A FAMILY landscaping company made up of a father and son leading a team of skilled landscapers and garden designers is set to celebrate 35 years of building beautiful gardens

Holland Landscapes in Church Road, Little Bentley, was founded in 1988 by Chris Baker, who worked two jobs to support his family before starting the business.

Now, his son Paul Baker takes care of running Holland Landscapes and its offshoot Tapestry Design Studios.

Chris spoke about the secret to running a successful landscaping business.

He said: “It’s quite simple really - treat the clients with respect, be honest, take pride in your craft and provide good value for money.

“It’s important to always stick by your principles. 

"When retirement looms on the horizon, you want to be able to look back at your career with a sense of satisfaction.”

Before Chris started Holland Landscapes, he was a manager during the week at a betting shop while helping people with landscaping and garden maintenance at the weekends.

He added one of those income streams brought only "stress and misery" while the other had a positive effect on his mental and physical health.

So with just one man and van, he founded Holland Landscapes and became a full-time landscaper.

Chris strives to put forward a good work ethic and is determined to do a good job, which led to his order books filling up quickly.

Thirty-five years later, he said the values of honesty, reliability and high-quality workmanship still lie at the heart of Holland Landscapes.

Paul said: “I’m really glad that 16-year-old me decided to work with my Dad.

"Over the past 25 years I’ve learned so many skills and I’m enjoying passing that knowledge onto among others my cousin Ben, who is one of our team leaders.

“Over the last 35 years, Holland Landscapes has built some incredible gardens and it’s testimony to Dad’s principles that most of our work comes through recommendations.”

Chris said being a member of the Association of Professional Landscapers (APL) has been good for Holland Landscapes as a good marketing tool and for support from like-minded professionals.