tools, planting kits and habitat pieces is being planned, but nothing is on sale yet. For now, the quickest way to get the job done is to get in touch for a quote.