01Move
DNA dimensions
Route density (jobs per crew-day), contract retention, average monthly plan value, weather slippage, complaint rate and review velocity.
All playbooksServices
Gardening playbook.
London garden-maintenance firms running scheduled rounds of residential and small-commercial clients. The win is route density, contract retention and turning one-off visits into 12-month maintenance plans.
Start your 7-day free trialNo card needed today. Your 7-day free trial starts when you sign up. Card payments are not open yet, so nobody is charged and you keep full access until they open.or book a demo →
Overview
A London gardening business with 1–3 crews typically turns over £140k–£480k. Profit is made on route density: a crew doing 9 jobs/day at £55 net beats one doing 5 jobs/day at £90. This playbook covers launching a maintenance-focused London gardening firm — van + tools, licensing, route planning and a credible 12-month plan.
8–11
Jobs / crew-day
82%
Annual retention
+24 pts
Contract conversion
What you'll need
Equipment list with real 2026 UK prices.
Sized for a 2–4 chair shop. Buy mid-range on chairs and clippers; cheap kit fails inside 12 months and walks away with your barbers.
01
Per crew
Van (Combo / Transit Connect — ULEZ compliant)
£8,500–£18,000 used · £280–£480 / mo lease
Plant trailer (single-axle 750 kg)
£900–£2,400
Van racking + secure tool storage
£600–£1,800
Stihl / Husqvarna battery system (mower, hedge cutter, blower, strimmer)
£2,400–£5,500 per crew
Petrol mower (commercial cylinder or rotary)
£600–£2,400
Hand tools (shears, rakes, secateurs, trowels)
£280–£600 per person
PPE (boots, hi-vis, ear defenders, gloves)
£140–£320 per person
02
Back-office
Job-management software (Tradify / ServiceM8 / Powered Now)
£35–£75 / user / month
Route optimiser (built-in or Routific / OptimoRoute)
£0–£120 / user / month
GoCardless direct debit
1% per txn (capped £2)
Storage lock-up (small)
£140–£420 / month
Where to set up
Location is half the business.
Catchment density
≥ 2,500 private gardens within 20 min drive
Round density makes the model. Without density you're a single-visit business.
Storage
Lock-up or van-only ops in residential areas (with neighbour consent)
Most one-van operators run from home initially; second van triggers lock-up.
ULEZ compliance
Euro 6 diesel or electric van mandatory inside ULEZ
£12.50/day non-compliance fee kills margin on intra-zone rounds.
Water on site (lock-up)
Mandatory for crew welfare
Wash-down of mowers and crew hygiene.
Area tier
Rent / month
Notes
Inner London (Islington, Hackney, Battersea)
Lock-up £400–£900
Average plan £85–£140 / month. Compact gardens; 12+ jobs per crew-day.
Outer London (Richmond, Bromley, Sutton, Enfield)
Lock-up £280–£700
Sweet spot — larger gardens, plan £120–£240, 8–10 jobs/day.
Commuter belt (Surrey, Hertfordshire, Essex border)
Lock-up £200–£500
Largest gardens (plan £180–£380), 6–8 jobs/day, very strong retention.
Licences & registrations
Get the paperwork done before you sign a lease.
UK figures for 2026. Lead times assume you submit complete applications — councils will pause the clock if you miss documents.
Requirement
Who issues
Cost
Lead time
ReqRegister company + HMRC accounts
Companies House / HMRC
£100
1–3 days
ReqWaste Carrier Licence (Upper Tier)
Environment Agency
£154 / 3 yrs
1–2 weeks
OptPA1 / PA6 pesticide certificate (if spraying)
City & Guilds / NPTC
£250–£500
2–4 weeks
OptChainsaw CS30/CS31 (if hedge / tree work)
NPTC
£400–£800
1–2 weeks
ReqPublic liability (£5m) + employer's liability
Insure4Sport / Simply Business
£280–£900 / yr
1 week
ReqTools-in-transit + van insurance
Specialist broker
£800–£1,800 / yr per van
1 week
ReqFirst Aid at Work (1 per crew)
St John / Red Cross
£180–£320
3 days
OptVAT registration (if turnover > £90k)
HMRC
Free
30 days
ReqICO data protection registration
ICO
£40 / yr
Same day
Build-out timeline
From decision to open in 12 weeks.
01
Phase 1 · Plan + register
Week −6 to −4- Pick 2 adjacent postcodes, plan a starter round of 25–40 properties.
- Register company + Waste Carrier + bind insurance.
- Buy / lease lead van + battery tool set.
02
Phase 2 · Round building
Week −4 to 0- Door-to-door + Nextdoor + flyer 800–1,500 homes in target postcodes.
- Set up Tradify + GoCardless direct debit.
- Build mini-website with postcode landing pages.
03
Phase 3 · Compound
Month 1–12- Month 1: NAVIZIX route optimiser + weather-reschedule live.
- Month 3: Hit 70%+ contract mix; first DNA scan.
- Month 6: Add second crew once first crew at 90%+ utilisation.
- Month 12: First peer benchmark.
Budget
Realistic startup and monthly cost ranges.
One-off · Startup
Setting up the shop
Van + racking
£9,500 → £20,000
Battery + petrol kit + hand tools
£3,200 → £7,500
Insurance + licences year 1
£900 → £2,800
Brand + website + flyers + photography
£1,400 → £5,500
Software year 1
£500 → £1,400
Working capital (2 months)
£6,500 → £18,000
Typical total
£35k → £85k
Recurring · Monthly
Keeping the lights on
Van + insurance + finance / lease
£500 → £1,400
Crew wages (2 per van, PAYE + helper)
£5,500 → £14,000
Fuel + battery / petrol
£280 → £900
Waste disposal
£140 → £480
Software + GoCardless + card fees
£140 → £480
Marketing (Google + flyers + Nextdoor)
£180 → £900
Lock-up + storage (when scaled)
£0 → £700
Typical total
£5.8k → £23k
Numbers that compound
How a gardening actually looks on a chart.
Illustrative planning ranges, not measured customer data. Toggle the views to see ramp, mix and weekly load.
12-month revenue ramp
Low vs high scenario (£ monthly)
High Low
Illustrative example for planning, not measured customer data.
First 90 days
Dates that actually matter after opening.
01Day 0
First 25 properties live on weekly / fortnightly schedule. Direct-debit mandates active.
02Day 14
First DNA scan — usually flags route density + post-visit photo follow-up.
03Day 30
Contract mix above 70%; first retention measurement.
04Day 60
First peer benchmark on jobs/crew-day + retention.
05Day 90
Second crew evaluated against backlog; annual contract renewal automation live.
What's inside
DNA, route, automations, integrations, benchmarks, advisors — tuned for a gardening.
02Move
Suggested route
Tighten route density first (it pays for the second van), automate weather-rescheduling + stage payments, then build a referral loop with verified reviews on each round.
03Move
Automations
Day-before SMS reminder, weather-triggered re-schedule, post-visit photo update, monthly direct-debit reminder, annual contract renewal and lapsed-client win-back.
04Move
Integrations
GoCardless, Xero, Tradify / ServiceM8, Google Business Profile, Checkatrade, Stripe + Google Maps API.
05Move
Benchmarks
Jobs per crew-day, retention and average monthly plan value vs London gardening rounds in the same catchment band.
06Move
Advisors
Encore advisors from multi-van London gardening groups paired with NAVIZIX AI for daily route + retention nudges.
Stack
Modules used in this playbook.
01DNA Engine02Route Map03Launch Twin04Automation05Verified06Encore
Related playbooks
Owners of a gardening often run — or cross-sell with — these adjacent operations.
Start with this playbook
7-day free trial. No card needed today.
Start your free trial and the gardening playbook loads on day one.
Start your 7-day free trialNo card needed today. Your 7-day free trial starts when you sign up. Card payments are not open yet, so nobody is charged and you keep full access until they open.