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gardenersmelbourne-blog · 7 years ago

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How to hire a skilled gardener and what should I expect to pay?

You may not have the time or enjoy gardening like you used to or you have a medical issue that stops doing your general gardening tasks, or perhaps your just not a green thumb. Maintaining the garden may be too much to manage alone so why not consider hiring a gardener to take a load off?

By hiring a gardener you can have that garden you have dreamed of without the stress or hassle of having to do all the work on your own and have the time to relax and admire it. Whether your garden needs a one-offer complete overhaul, you do need to make sure that you hire the right gardener for the job as each gardener has their own level of experience and expertise. Some will specialize in general gardening maintenance whilst others specialize in tree surgery, or big landscaping projects so finding the right gardener at the right price is a must.

Step 1 – Make a checklist of what needs to be done

Make a garden checklist of what you would like done eg. Lawn mowing, fertilizing etc. These services are all charged and different rates and the more detailed the job is the more expensive it becomes. Be prepared with a list to avoid getting talked into extra/unnecessary costs.

Step 2 – Find the right kind of gardener

Personal recommendation seems to be one of the best ways of finding a quality gardener. If you don’t know anyone that employs one, look around for advertisements at your local shopping center or approach local businesses that may employ a gardener.

When you are ready to hire a gardener for a service make sure they are right for your job. ask them questions such as:

What services do you provide?

How longshould the job take?

Do you possess up to date insurance?

Can you provide me with a written quote?

Do you have current references I can research into?

A great gardener will help you plan ahead and make suggestions. So, when you are happy with and satisfied they have the necessary qualifications and experience the next step is to ask them for the quote.

Step 3 – Get a quote

You may only require a small service and some light gardening so if that is the case you may be able to get the best rate from someone who is just trying to earn a few dollars such as a younger teenager that can effectively carry out tasks such as mowing the lawn and weeding. If you believe more skills are required to do the job get at least 3 quotes. A good professional gardener may be able to give you a small quote over the phone but for a larger project they will need to visit the property to give you the right price as no one garden is the same as another.

Step 4 – Check Legalities and ask for references

Always make sure you ask for current references. A professional Melbourne gardener will be happy to provide you with a reference if you ask.

Step 5 - Costs

Gardening services usually start at under $30 per hour, however this is usually for basic work such as clearing garden refuse or weeding.

Skilled gardeners usually charge a rate of $60 to $80 per hour, depending on the job and service.

Lawn mowing may be based on the size of the area to be mowed. If you schedule a regular service usually you will be charged at a better rate but be aware that small jobs may cost more per hour than larger jobs because the gardener will have to incorporate set up and travel time for the job.

Step 6 – Ask about hidden costs

Hidden costs may arise such as garden waste disposal that can add cost to the gardening task. It is best not to assume the gardener will dispose of the waste automatically.

Jumping onto the cheapest gardener that comes along can result in a more expensive experience later on down the track. A skilled gardener will keep you updated of the progress as they go and let you know if they see any form of disease or pest infestation. If they alert you of any issues and take care of the problems as they arise it may be able to knock out a major problem later down the track.

*Cost and prices in this article are subjected to change with the market and should only be used as a guide.

#gardeners melbourne #expert gardeners #gardening services in melbourne #garden specialist melbourne

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gardenersmelbourne-blog · 7 years ago

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Choose the best suitable grass for your garden by gardenersmelbourne

#landscape gardeners #gardeners melbourne #best gardeners in melbourne

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gardenersmelbourne-blog · 7 years ago

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Varieties of beneficial or bad bugs for your garden

Garden is a place of our house where we can spend our free time and decorate our home with plants and flowers. Garden of our house is same as our friend, and it is a mirror of the home. Now we will discuss garden insects. Maintain your healthy garden it's important to learn about the bugs. A garden is a place where bugs come. When you spend your time in the backyard, you will see their many types of bugs. Here with the help of professional gardening company in Melbourne, we create a list of bugs that every gardener must familiar with. But before checking out the list, let’s come to know about the bugs.

Garden insects are natural, and they come in the garden without any invitation. Bugs come in the yard when blooming flowers, plants and herbs are attracting them with sweet nectar. There are many friendly bugs, and bad bugs are involved in our garden. Friendly bugs are essential for our garden that can preserve our garden from many diseases. Some bugs are beneficial for organic compost. Natural bugs keep your garden brilliant and healthy. They make the garden soil nutrient and fertilizer. Some good bugs are eating the bad bugs and protect our garden from their attack. Beneficial insects also called helper of the backyard.

Bad bugs are that which eats the leaves of flowers and plants. They destroy our garden day today. Some bad bugs attack the beneficial bugs and eat them. So, lets check out the list of some good and bad bugs:

Now we will discuss beneficial bugs of the garden. There are many useful bugs for our garden as below:

Green Lacewings larvae: It is a beautiful species feed on nectar flowers, pollen, and honeydew. It's nicknamed "aphid lions." Lacewings larvae hunt for soft prey especially aphids, mealy bugs, mites and Lepidoptera eggs. Some adult’s lacewings supplement the diet with pollen or honeydew. They eat them with their curved, pointed mandibles victims. Most of the lacewings larvae have copper-colored eyes some lacewings green in body and wing color some larvae have transparent wings, and they look open. They have also chewing mouthparts and have long filiform antennae.

The life cycle of lacewings larvae undergoes complete with four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Mostly grown larvae will live for 4 -6 months. The female lacewing produces thin stalk, which it usually attaches to the underside of a leaf. A female worm places an egg at the end of the stalk. Some larvae lay their eggs in the group and some are laid their eggs singly. Green lacewings may be found in herbs, flowers, and grassy areas.

Lady beetles: everyone knows about the ladybug, but gardener loves it very much because of lady beetle is the good friend of the garden. It has dome-shaped back and flat underside. It displays bold colors and markings, red, orange, or yellow with black spot. It has small legs that tuck under the body. Mouth parts of the ladybirds always hidden beneath a large pronotum and mouth parts are also for chewing. Diets of the ladybugs are predators with ravenous appetites for aphids and soft-bodied insects. Some ladybug's like to eat mites, white flies and scale insects.

The life cycle of ladybug: Before mating ladybirds eat several hundred aphids and laying their eggs on infested plants. Ladybug larvae also feed aphids. Ladybugs also complete their four stages of life cycle. Egg, larvae, pupa, and adult. A female ladybug lay up 1,000 eggs within few months. Larva comes out from eggs in four days. Larvae color are orange and within 3 to 15 days the adult ready to mate and feed.

Bees: They are flying insects, and it is a most important for our garden. And they play an important role in the planet's ecosystem. Most crops grown for human depend on bees. .84% of the crops that are entirely dependent on the person depends on the bees because bees pollinate the consumable plants. Bees pollinate with their legs when they collect sweet nectar from flower to flower. All fruits and flowers pollinated by bees.

Earthworms: Earthworm play essential role to compositing or decomposition. They break up the soil. These are found in the ground, feed soil and dead into the ground. It is a U tubed and segmented worm. An earthworm's scientific name is lumbricine. The length of the adult earthworm 10 mm long and 1 mm wide.

Ground beetles: Ground beetles are found in your garden's soil. They live soil beneath mulches, around compost piles or the sheltered areas. And they have 11/2 inches long colorful, shiny and hard-shelled. Ground beetles are beneficial for our garden to make it an organic garden. Some of them harmful for our garden because they eat helpful insects. Ground beetles eat insects that move, including slugs, earthworms, snails, cabbage beetles.

Praying mantids: These bugs have large eyes and swiveling head and mantids entertain us. When mantids are sitting, they make praying posture. Most mantids are 5-8 centimeters in length. Mantids flying from place to place and they move slowly and prefer to walk of branches and leaves of the plant. Mantids have two large eyes and they can see all around there, and they have pairs of legs. The first pair of legs distinctively forward and allow mantids to catch insects or other preys. Typically they are green or brown color. Mantids eat insects and other small victims sometimes they feed beneficial insects. The life cycle of mantids has three stages: eggs, nymph, and adult. Female mantids lay 200 or more than 200 eggs. Eggs hatch and nymph grows day by day and changes into the adult. Mantids change their color according to plants.

Syrphid flies: Syrphid flies are beneficial flies for our garden. Syrphid flies also called hover flies. That flies play a major role in the plant. Without hover flies pollination of flowers or plants are impossible. Hoverflies include butterflies, bees, and other flies. They feed nectar from flowers or plants. They pollinate the plants in our garden. Syrphid flies also have four stages: eggs, pupa, larva or adult.

Spiders: Spiders are beneficial for the garden because they eat many insects which are harmful to our garden. They eat predatory mites, scale insects, wasps, caterpillars, aphids, mealybugs, moths, butterflies, plant bugs, thrips, leafhoppers, cucumber beetles, flies and other tiny insects. Spiders have eight legs, and it has only two body regions. A cephalothorax and abdomen along with wing, antenna, and unique mouthparts. The lifecycle of spider is that female spider laid the egg and after laying an egg, female spider dies. Spider spreads the web from their mouth to capture their meal.

Big-eyed bugs: Big-eyed bugs feed thrips, leafhoppers, aphids and other insects that would destroy our garden. They are the best friend of the backyard. They live longer than other bugs. Adults have black, brown or gray color. Big-eyed bugs have more tolerance insecticides than other bugs.

Damsel bugs: That bugs eat aphids, small caterpillars, thrips, leafhoppers and other pesky pests. Damsel bugs found in the vegetable garden. These bugs no damage the plants. You can collect them and release them from the backyard. Damsel bugs have gray or brown color. They have long, narrow head with 3/8 to ½ inches long elongated bodies. They have angled antennae and have four wings on their back when they fold their wings that make X-mark on their back. Damsel bugs very quick moving prey. Damsel prey fly when they feel disturbed.

The life cycle of damsel bugs is different than another prey. Damsel females' lay their eggs in plant tissues and their eggs hatch in one week. Damsel nymphs begin eating immediately. development of nymphs for 3 to 4 weeks then molt to adult.There are many generations of damsel bugs according to the season.

It's important to survive your garden from bag bugs. Bad bugs destroy the garden. Now we will discuss bad bugs of garden

Aphids: Aphids are small, soft-bodied bugs. They have pink, green and black color. They feed leaves, buds, shoots, and flowers. They are the big cause of distortion.

Birch leaf minors: It is a flat look larva, and adult sawfly has black color. They feed inside of foliage, which turns the leaves into brown color. They found on birch trees.

Gypsy moth: It is a black, brown or red color larva. They feed roots of plants and trees. They will destroy the plants.

Colorado potato beetle: They have reddish orange and yellowish, black and orange colored strips. They feed potato, tomato, eggplants. They eat the veins of the leaf.

Crucifer flea beetle: They are metallic blue-black colored beetles. They feed on leaves and leaving shot-hole appearance.