How we chose
We started from the lawn care firms Google Maps shows across Telford and the nearby towns. Scheme memberships were sourced from the issuing registers, each firm's own website and the platforms checked [4] [5] [6]. Each business must first meet our basic checks: it is who it says it is, it is trading today and can be reached, and anything it must hold by law is in place. A dozen firms met all three. What customers say counts most toward the score, then qualifications, then trading history and stated cover, with pricing clarity and website detail counting next. All evidence is dated early September 2026.
How to hire
Start by matching the firm to the job. A mowing round keeps grass down through the season; a treatment programme of feed, weed and moss control rebuilds its health across several visits a year; turfing and landscaping firms remake tired lawns; and tree-led firms suit gardens where canopy work comes first [2]. Measure your lawn in square metres before you call and note moss, weeds, thatch and bare patches, since treatments are dosed by area and a measured quote beats a phone-only ballpark [2].
If the job involves weedkiller, ask for the spray certificate. Anyone applying pesticides in a commercial role is legally required to hold the NPTC safe-handling and application qualifications, typically PA1 with the PA6 handheld-equipment award, assessed by exam and practical test [4]. LANTRA runs the matching training courses for handheld applicators, including refreshers [5]. A treatment firm that cannot name its applicator's certificate is one to pass over, however glossy the programme brochure looks. Certificates carry the operative's name and expiry, so check both are current.
Ask what happens to the waste. Clippings, thatch and soil leave your garden on somebody's truck, and the carrier should appear on the Environment Agency public register of waste carriers, brokers and dealers [6]. Firms carrying other people's waste sit in the upper tier, while sole traders carrying only their own cuttings sit in the lower tier [6]. Search the business name on the register yourself and ask for the registration number on the quote.
For tree work inside a lawn job, check who climbs. The Arboricultural Association is the leading UK body for tree care professionals [7], so named membership means something a bare certified-arborist claim does not. Ask which operative does the cutting, what scheme sits behind the title, and confirm the liability cover in writing, since overhanging limbs and fence-line trees are where garden jobs go wrong.
Get written quotes on the same scope and compare them line by line. Each quote should separate labour, materials and VAT, list the visits or treatments with dates, name the products for weed and feed work, state who removes waste, and set payment stages, since a deposit for materials is normal while full payment before completion is not [1] [8]. Telford usually sits below London and South East prices, so treat a quote far above or below the rest as a question rather than a bargain [1].
Close the job on paper. Keep the final invoice with the treatment record of products and dates, the turf aftercare sheet and any guarantee terms in the provider's own words, plus photos of the finished lawn [8]. If the work proves faulty and the firm will not put it right, Citizens Advice publishes consumer guidance and template letters for faulty services [8].
Pricing
As of autumn 2026, rough Telford ranges run like this: a regular mowing visit £20–£45; a one-off cut £20–£35 for a small garden, £35–£60 for a medium one and £60–£100 or more for a large one; fortnightly maintenance £25–£60 a visit; and a first cut of an overgrown lawn £50–£150 or more, since long grass is taken down in stages [1].
Treatments are priced apart from mowing. Feeding, weed and moss control runs £30–£70 per application, usually two or three times a year; mechanical scarification sits near £100–£160 for a medium lawn with hollow-tine aeration near £80–£140; and a full autumn programme of aeration, scarification, overseeding and feed runs £240–£380 [1] [10]. Seasonal programmes typically span five or six visits at six-to-eight-week intervals [2].
New lawns are quoted by area. Turf alone runs about £2–£7 or more per square metre by grade, with professional laying taking the all-in figure near £10–£30 per square metre; levelling beforehand adds roughly £20 per square metre [3]. Size, condition, slopes and access move every price above, as do extras such as edging and taking clippings away [1].
Ask whether VAT is included, since many small rounds sit below the VAT threshold and add nothing, while larger firms add it on top [1]. Firms in this round publish almost no example rates, so treat any single fixed price for a season with no breakdown as a question. Get the visits, treatments, waste handling and guarantee terms in writing before work starts [8].
Red flags
Quotes a treatment programme or turfing job without seeing the lawn or asking for photos and measurements.
Sprays weedkiller for hire but cannot show an NPTC pesticide certificate you could verify [4].
Takes grass cuttings and thatch away with no waste carrier registration you can check on the public register [6].
Gives a single fixed price for a full season with no breakdown of visits, treatments and VAT.
Asks for full payment in cash before the first cut, with no written scope or terms.
Claims arborist credentials for tree work but names no scheme you can verify [7].
Will not put the visit schedule, products and price in writing before starting.
The bottom line
For most Telford homes, start with Arcox Landscaping: a documented contractor for a bigger lawn and landscaping brief, with the fleet, team and project record to own the job end to end. Its prices come only on enquiry, so ask for an itemised quote and proof of cover with it. If published paperwork matters more to you, Anthony's Garden Services is a close alternative with stated accreditation and waste registration behind long trading.
Match the firm to the job: Lawncare-4u for a seasonal treatment programme, Street Tree Care for tree-led work, J and J for fencing alongside lawn care, and Red Bird for a regular round in the Gorge villages. Then compare written quotes on the same scope, check the waste registration and any spray certificates yourself, and keep every quote and invoice together.
Corrections and business responses
Tell us what needs checking, or ask to claim a listing and reply to an assessment.