Consultations
In this 1-hour in-person visit, we’ll walk through your yard, discuss your specific goals and challenges with the area, take photos, and get measurements. Following this visit, you’ll get a written report with specific landscaping recommendations, maintenance schedule, and customized plant list for your site conditions.
Along with your consultation report, I’ll also send a quote for recommended work. The consultation fee is discounted from any quoted project work you decide to move forward with.
Native Plant Landscaping Projects
Looking to add biodiversity to your yard with native plants? Let’s work together to build a perfect custom project that fits your budget and goals. Each of these packages is designed for different client needs and experience levels, from native plant novice to seasoned gardener.
Reach out to schedule an estimate
Project Packages
Leafcutter Bee Package
Perfect for DIY-ers in need of design help
- Site Visit
- Consultation Report
- Design
Skipper Package
Great for clients who need a hand getting the site ready for planting.
- Site Visit
- Consultation Report
- Design
- Site Prep
Bumblebee Package
You put them in the ground, I’ll take care of the rest!
- Site Visit
- Consultation Report
- Design
- Site Prep
- Plant Sourcing
Swallowtail Package
The full project package, from design to planting
- Site Visit
- Consultation Report
- Design
- Site Prep
- Plant Sourcing
- Planting
The Project Process
In this 30-minute in-person meeting, we’ll walk together through your yard(s), learn about your goals for the space, take photos, and get measurements. From there, I’ll provide you with an estimate for project costs and timeline.
You’ll receive a final quote, contract, and deposit invoice for any recommended work you decide to move forward with. Once the contract has been signed and deposit paid, work will begin! The exact timing depends on the nature of the work and the season, but you’ll receive regular updates on project status if weather or other factors affects the schedule.
I’ll collaborate with you to create a design that meets your project goals and style. The design process includes 2 rounds of revisions, so you’ll have a chance to provide feedback and fine-tune your design.
Prior to planting, we’ll coordinate work sessions to do any weeding, grading, edging, and mulching required by the project. Work sessions are booked in 4 hour increments.
This is what it’s all about! Plants can go in the ground as soon as the project site is prepared and inventory is ready from my suppliers. Forbs, grasses, sedges, and rushes are typically planted as 1-2″ plugs. Shrubs and trees are usually planted as quart and gallon-sized plants.
The first few weeks are crucial to the success of the project, and I’ll provide you with detailed maintenance instructions after planting. Clients are expected to water the plants as they establish themselves, usually for the first 4-6 weeks. Need help keeping up with the your newly planted project? I offer ongoing maintenance service plans for regular weeding and other preventative care.
Seasonal Packages
These packages are designed around each season’s unique needs, and are perfect for catching up on maintenance work throughout the year.
Woodland Phlox Spring Cleanup Package
(Available March-April)
This package includes everything you need to get a head start on the spring planting season!
- Consultation report
- 4 hours of spring maintenance labor, including:
- Plant identification
- Issue diagnosis and troubleshooting
- Weed and invasive removal *
- Prune dormant shrubs and small (<8′) trees
- Cut stalks down to ~18” for pollinator nesting
- Divide and transplant dormant forbs and bulbs †
- Spring plantings †
- Up to 1 cubic yard (~200 sq/ft) of mulch supplementation
- Yard waste disposal and recycling
Milkweed Summer Cleanup Package
(Available May-October)
Catch up with this one-time garden cleanup during the peak summer season.
- Consultation report
- 4 hours of spring maintenance labor, including:
- Plant identification
- Issue diagnosis and troubleshooting
- Weed and invasive removal *
- Plantings †
- Up to 1 cubic yard (~200 sq/ft) of mulch supplementation
- Yard waste disposal and recycling
Goldenrod Autumn Winterization Package
(Available late October-early December)
A perfect way to prepare your garden for the winter. This cleanup includes ecologically-sound and pollinator-friendly practices alongside traditional end-of-season tasks.
- Consultation Report
- 4 hours of spring maintenance labor, including:
- Plant identification
- Issue diagnosis and troubleshooting
- Weed and invasive removal *
- Rake leaves into garden beds
- Remove seed heads where reseeding is not desirable
- Divide and transplant dormant forbs and bulbs †
- Fall plantings †
- Up to 1 cubic yard (~200 sq/ft) of mulch supplementation
- Yard waste disposal and recycling
* A note on herbicide use: When possible, I prioritize manual removal of weeds, but this is sometimes not possible due to soil conditions, root size, or plant aggressiveness. In these cases, I will cut the plant as low as possible, then use a targeted application of triclopyr to kill off the remaining plant stump. The volume of chemical used is minimal & restricted to the specific plant. I always confirm with clients before using this approach. Herbicide use can be avoided if that is preferred by the client, with the caveat that regrowth is more likely.
† Applies to plants purchased by the client. Additional material & design costs apply for custom layouts and plant sourcing.
Maintenance & Stewardship Plans
Keep ahead of the weeds this season by subscribing to a season-long garden maintenance plan. Don’t let a sore back or busy schedule stop you from having a beautiful, ecologically-minded garden!
Little Bluestem Plan
Designed for a small, single-yard garden, this plan includes a 2-hour monthly maintenance visit during the growing season (April-October), along with spring pruning (February-March) and fall cleanup (November) with report-backs on any trouble areas with custom recommendations.
- Issue Diagnosis and troubleshooting
- Prune dormant shrubs and small (<8′) trees
- Cut stalks down to ~18” for pollinator nesting
- Weed and invasive removal *
- Divide and transplant dormant forbs and bulbs †
- Rake leaves into garden beds
- Remove seed heads where reseeding is not desirable
- Up to 1 cubic yard (~200 sq/ft) of anual mulch supplementation
- Yard waste recycling
Big Bluestem Plan
Designed for maintenance across the front and back yard gardens, this plan includes a 4-hour monthly maintenance visit during the growing season (April-October), along with spring pruning and mulch supplementation (February-March) and fall cleanup (November) with report-backs on any trouble areas with custom recommendations.
- Issue Diagnosis and troubleshooting
- Prune dormant shrubs and small (<8′) trees
- Cut stalks down to ~18” for pollinator nesting
- Weed and invasive removal *
- Divide and transplant dormant forbs and bulbs †
- Rake leaves into garden beds
- Remove seed heads where reseeding is not desirable
- Up to 2 cubic yard (~200 sq/ft) of annual mulch supplementation
- Yard waste recycling
* A note on herbicide use: When possible, I prioritize manual removal of weeds, but this is sometimes not possible due to soil conditions, root size, or plant aggressiveness. In these cases, I will cut the plant as low as possible, then use a targeted application of triclopyr to kill off the remaining plant stump. The volume of chemical used is minimal & restricted to the specific plant. I always confirm with clients before using this approach. Herbicide use can be avoided if that is preferred by the client, with the caveat that regrowth is more likely.
† Applies to plants purchased by the client. Additional material & design costs apply for custom layouts and plant sourcing.
Services I Don’t Provide
While I love helping clients with their native plant landscaping needs, there are a few services I don’t provide, either because they conflict with ecological best practices, or because they’re outside of my current scope of work. These include:
- Traditional turf & lawn maintenance: I’m happy to help install grama grasses, bluestems, and buffalo grass, but leave the traditional turf to conventional lawn professionals.
- Mortared hardscaping: I build small retaining walls, stone edging, and small hardscape surfaces, but don’t currently do mortared installations and other large concrete jobs.
- Insecticides: These chemicals adversely affect beneficial insects and pollinators, as well as the birds and other predators that consume them. Rather than killing off pests with a blanket treatment, I recommend an integrated pest management approach. In this approach, we use plant and insect biodiversity, water management, and other natural tools to keep pest populations under control.
- Large tree trimming and removal: I am insured to work on shrubs & trees up to 8′ tall. For larger trees, please reach out to a licensed arborist.
- Landscaping Fabric & Weed Mats: This approach contributes to plastic pollution, prevents natural plant spread, and inhibits air flow and moisture. For ecologically-friendly weed prevention, I recommend checking out a seasonal maintenance plan, or working together to come up with a matrix planting design to grow a living mulch.
- Invasive Species: I always work with clients to find suitable native or non-invasive alternatives when an invasive species is requested.
- Fall Leaf Removal: Leaves provide crucial overwinter shelter to local insects, and the small creatures that feed on them. Rather than raking and hauling off this precious bio matter, I encourage clients to leave the leaves as garden bed mulch over the winter.
