Top Gardening Tips For Everyday People

Do you have a gardener? Are you looking to hire one? More and more people  are choosing to hire a gardener to maintain their property instead of doing it themselves and it is imperative that you choose wisely. What the wrong gardener can do in 10 minutes could take 10 months to rectify. One of my clients hired a gardener to trim her hedges. To her horror, when he finished she could barely tell she even had a hedge, the plants were trimmed back so much! By the time she called me in it had been 8 months and the hedges still had not grown back to their desired shape. Here are some important things to look for when hiring a gardener.

Before you give them the job
1. What is their appearance like? Have they dressed relatively nicely fora tradesman or are they scruffy and unkempt? Remember, you are hiring them to care for your plants. Do you want to hire someone who doesn’t care for their own appearance to care for the appearance of your garden?

2. Can they talk the talk? By this I mean, do they seem to understand what you are asking them to do. Many good gardeners won’t know everything but they should at least be able to follow your conversation and perhaps even suggest idea’s as you go. If they seem lost with what you are talking about, they are probably lost about what to do. This is no sure way to determine if they do know what to do, because it isn’t that hard to fake it, but if they can’t even fake it…do you want to trust your garden to them?

3. Do they mind you asking questions. A good gardener will not just see you as a means to making money but will see your garden as something they want to partner with you to improve. If they don’t seem to mind you asking questions they are probably going to be a better fit for you.

After they have been

4. How did they leave the place? Did they sweep up after themselves? Put everything back to its rightful place if they moved it? If they’ve taken care to leave your place well it is more likely they’ll have cared to do a good job. If they leave it messy, that often means they are a person who takes shortcuts that may not be beneficial to your garden.

5. Check the most obscure part of your garden, has it been touched? Are their any hidy-holes around your place? The best gardeners will take care of your property regardless of how visible it is. Sure, they might do a better job of the most prominent places because they will be seen the most, but even the unseen should be looked after. Check underneath bushes to see if they have bothered to remove any weeds that may be hiding. If they have been thorough here then chances are they are thorough in every way.

6. Are they clear and above board about payment? This might sound like a strange one but if your gardener is willing to turn a blind eye to things regarding payment, they may well have also turned a blind eye to other elements of plant care that could save them money. No one likes paying taxes but a gardener that shows integrity and treats your job above board is far more likely, in my experience, to do the very best job. Paying cash is fine but I myself would be wary of offering cash as an incentive to get it cheaper simply because it means that gardener is willing to cut corners. I will receive cash but it will always be above board.

I thought it might be good to take a few pictures from Garden Week 2012 that I could share on here so that those of you considering whether or not to go can get a little inspiration from what is in store.

For my overview of Garden Week 2012 in Perth, click here.
For more information about Garden Week 2012, check out their website here.

The Sights of Garden Week 2012

Gardens From Eden

Landscape Industries Exhibit

Therapy Focus' Scarecrow Competition

Challenger Tafe Exhibit 1

Challenger Tafe Exhibit 2

Challenger Tafe Exhibit 3

There is just a small taste of what is in store at Garden Week 2012 in Perth. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there today and would strongly recommend you check it out this weekend.

Don’t forget my Garden Week Special
For the duration of Garden Week 2012 my Ebook ‘So You Want A Better Garden’ will be on sale for $7.95, down from the RRP of $17.95. For more details and to buy the book simply go to www.howtogrowagarden.com.au and click ‘add to cart’. Then in the discount/coupon section enter the code gardenweek2012 and click update cart. Finalise your purchase and you will receive your ebook straight away to the email address that you entered. That easy! I hope this helps as you look to grow a better garden.

Have you just built a new house and need to add the final touches: reticulation and turf? Perhaps your current reticulation and turf is looking a little tired and old. Either way, if you live in the inner suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, Aussie Green Thumb can help you transform your reticulation and turf.

Reticulation
Aussie Green Thumb offers a comprehensive reticulation service. Whether your current system is on the blink or you are wanting to add a new sprinkler system, we can help.

Service Work & Maintenance - If you need repairs or maintenance, you’ll be looking at $65 for the first half hour, followed by $16.25 per quarter hour after that (+ parts).

New Systems - Obviously every new system is different however you should expect to pay roughly between $2,500 to $3,500 for a full install on a 600m block. If your block is bigger or requires lots of stations, expect more. If you live in a smaller unit and require smaller system, or are only doing the front or back then you can expect to pay less.

Putting in new systems in an established house is more expensive than a new house because it often requires working around established gardens and other household elements, especially if you are not replacing an established turf. New houses tend to have less established and are therefore easier and cheaper to do. However, whatever your situation, give me a call and we should be able to work something out.

Turfing
Reticulation and turfing often go hand in hand and, as such, I also offer turfing services. Perhaps you have an invasive species of grass and would like to replace it with a more easy to manage variety. Or maybe your grassed area’s are looking a bit old and tatty and it may be time to think about replacing them. Sometimes your current lawn may be saved however it is often just as easy to start afresh. If you are looking to have a new reticulation system installed it often pays to replace your grass at the same time.

Types of turf - At Aussie Green Thumb I mostly use two particular grass types. These are Wintergreen Couch and Sir Walter Buffalo, with my strong preference being to recommend Sir Walter Buffalo. Wintergreen is however slightly cheaper. I choose to focus on these grasses because I know they grow well in Perth. There are many other grass types and I may consider using them if you really want them, but these are the types I’d recommend first. Just realise, if you plan to plant couch, plan to maintain it so as to stop it from taking over the rest of your garden.

Contact me for a Free Quote
Simply use the ‘Contact AGT’ page on this website to contact me or click on the ‘hire me’ tab at the top to find my phone number. I will happily organise to meet you at your property at an appropriate time for you to discuss your needs and work out where to go from there. Note: If you call for a quote on service work, I may not be able to give a quote without doing the work because sometimes the issues are complex and not able to be discerned simply by looking. However you will be informed before I charge you if you’ve called me for a quote.

What if I don’t live in your service area?
Don’t fear, I am able to refer you on to other people who I know provide a similar service in your area. For example, if you live in the far northern suburbs of Perth, such as Brighton, Two Rocks & Yanchep I can strongly recommend my good friend Hamo from Brighton Reticulation. Hamo taught me most of what I know about Reticulation and Turf.

At Aussie Green Thumb I have been offering gardening services, mostly in Perth, since 2007. Though I am very keen to help equip gardeners Australia wide with the skills required to grow a garden they are happy with, I am also able to offer a premium service to people who live in the same area as me. If you are unable to do the work yourself and just want to get a professional to do it or you just need a helping hand to start out, why not give me a call?

Gardening Services Offered
> Hedging & Topiary;
> Mowing, Edging & Brushcutting;
> Reticulation Install & Repair;
> Turfing;
> Weeding;
> Pruning;
> Garden Clean Up;
>  Trimming;
> Slashing;
> Gutter Cleaning;
> Garden Suggestions & Advice;
> Basic Gardening Skills Training (ie how to prune, how to plant, how to look after your tools).

I am also able to do various other handyman jobs so don’t hesitate to ask me about other services if you are in my service area.

Service Area
As Aussie Green Thumb has grown, so has the demand for my services. As such I currently offer a fairly restricted service area. Though my plans are to eventually be able to service the entire Perth Metropolitan region and possibly beyond, for now they are restricted to people living in the following suburbs: Inglewood, Noranda, Nollamara, Tuart Hill, Dianella, Morley, Embleton, Yokine, Coolbinia, Bedford, Inglewood, Maylands, Mt Lawley and Bayswater.

If you live in this area (or, if you are lucky, just outside of it) and you’d like some gardening done, why not contact me via the ‘Contact AGT’ tab at the top, or click on the ‘Hire Me’ tab to get my phone number and a free quote. Sometimes I can give you a quote over the phone but usually I will organise a time that suits you for me to visit and let you know what to expect.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be featuring some of my services to let you know exactly what to expect from Aussie Green Thumb when you give me a call. My goal is to help you grow a garden you are happy with.

Here’s to helping you cultivate a gardening lifestyle.
 

See the bottom of this article for my garden week special on my 160+ page Ebook!

Gardening shows and festivals are often my favourite events to attend each year. This is not only because I love gardening but I also love to be around people that inspire me. There is almost always inspiration a plenty at a garden show and that is why I promote different garden shows each year. One such show is coming up soon, Garden Week in Perth.

From April 19th to 23rd, Perry Lake Reserve in Perth WA “will be transformed from tranquil parkland to a bustling hub of activity featuring all things gardening and much more.” I can certainly attest to that statement, having visited Garden Week last year. You can read my review from last year here.

Once again Rob Palmer from Better Home and Gardens will be in attendance, giving some of his best DIY tips out to those who come along. He will be on the Total Eden Ceebtrity Stage from Thursday till Sunday.

A growing trend for families is the desire to grow vegetables so that they can cook their own, delicious meals with home grown foods. This trend is continuing to spread into gardening shows with Garden Week again offering “Grow it, Cook it, Taste it” at Garden week 2012. An all star cast of great chef’s will be show casing their talents, taking simple to grow at home foods and turning them into delectable, easy to cook at home meals. If you have a vegetable garden out the back, this section of Garden Week alone makes a trip worthwhile.

Important Information

When: April 19th to 23rd, Perry Lakes Reserve, Floreat.
Times: 9.30am to 5pm daily. (Monday 9.30am to 3pm)
Costs: Adults – $18, Concession – $15 (conditions apply), Children U/16 – Free!

For more info, including your chance to win FREE entry for you and a friend, check out the Visitor Info Page on their website.

Should I go?
Simple answer, assuming you live in or will be in Perth during the show, Yes! Garden Week will inspire you, no matter where you are at on your gardening journey. Whether it will be because it helps you get back into the garden or teaches you new ways to tackle a task in your back or front yard, it will be worth your while. If the cost of entry seems exorbitant, think of it this way. Celebrities like Rob Palmer could likely charge $20 by themselves for you to go and hear them, yet Garden Week enables access to multiple speakers and garden stalls for, at most, $18pp.

For more info, check out the Garden Week 2012 website.

To see some pictures that I took on Day 1, click here.

Garden Week Special

For the duration of Garden Week 2012 my Ebook ‘So You Want A Better Garden’ will be on sale for $7.95, down from the RRP of $17.95. For more details and to buy the book simply go to www.howtogrowagarden.com.au and click ‘add to cart’. Then in the discount/coupon section enter the code gardenweek2012 and click update cart. Finalise your purchase and you will receive your ebook straight away to the email address that you entered.  That easy! I hope this helps as you look to grow a better garden.