A reliable gardener is one of those contacts worth keeping. Come the first warm weekend of spring, half of Portsmouth seems to be hunting for one at once, whether the job is rescuing an overgrown plot, a steady fortnightly tidy or a whole garden built from bare earth.
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To build this ranking we looked across the firms working in and around the city and read through what their customers actually say. We weighed the standard of the finished work, how reliably a crew turns up and finishes, the spread of jobs each one takes on, and whether the price is fair for what you get. Real price guides went into that last part, not guesswork.
Reviews carried the most weight, because a long run of happy customers tells you more than any sales pitch. This is a living list, and we revisit it as new firms make a name and others slip back.
The six run from our top pick downwards, starting with the best.
1. Howard and Sons Landscape Gardening
Top of the list is a family firm that seems to turn its hand to everything and do it well. The reviews run from routine maintenance right through to full landscaping schemes, and the thread running through them is care, both for the garden and for the customer’s time. People mention crews that arrive when they say they will and leave the place immaculate.
A straight 5.0 from more than forty reviews is a hard record to argue with. “They transformed a jungle into something we actually use,” reads one, which catches the tone of the rest. For regular upkeep you are looking at around £30 an hour, while a bigger landscaping job is quoted after a site visit.
What stands out
- A spotless 5.0 across more than forty jobs;
- Handles everything from a mow to a full redesign;
- Tidy, careful and respectful of your time;
- Clear, honest quotes up front;
- A genuine, long-standing local following.
A few caveats
- Landscaping is priced per job rather than per hour;
- In demand, so the spring diary fills early.
For most Portsmouth gardens, big or small, this is the first number worth calling.
2. Radiant Gardens and Trees
With the biggest review base on the list and a 4.9 to show for it, Radiant is the firm to call when trees are in the picture. Alongside the usual garden care it handles pruning and removal, work that needs the right kit and the right insurance, and the feedback points again and again to a tidy, careful job and a quote you can trust.
A fortnightly tidy sits in the same ballpark as the others, around £30 an hour, while tree work is costed after someone has come out to look. For a garden with mature trees that need keeping in check, the extra expertise is worth the call.
Where it shines
- Tree pruning and removal as well as general care;
- The largest review base of any firm here;
- Safe, properly insured work at height;
- Clear quotes after a site visit.
Where it dips
- Tree jobs cannot be priced over the phone;
- Busier lead times once spring arrives.
The specialist pick, and the one to shortlist the moment a tree is involved.
3. Stone Green Landscapes
If your project leans towards the hard stuff, patios, fencing, new borders and the bones of a garden, Stone Green is the dependable choice. A 4.8 across more than forty reviews rests on neat construction and a willingness to help shape the design rather than just lay what it is handed.
Landscaping here is quoted by the project, and customers tend to single out the finish on the paving and brickwork. It is less a weekly-mow service and more the firm you bring in when the garden needs rebuilding from the ground up.
The strong points
- Strong on patios, fencing and hard landscaping;
- Useful design input on bigger schemes;
- A tidy, well-finished job;
- A solid record over forty-plus reviews.
The weak points
- More project-led than a regular maintenance round;
- Everything is by quote, so budget early.
Our pick when the job is building something new rather than keeping it trimmed.
4. A and O Landscapes Portsmouth
A and O carries a flawless 5.0 for garden makeovers and maintenance alike, built on crews that reviewers describe as friendly and genuinely hard-working. It is a strong shout when a garden needs a full refresh rather than a specialist job, the kind of visit that leaves a neglected plot looking cared for again.
Work is quoted to the job, and the smaller review base is really the only thing holding it below the leaders. On the evidence of the feedback, the standard is right up with them.
Reasons to go
- A flawless 5.0 for makeovers and upkeep;
- Friendly, hard-working crews;
- Good for a full garden refresh;
- Consistent praise for the finish.
Reasons to pause
- A smaller review base than the top two;
- Every job is priced individually.
A safe pair of hands for a whole-garden tidy or refresh.
5. T.H Landscape and Designs
T.H earns its 5.0 on neat, well-planned work, and it is the one to approach when you want a design-led eye on a smaller garden. Rather than a big landscaping operation, this is the firm for a considered redesign of a courtyard, a back garden or a front that needs rethinking.
Pricing follows the design and the materials, so expect a tailored quote. The reviews are fewer in number but warm in tone, with customers happy they went for a planned approach rather than a quick fix.
The appeal
- Neat, design-led work;
- A good fit for smaller gardens;
- A considered, planned approach;
- Warm, if fewer, reviews.
The caveats
- Better for design jobs than large landscaping;
- A newer name with a shorter track record.
Worth a call when the garden needs a plan, not just a mow.
6. Southcoast Landscapes
Rounding off the six, Southcoast earns its 5.0 for solid, no-nonsense landscaping and garden work. Patios, turfing and general improvements are its bread and butter, and the reviews describe fair dealing and a job done without drama.
The review count is modest, which keeps it at the foot of a strong list rather than reflecting any weakness in the work. Prices come by quote once the scope is clear.
What we liked
- Solid, dependable landscaping;
- Good for patios and turfing;
- Fair, straightforward dealing;
- A clean 5.0 so far.
What we didn’t
- A newer name with fewer reviews;
- No published price guide, so ask early.
A dependable option to put on the quote list for a patio or a reseed.
Where the six firms land (out of 10)
The six firms at a glance
| # | Firm | Price guide | Score (out of 10) | % (out of 100) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Howard and Sons | ~£30/hr | 9.2 | 92% |
| 2 | Radiant Gardens and Trees | ~£30/hr, trees by quote | 9.1 | 91% |
| 3 | Stone Green Landscapes | By quote | 9.0 | 90% |
| 4 | A and O Landscapes | By quote | 8.8 | 88% |
| 5 | T.H Landscape and Designs | By quote | 8.6 | 86% |
| 6 | Southcoast Landscapes | By quote | 8.5 | 85% |
What the ratings reveal
One pattern jumps out. The firms at the top pair high scores with big review counts, while the names lower down hold perfect 5.0s on fewer jobs. A long record of happy customers is harder to earn than a short one, so it carries more weight here.
Tree work turns out to be a real specialism rather than a given. Only Radiant leans into it, which is why it is the pick the moment a saw is needed. Elsewhere the field is close, and most firms price landscaping by the job, so the value gap between them is narrow.
If you are planning the garden around them, our guide to the best parks and green spaces in Portsmouth is worth a look for ideas.
How we put this together
We scored each firm on five things. The quality of the finished work counted for about 35 per cent, reliability on site for 25 per cent, value and price for 15 per cent, the range of jobs taken on for 15 per cent, and clear communication for the last 10 per cent.
The ratings come from public Google reviews, read in late 2026, and we checked the going rates for a maintenance visit as part of the value score. This is an editorial snapshot, not an official ranking, and the order can shift as new reviews land. Always get your own written quote, and check current availability before you book.
