Written by Mark Reid,
Trades Editor ·Verified 12 August 2026
Torquay's geography makes it one of the more interesting places in Devon to hire a landscaper. The town sits on a series of hills rolling down to the bay, which means many gardens are steeply terraced, often with thin, free-draining red sandstone soil or shallow clay depending on which part of town you're in. Properties in Chelston and Cockington tend to have longer, more established gardens with mature planting, while the newer builds around Edginswell and the St Marychurch area often come with flat, blank-canvas plots that need designing from scratch. Seafront and clifftop gardens in areas like Babbacombe and Wellswood face salt wind and need plants chosen specifically to cope with coastal exposure. It's a varied picture, and a landscaper who knows the local conditions will save you real money on plants that actually survive.
The businesses on this page were drawn from third-party public business listings and ranked by public review rating and review count, with a small lift applied to businesses that show a working website and a phone number. We read each business's homepage to confirm that landscaping is what they primarily offer, which is how unrelated trades get kept off the page. Any listing flagged as permanently closed is removed automatically. Where you see a Trust Verified badge on a business, that means they've additionally passed our full verification process, which covers trade qualifications and accreditations, public liability insurance, trading history, customer review history, and registered company information. You can find the full list of what that involves on our How We Verify page. For any business on this page that doesn't carry that badge, those checks haven't been carried out by us, and you'll want to do them yourself before you book.
Before you commit to anyone, ask for a written quote that itemises labour and materials separately. Hard landscaping such as patios, driveways, or retaining walls should include details of the sub-base depth and the materials being used, because this is where corners often get cut. If a landscaper is installing irrigation, lighting, or any electrical element, check they're using a qualified electrician for those specific parts. Get at least two or three quotes on anything over a few hundred pounds. It's also worth asking whether they'll be doing the work themselves or subcontracting, and who's responsible if something goes wrong. Public liability insurance is standard in the trade but not universal, so ask to see a copy of the certificate before work starts.
How We Select & Rate The Best Landscapers in Torquay
Rankings on this page are driven by public review rating and review count pulled from third-party business listings, with a small lift for businesses that have a working website and phone number. We read each business's homepage to confirm that landscaping is what they primarily offer, keeping unrelated trades off the page. Permanently closed listings are removed automatically. Businesses showing a Trust Verified badge have additionally passed our full verification, covering qualifications, insurance, trading history, customer review history, and registered company information. See our How We Verify page for the full list. Other businesses on the page have not been independently verified by us, and inclusion is not an endorsement. Always do your own checks before hiring.
Recommended and Featured listings are paid placements, so a business's fee affects whether and where it appears. Every other listing is ranked on rating and review count from third-party business listings. How we rank & verify →
Willow Garden Services and Sales (SW) Ltd is a landscaping company based in Torquay, covering the South West. With a 4.9 rating from 173 Google reviews, the company has built a consistent record across garden design, landscaping, and related outdoor work. Clients across the area appear to rate the results highly, making it a well-regarded local option for garden projects.
BL Building & Landscaping is a Torquay-based landscaping and building firm covering outdoor construction and garden transformation projects across the area. Nineteen Google reviews have returned a perfect five-star rating, suggesting consistent results on the ground. The company operates from the TQ1 postcode, keeping its work focused on the local patch rather than spreading thin across Devon.
Proscapes is a landscaping company serving Torquay and the surrounding area. Operating within the TQ3 postcode, the business holds a five-star Google rating across its reviews, suggesting consistent work on residential and outdoor projects. A practical choice for homeowners looking to reshape or maintain exterior spaces without the uncertainty of sourcing an unknown contractor.
Rated five stars across seven Google reviews, Barton Landscapes is a Torquay-based landscaping company serving residential and commercial clients in the area. The consistent rating, drawn from a modest but uniform set of responses, points to reliable output rather than volume marketing. Barton Landscapes can be found online at bartonlandscapes.co.uk.
Garden design and landscaping services covering Torquay and the surrounding area, Apricus Landscape Garden Design works across residential outdoor spaces. The company holds a five-star Google rating from its reviewers, reflecting consistent attention to the finished result. Its portfolio spans design planning through to practical installation, making it a single point of contact for garden transformation projects.
AJ Landscaping is a landscaping company serving Torquay and the surrounding area. With a five-star rating across its Google reviews, the business has built a consistent local reputation for outdoor work across residential properties. Services cover the range of landscaping trade, from garden design and clearance through to hard landscaping.
Rated 5 stars across multiple review platforms, Torbay Paving Specialist focuses on driveways and patios for residential properties in Torquay. The business covers the wider Torbay area, working with materials and layouts suited to the coastal environment. A clear specialism in hard landscaping sets it apart from general garden contractors.
Transparency notice: Recommended and Featured listings are paid placements, so a business's fee affects whether and where it appears. All other listings are ranked by a combined score drawn from ratings and review counts published on third-party business listings, plus basic completeness signals such as a working website and phone. A Trust Verified badge means we have independently checked that business's documents; businesses without it have not been independently verified by us. How we verify →
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It depends heavily on what you're having done. A basic garden tidy-up or lawn renovation typically runs from £150 to £400 for a half-day's work. A new patio in porcelain or natural sandstone for a medium-sized garden will usually cost between £2,500 and £6,000 including materials, sub-base, and labour. Full garden design and landscaping for a larger property in somewhere like Chelston or St Marychurch can easily reach £10,000 to £20,000 or more, particularly if the plot is steeply terraced and needs retaining walls or significant earthworks. Torquay's hilly terrain can add cost because soil removal and access are more difficult than on flat plots. Getting two or three quotes is normal practice and genuinely worth doing, as prices for the same job can vary by 30% or more between contractors.
What's the best time of year to have landscaping work done in Torquay?
Hard landscaping such as patios, paths, and driveways can be done year-round. Torquay's mild coastal climate means winters are generally wetter rather than frozen, which can cause delays for laying gravel or block paving but rarely stops work entirely. Planting and turfing are best done between September and April when the ground retains moisture and plants establish more easily without much watering. Summer is the busiest period for landscapers, so if you want work done from May onwards, book at least six to eight weeks ahead. For retaining walls or any significant groundwork on a sloped garden, late summer and early autumn is often ideal as the ground is drier and easier to work.
Do I need planning permission for landscaping work in Torquay?
Most standard garden landscaping doesn't need planning permission. However, there are situations where it does. If your property is in a conservation area, which includes parts of Cockington and some areas around the seafront, you may need consent before removing certain trees or hedges. Any structure over a certain height, including tall retaining walls, pergolas, or garden rooms, can trigger permitted development limits. If you're within a designated area of outstanding natural beauty or your property is listed, the rules are stricter still. Torbay Council's planning portal is worth a quick check before you start, and a reputable landscaper should flag any likely issues during the quoting stage. Don't assume permission isn't needed just because it's your garden.
Can a landscaper help with a sloped or terraced garden in Torquay?
Yes, and given Torquay's topography, many local landscapers deal with sloped plots regularly. Terracing a steep garden usually involves building retaining walls in timber sleepers, natural stone, or concrete block, then backfilling to create flat usable levels. This isn't a small job. A single retaining wall with a metre of height across an average garden width can cost £1,500 to £4,000 depending on materials. Deeper schemes with multiple levels cost considerably more. The red sandstone soil common across much of Torquay drains well but isn't very fertile, so imported topsoil or soil improvement is often needed once levelling is done. Ask the landscaper whether their quote includes spoil removal, because excavated soil adds up fast and skips aren't cheap.
What should I expect from a landscaping quote in Torquay?
A proper written quote should break down labour and materials separately. You want to know exactly what materials are being used, whether that's which paving product, what depth of sub-base, and whether edgings and fixings are included. Vague quotes that just give you a single total figure with no breakdown make it very hard to compare contractors or understand what you're paying for. Ask about access, skip permits if required, and how they'll protect areas of the garden they're not working on. If the job involves turf, ask whether it's being grown locally or sourced elsewhere, as locally grown turf tends to establish faster in Devon conditions. Anything involving soft landscaping should also specify aftercare and whether there's any guarantee on plants or turf if they fail within a reasonable period.
How do I choose between landscapers and check they're reliable?
Start by asking each landscaper for references from jobs similar to yours, and actually follow them up. Photos are useful but a quick conversation with a previous customer tells you far more about reliability, communication, and whether the job was finished on time and on budget. Ask to see proof of public liability insurance before anyone starts work. £1 million or £2 million of cover is standard, but some contractors carry more. Check Companies House if the business is trading as a limited company, which takes about two minutes and shows you basic registration and filing history. For anything structural, such as retaining walls or significant drainage work, ask whether the design is based on a site survey rather than a rough estimate. Businesses on this page that carry a Trust Verified badge have been through our own verification process covering qualifications, insurance, and trading history. For those without that badge, those checks are yours to carry out before you commit.
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