Employing a Gardener
If you’re too busy to mow the lawns, pull the weeds and prune the shrubs; you might think seriously about employing a gardener.
A competent gardener will usually take much less time than you would, and keep your garden looking better than you ever would.
In actual fact, they can save you money, particularly if your time is valuable.
An incompetent gardener however, may damage the garden. It is not uncommon for a gardener to prune, water, weed or feed the garden in a way that is inappropriate and results in damage to your plants. They might actually cost you more than just their wages, by the time you replace plants they damage, and correct other problems they create.
The trick is to be sure you employ the right person, and to do this you need to know what to look for.
Look for the following when choosing a gardener:
- Someone with a recognised qualification in the area of gardening or horticulture.
- Someone who has been in business for at least five years (has plenty of experience).
- Someone who can supply references, or show you samples of their work, such as nearby gardens.
- Someone who comes highly recommended – perhaps from friends or neighbours.
- Someone who belongs to a relevant professional body such as the Institute of Horticulture (UK) or Australian Institute of Horticulture (AIH).
What work do you want done?A gardener that only mows the lawn, should not charge as much as one who does a lot more.
Specialists who come in once a year to prune roses, fruit trees or other plants, may charge a lot more, and that is appropriate if they know their job – because they have specialist skills.
What should you pay?Ask how much it will cost to do a particular task/job. You should ideally get a quote in writing. If you pay an hourly rate for the work, you can leave the costs very open ended as one gardener may take a lot longer to do the job than another would. You might also be asked to pay for the cost of any materials used (e.g. fertiliser, plants, sprays, etc).
The cost of these should be stated up front so that you don’t get an unpleasant surprise.
Like everything, you usually get what you pay for. A competent student or recent graduate from a good horticulture course may do a good job and still only charge a relatively low hourly rate.
If they are good at what they do then demand for their services will grow, and they will probably be charging significantly more. The best horticulturists can charge an hourly rate comparable with any other professional (eg. solicitor or accountant).
Sometimes it may be a choice between paying more per hour for 2 hours to get a good job done; compared with less per hour for 4 hours to get the same quantity of work done, but not as well. Be prepared to shop around, and to ask plenty of questions.
Where To Find A Gardener
- Look for advertisements in the Yellow Pages phone book or your local paper.
- Information boards in local supermarkets.
- Mail outs delivered to your home.
- Contact a reputable Horticulture College and ask about recent graduates or current students.
Not all horticulture colleges are the same though; so look for a recommendation (Ask for a recommendation from a professional body, such as a Horticulture Institute or Nurserymans Association).
Reputable colleges worth approaching include:
Australian Correspondence Schools (covering all Australia) www.acs.edu.au
ACS Distance Education (covers UK & the world) www.acsedu.co.uk
For more internationally recognised institutions, see list of recognised institutions at www.iarcedu.com
Want to Learn More and Do Your Own Gardening?
Consider doing a course or buying a reference book from our school.
If you would like to communicate with one of our professional tutors, consider using our free course counselling service. click for details
If you want to browse our bookshop, go to www.acsbookshop.com
To browse our courses, go to http://www.acsgarden.com/Courses/Default.aspx
VISIT OUR ACS ONLINE E BOOKSTORE
- Quality ebooks written by our staff
- Wide range of Horticulture titles by John Mason, author of over 40 gardening books, garden magazine editor, nurseryman, landscaper and principal of ACS.
- Ebooks can be purchased online and downloaded straight away.
- Read on an ipad, computer, iphone, reader or similar device.
- New titles published every month –bookmark and revisit this site regularly
- Download sample pages for free, to see what each book is like.
Titles include:
Commercial Hydroponics 3rd edition
One of the worlds best selling hydroponic books, first published in 1991 by Kangaroo Press. Dozens of colour photos, unique and rarely published advice on how to grow over 100 different types of plants (vegetables, herbs, flowers, indoor plants) in hydroponics. http://www.acsebook.com/products/2232-commercial-hydroponics-third-edition.aspx
The Environment of Play 2nd edition
A unique and inspirational view of designing play spaces for children. Full of photos, an inspiration for parents, child care workers, teachers, play leaders, landscape designers and park management professionals. First edition was published in the 1980’s by Leisure Press in New York. http://www.acsebook.com/products/2247-the-environment-of-play.aspx
Growing Trees and Shrubs for Small Gardens 2nd edition
First edition published by Kangaroo Press/Simon & Schuster. http://www.acsebook.com/products/1684-growing-trees-and-shrubs-for-small-gardens.aspx
Tropical Plants 2nd edition
http://www.acsebook.com/products/2245-tropical-plants.aspx
Trees and Shrubs for Warm Places First edition A valuable reference for growing plants not only in the tropics and sub tropics, but also greenhouses, inside the home or even hot courtyards in a temperate garden. Never before been published. The book contains colour photos of close to 300 plants and descriptions of many times that number (and largely different to the plants covered in our Tropical Plants book). http://acsebook.com/products/2238-trees-and-shrubs-for-warm-placescoming-soon.aspx
Garden Design Part 1 1st edition
A huge book with around 300 inspiring colour photos; that explains how to design a garden in a way that is able to be understood by a beginner, but full of tips and ideas that can help even seasoned professionals. http://www.acsebook.com/products/2242-garden-design-part-1.aspx
Garden Design Part 2 1st edition
Following on from Garden Design Part 1, this presents approximately 300 more photos, and a huge amount of inspirational reading to help you (in particular), understand the different styles of garden and the options open to you as a garden designer, or a home owner. http://acsebook.com/products/2244-garden-design-part-2.aspx
Starting a Garden or Landscape Business 2nd ed.
Previously published by Simon and Schuster; this is a must read for anyone wanting to set out on a career in horticulture. http://acsebook.com/products/2239-starting-a-garden-or-landscape-business.aspx
Discounts offered for students of ACS Distance Education
