Anglicare Warriewood Brook Village
For the 250–300 people who live at Anglicare Warriewood Brook, the gardens aren’t just scenery. They’re where residents walk each morning, meet neighbours, play on the bowling green and sit outside in the sun. When a village changes grounds contractor, residents notice straight away.
So when Green by Nature was appointed to take over garden and turf maintenance, Anglicare made an unusual request: keep the garden supervisor residents already knew. We did. The supervisor moved across to Green by Nature, and residents kept the same familiar face looking after their gardens.
Keeping the supervisor solved one problem and set us another. With one full-time person on site, any day off or illness could leave the gardens uncovered. Working alone also makes higher-risk jobs, such as ladder work and hedging at height, harder to do safely.
Anglicare also had high expectations. Village management wanted presentation to match the rest of Anglicare’s portfolio, within budget, and residents’ expectations rise at certain times of year. Some beds needed better plant choices, and the irrigation system needed attention.
We built a support network around the supervisor. Absences are covered by contract, so standards hold every week. A mobile turf team visits on schedule to mow, edge and blow down paths, leaving the supervisor free to focus on hedging, pruning, weeding, fertilising and plant health. For ladder and elevated work, clear check-in protocols with our safety team mean the supervisor never works at height unsupported.
Next we fixed the water. An audit of the Hunter irrigation system found faults that we repaired. Lawns and beds now run on timed programs: daily where demand is high, every second day elsewhere, and adjusted by season.
Then we started improving. Fresh cypress pine mulch went into the street-facing gardens first, where residents and visitors see it most, with the internal beds scheduled next. Our supervisor now meets regularly with village management to suggest planting upgrades, quote them and deliver them.
Garden weeds are removed by hand, and the new mulch, about 75 mm deep, holds moisture in and keeps new weeds down. The repaired irrigation now delivers water efficiently, balancing plant health with water use. Pests such as psyllid on lilly pilly and citrus stink bug are monitored and treated only where needed.
Key numbers: 250–300 residents served · on-site supervisor retained at the client’s request · irrigation audited and repaired · street-facing gardens re-mulched
For residents, the goal was a handover they would barely notice. The same supervisor still looks after their gardens, now with a team, a safety net and better tools behind them.
For village management, the contract has quickly moved from routine care to planned improvement. Within months, conversations had turned to what the gardens could become next.
