Straight answers to the questions people ask most about finding a gardener near them, using a garden service, looking after a Highveld garden, and paying safely.
The most reliable way is to hire a gardener whose identity has been checked and who has reviews from real jobs. On GreenHand you post your garden job at no cost, verified gardeners near you send quotes, and you compare their experience, reviews and price before choosing. Word of mouth from neighbours also works well; whichever route you use, see their ID and agree the price in writing first.
Check who they are, what they will do, and what it will cost before any work starts. Ask to see an ID or use a platform that verifies it, read reviews from previous clients, and get a written quote that lists the tasks. For tree work near the house or power lines, ask whether they have public liability insurance. Also agree who brings the equipment and how garden refuse will be removed.
It can be, as long as you know who is coming and can see when they arrive and leave. On GreenHand every gardener is ID-verified before they can accept work, the gardener checks in and out with GPS on the job, and they upload photos when the work is done. You approve the work before the gardener is paid, so you can check it when you get home.
Use a garden service if you want the work done without becoming an employer; employ a gardener directly if you want the same person on fixed days and are ready for the paperwork. A garden service, or a gardener hired per job through a platform, quotes for the work and is responsible for their own tax. Employing someone yourself makes you their employer, with the legal duties that come with that.
A gardener you employ directly is a domestic worker, and you have the same duties as any household employer. You must give them written particulars of employment, pay at least the national minimum wage, register them for UIF if they work more than 24 hours a month, and register with the Compensation Fund (COIDA). The Department of Employment and Labour sets and updates the minimum wage, so check the current rate with them.
No. Gardeners on GreenHand are independent service providers who quote for each job, so you are booking a service, not employing someone. You pay the agreed price for the job through the platform, and the gardener is responsible for their own tax.
In summer most Gauteng lawns need cutting every one to two weeks; in winter, once a month or less is usually enough. Growth peaks with the summer rains, roughly from spring to autumn, and slows right down in the dry, cold Highveld winter. Cutting too short in hot weather stresses the grass, so leave it a little longer in midsummer.
Trim hedges during the growing season, from spring through summer, when they grow fastest and recover quickly. Fast-growing hedges may need a trim every few weeks in summer, and much less in winter. Leave heavy cutting back until the warmer months so new growth can fill in.
Usually not for an ordinary garden tree, but you do for a protected species, and estates often have their own rules. Some indigenous trees are protected under the National Forests Act, and cutting or removing one without a licence from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment is an offence, even on private land. Check with your municipality and your estate or body corporate before felling a large or indigenous tree.
There often are, and they usually limit when and how you may water your garden. Gauteng municipalities announce restrictions when supply is under pressure, commonly limiting hosepipe and sprinkler use to certain times of day. Check your municipality's current rules before setting irrigation timers.
Pay for the agreed work, not before it, and keep a record of the payment. Avoid paying a stranger the full amount in cash upfront. On GreenHand you pay when you accept a quote, but GreenHand holds the money under Payment Protection and only pays the gardener once the job is done.
On GreenHand you raise it before you confirm the job, and the payment stays held while it is sorted out. After the gardener marks the job complete you are asked to confirm the work. If you do not confirm or raise a dispute within 72 hours, the booking may be confirmed automatically and the payment released to the gardener, so raise any problem within that window. This does not affect your rights under the Consumer Protection Act.
No. Posting a job and receiving quotes on GreenHand costs nothing, and you are under no obligation to accept any quote. You only pay when you accept a quote.
Post your garden job at no cost and get quotes from verified gardeners in Gauteng.