Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Farway

Hint of blue sky, could this be the day I get to clear some dead stuff from the pots at the front?

ArbitraryRandom said:

Gardener man was due an hour ago but is apparently stuck in traffic.

If you don't mind, how do you sort out his money? 

By the hour or just £XX for, say, a morning, and you tell / agree on what needs doing?

Or per job? £xx to prune trees / cut hedge etc

I'm asking because I think I'm getting to the stage where I will need a bendy back & stronger arms to give me hand this summer

greenbee

Farway, I pay my gardener by the hour plus any materials (which includes fuel if he uses chainsaws/mowers etc). How many hours he charges for often depends on the weather, but I try to have indoor/dry jobs he can do if it's bad, as I want to stay a priority and it means he knows neither he nor I will cancel due to rain so he's going to get paid regardless. Last year involved a lot of indoor work ... but it was needed

ArbitraryRandom

Farway said:

Hint of blue sky, could this be the day I get to clear some dead stuff from the pots at the front?

ArbitraryRandom said:

Gardener man was due an hour ago but is apparently stuck in traffic.

If you don't mind, how do you sort out his money? 

By the hour or just £XX for, say, a morning, and you tell / agree on what needs doing?

Or per job? £xx to prune trees / cut hedge etc

I'm asking because I think I'm getting to the stage where I will need a bendy back & stronger arms to give me hand this summer

Easiest option for me is 120 per day - and a day is generally about 6 hours (but in practice we agree what needs doing in the morning he works until he's done, so can be a bit shorter in winter and longer days in summer). It's once a month so I can always find something for him to help me with given he does general handyman stuff as well as gardening. 

Today hopefully he's going to rod one of the outside drains that's been overflowing (I think when the builders were putting in the patio, some stuff went down the drain), fix the door on the log store where the hinge dropped, then digging me a new bed for the fruit bushes and rhubarb, and building me a new compost heap from some pallets (inc turning out the existing compost heap into it and mulching the woody cabbage roots etc that I've been heaping to the side), plus anything else we spot needs doing as time allows. 

greenbee said:

 I want to stay a priority and it means he knows neither he nor I will cancel due to rain so he's going to get paid regardless. Last year involved a lot of indoor work ... but it was needed

I really don't like having people in my house... but similar to you I want to make sure he gets paid every month, so he tells me about a week in advance when he's turning up based on other jobs he's got on and the weather forecast. I work from home 90% of the time so makes no difference to me and he appreciates that he can just fit me in whenever. 

greenbee

Your gardener sounds like mine @ArbitraryRandom - he's done drains and repairs too He also puts up curtain poles and has done the loft insulation (there's more of that to do!). 

Farway

Dull again   storms etc due for the weekend, so this may be as good as it gets

Thanks all for gardener payment info, I think I'll have to be by the hour because I've only a small garden so not really enough work for a whole / half day on a continuing basis

The sun did creep out Yesterday afternoon, which gave me enough warmth to sort the pots out at the front.

I can now see all the daff shoots, plus dug out my Bishops' child [from seed], only because it's a tall floppy dahlia and I now want short dumpy dahlias

Also removed most of the pelargoniums, as expected the recent hards frosts did get nearly all of them.

Still have two clumps of sedums to dig out, I want to plant my Rosa Car parkii in the space

I'm in the market for short bedders from Morries, a bit early, but now I have a couple of empty troughs should any bargains show up.

The local GC that closed recently, is now being taken over by https://www.britishgardencentres.com/  

Looking at website seems same as the rest, furniture, café, + tat with some plants mixed in

Due to open March, no doubt getting ready for Easter Bunnies and doomed tomato plants

Good news is local rag respected local paper reports staff are being retained, so no jobs lost at least.

Just e-mailed Council, to see it the two promised trees on “my” verge are still going to be planted as promised, or have events overtaken them? 

Only wondering 'cos time is cracking on, coming March was end deadline and some shrub/ bramble clearance has recently taken place

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Mild but rather gloomy on today's morning walk

pink_poppy

That's me back. Thanks for all the well-wishes - I kept reading and the ramblings conversation and pics really brightened my days   

Lovely pic, lunatic, whereabouts are you in the UK (roughly)??

I was in the garden yesterday, uncovering daffs and crocuses that were popping up from underneath a carpet of weeds and moss. Looks better, but I think the moss is going to be an on-going problem as it's been so wet here.

Having said that, it's dry/damp with a bit of sun today. I need to go to the Post Office, so that'll be my exercise and fresh air for the day.

I took these pics on the 9th January when it was icy cold. I know we've talked about the Vital Spark before, but I couldn't remember if I've ever posted a pic. Quite a bit of Loch Fyne was frozen...

wort

Lunatic lunatic lovely views you have there.
PP the sun on the snowy mountains is so pretty.

👋🏻hi YBE hope you sort your banking. It’s easy to put off isn’t it, but hopefully get the Morgan fund set up.

Interesting on the gardeners/ handyman very useful to have a good one.

A few days off for me, so had a good house clean and changed the beds this morning. Wash had to stay indoors as rain is predicted and it’s very grey and cold. The weekend was in the minuses and getting home after work was a heating on and PJs on under the throw.
DSis is picking me up shortly going to a GC but for coffee as it’s like Farways one ,it’s also one that’s mostly shoes and outerwear rather than plants ,the garden bit has been getting smaller and the cafe getting bigger.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

pink_poppy said:

Lovely pic, lunatic, whereabouts are you in the UK (roughly)??

We're in North Wales, sort of towards the bottom end, very nice this time of year as the holiday makers have yet to descend and you can wander for miles without meeting a soul. 

Stunning photo of the Loch, we have some great spots in Wales but you are really are spoiled up there  

-taff

The meters were installed [under the stairs] so that prompted some DIY of ripping out the boarding [ probably has asbestos in it] to replace with different boarding which was an opportunity to fix the light [fixed], fill the holes in the walls [filled not sanded yet]  and put some different shelving in there and paint which I'm halfway through. Hence the absence because I don't work quickly...Spring is coming though and I know this because my potatoes were delivered this morning but I've forgotten which ones I ordered which means I now have to clear some space to put them all in on the allotment which I haven't visited since before Christmas, bad girl, smacked wrist, I'll go Friday. Honest guv. I know the waterbutts need attention too. I'm simulataneously desperate to go there but also really not wanting to. Probably because it's cold even though I know I'll warm up.

I did like the money dragon tree too, it always amuses and amazes me that people like to stick odd things somewhere and that after loads of th same things being put somewhere, it always looks quite nice if a bit mad and bonkers - like the padlock bridge thing.

2P, thank god for young chaps and clips. And good job you mentioned I managed to save my pump from being chewed by foxes now..

Good to know berberis is a goer, it's very pretty. 

Farway, yes you are a brave little gardener One of my friends has just come back from Turkey after six months of no teeth, he now has gnashers to be proud of which don't look too bad...And they really are massive stumps...the trees that is. My sister got herself a plant display thing of metal from Lidl about five years ago, still going strong too so that one is obviously a good buy [ and some green waste bags] Shame about the pelargonoiums too.

ybe, your posh town stuff is stupid money...I know artists should be paid for their work etc but when I see stuff like that, if I can't make it, I will consider paying, but in that case, I am still not paying it...well done on collecting mroe bird feeders too.

Arb, good king henry is a better bet for a spinach substitute than tree spinach [ pink shoots] because the latter is a bit more bitter. That's what I've learned last year It will be big though. and the lovage wil be, think 6ft and spreads slowly.

Nice views lunatic. I'm voting for Wales, Scotland or Yorkshire in that order