THE COASTAL GARDENER
06.16.06
Take note, a good gardener can prove difficult to find
Many years ago, I was a gardener. It was hard work, and I loved it. We were old-fashioned gardeners. We planted flowers, did all the detail work, worked every plant, controlled pests, cleaned the beds and a lot more. Of course, we also mowed lawns.
I remember a joke we used to tell. "How do you find a good gardener?" Answer: "No toes".
Unfortunately, it's not quite that simple.
One of the most frustrating homeowner experiences is the illusive, sometimes lifelong pursuit of a good gardener. Every now and then, perhaps at a summer barbecue, you hear stories about one. A friend of a friend of a friend has a good gardener. It seems no one actually has a good gardener, but they're rumored to exist. The most popular comment is that the gardener they have isn't very good.
The usual conversation goes something like this: "I can't find a gardener that does much more than just mow and edge the lawn, blow the leaves around and clip my hedge every now and then. My gardener doesn't weed, trim dead flowers or much else. I wish I had an old-fashioned gardener who knows what he is doing; one who really takes pride in his work. One who will do all the little things and take care of my plants like they are supposed to be taken care of. Do you know one?"
The discussion continues: "I want a gardener who knows about plants. Knows how to prune my peach tree correctly, knows how to mulch my flower beds and deal with pests and diseases. Do you know one?"
The sympathetic listener replies: "Yeah. A good gardener is hard to find nowadays."
The conversation usually includes this: "I would pay more if I could find a gardener who knows his stuff. Heck, I can't even communicate with the gardeners I have. They come in, they mow, blow and go before I even know what's happening. I don't think they're really doing a good job taking care of my plants. Do you know a good gardener?"
The sympathetic listener replies: "Sorry, I don't really know a good one either. I guess there aren't any really good gardeners around anymore."
Sound familiar? It's a conversation repeated over and over again. So why does it seem like there aren't any good, old-fashioned, knowledgeable gardeners left?
It's economics. Let's do the math. Most homeowners pay about $100 to $150 a month for a once-a-week gardening service. Let's assume it's a two-person team and the two of them spend about an hour a week working in your yard. That pencils out to about $14.50 an hour, per gardener.
Out of this $14.50 comes their expenses: equipment, truck, fuel, insurance, dump fees, fertilizer, etc. A hard working gardener might gross about $30,000 a year. After expenses it's down to about $20,000 to $25,000 a year. This is the poverty line for Orange County.
Good gardeners are out there, but you'll have to pay more, a lot more. Although we say we'll pay more, we probably won't. Are we willing to pay three or four times more than what we're paying for our current mow-blow-and-go? If we are, then we could have a trained, educated and experienced gardener.
The easiest and most reliable way to find a decent gardener is to patrol your neighborhood. If you've lived in the area for a while, you've probably already made mental notes of the great gardens in your area.
When evaluating the quality of the gardening service, be sure to look past the design and architectural elements of the landscape. Focus on the maintenance and health of the plants. Remember, a well maintained mature garden is a better indication of great maintenance than a good looking new garden. Introduce yourself to the homeowners and ask about their gardeners.
Terrific gardeners are also located through referrals. Nurseries sometimes have referral lists of expert gardeners and will often share these names with you.
Finally, try attending a couple of meetings of a local garden club. These meetings are usually ripe with social time. A few comments about your gardener struggles and you'll have a couple of gardener recommendations.
Most homeowners pay about the same to maintain their 3,000-square-foot garden as they do for their daily cup of Starbuck's coffee and a newspaper. Think about it.
And yes, I still
have my toes.
ASK RON
I love fuchsias. I bought my first fuchsia from my sixth-grade
teacher who was a member of the Fuchsia Society. I buy new ones
every year, and they get fuchsia mites every year. I would like to
know if there are any preventive measures I can take. And what do
I do to get rid of them?
Louise Lee
Newport Beach
Fuchsia gall mite is a devastating problem.
Fuchsia gall mites, Aculops fuchsiae, are so small that well over a thousand of them, marching single file in a line, would barely reach an inch. This mite was first discovered in Brazil in 1972 and showed up in California in 1981. Three years ago it was discovered in Europe for the first time, near Brittany, France.
If you discover an infected plant, cut off the tips several inches below the infected portion. Do not touch another part of the fuchsia with your hands or pruning tools without thoroughly washing your hands and tools first. Then you will need to spray the plant. My friend, Mel Knutson of the Orange County Fuchsia Society, recommends Sevin insecticide. For organic gardeners, Hot Pepper Wax can also be used.
You will need to spray religiously on a twice-per-week schedule for at least four weeks. The applications need to be very thorough, covering every leaf and stem, top and bottom.
If the plant is
badly infected and there are other fuchsias in your garden it's
often better to dispose of the plant entirely. If doing so,
remember to wash you hands before heading back out into the
garden.
RON VANDERHOFF is the nursery manager at Roger's Gardens
in Corona del Mar. Send in your toughest gardening questions, and
the expert nursery staff at Roger's Gardens will come up with an
answer and publish it. Please include your name, phone number and
city, and limit queries to 30 words or fewer. E-mail
stumpthegardener@ rogersgardens.com, or send to Plant Talk at
Roger's Gardens, 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, Corona del Mar, CA
92625.
