to get a gardener?

[IHeartKingThistle]

I am usually the kind of person who insists they can do everything independently then muddles through badly. I've never had a cleaner or anything like that.

But I have lost control of the garden. It's not massive but there's an extremely long hedge backing onto a lane down one side, made up of all kinds of trees and bushes. It grows at a rate of knots. There are brambles sprouting everywhere and moss in the lawn. Nature is winning. I've taken on more work recently, DH is away with work a lot and barely has time to mow the lawn. We need help!

I thought only landed gentry with mazes in the garden had gardeners, but DH has suggested getting a gardener in for a couple of hours a week. Does anyone have one? Is it worth it? How much can a gardener realistically do in that time?

We have a gardener. He brings his own tools and gets loads done in four hours. We have a 100ft garden with lots of trees. Genereally he comes about three/ four times a year. If you live in Herts PM me and I

I feel its money well spent. It would cost me more than I pay him to buy the tools.

yep we have a gardener too, comes 4 hrs a week but we do with him coming more than double that time, we got quite a big garden and DH spends a day of his weekend on it on top of what the gardener does. we only get charged £7 an hr.

We have someone who cuts our lawn fortnightly. It's the best thing we've done in ages. It's freed up so much time and means we get to do the fu gardening instead of the hard boring stuff.

What kind of things are gardeners likely to achieve in a couple of hours? I have a lady that comes once a fortnight for a couple of hours and she just seems to potter. What can I hope for?

"What kind of things are gardeners likely to achieve in a couple of hours? I have a lady that comes once a fortnight for a couple of hours and she just seems to potter. What can I hope for?"

Does the garden too substantially better after a couple of hours? Our gardener weeds, the flower bed, cuts the lawn both fron and back and trims the trees and hedges.

I would expect a gardener to be sweating buckets in this weather.

I wouldn't want to pay a gardener to potter - that's the bit of gardening that I actually enjoy!

Mine cuts the grass, front and back, in about an hour (Your Milage acreage May Vary)

He cuts the hedges, front and back, in a couple of hours.

I can do a fair chunk of weeding, pruning, or deadheading in an hour - I would expect a part of the garden to look noticeable better if I worked on it for two hours.

We can't afford a holiday this year but we have a gardener! He comes once a fortnight for 7 months and does the grass for €14 a go. At the end of the summer he'll do an extra couple of hours or so tidying up the shrubs and things for about €30.

We work a 40 hour week and spend 12.5 hours a week commuting, plus there's the house to keep going. We do like to interact with our kids occasionally so something had to give, and my back's not up to pushing a lawnmower so this solution works well for us.

Make sure he is the type who looks good without a t-shirt when its hot weather ( totally lechy and sexist comment!) If you are paying good money you might as well have a nice view!

We have a man who comes and does our garden for four hours a week in the Summer. He doesn't always turn up when it's raining. He has done the garden for the past 30 years, so we just kept him on when we bought the house. It takes him three hours to mow the lawn with lots of tea and cigarette breaks.

Sadly he is about 65 and doesn't look too good with his top off!

kingthistle do you mind if I ask how you worded the Rated People advert and how much you offered to pay.

I have had 2 gardening companies come round to quote but won't respond to my calls now. I guess my garden is too small for their important businesses to deal with even though both wanted about £700 over 10 months.

No-one on ratedpeople wanted our job!

We have one for small city garden. Garden was horrible, it's lovely now. Not sure what he's paid as husband pays him, might be around £12 per hour. He does around 3/4 hours every second week during the summer, less in the winter.

Oh no

I asked for recommendations on our local Facebook selling page, could that be worth a try?

I looked on the postcards in the village shop, post office and I looked on line.

Found a lovely chap doing it, proper business but not vat registered.

Just him and his son, turning up when they say they will, being kind about my " garden" making a living and so pleasant:)

kingthistle I noticed one of my neighbours (much bigger garden than mine) has a gardening company in every 2 weeks so I bit the bullet and walked round and door stepped them
It is quite ££ at £40 per fortnight but a) I am desperate, b) they do everything inc grass, edging, weeding, tree work, hedging etc, and c) I couldn't get anyone else.
If you are near the M77 corridor I'd be happy to pass the details on to you.

Oh thanks - no in Surrey!

I want one but DP says no. To be fair we can't really afford it as we have a baby on the way, but we do really need one.

We moved into our last last year which has a 'mature' garden. It wasn't too bad over the winter, but since spring has sprung, it's ridiculously overgrown. DP, who has no prior experience, has decided to tackle it, but watching him out there hacking away willy nilly makes me nervous!

It actually has some lovely plants and will look nice once tidied up, but I'm worried he's going to make a mess.

Anyway, no yanbu, if I could afford it I would have one in a heartbeat

What about asking people who have nice gardens in your road? Another place to ask would be a local garden centre, our local nursery now 'does' gardening. We live in W London & gardeners are from £22 per hour for people who come with their own tools & invoice monthly. The larger companies who have a high enough turnover to be VAT registered were more like £28ph when I enquired. We did have a gardener but I have enough time now DCs at secondary school.

This is a very interesting topic. I seem to be undercharging people in SE London. My rates are £15 per hour. I am a "Proper" gardener (RHS trained), with tools, van, public liability insurance and enhanced CRB check. My customers are mostly working folks with little time or elderly retired people who have mobility issues.
Some have given me their side door key, I just let myself in every two weeks and just get on with the job, then leave a note that I have been there with the hours spent. Some I text that I am at their property whilst they are at work and text again when I am finished. I then send them my invoice via email.
I love my job and will not go back working in an office.

Forgot to say that I do not use rated people. I found them too expensive. I get my customers from this site and personal recommendation or when they see me parked up at a road, the customers come over. I have three customers in one road and five in another.