Seven landscaping tips from Mercury Bay Garden and Landscape Supplies

Creating beautiful outdoor spaces – new outdoor landscape showroom

For seven years Andy and Leanne have worked with local clients as the go to local garden and landscape supplies business based in Whitianga. Recently these two entrepreneurs transitioned their business and now exclusively provide hard landscaping products for Coromandel clients. 

We have pivoted our business by removing our plants section, and now solely provide hard landscaping products. By focusing on just hard landscaping, we now have more space to offer all of the products our customers love and additional space to showcase some truly unique and trending hard landscaping products. And an added bonus is that as business owners we are also striking a better balance between work and life. 

Andy and Leanne McLeod – Owners, Mercury Bay Garden and Landscape Supplies
 
Andy and Leanne note that one of the most rewarding aspects of their business is the relationships they've built with their customers and their suppliers. They've forged lasting friendships with both, and their garden and landscape knowledge has grown immensely through these connections. Andy and Leanne are really delighted that over the years they have been invited to their customers' gardens to witness the beautiful landscapes they've helped create.

We pride ourselves on our excellent customer service and are here to help customers plan their landscape projects. If you have a vision for your outdoor space, we’re ready to work with you to select the right materials and guide you through the process. And of course we’d love to see the finished product!

Andy and Leanne McLeod – Owners Mercury Bay Garden and Landscape Supplies

Seven tips for Coromandel Landscapers looking to makeover their outdoor spaces

As landscaping experts Andy and Leanne McLeod emphasize, careful planning, budgeting, and consideration of the environment are crucial elements in achieving a successful and enjoyable outdoor space. They offer the following garden and landscaping advice for anyone looking to remodel their outdoor garden area:

1:  Decide what you want to achieve 

The first step is to decide what you want to achieve and how you want to lay this out in the space you have available. For example whether you want an outdoor space to hang out in, you want gardens for flowers or whether you want to produce food.

Andy and Leanne say this is one of the most important first steps for their clients. From there projects become much easier as clients have got an idea of what they want to do and the Mercury Bay Garden and Landscape Supplies team can then quickly start to guide them as to how to achieve this layout and design. 

2: Applying the personal touch 

Landscaping reflects your own individual personality and taste. There are no right or wrong choices in landscaping; it's about creating a space that aligns with your preferences and needs. Whether it's a rustic sleeper look, a formal garden, a wild jungle, a Japanese style garden, something subtropical or anything in between, personalisation is key.

Andy and Leanne have worked with clients who have had such different styles that they really have seen how the current landscaping products and special features that are available on the market really make it limitless for what you can achieve in your outdoor space. And if clients need additional assistance to put their vision into a plan Andy and Leanne can also recommend local landscape designers who can visit their individual site. 

3:  Consider your initial and ongoing budget 

Consider your initial and ongoing budget when embarking on landscaping projects. Budget not only for the initial setup but also for ongoing maintenance and upkeep as this is essential to ensure that the outdoor space remains in good condition.

4: Decide how much time you have to maintain your outdoor area

Some of us love spending all day in our outdoor space and garden, and others have more limited time restraints. For those with busy lifestyles or limited time for garden upkeep, low-maintenance landscaping options are the best option. Designing with easy-care plants, incorporating hardscaping elements that weather well, and using mulch to suppress weeds are ways to reduce maintenance requirements.

The preparation and choice of your plants and materials are key to less maintenance. Leanne and Andy suggest to use weed matting when planting, and use materials like river rock and mulch to create low maintenance planted gardens. Succulents are great examples of easy care plants. By creating more deck space, and including more lawn space can also assist to create more easy care gardens. 

5: Design for the weather conditions that will impact your site

The elements can throw a lot at your outdoor area, so whether it’s too much or too little rain, wind or sun, plan for the eventualities. Andy and Leanne can advise on durable products that can suit different site requirements and techniques. 

6: Quality soil and feeding

Quality soil is the building block for a successful garden or lawn. Leanne and Andy advise clients to purchase quality soil if their budget allows as this is an essential step in creating a healthy garden.

And don't forget that like humans, plants also need feeding and nurturing.  You can't expect to plant into poor quality soil, never provide your plants with fertiliser and expect them to thrive.  Andy and Leanne have a vast range of fertilisers available to suit all needs.

7. Consider Edging and Lighting to add interest

Clever use of edging and outdoor lighting is both functional and  creates interest. They can transform a landscape by creating a visual and physical separation in your outdoor area and significantly impact the overall ambiance of an outdoor space. Mercury Bay Garden and Landscape Supplies stock Corten (weathered steel) which is an increasingly popular edging material, and they also have bluetooth lighting options available (including coloured lighting) for water features and garden placement. 

Everyday and unique landscaping products for your home or Bach

Andy and Leanne offer an extensive variety of hard landscaping products that gardeners and garden designers need including:

• Bulk and bagged compost and garden mix
• Decorative stone
• Cement and pavers
• Garden stakes, weed mats and garden tools
• Fertilisers, sprays and plant tonics
• Kings seeds
• Garden art, moss wall art, water features and garden sculptures 
• Lightweight fibre cement cascade waterfalls and feature rocks
• Edging and retaining walls including Corten (weathered steel), ponga logs and sleepers of various origins

To contact Leanne and Andy, or to learn more information about Mercury Bay Garden and Landscape Supplies click on the link below.