How to choose a gardener or landscaper in Mallorca

Most disappointing garden jobs on this island are not the result of bad workmanship. They come from quotes that covered different things, an assumption about who was removing the waste, or nobody establishing who was responsible for the irrigation once the planting was in. A few questions asked before the work starts prevent nearly all of it.

What to ask before anyone quotes

Describe the job the same way to everyone. Size of the garden, what you want it to do, what already exists, which way it faces and what your water source is. Companies pricing different assumptions produce numbers you cannot compare, and the fault is usually in the brief rather than in the quote.

What to check on the company

• That it is a registered business and can invoice you properly.
• That it carries public liability insurance, which matters as soon as machinery or a retaining wall is involved.
• That it works in your municipality regularly, since local knowledge of rules and suppliers is worth real money here.
• That it can show recent work of a similar type, not just a general portfolio.

How to compare quotes that are not comparable

Line them up by scope rather than by total. The differences almost always sit in the same five places.

Plant size is the one that catches people. A planting list without pot sizes can differ in cost by a factor of three while reading identically.

What about prices?

Know the ranges before you start so an outlier stands out. A design plan for a medium garden runs €1,000 to €1,400, planting and irrigation €7,800 to €11,200, terracing and stonework €11,500 to €16,500, and regular maintenance €2,500 to €3,500 a year. Those are the figures in our cost guide, and they are market ranges rather than anyone’s quote.

A number far below the range is not a bargain. It usually means something has been left out, and the missing item appears later as an extra.

Questions worth asking about plants

Where the stock comes from, and whether they can supply the plant passport for olives, almonds and vines. Those are host plants for Xylella fastidiosa, which is established in the Balearics, and documented stock from a registered nursery is the one precaution that matters. Ask about palms too, since a date palm without a treatment plan is a liability rather than a feature.

What we do

We are not a landscaping company and we never bid for the work. We keep a list of vetted companies on Mallorca, and when you describe a job we pass it to the ones that cover your area and do that kind of work. They quote you directly, the contract is between you and the company you choose, and nothing is added on our side. Send a job through and you will have several quotes for the same brief.

Write the brief once

A clear description of the job is worth more than an hour of comparing totals. Put it in one request and let several vetted Mallorca companies price the same thing.