I’m up for a challenge.
Through geographical distance (far), preferred design (hers: quirky english, his: midcentury modern), weather (90s) and preferred timeline (yesetrday), a challenge was given.
Jilly contacted me on a Tuesday saying, “Michael just ripped out a bunch of turf in front of the house. Help.” I was sure they’d want to have plans in hand in a week or two, but they needed the plans. Stat. After eight years in their home, they were ready for their landscape to change in front of the house.
On Thursday, not 36 hours later, after multiple emails and Facebook messages, as well as a FaceTime garden tour and consult, the blasting of the Avett Brothers (their favorite) as I designed for them, Jilly and Michael had the plans for a 160 sq. ft. MCM/Tidy Frugal Quirky English garden in hand.
I love it when homeowners want to source existing plants from other parts of their property. It’s wise stewardship of time, plants, and resources. We audited what they wanted to use from other areas of their property, and I suggested supplemental plants to fill out the design.
Though they live in a different growing zone, I knew their aesthetic, I knew what grew well in their region, and I knew how to roll with the punches when it came to their unique needs. It was a pleasure to design this beautiful garden.
In addition to their custom design and summary document providing them with suggested planting tips, I gave them a list of plants (including quantity, height, and width), and told them to head to the nursery. They knew that if the nurseries didn’t have what I suggested, they could choose an item similar in size and needs. After striking out at a specialty nursery, they headed to a larger garden center where they found many of the listed plants, and they found plants they liked to supplement what wasn’t available. (They customized their custom design: perfect!)
Through equally hard work, these partners now now have a water-wise, pollinator-friendly, quirky/tidy/frugal MCM English Garden.
Lessons learned: be flexible, use your resources, and hide under the porch and laugh when weather gets in your way.
Congratulations, Jilly and Michael! I can’t wait to see how your garden grows.