UK Landscaper Rates at a Glance (2025)
| Region | Hourly Rate | Day Rate |
|---|---|---|
| National average | £25–£45/hr | £140–£240/day |
| London | £35–£60/hr | £220–£360/day |
| South East | £30–£50/hr | £185–£310/day |
| Midlands | £22–£40/hr | £128–£220/day |
| North England | £20–£36/hr | £115–£205/day |
| Scotland | £22–£38/hr | £120–£210/day |
| Wales | £20–£35/hr | £110–£195/day |
Are you a landscaper? Landscaping has significant overhead costs — plant hire, a trailer or tipper, tools, and the fact that bad weather can wipe out weeks of work. Use our free landscaper day rate calculator to find your real minimum rate.
What Do Landscapers Charge for Common Jobs?
Hard landscaping — patios, decking, walls, paths — is generally priced per job or per square metre. Soft landscaping and maintenance is usually day rate or hourly. Here are typical 2025 prices for domestic landscaping work:
Hard Landscaping vs Soft Landscaping: Why Rates Differ
Hard landscaping — laying a patio, building a wall, installing drainage — requires groundwork skills and physical labour. It's weather-dependent, uses heavy machinery in some cases, and often involves skips and disposal. The day rate for hard landscaping is typically higher than soft landscaping.
Soft landscaping — planting, turfing, maintaining borders, pruning — is skilled in a different way. A good plantsperson knows what grows where, how to achieve year-round interest, and how to manage soil conditions. Specialist soft landscapers (garden designers who also plant) command rates at the higher end of the range.
- Plant hire — Larger jobs may need a mini-digger, plate compactor, or cement mixer. Plant hire costs go into the quote — check whether they're included or charged separately.
- Skip and disposal — Soil, rubble, and old materials need to go somewhere. A landscaper generating a skip-load of waste per day needs to factor that into the price.
- Weather risk — Landscaping work stops in heavy frost and often in heavy rain. Self-employed landscapers carry this risk, and their day rate reflects it.
- Access — Rear garden access via a side gate means everything goes through by hand. Landscapers charge more when there's no vehicular access, because a job that would take a day with a digger takes three with shovels.
Are you a landscaper? Find your real rate.
Use our free calculator to find the minimum you need to charge based on your overheads, weather-affected days, and target income.
Calculate My Landscaper Rate ›Frequently Asked Questions
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How much does a landscaper charge per day in the UK?UK landscapers typically charge £140–£240 per day nationally. London and South East landscapers charge £220–£360/day. Hard landscaping work commands higher rates than maintenance.
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How much does it cost to lay a patio?A standard patio (around 20m²) typically costs £1,000–£2,500 for labour. Materials (slabs, sub-base, mortar) are separate. Natural stone and porcelain take longer to lay and cost more.
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How much does decking installation cost?Installing a standard deck (around 20m²) typically costs £800–£2,000 in labour. Composite decking and elevated decks with railings cost more.
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What's the difference between a landscaper and a gardener?A gardener handles ongoing maintenance — mowing, pruning, planting. A landscaper designs and builds gardens — patios, drainage, turf, raised beds. Many do both, but rates and skills differ.
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Do landscapers charge VAT?Only if VAT registered (turnover over £90,000/year in 2025/26). Sole-trader landscapers below this threshold don't charge VAT. On a large patio job with materials, VAT at 20% adds up fast — confirm before booking.