How to Build Better Landscapes and Grow a Stronger Landscaping Team | The Front Garden EP151

Building better landscapes starts with connecting design, construction and maintenance from the beginning. Paddy Milne shares practical lessons for creating gardens that perform long after handover while developing a capable team at a sustainable pace. Paddy is the owner of The Scape Artist, a Ballarat-based business working across landscape design, construction and garden maintenance. In this conversation with host Adam Hompas, Paddy explains how local conditions shape every project. From heavy clay and subsurface drainage to severe frost and hotter, drier summers, he shares how careful preparation and plant selection help create more resilient landscapes. The episode also explores the business and project systems behind the work. Paddy discusses detailed construction documentation, explaining site preparation costs to clients, hiring specialist machinery and operators when required, and the lessons he learned after growing his team too quickly. In this episode, you’ll learn: 🌿 Why maintenance should influence landscape design from the outset. 🌿 How to improve heavy clay for different planting schemes. 🌿 Why drainage is essential in cold, wet regional conditions. 🌿 How documentation supports accurate quoting and clearer communication. 🌿 Why steady team growth can create a stronger business foundation. Subscribe to Landscaping Victoria’s YouTube channel for more practical conversations from across the landscaping and green industries. 🔔 Follow The Front Garden so you don’t miss future episodes. The Front Garden podcast is proudly presented by Landscaping Victoria and is brought to you by ShapeScaper, the Australian-made modular steel garden edging and planter system, trusted by landscape professionals nationwide.