Clear & care for your garden.

Whether you are preparing a property for sale or simply want to enjoy your lawn again, a professional gardener brings the right tools and expertise to handle heavy-duty clearing and specialist pruning. This guide outlines what to expect in terms of service, costs, and regulations for 2025/26.

What Does the Work Involve?

• Clearing and Weeding: Stripping back overgrown flower beds, removing deep-rooted weeds, and pulling up self-seeded saplings.
• Structural Pruning: Cutting back shrubs and small trees to improve their shape, encourage new growth, and remove dead or diseased wood.
• Hedge Maintenance: Trimming and squaring off hedges to maintain boundaries and prevent encroachment onto paths or neighbouring properties.
• Lawn Restoration: Mowing long grass, edging borders, and removing moss or thatch to allow the soil to breathe.
• Waste Management: Collecting all green waste, shredding on-site where possible, or loading it for off-site disposal.
• Health Inspection: Identifying pests (like box blight or aphids) and advising on necessary treatments or soil improvements.

Typical Costs

Prices vary depending on your location in the UK and the volume of waste generated. Most gardeners charge by the hour or provide a fixed-price quote for larger clearance projects.

The primary factor affecting price is the density of the overgrowth. Dense brambles and thick ivy take significantly longer to clear and produce more waste volume than simple grass and leaf litter.

How Long Does It Take?

• Routine Tidy-up: 2 to 4 hours for a standard semi-detached garden.
• Moderate Clearance: 1 full day for a garden that hasn't been touched in a season.
• Major Overhaul: 2 to 3 days for heavily overgrown sites with significant waste removal.
• Hedge Trimming: 1 to 3 hours depending on height and length.

DIY or Professional?

Small weeding and mowing tasks are perfect for DIY, provided you have a way to dispose of the waste. However, professional gardeners possess high-end petrol machinery—such as brush cutters and long-reach hedge trimmers—that can do in an hour what might take a homeowner a full weekend.

Professional gardeners must hold a Waste Carrier Licence to legally transport your garden rubbish. Always check this, as you could be held liable if your waste is fly-tipped.

Choosing the Right Tradesperson

• Check Licences: Ensure they have a valid Waste Carrier Licence from the Environment Agency.
• Insurance: Verify they have Public Liability Insurance (minimum £1 million) to cover damage to your property or neighbours.
• Equipment: Ask if they use their own petrol-powered tools or if they require access to your electricity.
• Waste Policy: Confirm if the quote includes the "tipping fee" or if they intend to leave the waste in bags for your local council collection.

Questions to ask:

• Are you comfortable working around pets or children?
• How do you handle invasive species like Japanese Knotweed?
• Can you provide a fixed quote rather than an estimate?

UK Regulations

• Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981: It is an offence to damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built. Heavy hedge cutting is usually avoided between March and August.
• Duty of Care: Under the Environmental Protection Act, you are responsible for ensuring your garden waste is disposed of by a licensed carrier.
• Controlled Species: Plants like Japanese Knotweed cannot be put in general green waste or home compost; they require specialist disposal.

Common Problems

• Hidden Hazards: Long grass often hides bricks, glass, or old garden furniture that can damage machinery and increase costs.
• Nesting Birds: Finding a nest mid-job can legally halt work on specific hedges or trees, delaying the project.
• Access Issues: If all waste must be carried through a finished house because there is no side gate, labour time will increase significantly.
• Underground Services: Shallow-buried cables for garden lighting or irrigation pipes can be easily severed during deep weeding or digging.

Frequently Asked Questions