Landscape Juice

There is not a standard charge when employing a garden contractor

The question

One of the top searches on Landscape Juice is 'what does a gardener charge' (or variations thereof i.e. what does a gardener/gardening cost?).

Another top search is 'what does landscaping cost' or 'what does a landscaper charge?

The answer

There isn't a definitive answer. Every gardener or landscaper comes with their own special set of skills, experience and approach to the job.

Many people will be self taught and worked in their respective niche for a lifetime and some may have taken a fast-track route via a trade education. Every single person, bar none, will be at a totally different stage of professional development so it is therefore, impossible to set any kind of national standard for pricing.

Should OAP's get a discount on gardening services?

If you are in business selling gardening services then it's always a morally tough decision to agree to giving a discount.

From a purely business perspective, discounts - especially if your are a small business, perhaps a one-man-band - are bad news because there's a very limited opportunity to make up any lost revenue.

Most domestic maintenance gardeners sell their services by the hour: there's only so many hours that can be achieved in a year and costs as well as profit ratios should be built into the rates (some fat for emergencies should be in there too).

So imagine the dilemma if a client asked for a discount?

The issue of giving old age pensioners discounted rates is currently being debated on our network. It's far from clear if there is a straight yes or no answer but the majority or responses are firmly in the no, discounts should not be given to OAP's.

See the discussion here: Why discount for regular clients or OAPs?

Richard Miers on route to a striking garden design

The out of season flowers we are seeing may give a lift to borders this winter, but their curiosity factor is seldom enough to attract us outside.

What can do this, according to Richard Miers, garden designer, is added structure and water and enjoying the resulting interplay of light and the reflections and sounds from the water.

"Structure is important because winter is a long period of time," Richard said.

"So when the herbaceous flowers have died down, the earthworks, hedges, topiary, walls, avenues and ponds take over, meaning there is still something to look at."

In other words a garden must pull us out into it from every window or view.

"The low level of the sun creates fantastic shadows that are constantly changing and draw you out into your garden however cold it may be," Richard said.

Britain In Bloom brings benefits to communities

Britain In Bloom has a positive impact on the social, economic and environmental well-being of local communities, claims the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), organiser of the competition.

A survey of Britain In Bloom groups found 90% of them believed the main benefit of participating in the campaign was the 'creation and development' of communities.

Sue Biggs, director general of the RHS, said: "The report proves that gardening is not only a great social leveller but also the cohesive glue that binds neighbourhoods, reducing crime, transforming lives and enabling commerce to prosper.

Flowers blooming a second time, but it's no second spring

When the BBC said that flowers were blooming for a second time this year, it implied that seeing spring flowers in autumn was unusual.

Of course there is the global warming question even though flowers can at least brighten up the recession.

I was disappointed to realise that gorse in bud was quite normal. Still, apparently, foxgloves were in bloom for a second time, the BBC said.

Winners of Gardening World Cup announced

A bushfire-themed garden from Australian designer Jim Fogarty won best in show at the Gardening World Cup in Japan.

Jim Fogarty's garden drew on the theme of regeneration after he saw the damage caused by bushfires in Australia.

It used plants native to the country and featured a long thin rectangular water feature, a symbolic river, bringing relief to an otherwise sunny, dry environment, with its cool, calming properties.

Planned Gardeners’ Question Time tour cancelled

A planned tour of the UK by Radio 4's Gardeners’ Question Time has been scrapped due to poor ticket sales.

The Telegraph reports that the first show was set to start in October and run for 28 days across the UK taking in places such as Kings Lynn, Warrington, Buxton and Brighton.

Small garden tips from the RSPB

Photograph by Richard Barrett-Small
If you are struggling with a small garden space, but still want to enjoy beautiful flowers and attract wildlife the RSPB has some tips for you.

Although areas like window boxes and balconies may not be the largest outside spaces, they can still be extremely beneficial for all kinds of wildlife, particularly insects, and even people.

Wildlife-friendly gardening is not boring, says Marc Carlton

These days the essence of pollination biology has become the subject of domestic chit-chat, at least as far as bees are concerned.

For one thing what happens to bees affects us all. Bees sitting on flowers are about as tangible and normal as raindrops falling from a cloud and about as essential to life, or that's what we all learn from an early age.

So why then did Marc Carlton, a statistician and keen gardener, refer to studying pollination biology in 2005 as a flash of insight?

Japan set to bloom for Gardening World Cup

The Gardening World Cup is an international competition featuring top garden designers from around the world.

The venue is the Palace Gardens at Huis Ten Bosch, a Dutch-themed city near Nagasaki, Japan and it takes place between 8 October and 6 November, 2011.

And this year's theme is world peace with the event being held in aid of the victims of the Japanese Tsunami.