Gardening · Updated September 2026
Gardener Cost UK 2026: Hourly & Day Rates
A general gardener charges £14–£25 an hour across most of the UK, rising to £35–£49 in London and the South East. A full day is £150–£300. Regular fortnightly visits cost less per hour than one-off rescues — an overgrown garden is priced as a project, not a visit.
Gardener cost by booking type — 2026
Labour only. Green-waste removal, skip hire and materials such as compost or plants are usually added at cost.
| Booking | Typical cost | What it covers | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly visit | £14–£25 / hour | Mowing, weeding, pruning | Small gardens, top-ups |
| Half day | £80–£150 | 3–4 hours of general work | Seasonal tidy |
| Full day | £150–£300 | 7–8 hours, one or two gardeners | Bigger jobs, catch-ups |
| Fortnightly maintenance | £50–£120 / month | Standing slot through the season | Keeping on top of it |
| One-off overgrown rescue | £250–£800 | Clearance-grade work, waste away | Neglected or new-build plots |
| Hedge cutting (add-on) | £40–£80 / hour | Trimming, shaping, arisings removed | Tall or long runs |
Indicative 2026 UK prices, compiled from published installer pricing (Checkatrade, MyJobQuote, MyBuilder and BookaBuilder cost guides, August 2026). BestBuilders has no quote history in this category yet, so treat these as a budgeting guide and confirm against three written quotes.
What changes the cost
| Cost factor | Typical impact | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Where you live | +25–30% in London | Labour is the whole bill, so the regional spread hits harder than on supply-and-fit trades |
| Waste removal | +£20–£80 per visit | Licensed green-waste disposal is charged on top unless you have a garden bin |
| Access and slope | +10–25% | Terraced rear gardens with no side gate mean everything travels through the house |
| Equipment needed | +£30–£100 | Chippers, scarifiers and long-reach hedge kit are hired against the job |
| Regularity | −10–20% | A standing fortnightly slot is cheaper per hour than ad-hoc call-outs |
| Season | +0–15% in spring | March to June is peak demand; winter slots are easier to book and often cheaper |
Gardener hourly rate by UK region — 2026
Modelled from regional labour rates rather than measured in this category - materials cost much the same everywhere, the labour does not.
| Region | Typical installed cost | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|
| London | £20–£30/hr | +25–30% |
| South East | £20–£30/hr | +15–20% |
| South West | £10–£30/hr | +5% |
| Midlands | £10–£20/hr | baseline |
| North England | £10–£20/hr | −5–10% |
| Scotland | £10–£20/hr | −10% |
| Wales | £10–£20/hr | −10% |
| Northern Ireland | £10–£20/hr | −15% |
Getting it priced properly
1. Walk the garden together first
A photo quote misses the compost corner and the bramble bank. Ten minutes on site gets a price that holds.
2. Agree what happens to the waste
Taken away, composted on site, or left bagged for your green bin - each changes the price.
3. Book the season, not the visit
A standing slot through March-October costs less per visit and keeps the garden from sliding back.
What this costs at a glance
The same table, drawn.
How to hire a gardener without the surprises
The gap between a £14 quote and a £25 one is rarely the mowing — it is what happens to the waste, and whether the price still holds once the gardener has actually seen the bramble bank at the bottom of the garden. Two things are worth pinning down before anyone starts. Agree in writing who takes the green waste away: licensed disposal is what the £20–80-a-visit add-on pays for, and a gardener fly-tipping it down a lane is a problem that lands back on you, so it is fair to ask to see their waste carrier registration. And decide whether you want a standing fortnightly slot or one-off visits, because the slot works out cheaper per hour and stops the garden ever reaching rescue state, which is where the real bills live.
If you want to sanity-check a quote before you commit, the gardener cost calculator gives you the published range for your job and region, and the wider gardening services hub covers the bigger jobs a general gardener will hand on to a specialist.
Gardener cost — frequently asked questions
Around £14–£25 an hour for general maintenance in most regions, and £35–£49 in London and the wealthier commuter belt. Most gardeners set a minimum visit of one to two hours.
Typically £150–£300. Two-person crews charge more but clear roughly double the work, which is usually better value on overgrown plots.
Yes. A fortnightly standing slot usually works out 10–20% cheaper per hour than one-off bookings, and the garden never reaches rescue-job state, which is where the big bills live.
Only if agreed - disposal is licensed and costs them money, so expect £20–£80 per visit on top, or use your council green bin.
Related gardening & garden guides
Patios, decking, walls and full redesigns priced.
What a full clearance costs and when a skip beats a van.
Insulated rooms from £10,000 - the step up from a shed.
Registered members: Gardening
2 businesses offering gardening have a public profile with BestBuilders. Each listing is a business that registered with us directly; the details shown are the ones it declared at registration, and a Companies House number appears only where one was given.
All registered trades · Recent projects · Run a gardening business? Add your free profile
Reviewed by the BestBuilders editorial team · Last updated: 4 September 2026 · Next scheduled review: December 2026 · See our editorial standards.