To find a good gardener near you, compare top-rated pros online. Read their profiles to find out what their specialities and list of services are. For example, do they offer:

• Mulching
• Lawn maintenance
• Trees and shrub removal
• Trees, shrub and flower planting
• Weed removal
• Etc.

Also, read their customer reviews and inspect photos that showcase the gardeners’ work. And contact several gardeners near you to compare prices and decide who’s the best fit.

To set up an appointment or consultation call with a lawn care professional or landscaper during the COVID-19 pandemic, take advantage of digital technologies to avoid face-to-face exposure. When searching for lawn mowing, landscaping and lawn care companies online, ask if they’ll do a video call to assess the job and give you an estimate. You can also go over strategies for completing the job and conducting virtual payments to stay safe.

A landscaper is worth it if you don't want to invest a significant amount of time and effort into planting, trimming, raking, weeding and performing other operations on your garden or yard. Hiring a landscaper to perform regular maintenance in your yards and complete bigger projects is valuable if you’re looking to sell your house. A professional landscaper can make your house more appealing to potential buyers. 

Some landscapers may perform maintenance duties — remove leaves, mow lawns, trim trees and shrubs, etc. —  but they can also help you bring bigger projects to life. This may include adding a misting system, an outdoor fireplace, water features, artificial turf, a patio and much more.

Start contacting landscapers near you to get free estimates and start planning your project today.

To consult national guidelines on essential COVID-19 service providers and see whether a lawn care professional qualifies, visit a page on CISA’s website called Identifying Critical Infrastructure During COVID-19. This website contains 16 categories of critical infrastructure sectors that you can search through. However, not all jurisdictions follow CISA’s definitions of critical infrastructure so you should also check your city or state’s government website.  

If you decide to hire a landscaper or lawn care professional, you can take safety precautions on the worksite by not making any physical contact, keeping at least 6 feet between you and the pro(s) at all times and using digital payment platforms instead of cash or check.

Many outdoor landscaping and design, lawn mowing and tree trimming companies will likely accept some form of digital payment instead of cash or check. The COVID-19 pandemic will likely causing more businesses to adopt digital platforms like Zelle, PayPal, Venmo, Square Cash and Google Pay.

Search professionals’ online profiles to see if they list digital payment services, and ask them about their payment policies during a consultation call.

Because landscaping and lawn maintenance take place outdoors, it is unlikely that these professionals will need to enter your home.

To stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, practice social distancing at all times -- even with professionals doing work outside. You can minimize exposure during a consultation by using a video chat service. And when you pay, you can use a digital payment service like PayPal. Discuss strategies with any lawn mowing, landscaping, tree trimming and lawn care companies you may be considering.

How often your gardener should come depends on what you’re looking for and your budget. Typically, homeowners prefer a gardener to come once per week, several times a month or once per month. This may include services like tidying up the garden or trimming and tidying hedges. Some people hire these tasks out once per year. For more regular services like mowing the lawn, weeding and trimming, you could hire someone to come every week or every other week. If you do some of the work yourself, you can have them come out less frequently.

Landscapers and lawn care professionals generally do not offer remote or virtual services. But if you come across a profile that states the landscaper is offering remote services, it’s best to contact them to see what type of remote work is offered. 

Typically, lawn care and landscaping professionals can perform many of their duties without coming into physical contact with clients. Message local lawn mowing, landscaping, tree trimming, and lawn care companies near you to schedule a video call and inquire about remote services.

Professional landscaping can help reinvent your outdoor space, boost your curb appeal and get a major return on investment with. Landscaping can encompass anything from adding new plants, trees and shrubs, to leveling the ground and laying sod for a lawn, to building in hardscaping such as sidewalks, water features or retaining walls. The national average landscaping price is $10,160. Landscaping prices can be far lower (with hourly rates ranging from $50 to $150) if you’re only seeking professional help with softscaping or seeking consultation on landscape design. Softscaping means adding or changing horticultural elements, such as planting a garden or adding a hedge. Hardscaping is where costs can really start to rise. Hardscaping requires labor and heavy equipment to excavate the earth; you may need to pour concrete, or you may need a pro who can transport and place gravel and other inorganic elements. Your total landscaping cost will vary based on the amount of work you want done, how much labor is required, and the cost of the materials you are using. A good rule of thumb for a major landscaping project, according to the American Society of Landscape Architects, is to budget 5 percent to 10 percent of the value of your home.