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Original poster

Is paying gardeners for regular maintenance really seen as an extravagance

102 replies

Augustus40 · 04/07/2026 07:37

I have always paid gardeners to maintain my gardens front and back over the years.

The reactions I have had are very puzzling. Why is this deemed a luxury or an extravagance?

I detest gardening get bitten easily get plant allergies hayfever and a bad back.

There is enough to do running a home without killing myself gardening!

I pay £60 a month to 2 young men and they do a great job. It really cheers me up.

It is about the only small luxury I have left these days. I stopped pedicures massages and physio long ago.

Is it so unusual to support a local business in this way. People seem to have a problem with it. Can't you do it they ask! If this is such a rarity then how come gardeners are always fully booked up!

OP posts:
SemiRetiredLoveGoddeess · 04/07/2026 19:09

I feel in thiscphoney modern, allegedly class free UK we all live in. That paying for eleaners and gardeners is still a bit of a status, class thing by some people.

The Gardeners where l live charge around 40 pounds per man, per hour for even cutting the privets They seem very entitled and arrogant in their Range Rover and brand new Jeep SUV''s

And all of their xhildren seem to attend Private School la .

BunnyLake · 04/07/2026 19:10

MrsSlocombesCat · 04/07/2026 18:29

Wait for it - I pay someone to do my garden and I am on UC. I care for my adult son who has autism, and I would rather pay a gardener £30 a month than have any other luxury. It’s worth its weight in gold to me. Before you get all worked up I do work part time from home.

Anyone who gets worked up about that is not worth bothering about. Good for you, it’s money well spent and gives employment to someone.

GenteelGiraffe · 04/07/2026 20:04

We have a tiny house with a huge garden. I had plans to make it beautiful but I have a terribly bad back and cannot do bending down jobs. I'd love to get stuck in but mowing is my limit because even if I do hedgecutting I have to bend down to gather up all the trimmings. My partner has a health condition and struggles to breathe but he dedicates a day to mowing every week and it takes him the whole day. I keep thinking that if something happens to him I would employ a gardener to do the hedges, trees and weeding and make it pretty because I genuinely can't. It's not a luxury, it's your living space and mental and physical welfare x

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Gardening
Comeondoreen · 04/07/2026 20:12

I pay a gardener £80 a month, he comes every couple of weeks and spends a few hours mowing, weeding, and whatever else he thinks might need doing. I know huge amounts of people who spend more than that getting their hair done, so I have never considered it particularly extravagant as it saves me loads of time.

CoastalCalm · 04/07/2026 20:15

I’m paying £25 a fortnight to have our front and back lawns cut and it’s worth every penny for domestic harmony. DH says he’ll do them and has the kit but the huffing and puffing for a substandard job is not worth £25

shellyleppard · 04/07/2026 20:16

I have a gardener once a month , its the only way I can keep up with the garden

Allonthesametrain · 04/07/2026 20:45

I think It's not the sort of luxury I would do until I was unable to take care of it myself, like cleaning our house or prams lol 😅

However anything that makes life easier and you can afford it, why not. Xx

PussyGaylore · 04/07/2026 20:54

I have a gardener come in twice a month more if I’m having people over. She charges £20 a hour. She does a lot of weeding, keeping the borders tidy etc.
I have a big garden and probably do an hour most days in the summer my husband mows the lawns on the weekend.
I love having a gardener, we don’t have many extravagances.
I don’t think it’s anyone’s business how you spend your money - crack on and enjoy your garden.

BogRollBOGOF · 04/07/2026 21:09

I enjoy gardening so am happy to do it myself. I've had a lovely 3 hours pottering around with the mower and trimmer doing a mid-summer tidy up, pulling up the odd week and deadheading. It's been a relaxing way to connect with the garden. Mowing my lawn could probably be more technically called deadheading it, but all my lovely daisies, clover and butter cup are good for keeping it green in hot weather and delaying getting it too jungly. It's got a lot of shrubs and perennials so maintainence is quite light touch and still fits around work/family/ other hobbies. Keeping it full of plants significantly cuts down opportinities for weeds to move in.

If my health didn't allow me to keep up and I could budget for it, I would seriously consider a gardener. It's not essential like food/ water/ electricity, but keeping a garden maintained is part of looking after your home, and people are quicker to get cleaners in.

Coolclouds · 04/07/2026 21:14

I have a gardener once a month I’m not worried if people judge me for it. It makes my life easier as the garden is big and overgrown at times. I can’t do it and work etc. plus physically certain parts are to much for me. Plus it’s not expensive for a few hours work.

Citadelica · 04/07/2026 21:16

We've had a gardener for years, until recently- mainly for mowing. Basically dh had a bad back, I have hay-fever and it made sense.

We are now for various reasons doing our own mowing, but will still get someone in to do the hedges.

LaraS2511 · 04/07/2026 21:33

Laziness, I work 5 days a week with often nights away & my husband works 6 days a week. Our front & back garden is the one of the best on our estate, it takes a few hours a week in summer, no more! My two neighbours have a gardener, he comes at the same time & does both their gardens, how they don’t have time to do their gardens is beyond me! One couple retired with no children & the other couple work from home, no children! The gardener does an ok job but our garden is so much nicer looking as he is there to maintain what they have which isn’t a lot!

HurrahforHollywood · 04/07/2026 21:52

LaraS2511 · 04/07/2026 21:33

Laziness, I work 5 days a week with often nights away & my husband works 6 days a week. Our front & back garden is the one of the best on our estate, it takes a few hours a week in summer, no more! My two neighbours have a gardener, he comes at the same time & does both their gardens, how they don’t have time to do their gardens is beyond me! One couple retired with no children & the other couple work from home, no children! The gardener does an ok job but our garden is so much nicer looking as he is there to maintain what they have which isn’t a lot!

Some people don't have the knowledge or find it a struggle due to health issues. Or can afford to have someone else do it because they don't enjoy gardening. Their money, their gardens.

petitpasta · 04/07/2026 21:53

My mother is shocked and horrified that we have both a gardener and a cleaner and tells me regularly that she 'did everything, including looking after your grandfather's house'.

She retired at 50 and only worked part time before that.

I no longer respond and feign deafness.

I would much rather pay to outsource dull jobs than have an epic holiday once a year. Do whatever works for you

mondaytosunday · 04/07/2026 22:10

Wow £60 a month? That’s incredible. What do they do? In the summer many lawns need mowing every week and weeding and tidying up. Of course it depends on the size of your garden but I’d say in my tiny London that’s an hour a week. Four hours for two guys £60? Even if guys halving the work so two hours that’s a bargain (though hardly worth they’d transport time). Here the going rate is £35/hour for one.
And it is an extra as most people could spare an hour a week.

HurrahforHollywood · 04/07/2026 22:18

mondaytosunday · 04/07/2026 22:10

Wow £60 a month? That’s incredible. What do they do? In the summer many lawns need mowing every week and weeding and tidying up. Of course it depends on the size of your garden but I’d say in my tiny London that’s an hour a week. Four hours for two guys £60? Even if guys halving the work so two hours that’s a bargain (though hardly worth they’d transport time). Here the going rate is £35/hour for one.
And it is an extra as most people could spare an hour a week.

I agree. You have an absolute bargain

Viviennemary · 04/07/2026 22:22

£60 a month for 2 gardners. Thats incredibly cheap. They are much sought after these days and criticise them at your peril otherwise you might find yourself mowing your own lawn. Heaven forbid.

Original poster
Augustus40 · 05/07/2026 08:28

Yes as somebody said further up the thread it may be deemed as a class thing lol.

Even if I didn't have health reasons I detest gardening to the core lol.

OP posts:
HelpMeGetThrough · 05/07/2026 08:31

After having to cut hedges and mow lawns yesterday, the appeal of a gardener is growing on me.

ParsonMaybold · 05/07/2026 08:33

£20 an hour is incredibly cheap. Ours is £35/ph and he does 2 hours every week, sometimes more. He’s really booked up and has a waiting list.

I think we’d have a gardner even if we didn’t both work. I don’t mind a potter about and my husband does a lot including the lawn, but the weeding/digging hard work side of it can sod off.

BathersOnTheLine · 05/07/2026 09:01

Before I retired I worked as a gardener.

I love gardening and it was a pleasure for me so it was like being paid to do my hobby. Most of my clients were elderly or less mobile people who had loved their gardens but couldn't manage them any more. Many would potter around weeding and pruning or sit on a bench and chatter with me while I worked.

Those clients also had a small army of window cleaners, cleaners, hairdressers who called at the house, handymen etc. I don't think it was a luxury for them - more a way of staying in their beloved house and garden and keeping them nice long after they were able to do it all themselves.

Good gardeners love gardening and are happy to do the job for you. If you can afford it why wouldn't you outsource a job you can't do, are too busy to do or don't enjoy? It makes a happy living for your gardener too.

BunnyLake · 05/07/2026 09:08

LaraS2511 · 04/07/2026 21:33

Laziness, I work 5 days a week with often nights away & my husband works 6 days a week. Our front & back garden is the one of the best on our estate, it takes a few hours a week in summer, no more! My two neighbours have a gardener, he comes at the same time & does both their gardens, how they don’t have time to do their gardens is beyond me! One couple retired with no children & the other couple work from home, no children! The gardener does an ok job but our garden is so much nicer looking as he is there to maintain what they have which isn’t a lot!

I bet you use a washing machine though don’t you!

Glittertwins · 05/07/2026 09:09

We have someone to tidy ours up too. We’re no good at it, it takes us forever when we get round to it and it’s just so much nicer to sit outside when it’s nicely done.

Larsaleaping · 05/07/2026 09:15

Not everyone likes gardening but they do like gardens. So it makes sense for them to pay a gardener. It's a much better option than turning their garden into a maintenance free concrete and astroturf barren wasteland.

Serensnanna · 05/07/2026 09:49

Stop worrying what other people think! You earn your money, spend it how you like. I love gardening but can't keep on top of mine, it's more a worry than an enjoyment. Enjoy yours while supporting the local economy