Landscape gardening

Hi

I'm a keen amatuer gardener, albeit relatively new to it. I'm seriously considering a career change and am considering applying for a place on a foundation degree in Horticulture and garden design.

I'd be very keen to hear from others on the site who are landscape gardeners, particularly those who have set up their own businesses. My primary motivation is the fact that i enjoy the outdoors and the opportunity to work creatively. I don't mind physical work and i want to be my own boss. My main concern is that i'd be taking a fairly big drop in salary if the averages they talk about on career web sites are to be believed (15K - 26K). I'd really like to know about peoples experiences doing this, do they enjoy it, is there a lot of work (obviously depends on the area) and generally would you reccommend it?!

Many thanks, mark

 

I went self employed a year this month as a Lady gardener mine is a small business am a sole trader and so happy went an ddid this.

A hobby turned in to a job as much or as little as you want it to be flexi yes part -or full tiem.

I made my own flyers buisness cards got fylers on my car handed then etc put adds in local newspaper word of mouth.

I am sure many more he have done this ,go for it big time follow your heart and your dream.

To start with maybe you could do both and not give up your day job.

 

Mcmac. You already know the answer. If you go for it and fail you can say 'I tried and did my best'. If you don't go for it all you can ever say is 'I never tried'.

Which is best?

 

P.S. After the heart I'm hoping you aren't a guy.

 

John ive never heard a girl being called Mark...

 

Whoops. Didn't spot. Is he cute? Sorry Mark. My wife will vouch for me - HONEST.

 

Go for it Mark few people can afford to follow their dreams but think of what you yourself will get out of it.....You can pick and choose which work you want to do and if you not up to work one day the boss can't tell you off because you are the BOSS!

As for John I worry about you dear man :D Hel.xxx.

 

P.S. Unless you are VERY cute. Don't worry if you stick around you will get used to me.

 

Mark, I`ve been working as a self employed gardener for three years now. And I can honestly say I wish I`d done sooner. You`ll never be a millionaire from it, but what the hey. It`s a good life, and if you don`t try it you will always regret it.

 

I ve been self employed for six years, started 03, by leafleting properties and a few pree existing contacts.

Im a perfectionist and a touch obsesive and have from the start invested very heavily in the best equipment, my prices reflect this and largly the type of client I work for.

There is nothing to stop you earning �£200 plus per day although for me this is on one off jobs quoted by the job.

Regular work earns me around �£120 per day. I suplement the above with a sideline pest control business (evenings) and therfore make a good living.

I do everything from tree work and general gardening to landscapeing. In addition to this I also do a bit off property maintance although this is something i have never advertised and dont push.

Like everything what you get out depends on what you put in. I love it and wouldnt change anything.

[ 04. March 2008, 09:55 PM: Message edited by: Pro Gard ]

 

As to the amount of work about, Ive never had a problem and being a close knit rural area word of mouth has brought in 90% of my work.

The only adverts curently I have are for fencing as for me this can be lucrative especially in the slaker months.

The crunch time is mid November to begining of Feb as for a new business things are quiet. In my first year self employed i did agency security and warehouse work to help me through it.

 

Hi

Thanks for all the replies. Am i right in thinking that most of the work you expect to do is on-going maintenence for an established clientele base?

I must admit, my main area of interest is actual garden design and project management from scratch, weather that be small - large domestic or small business grounds. I obviously enjoy on-going maintenence and that would form part of the job once a design and project were complete but i don't suppose basic gardening pays too well and i wouldn't wish that to be the core of the business.... Am i looking at the wrong job description?!

Thanks again, Mark

 

"Thanks for all the replies. Am i right in thinking that most of the work you expect to do is on-going maintenence for an established clientele base?"

****** For me its a 70 / 30 split, It depends on how you advertise yourself. A regular client base gives a steady reliable income and provides referals.

I think you will seriusly struggle to find enough work in desighn, Most folk with money own large to very large established gardens and have no need to seek desighn, They will pay for regular upkeep and perhaps the odd patio etc but this is the limit.

The same thing with small and medium gardens the only exception being new build. In my experience folk living in new build are generally mortgaged to thier eye balls and dont like to pay.

Most good contractors like myself will also give desighn ideas without the need for fancy plans.

I only know of one desighn firm locally and they get thier business largly from being located in the grounds of the garden centre.

You may have trouble with the desighn only route as you will not have a portfolio of previuse work, most customers expect to see one.

 

"Thanks for all the replies. Am i right in thinking that most of the work you expect to do is on-going maintenence for an established clientele base?"

****** For me its a 70 / 30 split, It depends on how you advertise yourself. A regular client base gives a steady reliable income and provides referals.

I think you will seriusly struggle to find enough work in desighn, Most folk with money own large to very large established gardens and have no need to seek desighn, They will pay for regular upkeep and perhaps the odd patio etc but this is the limit.

The same thing with small and medium gardens the only exception being new build. In my experience folk living in new build are generally mortgaged to thier eye balls and dont like to pay.

Most good contractors like myself will also give desighn ideas without the need for fancy plans.

I only know of one desighn firm locally and they get thier business largly from being located in the grounds of the garden centre.

You may have trouble with the desighn only route as you will not have a portfolio of previuse work, most customers expect to see one.

 

The guy who does my 'hard-work' set up thinking he could just do some designing and wandering around snipping with secateurs occasionally. It doesn't work like that as he soon found out.

Most people want to do their own 'pottering'. What they will pay for is the heavy work. If you can do that in the early years then great. I think you can then build up a clientele which is not just hard slog in the way that PG did. But you gotta work for it.