Content asset · contract maintenance
What a maintenance visit actually includes
"Garden maintenance" means very different things to different contractors, and most disputes start there. This is the order we work a site in, what is included as standard, what is quoted separately, and how a fixed-price round is put together — written down so you can hold us to it.
The order of work
Six steps, every visit, in the same order.
Working to a fixed sequence is the only reliable way to stop the awkward jobs quietly dropping off the end of a busy afternoon.
01
Walk the site first
Every visit starts with a lap of the garden before a machine comes off the van. It takes two minutes and it is how we spot the things a schedule cannot predict — a fence panel down after a gale, a shrub failing, a blocked gully, a tree limb over a path. Anything that needs more than the visit allows gets flagged to you rather than quietly ignored or quietly added to the bill.
02
Grass and edges
Mowing at a height set for the season, not the same notch all year, and the direction varied between visits so the sward does not lie flat one way. Edges are cut back against beds, paths and drives — the single thing that makes the difference between a garden that has been mown and one that has been looked after. Clippings are collected.
03
Beds and borders
Weeded by hand where planting is close, hoed where it is open, and mulch pulled back off the crowns of plants that are drowning in it. Deadheading and tying in through the season, cutting back in autumn. Anything that has died or outgrown its spot is pointed out with a recommendation rather than removed on our own initiative.
04
Hedges and shrubs
Trimmed to the agreed line and height on the visits where that falls due — most formal hedges want one or two cuts a year, not twelve. Shrubs and roses are pruned in their own season. Between times, hedges get the odd stray growth taken off so the shape holds without a full cut.
05
Hard surfaces
Paths, drives, patios and steps swept, and weed and moss treated on the schedule agreed. On commercial and communal sites this is the part that matters most: keeping surfaces free of trip and slip hazards is a duty-of-care item, not cosmetic.
06
Clean up and take away
Pavements and driveways swept, gates shut, nothing left leaning against a wall. All arisings are loaded and taken away with us and disposed of in an environmental and responsible way — that is included, not an extra line.
No grey areas
What is in the price, and what is not.
Included as standard
- Mowing, edging and clippings collected
- Hand weeding and hoeing of beds and borders
- Hedge and shrub work on the agreed schedule
- Sweeping of paths, drives and patios
- Removal and responsible disposal of all green waste
- A note to you of anything spotted that needs a separate quote
Quoted separately, in writing
- Bringing an overgrown garden back under control before the round starts
- Turfing, planting schemes, rockeries and re-design work
- Patios, fencing, walling and other construction
- Tree work requiring specialist equipment or access
- Large-volume waste clearance beyond the visit's normal arisings
Pricing
How the fixed price is worked out
Regular maintenance is a fixed-price service for an agreed number of visits during the year. We look at the site, agree what a visit covers and how many visits the garden needs across the seasons, and the price follows from that. It is the same figure each time, which makes it easy to budget and stops the awkward conversation about why July cost more than February.
Two things shape that number more than anything else: how much hedge and border there is compared with grass, and whether the garden is already in a state that can be maintained. If it isn't, we will quote a clearance or a one-off tidy first and start the round from a sensible baseline — it works out cheaper than paying a maintenance crew to fight overgrowth on every visit.
Project work — turfing, patios, planting, fencing — is quoted on its own, in writing, before anything is booked. The consultation and the quote are free either way.
Before you call
The questions we are asked most.
Do I have to take a contract, or can I book one visit?
Either. Single visit tidies are a proper part of what we do — for people moving into a new house, for landlords and tenants, or for anyone whose garden has simply got out of control and needs getting to grips with. There is no obligation to carry on afterwards, though most people who start with a tidy end up asking about a round.
What does the fixed price actually cover?
Regular maintenance is a fixed-price service for an agreed number of visits during the year. The quote sets out what a visit includes — grass and edges, beds, hedges on their schedule, hard surfaces, and removal of all the waste — and that is what happens each time, for the same money. Anything outside it gets quoted separately before it is done, never added afterwards.
Do you take the green waste away?
Yes, as standard. Clippings, prunings, hedge trimmings and cleared growth all leave with us and are disposed of in an environmental and responsible way. We clean up after ourselves as well, sweeping pavements and driveways where the work has spread onto them.
Can you take on a garden that has been left for years?
That is one of the things we do most. We will tackle overgrown gardens and get them back to a manageable state, bag it up and take it away. Winter is usually the quickest and cheapest time to do it, with the growth down and the ground firm. Once it is clear we can tell you honestly what is worth keeping.
Do you work for landlords, agents and commercial sites?
Yes. Contract maintenance is built for exactly that — let property where the garden has to be presentable between tenancies, managed blocks with communal grounds, and commercial sites where paths and car parks carry a duty of care. The schedule and the invoicing are set up so an agent can hand it over and stop thinking about it.
What about hedge cutting and nesting birds?
We work around it. Nesting season broadly runs March to August, so the main formal hedge cut is timed for late summer once nesting is finished, with a lighter trim earlier in the year only where the hedge is clearly unoccupied. It is a legal point as well as a decent one.
Which areas do you cover?
The head office and the regular round are in Salisbury, covering the city and the surrounding Wiltshire villages. The company also works in Henley-on-Thames and Oxfordshire, and takes on larger contract and grounds work across the south of England. If you are near any of those and want to know whether we can fit you in, just ask.
How do I get a quote?
Call or email and we will arrange to come and look. The consultation and the quote are free and there is no obligation — you get a straight assessment of what the garden needs and a clear price before anything is booked in.
Want a round set up?
Tell us what you have and we will come and look, agree what a visit covers and how many the site needs, and put a fixed price on it. The consultation is free.