Happy Gardens: Kind, qualified garden care with a smile

+44 07365 735299

Happy Gardens provides all your softscaping needs with high-quality garden maintenance and plant care across Kendal and South Lakes.

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Plants services: design, propagate, prune and plant health.

Expert Services

Keep your garden looking its best with regular visits tailored to the season. From weeding and pruning to mowing and tidy-ups, I’ll keep everything healthy, neat and manageable.

Seasonal Garden Maintenance / Garden Round

Specialist pruning and plant care to keep your garden thriving. I work at the right time of year to improve shape, flowering and long-term health—so your plants look their best.

Specialist Plant Care and Pruning

Not sure what to do next with your garden? I can help you plan planting, structure and colour for the year ahead, with practical ideas that suit your space and how you use it.

Design and planning

Has your garden got out of hand? I offer one-off tidy-ups and clearances to get things back under control—cutbacks, removals and a fresh, clean start at any time of year.

One off Jobs and Clearances

Want to learn what to do and when? I offer friendly, hands-on coaching in your own garden so you can feel confident with pruning, plant care and seasonal jobs.

Garden Help and Coaching

Join me for guided walks and small workshops that blend plant knowledge, observation, and place-based learning. Themes include winter twig ID (with a forensic eye), plant gratitude, plant blindness, and how geology shapes what grows where

Events, Walks & Talks

Garden Coaching services: RHS qualified, Garden Help, Monthly course, Well being

Qualifications

Myerscough College

One year of study combining hands-on horticulture with plant science and professional practice, alongside related RHS and City & Guilds units.

RHS

RHS Level 2 Practical Horticulture — Distinction.
RHS Level 2 Plant Growth & Development — Pass.
RHS member; regular visits to RHS gardens and shows.

City and Guilds

City & Guilds qualified: Pedestrian mower and ATV.
PA1 + PA6 certified (IPM-first; pesticides are a last resort).

Volunteering

Growing well

Levens Hall

RHS flower show Wentworth 2025

Volunteered at Growing Well and Levens Hall (plus occasional subcontract work). Also helped dismantle an award-winning garden at RHS Flower Show Wentworth 2025.

British Academy of Garden Design

Currently studying Year 1 Advanced Diploma in Garden Design, building on my RHS horticultural training.

Lawn mowing services: Mowing, Scarify, repair, turf, seed, Strim

About Me

Making gardens happier, one visit at a time!

After a 22-year career in the police forensic service, I decided it was time to return to my roots—my love of plants, the outdoors and gardening.

I spent the next two years studying and volunteering in a wide range of gardens, and gained my RHS Level 2 qualifications at Myerscough College, achieving a distinction. I now bring that practical experience and attention to detail to every garden I care for.

Matthew Barritt, gardener, who helped build the Silver award-winning Moonlight Garden at RHS Wentworth Flower Show 2025

Gallery

Hedge services, Hedge cutting, Topiary, Restore hedges

Tree and shrub pruning

Winter is the ideal time for many pruning jobs. This mulberry had become overgrown and congested, so I carried out regenerative pruning to restore shape and vigour and reduce water shoots.

Neglected Garden Corner Refresh

Softened with grasses, variegated evergreens and structural foliage to give winter interest making neglected corner, the focal point

Garden round

Planted the client’s new plants, refreshed the border and cut a crisp, straight edge for a neat, finished look.

Specialist Wisteria Pruning

This Wisteria is before a Specialist pruning to restore structure, improve airflow and encourage stronger flowering.

Back Garden

Restyle

A budget-friendly back garden refresh, with simple changes and new planting to create a tidier, more usable space.

Front Garden

Re-turf

Re-turfed the front garden, replacing a tired diamond-shaped lawn with fresh, level turf for a clean, smart finish.

“ My garden needed some TLC and I didn’t know where to start. Matt was so helpful and it now looks lovely and easy to maintain which I will be getting Matt to do on a regular basis. I could not recommend him more. Thank you"

Steph, Kendal

Eco Sustainability: Wildlife, birds, pollinators, composting

How can Happy Gardens Kendal make benefit you?

Free up your

time

Regular care, without the weekend stress

Reconnect with nature

A garden you’ll actually enjoy being in

Boost your well being

Calmer, greener space to unwind

Understand your garden

Simple advice that makes a big difference

Happy Gardens Blog

Winter Flowers and Fragrance Finds (from my travels)

Jan 242 min read

Softening Stone with Winter Interest

Jan 222 min read

See All Resources

Soil Services: Ph testing, structure, soil health, mulching, No Dig, Nutrient anlaysis

Happy Gardens Events

Plant Blindness: Learning to See Green
Date and time is TBD
Location is TBD
Ever walked through nature and only noticed the “big stuff”? This session explores plant blindness — why we overlook plants — and simple ways to start seeing what’s been there all along
Details
Plant Gratitude: The Gifts of Plants (Thank you Plants!)
Time is TBD
Location is TBD
Plants make gratitude easy. On this walk we’ll notice the everyday gifts of plants, using them as gentle anchors for appreciation. Gratitude can lift mood, steady the mind, and shift perspective — and you’ll learn simple ways to practise it anytime you spot something growing.
RSVP
Total Presence: Local Plants, Sauna & Swim - mind, body and spirit
Time is TBD
Location is TBD
We’ll use simple noticing techniques to tune into the flora and fauna around us, observe thoughts as they come and go, and make space for quiet reflection. We’ll also add hot/cold contrast (sauna and swim) for the body — a grounding, invigorating reset.
RSVP
Twig Detective: Winter Tree ID Workshop
Time is TBD
Location is TBD
Learn to identify trees and shrubs in winter using buds, bark, leaf scars and branching patterns — with a forensic twist, shaped by years of forensic science experience and “clue-based” techniques you can reuse on your walks.
RSVP