Your questions answered
Everything you might want to ask.
Grouped by where you are in the decision — from early research through the build to the guarantees after. If your question isn't here, just call and ask.
Before you call
Is the estimate really free?
Yes. Give Scott a call or send a message and we'll come and look at the garden, talk through what you want done and give you a clear, honest price — no charge and no obligation. We don't do vague 'prices from' figures or hard sells; you get a straight quote for the actual work in front of us, and it's entirely up to you whether you go ahead.
Do you do regular visits or just one-off jobs?
Both. Most of our work is regular garden maintenance on a rhythm that suits you — weekly, fortnightly or monthly — which is the backbone of what we do and why so many Hale households keep us on for years. But we're just as happy with a one-off: a garden rescue, a hedge cut, a jet wash, a patio or a full landscaping project. Plenty of clients start with a one-off tidy-up and then keep us on for regular visits.
Will I actually deal with Scott?
Yes. Scott Bentley has run the business since 1989 and works on the gardens himself with the same small team — which is exactly why clients name him personally in their Google reviews, from 'Scott and the team' to 'Scott is a good bloke and the team are brilliant.' There's no call centre and no chain of subcontractors between you and the people doing the work.
Which areas do you cover?
We're based in Hale and cover Hale Barns, Bowdon, Altrincham, Timperley, Sale, Broadheath and out toward Chorlton — the WA14, WA13, WA12 and WA11 postcodes. Being genuinely local means Scott is never far away and regular visits slot in easily. For larger landscaping projects we're glad to travel a little further afield.
How long have you been going?
Scott has been tending gardens around Hale and Altrincham since 1989, and the business has run as Bentley Garden Services (Hale) Ltd since 2019. It's the kind of company people don't tend to leave — several of our reviews come from clients who've tried others and come straight back.
The work itself
Who actually turns up — you or subcontractors?
It's Scott and the same small team, every time. We don't sub the work out to a chain of trades, which is how the standard stays consistent and why clients describe us as 'professional and no-nonsense' and 'always reliable.' You get to know the people looking after your garden, and they get to know your garden.
Do you take away the green waste?
Always. We never leave a garden buried under bags of cuttings — everything we take out is cleared away and sent for recycling at a fully permitted, environmentally friendly facility. You get a genuinely finished, tidy garden at the end of every visit, and the waste does something useful rather than going to landfill.
Can you rescue a garden that's got completely out of control?
Yes — it's one of our most common one-off jobs. After a house move, a spell away or just a busy year, gardens get on top of people. We come in, cut back the overgrowth, clear the borders, mow, weed and haul the waste away, and hand you back a garden you can enjoy again. Many clients then keep us on so it never gets that far a second time.
Do you do the big jobs too — fencing, patios, landscaping?
Yes. Alongside regular upkeep we take on fencing, Indian sandstone patios and flagging, artificial grass, turfing, planting and full landscaping projects large and small. It's the same team throughout, so there's no chain of subcontractors and the standard stays consistent from the groundwork up.
Keeping it going
How often should my garden be visited?
It depends on the garden and the season, but most of our maintenance clients settle on fortnightly through the growing months, easing off over winter. When Scott gives you your estimate he'll suggest a rhythm that keeps the garden looking cared-for without paying for visits it doesn't need.
What if I only want the lawn done — not the whole garden?
That's fine. Plenty of clients keep us on just for lawn management — mowing to a clean stripe, edging and keeping the grass healthy — and add other jobs like hedge cuts or a jet wash as and when. We fit the service to what your garden actually needs.
Do you cover commercial premises as well as homes?
Yes. We provide scheduled grounds maintenance for commercial premises, communal grounds and larger estates across the Altrincham area — dependable, consistent upkeep that keeps a property presentable, with the same reliability our domestic clients rely on.
Can I keep the same regular slot?
That's the idea. Once we're looking after your garden we keep you on a regular schedule with the same team, so you don't have to think about it — the garden just stays looked-after. It's how gardens around Hale stay at their best all year, and why so much of our work is the same households, year after year.
Still wondering about something?
The quickest way to a straight answer is a call or an email with a photo of the garden. No obligation, no pressure.