09 Oct How To Employ A Professional Garden Contractor
Insider Tips for Home Gardeners from a professional gardener
I only share this because I know alot of home gardeners follow this page and I want to give you some tips to be aware of when you are employing a garden contractor to do a garden planting.
-Check their previous work and qualifications. This can be done by looking at their website or social m
-Word of mouth recommendation is worth alot so ask friends for recommendations.
-Always get a written quote (unless you have worked with the contractor before and trust them). The quote should outline what work will be completed and what materials (quantities) will be supplied. This quote not only protects you but also the contractor.
-Ask the contractor who will be completing the work and or will they be onsite to supervise.
-Many people will get more than one quote to ensure they are getting a fair price. This is fine to do but if you do this make sure you are comparing “apples with apples” when you look at each quote – look for … same size plants- in general this means pot size, same quantities of materials, same quality of materials, gst included or not included.
-Ask to check their insurances such as public liability and professional indemnity. Many dodgy companies won’t have anything. If they damage your property in any way they wont be covered.
-If planting make sure they check the existing soil quality and its drainage capacity. A professional contractor can’t give a planting quote over the phone!
-Check the quality of the plants you are paying for. This can be done by gently pulling a plant out of it’s pot to check it has a solid root ball with lots of softer feeder roots.
-If soil improvements are specified to be made then they need to be dug in and through the soil not just dumped on top of existing soil.
-Check the plants are not planted too deep. The top of the root ball in the pot should be close to the top of the site soil once planted.
-If irrigation drip line is being used then it should be installed down both sides of a plant especially if its a hedge. Drip line goes underneath mulch.
-Mulch should only be a max of 50mm deep.
-Ask for ongoing care instructions such as watering and fertilising for the plants and how to use the irrigation. If its an extensive system ask for a basic plan of the system and the manual for the controller. If its a large system this work may be better completed by an irrigation specialist.