$200 garden job leaves homeowner horrified

A Sunshine Coast homeowner’s gardening nightmare has ignited a heated debate about the importance of landscaping in maintaining property appeal – and how hiring the wrong professional can lead to costly consequences.

Alexis Withers, who owns a dental business with her husband Luke, recently turned to Airtasker to hire a gardener for a $200 job to mow her lawn and trim her heliconias.

With her regular gardener unavailable, Alexis hoped the service marketplace would provide a quick solution to keep her property looking its best.

“We normally have a regular gardener, but he wasn’t available,” she told Yahoo News.

But what she found upon returning to her backyard left her stunned.

Instead of a light trim, the palm-like plants had been hacked down to their stumps, transforming her once-lush garden into a barren landscape.

“When we saw the result, we were quite shocked,” she said.

Sharing a video of the “before and after” on TikTok, Alexis asked: “Does anyone know how I can grow back my plants quickly?”

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The heliconias before their “trim”. Source: TikTok/Alexis_Withers

The once-luscious plants have been reduced to stumps. Source: TikTok/Alexis_Withers

The incident has sparked widespread discussion about the role of landscaping in property presentation, with experts weighing in on how outdoor spaces can influence a home’s value and appeal.

“The way I just gasped,” one person commented.

“Moral of the story…be specific in your communication, if you want specific outcomes,” another wrote.

A third stated: “Looks like what my husband does to all our plants in our yard. I now do it myself.”

Alex Withers was left stunned after seeing what had happened to her plants. Source: TikTok/Alexis_Withers

Despite the rogue act, Alexis said she thought the gardener was “such a lovely person” and “didn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable” by complaining.

“I mentioned via text, ‘Next time, please just trim the leaves rather than cutting them in half,’” she said.

As for her regular gardener, she said “he hasn’t seen” the man’s handiwork, adding she’s “too scared” to show him.

Despite the initial shock at the extensive haircut the plans copped, garden centre owner Tim Pickles, told Yahoo News it was actually “no big deal”.

“They don’t like winter, the leaves get burnt by frost,” he explained.

“They will grow back, even better, as soon as the weather warms up.”

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