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Last updated: 14 August 2023
Cost of weeding
If you’re one of those people who loves sitting and relaxing in your garden but hates the backbreaking work of weeding it, don’t worry. Getting a professional to weed your garden for you is a lot more cost-effective than you might think. We’ve laid out the average cost of weeding a garden for you.
How much does weed removal cost?
| Item | Unit | Cost - low | Cost - high | Average cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gardener | Per hour | £15 | £45 | £30 |
| Gardener | Per day | £150 | £250 | £200 |
| Regular weeding | Per visit | £30 | £50 | £40 |
| Last updated: May 2024 Our costs are ballpark averages - get a local tradesperson to quote now | ||||
The majority of gardeners won't charge you a special rate for weeding. Instead, they’ll include the task in their hourly rate. Gardener prices are usually between £15 - £45 an houror £150 - £200a day.
If you get a gardener in on a regular basis to maintain your garden, the job shouldn’t take longer than an hour or two, which means you can expect to pay around £30 - £50 per visit. You might find your gardener is happy to give you a set fee for this as the visit will fall into part of your garden maintenance routine.
On the other hand, if your garden is in a bad state and you need a gardener to conduct a big, one-off clearout, the job could take many hours. This is where you can expect to pay your gardener an hourly or daily rate.
Weeding cost factors
Your total weed removal service cost will depend on a number of factors, many of which will influence how long the job takes. They include:
The number of weeds
How mature the weeds are
The gardener’s experience
Your location
The size of your garden
Whether or not they spray the weeds (if they do, you’ll also have to budget for the spray)
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Cost to remove bindweed
Bindweed is a particularly troublesome weed for gardeners, as it wraps itself around other plant stems and smothers them. It's especially difficult to eradicate due to its perennial root system and the fact that it's hard to isolate. Plus, it has brittle roots that can regenerate from small sections if they're broken.
Generally, a gardener is likely to charge the same hourly rate to get rid of bindweed as they would to carry out other kinds of weed removal. However, as bindweed is tough to remove, it will usually take longer. With that in mind, you can expect bindweed removal to cost a little more overall.
| Item | Unit | Average cost |
|---|---|---|
| Bindweed removal | Per hour | £30 |
| Bindweed removal | Per visit | £60 |
| Last updated: May 2024 Our costs are ballpark averages - get a local tradesperson to quote now | ||
The amount of time your gardener spends removing bindweed will depend on the amount of bindweed you have and how established it is. However, as a rough guide, you're looking at around two hours for bindweed removal, coming to £60. Just bear in mind that your gardener may need to return to monitor the situation and repeat the removal process.
The cost to remove bindweed will also depend on the method your gardener decides to use.
Methods to remove bindweed
The only sure way to kill bindweed completely is to use the systemic weedkiller glyphosate. While it is currently legal to use in the UK, it has been banned for municipal use by several UK councils. It's also thought to be linked to several human cancers, so it's vital that safety instructions are followed carefully.
While it is also possible to smother the bindweed by restricting it from access to light, this takes over a year and is also not suitable for bindweed that's located in beds and borders alongside other plants. In this situation, the only way to tackle bindweed without chemicals is to dig out the roots in winter to early spring.
Depending on how much bindweed you have, this could take many hours. Your gardener may also want to return multiple times to check that all the roots have been removed. This is because if you leave even the smallest bit, the bindweed could regenerate.
Your gardener will be able to identify if there are problematic weeds like bindweed growing in your garden, and give you an estimate for how long they'll take to remove - and therefore how much they'll cost.
FAQs
Is weeding a skilled job?
You'll need somebody who knows what is a weed and what isn’t. Otherwise, you might find some of your favourite plants are cleared unexpectedly!
Can I save on the cost of weeding my garden by doing it myself?
Yes, you can certainly save on the cost of weeding by doing it yourself. In fact, most people do. That said, weeding is hard, physical work and can be time-consuming. If you do it yourself, you’ll also have to dispose of the weeds yourself, which can be a pain if you’ve cleared a whole garden. On the other hand, a gardener will save you time and effort and will usually remove and dispose of garden waste themselves.
How often should you weed your garden?
Your garden should be weeded around once a week. This way, you can make sure you’re removing weeds while they’re still young. At this stage, their roots won’t have properly developed and so they’ll be easier to remove. By weeding frequently, you’ll also be able to avoid any weeds going to seed, which would result in many more weeds next time!
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