Placeholder© / Garden Guides
Canberra Garden Design: made affordable & modular.
Grow your sustainable garden with my step-by-step guides from $20/m²
✓ Designer Plant Palette
✓ 1 Minute Budgeting Spreadsheet
✓ 2+ Hours of Video Instructions
✓ Satisfaction Guarantee
✓ 200+ hours of research to save you time
✓ Limited early access price ($1200)
Everyone deserves a beautiful garden …
… but not everyone can afford the high fees.
Placeholder© is a collection of easy to follow, step-by-step guides to create your own designer garden at a fraction of the cost.
The Guides
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Choose from the existing garden guides, or order a custom guide to suit your needs.
Guide / Bird Attracting Forest
Guide / Butterfly meadow
Guide / Shady meadow
Order / Custom Palette
Order / Custom Palette
Why Placeholder©?
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Enjoy the mental health benefits of getting your hands dirty.
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Feel deep satisfaction as you create something meaningful.
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Watch your kids thrive as they learn to garden with you.
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Create habitat that supports local wildlife.
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Grow a sustainable, low water use garden
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Enjoy your garden more. Maintain it less. Placeholder gardens are designed to reduce the occurrence of weeds.
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Be part of the solution. The world needs more resilient & biodiverse spaces.
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Increase the value of your home.
Beautiful landscaping can increase the value of your home by up to 10%.
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Don’t compromise on the finished product.
Doing it properly never cost so little.
Reviews
Our Placeholder Package has been a delightful and surprising experience. Like being gifted with a whole new world of plants. I’ve been introduced to a new way of looking at, planning and understanding my garden. I absolutely recommend Placeholder for anyone wanting to transform a boring space. Lachlan is a wonderful communicator (and has a cute dog, too.)
★★★★★
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Alana Shaw
Midwife
Lachlan is an excellent communicator and very good person to learn from. Even though we don't have much money, he helped us get started doing everything by ourselves. It's not just about improving your garden too. If you think you won't enjoy it, think you aren't strong enough or don't know what to do, but are willing to feel more grounded and connect to the land you live on, you should try Lachlan's service!!
★★★★★
Zora Pang
Art Curator
I couldn’t be happier with my experience of Lachlan’s business. He was very understanding that my partner and I know very little about plants and gardening – giving advice and guidance whilst considering the things that were important to us.
★★★★★
Clare Jackson
Print Maker
Thor Diesendorf
Owner & Founder, Thor’s Hammer
Lachlan did a great job of the green roof for our shipping container office, and then for the native plantings on our street frontage. All the plants have taken and are growing really well. The research he did into suitable native plants for the green roof was very thorough.
★★★★★
What’s included:
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1. Plant Palette
Allow an expert garden designer to pick the plants for your garden.
✓ Pre-designed Plant Palette
✓ Presented in downloadable PDF
✓ Documented in a spreadsheet
✓ Explained in a video
✓ Tastefully Curated
✓ Ecologically Rich
✓ Designed for local climatic conditions
Save Time (heaps of it.)
Skip the step where you spend hours googling plants.
Curated for compatibility.
Take away the mystery of guessing which plants look good together.
Novice Gardener?
Plants chosen for their toughness based on years of experience.
Something for every spot in the garden. Shade or sun, wet or dry, hedge or low growing…
Great Value
Planting designs typically start at $1200.
2. Spreadsheets
4 user-focused spreadsheet tabs make the boring parts of your garden project a breeze.
Tab 01
Project Overview
Estimate the costs of your project in 60 seconds.
Tab 02
Plant list
Info on plant quantities and requirements.
Tab 03
Plant order list
Auto-populated to export and send in minutes.
Tab 04
Recommended suppliers
Source some of your plants for as little as $2/plant.
3. Video Instructions
Everything explained in a collection of easy to follow, step-by-step video instructions.
Chapter 01 Plant introductions
Chapter 02 Plant ordering
Chapter 03 Measuring your garden
Chapter 04 Light & Moisture
Chapter 05 Soil Testing
Chapter 06 Clearing your weeds
Chapter 07 Soil Preparation
Chapter 08 Planting
Chapter 09 Garden Expectations
Chapter 10 Plant Propagation
Who is Placeholder© for?
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Your block is in need of a lovely garden. Improve it’s value in the process.
Renovations cost a lot and you’ve only got a small budget left over.
You want to attract birds, bees & butterflies to your garden.
You want to connect your family with nature through gardening.
You want your block to contribute to regenerating the planet. Placeholder is designed with sustainability in mind.
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To follow this guide, you don’t need to be fit, but it does involve pushing a wheelbarrow and accessing the ground.
If this is beyond your mobility, get in touch. I’d be happy to discuss options for you to grow a beautiful garden.
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You’ll get heaps done with a $2-20k budget. If your budget is on the lower end, work your garden in sections and follow my tips to grow your own plants to reduce the overall cost.
By following this guide you’ll be saving about 50% off the cost of planting out your garden.
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This guide is for those who want to be hands on in their garden.
Take out the high risk of failure that usually come with DIY.
Feel the satisfaction of making something yourself.
Teach your kids about nature.
Feel good as you switch off in the garden.
Traditional Landscaping costs a lot.
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On Average, about 10% of your property value. For an $800k property this equates to $80,000 in landscaping.
Placeholder© was designed to help those who can’t afford to pay this much to have a beautiful garden.
Here’s some average cost breakdowns:
CONTRACTOR INSTALL:
Hardscape: Average $150/m²
Softscape: Minimum $70/m²
DIY INSTALL:
Placeholder©: $42/m²
Placeholder© (Budget): $20/m²
Save at least 40% off the cost of planting with Placeholder©.
For an 800m² garden, that’s $22,880 in savings.
About me
Garden Designer & Educator
Hi, I'm Lachlan :)
I've spent the last 15 years working in the landscape industry in Canberra. First as a gardener working in my grandfathers business, then in landscape design & construction. Throughout this time, my focus has developed around creating habitats for humans and wildlife.
Troubled by the cost of living, I wanted to make gardening accessible to a wider range of people, not just those from older and more affluent demographics. That’s why I developed Placeholder©.
I really hope that Placeholder© will connect you with landscapes in a new and meaningful way.
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Industry Professional Reviews
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Placeholder© gets a big tick from me for it's user-friendliness, making it an easy recommendation to clients who need clear guidance on garden planning and budgeting. Before discovering Placeholder©, I didn't have an effective way to assist clients with plant selection, which felt like a missing service offering.
It's become an awesome tool to help my clients to achieve the best possible outcomes for their spaces.
★★★★★
Misi Rimoni
Owner, Mahalo Landscape Construction
The Butterfly Meadow Placeholder© Package is gorgeous. This will be a game changer in creating more biodiverse and beautiful garden spaces. Goodbye boring landscapes that reuse the same plants endlessly. I can't wait to see more of these spaces built. Lachlan's advice is tailored to marry plants with butterfly species - you just can't get this kind of info at your hardware store or nursery. Garden with confidence and save yourself tens of hours of research with Placeholder©.
★★★★★
Edwina Robinson
Landscape Architect & Founder, The Climate Factory
The problem with most DIY…
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… is you don't know if it will work out.
When it doesn’t, it costs you time, money and confidence.
• Months of missed growing opportunity.
• Hours of gardening labour lost.
• Hundreds (or thousands) of dollars wasted.
• Depleted confidence and enthusiasm in the garden.
The problem with most DIY…
… is you don't know if it will work out.
Months of missed growing opportunity
Hours of gardening labour lost
Hundreds (or thousands) of dollars wasted
Depleted confidence and enthusiasm in the garden
When it doesn’t, it costs you time, money and confidence:
Placeholder© takes the guesswork out of DIY.
I've spent the last 15 years learning the best method for creating an ecological garden. I've refined that knowledge down to the most important information for this guide.
It will work. Guaranteed.*
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Firstly, on a very human note: I want to point out that your success is my success. Your beautiful garden will get your friends wondering about how you achieved it: hopefully you'll recommend Placeholder. With that in mind, I promise I'll do everything I can to help you succeed. I want you to have the best experience with my guide.
90-Day Guarantee: I'm committed to helping you create your dream ecological garden. That's why I offer a 90-day satisfaction guarantee on my Placeholder Garden Packages. If you follow my steps and don't see your garden start to transform within 90 days, I'll make it right. Whether you choose a full refund, partial refund, or prefer personalized support to get back on track, I've got you covered.Simply reach out to me within 90 days of your purchase with your feedback, and I'll guide you through my hassle-free claim process. The guarantee does not cover issues beyond my control, such as extreme weather or pests, but I'm always here to offer advice and support within the realm of my expertise.
Join Early Access
Enjoy early access prices. Get 50% off.
Ongoing support
Provide feedback. Receive updates.
Be part of the community developing this for a better world.
Satisfaction guarantee.
Start gardening in Placeholder© active Beta.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Each package contains:
A comprehensive guide complete with step-by-step instructions for creating your ecological garden,
A pre-designed garden plant palette tailored to your climate (valued at $1200)
A spreadsheet to:
Estimate your expenses
Calculate plant quantities
Calculate materials required to order
Exportable plant list to send to nurseries
A list of recommended suppliers
1.5 Hours of instructional video to guide you through every step of the process.
PDF of your plant palette: Designed beautifully to help you edit your plant palette to your taste
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Not at all!
I've designed Placeholder to be accessible for both beginners and experienced gardeners alike. My step-by-step guide and instructional video are crafted to ensure ease of follow-through, regardless of your gardening background. -
I offer a variety of pre-designed gardens, each with detailed descriptions including size, sun exposure, and soil type they're best suited for. This information will help you pick the right garden for your space. If you're still unsure, I also provide a custom option for a more personalized solution.
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Absolutely. My pre-designed gardens are modular, allowing you to adjust their size or shape to fit your specific area perfectly. For any further customization needs, I'm here to help with my custom design option.
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The cost of creating your garden with Placeholder© varies based on the size of your space and your specific choices. However, I've specifically designed Placeholder Gardens to be more economical than traditional landscaping services. On average, you can expect to invest between $20-40/m2 by following my guide, ensuring you achieve significant savings without sacrificing quality or ecological integrity.
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This guide covers ‘softscape’ landscaping. It doesn’t include information on installing your hardscape (Things like paving.)
If you need new hardscaping done & you can afford it, my recommendation would be to pay someone to install hardscape for you & use Placeholder for all the softscape in your garden.
It’s ideal if you’ve already got paths in your garden: but it’s completely reasonable to start getting your Placeholder garden growing first, then install paths later as money becomes available.
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Just a few simply hand tools:
Wheel barrow
Mulch Fork
Shovel
Mattock
Saw
Loppers
Secateurs
If you haven’t already got them it will cost about $500 to get setup.
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I really care about giving you a great experience.
If something doesn’t make sense, or you need help, send me an email or we can connect on Instagram, Messenger or WhatsApp for video calls, photos and messages.
I’ll provide you with the information you need to keep going with your guide ASAP. I’ll also update the guide based on your feedback and send you an updated copy of it once I’ve made the amendments.
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Enjoy your meticulously curated, designer plant palette at a cost lower than ordering one from a designer.
Pass on the instructions to your contractor to ensure that your garden receives absolute best practice installation so your garden thrives. -
You'll get immediate satisfaction from planting, but generally, gardens begin to truly flourish after a few years. That's not to say that watching it grow won’t be a wonderful process. I'll guide you through what to expect every step of the way.
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Definitely! Whether it's your front yard, backyard, or any outdoor space, Placeholder Gardens are designed to be adaptable. Each of the plant palettes is designed to have plants which will work in a variety of settings.
For example: I’ll suggest plants for that shady corner in a mostly sunny garden.
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Starting your gardening journey with Placeholder is simple. Just choose the pre-designed garden that suits your taste, or opt for the custom solution for something uniquely yours. Once purchased, you'll have immediate access to all the resources and support you need to begin & if you opt for a custom solution I'll get in touch in the next week to discuss it with you.
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No, you don’t need to be super fit. Placeholder is designed for varying levels of fitness. Tasks can be broken down into manageable stages, and I provide suggestions for those with physical limitations, ensuring gardening remains accessible and enjoyable for most. If you’re unable to move a wheel barrow and bend down to the ground this guide will be hard to follow: get in touch and we can discuss access options.
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That’s up to you. Some people like to have a clear plan for the whole garden before starting to plant anything. I’m of a slightly more relaxed dispositon. I like to just start planting. Your garden can be adjusted over time later.
Get in touch if you’d like to talk to me about having a plan done before starting Placeholder.
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Some plants will always die when you install them. The guide has you planting between 4 & 9 plants per square meter which provides a good buffer for handling some losses. If after planting many of your plants start to look sick, send me a message and I’ll help you diagnose it.
Get started today
Placeholder© / Garden Guides
Everything you need to know to create a garden.
✓ A pre-designed plant palette. Tastefully curated. Ecologically rich. Resilient in Canberra.
✓ A spreadsheet that takes 60 seconds to estimate all of the expenses for your project.
✓ Supplier suggestions: Tips on how to get plants at wholesale prices ($2 each)
✓ 2 Hours of Video Content: Easy to follow, step-by-step guide to your garden success.
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