Gardeners in London.

It depends on who covers your postcode. Gardening cover is not in every part of London yet while Loacally grows, so start with your postcode to see who works near you. The gardener decides how they take bookings: you either pick a time online, or send a request and they confirm a time with you. Regular visits, such as a fortnightly tidy, are agreed with the gardener after the first visit. If you want a spring clear-up or a new lawn, it is worth asking a few weeks before you need the work done.

Most London gardeners charge £35 to £60 an hour, or about £250 to £380 for a full day. A regular fortnightly maintenance visit usually costs £45 to £80, depending on the size of the garden and the length of the visit. A one-off garden clearance can cost roughly £200 to £1,200, driven mostly by how much green waste has to go. Taking waste away is often charged on top of the labour. These are typical 2026 ranges, not Loacally prices: each gardener sets their own price, and you pay the gardener directly. Loacally takes no payment.

Gardening is not a licensed trade in the UK, so there is no single register to check. Every application to join Loacally is reviewed by hand before the profile goes live. We do not check insurance or registrations, so before work starts, ask the gardener for proof of public liability insurance and, if they will take waste away, their waste carrier registration number. Horticultural qualifications such as RHS certificates are a useful sign of plant knowledge but are not required. Reviews on a profile and photos of past work also help you choose.

Many gardeners will, usually for an extra fee. A business that carries waste must be registered as a waste carrier with the Environment Agency, and as a householder you must make sure your waste goes to someone authorised to take it. Ask the gardener for their registration number and check it on the public register on GOV.UK before the work starts. If waste is fly-tipped and traced back to you, you can be held responsible. Many London councils also run a paid garden waste collection, which can be cheaper for small amounts.

A gardener usually looks after an existing garden: mowing, weeding, pruning, hedge trimming, planting and seasonal clear-ups, often on a regular visit. A landscaper designs and builds something new, such as a new lawn, planting beds or a fresh garden layout. On Loacally both kinds of work sit under Gardener, so check each profile to see which jobs that business takes on. Fencing and decking are listed under Carpenters, and block paving under Bricklayers. Tree surgery is a separate trade that Loacally does not list yet.

Not always. Birds’ nests in use are protected by law under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and the RSPB advises avoiding hedge cutting from March to August, the main nesting season. A good gardener checks for active nests before cutting. Trees can have extra protection too. A tree covered by a Tree Preservation Order needs consent from your council before any work, and trees in a conservation area, which are common in London, need six weeks’ notice to the council. Your council’s planning team can tell you if either applies.