Look Inside
The Starting a Garden or Landscape Business ebook provides a wealth of practical information on what you would need to consider when starting such a business.
Expert advice on how to get started in your own garden or landscape business! Learn how to start small and grow into a full time enterprise whilst staying grounded and inspired.
This ebook is packed with valuable business advice, horticultural and landscaping knowledge and practical ideas- download it today.
Contents
CHAPTER 1 GETTING STARTED
Getting Started
Points to Watch Out For
Two Ways to Begin in Business
Starting A New Business Compared To Buying One
What Sorts Of Records Do I Need To Keep?
Understanding Contract Law
CHAPTER 2 WHAT SERVICES COULD YOU OFFER?
Types Of Service
Other Options
Complimentary Fringe Services
Considering The Options
What Do You Need To Offer These Services?
Specialist Niche Areas For Landscape Construction
Specialist Areas For A Design Business
Buying Equipment And Tools
CHAPTER 3 GARDEN MAINTENANCE SERVICES
Plant Care
CHAPTER 4 LANDSCAPING
Options For Specialisation
Starting A Garden Design Service
Starting A Landscape Construction Service
Improving Soils
Improving Drainage
Improving Surface Drainage After Construction
Mulches
Hard Surfacing
Water In The Garden
Steps
CHAPTER 5 MANAGING FINANCES & COSTING
Business Planning
Landscape Specifications & Contracts
About the Author:
John L. Mason Dip.Hort.Sc., Sup'n Cert., FIOH, FPLA, MAIH, MACHPER, MASA
John Mason has had over 35 years experience in the fields of Horticulture, Recreation, Education and Journalism. He has extensive experience both as a public servant, and as a small business owner. John has held positions ranging from Director of Parks and Recreation (City of Essendon) to magazine editor.
John is a well respected member of many professional associations, and author of over thirty five books and of over two thousand magazine articles. Even today, John continues to write books for various publishers including Simon and Shuster, and Landlinks Press (CSIRO Publishing).
Excerpt from the book:
CHAPTER 2: WHAT SERVICES COULD YOU OFFER?
Home service industries such as house cleaning, child care and gardening are boom industries in Australia today. More and more, in many households, both husband and wife are
working, leaving less time for gardening. With two wages, they are better able to afford to pay someone to do their gardening jobs.
TYPES OF SERVICE
The services you could consider providing include:
LAWN MOWING
- Normally done on a weekly or fortnightly basis in the active growing seasons – less often in winter.
- May include trimming edges on each cut, on every second or third cut, or not at all.
- May be a 'quality cut' service, for top quality lawns using top-quality cylinder mowers.
- May be a basic cutting service using a standard rotary-type mower.
- You may or may not be required to remove lawn clippings from the site.
PRUNING
- This service may be provided as part of a routine maintenance contract which you attend to every week, fortnight or month.
- Pruning is also done as a once off, or once a year job, for example, roses and deciduous fruit trees in winter.
TREE LOPPING
- Removing unwanted branches from trees (they might be dangerous, getting too near a building, or simply not wanted by the customer).
- Normally a one-off job.
- You need special equipment and skill to do this safely and properly.
- Insurance costs are generally quite high.
TREE SURGERY
- A highly specialised area of tree work requiring more skill and experience than tree lopping.
- Strictly for arboriculturists.
WEEDING
- Sometimes a one-off job, more commonly part of a regular maintenance contract.
- It may involve chemical weed control (spraying) or other methods (e.g. hand weeding).
PEST CONTROL
- Normally involves identification and spraying to control pests and diseases.
- May also involve other control methods.
LAWN RENOVATION
- Repairing and improving an existing lawn.
- Involves such things as topdressing, weed control, thatch removal, aerating, feeding and watering.
GENERAL GARDEN MAINTENANCE
- Usually employed on a weekly or fortnightly basis for a set number of hours to do some or all of the jobs needed to care for the garden (i.e. feeding, watering, weeding, lawn mowing, pest control, pruning, etc).
RUBBISH REMOVAL
- Often included in a gardening job, often expected!
- Many gardeners do not offer this service, others do.
- You should clearly indicate to customers whether you do or do not remove rubbish.
GARDEN RENOVATION
- Normally a one-off job involving weeding, pruning, spraying, replacing dead plants, additional planting, lawn renovation and perhaps some minor landscaping.
LANDSCAPING
- Usually a more major task than other garden services.
- Involves such things as earthworks, rock work, drainage, lawn construction, paving, installation of watering systems, planting, etc.
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
- Offering design advice or a full landscape plan.
- Often, but not always, attached to a nursery or landscaping business.
IRRIGATION DESIGN & INSTALLATION
- Designing and installing irrigation systems.
- Service used by home owners, factories, companies, estate developers, councils.
- The move to water efficiency has seen an increase in irrigation system sales an installation in recent decades.
INTERIOR PLANT SERVICE
- Installing and maintaining plants in offices, buildings and display areas.
- Involves routine maintenance once a week in most situations.
Consider all of the above options and decide which services you will offer and which you will not offer.
It is strongly recommended that when dealing with the public or plants, that training in that particular field is undertaken. Some fields listed above will require registration in appropriate associations. It would be in your interest to achieve acceptance into these associations as they can promote business.
ISBN: 978-0-9871022-8-7
Pages: 125
Images: 22
If you like this book you might also be interested in ACS Distance Education's online courses:
Nursery & Propagation or Landscaping Courses