Hiring
How to Hire a Gardener: A Step-by-Step Guide for Homeowners
A practical, step-by-step guide to hiring a gardener or landscaper: define the job, vet providers, compare quotes and set up a good working relationship.
Gardeners Near Me
A field guide to local garden help
Find a gardener in your city
Browse landscaping, lawn and tree businesses by city, and read plain-language guides before you hire anyone.
Kinds of work
What needs doing in the garden?
Each plate explains what a visit includes and what to ask before you book.
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Lawn mowing
Regular cutting, trimming and clean-up through the growing season.
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Tree pruning
Shaping and thinning trees, and removing dead or crossing branches.
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Hedge trimming
Keeping hedges and shrubs to a clean, healthy shape.
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Mulching
A fresh layer over beds to hold moisture and hold back weeds.
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Garden design
Planning beds, paths and planting before anything goes in the ground.
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Planting
Setting trees, shrubs and perennials at the right depth and the right time.
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Irrigation
Sprinkler and drip systems that water deeply and not wastefully.
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Weed control
Finding out what is growing and choosing the right way to deal with it.
Read about it
By city
Pick your city
Each tag opens the listings for that metro area.
Through the year
Garden jobs by season
A rough rhythm, not a schedule: timing follows your local frost dates and your grass type.
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Spring
- Clean up once the soil is no longer soggy
- Start mowing as the grass begins to grow
- Plant tender crops after the last frost
- Time weed prevention to local conditions
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Summer
- Raise the mowing height
- Water deeply and not often
- Mulch, stake and deadhead
- Watch for pests and disease
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Autumn
- Aerate, overseed and feed cool-season lawns
- Plant trees, shrubs and perennials
- Plant spring bulbs and divide perennials
- Give warm-season lawns their last feeding early
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Winter
- Plan, order seed, sharpen tools
- Prune many trees and shrubs while dormant
- Brush snow off evergreens, but not frozen-on ice
- Start seeds indoors
Read before you hire
From the field guide
Plain-language reading on hiring, quotes and the garden calendar.
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Quotes
What a Landscaping or Gardening Quote Should Include
Learn what a clear gardening or landscaping quote contains, which line items to check and which gaps lead to disputes after the work begins.
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Warning signs
Red Flags When Hiring a Gardener, Lawn Care or Landscaping Pro
Warning signs to watch for when hiring a gardener or landscaper, from pressure tactics and vague quotes to missing insurance and bad pruning advice.
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Calendar
Seasonal Garden Calendar by USDA Hardiness Zone Group
A season-by-season garden calendar for USDA zones 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 and 9-11, with plain-language tasks and a reminder to check local frost dates.
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Lawns
Lawn Care Calendar: What to Do and When
A practical lawn care calendar covering mowing, feeding, aeration, overseeding and weed control for cool-season and warm-season grasses.
How it works
Three steps, no sign-up
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Choose a city
Start from the city tags or the search box.
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Read the listing and the guide
Check the details shown, and read what to ask before you call.
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Contact the business directly
Ask about the work, the timing and the cost yourself.
For business owners
Is this your business?
Listings start from open map data. Get in touch to claim yours and correct the details.
Questions
Good to know
How the listings work.
Where do the listings come from?
They are compiled from open map data. Coverage is partial and details can be out of date, so confirm them with the business.
Can I hire a business through this site?
No. The site lists businesses and offers guides. You contact the business yourself and agree the work and the cost with it.
Does a listing mean the business is licensed or insured?
No. A listing says nothing about licences or insurance. Rules differ by state, so ask the business and check with your state.
How do I correct or claim a listing?
Use the contact page and tell us which listing it is and what should change.
