A mown lawn and beech hedge looking out to the North Downs

A local gardener in Brockham

Garden care around Brockham Green, Strood Green and the sandy lanes north of the Mole.

Most people looking for a gardener in Brockham want someone who turns up on the day they said, cuts the grass properly and doesn’t leave a mess in the lane. We’re about 6.5 miles away in Horley, and Brockham sits comfortably inside the area we already cover. The same team comes every visit, and every clipping leaves with us.

Geologically, the village is two places. British Geological Survey mapping puts the green, the church and everything south through Strood Green on Weald Clay, with a layer of old river sand and gravel around the green itself. Cross the Mole to Kiln Lane or Brockham Lane and you’re on Lower Greensand sandstone instead. One village, two very different kinds of lawn.

It’s a village of houses rather than flats. At the 2011 census the parish had 402 detached and 505 semi-detached homes against 104 flats, and some of the cottages facing the green are timber-framed buildings from the 16th century.

Garden services in Brockham.

Tall yew hedge cut flat around an arched gate

What Brockham households book us for

Fortnightly maintenance is the core of it: a cut, the edges, beds weeded and whatever the hedges need that month. South of the river the clay holds water all winter and bakes in August, so lawns want a high summer cut and a light touch on soft days. North of the river the sandy ground drains in hours and dries just as quickly, which is lovely in February and hard going in a dry July. Hedges put on plenty of growth on both.

The green and the old cottages around it have been a conservation area since 1970, and parts of the village carry extra Article 4 planning controls. None of that stops a hedge being cut. It’s a reason to keep boundaries looking the way they always have, and to leave any tree work to an arborist who’ll give the council its notice.

What commercial grounds look like in Brockham

Brockham is a residential village, and its commercial grounds sit close to the heart of it: the churchyard at Christ Church, the school site on Wheelers Lane, the pub gardens on the green, blocks of flats and rented houses. Each of those gets a written annual schedule and one fixed price, billed monthly or quarterly. Insurance certificates are there whenever someone asks for them.

Grounds maintenance for Brockham businesses.

Annual contracts for blocks, offices, schools, care homes, churches and landlords.

Gardening in Brockham: your questions

Anything else, just ring. You’ll speak to the people who do the work.

Do you cover Strood Green and the lanes north of the river?

Yes, the whole parish, plus Betchworth, Dorking and Reigate on either side. Brockham is well within the 15 miles or so we cover from Horley.

Will you work round the bonfire and the summer fair?

Yes. The green gets packed for the bonfire on the Saturday nearest 5 November and for the Victorian fair in July, and parking near it vanishes. We’ll move a visit a day either way rather than add to the queue.

How do I get a price for my garden?

Call 07720 886244 any day but Sunday, 7am to 6pm. We’ll come over, walk round with you and give you a fixed quote at no charge. The price turns on the size of the garden, the access and how often we’d visit.