Gardener

From Page 3 someone sees an employee working at a property or driving one of the company’s trucks. “One time someone chased us down right into our driveway,” Bill Haynes said.

Find out who plants and maintains local public gardens, or ask neighbors with impressive gardens who maintains them.

Check community sustainability, gardening and native plant Facebook groups for recommendations. If you’re creating or maintaining a pollinator garden, native plant landscapers and nurseries often offer maintenance in addition to design and install services.

Search online for “selfemployed professional gardeners in my area.” In the search results, there might be a gardener or two mixed in with traditional landscapers. You may also come across names in the growing field of garden coaches. But a little research showed that most of these professionals are consultants offering gardening education and advice, not maintenance services.

Set a budget

Depending on where you live and the gardener’s level of expertise, expect to pay about $50 an hour for maintenance.

R-A-G Thyme Gardening charges $50 an hour per worker, and sends a minimum of two gardeners for a minimum of two hours to a property. As with most gardeners, they will visit a property and provide an estimate.

Make the most of the visit

Determine your top maintenance needs. Do you want a perfectly manicured garden or a freshened-up look? Do you want the garden watered while you’re away for part of the summer, then serviced upon your return? Is there room in the budget for annuals? If so, what colors would you like to see?

Beyond basic maintenance, point out your concerns. Does the garden flood after a heavy rain? Is one plant spreading beyond the bed? Is there a weedy section of lawn that could be replaced with a perennial garden? Is there a memorial tree that needs attention?

Ask how many hours it will take, and don’t be surprised if it’s more than you thought. “Gardening takes much more time than average landscaper work,” said Bill Haynes.

Let the gardener do most of the talking

Now’s not the time to get chatty.

The gardener most likely has additional appointments, and can only devote so much time to the estimate. Stick to the topic so you don’t return indoors only to realize you didn’t cover everything.

Save money by using what you have

A gardener can relocate and divide plants, turn over last year’s mulch, and renew mature shrubs by properly pruning them over several seasons.

Gardeners can also make over a poorly planted new garden, enliven a low-luster one and restore a neglected one to its former glory. “One of our favorite things is bringing a garden back to what it was while incorporating what the new customer wants,” says Bill Haynes.