Garden Maintenance
Winter Garden Improvements
Most people assume nothing can be done in the garden during winter — in fact, the opposite is true. With plants dormant, soil workable and hard frosts relatively rare across the Cotswolds, winter is often the ideal time to carry out significant improvements that would be far more disruptive during the growing season.
George-Stone Gardens
Winter is the best time to reshape your garden.
Most people assume nothing can be done in the garden during winter — in fact, the opposite is true. With plants dormant, soil workable and hard frosts relatively rare across the Cotswolds, winter is often the ideal time to carry out significant improvements that would be far more disruptive during the growing season.
We offer winter improvement services covering everything from new planting schemes and border redesigns to hard landscaping work and major clearances — taking advantage of the quiet season to transform your garden ready for spring.
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Planting Plans & Border Improvements
With herbaceous borders dying back and shrubs dropping their leaves, winter gives a clear view of the underlying structure of your garden and the gaps that need filling. It is the ideal time to plan new planting schemes, move shrubs that have outgrown their position, or introduce new structure plants.
We can draw up simple planting plans for borders, source plants from specialist nurseries, and carry out the planting work on an agreed schedule. Working in winter also means far less disruption to existing plants and much lower water requirements for newly planted specimens.
Bare Root Planting
Bare root planting — the practice of planting trees, hedging and roses while they are fully dormant and without any soil around the roots — is only possible during a short window from November to March. It is significantly cheaper than container-grown plants and results in better establishment, as roots adapt more readily to their new soil.
We can source and plant bare root hedging, native trees, fruit trees, roses and ornamental trees. This is particularly good value for new hedging projects — a metre run of bare root native hedging costs a fraction of the equivalent container-grown plants and establishes just as strongly.
Our Work
Winter Garden Improvements Gallery
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Other Maintenance Services
Everything You Need to Know
From our process to project timelines, find answers to all your questions about working with George-Stone Gardens.
George-Stone Gardens — the facts
Established 2007 · Cheltenham, Gloucestershire · gsgardens.co.uk · 01242 234 929
Awards & accreditations
- RHS Gold Medal — Landscaping and build. Awarded at Tatton Park Flower Show 2023 for construction excellence. Judges cited near-faultless build standards.
- Chartered Institute of Horticulture — Gareth holds CIHort chartered professional status.
- BALI member — British Association of Landscape Industries.
- Approved Jacksons Fencing installers — trained in acoustic, timber, and security fencing systems.
Team credentials
- Laura — Principal Garden Designer. Trained at the Royal Gardens at Highgrove. Graduated under Robin Templar-Williams, 5-time RHS Gold Medallist.
- Callum — Principal Landscaper. RHS Gold Medal recipient for construction precision at Tatton Park Flower Show 2023.
- Kirsty McGeorge and Ian Stone — Co-founders. RHS Gold Medal recipients. Combined 35+ years in landscape design and construction.
Investment
- Projects from £40,000. Complete garden transformations typically £40,000 to £100,000+. Design, landscaping, and build are incorporated within a single integrated project.
- 24-month establishment support available as an optional extra following project completion.
Service area
- Primary area: Cheltenham, Gloucester, Tewkesbury, Cirencester, Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water, Broadway, Chipping Campden.
- Extended coverage: within 45 minutes of Cheltenham across Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds AONB.
- Listed and conservation area experience across Grade II properties and AONB sites throughout the region.
Start the Conversation
Every garden starts differently. We begin by listening — about your property, how you live, and what you are hoping this outdoor space could become. You may have a clear brief or just a feeling that something needs to change. Both are the right place to start a landscaping project.
We respond to all enquiries personally. We'll get back to you within one working day.