How do I find a gardener?!

katvet

does any anyone know how I would go about finding a gardener - where would be a good place to search?! I'd like someone able to advise me what I should be doing with my garden and when, not necessarily to do the manual work for me. 

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pansyface

Does your local authority have a list of trusted traders?

Green Magpie

Our experience was that there are good people out there who will help with garden design, landscaping, building walls and paths, etc, but we never really found anyone who understood plants and how to treat them. We have a great guy who comes  in regularly now to help with lawns and cutting back overgrown stuff, but again, he's not a plantsman.

However, it's possible to find out most of what you need to know about garden management from books, forums like this, and simply trial and error. In time you will get to know your plants and get a feel for what matters to you in the garden, and how to get it as you want it.  Soon, you will know it better than anyone else could.

Welshonion

Put an ad in your local paper shop. Also ask around. That is everybody you meet who has a garden. Good way to get to know people. The best way is of course to get a dog!



Yellow Pages. Ask anybody with a van advertising garden services.

Dovefromabove

I agree with Tetley   If what you want is advice about what to do and when to do it and you don't need someone to do it for you, then join a local gardening club or horticultural society, watch gardening programmes (especially Gardeners World) get some books out of the library, subscribe to GW magazine and chat away with the gardeners on here (don't forget the What to do Now section).

Also visit as many gardens as you can - a wonderful way of getting ideas about what you would like in your garden and also what you definitely don't want

Green Magpie

Yes, visiting other local people's gardens and talking to them is extremely useful. They will be dealing with the same soil and climate conditions as you, and most gardeners are pleased and flattered to be asked for advice, such as:

What's that shrub? Is it evergreen? When does it flower?  Does your pond have a pump? How often do you cut the lawn? When do you harvest your carrots? as well as things like:

Where did you get those stepping stones? What's the best nursery for bedding plants?  Can you recommend anyone to cut back overgrown trees? 

Gardeners are a friendly lot (look at this forum - it's one of the kindest, most easy-going places on the web) and are usually happy to help and advise each other.

 

Dovefromabove

Green Magpie wrote (see)

.... Gardeners are a friendly lot (look at this forum - it's one of the kindest, most easy-going places on the web) and are usually happy to help and advise each other.

 

 

 

 

katvet

Thanks everyone - I will be posting here a lot more in the future ???? thanks Tetley for complimenting my dog; she's a little rescue chihuahua cross. I in live in Somerset and there's plenty garden centres in the area. my village has an 'open garden' weekend every year so that will be a good opportunity to nose around other people's gardens!

Outdoor girl

The person /people running the plant stalls are usually a mine of information too.

 

Dovefromabove

Tetley wrote (see)

 mine are yorkies....there are some nice dog lovers on here as well as happy helpful gardeners.  I find that people are really pleased to be asked questions about their gardens,  so I would stop and chat to anyone who is doing their lawn, or tidying their beds......especially in villages (like mine)  

Admiring specific plants is often a good way of getting a rooted cutting or two