Dead Garden :((

[musicfiend1]

I have employed someone for 7 years to prune my trees. Recently he advised me to have my garden sprayed to kill honey fungus. I agreed. The spray has killed everything and my garden which I have built up over 8 years is a wasteland. I want compensation. However he is a traveller. Is it worth making a legal claim? I think he might just get a new phone and move and disappear. What would you do? It will cost over £5,000 to get the garden re established.

What had he said about it?

To be honest it's your fault not hiring someone with insurance - guessing he was very cheap

Meant to offer sympathy though - I'd be gutted, I love gardening

I've learnt though not to pursue people for money who don't have any

That sounds awful but yes in a nutshell no point in pursuing at all. You'd need an address for service and a way of collecting the money e.g. Property against which to register a charge or income to get a attatchment of earnings order. Getting an order is easy, enforcing is difficult. I'd save your money and start replanning your garden.

He's refusing to answer my calls. I contacted him through my landline- no caller ID- and there was a long pause. He then spun me this line about a child being run over and he couldn't think. Then said he had just returned and seen an 0161 message. Knew that was a lie as I left a mobile message. So he's bullsh*ing. And a friend contacted him today about prospective work and he suggested tomorrow! I have an address but sadly think that I will have to leave it. A lesson yes. [ angry].

I feel awful for you, really sad but perhaps it is time to take this one on the chin no matter how angry you feel. Look around and see a brand new garden beginning from scratch.
There is zero chance of getting anything from that man but at least you won't have to let him near your place ever again.

How long before things you plant will not be killed by the weedkiller?

Tell trading standards. Apart from that, I think it's probably a non-starter. It just wouldn't be worth your emotional energy and I doubt that, on paper, he has any funds for you to pursue anyway.

Sympathies. But if you did have honeyfungus it is highly likely that it would have spread to and killed all your other plants anyway. It is notoriously difficult to get rid of - all known remedies are incredibly drastic and extreme.