Design

What it is

I work with clients to create detailed designs, including specific selected plants, for their yards. There are several scenarios in which a design might make sense for you:

  • You have a lot of lawn and you want to reduce it just to the area you use, but need help seeing how this blank slate should take shape and exactly what plants should go into it.

  • You have existing garden beds you would like to expand or change the shape of.

  • You have existing garden beds that aren’t working for any number of reasons and need to be renovated.

  • You want a garden but don’t have the time or desire to devote hours to researching and learning exactly how to add it to your yard!

I work with clients who are happy to do the physical labor themselves, but don’t know where to start and don’t have the time to become garden experts in order to do so. That’s where a design can be really helpful.

For those implementing the design themselves, I provide a detailed implementation guide along with the final design draft that walks you step-by-step through the process from preparing the site to maintenance after everything is in the ground. Depending on the size of the project, it also breaks down the design into phases to tackle season by season.

I also work with clients who would like me to create the design and implement it for them. See more about installation.

Example of a master plan design for clients who wanted to create harmony from front to back yard while maintaining ample lawn space for play.

How it works

  1. Contact me to set up a time to meet. We can video chat or meet in-person in your yard.

  2. We meet and discuss what you’re looking for from your garden and I assess whether this is a project that’s a good fit for my style. I take pictures and videos of your yard.

  3. I assess your site, calculate the size of the area discussed, and tell you what the design fee will be for your project. If you accept, I send you an invoice for a retainer and begin working.

  4. I send you an initial design draft that includes shapes and concept lines, but no specific plants yet. If it’s a large area, I send you two versions to peruse.

  5. We meet to discuss your impressions of the initial draft(s).

  6. I make edits to the concept lines based on your feedback and set to work selecting the specific plants. In addition to the design showing each plant labeled, I create versions that show featured colors in spring, summer, and autumn so that you can see how and where the color changes throughout the year.

  7. I send you a draft for your feedback and make any necessary tweaks.

  8. I deliver the final draft along with the implementation guide (if you are doing the installation yourself) and an invoice for the rest of the design fee.

  9. Optional: if you would like help ordering the plants, I provide an estimate for a plant order, source them from wholesale nurseries and deliver them to you. This is, of course, an additional cost separate from the design fee.

  10. See more about installation if you plan to have me implement the design for you.

What it costs

Each design fee is determined based on the size of the area and the complexity of the project. Here are the price ranges you can expect (based on an average suburban lot size):

One garden bed or an area smaller than a full front or back yard $300 to $1000

Half master plan (full front or back yard) $1000 to $1500

Full master plan (entire property) $1500 to $3000

I give a 10% discount on design fees to clients who will also be hiring me for installation.