Knowledge base
Short explanations by topic and season, the frequently asked questions about prices and how I work, and my rule of thumb for every month. More is added over time.
Own work · Pond renovationNew · BlogPermaculture in an ordinary garden: look first, dig later.
Permaculture is not a list of tricks but a way of designing: first look at how your garden works, and let its parts help each other.Nick Peters · 3 October 2026 · 4 min readRead the article30 results
- Own work · Pond renovationBlog
Permaculture in an ordinary garden: look first, dig later.
Permaculture is not a list of tricks but a way of designing: first look at how your garden works, and let its parts help each other.Garden · All year · 3 October 2026 
Mood imageBlogA food forest in your garden? What you can and can't do.
A real food forest is at least half a hectare, but the ideas behind it fit an ordinary garden too: plant in layers and give it time.Garden · Autumn · Winter · 3 October 2026
Own work · Pond renovationBlogRegenerative gardening: start with the soil.
Regenerative gardening means making your soil better instead of just keeping it up: dig less, keep the ground covered and leave roots in the soil.Garden · Autumn · Winter · 3 October 2026
Own work · Pond renovationDo it yourselfA leaf net only works in time.
Leaves start falling in mid-September; by mid-November they are on the bottom.Pond · Autumn · 3 October 2026
Own work · Pond renovationDo it yourselfDon't remove all the sludge.
In an autumn service I deliberately remove only 60 to 70%.Pond · Autumn · 3 October 2026
Mood imageDo it yourselfLeave the leaves in the border.
They protect the soil from frost and give food and shelter to what lives in your garden.Garden · Autumn · 3 October 2026
Frequently asked questions
- Frequently asked
How much does a garden design cost?
From a second look to a whole plan. Sometimes you don’t need a design, just someone who looks along with you. I come round and tell you honestly what I would do. Every design gets its own quote: you’re paying for the thinking. For regenerative Garden Design, ecological Water Systems, planting and Habitat Design and garden Transformation I quote per project, after an introduction on site. Have me build it? Then I offset half the design fee against the first invoice. Never all of it — a design that becomes free teaches everyone that the thinking was worth nothing. - Frequently asked
How much does advice at home cost?
From a second look to a whole plan. Sometimes you don’t need a design, just someone who looks along with you. I come round and tell you honestly what I would do. Every design gets its own quote: you’re paying for the thinking. The pond Survey has a fixed price, including VAT: pond survey €195, garden scan €175 and both €295. I offset it in full against any job over €750. If the survey leads to work, the survey was free. For ecological Consultancy I quote per project, after an introduction on site. - Frequently asked
Can I get help with just my pond?
Yes. You can ask for each of these on its own: Pond Survey. From €175, including VAT. Ecological Water Systems. Tailored: quoted per project, after an introduction on site. Leaf Netting. From €125, including VAT. Autumn Pond Service. From €250, including VAT. Winterising. From €95, including VAT. Stewardship. From €45 a month, including VAT. - Frequently asked
Do you also build the garden?
Yes. Careful construction that translates the concept into a durable, living landscape. What you get: construction planning, ground preparation, water-system installation, planting, habitat features, material placement, final ecological finishing and post-project review. I quote a build per project, after an introduction on site. - Frequently asked
I have a budget. Can you work within it?
Yes, please mention it. A budget helps me: I do my best to get as close to what you want as that amount allows. The customer is king, but I also have to be able to do the work properly. If something does not fit the budget, I will tell you honestly, and we look together at what does. - Frequently asked
Do you also work where I live?
I work from Stein, Limburg. For seasonal work I come to places including Stein, Elsloo, Beek, Geleen, Sittard, Maastricht, Meerssen, Valkenburg, Heerlen, Brunssum and Kerkrade. Design and advice travel further. Tell me what you have in mind, and I will say honestly whether I am the right person for it. - Frequently asked
What kind of gardens do you work on?
The size of your garden does not matter. If a project is bigger than I can take on alone, I work together with other landscape gardeners or designers. - Frequently asked
How does a project go?
In six steps: Looking first. I come round and look at how your garden lives now: where the light falls, where water stays, what already grows. And I ask how you use the garden. Working out how it works. I map what the place brings with it: the soil, the water, the shade. What can work here, and what can’t? Making connections. Soil, water, plants, animals and you. I look at how they can help each other instead of working against each other. Designing. I turn that into one clear plan. A plan you can read and understand, even if you are not a gardener. Building. I build the garden, plant it and keep an eye on it as it goes through its first seasons. Letting it grow. Then the garden gets time. It changes with the seasons, and we match the upkeep to what suits you. - Frequently asked
How long does a design or a build take?
That depends on what I find. That is why it starts with the first step: looking first. - Frequently asked
Who works on my garden?
I’m Nick Peters. Father of two children, gardener, ecological designer and the person behind GRØNN Studio. Direct contact, clear agreements and visible craft. You know who is working on your garden. - Frequently asked
When is the best time to start?
How long you wait depends on my calendar. The best time is autumn, or just before it. Then you plant in the dormant period, the winter, and in spring the plants get an extra boost as they come into leaf. - Frequently asked
How do I start?
Send me a message through the contact form, about your garden or pond. A few sentences is enough. I read along, ask a question if I need to, and we arrange to look together. An introduction is free of obligation; you usually hear back within two working days. Rather direct? Call or WhatsApp +316 181 180 14, or e-mail hello@gronn.studio.