what is the norm?

[iemma321q]

Hi

Have recently moved into a bigger house. The previous owners already employed a gardener and so we decided to keep him on. He has so far been twice. All he does is mow the lawn and trim the hedges at the front of the house. He does nothing about any weeds, nothing with any plants and hasn't touched any of the hedges at the side of the property. I am assuming he is just doing what the previous owners had him doing. I just want to ask you all before I speak to him what is normal? Do gardeners usually deal with weeds both in the lawn and on the path? Do they usually tend to flowers/ bushes/ plants etc?
Thanks

i think you are right, sounds like he is just doing what the previous owners asked him to do.

If you want him to do extra work you will have to ask him to give you a price for what you want doing.

Some gardeners just want to cut lawns and hedges and others will give you an hourly rate or a fixed price for things you describe.

I am a bit at the terrible stories about some gardeners on here. Quite a few people have stories of people who clearly don't know the first thing about plants, and kill a lot of stuff they touch. I would find out whether this guy is comfortable doing more than he's already doing, and whether he's competent.

I guess the wider question is: what do you want from your garden? Most gardeners don't have that much design input. If you want a few shrubs that need an annual prune, then that's something you can contract out - if you want something really spectacular, then getting more involved is pretty much a must.

He might not just be doing what he always did, he might be waiting for you to tell him what you want him to do. Mowing the lawn and trimming hedges is not really gardening so like Shove says, you need to find out his credentials and direct him to what you want him to do.

Thanks guys. We don't know much about gardening. We are happy with how it looks do just want it maintained. I watched him work yesterday as he does all the houses on our road and he did the same in each garden so I'm guessing that's what he offers but I will chat with him next time he's here.

We have a young guy who is also tree surgeon. My wife briefs him on what she wants doing, but he also suggests some things himself. And he likes to be plied with coffee and cake!

Thanks for your replies.

How much should I be looking to pay if I want someone who does more than mow the lawn/ trim the hedges?