Best Landscapers on the North Shore
We assessed 69 landscapers on the North Shore and ranked the top 5 on public rating quality, review volume and how recent the reviews are. The businesses listed below hold 927 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 on the North Shore
The top 5 landscapers on the North Shore are #1 Essential Lawn & Garden Keeper, #2 Go-to Gardening, #3 Sunlight Garden Care, #4 We Do Landscaping, and #5 Xtra Landscaping, ranked by Top5 score. Scroll for our take on each, plus what to ask before you hire.
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1
Essential Lawn & Garden Keeper - Northshore
★ 4.9 129 reviews Top5 Score 166 +15★ 125 4★ 3 1★ 1Essential Lawn & Garden Keeper takes on heavily neglected properties, tackling overgrown ivy, tree removal, weeding, pruning, and lawn cleanup in jobs that have been left for years. Quotes come through the same day as enquiry, and the crew leaves sites fully cleaned up, with work completed to the agreed scope.
location_on 33 blakeborough drive, forrest hill, 1/43 Luke Street, Otahuhu, Northshore
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2
Go-to Gardening
★ 4.7 221 reviews Top5 Score 1635★ 197 4★ 10 3★ 4 2★ 2 1★ 8Go-to Gardening gets lawn mowers, ride-ons, and line trimmers repaired quickly, with several customers noting turnarounds of a few hours or within two days even during busy periods. A loaner mower while yours is being serviced is a practical touch that comes up across multiple visits.
location_on 157C Target Road, Wairau Valley, Auckland
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3
Sunlight Garden Care
★ 5.0 70 reviews +6 Top5 Score 163 +35★ 68 4★ 2Sunlight Garden Care covers regular lawn mowing, hedge and tree trimming, weeding, and garden maintenance, with Fernando building long-term relationships across residential and community properties. Clients note he takes time to advise on what suits each garden, shows up punctually, and leaves sites clean and tidy after every visit.
location_on 2/4 Kowhai Road, Campbells Bay, Auckland
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4
We Do Landscaping
★ 4.9 135 reviews Top5 Score 1625★ 131 4★ 2 1★ 2We Do Landscaping takes on backyard levelling, retaining walls, drainage fixes, planting schemes, and structural builds like espalier and mowing strips, including projects other landscapers turned down. Foreman Jayden oversees jobs on-site while Simon and Chris work through the brief and budget upfront, and the crew flags issues like drainage problems mid-project rather than leaving them for later.
location_on 43 Moffat Road, Red Beach
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5
Xtra Landscaping
↓ 1★ 5.0 65 reviews +7 Top5 Score 161 +85★ 64 4★ 1Xtra Landscaping turns around garden cleanups, lawn restoration, tree and hedge trimming, and bark laying, with multiple reviewers noting the team happily absorbed extra tasks added mid-job without friction. Jake, Lian, and Luke are cited by name for working through the brief before starting, then flagging options and adjustments on the spot when conditions or client ideas shifted.
Other suburbs
Before you hire a landscaper on the North Shore
Drawn from 361 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 residential properties.
Paving, decking, and hard landscaping runs between $80 and $250 per square metre depending on materials. Soil conditions, site access, and project complexity are the biggest drivers of cost variation.
What should a landscaping quote include to protect me if the scope changes? expand_more
A solid quote should name specific plants, materials, and grades rather than vague descriptions, because substitutions during a job can quietly change what you end up with. One review flagged frustration when materials fell short of what was implied in pre-job photos, which is exactly the problem a detailed written scope prevents.
The quote should also spell out a variation process, so any change to the plan requires written sign-off and a revised price before work continues. Confirm the payment schedule up front, including whether a deposit is required, and make sure site reinstatement and green waste removal are explicitly included.
Do any landscaping works require council consent? expand_more
Retaining walls over 1.5 metres high require building consent under the Building Act 2004, as do walls over 0.5 metres if they sit within one metre of a boundary or public space. Decks more than 1.5 metres above ground at any point also need consent, and significant earthworks, often above 50 cubic metres, can require resource consent under your local district plan, though thresholds vary by council. Restricted building work, which can include structural retaining walls and certain deck construction, must be carried out by a Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP), and using one gives you legal protections as a homeowner.
What are the warning signs of a landscaper you shouldn't hire? expand_more
- –A quote with no detailed plant list, materials specification, or written scope is a red flag before a single spade hits the ground.
- –Going quiet after collecting a deposit has come up in reviews as a genuine risk, so treat poor early communication as a predictor of bigger problems mid-project.
- –Dismissing scope concerns rather than working through them suggests the contractor will not handle disputes constructively once your money is committed.
- –Weed mat or drainage materials that fail within weeks of installation point to corner-cutting on product quality or ground preparation.
- –A contractor who cannot explain what consents may apply to your retaining walls or earthworks is either inexperienced or hoping you will not ask.
- –Not showing up for a booked appointment without contact is a clear signal to look elsewhere.
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 product and grade, and confirms whether GST is included in the total.
- –Ask what happens if a specified plant is unavailable: who chooses the substitute, and do you get sign-off before it is planted.
- –Ask who is responsible for identifying whether your project needs building or resource consent, and who will manage that process with council.
- –Ask how green waste, excavated soil, and any hard rubbish will be disposed of, and whether removal costs are already in the quote.
- –Ask what ongoing maintenance the finished garden will need in the first season, including watering, mulching, and any replanting guarantee if plants die.
Also recommended landscapers on the North Shore
Ranked 6 to 10 on the same public review record.
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6
Parrot Landscaping
↓ 4★ 4.9 87 reviews +1 Top5 Score 160 -15★ 84 1★ 3Parrot Landscaping coordinates full outdoor transformations, covering garden design, lawn installation, decks, pergolas, retaining walls, and planting schemes under one team. Their use of VR walkthroughs during the design phase lets clients catch changes before anything is built, and on-site leads like Tomi and Josh are noted for working through difficult conditions to match the agreed vision.
location_on 5E Armstrong Road, Rosedale, Auckland
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7
Garden Solution Landscapes
★ 4.9 68 reviews Top5 Score 1565★ 65 4★ 1 2★ 2Garden Solution Landscapes covers garden cleanups, retaining wall construction, deck work, stump grinding, hedge and tree trimming, and paving repairs across residential and community sites. Sukh is noted for suggesting better approaches that keep costs down, and the team builds in design advice and material repurposing rather than simply completing what was asked.
location_on Birkenhead, Auckland
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8
Lawn Fleet
★ 4.9 58 reviews Top5 Score 1565★ 57 1★ 1Lawn Fleet builds ongoing relationships with residential clients, covering regular lawn mowing, hedge trimming, tree work, and garden upkeep visit after visit. Tyler is cited for sharp lawn edges that draw neighbour comments, taking on short-notice jobs, and removing garden waste as part of the standard service.
location_on 3/11 Northboro Road, Hauraki, Auckland
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9
City Botanics
★ 4.9 53 reviews Top5 Score 1505★ 52 1★ 1City Botanics transforms compact outdoor spaces, including apartment balconies, courtyard gardens, patio areas, and poolside plantings, into designed, planted environments tailored to what each client actually described wanting. Laura handles design briefs and translates rambling ideas into finished plans, while Martin keeps clients updated on scheduling so there are no surprises on installation day.
location_on Unit 8/8 Laurenson Road, Hobsonville, Auckland
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10
Planters
★ 5.0 41 reviews Top5 Score 1485★ 39 4★ 2Planters builds retaining walls, raised garden beds, and full backyard transformations, with Troy keeping clients updated at each stage so nothing comes as a surprise. Where initial misunderstandings have arisen, the owner has worked through them directly, and the team is noted for leaving sites clean and tidy on completion.
About this ranking
What the 10 landscapers listed above hold, at the 30 September 2026 check.
We first assessed landscapers on the North Shore in April 2026 and have rechecked the ranking four times since. Essential Lawn & Garden Keeper has held first place 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 April 2026? expand_more
- Sep 2026
Scoring method updated. Go-to Gardening entered the top 5 at #2. We Do Landscaping entered the top 5 at #4. Parrot Landscaping left the top 5, down to #6. Garden Solution Landscapes returned to the list at #7. Lawn Fleet returned to the list at #8. City Botanics returned to the list at #9. Planters entered the list at #10.
- Jul 2026
Scoring method updated. Sunlight Garden Care returned to the top 5 at #4. City Botanics entered the list at #7.
- May 2026
Scoring method updated. Xtra Landscaping entered the top 5 at #4. Lawn Fleet entered the top 5 at #5.
- Apr 2026
First check. Essential Lawn & Garden Keeper #1.
Months where nothing changed at the top are not listed.
How are the top landscapers on the North Shore chosen? expand_more
We build this page from Google Maps results for landscapers on the North Shore. 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 on the North Shore. 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.