A lawn-mowing quote is usually reasonably straightforward.
A garden tidy-up is different.
One property may need an hour of weeding, edging and clearing leaves. Another may have months of growth, full green bins, restricted backyard access and several garden beds that have been largely forgotten over winter.
Both homeowners may describe the job in exactly the same way:
“The garden just needs a tidy.”
That is why garden tidy-up prices can vary considerably.
For Nash Property Services, our current guide for lawn mowing and garden tidy-up work starts around $75–$140 for smaller jobs, with larger jobs increasing according to the time and work involved. The condition of the property matters much more than simply looking at the size of the block.
What is actually included in a garden tidy-up?
There is no standard definition across the gardening industry.
That makes it worth establishing the scope before anyone starts.
A practical garden tidy-up might involve some combination of:
- lawn mowing;
- lawn edging;
- hand weeding accessible garden beds;
- clearing fallen leaves;
- light trimming;
- collecting loose garden debris;
- tidying around paths;
- clearing grass from garden-bed edges;
- blowing clippings from hard surfaces; and
- collecting green waste.
Not every job includes every item.
If you need something particular completed, say so when requesting the quote.
That is much better than assuming “garden tidy-up” means the same thing to everyone.
Why two similar-sized gardens can cost completely different amounts
Imagine two homes in Highett.
Both have roughly the same amount of lawn and similar-sized backyards.
At the first property, the lawn was mown three weeks ago, weeds are light, access is through a wide side gate and the green bin is empty.
At the second, the grass has not been touched since winter, weeds have filled several garden beds, leaves are sitting behind outdoor furniture, edging has disappeared and the mower needs to get through a narrow passage.
The land size might be similar.
The amount of work is not.
That is why photos are so useful when quoting garden work.
Overgrown gardens take longer than people expect
A garden that has gradually become untidy rarely has one single problem.
Long lawn edges often come with weeds.
Weeds come with debris.
Debris fills green bins.
Longer grass produces significantly more clippings.
Access may need clearing before equipment can even reach the backyard.
The actual mowing can sometimes be the fastest part of the entire visit.
This is also why bringing a neglected property back under control will normally cost more than maintaining the same property once the initial work has been done.
Does green waste affect the price?
Absolutely.
A regular tidy-up might produce only enough clippings and weeds to fit comfortably into the household green bin.
A larger garden clean-up can produce far more.
If material has to be loaded, transported and disposed of elsewhere, that involves additional labour and disposal time.
Tell the gardener whether you have a green-waste bin and approximately how much room is available.
It sounds like a small detail, but it can materially change the job.
Access matters more than people realise
Bayside has everything from wide established blocks to townhouses with very narrow side passages.
Getting equipment into a backyard can occasionally be harder than doing the work itself.
When requesting a quote, mention:
- narrow gates;
- stairs;
- sloping areas;
- equipment needing to pass through the house;
- locked access points;
- apartment or body-corporate restrictions; and
- difficult parking.
A photo of the access point can save a lot of guesswork.
How much should you budget?
There is no honest universal price because garden tidy-ups vary so widely.
Nash Property Services currently uses the following guide:
Small garden lawn mowing / tidy-up: approximately $75–$140
Medium garden lawn mowing / tidy-up: approximately $140–$180
Larger garden lawn mowing / tidy-up: approximately $180–$210
Those are guides rather than promises for every property.
An overgrown or unusually complicated job may require a different quote.
Likewise, a straightforward property that requires less work should not automatically be treated like a major clean-up simply because it sits on a large block.
The sensible approach is to quote the work that actually needs doing.
One-off garden tidy-up or regular service?
A one-off tidy-up is useful when the garden simply needs to be brought back under control.
That might be:
- after winter;
- before visitors arrive;
- ahead of a rental inspection;
- before selling;
- after being away;
- or because the garden has slowly got away from you.
Once it has been reset, regular work is usually easier.
The lawn stays at a manageable height, edges do not completely disappear, weeds are easier to deal with and each visit becomes more predictable.
You also do not necessarily need exactly the same frequency all year.
Melbourne gardens change with the seasons.
Late winter can be slow. Spring growth can accelerate quickly. Hot and dry periods can slow things down again.
The schedule should follow the property rather than the calendar.
Late winter is a good time to look properly at the garden
Towards the end of August, Bayside gardens often show exactly what winter has left behind.
There may be leaves caught along fences, softened lawn edges, weeds starting to establish and sections of grass beginning to grow at different rates.
You do not need to renovate the garden.
Often a proper mow, clean edging, basic weeding and clearing the accumulated winter debris is enough to make the outdoor area feel looked after again.
Getting on top of those jobs before stronger spring growth arrives can also make ongoing upkeep easier.
How to get an accurate garden tidy-up quote
The easiest thing you can do is send photos.
Take several, not one close-up of the worst weed in the garden.
Include:
- the whole front lawn;
- the whole backyard;
- major garden beds;
- side access;
- areas that are significantly overgrown;
- paths and edging;
- your green bin; and
- anything unusual.
Then explain what you actually want.
You might want everything made generally presentable.
Or you might only care about mowing, edging and getting the weeds out of two garden beds.
The clearer the brief, the more useful the quote.
Garden tidy-ups across Bayside Melbourne
Nash Property Services provides practical lawn mowing and garden tidy-up services across Highett, Sandringham, Hampton, Hampton East, Brighton, Brighton East, Beaumaris, Black Rock, Cheltenham and surrounding Bayside suburbs.
We focus on the work that makes the property noticeably neater rather than turning every garden job into an unnecessary landscaping project.
If your outdoor area has got away from you over winter, send through some current photos and tell us what you want brought back under control.
We can then give you a clearer idea of the work and likely price before the visit.
The Simple Lawn-Mowing Rule That Keeps Your Garden Looking Great