Virtual and Onsite Design Services

Does This Sound Like You?

Are you frustrated with your gardens?
Do you want higher-impact, lower-maintenance landscapes? How about plants that require less water and fertilizer plus are pollinator-friendly?
How about a garden that provides waves of color and drama all three seasons long?
Do you have unanswered questions about dividing perennials (need someone to demonstrate for you?), pruning, the right mulch to use, adjusting the shape of your garden beds, how to improve your soil?
Do you wish you could 'tweak' your garden - or perhaps even overhaul it! - to get that dream garden you've always wanted?
Would you love to have stunning containers and window boxes?
Do you need help designing a brand new bed so that you save time and money by creating a masterpiece the first time?
Do you want a second opinion on a design that someone else did for you?
Would you find it reassuring to have someone onsite overseeing a garden's installation to make sure it comes out as you envisioned it and that plants were dug in correctly to minimize shock and increase viability?

Then my popular home garden consultations are for you!

I offer BOTH VIRTUAL and ONSITE consultations

Let's roll-up our sleeves and partner together in building a garden that will bring YOU the most pleasure.

More than 1,000 gardeners have benefited from my easy-to-follow, step by step recommendations for transforming gardens into more luxuriant, low-maintenance landscapes or creating brand new ones.

I’ll provide sought-after design solutions for reducing maintenance time; replacing frustrating plants with top-performing perennials, shrubs, evergreens, trees and/or annuals; creating attractive foundation plantings; tackling poor soil problems; addressing your gardening questions; and more. I will also provide a list of the recommended plants.

Onsite Garden Consultations

For homes within a 30-mile radius of Kennebunk, Maine

$115 per hour on site. Travel fees may apply.

Call (207) 502-7228 or e-mail pyours1@gmail.com for more information and to schedule an appointment.

Virtual Garden and Landscape Consultations

These consultations are for homeowners in hardiness Zones 7 or colder.

Clients provide photos, measurements for new planting beds (or those that need updating), and answer a series of questions related to sunlight, soil type, color/plant preferences, deer pressure, and more. Depending on the project, I will draw either a design to scale, or provide general advice on recommended plants for various sites, as well as problem-solving solutions. A Zoom meeting is then scheduled where I review design recommendations and address questions. The virtual design fee is the same as onsite consultations - $115 per hour. Most virtual consultations are between 3 and 7 hours which includes collecting data, creating the design(s), and the follow-up Zoom conversation. If you are interested in a virtual design consultation, please email me at pyours1@gmail.com

Garden Designer for a Day OR 1/2 Day

I’m available as an on-site ‘Garden Designer for a Day’ for properties within a 2.5-hour drive - one way - from my home in Kennebunk, Maine. NOTE: This program is available for properties in New England that are outside this radius, but additional travel expenses will be factor, e.g. hotel and meals.

Services can include some or all of the following:

plant and design recommendations (provided while on site)
rough sketches of the area(s) designed (provided while on site)
a list of recommended plants (provided while on site)
garden care demonstrations including pruning shrubs, dividing perennials, transplanting and soil pH testing
designing and planting containers on site
accompanying you to garden centers to select the best plants
and more...

My Garden Designer for a Day fee is $800 (9 hours); $450 for a 1/2 Day (4.5 hours) – A day being defined as leaving my home in Kennebunk, ME at 8:00 a.m. and arriving back at home by 5:00 p.m. 1/2 Day is 4.5 hours within this same time frame.

Interested homeowners can either have me all to themselves OR organize friends living in the area to go in together to have me visit each of them before heading home. Another thought for funding my consultation visit is to invite friends to tag along to listen to my design tips and plant recommendations. They could chip in something towards their ‘class’.

If you are interested in scheduling a Garden Designer for a Day or 1/2 Day, please email me at pyours1@gmail.com or call me at 207-502-7228. Please be sure to let me know your (physical) home address and cell phone number and if you alone are booking my services or if there are others sharing the day. If there are others, please also include their names, addresses, and email. Thank you!

Note: After my visit, I am happy to answer a follow-up email or phone call but if more time is needed than that, I will bill at my hourly rate, which is $115 per hour, in 15-minute minimum increments.

Additional Services

Minimum billable time for the below consulting services is one hour

For those living within a 30-minute drive of Kennebunk, ME. I am available to be your onsite adviser during garden installations to make sure my design recommendations (or your modified version of these) are being followed. I help insure plants are being spaced correctly; dug in, fertilized and watered properly to minimize shock; and, if any substitutes are being used, they are comparable to what was originally proposed. The person installing the garden may be a local high school student, friend, someone who does yard work, or an area landscaper. No matter! I can answer questions, demonstrate proper techniques, advise, and encourage. The only thing I cannot do anymore is garden installations. My old back ain't what it used to be.
I can review landscape designs and provide a third party perspective to make sure what is recommended matches what you envisioned. I'll provide feedback about the plants used in the design and answer questions before the installation occurs. By getting a second opinion before the green and white checkered flag is waved, you can be more confident in the outcome and request any substitutions or modifications needed.