How much does garden maintenance cost in Australia?

Is your lawn due for a mow, but the potential garden maintenance cost is keeping you from hiring a pro? You may be surprised at the value for money you can get from their services.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the factors that affect the price of outdoor space maintenance. We’ll also talk about how to find the best person or team for the job.

What are the average costs of garden maintenance in Australia?

The garden maintenance price list below shows the service’s average cost in various cities across the country, from Western Australia to New South Wales.

*Prices shown are typical total costs per visit based on recent Airtasker data. Actual costs may vary.

What factors affect the costs for garden maintenance?

This section discusses the factors that affect garden maintenance costs, from your lawn’s size and condition to the type and frequency of gardening services.

Size and condition of the garden

Lush garden with pond, stone path, hostas, and flowering shrubs (Source: iStock)

Two major factors that affect garden maintenance prices are the size and condition of your home’s exterior landscape. Dealing with a small, tidy area is usually cheap since it won’t require much effort or time. On the other hand, tending a large, overgrown garden is an expensive endeavour, as it takes longer.

Type of maintenance tasks required

The difficulty of gardening tasks is another thing to consider when determining the total amount you have to pay. Relatively easy services, such as mowing lawns and removing weeds from garden beds, are usually on the lower end of the cost scale.

On the other hand, pruning and trimming shrubs are considerably pricier, while more taxing jobs like major cleanups can push maintenance rates way above the average gardening maintenance fees.

Frequency and scope of work

Lawn mowing in a landscaped garden with trees and shrubs (Source: iStock)

The per-visit cost of regular garden maintenance—whether weekly, fortnightly, or monthly—generally turns out to be lower than a one-off cleanup. This is because service providers tend to apply discounts when you book multiple maintenance sessions.

Still, costs can increase if the scope of work spans a range of tasks, such as watering plants, aerating the soil, cleaning gutters and drainage in retaining walls, and raking fallen leaves.

Garden access and ease of work

Garden maintenance rates also partly depend on how your place is laid out and whether a pro can easily access it. This means you should expect higher fees if reaching your garden entails manoeuvering through cramped passages, traversing steep inclines, and encountering other obstacles. The same holds true if the garden’s layout makes work challenging.

Green waste removal and cleanup

Wheelbarrow filled with garden waste, flowers, and plant trimmings (Source: iStock)

Don’t forget about green waste disposal when considering the factors that can affect your garden maintenance services costs. This is because disposing of grass clippings, branches, and other small and medium-sized waste is comparatively easier and cheaper than discarding green waste. The latter is heavy or potentially hazardous (like tree trunks and treated wood), which may require more labour and special handling.

Tools, equipment, and materials

Some specialist services, such as high-pressure cleaning and pest control, usually increase garden maintenance fees since they may involve using advanced equipment like motorised pumps, nonstandard tools like traps, and additional materials like mulch.

What are some ways to save on garden maintenance charges?

Some of the ways to help you reduce the cost of garden maintenance include:

• Booking regular or seasonal visits instead of one-off services;

• Bundling services together instead of scheduling them separately;

• Asking different service providers for free estimates so you can compare their rates; and

• Separating wastes into categories (e.g., biodegradable, recyclable, hazardous) before the garden maintenance pro arrives.

What should you look for in a garden maintenance expert?

Here are some questions you should be asking when looking for a reliable garden maintenance expert:

• Do they have the right experience, skills, and tools for the services you need?

• Do they offer fair and transparent pricing?

• Do they have excellent customer ratings and reviews?

• Does their portfolio of previous projects show their ability to produce high-quality output?

• Do they have the right certifications and qualifications (in case they are necessary for certain procedures that must be performed)?

Keep your garden clean and pretty with Airtasker

Hand weeding on a lawn with dandelions and garden debris (Source: iStock)

Too busy to have a well-maintained garden? When you sign up on Airtasker, it’s easy to find a garden maintenance expert who can keep your outdoor space manicured and clean, no matter how hectic your everyday life is.

Just post a task describing the service you need, including your location, budget, and preferred schedule. Once Taskers start responding, ask for quotes and check their customer reviews to pick the best one for the job.