Tidy & plant your garden.

Hiring a professional gardener for a tidy-up and planting session ensures that your soil is correctly conditioned and your plants are positioned for long-term health. This guide covers everything you need to know about the costs, timeframes, and regulations involved in refreshing your outdoor space.

What Does the Work Involve?

• Bed Clearance: Removing annual weeds, dead foliage, and leaf litter to prevent pests and diseases.
• Pruning and Deadheading: Trimming shrubs and perennials to maintain shape, encourage new growth, and remove damaged wood.
• Soil Preparation: Digging in organic matter, compost, or soil improver to ensure new plants have the necessary nutrients.
• Planting: Positioning and installing shrubs, hedging, or seasonal bedding plants at the correct depth.
• Mulching: Applying a layer of bark or compost to suppress weeds and retain moisture in the soil.
• Edging: Re-defining the borders between lawns and flower beds for a sharp, professional finish.
• Waste Management: Collecting green waste for on-site composting or off-site disposal.

Typical Costs

Prices for garden work are heavily influenced by the volume of waste generated and the current condition of the soil. If a garden has been neglected for several seasons, expect the initial "clearance" cost to be higher than a standard maintenance visit.

How Long Does It Take?

• Small border refresh: 2–4 hours for weeding and adding seasonal bedding.
• Medium garden tidy: 1 full day for a standard 3-bed semi-detached garden.
• Major overhaul/replanting: 2–4 days depending on the amount of digging and soil improvement required.
• Hedge trimming and edging: 2–3 hours for a typical suburban garden.

DIY or Professional?

Light weeding and planting store-bought annuals is a manageable DIY task for most homeowners. However, professional gardeners bring horticultural expertise, ensuring that expensive plants are suited to your soil pH and light levels.

Professional gardeners often have access to trade nurseries, providing higher-quality specimens than those found in standard retail garden centres.

If the work involves applying professional-grade herbicides or handling significant heights, a qualified pro is essential. Professionals also carry the correct equipment to complete in hours what might take a DIYer an entire weekend.

Choosing the Right Tradesperson

• Qualifications: Look for RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) or LANTRA certifications.
• Insurance: Ensure they hold Public Liability Insurance (minimum £1 million).
• Specialisms: Some gardeners focus on maintenance (mowing/weeding), while others are skilled in "soft landscaping" (planting design).

Questions to ask:

• Do you have a Waste Carrier Licence to legally remove green waste?
• Can you provide a portfolio of previous planting projects?
• Do you offer a guarantee on the survival of new plants?
• Will you be using power tools, and do I need to provide an external power source?

UK Regulations

• Waste Carrier Licence: Any gardener removing waste from your property must be registered with the Environment Agency.
• Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs): You must check if any trees are protected before pruning or removal; fines for breaches are significant.
• Pesticide Application: Professionals using commercial weedkillers must hold a PA1/PA6 certificate.
• Conservation Areas: If you live in a conservation area, certain changes to the garden layout or tree work may require council permission.

Common Problems

• Poor Drainage: Planting in waterlogged soil will lead to root rot; a pro will identify this and suggest "thirsty" plants or drainage improvements.
• Right Plant, Wrong Place: Putting shade-loving plants in direct sun (or vice versa) is a common DIY mistake that leads to plant death.
• Invasive Species: Failure to identify Japanese Knotweed or Giant Hogweed early can lead to legal and structural issues.
• Under-watering: New plants require consistent watering for the first full season; many homeowners forget this once the gardener leaves.

Frequently Asked Questions