a gardener Do you know that your gardener might have extra skills they could offer? Many gardeners will have extra qualifications or skills. And they might well come in very handy for you and your household. Or, if you are looking to hire a gardener. Then these following skills are good to keep in mind. Because you might be able to get one person for what you thought to be two different jobs!
Why Hire A Gardener?
Firstly, let’s have a look at why you should consider hiring a gardener. There are so many benefits to this! You do not have to have an enormous garden to justify a gardener. Some people underestimate how labour intensive the maintenance and upkeep of a garden truly can be. Even a smaller space will require a lot of work, and also skills.
So if you are looking for a helping hand, a gardener can be a perfect solution. Perhaps you are unable to do any heavy lifting. Or any of the other heavy moves that come with working in the garden. Even a simple bit of weeding can have a real impact on your back, for example!
Or perhaps it is a thing of simply not having the time. To keep a garden in top shape, it does need regular attention and upkeep. Which can be very time-consuming. So even having a part-time or ad hoc gardener can make a difference here. Someone who can pop in once a week for example. Or even once a month! It can already make a real difference to have someone with the knowledge and skills you need to keep your outside space thriving all year round.
Extra Skills: Handyman
The first of extra skills a gardener could offer is being a handyman! You will find that many gardeners do have handyman type skills. There is a lot of working in gardening that crosses over into handyman, and even carpentry areas. So if your gardener has those skills, you might as well put them to good use!
Having a gardener who can do handyman bits can save you a lot of time and money in finding someone to do the odd bits in and around the house. It can sometimes be difficult to find someone last minute to fix odd bits. But if your gardener is there, they might well be able to help out and get those things sorted for you too!
Make sure, though, that you have a very clear arrangement with your gardener regarding the tasks and work they do. Even though they might be keen and willing to help, they need to be paid for the hours they work for you. So if you ask them to do a couple of bits of handyman work after they finished their gardening shift, for example. You should be paying them for those hours too!
Also, make sure your gardener has the right qualifications to do the new things you might ask them to do. A handyman is not an electrician or a plumber for example. For some tasks, you will need a qualified specialist.
Extra Skills: Landscaping
Do you know the difference between a gardener and a landscaper? You can read all about that here. But often, the two jobs can cross over slightly. Meaning that your gardener might well have extra skills as a landscaper to offer. A landscaper will be able to do the ‘building works’ or ‘hardscaping’ part of making and creating new and existing gardens. And there are plenty of gardeners who enjoy and can do a bit – or a lot! – of both.
So if you are looking for a crossover between a gardener and a landscaper, then make sure you clearly list this in your job spec. You cannot assume that a gardener is able to, or has the skills to do any hardscaping. There are plenty of gardeners who are amazing at their trade. But they prefer sticking to that. And vice versa, when it comes to landscapers! So make sure to clearly list all the daily, weekly or monthly tasks you require from a new gardener. And if you are planning a new garden redesign, be clear on what you would like them to do in this. The key is, don’t assume someone can do it all. Everyone has their specialism, and that is often their strength too.
Extra Skills: Tree Surgeon
For the final extra skills, we are looking at a gardener can have, this is not the most straight forward one. So this one requires some explanation. A tree surgeon is most often someone who does only that as their job. Not in combination with general gardening work. However, it does sometimes happen that a gardener has the qualifications and experience to be a tree surgeon too. To become a tree surgeon, you will have to do relevant training or qualification courses. Here you can think of Forestry, Arboriculture, or Forest Management at University level. You could also look at college-level qualifications. For example a Level 2 Certificate in Forestry and Arboriculture or Level 3 Diploma in Work-based Trees and Timber.
So there might be options where a gardener has forestry qualifications and can do some tree surgeon work for you. Again, you want to understand what you really need. And how much time all the different tasks are going to take up. A gardener can have many different extra skills and qualifications. But there are also only so many hours in the day they can fit in the work!
So make sure to be realistic in your expectations, and clear in what you need. Then you might well find the right gardener, with the right extra skills for you and your outside space.
How can Polo & Tweed help?
Are you looking at what type of gardener would be best suited for you and your outside space? We can help! Polo & Tweed work with only the best gardeners, landscapers and groundsmen who all come with the right qualifications and experience. Every single person on our books is extensively vetted and checked. There are options for full-time, part-time and ad hoc work. So let us do all the hard work of recruitment for you. Our experienced consultants will guide you through the whole recruitment process. So why not contact us now and let’s find the right new gardener for you.