If you're not a green thumb, or you simply don't get into the garden as often as you'd like, hiring a gardener can take the work off your hands. A well-kept garden is also one of the easiest ways to lift your property's value. Here's what you should expect to pay when hiring a gardener in Sydney in 2026.
Sydney gardener hourly rates in 2026
Basic maintenance
Mowing, weeding, edging and general upkeep on a regular schedule.
The national average across all gardening work is currently about $68 per hour, with Sydney sitting above that average.
- Your location and access to the property
- Garden size and how overgrown it is
- The complexity of the job and skill required
- Small business versus large company
- Regular service versus one-off maintenance
- Equipment, green waste and materials needed
What can gardeners do for you?
Most gardeners cover a broad range of work — weeding, lawn mowing and aerating, rubbish and green-waste removal, trimming and pruning, planting, mulching, fertilising, watering and grafting. Specialist gardeners go further: tree work, paving and full garden design, from planning and planting through to retaining walls and hard landscaping.
| Gardening service | Price per hour | Typical average |
|---|---|---|
| Garden landscaping | $75 – $350 | $90 |
| Garden maintenance | $55 – $120 | $70 |
| Pruning and hedging | $80 – $150 | $95 |
| Garden clean-up | $60 – $110 | $80 |
| Lawn mowing | $50 – $80 | $65 |
| Weeding | $50 – $120 | $65 |
| Weed spraying & fertilising | $45 – $60 | $50 |
How much does lawn mowing cost in Sydney?
Gardeners usually charge $50–$80 per hour for lawn mowing. If they come regularly — fortnightly rather than monthly — the rate is usually cheaper, and you can expect to pay around $50 per hour. For an average lawn mow, budget roughly:
- $70 for a lawn up to 600 m²
- $85 for a lawn up to 950 m²
- $95+ for a lawn over 1,000 m²
How much does weeding cost?
Gardeners typically charge $50 to $70 per hour for weeding, depending on the job. Weeding a small garden bed sits around $50–$60 per hour, while a neglected garden full of deep-rooted weeds runs $60–$80 per hour. If the job needs weed spraying, that ranges from $45 to $55 per hour, not including chemicals — which can cost anywhere from $30 to $500 per litre depending on the weed.
Average gardener rates by state
| State | Average cost per hour |
|---|---|
| New South Wales | $55 – $85 Sydney: up to $130 for specialist work |
| Victoria | $40 – $75 |
| Queensland | $50 – $70 |
| Australian Capital Territory | $50 – $60 |
| Western Australia | $50 – $55 |
| South Australia | $43 – $60 |
| Tasmania | $40 – $45 |
Garden clean-up and maintenance costs
A garden clean-up is a general tidy of your garden — mowing, weed spraying, hedging, pruning, weeding and rubbish removal. Depending on the size of the garden and what needs doing, expect $60 to $85 per hour. In the off-season (winter) that can drop to $50–$65 per hour. The more work and equipment required, the higher the cost — which is why regular visits work out cheaper over a year than occasional catch-up clean-ups.
Cost of maintaining a hedge
Hedge trimming ranges from $50 to $150 per hour depending on the height and length of the hedge. A two-metre hedge costs around $50–$65 per hour, while a four-metre hedge starts upwards of $90 per hour. As a job price, here's what to expect by hedge height and length:
Swipe to see all lengths →
| Height ↓ / Length → | 1 m | 2 m | 3 m | 4 m | 5 m | 6 m | 7 m | 8 m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 metres | $55 | $105 | $160 | $200 | $310 | $470 | $520 | $560 |
| 4 metres | $95 | $150 | $190 | $240 | $340 | $520 | $610 | $690 |
| 6 metres | $150 | $210 | $225 | $260 | $390 | $640 | $690 | $810 |
| 8 metres | $200 | $290 | $310 | $340 | $440 | $740 | $790 | $940 |
| 10 metres | $240 | $340 | $375 | $410 | $490 | $790 | $975 | $1,060 |
| 12 metres | $275 | $375 | $425 | $450 | $510 | $900 | $1,030 | $1,190 |
| 14 metres | $310 | $410 | $460 | $490 | $540 | $950 | $1,130 | $1,310 |
Will my garden increase the value of my property?
Yes — experts and real estate agents consistently agree that a well-maintained garden lifts a property's value and street appeal, with estimates commonly in the range of 5–10%. Investing in landscaping and regular garden care is one of the more cost-effective ways to boost your home's sale price. Most gardeners provide landscaping services alongside garden maintenance, and many are licensed horticulturalists.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a gardener cost per hour in Sydney?
Between $55 and $130 per hour in 2026. Basic maintenance like mowing and weeding sits at the lower end; specialist work such as hedge trimming at height or tree pruning sits at the upper end.
How much does lawn mowing cost in Sydney?
Typically $50 to $80 per hour. A regular fortnightly service usually brings the rate down compared to one-off or monthly visits.
Is regular garden maintenance cheaper than one-off clean-ups?
Yes. A maintained garden takes far less time each visit than a neglected one, so consistent fortnightly or monthly visits cost less over a year than occasional restoration clean-ups.
Does a well-kept garden add value to my property?
Yes — agents commonly estimate a well-presented garden adds around 5–10% to a property's value.