I had been gardening for about seven years. I went to see a new garden, the owner showed me an old electric lawn mower, I asked if he had a powerbreaker a firm 'no'. He was cross, I walked away in a heavy thunderstorm. I sheltered at a nearby florist's and looked in the window,everything looked beautiful. At that point I changed direction and became a flower gardener. Totally concentrating on plants and their care and design. It is hard work especially if no one cares but I felt confident enough to do my own thing so from then on I worked for people who loved plants and gardens. Someone else cut the grass. Two of my favourite gardens were small but very much on view to passers by, they had been landscaped and were kept to a high standard which the owners wanted. Weeding an NGS garden can be a challenge, you don't want to see that huge sow thistle in the middle of the border after hundreds of visitors have left.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
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 in principle, but in this case we zero detail about the background or what happened so we can’t condemn an unknown gardener for an unknown offence. It’s starting an argument in an empty room.
sitting on my very comfy fence: maybe something was said, in passing perhaps,at some point in the past, which might have suggested/ implied, or been construed as such, that it was ok to take cuttings. The gardener can't put his side of the situation, perhaps his version of events differs?
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"
Thank you for your honesty. And yes, what I really wanted to know is, was it common practice. To know that they are not alone is not so much reassuring, but handy to know.
As for earnings, the gardener is paid far more than what I earn on an hourly rate and appreciate that this covers sickness, leave, pension, tools etc. As for travel, unless you are lucky to be able to work from home, we all have travel costs.
I can’t see who said it, but I do think that they think I neither know nor care what is in the garden and yes I have noticed gaps. And no there has never been any conversation over ‘would you mind’ or anything like that.
It has been very interesting seeing everyone’s views and thank you for all of your replies.
I think the next step if for you to talk to your gardener. Taking a few cuttings shouldn't leave gaps in the garden. If you think they are digging up and taking plants that you've bought and planted, that's an entirely different matter.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
" As for travel, unless you are lucky to be able to work from home, we all have travel costs. " Indeed. Unless you're in a specific type of job which involves travelling around the country, and often using your own transport where you might get certain allowances, that's the norm. It's not unusual at all. A lot of people up here work in or around Edinburgh, but live on this side - and vice versa. Approx forty miles.
I hope you can resolve it @OopsyDaisy. It doesn't sound like it could be easy. Just remember, if he's doing it to you, he's probably doing it to others. Not much consolation though.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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He was cross, I walked away in a heavy thunderstorm.
I sheltered at a nearby florist's and looked in the window,everything looked beautiful. At that point I changed direction and became a flower gardener. Totally concentrating on plants and their care and design.
It is hard work especially if no one cares but I felt confident enough to do my own thing so from then on I worked for people who loved plants and gardens. Someone else cut the grass.
Two of my favourite gardens were small but very much on view to passers by, they had been landscaped and were kept to a high standard which the owners wanted. Weeding an NGS garden can be a challenge, you don't want to see that huge sow thistle in the middle of the border after hundreds of visitors have left.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
The only thing to be decided, is how should it be handled.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
The gardener can't put his side of the situation, perhaps his version of events differs?
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
As for earnings, the gardener is paid far more than what I earn on an hourly rate and appreciate that this covers sickness, leave, pension, tools etc. As for travel, unless you are lucky to be able to work from home, we all have travel costs.
Indeed. Unless you're in a specific type of job which involves travelling around the country, and often using your own transport where you might get certain allowances, that's the norm. It's not unusual at all. A lot of people up here work in or around Edinburgh, but live on this side - and vice versa. Approx forty miles.
I hope you can resolve it @OopsyDaisy. It doesn't sound like it could be easy. Just remember, if he's doing it to you, he's probably doing it to others. Not much consolation though.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...