The importance of finding a low-cost gardener you can trust
An attractive garden can increase the value of your home by 25% with kerb-side appeal so it is definitely worth putting in time and money to keep up the appearance of an attractive colourful garden. This does not have to come at a great expensive, as there are cheap ways to create a beautiful garden while sticking to a low-priced budget. Although some landscaping jobs require little skill and are more back breaking to do yourself, when it comes to design and layout of a garden, it is well worth calling in the professionals and find an inexpensive gardener to do the initial creation and then all you have to worry about is keeping up the maintenance.
Tips on how to save on your gardening job
Most gardeners charge based on an hourly price which includes an inflated first hour to cover their call out fee, so bundle up all of the work needed to eliminate multiple call out charges and if this totals a full day’s work, request a discounted day rate.
Save labour hours on the gardener by doing the mundane prep work yourself. This might include doing all of the weeding and cutting back some bigger shrubs, leaving the pruning of plants and shrubs to the gardener. Having a blank canvas ready for the gardener to begin landscape design work will assist the over-all cost staying within your low-priced budget. If the gardener is coming to work in your flowerbeds, mow the lawn first and tidy up the area around the beds so that you are not paying the gardener for any additional work. Check with the gardener if their costings include the removal of garden waste because you might be able to be frugal and save on labour by taking the waste to the tip yourself.
In London and built up city areas, cheaper gardeners might not have a van to travel house to house, so buy a second-hand mower and gardening tools to keep in your shed, allowing you to have the option of the cheaper gardeners. You will also be able to use these tools for on-going maintenance work rather than paying the gardener to have to attend regularly.
There are economically savvy methods of acquiring cheap garden improvements in your outdoor space, when arranging with the gardener over the phone, ask advice on where you can source flowers on a low budget and which seeds flower quickly with bright colours suiting the season of your garden. Bulbs are cheap and great as they come up year after year and require minimal effort on planting. For landscaping work, use the ton bags of sand, soil, pebbles rather than the easier to carry 25kg bags from DIY stores as the ton bags are far more economical – even if you still need to buy a second-hand wheelbarrow to move the contents.
Get comparison quotes
Most importantly, before choosing a gardener get comparison quotes from more than one gardener, compare their experience and before & after portfolio’s. Chat with them to hear their suggestions on how they will go about remodelling your garden to make sure you choose the gardener whose ideas align with your own. HaMuch.com helps you find affordable gardeners and landscapers quickly and easily, saving you time and money.