How to compare gardening quotes

Describe one job before comparing several prices

Begin with the outcome you want and the areas involved. Cut the back lawn and trim the roadside hedge is more precise than sort the garden out. Include photos, an approximate size and access information. Give the same description to each provider so a different interpretation does not look like a saving.

Identify plants you want kept and any work that needs permission from a landlord or neighbour. Clarify those decisions before accepting a price.

Use a six-point comparison

Keep these items together when reviewing the replies. A missing answer is a reason to ask a follow-up question, not evidence that something is included.

• Work and finish: exactly which areas and tasks?
• Price basis: fixed job, hourly or a visit allowance?
• Materials: included, optional or supplied by you?
• Waste: left for composting, bagged or removed?
• Timing: proposed date, expected duration and weather arrangements?
• Payment: who is paid, when, and on what agreed terms?

Check the provider, as well as the offer

Ask for relevant insurance information and examples of comparable work. Read the terms of any guarantee rather than relying on a badge. If waste is being taken away, check that the collection is authorised where required using official guidance. A marketplace listing or a friendly message does not replace those checks.

Keep the agreement available

Confirm the accepted scope and total in the same message thread before the visit. If you add work, ask for the revised price first. At the end, compare the result with the original list and raise any concerns with the provider promptly.

• Save the written quote and agreed date
• Identify the main contact for access and decisions
• Check the work before agreeing that the job is complete

Resolve different scopes before ranking the prices

Imagine one offer includes cutting and bagging while another also removes the bags. These are different purchases. Ask both providers to price the same finish, or add the separately confirmed removal cost to the first offer. This is a comparison method, not a claim about typical market prices.

For time-based offers, ask who attends and what time is chargeable. For fixed offers, check the exclusions and the process for approving extras. Compare tax-inclusive totals where applicable and make sure materials, travel and disposal have not disappeared into an unspecified extra.

Understand the two payments through Super

Requesting quotes through Get Gardening Quotes is free. If you choose to book, Super takes a separate customer deposit and you pay the gardener their full quoted job price directly. The Super deposit is additional to the gardener’s price; it is not deducted from what the gardener receives.

Super calculates its deposit based on the total job value. The deposit is paid through Stripe, which handles your card details. If the job is cancelled, your Super deposit is refunded. Before booking, confirm the deposit amount, the gardener’s price and the combined total. Agree when the gardener expects their separate payment and how any changes to the work will be approved.

How the quote and booking process works →

Use availability as one part of the decision

Send the actual deadline and dates you can provide access. A fast response is useful, but suitability still depends on the task, equipment, scope and evidence of relevant work. If an appointment is essential, obtain explicit confirmation rather than treating an initial message as a reservation.

Ask for insurance information relevant to the job and examples of comparable work. Read the detail of reviews where available: the type of work and how issues were handled matter more than an isolated score. Get Gardening Quotes does not publish a verified local ranking or guarantee that every request receives three offers.