What does a gardener charge?

This is a very common query on Landscape Juice - What does a gardener charge per hour or how much should I pay a gardener.

A lot depends on who you are employing, what their level or experience and competence is and what qualifications they have - I would put experience and competence way above the qualifications as a prerequisite.

They may have a brilliant learned mind but often, if a student spends four years making very high grades at horticulture college it can mean that they are very limited for practical ability - they may know their latin plant names but may not know what the hell you do with them.

As far as money is concerned.

An odd job gardener - i.e. one who may be really competent at cleaning up the garden and weeding but not necessarily knowing plant names and being able to truly identify a weed from a desired plant. An odd jobber will be happy to paint sheds or clean patios too and maybe clear gutters of leaves (if they like heights)

The price they charge will depend their needs but you should not expect to pay below £8.00 (assuming that is they are legal and not doing a black market job)

There is no real middle grade of gardener and you really must make your own mind up. Choose a person that you like - this is absolutely essential.

Next, ascertain what level of experience and competence they have and ask for references. The price is open to negotiation and interpretation but if you should be looking to pay a minimum of £10.00ph but not in excess of £18.00 (at day rate charges) A good rate for a one man band who is running a single van with just hand tools and a mower would be £12-16.00.

If you employ a contractor then this can get tricky. When I say contractor I mean an established firm with a small fleet of vans, 3-20 men on the payroll and the ability to scale up onto a variety of jobs.

Remember, you will be paying a proportion of their overhead costs which includes the boss' salary so expect to pay £18-£30.00 ph and really ask yourself if this kind of service is for you if you only need a day a week.

The larger firms are best suited to large scale private residential or commercial activities and employ a range of labour skills from basic labourer to the more keenly skilled operative (usually at management level).

Ask yourself if you wish to pay the boss £30.00 ph plus VAT for a labourer?

In large cities such as London, the hourly rate can go much higher and some firms will try and justify £50.00 plus an hour.

If you are looking for a great one to one service then I would be looking to target the middle option and take someone on trial for something like a month. You will often know within an hour if they are right for you.

Do not, whatever you do, sign up for a long term contract until you are sure of what you are getting.

Do you run a gardening service?

I would like to hear from you so that we can compile a page of regional price guides. I feel that the consumer needs to be educated about what prices they should expect to pay and the gardener generally needs to provide a fair service based on some kind of scale.

Do you feel I am way out on the above figures?

I would like to hear from you if you are a consumer or a service provider so that we can get generate a price structure for all to use as a guide.

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