How to tell the difference between a Garden Designer and a Gardener.

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By GreenGardenChic
User-Submitted Video

Who's who?

When you're ready to hire someone to help you with your garden, it's important that you know what you need and who to hire. Save yourself time and money by knowing who to hire before you pick up the phone.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Designer.

A Garden Designer can hold a degree in Garden Design, Horticulture, Botany, or even Landscape Architecture. There is no educational requirement in the U.S., only a business license is an unconditional requirement.

Garden Designers are the “plant people” and they should have an excellent knowledge of plants and designing functional gardens using walkways, patios, decks, water features, and appropriate plants for a garden site.

When you hire a Garden Designer, you are hiring someone who can help define a space and make it more appealing to your needs.
Step 2

Gardener.

A Gardener may also hold a degree in Horticulture, Botany, or Garden Design. There is no educational requirement, but a private gardener should have a business license or should work for a licensed company.

Gardeners conduct necessary garden maintenance like weeding, mowing, mulching, and fertilizing. Any gardener that is spraying organic or non-organic chemicals should have a pesticide applicators license that shows they’ve trained and have basic knowledge of what kinds of garden sprays to use and when to use them.

When you are hiring a gardener, you are often hiring a hobbyist who has turned their passion into a side job or a career.
Step 3

The pros:

Both Designer and Gardener should have an extensive knowledge of good bugs, bad bugs, weed identification, plant disease, and proper chemical application techniques.

Garden Designers are the plant lovers who study the quality of existing soil and light and choose plants that survive and thrive in these existing conditions.

Garden Designers should be able to recommend Landscape Architects, builders, arborists, pesticide applicators, plant nurseries, and gardeners to do basic maintenance.

Gardeners should have their own tools and a truck or trailer that can haul away any garden debris.

Gardeners should be able to put you on a weekly or monthly schedule to continue to maintain your garden and landscape.
Step 4

The cons:

Both Designers and Gardeners need to be thoroughly checked out before you do any money exchange. The best landscape industry professionals are always recommended by word-of-mouth. Ask for a list of references and call them.

Neither is required to give free estimates or consultations.

Neither is required to use contracts. Request a written and signed contract if you have any concerns.

Many Garden Designers will perform regular garden maintenance, but they are often considerably more expensive then a gardener.

Garden Designers and Gardeners have no formal regulations or training as a requirement.

Gardeners may not know the basic plant varieties, pruning techniques, or even weed identification. They could do some major damage to a landscape.
Step 5

Who to hire:

Do you want a professional drawing for your garden design? Do you want your valuable trees and shrubs to be expertly pruned? Do you want someone to recommend and plant a garden that will thrive and survive in your garden conditions? Are you looking for someone who can properly identify pests and diseases and recommend the appropriate treatment? Do you need someone to clean-up you garden who will know what is a weed and what is a perennial? Then you should look for a Garden Designer.

Are you looking for someone to do regular weeding, mowing, hedge trimming, raking, and fertilizing on a solid schedule? Do you need a basic garden clean-up before you start planting anything? Are you looking for someone you can give a list of specific garden chores to and even oversee their work? Do you find yourself bringing home plants that you are unable to plant yourself; you just need someone to plant them for you? A Gardener would be a better fit for you.

Comments

kaubie279 said

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on 11/14/2008 Good tip about word-of-mouth. So true!!

Gardengates said

on 10/10/2008 Another excellent article. In Southern California we have a third category that often uses the title of 'gardener'. I call them the "mower & blowers". These are guys who bought a trimmer and lawnmower and clean up lawns like the neighbor's kids used to do years ago. They, too, have their place, but most know little to nothing about gardening -- depending on the individual.