In Ashley’s Words:
“Working with Amy to revamp my landscaping has been such a joy. She has a wealth of knowledge about native plants, soil conditions, and landscape plans. My yard had such harsh lines with a boxy house. I knew it needed more of a curvy layout, but I could not visualize how to fix it. Amy came out multiple times and gave me ideas about shaping the yard, but she really listened to what I wanted in terms of color, dimension, maintenance, blooms growing all season, and attracting pollinators. She was so encouraging the entire time and was always quick to message me back when I had random questions. The scaled out blueprint she made for me really helped me visualize how everything will look when fully grown. I have a long way to go, but I now am much more confident with my gardening skills. Thanks Amy! “
The Process I Followed With Ashley: Site Evaluation & I Listen To You
My client, Ashley, lives in Des Plaines, Illinois and was so eager to learn how to garden. She had a fairly blank slate and lots of great ideas for her yard, but, like most of my clients who are new to gardening, she wasn’t sure where to start. This can be the most daunting task! So, many beginners take on more than they can handle, get overwhelmed, and quit. This is where I find myself providing a lot of value: let’s get you started in an area that you will get to enjoy the most and cut out a section that you can manage in one season. Then, after you get that in, we can build off of it.
Second: Make a Plan!
We chose the back corner of Ashley’s yard where she already had a new hedge of native Techny Arborvitae trees. We chose native dogwood shrubs that will get about 6-8′ tall and will cover the telephone pole and wires, making her view more natural. I gave her a list of small trees that she could choose from that would fit that space and not get too tall to interfere with power lines: she chose a lilac. We added some large grasses to soften the fence line and then layered in native perennials. Ashley really wanted to hear birds in her yard and attract pollinators: the coneflowers, coreopsis, asters and Agastache (in a nice color palette) will be beautiful and feed a lot of birds and butterflies from spring to fall.
Third: Start Gardening!
Look at the photos at the bottom of this page to see where Ashley started and where she ended up. Because I have done so many gardening projects , I also recommend how to break down this type of work: what you can do yourself and what you will want to pay someone to do. Ashley paid someone to remove the sod for her and she did all the planting herself! I will also recommend a list of reputable local partners like arborists, landscapers, hardscape, and installers, and I will tell you where I find the best deals on plants. This is the benefit of having someone local assist you!
There is nothing that makes me happier than knowing a new gardener has implemented their ideas and looks out their window every morning to see what they’ve accomplished…for themselves and for nature.
Testimonial #2: Shannon in Arlington Heights
In Shannon’s Words
I was feeling overwhelmed with my crowded, existing landscaping and Amy lended her knowledge and experience to guide me through de-cluttering! We used a landscaping company a few years ago to redesign our planting beds and add in a variety of new plants, and they added too much, too close together (which Amy took one look years ago and told me the landscaper put way too many plants in and didn’t space them correctly, but they were already planted, so we left them be). Fast forward to summer 2023 and I called Amy in need of her help. She came by and showed me many ways to de-clutter and use my existing plants to redistribute them elsewhere, space them correctly, and revamp my planting beds. It was empowering to have her guide me through the process, and do it myself, all while never buying 1 new plant and just re-using what we had, but in a smarter way. Amy also helped us pick trees for our backyard and I will be contacting her for more help in 2024! Amy knows her stuff, is very hands on, easy to get a hold of, and is able to put things in laments terms for all of us non-gardening people.
The Process for Shannon’s Yard
Step 1: Listen and Evaluate
Shannon has a beautiful home and she just wasn’t happy with the how the front landscaping looked, even after she paid for a design and a professional to install the plants only a few years ago. I told her that landscapers get paid by the plant so they will always put as many plants as can fit when the plants are very small. When they drive away, the landscaping looks great! However, in about three years, those plants of more than doubled in size and now everything is growing into each other and it is a mess. This is exactly what happened here.
The great news is, Shannon was eager to try to garden but she was nervous about where to start and what to do. I grabbed a shovel and showed her how to divide the perennials she had. I also taught her about the growing conditions she had around her home: where there was lots of sun, dappled sun and full shade; where she had some wet areas and where she needed to make sure she didn’t block the view from her windows since her two little boys were going to need to be seen when playing outside. She also was in need of some shade in the back from the hot west facing sun which blares in all of her kitchen and family room windows in the summer afternoons.
Step 2: Plan
I showed Shannon which overgrown plants in the front could be moved and where they could go. We also decided which plants went well together along with what will bloom in each season. We also needed a medium sized bush to go in front of the house and under the dining room window. I told Shannon that she should dig up one of the larger hydrangeas she had in the back that was too crowded, and put it all by itself in the front. She looked at me and said, “Do you think I could do that by myself?” I told her definitely and showed her how.
For the trees in the back, I told her that because her yard collects water after it rains for a day or two, that she needed to select her trees from a list that are native to her area and could tolerate occasional flooding. She is also in immediate need of shade so she had to pick something fast growing.
Step 3: Planting!
Once Shannon had her first session with me, she did everything else on her own. I was amazed: I came back a few weeks later and she had moved the hydrangea, divided the perennials and layered them just as we talked about! I have never had a complete beginner gardener move so fast and so well! You could see how empowered she felt and how much she just plain loved how her work looked. This is the feeling I see the most: that “I’ve always wanted to do this but had no idea where to start and now that I’ve started I don’t want to stop” look. It’s what makes garden coaching so rewarding and why I have chosen it as my next career.
