You won't find a single "garden maintenance costs X per month" figure in this article — and here's why: the price genuinely differs even between two plots of the same size, if one sits on flat low ground and the other on a hillside, or one is inside a gated luxury estate and the other in an ordinary residential area. Below is what garden maintenance actually involves, and what determines its cost for a specific villa.
What "garden maintenance" actually covers
For some owners it means "clear the leaves once a week"; for others, it's genuine technical upkeep. In practice, regular garden maintenance typically includes:
- Lawn mowing and edge trimming on a schedule tied to the growing season, not a fixed calendar date.
- Pruning and shaping hedges and ornamental plants — each species on its own timing, not everything in one visit; reworking the planting itself is closer to landscape design than routine upkeep.
- Inspecting trees and palms for early signs of pests and disease — a distinct task within tree surgery, not the same as routine trimming.
- Seasonal feeding and soil care.
- Preventive pest treatment, including checking palms for signs of infestation.
- Checking and adjusting the irrigation system — not just "working or not," but whether the schedule still matches current weather.
- Clearing plant debris and weeding.
- Seasonal planting and replacement, where the plan calls for it.
A company that sends someone to "mow the lawn" once a week and one that manages the plot as a single system both technically offer "garden maintenance" — but the actual amount of work is very different.
Location and terrain are part of the price too
Two plots of the same size can require very different amounts of labour:
- Terrain. A hillside garden — in the hilly parts of Sierra Blanca or Benahavís, for example — is physically harder to maintain than a flat plot: harder to bring equipment in, more manual work, more time per visit.
- Proximity to water and low-lying ground. Plots in low areas or near a river mouth tend to see higher soil moisture, which affects plant choice and how often preventive treatment against fungal disease is needed.
- Distance and access. Gated communities with access control and remote villas add time just for logistics — reaching the property and getting through the gate takes time on its own.
- Area status. Exclusive gated estates, such as La Zagaleta in Benahavís, usually expect a higher standard of upkeep — perfectly even lawns with zero weeds, regularly shaped topiary — which means a different level of attention than a plot in an ordinary residential area.
So the same "300 m² garden maintenance" in La Zagaleta and in a standard residential complex is, in practice, a different amount of work, even if the line item reads the same on paper.
The pool is a separate piece of work
Pool maintenance is usually priced apart from the garden: weekly cleaning, chlorine and pH control, equipment checks — it's its own technical process, not an add-on to the garden.
Hourly billing or a fixed plan
There are two common approaches: hourly billing for specific visits, or a fixed monthly plan with a clearly defined scope. One-off and seasonal work — planting, tree surgery, pest treatment — is usually quoted separately, outside the monthly garden plan.
Why the same service costs differently between companies
A significant share of gardeners in Marbella work as subcontractors rotated by the agency from job to job — one person today, someone else next month, with no consistent standard. That's not always visible in the quote upfront, but it shows up in the result: care quality drifts along with whoever happens to show up.
MAXIPROF works with our own in-house team, no subcontractors: one assigned crew, a plan built around your specific plot's terrain and location, and a photo report after every visit — so you always know exactly what was done, even from another country. If you're not at the villa year-round, the same standard applies to our property management service as a whole.
Frequently asked questions
Why not just give an average price per square metre? Because for the same plot size, terrain, soil type, distance and area status can change the actual amount of work several times over — an averaged figure would mislead more than it helps.
Does the maintenance plan include the pool? Usually that's a separate service — check with the company whether it's bundled into one invoice or billed apart.
Do I still need to pay for visits when I'm not in Spain? The garden and pool need care whether or not you're living at the villa — skipping regular care during that time is usually what leads to expensive recovery work once you're back.
An exact price for a specific property can only be given after a site visit — too much depends on the terrain, the location and the garden's current condition. Request a free assessment — we'll visit, evaluate the plot, and send you a fixed plan with a price.