Dig It Landscapes Information

. . . . D’you get the picture?

“If not – and as a picture is said to paint a thousand words – take a look at some of ours (both here, and on our website, where there are dozens more!).”
Dig It Landscapes can and do, provide the full landscape design from ‘scratch,’ on a weekly/monthly maintenance schedule, or are available on an ‘as and when’ needed basis.

Based in Pontypool, they have clients all over South Wales – from Monmouthshire to Cardiff, and everywhere in-between!

“We provide a first-class service as standard, to ALL of our customers, which range from Local Councils, Commercial & Industrial Grounds, to local residents.

Our customer are the key – they tell us what they want, and we make sure they get it!

Of course, we’re always ready and willing to take-on the whole job ourselves, or just help with the planning and layout, selecting (or helping to select) which plants, flowers, shrubs, trees or type of grasses are best suited to an area, taking into account the type of soil, nutrients or fertilisers that will be required for best results.

We’re also skilled and equipped for building patios, decking, garden sheds, greenhouses or summer houses! And fencing is something of a ‘speciality!’ – Many people make the mistake of buying as cheaply as they can – but cheap (or the wrong type of) fencing, won’t last long and proves false-economy. It’s better to spend a little-more and have it last a lot longer, isn’t it!?

‘You wont get ‘cheap and cheerful’ from us! We’re firm believers in the saying, ‘You pay for what you get’ – and with Dig It Landscapes, you pay for a quality service and product, that will always prove excellent value for money.

Dig It Landscapes already have a solid-base of regular customers – but are looking to expand their portfolio, since becoming members of thebestof Torfaen and thebestof Newport.

Megan says: “We joined thebestof, in August 2011 – and since then, we’ve been able to link-up with other local businesses and pool our resources when necessary, whilst maintaining our own independence. It’s been a ‘win-win’ situation for us and for our quality-team of reliable sub-contractors.”
Paul and Megan Dovey head the family-business which was founded in February 2004.

Paul, originally from Newport, went to work for British Steel as soon as he left school. Twenty-seven-years later, he was made redundant – and with no ‘worthwhile’ qualifications – he thought finding another job would be pretty difficult!

“Looking back though, I was really very fortunate, in some ways.” He says. “Although losing the job at the Steelworks was devastating, I couldn’t afford to sit about ‘moping’. From a very early age, I was always interested in gardening. It was my hobby, and took up most of my spare time. A local landscaping business was taking on and went to see them – and fortunately, they gave me a new start in the landscaping and gardening business!”

That was until December 2003 – when Paul was once again laid off, as the company he worked for then, went into liquidation!

“I’ll never forget that day. – At least with British Steel, we all kind of saw it coming – but with the landscaping business, not a word had been said, it came right out of the blue! I had left for work as usual that last morning, and an hour later, I was back outside my own house – and out of work!”

With Christmas looming, it couldn’t have come at a worse time.

“I’d never felt so low!” Says Paul. “I couldn’t even bring myself to go into the house to tell Megan. I rang and told her, from the van!”

At that time, Megan had only just given up her  job with a National Energy Supplier, but over the Christmas period, she and Paul had endless discussions about the future.

Megan tells: A lady at the job centre ask what we could do and the  idea of Paul starting his own landscaping business just seemed to ‘pop up’ in the conversation! Paul was most concerned about the administrative-side of things, because he had had no experience whatsoever of working in an office-type environment.”

I knew Paul could run the manual side of things, he’s always been brilliant in the ‘great outdoors’ – but my strength has always been in administration, planning and design.” (Megan is a qualified interior designer. – “Not the same as landscape gardening granted, but ‘a good eye is a good eye,’ regardless of the project!”) The idea took hold, and before we really knew it, we were talking about what we’d call it!
 
“We realised that together, we made the perfect team – so the decision was made!”

Dig It Landscapes was ‘born’ in February 2004.

“The week before, we printed out some self-made leaflets – and Paul went around pushing them through the doors in Pontypool. By lunchtime of that first day, I had five appointments booked from interested parties! Before the week was out, another – retiring – landscaper had introduced Paul to eleven of his customers.”

Their first-year in business flew successfully by. Years two and three were even better!

But on October 18th, 2008 – another date the Dovey family wont forget in a hurry – Megan was seriously injured when a vehicle driven by a Newport man, reversed into her, not once – but twice – pinning her between his vehicle and their own. The seriousness of her injuries were not that apparent at first, and she was released from hospital without even the benefit of pain-killers. But as the days turned into weeks and then months, Megans’ mobility became severely restricted, and the level of pain became almost unbearable. Further investigation revealed serious compression-injury of muscles, ligaments and other soft-tissues, for which she is still undergoing regular treatment and therapy.

The accident also had a significant impact on the business. Megan was no longer able to visit prospective new clients on her own, as her own mobility, and her ability to drive, were – and remain – severely impaired.

‘But where there’s a will, there’s a way!’

“I now concentrate more on the administrative side, and I don’t get to meet many of our newer customers face-to-face anymore. It’s a funny-peculiar situation! I know all of them by their first-names, I know the names of their business, partners, husbands and wives. I even know the name of some of our customers children and grandchildren – but I’ve met hardly any, since 2008!”

Paul, on the other hand, is ‘customer-facing’ all of the time. A quiet and reserved, gentle  man, he has become a firm favourite with many of his elderly customers – some of whom are amongst the ‘original 16’ he started-off with!
Megan says: “The more-elderly ladies love him! More than one of them has told me, ‘If you ever kick him out, you know where to send him!’ – And with that, both Paul and Megan burst into laughter!