Water runs through the story of Fleet. The town grew up beside Fleet Pond, now a Local Nature Reserve and the largest freshwater lake in Hampshire, and the Basingstoke Canal still passes through on its way across the district. It is no surprise that so many people here want a little water of their own, whether that is a still pool beside the terrace, a gentle bubbling stone near the back door or a wildlife pond at the far end of the lawn.
As a landscaping company that both designs and builds, CJ Landscapes treats a garden water feature as part of the whole garden rather than an extra added at the end. Before anything is dug we think about where the feature will be seen from inside the house, how it will be powered, where overflow water will go after heavy rain and how easily you can reach it for cleaning. Settling those points early is what keeps a feature looking right for years.
A pond is one of the quickest ways to bring life into a garden. Shallow, gently sloping edges let frogs, newts and birds get in and out safely, and a mix of submerged, floating and marginal plants helps keep the water healthy. Where we can, we place a wildlife pond away from overhanging trees so autumn leaves do not foul the water, and we plant the surrounding ground so creatures have cover as they come and go. This sits naturally with our biodiversity led approach to planting and materials.
Not every garden suits a natural pond. On a compact plot, or close to a terrace where children play, a sealed feature with a hidden reservoir gives the sound and movement of water without open depth. A narrow rill can lead the eye along a path, and a raised pool with a wide coping doubles as extra seating. We match the style to the house and to how much looking after you want to do.
Good lighting changes how a garden is used once the evenings draw in. Low lights can pick out the edge of a pond or the ripple of a rill, while lit steps and paths make the garden safer after dark. We lay cable routes during the build so fittings sit neatly in paving and borders. You can read more about our outdoor lighting installation.
Freshly planted borders and new lawns need steady water through their first summers. An irrigation system with drip lines in the beds and timed zones for the lawn means plants get what they need without anyone standing out with a hose. It also stops the waste that comes from watering by guesswork.
Fleet has grown a great deal, and on large newer estates such as Elvetham Heath many households start with the garden the builder left behind. That often means a thin layer of topsoil spread over compacted ground, turf rolled straight on top and a plain fence on every side. Water sits on the surface after rain, new shrubs struggle to root and the lawn wears quickly.
Our work on these plots starts below ground. We check how the soil drains, break up compacted areas, improve the ground where beds will go and set levels so water runs away from the house and paths. From there a bare rectangle can become a proper garden with a seating area that catches the sun, defined borders and a lawn that copes with family life.
Things we often find on a newer plot:
Away from the newer estates, Fleet has many Victorian and Edwardian villas, often with longer gardens, mature trees and old boundary hedges. These spaces need a lighter touch. The aim is usually to keep the features that give the garden its age and character, and to rework the parts that no longer suit how you live, perhaps a larger terrace near the house, a clearer route down the garden or fresh planting in borders that have lost their shape.
Every project begins with a bespoke design. We measure the garden, note the aspect, soil and drainage, and talk through how you want to use the space through the year. The design then brings the hard landscaping, planting, lighting and any water feature together on one plan, so each part is placed to work with the others rather than competing for room.
CJ Landscapes works with its own garden designers and a wider network of respected designers, so each project can be shaped by the right person. Because the same business then builds what has been drawn, ideas are checked against how they will be built before work starts. Our team has also been part of award winning show gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, which you can see on our projects page.
Planting is chosen for the conditions in your garden, not from a standard list. On a new build plot that might mean fast screening along a fence and shrubs that tolerate improved but still young soil. Around a pond it means marginal plants for the water's edge and cover for wildlife. In an established villa garden it often means filling gaps under mature trees with plants that cope with shade and dry roots. Our garden planting page explains how we prepare the ground first.
Our dedicated maintenance team looks after gardens on a monthly programme, with a minimum visit of four man hours so each call makes real progress. We can care for gardens we have built and gardens built by another contractor. Visits can include checks on pumps, irrigation timers and lighting as well as pruning, weeding and lawn care, so small faults are found before they become problems. More detail is on our garden maintenance page.
We start with the ground. Most problems on newer plots come from compacted soil and poor drainage, so we test how water drains, break up hard ground, improve the soil where planting will go and set levels that shed water away from the house. Once that is right we add the structure: a terrace, paths, borders and screening.
Clear water comes from balance rather than chemicals. That means enough plants to shade part of the surface and use up nutrients, keeping fallen leaves out in autumn, not overstocking with fish and, where a pump and filter are fitted, sizing them properly for the pond. We design these points in from the start and can check them on maintenance visits.
We usually call once a month, and each visit is a minimum of four man hours. If your garden needs a lighter level of care, we are happy to talk about an arrangement that suits it better.
For a free quote with no obligation, call us on 01276 582095 or 07717 058646, or leave your details on our contact page. Our pages for Hartley Wintney and Hook cover two neighbouring areas.
