Hiring a landscaper

Has anyone here advice about finding and hiring a landscaper? I need hardscape- paths using old bricks and my flower beds need reducing and perhaps revamping. I just can't do it on my own now as easily. I want to be a weeding gardener now, not so much a digging up and moving bricks and gravel gardener. We also just bought a 1.3 acre meadow area and I want to have some things done to it- wildflowers etc, but can't do it alone.

My first thought is to ask around, but I don't hang with people who have gardeners. Try the local nurseries to see what they offer. Any other avenues? Thanks.

I would do what you normally do for local services. Ask neighbors, look on Yelp or Angie's List. I don't think any of us can help you with finding the best local service.

My only advice would be to monitor carefully what they do when they get there. Most just want to check the box off and don't care and/or don't know about your bulbs and perennials. You should be very diligent about your instructions about what they can do and what they can't do. I've had grape hyacinth bulbs scattered; blueberry bushes mowed down; lawn mowed down to golf course level.

I would interview landscapers to make sure they have the same values and vision you do, especially if you are not the typical suburbanite, because they will assume you are.

I would also ask for references. I had a landscaper arranged for my present home months in advance, highly recommended. I confirmed each month that my yard was on his schedule and it kept being adjusted. Right before the weather turned nasty, he advised that he simply couldn't make it. What happened is that people arranged for small jobs, liked how it was done and the jobs expanded into weeks of work.

I ended finding another locally. Landscapers are pricey, very pricey, for mostly manual labour done with wisdom, one hopes.

Make a list of what you want done, your longterm goals and timeline and then find out what time it will take, cost and when they are available.

I have heard a number of horror stories from friends who hired labourers without the landscaping training who charge $$$$$ and simply ruined my friends' efforts over the previous years.

Frankly, I designed a yard that needs mulch annually and little else. The time will come when I need help with this. It has small simple beds, planted perennials that I can maintain easily, a 3x16 foot veggie bed and a small lawn that I can mow. I do have some pots that I plant each year. Very simple but manageable with no help required. I always get compliments from passersby of how colourful and effective it is.

I would stress the simplicity rather than a lot of work to maintain.

I am still in DIY landscaping mode except for today - having a 10ft tree planted in the front yard. I first found the arborist through a neighbor and have used him before so I trust his work. Does your area have NextDoor? I find a lot of good references on that site for misc labor.

Thanks all. I will make a plan and interview. Luckily it is not urgent, just a want. My husband mows and helps with the beds. I just get tireder now....Thinking it would be great to have them come once or twice a year for the big stuff, then I can do the playing stuff.

In my area you have two tiers of landscapers - 1) expensive and legal and 2) cheap and undocumented.

Landscaping is on my summer project list. I have used Angie's List to find a handful of folks to do different types of work on my home and it's generally turned out well. I think I've ended up with better than average help. That is where I will start since I've asked around and didn't come up with anyone. I've had some pretty major tree work done and at least in that case it's paid to get a couple of bids. A neighbor is also doing some landscaping and her plan is to buy some of the materials like brick and stone from a local wholesaler rather than pay a contractor for materials. I don't know how that will work out. I have a friend who has advertised on Craig's list for help doing simple outdoor manual labor things and he has been happy with the workers he's had.

I was shocked, *shocked* I tell you! when DH mentioned hiring a landscaping company to build a paving brick wall on our Hermann house. We do everything ourselves! This is a new paradigm!

But that project is on hold until we get architectural plans for the whole shebang renovation. Since we dont know exactly where the garage will go, and perhaps there will be a new addition out the back, so landscaping with a retaining wall will come last.

But meanwhile, DH is felling 20-30 ft trees himself every weekend so he is not hiring it all out.

When we did our backyard my DH planned it and bought all the materials. Then he went where they have day labor and brought home helpers. We paid them more then the going rate because it was hard work and they returned every day until the project was done. My husband worked with them. IL: it is good that your husband is contracting some of the work out. My DH is only 59 so the day will come that he probably won't want to do it. Although, we have astro-turf and all our plants on a irrigation system which makes things easier. He has a small garden and we are constantly raking leaves because we have 3 big trees and the neighbors leafs always come to our yard and then stop. They get stuck around our front porch. their big one in the back drops pine cones in our backyard over the fence.