For homeowners in the Southern Highlands who want exceptional outdoor spaces, I provide custom landscape design and construction services that transform ordinary backyards into stunning, functional landscapes that you'll love for years to come.

The big benefit? Complete freedom from the stress of managing multiple contractors, uncertainty about design outcomes, and the disappointment of cookie-cutter landscaping. Instead, you get personalised attention, custom designs, and the satisfaction of working directly with someone who truly cares about bringing your vision to life.

My passion for landscaping didn't start in a classroom or from a textbook – it started at home. My father was a structural landscaper for 30 years, and I grew up watching him transform outdoor spaces with his hands and his heart. He taught me everything I know about the trade, but more importantly, he taught me that landscaping isn't just about plants and hardscaping – it's about creating spaces where people can live, relax, and thrive.

I wanted to build a successful landscaping business that could compete with the large companies while maintaining the personal touch that only a smaller operation can provide. I wanted to create a company that homeowners could trust with their most important investment – their property.

Deep down, I wanted to prove that I could follow in my father's footsteps while carving out my own path. I wanted the freedom to run my own show, see clients face-to-face, create my own designs, and build something meaningful that would make a lasting impact on people's lives.

After three years of studying landscape architecture in Canberra and then working for a large landscape company in Sydney's eastern suburbs, I hit a wall. Despite advancing to second-in-charge and overseeing multimillion-dollar projects, I realised I wasn't getting the larger, more creative jobs I craved. I was just another employee in a big machine, and Sydney wasn't giving me the opportunities to build the kind of relationships with clients that I knew were possible.

The breakthrough came when I realised that freedom was everything. Freedom to run your own show, see clients face-to-face, do your own branding, create websites, and most importantly – design and build your own vision. I discovered that the satisfaction and joy I could give to clients through personalised landscapes was exactly why I needed to have my own business.

I started Owen Dark Gardens in Sydney's eastern suburbs, focusing on building a business that prioritised: