Best Landscapers in Dunedin
We assessed 20 landscapers in Dunedin and ranked the top 5 on public rating quality, review volume and how recent the reviews are. The businesses listed below hold 389 Google reviews between them. No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Last updated 30 September 2026. How we rank →
Before you hire
Whether you need landscape design, hard landscaping or ongoing garden and lawn maintenance, a good landscaper will consider drainage, soil quality and upkeep, not just how a garden looks on day one. Ask for a planting plan with maintenance notes, check whether they handle consenting for any structures, and get a breakdown of materials versus labour in the quote.
Top 5 Landscapers in Dunedin
The top 5 landscapers in Dunedin are #1 Forudu, #2 Little Tonne Diggers, #3 Pattison Property Solutions, #4 #SheCan, and #5 Lawn and Garden Solutions, ranked by Top5 score. Scroll for our take on each, plus what to ask before you hire.
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1
FORUDUNEDIN Lawn Mowing & Gardening
★ 4.9 219 reviews +5 Top5 Score 175 +25★ 207 4★ 10 1★ 2Forudu takes on heavily overgrown sections, clearing weeds, trimming hedges, pruning shrubs, and mowing grass in single visits that leave gardens tidy and ready to replant. Jeremy quotes at reasonable rates and keeps clients informed throughout the job, with several repeat customers returning for hedge and garden maintenance after seeing results from the first visit.
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2
Little Tonne Diggers - Dunedin
★ 5.0 25 reviews +2 Top5 Score 147 +65★ 25Little Tonne Diggers transforms outdoor spaces through retaining walls, garden reshaping, deck builds, path upgrades, and front garden landscaping, often coordinating subcontractors as part of the same job. Bud works through design ideas with clients before a spade hits the ground, and the crew leave sites tidy with results that draw comments from neighbours.
location_on 64 Frasers Road, Dunedin
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3
Pattison Property Solutions
↑ 1★ 5.0 21 reviews +9 Top5 Score 146 +85★ 21Pattison Property Solutions gets lawns, gardens, hedges, and fencing sorted fast, often completing work the day after quoting. Dylan brings his own ideas to projects rather than waiting to be told what to do, and clients consistently walk away with results that match or exceed what they asked for.
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4
#SheCan
★ 5.0 23 reviews Top5 Score 1415★ 23#SheCan rebuilds and relays paving, constructs raised beds and planters, and converts neglected outdoor spaces into usable areas. Eve consults throughout each job rather than disappearing after a brief handover, and regularly takes on additional small tasks mid-project without treating them as extras. Waste removal is handled as part of the job.
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5
Lawn and Garden Solutions
★ 4.9 25 reviews Top5 Score 1405★ 23 4★ 2Lawn and Garden Solutions covers mowing, edging, hedge trimming, weeding, pruning, and garden tidy-ups, including sections with difficult slopes and uneven ground. Kieren explains clearly what he thinks needs doing before starting, turns up when he says he will, and removes clippings and green waste from site rather than leaving it for clients to deal with.
Before you hire a landscaper in Dunedin
Drawn from 159 customer reviews collected for this page. The first answer is what it costs.
What does landscaping typically cost in New Zealand? expand_more
Basic garden tidy-ups and planting start from around $500 to $1,500. Full design and installation projects range from $5,000 to $50,000 or more for larger properties.
Paving, decking, and hard landscaping runs roughly $80 to $250 per square metre depending on materials and site conditions. Complexity, soil conditions, and material grade are the biggest cost drivers beyond sheer size.
What should a landscaping quote include to protect me if the scope changes? expand_more
A solid quote should name every material by type and grade, list plants by species and size, and spell out what happens if a specified plant is unavailable at the time of installation. Reviews highlight that the best experiences came when contractors flagged cost changes before acting, so insist on a written variation process that requires your sign-off before any extra work begins.
A payment schedule tied to project milestones protects you far better than paying a large deposit upfront against an undefined scope. The quote should also confirm who is responsible for clearing and disposing of green waste and debris, since reviewers specifically praised contractors who left sites clean without being asked.
Do any landscaping works require council consent? expand_more
Retaining walls over 1.5 metres tall require building consent under the Building Act 2004, as do walls over 0.5 metres within one metre of a boundary or public space. Decks more than 1.5 metres above ground at any point also need consent, and structural work of this kind must be carried out by, or under the supervision of, a Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP). Earthworks thresholds vary by council, but moving around 50 cubic metres or more, or working on steep or erosion-prone land, will often trigger a resource consent requirement, so check directly with Dunedin City Council before any significant dig begins.
What are the warning signs of a landscaper you shouldn't hire? expand_more
- –A quote that describes work in vague terms like 'garden tidy' rather than itemising tasks, materials, and plant species is a red flag before any money changes hands.
- –Ignoring your stated contact preference, as one reviewer experienced, signals that instructions will be overlooked on the job too.
- –Completing only part of the agreed work and then pressing for full payment before the job is finished is a clear sign of a contractor to avoid.
- –Repeatedly bumping your booking without proactive communication, and then blaming the client for not understanding the industry, points to poor reliability and worse accountability.
- –No mention of waste removal or site reinstatement in the initial discussion suggests the clean-up cost may appear as a surprise later.
- –Reluctance to provide a written scope or variation process on projects above a few hundred dollars is a strong reason to walk away.
What should you ask before hiring a landscaper? expand_more
- –Ask for a written quote that lists every plant by species and size, every material by type and grade, and a clear total that states whether GST is included.
- –Ask what happens if a specified plant dies within the first growing season, and whether that is covered by a workmanship or plant establishment guarantee.
- –Ask who is responsible for obtaining any required building or resource consents, and confirm this is noted in writing before work starts.
- –Ask how green waste, soil, and construction debris will be disposed of, and whether the cost of removal is included in the quoted price.
- –Ask what ongoing maintenance the finished garden will require, including watering, feeding, and any seasonal pruning, so you can budget for upkeep from day one.
- –Ask for references from at least one project of similar scope and check whether the contractor holds any trade qualifications or membership with Horticulture New Zealand or the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects (NZILA).
Also recommended landscapers in Dunedin
Ranked 6 to 10 on the same public review record.
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6
Artscapes Landscaping
↓ 3★ 5.0 15 reviews +1 Top5 Score 1385★ 15Artscapes Landscaping covers hedge removal, fencing, step replacement, espalier planting, and full garden transformations, with Billey shaping each project around the client's goals before work begins. They accommodate late-notice requests without dropping output, and several clients have returned for second and third projects after seeing results that draw attention from neighbours.
location_on 53 Arawa Street, Tainui, Dunedin
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7
Tidy Cuts Hedgecutting and Gardening
★ 5.0 15 reviews Top5 Score 1385★ 15Tidy Cuts handles hedge trimming, lawn mowing, overgrown garden rescues, and tree and shrub work, with Michael bringing plant knowledge that lets him advise on what to keep, cut, or reshape. He uses battery-powered tools to keep noise low, removes green waste as standard, and has converted one-off jobs into quarterly maintenance arrangements for several clients.
location_on 85 Stafford Street, Central Dunedin, Dunedin
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8
Elmwood Tree Services - Dunedin Arborist
★ 5.0 16 reviews Top5 Score 1365★ 16Elmwood Tree Services takes on tree pruning, stump and root removal, palm and willow takedowns, and hedge shaping, arriving on the scheduled day and sticking to the quoted price. Joe walks clients through what will happen before cutting starts, and the crew mulches and spreads debris on site rather than leaving it for the homeowner to clear.
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9
Super Lawn Mowing and Gardening Dunedin
↓ 4★ 4.5 24 reviews Top5 Score 1345★ 17 4★ 5 1★ 2Super Lawn picks up neglected lawns, overgrown gardens, and rental property grounds, often quoting and starting the same day. Scott keeps out-of-town landlords and tenants informed by text and email throughout, and regularly spots extra tidy-up tasks on site and completes them without needing to be asked.
location_on 8 The Octagon, Dunedin
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10
Dunny's Lawncare
↓ 3★ 5.0 6 reviews Top5 Score 125 +15★ 6Dunny's Lawncare keeps gardens tidy through mowing, weeding, and general garden maintenance, with Adam going beyond what's asked to make each garden look its best. Clients receive clear arrival and completion updates without having to chase, and the pricing sits well below what the output would suggest.
About this ranking
What the 10 landscapers listed above hold, at the 30 September 2026 check.
We first assessed landscapers in Dunedin in March 2026 and have rechecked the ranking four times since. Two different businesses have held first place; Forudu has held it since March 2026. Forudu has been in the top 5 at every check. Across the 14 locations we assess landscapers in, the 140 businesses listed have a median rating of 5.0, and one-star reviews are 1.5% of their total.
What has changed since March 2026? expand_more
- Sep 2026
Scoring method updated. #SheCan entered the top 5 at #4. Lawn and Garden Solutions entered the top 5 at #5. Artscapes Landscaping left the top 5, down to #6. Super Lawn left the top 5, down to #9. Tidy Cuts returned to the list at #7. Elmwood Tree Services entered the list at #8.
- Aug 2026
Pattison Property Solutions entered the top 5, up from #7.
- Jul 2026
Scoring method updated. Little Tonne Diggers entered the top 5 at #2.
- May 2026
Scoring method updated. Pattison Property Solutions and Dunny's Lawncare entered the list, at #7 and #8.
- Mar 2026
First check.
How are the top landscapers in Dunedin chosen? expand_more
We build this page from Google Maps results for landscapers in Dunedin. Each one is scored on its public rating and review record. Businesses outside the area, or whose reviews describe a different line of work, are left out, and a business whose main Google category is a different trade is held back until a person has checked what it does. A business whose website no longer resolves and that has had no Google review for six months is treated as dormant and left off the page until either changes. Every category and city is rechecked on a rolling cycle, about every two to three months. A location with a subscribing business is rechecked every month, and the whole page updates with it. See how we rank for the full method.
What does a business subscription offer? expand_more
No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Claiming and verifying a listing is free. It adds a phone number to the card and a small trust bonus (+3 points) to its score, for confirming a real operator stands behind the listing. The owner also gets a dashboard showing how their score is made up. A paid subscription provides an enhanced card with more ways to reach the business, including a website link and a detailed profile page. It also refreshes this page monthly and adds ranking history and competitor analysis to the owner's dashboard. The subscription adds nothing to the score. Claim your listing or see what a subscription includes.
Why isn't my business listed? expand_more
We build this page from Google Maps results for landscapers in Dunedin. The usual reasons for missing out are a Google Business category that does not match, too few reviews to score near the top, or an address outside the area we cover. Sometimes we miss a business that should be here. Check where you rank first. If you are not there and think you should be, get in touch.