A well-manicured Lawn is great for bare-footed fun, however in the warm summer months, grass can grow very fast and you might need to mow your lawn every other week. After spending time trimming those edges and pulling out all those weeds you may find you don't have time to enjoy the outdoors as your weekend is gone doing chores, consider hiring a gardener to take some of the work off your hands. You can hire gardeners to come on a one-off or regular basis, then you will have time to sit back and enjoy your garden.
What Does a Gardener Do?
A professional gardener will have a variety of skills. Some of them include:
- Lawn mowing
- Weeding, fertilising and maintenance
- Trimming and pruning
- Planting, mulching and watering
- Rubbish removal
Specialist gardeners can do even more. For example, some gardeners specialise in garden design and will do everything from planning your garden to planting and hardscaping, like laying pavers and installing low retaining walls.
How Much Do Gardeners Cost?
Advertised rates for gardening start at under $30 per hour, however usually this is for less skilled work such as basic Lawn Mowing or weeding. Small jobs may cost more per hour than larger jobs because the gardener will have to factor travel and set-up time into their costs.
For some jobs, gardeners might charge a flat rate. Others like normal lawn Mowing may be based on the size of the area. Ride on mowing is more often charged hourly at around $120 per hour.
More skilled gardening work can cost between $30 and $50 per hour, depending on the job and service.
If you need major garden work, you will need to hire a specialist. For example, you may need to hire a tree feller to cut down a tree and if you need to have a large tree removed, you will probably have to hire an arborist and get council approval. Large jobs like these must be handled by licensed professionals with the necessary skills and expensive equipment that must be maintained so that will affect the costs.
How much will lawn mowing cost?
If you are looking for a gardener to mow your lawn, you may get a better rate if you hire them to come on a scheduled basis. It might cost you $60 to have your lawn mown once, but as little as $40 or $50 if they do your mowing regularly.
The basic cost of getting your lawns maintained depends on the size of the area. It actually works out cheaper for a bigger lawn, because part of the costs involve travel time and setting up. If your lawn needs some TLC in addition to mowing, you’ll need to factor in the cost of weeding and fertilising and possibly watering and aerating too.
For a straightforward mowing job, you should be looking at paying around:
- $60 for a lawn up to 600m2
- $70 for a lawn up to 950m2
- $75+ for a lawn over 1000m2
Of course, these prices vary in different areas, so get several quotes and then you can be sure you're getting a good deal.
How much will weeding cost?
For a average sized garden in reasonable shape, costs for weeding and/or weed spraying should be under $100, however weeding can be very heavy work if you have let the roots grow very deep, if you have lots of weeds that are as tall as a toddler then you can expect to pay more!
Pruning and hedging
Small whipper snipper jobs or a few shrubs pruned with hand tools might cost as little as $50 (basically I minimum call out fee). However for large trees and extensive hedging, the common range is around $300-$600.
Getting Quotes from Gardeners
Unlike many trades, "gardener" is loosely defined and anyone with a few tools can claim to be a gardener. If all you need is a little light gardening, you can probably get a better rate from someone who is just trying to earn a few dollars doing lawn mowing or weeding. If more skill is required, compare the quotes carefully. How many years of experience does the gardener have? Do they have a company name and own all their own equipment? Are they licensed and insured? Do they have reviews on expertEasy or can they provide you with references?
Hiring the cheapest gardener could end up more expensive than hiring an expert. For example, a professional lawn mowing service will spot signs of disease or infestation in your lawn and they can alert you to the issue and take care of it before it becomes a major problem.
If you want to get competitive quotes from several gardeners, then make your life easier by requesting free gardening quotes on expertEasy.
