How much does a garden cost?

Wondering how much do gardeners cost? Gardening prices in Australia typically range between $40 and $60 per hour, depending on the type of service. The average hourly rates for gardening services are about $45 per hour, but it can cost much more for specialist gardeners and larger jobs, with some garden projects attracting rates as high as $120 per hour.

Maximising your curb appeal is an easy and affordable way to increase the value of your property, and creating a beautiful outdoor space provides enjoyment for your friends and family. A qualified gardener can help you achieve the best results to ensure your garden thrives.

Whether you’re after regular garden maintenance like weeding or lawn mowing or need a full garden makeover, read our guide to find out more about different gardening services and their prices, what affects the overall cost of a gardening job and how to hire a local gardener near you.

What services does a professional gardener offer?

Gardeners can do a variety of gardening jobs to help take care of your grounds. These services include:

• Lawn mowing and slashing
• Weeding and mulching
• Trimming and pruning
• Watering and fertilising plants
• Planting flowers, shrubs, trees
• Removing rubbish and green waste
• Grafting
• Composting
• Edging
• Aerating soil to improve drainage

A good gardener will maintain your garden and ensure your plants are healthy and in good condition. They will keep the space neat and tidy and improve any areas that are not doing well.

For more technical jobs that involve garden design and landscaping, you will need to hire a specialist gardener. They will be able to plan the layout of your garden and where different plants will be placed, while landscape gardeners can help with putting up basic retaining walls and paving areas.

Read more on landscaping costs: How much does landscaping cost?

What factors affect the cost of gardening?

The different gardening services prices are influenced by a range of factors. It’s best to chat with your gardener before any work commences in order to get an accurate idea of what you can expect to pay.

Generally, self-employed gardeners cost less than gardening businesses that hire employees. The hourly rate of a gardener usually includes their equipment, labour and travel time. Extra products like pesticides and fertilisers can cost more.

If your property is on a slope or is hard to access this can increase prices, as well as the size of your block. Easier tasks like weeding will be much cheaper than a specialised gardening service, such as pruning or grafting.

Gardening services price list in Australia

Here is a list of hourly gardening rates you can expect to pay, as well as the average cost of a professional gardener for different gardening jobs.

Self-employed gardener’s hourly rate

For regular garden maintenance, a self employed gardener’s hourly rate is usually less than a business that hires employees to do the jobs. You can expect to pay anywhere between $30 and $60 on average, depending on the gardener’s skill base, experience and your location.

Gardening services hourly rates for businesses

A garden service business will usually attract higher rates to cover all the extra expenses associated with running a company. You can expect hourly rates to start from about $45.

Regular maintenance and garden clean up cost

Depending on the size of your garden and the method employed by the worker, regular garden maintenance and cleanups cost typically between $50 and $70 per hour. The average total price for these services is about $70. Prices do fluctuate though so it’s not uncommon to get a cheaper or higher rate for a once-off clean up or gardening maintenance.

Manual work that takes longer to complete will cost more. Prices also increase when more tools are required to do the job. For a complete garden renovation cost, get in touch with local gardeners for a quote.

Read more: Ten easy to grow plants for Australian gardens

How much does weeding cost?

Professional gardeners charge between $90 to $100 per hour for weeding and/or spraying. The average weeding cost for a garden is between $60 and $120. A small garden may only cost about $30 in total. For neglected gardens with deep-rooted and tall weeds, the fee will likely end up being on the higher end of the scale.

How much does lawn mowing cost?

The hourly rate for lawn mowing in Australia ranges between $40 and $80. A typical lawn mowing service cost is about $50, but this will be determined by the size of your yard. For ride on jobs, it usually costs about $120 per hour.

The cost of lawn mowing is usually cheaper for a regular service than a one-off job. Mowing regularly helps keep your grass in better condition and controls weeds.

Pruning and hedging cost

Some trees, shrubs and hedges need regular maintenance to keep their shape and prevent them from taking over the garden. It will usually cost between $50 and $150 for this service, with an average price of $75. Again, the price is determined by the number of plants you need maintained, their size, and how overgrown they are.

Large and complex jobs can cost upwards of $400 so be sure to get a few quotes. Pruning and hedging helps keep your plants healthy and can remove diseased or dead parts.

Green waste removal cost

The average price for garden rubbish removal is about $50 but can reach as much as $150 depending on the amount of green waste on your property. If it’s been a while since you’ve had the dead foliage removed, it will likely cost more. It’s a good practice to have dead leaves and debris removed each season.

Your gardener may be able to help you hire a garden skip bin.

How much does mulch cost?

The average cost for mulch in Australia is about $75 per cubic metre, while a 40-litre bag usually costs about $10. The final cost will be influenced by the amount of mulch you need to cover your garden and the quality of the mulch.

If you’re having the mulch installed by your gardener, the cost is between $5 and $10 per square yard, depending on the size of your garden. The larger the space, generally the cheaper the mulch due to travel and preparation being factored into the quote.

Hire a gardener and get garden services quotes

When you want to hire gardeners to spruce up your outdoor space, make sure you ask plenty of questions to the gardener. Find out whether they charge by the hour or by the job. You’ll also want to check their experience and skills with a thorough interview process.

You can use Yellow Pages to read reviews of local gardeners and get free quotes to compare rates in your suburb. Be specific about the tasks you need done and the area size and condition of your garden. This will help to get accurate estimates for the cost of gardening services.

* All costs and prices quoted were sourced at the time this cost guide was written and should only be used as an estimate.