I recently needed to call in a horticulture professional, and I was determined to engage the services of the best garden design Perth and Kinross could offer. There were many reasons for this, but chief among them was a determination to avoid the mistakes of my past. On many occasions previously, I simply chose the cheapest expert I could find in my local area, and the results really weren’t as good as I had hoped. I guess this proves the age-old saying that we tend to get exactly what we have paid for. I guess this was all part of the learning curve for me.

Ultimately, my determination to save some money along the way proved to be nothing more than a false economy, and in the end I actually paid more than I would have done if I’d used the best of the best. There are times in life when you need to pay more to get a better service, such as using a Sussex football coach for the kids, and this was one of them. This time around, I can take comfort from the fact that I won’t be disappointed with the results, and I definitely won’t be calling someone else in to rectify the damage that was caused.

Scotland garden design that ticks all the right boxes

If you have ever used the services of a professional, such as a carpenter, electrician, plasterer, car mechanic or cleaner, for example, you’ll know how important it is to use someone you can rely on. If I need the best garden design Kinross can offer, I know that I shouldn’t just be looking to save money. I don’t want to pay through the nose for anything, of course – value for money is still a must-have – but I also realise from bitter experience that the cheapest is unlikely to be the finest.

One of the best ways to find out who you should be using is also one of the oldest; good old-fashioned word of mouth. If your neighbour has plenty of positive things to say about the Perth garden design specialist she engaged, you really should be listening to her. For me, from now on the only place I will be looking for bargains will be in the local supermarket. A can of baked beans or a pint of skimmed milk can be discounted without damaging the product quality, but that’s not the case with professional work in your garden. Surely that’s now a no-brainer for me?