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Weeding a garden bed by hand

Regular garden maintenance, so it stays under control.

You had the garden under control once, and you know what it takes to keep it there: a couple of hours every few weeks, before the weeds set seed and the hedge gets a fringe. The hours are the problem, not the knowledge.

That is the job I do most. I come every two or three weeks through the growing season, do the two or three hours the garden needs that visit, and take the clippings with me. The weeding is by hand, the pruning is timed to the plant, the hedges are kept to their line, the edges are cut, and the lawns get mown while I am there. One person does all of it, so nothing falls between the gardener and the mowing man.

I know the plants. Pruning a camellia in the wrong month costs you a season of flowers; cutting a lavender back into old wood kills it. Knowing which is which is most of the difference between a gardener and a tidy up.

What a visit covers

  • Weeding beds and paths, by hand or hoe
  • Deadheading and pruning, timed to the plant
  • Hedges kept to their line, as high as I can reach from a standard stepladder, or single-storey roof height
  • Lawns mown and edged
  • Bed edges cut against lawn and paths
  • Everything swept up, and the clippings gone with me
Pruned roses in a spring garden

How often

Most gardens on the west side want a visit every two weeks through spring and summer, when the grass and the weeds are moving. A simpler section with more paving than planting can go to every three weeks, and through winter once a month keeps things in hand. Those are suggestions. The frequency gets set around your garden and what you want from it.

A regular visit is usually two to three hours. The first one is often longer, because the garden has to be brought back to a state a shorter visit can hold. After that it never gets to the point where it needs a rescue.

If you would rather start with a one-off tidy up and see how it goes, that is fine. A regular slot after that is set up around your preferences, and you can change it or pause it by text.

Prices

Item Price
Garden work, any service $60 per hour*
Minimum, regular visits 1 hour
Minimum, one-off jobs 2 hours
Green waste removal $30 minimum, which covers the first bag. Then $25 per 280 L bag or $40 per wool sack. Trailer loads are time at the hourly rate plus dump fees at cost.
Other waste (soil, rubbish, flax, bamboo, palm, anything mixed in) $45 minimum, then time at the hourly rate plus dump fees at cost.

Every service, lawns and hedges included, is charged at the same hourly rate for the time I am on site.

*I am under the GST threshold, so no GST is added. That could change at any time; if it does, GST goes on top of the rate and this page changes first.

How this works

There are two ways to start. Send me a few photos and I reply within 24 hours with the hours the job will take. Or book a visit straight away and I sort the scope with you on the day.

  1. 1. Get in touch. Send photos through the estimate form, text them to 028 416 1624, or book a visit online.
  2. 2. Agree the hours. From photos, I tell you the range of hours within 24 hours. If you have booked straight away, I look at the garden when I arrive and agree the hours with you before I start. Either way, if the job turns out bigger than expected I tell you before I keep going, and if you have a set budget I work inside it and do the most useful things first.
  3. 3. I turn up and do the work. A text the day before and another when I am on my way. The clippings leave with me, and the invoice is for the hours worked, with a photo of the garden as I left it if you were not home.

Waste. Everything I cut leaves with me unless you would rather it went in your green bin. Removal is priced per bag in the Prices table.

What I don't do

I am a gardener, so a few jobs go to someone else. If yours needs one of these, I will say so up front.

  • Tree felling, stump grinding, and tree work above stepladder or single-storey roof height: an arborist
  • Hard landscaping, paving, retaining walls and decks: a landscaper
  • Lawn renovation, returfing and new lawns: a lawn specialist
  • Anything inside the house

Related services

FAQ

Do I need to be home?
No. As long as I can get to the garden and park nearby, I work while you are out. I text the day before, when I am on my way, and when I leave.
What if a visit runs over?
For a regular booking, say three hours a fortnight, I do the highest-priority work first, and what that is changes with the season. If you are not tied to a fixed number of hours, I take however long it needs to hold the garden at the standard you and I agreed, which moves with the weather and the time of year. Either way, you know before the invoice.
Do I need to give you a list of jobs?
No. Tell me once what matters to you and what you would rather I left alone, and I take it from there. A text before a visit with anything specific is always welcome.
Can I make a regular booking?
Yes. That is most of my week. Pick a fortnightly, three-weekly or monthly slot and I hold it for you. Change it or pause it by text with 24 hours' notice.
Does the price include GST?
I am under the GST threshold, so no GST is added. That could change at any time; if it does, GST goes on top of the rate and this page changes first.
Do you use sprays?
No sprays or poisons unless you ask for them and I have agreed it with you. Most garden problems are solved without them, and limited use can be right for the most invasive weeds. I do not carry any, so anything like that gets planned ahead.
Do you bring your own tools?
Yes, all of them. Every power tool I use is electric, which keeps the noise down, and I do not need power or water from the house. A specialist job sometimes means hiring or buying a piece of kit, and I say so before it goes on the invoice.
Can I pause over winter?
Yes. Most gardens drop to monthly through winter and go back to fortnightly in spring. You are booking visits, not signing a contract.
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