BARLEY DOWN
Gardening & Landscaping
Our Story
From Lottie's Gardening Services to Barley Down!
Lottie and Fran Sene are identical twins raised in Spain who now live in Hampshire and are lucky enough to be business partners and colleagues! They always had a love for the outdoors and nature, enjoying scouts, cadets, DofE and countless hikes and woodland walks. Their grandparents would follow them around woodlands for hours as they went on mushroom hunts, and would encourage their love for plants as they grew up. Their grandmother would often teach them about the plants she lovingly tended in the garden of their family home 'Barley Down', nurturing a keen interest in gardens.
Lottie started gardening as a career when she decided that studying marine biology wasn't for her - she wanted to be working outside and not stuck in a classroom. So she studied garden design at Sparsholt as she worked as a gardener at Lord Wandsworth College to learn the basics.
After a while she wanted to branch out on her own (pun intended) and found that loads of people in the area needed gardening help! After probably taking on a bit more than she could chew, she brought her twin sister Fran on board. From garden to garden they worked tirelessly together trying to get the business to a point where it could grow in size, allowing them the chance to create jobs for other local gardeners.
Up until this point, the company had been known as 'Lottie's gardening services', but with fond memories of their childhood home, and the loss of their beloved grandparents, they decided it would be fitting to re-name the company 'Barley Down'. This name would be far more all-encompassing; and would allow them to continue gardening in honour of the memory of their late grandparents.
Our mission...
Our dream is to have a garden at the Chelsea flower show. We have a commitment to creating beautiful, healthy and sustainable outdoor spaces, while fostering a positive impact on the environment and community. In the future, we would love to be the leading local provider of innovative and sustainable gardening and landscaping solutions, creating beautiful and thriving outdoor spaces that enhance the lives of our clients and contribute to a healthier planet.
Our mission is to provide a gardening service you can trust and rely on, and who truly cares about making your garden the most beautiful it can be. We always go the extra mile - this has even included digging up wildflowers from roadside verges when we thought they would work in a planting scheme!​We think bringing a slice of nature into your garden, no matter how big or small, can make such a huge difference for your mental health. Therefore it is such a privilege to be able to make a difference to people's overall happiness in such a tangible way.
We pledge to always complete our work to an extremely high standard and to go above and beyond your expectations.
What sets us apart?
​We strive for excellent results. We want you to see the results of our work from the first visit. We offer a premium service and the quality of our work and our unrivalled work ethic speaks for itself. We have long-standing relationships with our clients, most have been with us since we started the business in early 2022!
We pride ourselves on using high-quality materials and sustainable practices to ensure your landscape thrives year-round. We are big believers in supporting the local community, and we will always supply plants and materials from local nurseries and small businesses where we can.
In short - we are a small team of gardeners who simply love what we do!
Meet The Team
Lottie Sene
Head gardener, Founder
Fran Sene
Quality control
Alex Medler
Business strategy manager
Georgie Bartle
Administration, Marketing and Social media
Core Values
Quality & Value For Money
We are eager to do the basics well, delivering a quality service and working harder than anyone else! We always strive to deliver quality, because we are always aware that gardening services are a long-term investment and that you as the customer are putting your trust in us to help your garden thrive!
Client Focused
Everything we do revolves around you as the customer. We prefer to build relationships with our clients and know them personally and to tailor our services to what best suits you. We find ways to ask for feedback where we can, as life is for learning and we always appreciate finding ways to improve our service!
Recycled Materials
We always try to recycle materials as much as we can - which once even involved digging paving slabs which had been forgotten about from under an overgrown lawn, pressure-washing them, and using them to build a brand new patio and giving them a new lease of life.
Supporting Small Businesses & the community
We aim to build upon the gardening and nature solutions in the Hampshire area by partnering with other small businesses. We would also welcome the opportunity to be part of community projects - helping to keep our rural area sustainable.
Unrivalled Work Ethic
We consider our key attributes to be: a positive attitude, a meticulous eye for detail & a willingness to learn. We strive for excellent results and we will always go above & beyond wherever we can.
Protecting & Encouraging Nature
We are keen animal lovers, meet Lottie's lizard, Loki! She also studied marine biology.Given our devotion to animals, preserving nature and encouraging wildlife is a huge part of why we love what we do.
Inclusivity
We value both our clients and our team and we will always find a way to suit your needs. We have worked hard to create an environment where all employees and customers feel comfortable being themselves, are treated with dignity and respect, and have a sense of belonging.
Honesty & Integrity
We are transparent in all of our quoting and prices, and charge no hidden fees. If you require a further breakdown in costs, or any clarification at any point in your journey, we will always provide the answers to you quickly and efficiently.
