March 8, 2021
Perhaps it has rained for a couple of weekends, or you have been doing something far more interesting. Either way the grass has not been cut and now it’s too long for your mower to cope with…Time to get a gardener!
It is important to do a little homework and ask a few questions to ensure that your garden is in good hands.
Your garden is your private outdoor space, so you will want to be able to enjoy it without having to worry about its maintenance. However, it is very easy for things to get out of hand, causing long-term damage and costing you money. Therefore, it is important to do a little homework and ask a few questions to ensure that your garden is in good hands.
Ask Yourself What You Want the Gardener to do
First, it is important to consider what you want your gardener to do. Gardens are usually made up of a number of different elements, including lawns, hedges and beds, which all have different requirements. Therefore, you need to think about which aspects of the garden you want your gardener to maintain:
- Do you want them to just cut the grass or take care of the whole garden?
- Do you want the grass cut weekly or fortnightly?
- Is the lawn to be aerated and the thatch raked out?
- How often do you want the hedges cut?
- Are the shrubs to be maintained and do you have a preference as to how they look?
Ask Questions
Now you have decided what needs to be done, how do you decide who is going to do it? We have complied a list of questions you should consider asking a potential gardener before signing a contract:
- Are they insured?
- Are they licensed to use weed killers?
- Do they have their own tools, or will they need to use yours?
- Do they take the cuttings and clippings away and will they be disposed of responsibly? Will you be charged extra for waste disposal?
- How long have they been gardening?
- Are you comfortable having this person in your home on a regular basis?
Experience Counts
Britain is noted for its changeable weather. No two summers are the same and conditions can change from week to week. Growing conditions can also vary greatly between gardens – for example as a result of soil type and light levels. The more seasons a gardener has got under his or her belt and the greater variety of grounds he or she has worked on, the better equipped they are to cater for your individual garden in the weather conditions of that year. At Harradine Garden Services, we have over thirty years’ experience in horticulture, so you can rest assured that we have the experience to provide the best care for your garden.
In addition to experience, some tasks, such as weed killing and waste removal, require licenses to carry out. At Harradine Garden Services, we are fully qualified to use pesticides and we are licensed waste carriers. This means that we can use weed killers and dispose of waste legally, safely and responsibly. Waste generated as a result of our activities (e.g. grass clippings) is disposed of at a registered waste disposal centre at no extra cost to you.
Cost: The Hourly Rate Tells You Very Little
Knowing the hourly rate is of very limited use when comparing gardeners, unless you are employing someone on a labour-only basis. That is to say they use your tools, do not take away the waste, do what you want them to do for however long you have agreed and you supply all the materials that are needed. This will inevitably work out far more expensive and time-consuming for you, the client, as the costs of tools and waste disposal mount up. It is worth noting that even the smallest of gardens can produce a substantial amount of green waste.
A professional gardener will usually assess how much work there is to do in the garden over the whole season or year and divide that by either eight or twelve months. Alternatively, they may have a lower price for the winter.
A professional gardener may appear to be more expensive per hour, but they will provide a swift, professional, all-inclusive service that will work out cheaper and easier for you in the long run. At Harradine Garden Services, we spend as much time as is required to do a job, all the consumables such as weed killers and fertilizers are included in the price and we will take away the green waste that is produced. Furthermore, we use professional garden machines, which are expensive to buy and maintain, but reliably do the job in half the time and can cope with conditions that will break domestic equipment in minutes.
Insurance is Important
A mower can easily pick up a stone and put it through a patio door, which could cause damage and injury. It is worth knowing that the gardener you employ has the proper insurance to pay for the damage. This is known as Public Liability Insurance and it covers the gardener for any damage or personal injury caused whilst carrying out their work. If you are employing someone who is using your tools, give some thought to what will happen if a faulty tool injured them or someone else. At Harradine Garden Services, we are covered by Public Liability Insurance, so you can have peace of mind knowing that we are covered in the event of damages or injury.
Looking for a Professional Gardener?
Harradine Garden Services is a professional grounds maintenance and garden services company. It was established over 25 years ago in 1987 by Ian Harradine and later joined by his wife Amanda. With a joint experience of over 50 years, they use passion, creativity and science to transform gardens and grounds.
We are ready to help you take care of your garden and ensure that it is at its best. To arrange your free quote, please click the link below –
