What makes a gardener professional?
A good gardener will be busy! If he is busy, gardening will be his full time occupation and he will have invested in his business. Here are some examples of qualities to look for in a gardener that show he is dedicated to gardening as his career and therefore more likely to be regular and reliable:
Qualifications - These vary according to what and where you study and are probably most relevant for gardeners managing large gardens where a broad knowledge is needed - not so important for every day domestic garden maintenance, as most people buy their plants from the same local shops and vary little from garden to garden. Gardeners with formal qualifications will most likely work for large estates where they can add value by managing the gardens rather than simply maintaining them. For example, taking responsibility for seasonal planting schemes, pest control, propagation of existing plants and tending a working vegetable plot.
Very few domestic gardeners will have formal qualifications as the potential income from maintenance gardening rarely justifies many years of expensive study. As more people choose to use professional gardeners we hope that this will change.
Experience - Arguably as important as formal qualifications. Some knowledge only comes with experience and from actually doing the job all day every day. Local experience is important as your gardener will know your soil type and what grows well.
Specialist Tools - Some customers buy their own quality tools and prefer their gardener to use these. Some gardeners look after large estates where its practical for the estate to provide the tools as they are always needed on site. In these circumstances it is the customers financial responsibility to ensure that the tools are properly maintained and safe to use - it is also the customers responsibility to ensure that the gardener is suitably trained in the safe use of those tools.
Many gardeners will prefer to use their own tools - knowing which brands are most reliable and how to use them safely. Particularly for smaller gardens, this will be a great advantage as you will be saved the cost of buying your own tools and finding somewhere to store them. A professional gardener will have tools that you probably wouldn't buy (such as a chain saw or a mulcher). Your gardener will also have trade tools that are more efficient and effective than cheaper models (such as lawn feed spreaders, pesticide sprayers).
A professional gardener will easily spend over £3,000 on quality tools for simple regular garden maintenance. They are a worthwhile investment as he will be able to work faster and smarter - a petrol hedge trimmer will trim a hedge much faster and more evenly than hand tools. Responsible for buying and maintaining his own tools, his prices will reflect the cost of providing this 'added value' service. While some work requires a slow, careful hand others can be completed much faster when you have the proper tools.
Public liability Insurance - Accidents do happen and getting insured will cost your gardener between £20- £500+ per month!
One local glazers told us that much of their summer business comes from patio doors being smashed by stones kicked up by a strimmer or even the mower. The cost of replacing the glass far exceeds the amount a gardener earns for his labour - so insurance is essential. Then there's digging up pipes, hitting buried electric cables...
Licenses/practical examinations - for waste disposal, pesticides, chain saws etc - these are for your protection and show that your gardener has either taken a course on the safe use of a particular tool or chemical or is obeying a legal requirement. A professional gardener will be proud to boast about these alongside the relevant service.
A good example is the Waste Carriers License from the Environment Agency. This is only applicable if your gardener takes waste (such as garden cuttings) away from your property - whether they charge you or not. To dispose of the waste legally at a local refuse station they will need to have this license. If they are carrying other peoples rubbish and dont have this license it is assumed that they are disposing of it illegally. Whats more, the authorities will also prosecute you for not first checking that you used a registered waste carrier. Each visit to the tip will cost your gardener a minimum of £40 and this cost will in some way need to be passed on to you.
Click here to read extracts of a BBC article on Fly Tipping.
Work Force - Some work requires more than one person or it simply can't be completed safely!
Professionalism - We believe that most people would prefer to use a tradesman who wears a uniform and who has a clear logo on their van. A career gardener wants to advertise so will have a logo and will want you to know their contact details for recommendations and repeat business. This simple but effective 'added value' service gives you and your neighbours the added security of knowing who is walking around your garden.
Although many gardeners use a car and trailer a small removable magnetic logo can be quite cheap to buy as is a T-Shirt with a logo on it.