Re: Gardening charges...
Hello Carol
I know you have now had your hedge cut and am pleased you are happy with it. But I'm going to respond to your question anyway because it might be useful for yourself and others in future. Also, I'm going to respond in a slightly different way than most as I garden for a living and am, therefore, looking at things from the other end of the telescope. My first post on this forum having joined only yesterday.
Here are just a few things your gardener has to consider/pay for before he visits your house.
Typically a gardener will have to fund the cost of his van, including annual servicing, MOT, insurance, fuel and wear and tear. On top of that a gardener will need to pay for all the days he will not be working, that is, sick days, holidays and days when it's raining, snowing or too frosty to work. The fact that there is less daylight and available work in winter. If he disposes of your gardening waste then that is also a cost that has to be considered; how far is it to the recycling centre, will he spend time queuing and does he need to pay a license because he is a trader. The time he spends working at home working out estimates etc. The time he spends at the garden centre buying those plants you asked for. Then there's his tax and NI contributions. Not forgetting insurance. If he studied at a horticultural college then that also needs to be paid for. He might have an accountant to make up his books every year, or he might do this himself - still has to be funded. All those visits he makes for estimates where no work is forthcoming. Free estimates are a myth. All this stuff adds up and has to be factored into every job undertaken.
People can be funny. They don't baulk at paying £80 an hour for a plumber but if I was to turn up at a client and tell them that was my hourly rate then I guarantee you I wouldn't get much work! Is plumbing any more skilful than gardening? Of course supply and demand comes into it and, also, where you live. A gardener or plumber in London will cost more than one anywhere else. For some weird reason people think gardeners and window cleaners ought to be roughly on the same rate. Never understood that reasoning.
Now if you are successful in employing someone to cut your lawn, hedge or whatever, and he charges you a tenner then good on you but, when you work it out, you may be paying less than the minimum wage. Just like all those eastern European car washes that sprung up a number of years ago. Not criticising you or anyone here. Just saying.