If you're one of the many people who have left your home town to live in the tropical paradise of Port Douglas, there's no doubt that you will have noticed the speed in which nature takes hold in the gardens of houses and resorts.

The expression "Like watching grass grow" takes on a new meaning up here where plants seem to reach for the sky before your very eyes.

In our latest Business Focus we talk to Peter and Kim Murphy to find out more about their venture into the suburban wild with Papillon Landscapes.

The Newsport: Where are you from originally?

Peter Murphy: I grew up on the Gold Coast and drove up here 12 or 13 years ago in my ute with my dog.

Kim Murphy: I came here about six or seven years ago.

Peter: Kimmy and I met up here and the rest is history.

TN: Tell us what you've been up to since you left Port Douglas.

Peter: We left for Townsville a year and a half ago I think, because work was drying up a bit. I'm a carpenter by trade and I was working for a builder up here and things were just starting to slow down a bit, and we've got a little fellow (Willow) and we thought we'd better see if there's greener grass on the other side.

We went down to Townsville for a while and I worked for for a pretty major landscape company, Scape Shapes. I was a structural foreman but it was more of a project manager's role I suppose.

We missed all our friends up here, so we just made the decision (to return to Port Douglas) one day so I got talking to Col (Cameron).

I studied horticulture and then I did my apprenticeship in carpentry so I suppose I went the really long way around to become a landscaper.

TN: So you're a business partner with Col now?

Kim: What we did is we basically started a new company between Col and Louise and Pete and I and it's now called Papillon Landscapes, and we're continuing on exactly what Col and Lou were doing before but now Pete's looking after more the construction side of things which Col wasn't able to take care of.

Now that Pete's come in with carpentry we can take on a lot more of those hard landscaping roles and we've got all the right licenses to cover everything.

TN: How many people does Papillon Landscapes employ?

Kim: We've got a team of five working for us, two apprentices, a casual, and Col and Pete.

TN: What makes Papillon unique?

Peter: It's a tough question because I don't think Port Douglas people realise how lucky they are with the standard of gardeners. I think for Papillon, we're fully licensed. We're one of a few fully licensed landscapers in town who can do anything.

TN: What sort of licenses do you have?

Peter: We've got builder restricted landscape licenses and I'm a carpenter. We've got two separate licenses under the BSA which means we can do anything. We can do your handyman stuff, we can put the trusses on your roof, we can build a gazebo.

Kim: And two qualified horticulturalists.

Peter: That's what we try and offer is a professional horticultural and maintenance service, not just a mow and a blow. We can come in and look at your pests and your diseases, but at the same time if you're just chasing a mow and a blow then that can happen.

Papillon Landscapes can be contacted on 4098 3081 or via their website.