0 Gardeners in Pietermaritzburg

Gardeners in Pietermaritzburg

Pietermaritzburg is the capital as well as the second-largest city in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. Founded in 1838, Pietermaritzburg is also known as ‘Maritzburg’ in both English and Zulu.

Pietermaritzburg has been the site of various historical events which can still be appreciated today. For example, the 46-hectare Botanic Gardens (regarded as one of South Africa’s 10 national botanical gardens) were created in 1872 by the Botanic Society of Natal. And during the Second World War, Italian war prisoners were housed in Pietermaritzburg. While in the city, they constructed a church, which eventually became a heritage site and can still be seen today: the Pietermaritzburg Italian P.O.W. Church.

Another popular nickname for Pietermaritzburg is the “City of Flowers” due to its various azaleas and roses scattered in gardens and public parks. The city is also home to Butterflies for Africa, a butterfly conservation centre which aids in the city’s green and lush look. Other well-known attractions include Alexandra Park, Wylie Park, the Bisley Nature Reserve, and Queen Elizabeth Park.

What do Gardeners do?

Gardeners spend most of their time outdoors to ensure that a yard’s grass, trees, shrubs, flowers and other plants remain as healthy and beautiful as possible. Depending on the location of the Gardener’s work, they may also be called groundskeepers or landscape gardeners (which is not the same as Landscape Architects), especially if they are employed by a public entity like a hospital, school or hotel.

Gardeners perform a variety of important jobs, which includes:

·         the planting of new flowers and trees

·         watering and feeding plants

·         ensuring bugs and pests are kept away from gardens

·         ensuring a garden’s soil is moist and healthy

·         mowing lawns

·         removing fallen leaves and dead plants

·         picking up trash.

Some Gardeners focus specifically on maintaining the gardens of residential houses and neighbourhoods. Others look after the outdoor spaces of industrial / commercial settings like hotels and office buildings. There are even Gardeners employed on a full-time basis by country clubs, hotels, etc. to ensure their golf courses remain neat, clean and green. 

Why is it important to hire a professional Gardener?

There are definitely some people that would deem professional gardening services as an unnecessary luxury. However, these are usually the same people who know nothing about kerb appeal, how to enhance a house’s exterior façade, or what can be done to improve a property’s value. Even the smallest of gardens can become a burden if not looked after correctly, especially if you want it to remain neat and welcoming year-round.

The following benefits are guaranteed if you take the time to employ a professional Gardener to handle all your horticulturalist needs:

·         Increased enjoyment: Who wouldn’t enjoy all of the pleasure without any of the responsibility of a beautiful outdoor garden / yard / patio? Even though you have a professional Gardener in charge, you still have the opportunity to potter around the yard (if you so choose), buy you can pick which gardening tasks you feel like doing and leave the rest to the experts.

·         More time: Even small gardens require time and energy, and that includes the winter months if you want it to remain neat and tidy. With a professional taking the lead, that leaves much more free time for you.

·         Extra specialist knowledge: Plants and trees form part of your property’s investment. And like all good investments, they require a little nurturing. With a pro in charge of your outdoor space, your garden can reach its full potential while you can benefit from the Gardener’s skills and knowledge without risking any pricey mistakes.

·         Opportunity to implement changes: Dreaming of a vegetable garden? Interestingly shaped topiaries styling up your front / back yard? With a professional Gardener in charge, these (and more) are quite possible!  

·         Additional services: The skills of a Gardener extend to so much more than healthy plants and beautiful flowers. Gardeners are also clued up when it comes to maintaining other areas like patios, pathways, greenhouses, fences, building and making garden ponds safe for children and pets, etc.

What to look for when searching for a professional Gardener

There is certainly no shortage of gardening services and –companies here on homify and the rest of the Internet. So, how do you distinguish between the average and the plain bad ones from the ones with real potential who will help you achieve your dream garden?

• Although it’s not always a deal breaker, website design can be your first clue. Try to avoid single-page websites with flashy banners and a big phone number at the top. Reliable and professional gardening services would add information about their past designs / projects in the form of text and/or photos, possibly even videos, and perhaps even a photo of themselves and their team.

• Check benefits, as real professionals will always add a unique selling point and reasons to choose them over someone else.

• Find a price table. A lot of websites won’t provide cost information because every service is individually specific, especially in the gardening business. However, a set price estimate is always helpful to give you an idea of what you may be expected to pay.

• Contact details like a phone number, booking form, free quote, chat feature, email, social media presence, etc. are expected in the 21^st century.

• Reviews may or may not be included on the company website and if they are, they will definitely only be positive. Do a bit of research yourself and see if you can track down past clients of the Gardener to see what others think of them.

• Request a home visit / viewing. Most gardening services do a home visit as part of their service so they can see what your garden looks like, what you expect from them, etc. An on-site viewing will also provide the opportunity for you to receive an exact price estimate, for the Gardener to take measurements of your space, check what tools they will require for the job, etc.