Candid Company: How Richard Unsworth Grew Garden Life
Garden Life started with one man and his van. Today it's a thriving retail- and service-based landscape design company
Long before Richard Unsworth founded Garden Life, tending to the great outdoors was a routine part of his days growing up in Yorkshire, England. After moving to Sydney he not only continued to indulge his green thumb, he turned his passion into a flourishing Sydney-based business. Houzz caught up with Richard, the company’s creative director to learn how.
What distinguishes your work?
I feel we create gardens with personality and an attention to detail often overlooked by others. The gardens we work on belong to our clients, they’re not ours, so we respond carefully to their briefs.
Rooftop garden, Sydney
I feel we create gardens with personality and an attention to detail often overlooked by others. The gardens we work on belong to our clients, they’re not ours, so we respond carefully to their briefs.
Rooftop garden, Sydney
How did you enter this field of work?
I always gardened as a child growing up in Yorkshire, England, as we had to chip in with the gardening to earn pocket money. Large lawns and hedges surrounded the house and my brother and I were quickly put to work.
Arriving in Sydney in 1991, after a few years I studied horticulture at Ryde TAFE. My first garden job was at Parterre, where founder and legendary garden designer Annie Wilkes taught me much about composition, scale and styling.
Mosman garden, Sydney
I always gardened as a child growing up in Yorkshire, England, as we had to chip in with the gardening to earn pocket money. Large lawns and hedges surrounded the house and my brother and I were quickly put to work.
Arriving in Sydney in 1991, after a few years I studied horticulture at Ryde TAFE. My first garden job was at Parterre, where founder and legendary garden designer Annie Wilkes taught me much about composition, scale and styling.
Mosman garden, Sydney
When did you start Garden Life?
I started out by myself with a van and some tools twenty years ago, and opened the first store in Sydney in 2000. The business grew organically over the years, and we ‘learnt by doing’ for that first decade. The second Sydney store, in Surry Hills, came in 2008, then we moved again to our current larger premises, St Peters, in 2016.
Mosman garden, Sydney
I started out by myself with a van and some tools twenty years ago, and opened the first store in Sydney in 2000. The business grew organically over the years, and we ‘learnt by doing’ for that first decade. The second Sydney store, in Surry Hills, came in 2008, then we moved again to our current larger premises, St Peters, in 2016.
Mosman garden, Sydney
How has your business changed?
Garden Life is completely different now – I’m so proud of, and grateful for, the team around me. We employed a general manager about two years ago (long overdue!) and it has completely freed up my time to concentrate fully on the creative side.
My brother Mick does a great job of looking after the installations and our retail manager, Ebo Bentil, has been with us for 14 years managing the store and he runs a tight ship! I love collaborating with my design team, now headed by Rebecca Colechin.
There is a lot of trust in the business; we now employ 14 staff across Garden Life including the shop, design and office, and that’s enough for us right now.
Inner-city warehouse, Sydney
Garden Life is completely different now – I’m so proud of, and grateful for, the team around me. We employed a general manager about two years ago (long overdue!) and it has completely freed up my time to concentrate fully on the creative side.
My brother Mick does a great job of looking after the installations and our retail manager, Ebo Bentil, has been with us for 14 years managing the store and he runs a tight ship! I love collaborating with my design team, now headed by Rebecca Colechin.
There is a lot of trust in the business; we now employ 14 staff across Garden Life including the shop, design and office, and that’s enough for us right now.
Inner-city warehouse, Sydney
Can you identify a turning point for your company?
When we opened the first store, we would buy wholesale and sell retail – our pots, accessories and furniture – and it was hard to keep good, consistent cashflow and profit by this method.
After a few years, an opportunity arose with supplier and friend, Marea Hudson, whom I had previously bought my Turkish pieces from. This was the first time we imported anything directly, and it was to help transform our business to make it more viable and sustainable in the long term.
Inner-city warehouse, Sydney
When we opened the first store, we would buy wholesale and sell retail – our pots, accessories and furniture – and it was hard to keep good, consistent cashflow and profit by this method.
After a few years, an opportunity arose with supplier and friend, Marea Hudson, whom I had previously bought my Turkish pieces from. This was the first time we imported anything directly, and it was to help transform our business to make it more viable and sustainable in the long term.
Inner-city warehouse, Sydney
Today we still bring in unique pieces from Konya in Turkey, and from many other places around the world.
We have always had good relationships with the press and my love of writing started when I began producing garden pages for Belle magazine about seven years ago, which was a huge learning curve. The book we did with Penguin in 2014, Garden Life, acted as a big fat business card and I think both helped cement our reputation.
Mosman garden, Sydney
We have always had good relationships with the press and my love of writing started when I began producing garden pages for Belle magazine about seven years ago, which was a huge learning curve. The book we did with Penguin in 2014, Garden Life, acted as a big fat business card and I think both helped cement our reputation.
Mosman garden, Sydney
What has proven the greatest professional challenge?
I think it has been about control and letting go. Being in control for me is about being safe and was necessary from childhood experience. But it doesn’t work as an adult! Letting go of the need to control everything and allowing others to help has allowed the business to grow and let others take responsibility and grow from their own learnings.
Classic contemporary garden, Sydney
I think it has been about control and letting go. Being in control for me is about being safe and was necessary from childhood experience. But it doesn’t work as an adult! Letting go of the need to control everything and allowing others to help has allowed the business to grow and let others take responsibility and grow from their own learnings.
Classic contemporary garden, Sydney
What have you learnt about your industry that you wish you knew when you started?
It’s about collaborating and it’s all about relationships – I thought it was about not talking to competitors and being sceptical, guarded and secretive. Now I realise that the more we encourage and help one another, the more our industry can grow and develop.
Coastal garden, Sydney
It’s about collaborating and it’s all about relationships – I thought it was about not talking to competitors and being sceptical, guarded and secretive. Now I realise that the more we encourage and help one another, the more our industry can grow and develop.
Coastal garden, Sydney
When choosing sub-contractors or clients, what do you look for?
Not only do sub-contractors need to be the best in their field at what they do, they also need to be good communicators. They are in the client’s home, so politeness and respect are paramount.
We find most of our clients approach us because they are attracted to how we do things – it’s all about relationships and there has to be mutual respect for an enduring and fruitful project to come to life.
Contemporary formal garden, Sydney
Not only do sub-contractors need to be the best in their field at what they do, they also need to be good communicators. They are in the client’s home, so politeness and respect are paramount.
We find most of our clients approach us because they are attracted to how we do things – it’s all about relationships and there has to be mutual respect for an enduring and fruitful project to come to life.
Contemporary formal garden, Sydney
What are the deal breakers that make you reluctant to work with sub-contractors or clients?
A lack of respect.
Classic contemporary garden, Sydney
A lack of respect.
Classic contemporary garden, Sydney
What’s the best advice you can offer about managing a team?
Listen to the opinions or advice of others and be quick to see where experience and wisdom can add value.
Coastal garden, Sydney
Listen to the opinions or advice of others and be quick to see where experience and wisdom can add value.
Coastal garden, Sydney
How do you plan to grow or maintain your level of success?
We have toyed with opening other stores, but I’m really satisfied with the size of our business and I’m not out to build empires anymore. I started working a four-day week this year and love having time out to write, travel and explore other projects.
Rozelle garden, Sydney
We have toyed with opening other stores, but I’m really satisfied with the size of our business and I’m not out to build empires anymore. I started working a four-day week this year and love having time out to write, travel and explore other projects.
Rozelle garden, Sydney
Any recommendations for software or apps that help you run your business well?
Just a good diary system and I find talking to people is always preferable to launching off a stream of emails.
Mosman family home and garden, Sydney
Just a good diary system and I find talking to people is always preferable to launching off a stream of emails.
Mosman family home and garden, Sydney
How do you balance the retail and service divisions of your business?
This has been important for us over the years. The store, design and trade relationships with other landscapers all blend well and in turn support each other. Diversifying income streams can work well but be wary of spreading yourself too thin – concentrate on what you can do well.
Mosman family home and garden, Sydney
This has been important for us over the years. The store, design and trade relationships with other landscapers all blend well and in turn support each other. Diversifying income streams can work well but be wary of spreading yourself too thin – concentrate on what you can do well.
Mosman family home and garden, Sydney
What are the unique needs of urban gardens and metropolitan-based clients?
Our city gardens need to perform with longevity – they have to tick the boxes of being both beautiful and practical. Our urban gardens need to transport us away from the concrete-jungle reality of our urban lives and help connect with surrounding nature.
Clients want their outdoor spaces to not only reflect their interior style but to evoke a sense of calm and wellbeing.
Rozelle garden, Sydney
Our city gardens need to perform with longevity – they have to tick the boxes of being both beautiful and practical. Our urban gardens need to transport us away from the concrete-jungle reality of our urban lives and help connect with surrounding nature.
Clients want their outdoor spaces to not only reflect their interior style but to evoke a sense of calm and wellbeing.
Rozelle garden, Sydney
Contemporary formal garden, Sydney
Tell us
Which points in this interview resonate with your own professional experience? Tell us in the Comments, like this story, save your favourite images and join the conversation.
More
Missed last month’s insider interview? Catch up with Houzz’s Candid Company: A Q&A With IndigoJungle Interior Styling
Tell us
Which points in this interview resonate with your own professional experience? Tell us in the Comments, like this story, save your favourite images and join the conversation.
More
Missed last month’s insider interview? Catch up with Houzz’s Candid Company: A Q&A With IndigoJungle Interior Styling
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I’m the creative director of Garden Life, a landscape design and garden retail company based in St Peters, Sydney.
Richard Unsworth, creative director of Garden Life