On 2015-05-05 07:25:52 +0000, Broadback said:

Sadly old father time has reduced my gardening activity to very little.
Reluctantly I decided to employ help. I now have a chap who comes once
a week and works hard. However a plants-man he is not. Is there anyway
of ascertaining if anyone advertising as a gardener really is, or just
an odd job man who works in the gardener and has gardening tools?

A properly trained gardener will be expensive by comparison and so they
should be, between £10.00 and £12.00 per hour. It's best to be very
precise about what you want done on each visit and not to issue vague
directions about 'tidying up' because one man's tidying up is another
man's massacre. And tell him not to pull anything out that's just
coming through, in case it's plant not weed and not to deadhead in
autumn in case you want seeds.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon