Those who enjoy spending time outside may have contemplated leaving their desk jobs for such a job. Landscape gardening gives people the opportunity to work outside. It entails creating landscapes and gardens as well as carrying out your design concept.
But the next step is how do I become a landscape gardener and will I enjoy it.
A landscape gardener’s responsibilities will often include:
- Client communication on garden/landscape design.
- Recognising the client’s requirements and expectations.
- Sketching and planning the client’s vision.
- Making certain that your plans are inside your budget.
- Costing manpower, materials, and so on.
- Providing client estimations.
- Purchasing extras such as garden furniture.
- Creating water features.
- Turf cultivation and seeding as needed.
- Planting flowers, shrubs, and trees as needed.
Landscape gardeners frequently advise their clients on the best ways to manage their garden or land after a job is completed. You may desire to provide further services to manage the space or garden at this time, and in doing so, you may be able to obtain continuous work.
Qualifications required to work as a landscape gardener
There are no official qualifications required to become a landscape gardener; nonetheless, a love of the outdoors and an interest for plants, shrubs, and gardening are important attributes to have.
A horticulture qualification may be valuable, however experience is valued more than qualifications in the field of landscape gardening. If you want to obtain experience in this field, you should consider starting with a volunteer position. Contacting a nearby landscaped area, such as a National Trust or council-owned site, and asking if they need volunteers could be an excellent opportunity to gain useful gardening experience.
Advantages of becoming a self-employed landscape gardener
If you are convinced landscape gardening you may wonder How to become a landscape gardener. The answer is set up in business yourself and go self employed.
This may not be an obvious way in how to get into landscaping. However many self-employed landscape gardeners prefer to work for themselves.
Some astute business minded landscape gardeners work for themselves straight after gaining industry experience
Working as a self-employed landscape gardener has numerous advantages, some of which are given here.
Flexible working hours
– As a self-employed worker, you can set your own hours and organise your work around any personal obligations you may have. However, keep in mind that your work as a landscape gardener is weather sensitive, so you may need to organise your working hours based on the weather prediction.
Choose the projects you work on
– One of the benefits of working for yourself is that you may pick and choose the clients you deal with. As a result, you can accept those tasks that pique your interest and will add value to your portfolio.
Build your portfolio rapidly
– Because many self-employed landscape gardeners work on a variety of projects, they obtain a lot of experience in a short period of time. A diverse portfolio of work is an excellent method to demonstrate your abilities to potential clients and is also useful for marketing.
Job happiness
– Those who work for themselves frequently report higher levels of job satisfaction than full-time employees. Many things contribute to this, including flexible work hours, a lack of office politics, and the independence that comes with being your own boss.
Finding work as a landscape gardener on your own
Anyone starting their own firm must find a strategy to communicate the services that they provide to potential customers. Whether you want to employ flyers, car labels, pamphlets, or signs, keep your target market in mind.
Landscape gardeners can promote their work on a digital platform thanks to the internet. A website that is routinely updated with photographs from current projects and glowing testimonials is the ideal place for potential clients to learn more about your company.
There are numerous places where you can market your services to customers looking for tradespeople. You may be charged a shortlist or signup cost, so it may be worth selecting for a website that will only charge you once you have completed a project to secure a return on investment. MyBuilder is one such website.
Developing relationships with current clients is an excellent strategy to get continued maintenance business. As a landscape gardener, having a mix of continuing and one-time project work is an excellent way to operate since consistent income from ongoing work provides security when hunting for your next project.
Pay rates for landscape gardeners
The amount you could be paid as a landscape gardener will depend on a number of things, including the time of year, the number of clients you work for, and, of course, the amount you charge for your services. Landscape gardeners typically charge a flat fee per task, which takes into account the materials required, the complexity and skill level involved, and the length of time it will take to finish.
Landscape gardening is a seasonal occupation. You will most likely be rushed during the summer months, whereas the winter months will be much slower.
Before deciding to become a self employed landscape gardening and looking at how to get into landscaping It is critical that you prepare for downtime and save money for times when the weather affects your ability to operate.
Choosing an accountant
Organising your finances and taking responsibility for your tax and National Insurance contributions can be a difficult component of going self-employed.
Many self-employed individuals hire an accountant to manage their money, allowing them to focus on building their business. Using a professional accountant gives you 2 advantages. Firstly they will ensure that all of your accounts are proper and up to date. Secondly they will also guarantee that you are conducting your business in the most tax-efficient manner possible and that you are claiming all of the costs to which you are entitled.