Custom Perennial Garden
Design and Planting

From an elegant low maintenance garden of shrubs and ornamental grasses to a lush island garden full of fragrance and bloom.  With our many years of experience we can adapt any style or plant preference to whatever space or budget is at hand to create a garden that stands out from the rest. 

We’ll custom design your new perennial garden based on  - your plant choices;  a thorough investigation of the site;  family needs;  sun/soil conditions; and budget.   With the 1,000's of plants available today, anything is possible! 

With a right-plant-in-the-right-place approach, your garden will flourish and grow more beautiful with age as each plant matures in good health, instead of needing replacement just a few years on.   There is no such thing as a garden site without some type of challenge - dry sandy soil ... too wet with poor drainage ... too shady ... very windy ... etc.  Working together with your unique site conditions, using our 25 years of experience with beyond-the-ordinary perennial plants and garden design, is the key to success.

Once completed, we will be there to see that your new garden develops as it should with either regular visits from our expert team of gardeners, or through our gardening classes to teach you how to look after it yourself.

Call soon to book your 2019 garden consultation and we'll explore your garden's possibilities!

Evelyn Wolf, garden consultant
Garden Possibilities Services

 

Expert Shrub & Small Tree Pruning Services

 “Shrub Pruning is no big deal.  You just trim back branches each year,  Right?     Wrong! 

What often passes for pruning is nothing less than plant torture! The power tool “haircut” that's often seen, not only destroys the natural form and potential beauty of a shrub or tree, but saps their strength making them vulnerable to pest or disease attack.  Plants become distorted with poor branch structure, and develop "naked legs" with twiggy tip growth that has little energy for blooming well. 

Our shrub and small tree pruning is done with a good set of simple hand tools ... knowledge of the potential beauty and individual growth patterns of each particular shrub ... a thorough understanding of general pruning responses and bud set habits of all woody plants, and how to manipulate these responses to achieve a particular design goal and long term health.  

Maturing trees and shrubs are the irreplaceable backbones of any garden.   Only through good pruning will your shrubs ever maintain the gorgeous look of the picture you saw when originally choosing it for your garden.  Protect and enhance your landscape investment with a professional pruning visit each year. 

Shrub Pruning Tip - Contrary to popular practice, September is NOT a good time to prune!  Its actually the only time of the whole year where any major pruning can be outright harmful. The growth that pruning stimulates doesn't have time to prepare it's cell structure properly (i.e. "harden off" or "ripen") to survive the cold winter, and spring flowers are cut away. 
Any time is a good time to remove diseased or damaged branches, but hold off on any structural pruning until at least the end of October when plants are going dormant and no growth is stimulated - any time between December and late April is best, with a follow-up in late June once spring bloomers are finished.

GARDEN DESIGN & PLANTING
Custom design and planting, based on your style taste, your particular site conditions, and your available maintenance time.  Working with ornamental grasses and unique shrubs that offer both summer and winter interest is a specialty. 

QUALITY GARDEN MAINTENANCE
Experienced gardeners will ensure your  garden is healthy and looking its best all year round. 
... regular weeding and edging visits
... annuals and other new planting  
... manipulate plants and soil to bring out best plant performance and rebloom
... identify and repair problems in either plants, soil, or design
... prune shrubs and vines correctly for maximum bloom and enhanced natural shape and long term health. 
Quality care for both short term seasonal beauty and long term garden health.   

SHRUB PRUNING / RENOVATION (see below)
April, June & Nov. visits to keep your shrubs in peak blooming condition and optimum health.  Renovation pruning or sculptural topiary style pruning can give an old shrub a new life! 

CONSULTATIONS
Garden design ideas; soil health advice;  renovation coach;  "just bought a house with a big garden..." plant identification and teaching;  tree & plant selection advice;  ...

GARDENING SEMINAR SPEAKER
Detailed lessons to full slide show presentations for consumer shows, hort club meetings, community information programs, or private gardeners' groups.

COURSES & WORKSHOPS
Year round, indoor and outdoor gardening lessons and hands-on workshops, from in-depth courses to single topic workshops.

 

Unhappy with the flower power of your shrubs?   Incorrect pruning is almost

always the cause!

Our "" pruning workshop combines a 3 hour detailed lesson and slide show with hands-on demonstrations and a take-home 24page booklet. 

Knowledgeable pruning is THE most important gardening skill to get right for a successful garden.  Learn how to stop the torture of your shrubs and young trees to create a garden that matures with grace and beauty rather than one that needs replacement or renovation over time.