Landscape Designer In Melbourne
At New Era Landscapes, we design gardens and then build them with our own crew. The plan you sign off on comes from the people who'll set the levels, lay the paving and plant the beds.
A landscape designer works out what your yard will look like, how it will drain and what it will be built from, before anyone digs. At New Era Landscapes we design front and back yards across Melbourne, mostly in the south east, and our own crew builds every design we draw. It's landscaping in Melbourne with the plan and the build in one place. Quotes are free and measured on site.
A lot of landscape design in Melbourne is sold as a drawing. Many landscape designers in Melbourne design the garden, you fall for it, and then a builder you've never met prices it. That's usually when you find out what it costs.
We do it the other way round. Whoever draws your yard knows what every wall, step and paver takes to build, so the design and the price grow together. If something on the plan blows your budget, you hear about it while it's still a line on paper.
Before the drawing
What Does a Landscape Designer Decide?
A landscape designer decides where everything goes and why. That means the levels, where the water runs, which parts are paved, decked or planted, and how you move between them. The look comes out of those decisions, and a design that skips them is a nice picture of a yard that won't drain.
We start with the ground you've got. We take the levels, check which way the block falls, see where the sun sits in winter and summer, and work out how a machine will get down the side of the house.
Then we ask how you want to use the space. You might want somewhere to eat outside, a lawn for the dog, a pool you can see from the kitchen, or a front garden that doesn't need you every weekend.
The work
Our Landscape Design Services
Every design we draw is one our own crew builds, so you get a plan drawn by people who know how each part goes together.
Layout, levels and structure
Structure is the part of a garden that's expensive to change later, so we settle it first. We design the levels and the hard surfaces together, so your paving meets the door at the right height and the lawn sheds water away from the house.
Here's what our layout and structure design covers.
- Levels, falls and drainage across the whole block
- Retaining walls and steps where the ground changes height
- Paving, decking and paths laid out around how you move
- Pool surrounds and outdoor entertaining areas
- Front yards, entries and the walk to the door
- Feature walls, planters and natural stone cladding
Garden design and planting
Garden design in Melbourne goes wrong in the soil more often than on paper. We choose plants for the sun, the ground and the water your yard actually gets, so they're still doing well in their third summer.
Here's what our garden design covers.
- Planting plans matched to sun, shade and soil
- Screening, hedging and privacy planting
- Native and low-water gardens
- Irrigation zones designed with the planting
- Lawn areas sized for how you'll use them
Every design starts with a site visit. We walk the yard with you, take the levels and hear what you want from it before anything is drawn.
From there we talk through layout, materials and planting, what each choice costs to build and how much looking after it needs. You can see what landscaping costs before we meet, and the design fits your budget from the start.
The groundwork
What Has to Be Settled Before a Design Is Drawn?
Six things decide what can be built on a Melbourne block before taste comes into it: the soil, the water, the trees, what's buried, which parts need a permit and how the garden gets watered. Settle them first and the design doesn't get redrawn halfway through the build.
You can't see most of these from the back door, which is why we look before we draw. The table is what we check on a site visit, and what each one changes on the plan.
| What we check | Why it changes the design |
|---|---|
| The soil | The bayside suburbs from Brighton down to Frankston sit on deep sand that drains fast. Further east it turns to clay that holds water. A plant that thrives in one can drown in the other. |
| Where the water goes | Where rain runs today decides the fall on every hard surface, and whether your yard needs drains before anything else goes in. |
| The trees | Councils protect some trees on private land, and each council has its own rules. Bayside's change on 1 November 2026, when only trees on its Significant Tree Register will need a Local Law permit. |
| What's underground | Gas, water, power and data lines can run under a yard. A free enquiry through Before You Dig Australia shows where they are before a wall or a pool is drawn on top of them. |
| Permits | In Victoria a retaining wall over about a metre generally needs a building permit. If we find that early, we design the levels around it instead of discovering it at the quote. |
| Watering | Under Victoria's Permanent Water Saving Rules, sprinklers and drip lines on mains water run only from 6pm to 10am, so irrigation zones are planned around that. |
The process
Our Landscape Design Process
Every design runs in three stages, and the same team carries it from the first visit to the last plant in the ground.
- Site visit and brief. We take the levels, check the soil, the sun, the drainage and the access, and ask how you want to use the yard.
- The design and an itemised quote. We design the layout, materials and planting together and price every part separately, so you can see what each element costs and stage the work if that suits you.
- The build. Our crew builds the design in order, from the drainage through to the planting, and hands the yard back finished.
What Should You Ask a Landscape Designer?
Ask who builds the design, when you'll know what it costs to build, and whether the plan settles the levels or only shows the planting. The answers tell you whether you're buying a garden or a picture of one. These are the questions we'd ask in your shoes.
- Who builds it? If the plan goes to someone else to build, ask who answers for it when the two disagree.
- When do I find out what it costs to build? Before you've paid for a finished drawing is the right answer.
- Does the plan settle the levels and drainage? A planting plan on top of the wrong levels still floods.
- Can I see yards you've built? Finished gardens tell you more than drawings do.
- What happens if I change my mind? Ask how changes are priced once the build has started.
Recent work
Gardens We've Built Around Melbourne
Our recent work includes a front and back yard in Brighton, stone cladding in Patterson Lakes and a whole backyard in Blackburn. Every photo here is our own work, and you won't find a stock image on this site.
A pale stone pool surround with date palms along the far edge.
A cobblestone courtyard and driveway laid in a running bond.
A crazy paving path beside a brick house, edged with a clipped border.
Why New Era
Choosing New Era Landscapes for Your Garden Design
Our team brings over 10 years in the landscaping industry, and we design with that in mind. We know what a wall, a step or a run of paving takes to build, because we're the ones who build it.
If you've been comparing garden designers in Melbourne, that's the difference. Paving, concreting, decking, retaining, irrigation and planting are all done by our own crew, so one team answers for the design and the finished yard.
Quotes are free, measured on site and itemised, with no obligation to go ahead.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a landscape designer cost in Melbourne?
It depends on the size of the yard and how much the design has to resolve. A planting plan for a courtyard is a far smaller job than a sloping block with walls, paving and a pool. Quotes are free, measured on site and itemised, so you can see what each part costs before you commit.
Do I need a landscape designer or a landscape architect?
For a home garden, a landscape designer is usually the right fit. Landscape architects are typically university trained and do much of the public and large-scale work, and in Australia the AILA runs a Registered Landscape Architect program. We're landscapers who design and build, and we don't call ourselves landscape architects.
What should a landscape design include?
A good design settles the levels and drainage, the layout of paving, decking and lawn, the materials, a planting plan matched to your sun and soil, and where the irrigation runs. It should also come with a price from whoever is building it, or it's only half a plan.
Do I need a permit for my landscape design?
Some parts of a design can. In Victoria a retaining wall over about a metre generally needs a building permit, and some councils protect trees on private land. We'll tell you which parts of your design need approval before you commit to anything.
Source: Building and Plumbing Commission.
How long does a landscape design take?
It depends on the size of the yard and how many changes you want along the way, and the timing for your job comes with the quote. A design that settles the levels first is also quicker to build, because nothing gets redrawn once the digging starts.
Areas We Serve Across Melbourne
We're landscapers based in Melbourne's south east, and we design and build gardens right across the city. There's no showroom to visit, so the first meeting happens in your yard, which is where a design should start anyway.
You'll find us regularly in Brighton, Berwick, Frankston, Cranbourne, Glen Waverley, Cheltenham, Narre Warren, Pakenham, Dandenong, Bentleigh, Beaumaris, Mentone, Mordialloc, Hampton.
Not on that list? Call and ask. We cover most of Melbourne, and you'll get a straight answer either way.
Written by Jono O'Brien, who runs New Era Landscapes and has been in landscaping and turf renovation for over ten years. You can talk to him directly about your yard.
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