Sometimes a garden just gets away from you. A few missed months, a change in circumstances, an inherited property, a rental between tenants — and suddenly you are looking at waist-high grass, hedges swallowing the fence, brambles everywhere and no idea where to start. That is where I come in.
I provide garden clearance across East Devon, taking overgrown and neglected gardens and bringing them back to a manageable state. Not a makeover or a redesign — just honest, hard graft to clear the mess, find the garden underneath, and get it to a point where regular maintenance can take over.
A typical overgrown garden before clearance — it happens faster than you think
Who Needs Garden Clearance?
Garden clearance is one of my most varied services. The people who call me for this work fall into a few common situations:
New Homeowners
You have just moved in and the garden is a jungle. The previous owners may have let it go, or the property has been empty for a while. You want a blank canvas so you can see what you are actually working with before making any decisions about what to keep, what to remove and what to plant. This is the most common garden clearance job I do in East Devon.
Landlords & Letting Agents
A tenant has moved out and the garden needs sorting before the next one moves in. Or you have a portfolio of rental properties and need someone reliable to clear and tidy gardens between tenancies. I can work to a deadline and I understand that time is money when a property is sitting empty.
House Sales & Estate Agents
First impressions matter. An overgrown front garden puts buyers off before they even walk through the door. A one-off clearance and tidy can make a genuine difference to how quickly a property sells and what it sells for. Estate agents in Sidmouth, Honiton and Exmouth regularly recommend garden clearance before listing.
Elderly or Unwell Residents
Illness, injury or simply the passing of time can mean a garden that was always well-kept gradually becomes unmanageable. There is no shame in it and no judgement from me. I will come and get it back under control, and if you want, set up a regular maintenance schedule to keep it that way going forward.
Probate & Inherited Properties
Dealing with a family member's property is stressful enough without worrying about the garden. I can clear and tidy the outside quickly and sensitively, whether you are preparing the property for sale, for rental, or for someone to move in.
Mid-clearance — the garden starts to emerge from underneath
What Does Garden Clearance Include?
- Overgrown grass and weeds: cut down to ground level with a brushcutter, then mown once the ground is visible. Heavily overgrown lawns often need two passes on different days to get back to a mowable state
- Bramble and scrub removal: cut back, dug out where possible, roots dealt with. Brambles are the single biggest issue in neglected East Devon gardens — the mild climate and good rainfall means they grow aggressively
- Hedge reduction: overgrown hedges cut back hard to re-establish boundaries. Some hedges respond well to hard pruning, others need a more gradual approach — I will advise on what your specific hedge can handle
- Self-seeded trees and saplings: ash, sycamore, elder and buddleia seedlings removed before they become established trees in the wrong place
- Ivy and climber removal: cut back from walls, fences and trees where it is causing damage
- General rubbish: old garden furniture, broken pots, dumped materials, accumulated junk. Cleared and disposed of responsibly
- Green waste removal: all green waste generated during the clearance is removed from site. I hold a waste carrier's licence
How Long Does It Take?
It depends entirely on the size of the garden and how overgrown it is. As a rough guide:
- Small garden, lightly overgrown: half a day (4 hours)
- Medium garden, moderately overgrown: a full day (7 to 8 hours)
- Large or heavily overgrown garden: two days or more, sometimes spread across a week to allow for waste removal between sessions
I will always give you an honest estimate after visiting the site. If it is going to take longer than expected, I will tell you before I carry on — not after.
After clearance — paths visible, borders clear, lawn mowable. Ready for regular maintenance
What Happens After Clearance?
A cleared garden is a fresh start, not a finished job. Once the mess is cleared and you can see what you have got, we can talk about what comes next. Many of my garden clearance customers go on to become regular maintenance clients. A fortnightly or monthly visit to keep on top of the mowing, hedges and borders means the garden never gets away from you again.
Wildlife Considerations
Overgrown gardens are often surprisingly good for wildlife, and I am mindful of that during clearance. I check for nesting birds before cutting hedges, look out for hedgehog habitat in log piles and undergrowth, and avoid disturbing areas where slow worms or amphibians might be sheltering. Where possible, I leave a section of the garden a little wilder as a wildlife corridor. Clearing a garden does not have to mean sterilising it.
Pricing
Garden clearance is charged at £30 per hour. For larger jobs I can quote a fixed day rate so you know exactly what you are paying upfront. Green waste removal is included in the price — I hold a waste carrier's licence and dispose of everything responsibly. If there is non-green waste (old furniture, rubble, general rubbish), I will let you know about any additional disposal costs before starting.
Get a Free Quote
Call 07767 241844 or fill in the quote form and I will come and have a look. Garden clearance quotes are always done in person because photos rarely show the full picture. I will give you an honest assessment of what is involved, how long it will take, and what it will cost. No pressure, no hard sell.