Seeds of change

With the pressures of modern living, the garden can be the perfect place to unwind. A well kept lawn and neat borders can also boost the value of a home.

Often too busy to do their own garden maintenance, many people rely on professional lawn and garden care services, often provided by a franchise business.

Growth in demand for these services has created opportunities for people who enjoy working outdoors and want to run their own business. And with training and support provided by the franchisor, many of them do.

Following a redefining of its franchise territories, lawn care franchise Weed Man is offering potential franchisees a low investment opportunity, allowing them to start small and expand their territory as the business grows.

Chairman Chris Dunton said: "People are currently wary of making a huge financial commitment. By keeping their adjacent territories available, our franchisees can come in at a lower level with the option to expand later."

Some franchisees remain hands on in their business; others move on to a management role, hiring staff to provide the lawn and garden services.

There are a number of well established garden-based franchises, including Weed Man and TruGreen, as well as some new businesses with innovative ideas.

Four years ago entrepreneur Lee Wood spotted a gap in the market and launched his Newmarket-based business, Locally Grown Plants, which is available as a business opportunity, complete with training and support.

He said: "Many of the plants found in garden centres are imported from overseas, and of poor quality. We source locally grown plants that are healthy and look really good, and offer them to the public through one day plant sales."