Why We’re Not a Lawn Franchise (And That’s a Good Thing)

No scripts. Just soil, skill, and care.

There’s a quiet kind of satisfaction that comes from doing something properly. From showing up, week in and week out, not with a clipboard and a “treatment plan,” but with tools, boots, and the time to listen to the garden. At Doddington Garden Services, that’s how we work—not because it’s trendy or clever, but because it’s the only way the job makes sense.

We’ve seen what the big-name lawn franchises offer. It's polished on paper: three visits a year, scheduled chemical treatments, a few quick sprays of feed. It takes less than an hour, but the bill tells a different story—often well over £125 an hour for a visit. They’ll fertilise in winter, when the lawn isn’t growing and won’t take up the feed. Why? Because it fits the program. Not because it fits the soil, or the season, or the needs of the garden in front of them.

Then there’s scarification and aeration—the heavier jobs that should come with care, timing, and thoughtful cleanup. And yet we regularly see these tasks rushed through, leaving debris scattered, moss piled, and the garden looking worse than when they arrived. Cleanup? That’s extra, if it’s offered at all.

We don’t work that way.

We mow the lawn ourselves, with care. We feed it when it needs feeding—not according to a chart, but according to what we see and feel underfoot, and in line with RHS guidelines. We’ll tell you when to water, and when to leave it be.

Scarification and aeration are messy work—but vital, done right. We clear up after ourselves. We treat your lawn like it’s our own, not a quarterly quota to be ticked off.

We’re not a franchise. There’s no program. There’s just us, your garden, and the weather. We read the signs in the grass, not from a clipboard. It might not sound fancy—but it works. And more importantly, it lasts.