Marie-France and Trevor’s relaxing courtyard makeover

Before, Trevor and Marie-France’s courtyard was hard to maintain and not an area they were able to spend time in together.

Now they say they have the perfect, relaxing space where they can enjoy time together which has been particularly important during the COVID-19 restrictions.

Why did you choose William and the Plant-EM team for your garden project?

I happened to meet William a little while ago at a U3A (University of the Third Age Townsville) event where he did a gardening presentation.  I liked exactly what he was saying, and he was exactly the type of person I wanted to have creating our new courtyard garden.

I liked that he was humbly passing on his knowledge and he wasn’t pretending he knew absolutely everything about everything. He said this is what I know, this is where I come from and this is the sort of thing I do, so we knew exactly what to expect.

What were you hoping to achieve with your garden project?

In a word – relaxation. We really wanted a place where we could sit and have a drink or just read a book especially now, with the confinement as a result of COVID-19. This gives us a different space outside where we can spend time and Trevor can bring his concertina out in the garden and practice now too.

Why did you choose a Spanish influence?

I’ve seen photos and I’ve been to Spain and usually they have a little courtyard, quite often with a water feature like this. It looks nice and peaceful and Spanish people tend to live outside a lot like us here in Townsville, so I thought that was the sort of thing we should have in Australia too.

What do you think makes it a relaxing space for you?

Both the water feature and the Buddha are peaceful and relaxing to be around. Also, the garden’s not crowded.  We have some very nice plants that will provide even more shade as they grow, but not too many to make it feel overwhelming.

Would you recommend William and the Plant-EM team to others?

Absolutely yes. They listened to us but they also brought ideas. As they were putting the garden together both Nick and William would say “I’ve thought of this, what do you think?” And every time we would be consulted so that we could exchange ideas and really achieve the result we were after.

Would you come back to William with more work?

Oh yes! In fact, I will.(laughs). We’re planning the next project already.

We really value quality work by genuine people. If tradespeople don’t deliver what they’ve promised, we know not to use them again. It’s quite simple.

We have found a top electrician and a very good plumber and now we have an excellent landscaper too. When people are ready to help rather than just out to make money, they’re more my type of people.

It’s the longer-term, trusted relationship that we’re after. You want to know that you can call them up and they’re going to show up, do a good job and actually care about what they do and who they do it for.

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