Starting a gardening business in the UK was one of the best decisions I made in my life. After years of working jobs I didn’t like, I decided it was time to find something more rewarding. Gardening came to me when I picked up some weekend work helping a family maintain their extensive garden.
The introductory hourly rate was already higher than most jobs I had, and I also found it enjoyable.
If you like nature, being outside and being self-motivated, starting your gardening business is a great idea.
In this article, you will learn the basics of how to start a gardening business based on my experience, we will cover:
- Are you the right person for self-employment?
- I don’t know anything about gardening
- How much do gardeners charge?
- What tools do you need to start a gardening business?
- Can I have a gardening business without a vehicle?
- What to do with garden waste?
- What do gardeners do in Winter?
- What are some tips for marketing a new gardening business?
- How to register your gardening business
Are you the right person for self-employment?
The first question you must seriously ask yourself is, can you self-motivate? If you don’t motivate yourself, there will be no teammates to do so, and you may find it hard to earn money.
Some people benefit from social and team environments. However, if you are starting a gardening business from scratch, you may not have the money to employ staff.
Which means you will work alone for at least the first few months.
Suppose you are self-motivated and enjoy working alone with your favourite radio station. In that case, a solo gardening career may be for you.
But I don’t know anything about gardening.
If you have little to no knowledge of plants, you need not fear! The first question to ask is, ‘Can I mow a lawn? ‘ If the answer is yes, then you can get started, even if it’s just mowing lawns.
From there, you can build your confidence in basic weeding jobs and move on to pruning hedges and trees.
Knowledge is critical; the more you know, the more you can charge. Again, if you are self-motivated, there is a wealth of knowledge online with sites like:
RHS – https://www.rhs.org.uk/
Wikipedia – https://www.wikipedia.org/
Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/
You can also enrol with the Royal Horticultural Society and gain certification in horticulture.
The beauty is that there are many avenues to grow a gardening business, from weeding to becoming a certified gardener.
What do gardeners charge? (2024)
When I started my business, I only had a little money, but I quickly learned that many people are happy for you to use their tools. Which affects how much you charge for your services. The average hourly rate of a gardener is:
- Novice gardener without tools – £11.00 per hour (Minimum wage)
- Novice gardener with tools – £12.00 per hour
- Experienced gardener with no tools – £15.00 per hour
- Experienced gardener with tools – £17.00 per hour
- Professional or certified gardener with tools – £20.00 – £30.00
What tools do you need to start a gardening business?
One of the beautiful things about starting a gardening business in the UK is that the majority of people who have gardens also have garden tools like lawn mowers and strimmers.
When I started gardening, I had a basic setup which consisted of the following tools:
- A pruning saw
- Weeding tool
- Secateurs
- Shears
- Gloves – Best Buy Gardening Gloves
- Rake
- Dustpan and brush
The services I offered at this point were:
- Weeding
- Lawn mowing (if they had the tools)
- Hedge trimming (if they had the tools)
- Planting up
- Leaf raking
Start with the basics, and you can add more jobs as you go. Many people need practical help with regular jobs like weeding and lawn mowing, which are the niche jobs that I exploited. You only need a little knowledge to remove weeds from the cracks in a patio. You can upgrade to better tools as you go, check out this article on the best battery garden tools.
The next thing you need to consider is transport. The best option is a bicycle and, eventually, a trailer. Using a bicycle is economical, affordable, healthy and eco-friendly, which is an excellent angle for marketing.
A bicycle allows me to keep overheads low, keeping my rates competitive.
Can I have a gardening business without a vehicle?
A van or car can be one of the most expensive items for any gardening business, and what you need will depend on the services you want to offer.
You do not need a car or van; you can run a small business from a bike and trailer—this saves massive money!
The setup I use for my bicycle is:
Carrera Crossfire II – you can use any bicycle you prefer.
Yose power electric bike conversion kit – I have had this kit on my bicycle for a year. As it is pedal assist, it helps me quickly get about with the trailer.
Klarfit bicycle trailer – The Klarfit trailer holds my tools perfectly, allowing me to offer more services.
The bike and trailer allow me to take advantage of a niche market in gardening maintenance. This niche includes jobs that people often need help with, such as jet washing, weeding, hedge trimming, and many others.
As my overheads are lower, I can keep the hourly rate competitive.
A competitive hourly rate makes garden maintenance jobs more affordable for people, which results in the diary filling up.
It is also an eco-friendly form of transport that ties in nicely with trade.
The trailer needs is not big enough to offer waste removal. However, this has been fine for me as most houses in the UK have bins for green waste.
What to do with garden waste?
If you have a van, you may be able to offer waste removal, which you can charge for; however, it is essential to note that you will need a licence to use a tip for waste from any business, and burning it may cause a nuisance to the neighbours or could be breaking the law.
I do not offer waste removal and still have a diary full of gardening work. In the UK, many counties offer a green waste bin that gets emptied periodically.
I base my work on filling and emptying these bins. For the green waste generated from suburban houses, the bins are usually enough.
If more space is needed, I will fill refuse sacks for the client to take to the tip.
What do gardeners do in Winter?
During the winter months, work quietens down due to adverse weather. Downtime is essential to remember as you will not be able to earn as much money.
On average, I will work two weeks a month from November to February. Luckily, there is enough work during the other eight months to cover the downtime.
If you have other skills, like bar work, you can always take on extra work during the festive period.
What are some tips for marketing a new gardening business?
When I started my gardening business, I had a lot of questions about how to get more clients. Luckily, today, we have social media, and I found the most successful way to find work was in Facebook groups.
Set up a business page on Facebook and join some local groups that include town names you can get to. Set up an honest post stating you are available to help with gardening work.
I advertised on a few local Facebook groups once and have yet to have to advertise again. Many jobs come from word of mouth or clients’ neighbours and family.
Learn how to register your gardening business.
Once you have set up your gardening business and it generates income, you must register it with company’s house (UK). To do so, check out their guide here:
https://www.gov.uk/limited-company-formation/register-your-company
Summary
You can set up a gardening business offering essential services at little to no cost. There is a lot of knowledge online that you can use to educate yourself or gain certification in horticulture.
The more you know, the more services you can offer and the higher the service rate.
To be a successful, self-employed gardener, you must be able to self-motivate.
