18 July 2026

What does garden maintenance cost in 2026?

All price guides in one place: per visit, per hour and per job — plus the factors that drive the price.

A single garden-maintenance visit in 2026 costs € 40 to € 80 for an average city garden. Specialist work is charged per hour: expect € 40 to € 60 per hour, for instance for weeding and paving upkeep.

Each job has its own trade norm. Hedge trimming is charged per running metre (€ 3 to € 7), tree and shrub pruning per tree (€ 55 to € 150 for small to medium), and a lawn visit costs € 30 to € 60. The big seasonal clean-up in spring or autumn is the heftiest item at € 150 to € 350 — but it bundles pruning, borders and waste removal in one go.

What moves the price: garden size, the amount of planting, the backlog (an overgrown garden needs a catch-up visit first), accessibility (carrying everything through the house costs time) and green-waste removal. Randstad rates run 10-20% higher than in the north and east.

The biggest lever is you: frequency. Within a maintenance subscription (fixed route from March to October) the per-visit rate runs some 10-15% below one-off visits — the gardener spreads travel time across the route. Always request several quotes and set them against the price index before you agree.