This quick guide shows strata managers and real-estate property managers exactly how to calculate a fair garden maintenance price in Sydney. If you’d prefer help from a local crew, see Garden Managers — specialists in strata garden maintenance in sydney.
Quick answer
Formula: Labour (crew size × hourly rate × hours) + Materials (e.g., mulch) + Waste fees + Access/parking loadings + GST.
- Typical first-time tidy-ups: $350–$950 ex GST for small–medium Sydney sites.
- Routine service: fortnightly or monthly visits for most strata and rentals; weekly for high-profile entrances.
- Minimum charge: commonly 1.5 crew-hours.
For a quick estimate with itemised lines, try our Garden Maintenance Cost Calculator.
What is garden maintenance?
Garden maintenance covers mowing and edging, weeding garden beds, trimming hedges and shrubs, seasonal fertilising, light pruning, leaf/blow clean-ups, and green-waste removal. For sales campaigns, add presentation work (edges, hedges, mulch top-ups) to speed up photography and inspections.
How to calculate a strata or real-estate garden maintenance price
- Define scope
- Lawn area (m²)
- Garden beds (m²)
- Hedges (length × height)
- Trees/shrubs to prune (qty)
- Green-waste volume (m³)
- Access/parking/after-hours constraints
- Pick crew and rate (ex GST)
- Example rates: $65/hr per person (standard); $75/hr per person (premium) or $89/hr per person (complete garden inclusion package).
- Common crew sizes: 2–3 gardeners for speed and safety.
- Estimate hours using benchmarks (2-person crew baselines)
- Lawn mow + edge: ~300 m²/hour
- Bed weeding/tidy: ~60 m²/hour
- Hedge trimming (face area): ~30 m²/hour
- Small tree/shrub prune: ~0.5 hr each
- Mulch handling: ~0.6 hr per m³
Adjust for slopes, stairs, difficult parking, debris, and seasonal growth.
- Add materials and fees
- Mulch/materials (ex GST) — e.g., $120/m³
- Tip fees for green waste — e.g., $60/m³
- Consumables (fertiliser, bags) and travel/call-out if applicable
- Apply minimums, overheads and GST
- Minimum 1.5 crew-hours is common.
- Strata/commercial overheads (inductions, reporting) may apply.
- Add GST at 10%.
Worked examples (Sydney)
1) Small strata entrance — fortnightly service
- Scope: 80 m² lawn, 25 m² beds, hedge 8 m × 1.6 m, minimal waste
- Crew: 2 gardeners @ $75/hr per person (ex GST)
Hours (2-person): lawn 0.27 hr + beds 0.42 hr + hedge 0.43 hr ≈ 1.12 hr → meets 1.5-hour minimum → 1.5 hr
Labour: 2 × $75 × 1.5 = $225 ex GST
Waste: $0 (bins OK) Materials: $0 (routine)
Subtotal: $225 → Total inc GST: $247.50
2) Real-estate pre-sale tidy — medium house
- Scope: 120 m² lawn, 40 m² beds, hedge 15 m × 1.8 m, shrubs × 2, mulch 1.5 m³, green waste 0.5 m³
- Crew: 2 gardeners @ $75/hr per person
Hours: lawn 0.40 + beds 0.67 + hedge 0.90 + shrubs 0.50 + mulch 0.90 ≈ 3.37 hr
Labour: 2 × $75 × 3.37 = $505.50 ex GST
Materials: mulch 1.5 × $120 = $180
Tip fees: 0.5 × $60 = $30
Subtotal: $505.50 + $180 + $30 = $715.50 ex GST → Total inc GST: $787.05
3) Strata seasonal refresh — parking constraints
- Scope: shared lawns, multiple beds, hedges, ~1 m³ green waste; CBD fringe parking adds time
- Crew: 3 gardeners @ $75/hr per person
Base hours (2-person): 3.6 hr → scale to 3-person ≈ 2.4 hr + 10% loading (parking) ≈ 2.64 hr
Labour: 3 × $75 × 2.64 = $594 ex GST
Tip fees: 1 × $60 = $60 Materials: as required
Subtotal: $654 ex GST → Total inc GST: $719.40
How often does a garden need maintenance?
- Fortnightly: most strata entrances, shared paths, rental frontages.
- Monthly: lighter growth or low-traffic areas.
- Weekly: premium presentation, high-footfall commercial frontages.
- Seasonal clean-ups: before peak growth and before photography/inspections.
How long does it take to tidy a garden? Small entrances: ~1.5 crew-hours. Medium sites: 2.5–4.0 crew-hours. Dense hedges or difficult access increase time.
Most common mistakes for first-time gardeners and managers
- Under-scoping hedges: always measure length × height (face area drives time).
- Ignoring access: stairs, parking, and after-hours add real time.
- No allowance for waste: estimate m³ and check bins vs tip fees.
- Watering assumptions: summer schedules often need a review; ask about irrigation checks.
Practical care prompts
- When should you clean up your garden? Before listing photos, before peak growth, and after storms.
- How do you maintain a garden? Mow/edge routinely, weed beds, trim hedges lightly in season, refresh mulch, and remove green waste.
- How often do you get a gardener? Fortnightly for most strata; weekly for show-piece entrances; monthly for low-growth sites.
Need a written quote? Book a site visit with Garden Managers or request an estimate via our calculator. We service Sydney’s East, North Shore and surrounds.
FAQs
What is garden maintenance?
Routine mowing, edging, weeding, pruning/hedging, leaf/blow clean-ups, seasonal fertilising and waste removal to keep the landscape neat and healthy.
What is the most common mistake of first-time gardeners?
Over-watering and irregular weeding. For strata/real-estate, the top quoting mistake is not measuring hedge face area or allowing for access/parking time.
How to do garden maintenance?
Plan by zones (lawn, beds, hedges), follow a schedule (fortnightly/monthly), and document extras (mulch, fertiliser, waste). Use the formula above to budget.
When should you clean up your garden?
Before photography/inspections, at the start of growing seasons, and after storms or heavy leaf-drop.
How do you maintain a garden?
Mow and edge routinely, weed beds, trim hedges lightly through the growing season, prune shrubs, and refresh mulch to conserve moisture and reduce weeds.
How often do you get a gardener?
Fortnightly for most strata entrances and rentals, weekly for premium entrances, monthly for low-growth sites.
How long does it take to tidy a garden?
Small entrances: ~1.5 crew-hours. Medium sites: 2.5–4.0 crew-hours. Add time for hedges, debris or tricky access.
How often are you supposed to water a garden?
Varies by season and council rules. Irrigated gardens are typically set for deeper but less frequent cycles; adjust in summer heatwaves.
Are you supposed to water your tomato plants every day?
Not usually. Water deeply a few times a week in hot periods, checking soil moisture first; avoid constant surface watering.
What vegetables need to be watered every day?
Very few. Seedlings and pots can need daily checks in heat; established veg prefer consistent, deeper watering rather than daily sprinkles.
