It’s okay if you don’t have a green thumb, because you can outsource most garden tasks to a pro who does (and trust us, your plants will thank you)
Few things can boost your home's curb appeal as much as having a lush, well-tended garden. However, hectic schedules and a lack of know-how can sometimes get between you and the garden of your dreams, which is why some homeowners may benefit from hiring a garden pro.Gardeners are usually uniquely qualified to work in the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone where they live, and can offer valuable insights into things like pruning, maintenance, and even ways to design your outdoor space. How often you hire one to come tend to your yard depends upon a few critical factors like where you live, what you’re growing, and exactly how much routine maintenance you want to handle yourself.
A garden pro can tackle many different tasks in your yard, including your lawn care, landscape designs and installations, and monitoring the health of your plants. Some of the routine tasks they cover include fertilizing, irrigation, and weeding. You can also call them in as needed to tackle issues with pruning, plant health, and certain types of pest control.
The frequency with which your gardener will come out to your home will depend on two major factors: your budget and exactly what you want to pay them to do. If you’re someone who doesn’t mind daily watering but hates getting down in the dirt to weed, you may not need your gardener as frequently.
On the other hand, if you want a Jack-or-Jane-of-all-trades who will tackle everything from lawn care to watering, you’re going to want to have a gardener out to your property weekly, and maybe even more often in the peak growing season where you live.
There’s definitely an argument to be made that hiring a gardener can save you money in the long run, especially if you’re someone who loves plants but struggles to get them to survive the growing season. For example, a gardener may charge as little as $49 to mow your lawn, and a few hundred dollars for more significant projects like planting or designing an outdoor space.
You can cut your costs considerably if you tackle most minor maintenance jobs like weeding yourself and leave the bigger jobs (or those that require a little more know-how) to the pros. Limit the amount of extra work you’ll have to do in your garden beds by putting down a weed blocker like mulch, which will not only keep the number of weeds down but will help to maintain a consistent level of moisture for your plants, helping them to thrive.
Even novice gardeners can do many things around the yard themselves, so if you’re looking to cut costs, consider investing in a garden pro at the beginning and end of the growing season instead of for the duration of the summer. This way, they can help you prep and plant your beds in the spring, and then take care of the clean-up and pruning in the fall. Even infrequent visits from a gardener can help you learn what works (and what doesn’t work) in your yard.
