Brett Wheldon – LEAP Entrepreneur Runner up 2018

Our 2018 LEAP Entrepreneur runner up Brett Wheldon of Solseed Landscapes looks at landscapes in a different way. After many years in the industry and having worked in 4 different countries there is one question that has always been on his mind – why is there not more function to designed gardens? There is nearly always aesthetics with no account taken for the local environment or the needs of the inhabitants, human or wild.

Through Solseed Landscapes Brett proposes to create gardens that become a haven for all life, wild and human, whilst providing us with quality organic food by using all organic methods and natural building materials alongside integration of beneficial plants.

Whilst participating in the LEAP Programme Brett has been busy with landscaping projects and writing a business plan, there have been quite a few late nights!

Brett has 3 regular clients who he sees every other week for maintenance, two of which are very interested in edible plants and he has integrated some edibles into their existing landscapes.

His two main projects include a small-town garden in central Brighton which was quite overgrown. Brett has created borders around most of the garden for the client to plant herself and laid new turf lawns on two levels with a stepping stone path to the garden room.

Brett’s second and larger project was a large garden in Brighton with a triple tiered lawn. The whole garden was a building site with a wild overgrown veggie patch at the far end. He levelled all three terraces and laid new lawns 175 sqm in total. Then moved onto the Vegetable garden. As the client has mobility issues he designed a garden that she can access, by raising the beds up to 0.7m high and installing paved pathways whilst working around existing fruit trees and rehoming the rhubarb and soft fruit bushes. A small pond and a wildflower area were tucked into the back corner.

Brett’s business is going from strength to strength and he is enjoying every minute!

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