There is a vacuum in the gardening world when it comes to quality of the product and the rewards for the talented people, who strive day in day out to present a garden for the joy and relaxation.
Some gardeners, who may live and work in London for example, are forced to scrape by on the minimum wage and are being penalised for choosing this creative career path.
Nurses and Teachers get a lot of column inches when it comes to how bad we perceive their pay to be but the gardening fraternity would not get a second look.
However, it takes many years of study or experience to build up a reputation and the skills deal with the many facets of horticulture and during the gardening year, many millions of people are able to enjoy the fruits of this attention but rarely get any recognition or reward.
Why, when the horticulture market is worth £5 billion every year, do the garden centres and retailers get to bulk of the profits, yet the very people who consume their products and keep the wheels turning are treated like menial or casual labourers?
Even a garden manager, with responsibilities over hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of contracts can only expect £35,000 per year.
It is true that a gardener has a choice and can turn his creative skills to other things but why should they have to?
I have discussed this on Landscape Juice today and feel it is a serious point for consideration http://www.landscapejuice.com/2008/05/is-horticulture.html
Phil
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"Have you checked under the seat? I don't know this mower, but I think that is where the manual states the oil filler is."
"Thanks for taking the trouble to reply Ian - much appreciated. Unfortunately the manuals don't help in that my machine doesn't have a reservoir or dipstick so I'm scratching my head!!! "
"Yet more good advice, charging an hourly rate is an illness which seems to be prevalent in "our" trade all it does is to devalue our skills,experience and investment in our businesses along with pandering to customers expectations for a low cost…"
"Try and price per visit instead of hourly rate. 2-3 hour slots say to custumer £90-£100 per visit.
This will be half your day if you add travel to and from the job. Or have a minimum fee of x amount per visit. If a customer wants an hour or 2 it…"
This will be half your day if you add travel to and from the job. Or have a minimum fee of x amount per visit. If a customer wants an hour or 2 it…"
"A copy of the manual can be found here:
https://www.mowerspareparts.co.uk/v/Etesia%20owners%20manual/Etesia...(early%20version)%20owners%20manual.pdf
or if any help, also the latter one:…"
https://www.mowerspareparts.co.uk/v/Etesia%20owners%20manual/Etesia...(early%20version)%20owners%20manual.pdf
or if any help, also the latter one:…"
"More good advice"
"As relative novices to gardening - 4th year of trading - we have experienced what you are going through and feel your anxiety and frustration and "is-it-all-worth-it-I-might-as-well-go-and-work-at-Tesco" thoughts .
At the end of the day it boils…"
At the end of the day it boils…"
"I sold the Sthil and bought a good second hand BCS 730. It did a far better job, then my son raked it then dragged a pallet around. "
"Mix the job up I do some contracts that work out at £75hr.
Some just grass £500 per day
Some private £25hr
Some priced jobs £500 per day
Don't just stick to hourly rate you'll make nothing. To make bigger money you have to invest in better machines…"
Some just grass £500 per day
Some private £25hr
Some priced jobs £500 per day
Don't just stick to hourly rate you'll make nothing. To make bigger money you have to invest in better machines…"
"Yes I think most of the contributors on here make the bulk of their income from mowing on price work."
"Hi AG
Yes business costs just absorb turnover especially in the early days and I know from experience what a spreadsheet tells us we need to charge is not always reflected by what a customer is prepared to pay and we can end up living hand to mouth…"
Yes business costs just absorb turnover especially in the early days and I know from experience what a spreadsheet tells us we need to charge is not always reflected by what a customer is prepared to pay and we can end up living hand to mouth…"
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