| When Businesses Grow, Relationships Change |
| One of the unexpected pleasures of looking after gardens for many years is becoming part of their story. You remember the tiny ornamental cherry that barely reached shoulder height when it was first planted. You remember the summer the roses flowered more abundantly than anyone could remember, and the winter when weeks of rain turned every lawn into little more than mud. Over time, the garden becomes familiar, not because it stands still, but because you’ve watched it change. Businesses, I’ve discovered, behave in much the same way. When I founded Earthly Comforts in 2022, I wasn’t trying to create a philosophy. I was simply trying to build a good gardening business. Like most people starting out, I accepted almost every enquiry that came my way. Every new client mattered, every recommendation was appreciated, and every garden represented another opportunity to learn. Looking back, I don’t think I could have built the business any other way. The interesting thing about small businesses, however, is that they rarely remain exactly as they began. Experience has a habit of quietly reshaping our thinking. Every season teaches another lesson, every client reveals a different perspective, and every challenge leaves us just a little wiser than before. Without ever making a conscious decision to do so, Earthly Comforts slowly began to develop its own character. I stopped asking, “What services do we offer?” and found myself asking a rather different question. “What sort of business are we becoming?” The answer didn’t arrive all at once. It emerged gradually through hundreds of ordinary conversations, countless gardens and more than a few moments of reflection while walking from one property to the next. Somewhere along the way, I realised that I was becoming less interested in simply completing gardening tasks and far more interested in stewardship, observation and long-term care. Garden Butlering wasn’t a marketing idea that appeared one afternoon over a cup of coffee. It was simply the name that eventually caught up with a philosophy that had been quietly evolving for years. That realisation also changed the way I thought about relationships with clients. For a long time I assumed that success meant keeping every client forever. If somebody decided to leave, I naturally wondered what I could have done differently. Could I have communicated more clearly? Worked a little harder? Been more accommodating? Those are healthy questions for any business owner to ask, and I hope I never entirely stop asking them. Experience, however, has taught me another lesson that I wasn’t expecting. Not every relationship is meant to last forever. That sentence still feels slightly uncomfortable to write because it can so easily be misunderstood. It isn’t a criticism of clients, nor is it an excuse for poor service. It is simply an acknowledgement that people, circumstances and businesses all continue to change. Some clients are looking for a gardener who will complete a carefully prepared list of jobs exactly as requested each visit. Others are looking for somebody who will quietly observe, make professional judgements and accept responsibility for the overall wellbeing of the garden. Neither approach is inherently better than the other. They simply represent different expectations of what employing a gardener should mean. The same is true of gardeners. Some enjoy working from detailed instructions and delivering precisely what has been requested. Others, myself included, find the greatest satisfaction in developing a long-term relationship with a place, noticing the details that only become visible after months or years and exercising judgement within the trust that has gradually been built. Neither philosophy deserves criticism. They are simply different. Over the past few years I have come to understand that Earthly Comforts naturally belongs in the second group. That isn’t because we are better gardeners. It is because that way of working reflects who we have gradually become. We enjoy thinking ahead, noticing the small things before they become larger ones and caring for gardens in much the same way that a butler quietly cares for a household. It is a philosophy built upon observation, continuity and trust. Not every client wants that. Some genuinely enjoy directing every aspect of the work themselves. They like deciding exactly which jobs should be completed, how long to spend on each one, and what order everything should happen in. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, there are gardeners who thrive within precisely that arrangement. I have simply realised that it isn’t where Earthly Comforts does its best work. That has probably been one of the most important discoveries I’ve made since starting the business. Success is no longer measured by trying to become everything to everybody. It is measured by clarifying the kind of relationship we can genuinely offer. Strangely enough, that understanding has made me appreciate every client even more, including those whose expectations differ from my own. Every relationship has taught me something. Some have confirmed the direction I wanted to travel. Others have shown me, equally valuable, where my natural strengths probably don’t lie. Both have helped shape the business. Gardens are constantly evolving. Businesses evolve too. Perhaps it should never surprise us that relationships evolve alongside them. Looking back now, I no longer think the aim of Earthly Comforts is to keep every client forever. I think the aim is much simpler than that. To care exceptionally well for the people and the gardens whose way of thinking quietly aligns with our own. When that happens, the relationship rarely feels like a transaction. It simply feels like the right fit. |
| About our writing & imagery Most articles reflect our real gardening experience and reflection. Some use AI in drafting or research, but never for voice or authority. Featured images may show our photos, original AI-generated visuals, or, where stated, credited images shared by others. All content is shaped and edited by Earthly Comforts, expressing our own views. |
The Gardener's Curious Journal 