Alexandra Campbell discusses getting help in the garden

Alexandra Campbell discusses getting some help in the garden.

DO you need a bit more help in the garden? Most of us do, particularly for jobs that need strength or expertise, or if you don’t have enough time to get it all done.

However, it can be difficult to find the right gardening help. Good professional gardeners get fully booked very quickly.

And odd-job men are fine for strimming a hedge or doing the lawn, but they can turn a beautiful shrub into a sullen lump of greenery by pruning at the wrong time of year or reducing everything in the garden to the same height.

I recently asked a group of professional gardeners what advice they’d give to someone looking for a gardener. The first thing, they said, is to be clear about what sort of help you’re looking for.

Are you a passionate gardener who values good pruning and unusual plants? Or are you someone who just wants a neat, tidy garden that isn’t too much trouble? Either is fine, but a gardener needs to know.

The next step is to be realistic about what a qualified gardener should be paid. The National Living Wage is £7.83 an hour (from April 2018) for anyone over twenty-five.

However, that doesn’t take experience or qualifications into account, nor travel and the purchase of equipment. A good gardener will have as much training and expertise as, say, a book-keeper, electrician or plumber. They need to run a car or van and to pay rent or a mortgage.

Most professional gardeners use their own tools, but these cost money to buy and maintain. Of course, they can use yours, but they may not be as good. An experienced gardener with good tools will do a much quicker, better job.

The Gardeners’ Guild suggests paying gardeners around the same as you would pay any selfemployed person, such as a painter/decorator, plumber or electrician, which comes to around £150 a day or £20 to £40 an hour. It also depends what local wages are like where you live.

Two hours’ help a week is enough for most small gardens. But if you’re a gardener, driving from job to job during the day, that’s a lot of unpaid time due to travel.

It may well be worth

looking for a regular four hours’ help once a month or clubbing together with a neighbour to spread the hours between you.

And paying for help year round is never wasted. The right work in winter will make your garden much better and easier to look after in the summer.

Finding a gardener can be tricky. Ask neighbours and local horticultural societies, or try the Gardeners Guild website: www. gardenersguild.co.uk.

A good gardener should have horticultural qualifications and/or have worked for a proper professional garden, such as one open to the public.

Once you’ve found your perfect gardener, be clear about what you want them to do. If you have a community or shared garden, the gardener will be confused if everyone gives different instructions, so establish one spokesperson.

Have regular meetings so everyone’s views can be taken into account, but be clear about who will talk to the gardener.

Above all, remember that while this is your home, it is also your gardener’s work place. They need the facilities that are taken for granted in other work places.

I was shocked to come across a vigorous debate between gardeners whose clients expected them to “go” behind a bush, even if they were young women.

Hot drinks were another hotly debated issue. If you’re working outside, especially in cold weather, then being able to enjoy cups of hot tea and coffee is important. Most gardeners have a Thermos, but nothing beats the client saying, “Would you like a cup of tea?”

Finally, everyone really values appreciation. Tell your gardener when you’re pleased with their work. n