See if a friend or neighbor can recommend someone. Sometimes a local garden center (not a big box store) knows of someone reliable. Perhaps clear communication about how close they are allowed to get to the roses would be a good idea.

Hope things go better for you.

Good Grief. Glad u fired them

Interview before you hire. Ask them what they know about roses, other favorite plants. Ask how long they've been at the trade, where they got their training. Get references and check them. How comfortable are you with them--can you laugh, share a vision. Are they enthusiastic about gardens or just treat the work as a job instead of a passion. I'm a landscaper/gardener and I wouldn't let half of the people working the trade anywhere near my garden.

Can you call your local Rose Society and ask them if they have anyone they can recommend?

Well, the local nursery owner who is a client of mine, reccomended this guy, and that is why I hired him. It was their ATTITUDE that made me angry.

This is not new to me. I have been through three yard crews to JUST cut grass and edge sidewalks this year because they dont do what they are supposed to do, even though it is clearly written in the contracts.

The first one I fired is the one who put in my knockouts yet didnt remove the grass, just dug holes (all spaced different too) and dropped in plants, charged me double what the estimate was to do it. He then argued with me that the written estimate he had given me did not include the bed digging and mulching it SAID it did...he didnt last past that day. The week before he had planted my jasmine along my dog fence and shorted me three plants, charged me for them then never brought them out. I still need those three plants, and will be looking for them in the spring.

The next one I fired (hired on a reccomendation from a great client), well, lets just say he charged me for days they didnt come and one member of the crew ruined EIGHT flower pots that housed 3 foot tall HT roses with a weedeater in one day and refused to replace them.....until my hubby called him and demanded it.

If this was my house I would do it all myself, but its my grooming shop and I HAVE to keep it as nice as possible. We are super busy and also shorthanded currently at work,. so me doing it is out unless I want to do it on Sunday, which I would rather spend that day at home on the couch or working in my house garden. I have some roses at home that need attention.

I pay almost $300 a month for landscaping. I have a double city lot and its all grass.

Honestly though, amd I asking to omuch? Use common sense, don;t charge me for things you dont do, and pick up the beer bottles when you find them in the yard, dont mow over them.......

On a good note, my son came by last night after work and finished the one bed with the Belinda's in it. He finished digging it out, laid down the lanscape cloth and the mulch I had paid for and that bed looks great. We only have 50 feet more to do. That bed was ten feet......

Maybe you need to hire some gardeners who can do landscaping, instead of teaching landscapers about gardening?

That's a shame there particentral!
Hope you find someone with some common sense!

JIM

Posted by zack_lau z6 CT (My Page) on Thu, Sep 3, 09 at 10:59

Maybe you need to hire some gardeners who can do landscaping, instead of teaching landscapers about gardening?

WELL if I could find them I would....this area of GA is hard pressed to find anyone to do anything. I mean, my grooming shop could use two more full time employees but I cannot find anyone that knows what to do or is willing to learn even! It will all work out. One of the garden club memebers is a client and she is sending up someone this afternoon....MAYBE he understands what I need done. If he DOES then he will have a job. I need 4 more elevated beds built too but need someone that doesnt go, "Elevated whats??"

I read your tale of woe and can empathize with you. It just doesn't seem like people want to do physical labor anymore even if the money is good. As one "landscape" person told me last week when I was checking on having some trees trimmed, well they are YOUR trees, so of course we don't care as much as you do. HUH? How about doing a good job because you take pride in your workmanship and want to make the homeowner happy (aside from the paycheck). I certainly can understand unreasonable demands by an employer, but it sounds like everything you requested was simple and straightforward. Good luck finding someone who cares.

Perhaps if you see a garden that is well-maintained you could ask the owner who the gardener is?

I used to be in the landscaping business but got out of it because my body wore out.

It's very hard to find people both willing and knowledgeable. Seems like people willing to do the work don't know much, and people who know aren't willing to do the physical work or aren't able to do it in a business-like manner. And all too many in the industry doing the work are just doing it for a job.

Check with community colleges or tech schools with horticulture programs. Ask landscape architects. Ask local nurseries. Ask people with well-maintained gardens. Ask at the wholesale landscaper supply nurseries, the sales staff will know which of their clientele know their a** from a hole in the ground. Keep in mind that really good landscapers don't necessarily advertise, or have room in their schedules.

There are impossible demands and unrealistic expectations, which I'm sure you've experienced if you're in a service trade, but your expectations all sound reasonable. The landscaping crew should not be talking back at you, or ruining your hardscape, or leaving things lying around in traffic areas.

Well, it is good to know my requirements sound reasonable! I would be ever so glad to build my beds myself but it would be easier to find someone to do it for me since I dont really have time. My son and his roomate cut in the knockouts today so we only have one more side of the parking area to go (I have Bonicas there) and I take care of the roses myself, so all I need is someone to cut grass, edge and clean up after themselves..I just thought I would help out someone elses business and save myself some work contracting out the work I needed done..I was weeding around the Jasmine that surrounds my cocker spaniel's excercise yard tonight while the Knockout bed soaked and realized that half of them are badly damaged from weedeaters and some are totally cut off at the base. They are dying at a rapid rate and now I understand WHY....That will mean big time replacements in the spring. HECK it might be a reason to buy more roses!

The new yard crew I interviewed seems to understand my needs. I spoke to the ENTIRE crew not just the owner. They come for the first time on Tuesday. I told them and put in writing I want debris up (which is mostly pinecones because I pick up trash daily), weedeating as needed where safe to do it, edging done as needed and remove the nuisance plants that no one has touched yet this year, grass cut weekly and the sidewalks and parking lot blown off if needced and the excercise yard raked or vacummed (its only 20x30 but its where my show dogs go). The quote I was given is abit higher than the other crews ($10) but if they DO IT its worth it to me.

HECK guys, I have 32 potted roses (soon to be fewer cause I am building ab ed for some of the grandifloras tomorrow, sigh) that I MOVE into the parking lot myself so they dont have to! They said I dont have to that they will, bit I will do it still until I know they can be trusted because I just dont want my property destroyed. My HT's are all over 3 foot tall and full of foliage and blooms....I feel better doing that myself until I can get them mulched under and around to prevent having to move them to mow and weedeat...that will be next week if all goes well.

Being in the service industry myself I may expect too much, I dont know.....but like I said, keep it clean, safe and do your job without destroying stuff and we will be fine!

I see nothing wrong with the way you want things done
at your place of business particentral.
Hopefully this outfit works out for you!

JIM

I've never hired a landscaper, my yard is too small, but I've been very lucky with builders. One crew finished the job in record time. Neighbours were so impressed they came running to ask where we've got hold of these guys. Their last day at work happened to be a very fine day so I made a cake and invited them for coffee outside in the garden. The boss shouted so loud that I had to take a step back: This is a proper household! Over coffee he told my husband and me that no clients ever give workers as much as a glass of water now for fear of he knew not what. This company has since become so big it's not possible for a private person to hire them any more. I see their logo on big commercial constructions all over the city.

Marianne in Sweden

I have hired few people to work for me. However, when we had our roof done, I lost a couple of roses in the back, so when they returned the next day, I was very specific to all of them IN SPANISH, and had no problem. As a matter of fact, I put rebar all over the roses that were important, and told them how important they are. I told everyone.

I think if I were in your shoes, I would purchase the plants or have the nursery deliver them. I would also tell them the work to be done, step by step. First take out all the grass, next till the soil, next put in mulch and top soil, next the border. Finally plant the plants where the stakes are. I just don't think there is a relationship to them between mowing a lawn, and preparing a bed. Unless they come in with big machines, and charge you accordingly, I don't think you can be too careful.

Now that I look at what I have written, I realize that it could be offensive. I don't mean it to be, but I understand the mind set of a person who is clueless. Can you imagine sticking a plant in the ground, and not understanding that the soil must be prepared?

Also there are so many people who cannot read or write any language. Around here, they are such good people, but there is so much they do not understand.

Sammy

No offense....the thing is the first landscaper planted the roses without preparing the beds. Just dug a hole and dropped the plants in. I was not here when they did it, I was in AZ with the grandkids as they came a week earlier than agreed upon. The work order ws VERY clearly written to say DIG A BED, PLAN, MULCH and all they did was dig a hole and drop the roses in. SO we are having to deal with a mess and try to fix it......we think that we have decided to put in the beds ourselves and let the crew that I THINK is going to be my yard crew JUST cut the grass, but like I said earlier, even the grass cutters ONLY broke pots, tipped over HTs and destroyed several hundred dollars of Jasmine..... so even just cutting grass is not easy!~

My hubby and I just potted 10 more roses and got two beds ready for my son the fill in. We put the rest of the Floribundas in the ground and he and his roomate are coming out to lay landscape fabric and mulch this evening.... I gave up on the raised bed for today. The materials are here, but I have cockers that need bathed uot for a show this coming weekend. Sigh.....its always something!

I have not visited this site for years. I was amazed my log-in still worked! I have moved a couple of times and now rent but I still have one rose in a pot that I have dragged with me all the way to Maine. I hope it survives the winter. Zone 5 will be a new experience for me.

As for landscapers...I think they want everything to look like a shopping center. I was able to rent a place with a lovely garden, but it is managed by a property management company and I have no contact with the owners who moved across the country. They hired a landscaper (landscraper) to come in and weed and mulch. They came in and dug up astilbe and a creeper that was not in bloom (I didn't recognize it) cut off the tops of weeds leaving the roots, then went away for week during a hot spell leaving the ground to dry out. Then they came back and dumped inches of dark bark mulch on a garden that before had been mulched with hay giving the place a very differnt aspect. They also "deadheaded" the globe thistles. Rhododendrons and hostas they seemed to understand - as I said, as long as it looks like a shopping center... I called the property managers and told them I would care for the garden from now on. (Actually I had been caring for it but they didn't know that) I don't know my owners, but just because they had to move across country for employment doesn't mean that a garden obviously lovingly planted should be destroyed.

Sounds like how I got my job of taking care of a clients roses. I am doing a better job at maintaining the roses than 2 different landscape companies did (with a crew) and it's not even my expertise and it's over 100 rose bushes, PLUS I cut arrangements for the clients where the landscapers never did, and I do this in addition to the normal work I do for them. It's been 2-3 years now and they are plenty happy.