Simple yard job turns shocker as $200 plants vanish overnight
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Spring has arrived in full force, bringing with it the urge to freshen up gardens and tidy outdoor spaces.
For many, it’s a chance to get stuck into long-overdue yard work. But as one homeowner recently learned, a simple day in the garden can sometimes deliver a far bigger surprise than expected.
Alexis Withers, a busy business owner who runs Bitesoft dental with her husband Luke, found herself in a bit of a bind when her regular gardener was unavailable.
Like many of us do these days, she turned to Airtasker—a popular online marketplace for odd jobs—to find someone to help tidy up her front yard.
The job was simple: mow the lawn and give her beloved heliconias a trim, all for a tidy sum of $200.
But when Alexis returned to inspect the work, she was left absolutely gobsmacked.
Instead of a gentle tidy-up, her once-lush, palm-like heliconias had been hacked back to their stumps!
The dramatic before-and-after video she shared online shows the plants reduced to little more than bare stalks, leaving her garden looking more like a scene from a post-cyclone clean-up than a spring refresh.
‘When we saw the result, we were quite shocked,’ Alexis admitted. ‘Instead of trimming the plants, they were cut in half.’
In her video, she even pleaded with fellow green thumbs: ‘Does anyone know how I can grow back my plants quickly?’
Despite the drastic haircut, Alexis was quick to point out that the gardener was ‘such a lovely person’ and she didn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable by complaining.
Instead, she sent a polite text: ‘Next time, please just trim the leaves rather than cutting them in half.’
As for her regular gardener, Alexis confessed she’s ‘too scared’ to show him the aftermath!
The online reaction was a mixed bag. Some viewers described the scene as ‘sad’ and admitted they’d be in tears if it happened to them.
Others were more philosophical, suggesting the gardener may have actually done her a favour. ‘They’ll grow back better than ever!’ one commenter reassured.
And it turns out, there’s some truth to that. Tim Pickles, a garden centre owner, weighed in to say that while the sight of butchered plants can be confronting, it’s ‘no big deal’ in the long run.
‘They don’t like winter, the leaves get burnt by frost. They will grow back, even better, as soon as the weather warms up,’ he explained.
In fact, regular pruning of dead flowers and foliage is not only normal, but it actually encourages new, healthy growth.
The good news for Alexis—and anyone else who’s suffered a gardening shock—is that most plants are far tougher than we give them credit for.
With a bit of sunshine, water, and patience, those bare stumps will likely be bursting with new growth in no time. In fact, a hard prune can often lead to a healthier, bushier plant down the track.
Have you ever hired someone to help in the garden and ended up with a surprise? Did your plants bounce back, or was it a lesson learned the hard way? Share your stories, tips, or even your own before-and-after photos in the comments below.
Read more: Homeowners wary of criminals targeting these items in their homes
For many, it’s a chance to get stuck into long-overdue yard work. But as one homeowner recently learned, a simple day in the garden can sometimes deliver a far bigger surprise than expected.
Alexis Withers, a busy business owner who runs Bitesoft dental with her husband Luke, found herself in a bit of a bind when her regular gardener was unavailable.
Like many of us do these days, she turned to Airtasker—a popular online marketplace for odd jobs—to find someone to help tidy up her front yard.
Woman pays $200 for garden tidy-up, left shocked as plants cut to stumps instead of trimmed. Credit: @Lexii_Withers / TikTok
The job was simple: mow the lawn and give her beloved heliconias a trim, all for a tidy sum of $200.
But when Alexis returned to inspect the work, she was left absolutely gobsmacked.
Instead of a gentle tidy-up, her once-lush, palm-like heliconias had been hacked back to their stumps!
The dramatic before-and-after video she shared online shows the plants reduced to little more than bare stalks, leaving her garden looking more like a scene from a post-cyclone clean-up than a spring refresh.
‘When we saw the result, we were quite shocked,’ Alexis admitted. ‘Instead of trimming the plants, they were cut in half.’
In her video, she even pleaded with fellow green thumbs: ‘Does anyone know how I can grow back my plants quickly?’
Despite the drastic haircut, Alexis was quick to point out that the gardener was ‘such a lovely person’ and she didn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable by complaining.
Instead, she sent a polite text: ‘Next time, please just trim the leaves rather than cutting them in half.’
The online reaction was a mixed bag. Some viewers described the scene as ‘sad’ and admitted they’d be in tears if it happened to them.
Others were more philosophical, suggesting the gardener may have actually done her a favour. ‘They’ll grow back better than ever!’ one commenter reassured.
And it turns out, there’s some truth to that. Tim Pickles, a garden centre owner, weighed in to say that while the sight of butchered plants can be confronting, it’s ‘no big deal’ in the long run.
‘They don’t like winter, the leaves get burnt by frost. They will grow back, even better, as soon as the weather warms up,’ he explained.
The good news for Alexis—and anyone else who’s suffered a gardening shock—is that most plants are far tougher than we give them credit for.
With a bit of sunshine, water, and patience, those bare stumps will likely be bursting with new growth in no time. In fact, a hard prune can often lead to a healthier, bushier plant down the track.
Read more: Homeowners wary of criminals targeting these items in their homes
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