How Much Do Landscapers Make? How to Invoice Easily

If you’ve ever thought about starting a landscaping business or wondered what landscapers really earn in the UK, you’re not alone. It's a great profession, and it can be a good little earner for the right person.

Plenty of people look at landscaping jobs and think it’s just planting flowers or trimming shrubs. In reality, it’s skilled, physically demanding work that can be very rewarding if you’ve got the right knowledge, tools, and business setup.

So, how much do landscapers make? The answer isn’t one-size-fits-all. Pay can vary depending on your role, experience, location, and whether you’re employed by landscaping companies or running your own landscaping business.

This guide looks at typical UK salaries for landscapers, plus the factors that affect how much you can potentially earn. We’ll also cover the skills that boost pay, why invoicing matters, and the simple tools that help you get paid faster.

What Does a Landscaper Do?

A landscaper’s job goes well beyond planting flowers or mowing a lawn. Day to day, landscapers create, build, and maintain outdoor areas for homeowners, businesses, and local councils.

Work can include planting trees and shrubs, pruning, laying turf, installing patios, building rock gardens, or even designing water features.

Some landscapers focus on regular garden maintenance, while others take on larger projects like full garden redesigns or land management. It’s physical work that requires knowledge of plants, materials, and tools. It also offers variety and the satisfaction of seeing a project completed from start to finish.

How Much Do Landscapers Make in the UK?

Now you know what you're in for, let's talk about what's in it for you. Salaries in landscaping vary depending on role, location, and experience. Here’s a rough guide to the sort of wages you can expect:

• Apprentice landscaper: £12,000–£16,000 a year
• Landscape labourer / assistant landscaper: £18,000–£22,000 a year
• Qualified landscape gardener: £22,000–£28,000 a year
• Specialist landscaper (water features, rock gardens, land management): £25,000–£32,000 a year
• Senior landscaper / team leader: £30,000–£38,000 a year
• Landscape architect: £35,000–£50,000+ a year

If you decide to run your own landscaping business, your earnings can be higher. Many self-employed landscapers charge £150–£250 per day, depending on the job, location, and scope. Larger projects like full garden redesigns, installing patios, or building outdoor areas can bring in much more money.

What Affects a Landscaper’s Pay?

Pay in landscaping isn’t fixed, and there are a lot of moving parts that'll affect your income. It can vary depending on:

Role and Responsibility

Pay in landscaping depends a lot on the role you take on. 

A landscape labourer or apprentice will usually earn less while they gain experience and build their skills. As you move into positions with more responsibility, such as a landscape gardener managing projects or leading a small team, your salary tends to rise. 

At the top end, landscape architects with strong design ability, horticulture knowledge, and even CAD training can command the highest salaries in the industry.

Location

Where you work also has a big impact on your pay. 

Salaries for landscaping jobs vary depending on location, with those based in London and the South East generally earning more than landscapers working in smaller towns or rural areas.

Experience and Skills

Your experience and skill set are key to how much you can earn as a landscaper. The more related work experience you’ve built up, the higher your potential pay. 

Landscapers who can design, install, and maintain a variety of outdoor areas are in higher demand and able to charge more for their services.

Type of Company

The type of company you work for also plays a part. 

Landscaping companies, garden centres, or local councils usually offer steady pay and benefits, but the rates are often lower than what you could earn self-employed. 

Starting your own landscaping business carries more risk, but it also gives you the chance to build a strong client base and potentially earn a lot more money on larger projects.

What’s It Really Like Working as a Landscaper?

Landscaping offers plenty of variety, but it’s physically demanding. 

You’ll often be outdoors in all weather, working long periods on your feet, lifting heavy equipment, and handling materials like soil, stone, and timber.

A typical day might include:

• Planting flowers, shrubs, and other plants
• Pruning trees and maintaining gardens
• Building patios, decking, or water features
• Creating rock gardens or new outdoor areas
• General land management and maintenance work

It’s physical work, but it can be rewarding. You see projects complete from start to finish and transform spaces for clients to enjoy.

Skills and Training That Will Boost Your Pay

To move up in landscaping and earn more money, you’ll need more than just brute strength. Employers and clients value skills and professional training. Here are some ways you can boost your pay in the job:

• Horticulture knowledge: Understanding plants, soil, and how to design with them.
• Equipment skills: Being confident with tools and machinery like strimmers, mowers, and mini-diggers.
• Project management: Running larger projects smoothly and keeping costs under control. You can make this easier with the right job management tools.
• Design ability: Landscape architects or experienced gardeners who can design outdoor areas command higher rates.
• Training and courses: T Level qualifications, apprenticeships, or short horticulture courses can all improve your CV and get you more money.

Many landscapers start out as an apprentice or assistant landscaper, gain experience, then progress to lead roles or set up their own company. The more skills and responsibility you take on, the more money you can earn.

Running Your Own Landscaping Business

Starting your own landscaping business means you set your own rates and have control over the projects you take on. Like with any job, there are benefits and challenges to your day-to-day.

Benefits:

• Charge per day or per project (often more than employed roles)
• Choose clients and types of landscaping work
• Build a reputation and grow with repeat customers

Challenges:

• You need to invest in tools, vehicles, and equipment
• You handle admin like quotes, costs, and invoices
• Workload can vary depending on the season and location

But with the right systems and routines in place, many landscapers find self-employment gives them more money and more freedom. If you do it right, you could be spending less time grafting and more time relaxing, for the same amount of money.

How to Invoice Easily as a Landscaper

No matter how good you are at landscaping work, if your invoicing is slow or messy, you’ll struggle with cash flow. Professional invoices help you get paid quicker and show clients you run a proper business.

What to Include in a Professional Landscaping Invoice

Here are some things you need to include in your landscaping invoice:

• Your company name and contact details
• Client details (homeowners or businesses)
• Clear job description (example: “pruning shrubs and planting trees in front garden”)
• Itemised costs for labour, materials, and equipment
• Total cost, including VAT if applicable
• Payment terms (e.g., 50% upfront, balance due in 7 days)
• Bank details or payment link

Adding all of these details to your invoice will help your business look the part and help you get paid faster, leaving less room for disputes further down the line.

Tips to Make Invoicing Easier

There are ways to make your invoicing process even easier, so that you can spend more time in the great outdoors and less time tapping away at your laptop:

• Use invoicing software designed for small businesses: no more Word docs or lost emails.
• Save templates for different types of landscaping jobs.
• Link invoices to quotes and time tracking, so that costs are clear.
• Send invoices on the same day you complete the job to keep cash flow healthy.

How Tools Make Invoicing a Breeze

If you’re not already, we’d recommend using an invoice tool to make your payment process easier. Here’s an example of how it can save you precious time.

A landscaper completes a one-week project building a new patio and planting shrubs. Instead of sitting at the kitchen table with scraps of paper, they use an invoice tool. The software pulls through the original quote, adds labour and materials, and generates a professional invoice in minutes. 

With the payment details clearly presented, the client pays promptly, and the money’s in the company account before the landscaper’s even moved onto the next job.

Let Intrflex Handle Your Landscaping Admin

A landscape labourer might expect around £18,000 a year, while experienced landscape gardeners and architects can make £30,000–£50,000+. Running your own company and handling larger projects can bring in even more money.

But making good money in landscaping is all about running your business properly: managing costs, creating clear invoices, and keeping clients happy. With the right systems, you save time, keep your cash flow strong, and focus on the work that matters: transforming outdoor areas for your clients.

Want to spend less time chasing invoices and more time making money in the sun? Book a demo with Intrflex today and see how easy it is to run your landscaping business without the admin headache.