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Gardener ruined my garden

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  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    No, we go on what  evidence we've got. The questions was "what should I do?" We mentioned approaches. That's not supporting a bully. That's saying - you can try and talk to the gardener, let it go or take it to law....
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    edited September 2022
    Still find it difficult to understand that 30 foot trees were cut back to nothing with a chainsaw . You can hear a chainsaw two streets away. All that has been posted is a photo of an overgrown Rosemary that has been butchered .it would not have survived a hard prune of any sort due to it's age.

    Loading photos on this forum is difficult they are often upside down, I get really annoyed with it.
     Anyway with plenty of evidence I hope you are able to really prove your point, if it should be necessary. An upsetting and stressful time.

    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • Slow-wormSlow-worm Posts: 1,630
    The fact that a chainsaw was used doesn't mean much - I've seen plenty of tree surgeons do a great pruning job on big trees without butchering them.
     
    Best of luck @george-cauty, I hope you don't end up paying for his incompetence. 
  • jackpjackp Posts: 43
    If he wants to go court then prepare yourself to get adequate evidence he has ruined your garden .without a detailed quote or something similar it’s your word against his and the two sets of stories will likely be different so it might not be so straight forward .If the trees were pruned badly you could pay to get a professional tree surgeon or even gardener to write a short detailed report which would help the case ....are you sure he won’t just take 50% payment and move on ???
    It’s hard to believe he would go to all that trouble for only half a days wages 






  • edited September 2023
    I recently had a friends dad who advertises as a 'gardener' come around to do the hedges and weeds at the front. Went for a walk for an hour with the dog and when I came back he had completely hacked half of the hedge by the path away to bare branches as it was hanging over, and said it 'should' come back (maybe 3 years?!). Took him 3 hours. We rent, that's potential deposit gone. 
    Really needed the back weeded and some ivy trimmed and as we were going away for the weekend (he's scared of our dog) I gave him a key to do it. Full conversation, please just do the weeds in the bed, the grass it too wet so dont do it. 
    Got message from friend today saying what time are you back, he just wants to go over the grass again #alarmbells.

    I now have mud bath of a lawn fit for pigs, and that bunch of sticks in the flower bed? Was a fully in bloom 3 ×3ft healthy fuschia. All of my lilly bulbs and autumn grasses have also been dug out. No cutting back for the ivy though! 
    Fuming! If it wasn't a friends dad i'd be full on bad Google reviewing. 

    Any ideas for the lawn at least?! Can't afford to re turf but again, the landlord will go nuts if they see it 

  • AstroAstro Posts: 433
    I recently had a friends dad who advertises as a 'gardener' come around to do the hedges and weeds at the front. Went for a walk for an hour with the dog and when I came back he had completely hacked half of the hedge by the path away to bare branches as it was hanging over, and said it 'should' come back (maybe 3 years?!). Took him 3 hours. We rent, that's potential deposit gone. 
    Really needed the back weeded and some ivy trimmed and as we were going away for the weekend (he's scared of our dog) I gave him a key to do it. Full conversation, please just do the weeds in the bed, the grass it too wet so dont do it. 
    Got message from friend today saying what time are you back, he just wants to go over the grass again #alarmbells.

    I now have mud bath of a lawn fit for pigs, and that bunch of sticks in the flower bed? Was a fully in bloom 3 ×3ft healthy fuschia. All of my lilly bulbs and autumn grasses have also been dug out. No cutting back for the ivy though! 
    Fuming! If it wasn't a friends dad i'd be full on bad Google reviewing. 

    Any ideas for the lawn at least?! Can't afford to re turf but again, the landlord will go nuts if they see it 

    I'd give the lawn a light rake and overseed it, it should start looking better within a couple of weeks. Hardy fuscia can be cut back hard and recover fast once the weather warms after winter. 

    That aside the gardener should try and stick to your instructions.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited September 2023
    What type of hedge is it?  Can we see a picture please?  


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • @angeldust40403555 If you were emplying a gardener for the first time why did you go out?
    He was new to the garden and new to the way you want personally want things doing.
    Explaining is not enough on a first visit you needed to be around to at least discuss the hedge and whether or not the height he was cutting it at was what was right for you.
    I find it hard to be sympathetic you were in charge and walked away.


    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • ‘We are where we are’
    … I think practical and pragmatic advice on the situation as it is now, rather than sympathy, is what is needed here. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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