Help!! Gardener wanted to tame garden of run-down house

We moved approx 18 months ago, and doing up the house is taking up so much of our time at the moment, that the garden is threatening to take over the street!

We don't have the time or knowledge to know where to start, but do have a vision of what we'd like to get to in a few years.

Is there anyone looking for a paying hobby interest for a few years - firstly to tame what's there, and then to try to teach us how to maintain and build on it?

Alternatively, does anyone have any recommendations about companies or people who do this sort of thing?

We're based in Findon in West Sussex.

 

In the past my garden could have bogged me down when the children were all at home and with work and all that. My mum has always helped out with the garden and comes to stay for a week at each end of the year to help out - even now. Do you have a relative or friend who could help out? Our garden has a lot of hedging and it has become easier to maintain since we started to have the hedges cut professionally - once a year. Unfortunately that is expensive. Getting anyone in to help with the garden is expensive round here. They can almost name their price.

 

"Is there anyone looking for a paying hobby interest for a few years "

This translates to I want it done on the cheap.

If you want to have a profeshional job done then look up contractors in the directory and ask freinds, neibours etc for recomendations.

 

"cut professionally - once a year. Unfortunately that is expensive. Getting anyone in to help with the garden is expensive round here. They can almost name their price."

So you expect contractors to provide a professional service, with knowledge, decent equipment etc yet to work for peanuts then?

Doesnt work out in the real world.

 

NO I DO NOT thank you very much, that is not what I meant.
I willingly pay for my hedges to be cut by a professional.

 

Pro are you in a mood,:confused:

 

Because if you are you`re keeping it to yourself.


(Sorry, I`ll just go away shall I?)

 

Well, thanks very much ... for nothing!

No, I don't want it done 'on the cheap', and I take offence at you implying/inferring that from my post, which does not state that anywhere.

As per my original post, I am looking to find someone who is willing to do it (at the going rate, I might add), but gradually impart the skill and knowledge to us, so that we can take over the maintenance - and therefore do them out of the job. This is therefore not something that I would expect a professional company to be happy/comfortable to do, hence the posting on what I thought to be a helpful forum - but I was obviously wrong!

 

Please rest assured Rhiannon that my comments were meant to be of help. In the real world there are lots of people who are willing to help and who would get pleasure in so doing.

I feel that what I said was misunderstood. I fully understood what you were saying. I am relatively new to this forum as well as you and was quite shocked at such an extreme antagonistic reaction to friendly comment.

 

Rhiannon, it is a helpful forum usually and I am sorry you have been offended.


Unfortunately you are in a no win situation here. If you are busy sorting out your home then you should just bite the bullet and get someone in to do it professionally and thoroughly, using any spare time you have researching the plants yourself.


This is one of those cases where if you pay peanuts you get monkeys, and you will have to have all the knowledge beforehand to tell anyone not certificated exactly what you want doing.


The archetypal friendly old guy who just wants a bit of spare cash coming in to help is so rare I havent come across one yet.

The last option is to just trim back everything that seems to be causing problems and then committing some time to learning what is in your garden and doing a couple of hours a week yourself to get the knowledge first hand and thereby have the credit of a good job done yourself.

 

Rhiannon, Throw a garden party. Put on the invites "Bring own spades, mowers, hedge trimmers" and the like. Word of warning dont let your guests loose on the Scrumpy and the power tools at the same time.
Seriously try advertising more locally to yourself I am sure there are people who would love the opportunity to have carte blanche on someone elses garden or just stick it out in here as if its knowledge you need then theres loads of advice on offer, just keep bugging everyone with questions as I do Trust me I have already done ALL the stupid questions
Good luck ...:thumb:

P S seems like tact and diplomacy are not a part of the Horticultural modules

 

:D A party is a great way forward - great idea. Done it myself before now. --- and if you do employ a professional--- avoid the ones with attitude:D

 

lol.....

 

I do hope she comes back, it would be awful if she had been driven away.

 

The charge around here is approx £30.00 an hour. I assume that West Sussex will be comparable to Hampshire price wise. House prices are sky high. This means a professional gardener isn't an option for some ....