Benoni homeowners usually choose between a garden service company that sends a team, and employing a gardener directly, often one or two days a week. Both work. The right choice depends on your garden, your budget and how much admin you want.
Side by side
| Garden service company | Your own gardener | |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment and fuel | They bring mowers, trimmers and blowers | You usually supply and maintain them |
| Speed | A team finishes a typical garden in an hour or two | One person takes longer, but can do more detailed work |
| Cover when someone is sick or on leave | The company sends someone else | No service unless you arrange cover |
| Garden refuse | Often removed (check) | Usually stays on site for you to deal with |
| Admin | One monthly invoice | You are the employer, with legal obligations |
| Relationship | Different workers may come | One person who knows your garden well |
If you employ a gardener yourself
A gardener working at a private home is a domestic worker under South African labour law. As the employer you need to:
- Pay at least the national minimum wage for every hour worked. It is adjusted each year, so check the current rate with the Department of Employment and Labour.
- Register for UIF and pay contributions if they work for you more than 24 hours a month.
- Give a written record of employment terms, payslips, and the leave the law requires.
- Follow the correct process if you end the arrangement.
A garden service company carries these obligations for its own workers. When you get quotes, ask whether the company pays its staff properly and is registered for UIF. A very low price is a warning sign.
Which suits you?
- Choose a garden service if you mainly need mowing, edging and tidying, want the equipment and refuse handled, and don't want employer admin. See what a garden service includes.
- Choose your own gardener if you have a large or detailed garden, want someone who learns your plants, and are happy to be an employer.
Many households combine the two: their own gardener for day-to-day care, and a company for seasonal jobs like scarifying, tree felling or landscaping.
For typical costs, see garden service prices in Benoni, or compare weekly garden services.