If things self seed in a position where they don't need to be dug up and just become part of the garden then they shouldn't be taken without permission in my book. If they are in a path or growing up through something else, ie they need to be moved, then I don't see much of an issue but it would be nice if they asked.
The plant was just the tip of the iceberg. There is much more to mention to be honest. I’ve been coy with information as you never know who could be reading. Just to say the plant is known about as is some other. Where as some is suspected but not seen.
The plant was just the tip of the iceberg. There is much more to mention to be honest. I’ve been coy with information as you never know who could be reading. Just to say the plant is known about as is some other. Where as some is suspected but not seen.
I can appreciate your caution, this is a public forum after all. I think when all's said and done you will just have to decide whether to put up with it, say something about it and see what the reaction is and take it from there, or just say that due to a change of circumstances you have to dispense with their services . It just depends on how much you're prepared to stand for.
The plants are yours .If he’s just taking bits he’s clipping or thinning or whatever that would have been composted ,not so bad provided he hasn’t got a little market stall or whatever selling them. I’d be cross if that was going on,especially as you are already paying him to do a job of work.
Rather than worrying or fuming, I were would just have a straight conversation over a cup of tea. Air your concerns if you think whole plants have gone and you don’t know why.
In my experience it’s very easy to get the wrong end of the stick. Just ask.
As far as I am concerned this relates to good unfortunately "Old fashioned" Manners. if it is not yours then ask it doesn't take much and you would probably find you would be given what you ask for. Politeness and honesty count in my view. Hunkering down waiting for replies
I agree with @bcpathome and @groucher . It's no different from the people who uproot plants from the wild. Not theirs to take. He should have asked. Simple.
The biggest problem is how you tackle it though. I wish you luck. It might be worth finding a replacement first, in case you tell him to get lost and then can't find a suitable person to take over.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Layered cuttings take only a few minutes to do but they can take months or a year to take. In quantity they would be visible to a garden owner who was watching what their gardener was doing. Some more vigorous plants could produce a cutting 2ft tall. If she or he took cuttings and put them in a plastic bag this would not be practical if moving on to another garden.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
Basically you shouldn’t employ someone you don’t trust, especially at your home. I also wouldn’t employ someone I couldn’t talk to about plants in your garden.
Do you do the ‘British’ thing of just leaving him/her to get on with it? Perhaps they think you don’t give a stuff about your garden as long as it’s tidy? Perhaps he doesn’t realize you walk around and notice things. Perhaps you could go out there and do a bit of gardening alongside him/her, asking questions, chatting … that’s what some of @WonkyWomble’s clients do … they learn from her and she gets to know their likes and dislikes. She can also give them instructions about watering etc until her next visit.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
My partner regularly brings home pruning from clients' gardens, and also plants that have been thinned out or even completely pulled up due to not being wanted. They sit down the side of our house until she finds a home for them - often in other clients' gardens! She looks on this as a form of rescue/ recycling, while her clients see it as keeping something out of their green bins. So yes, this is common practice, but I can understand that you might be narked if this gardener is doing it surreptitiously, particularly if he is removing large plants that you wanted to keep. Overall though, I'd like to ask: are you happy with them as a gardener, and could you honestly say you pay them what they are worth? My partner has clients that involve a 20 mile round trip and an hour of unpaid travel; she works come rain or shine and has to supply her own work clothing and tools. I keep telling her that her business model is crap, but she doesn't want to complicate things at this stage of her life 🙄 I'm not gonna say "wind yer neck in" cos it's your garden and your choice, but if it was me I'd have to put it down to "perks of the trade"
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I think when all's said and done you will just have to decide whether to put up with it, say something about it and see what the reaction is and take it from there, or just say that due to a change of circumstances you have to dispense with their services . It just depends on how much you're prepared to stand for.
He should have asked. Simple.
The biggest problem is how you tackle it though. I wish you luck. It might be worth finding a replacement first, in case you tell him to get lost and then can't find a suitable person to take over.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
They sit down the side of our house until she finds a home for them - often in other clients' gardens!
She looks on this as a form of rescue/ recycling, while her clients see it as keeping something out of their green bins.
So yes, this is common practice, but I can understand that you might be narked if this gardener is doing it surreptitiously, particularly if he is removing large plants that you wanted to keep.
Overall though, I'd like to ask: are you happy with them as a gardener, and could you honestly say you pay them what they are worth? My partner has clients that involve a 20 mile round trip and an hour of unpaid travel; she works come rain or shine and has to supply her own work clothing and tools. I keep telling her that her business model is crap, but she doesn't want to complicate things at this stage of her life 🙄
I'm not gonna say "wind yer neck in" cos it's your garden and your choice, but if it was me I'd have to put it down to "perks of the trade"