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 gardener is a person who looks after a piece of ground adjoining a house, typically cultivated to provide a lawn and flowerbeds. A gardener can help you to maintain your garden or perhaps design a new garden if they have landscaping skills.
Whether you have a patch of lawn or a huge expanse of space, looking after your garden can add value to your home, so it's important to do a good job. If your fingers aren't as green as you'd like, or if you need some professional advice, you might need some help finding the right person.
What should I look for when choosing a gardener?
When looking for a gardener, it is advisable to make sure they have an established business and experience in the area you need help with. Check for qualifications too - this can give an idea of the quality levels you should expect. It is always a good idea to check references and if possible see examples of their work, such as nearby gardens. JuggleFrogs can offer you a great start by giving details of gardeners with recommendations.
What work do you want done?
It is important you employ the right level of gardener for the job you need doing, otherwise you may end up paying over the odds. A general gardener who offers a maintenance service should not charge as much as a landscape designer for example, and should be easier to find. Expect a specialist who comes in once a year to prune roses, fruit trees or other plants, to charge a lot more.
You can use JuggleFrogs to find the type of gardener you need as you can filter for the appropriate skills e.g. garden design, pruning or maintenance.
Garden designer
Designing a garden is a specialist skill. A good designer will make the best use of a garden's space, deciding what size and shape to make the patio, where to position a path or water feature, which plants would be most suitable, the list goes on.
Photo: For more inspirational garden designs visit out garden gallery
Good garden design adds the secret ingredient to create a style in keeping with the site, house and clients requirements. Professional garden designers have a wonderful ability to turn a quite ordinary or potentially difficult garden into a relaxing but stimulating environment.
Click here for more advice on finding a Garden Designer
Don't forget if you need some inspiration you can browse our Garden Gallery and Be inspired!.