On Site Consultation
A review of garden and landscape needs addressing specific questions of the client.
These may include but not limited to:
West Seattle, Bellevue, East Side, Mercer Island, Edmonds, Lake Forest Park and Snohomish County on site time is billed at $150/hour with a one hour minimum, then billed in 15 minute increments thereafter.
Post consult follow up correspondences including more detailed field notes, further plant recommendations and any detailed instructions not covered in the on site visit are billed at the $100/hr. rate.
These may include but not limited to:
- Plant suggestions for selected garden beds, including simple design sketches for guidance in plant selection and placement.
- Plant identification of existing plants. Great for those who inherit a 'mature' garden and need to know what they have and how to take care of it. Care and maintenance instructions given for inherited plants.
- Renovation instructions for neglected plants that are still viable in the garden.
- Tree, shrub and lawn care instructions.
- Pruning instructions
- Plant installation instructions and maintenance instructions.
West Seattle, Bellevue, East Side, Mercer Island, Edmonds, Lake Forest Park and Snohomish County on site time is billed at $150/hour with a one hour minimum, then billed in 15 minute increments thereafter.
Post consult follow up correspondences including more detailed field notes, further plant recommendations and any detailed instructions not covered in the on site visit are billed at the $100/hr. rate.
Post Consultation Services
A simple follow up to the initial on site consultation when a detailed design plan is not called for. Good for clients who plan to do their own small scale renovations and install the plants themselves or hire a contractor to do simple renovation and planting.
A Potential Plant List is an Excel spreadsheet of plants that are suitable for the areas discussed in the consult. The sheet is structured to include the plant's Botanical name, Common name, special characteristics, i.e. evergreen, fall color, summer flowers, etc. and a website link to explore the plant.
Plant lists can be structured to be a general list of all suitable plants for an area, or broken down to target specific areas and cultural needs.
Lists can be further delineated into evergreen shrubs, small trees, grasses and grass-like plants, perennials and ground covers.
The client can use these lists to explore potential plants for their site and make their selection based on personal needs and preferences.
Many of the plants used can be found on the Great Plant Picks website. http://www.greatplantpicks.org/
A Potential Plant List is an Excel spreadsheet of plants that are suitable for the areas discussed in the consult. The sheet is structured to include the plant's Botanical name, Common name, special characteristics, i.e. evergreen, fall color, summer flowers, etc. and a website link to explore the plant.
Plant lists can be structured to be a general list of all suitable plants for an area, or broken down to target specific areas and cultural needs.
Lists can be further delineated into evergreen shrubs, small trees, grasses and grass-like plants, perennials and ground covers.
The client can use these lists to explore potential plants for their site and make their selection based on personal needs and preferences.
Many of the plants used can be found on the Great Plant Picks website. http://www.greatplantpicks.org/
Garden Design
Work with the client to develop a detailed garden plan most suitable to the needs of the site and client’s lifestyle, i.e. low water use, low maintenance, shade tolerant, fragrant, pollinator friendly, etc.
This may include some or all of the following:
Design and planting plan services are contracted based on a site specific proposal with a specification of hourly fees based on services provided. Billed at $100/hr. rate.
This may include some or all of the following:
- Provide initial Potential Plant List for client review. Client reviews suggested plant list and edits the list to eliminate all the plants they do not favor. Remaining plants are used as a base palette for the design.
- Schematic layouts. These are simple design layout sketches to show varying possible arrangement of design elements when significant spatial changes are being considered. Typically shows location of redesigned planting areas, altered paths, patios or decks, water features, etc. Often two schematics are completed and reviewed with the client selecting the preferred option. After review, a third hybrid option can also be created from combined elements of the first two if desired to suit preferences.
- Design new planting beds and redesign areas without schematic preliminaries. Provide Potential Plant Lists for client review, then create detailed planting plan from edited plant list.
- Redesign existing planting areas. Provide Potential Plant Lists for client review then create detailed planting plan with plant list from edited plant list.
Design and planting plan services are contracted based on a site specific proposal with a specification of hourly fees based on services provided. Billed at $100/hr. rate.
Garden Coaching and Mentoring
Garden Coaching: Provides cultural, design and plant selection advice on an ongoing basis to clients who are actively building or rebuilding a garden or landscape.
Meetings would provide a space to dialogue about design goals, strategies, plant selection and plant health, to evaluate progress on already established goals, to review current garden conditions in order to give techniques and methods for making improvements, and to offer suggestions to bring in new and innovative ideas to make the garden the best it can be. Billed at $80.00/hr. rate.
Mentoring: Geared to aspiring horticulturists, plant persons, beginning garden designers and gardeners who would like to accelerate their knowledge and experience base by engaging in ongoing dialogues about plant selection, design and implementation. Visits to Alex's private garden, as well as to local public and private gardens, nurseries and commercial sites would provide the basis for this interaction.
Billed at $100/hr. rate. Please inquire for student rates or a sliding scale for those who might need it.
Meetings would provide a space to dialogue about design goals, strategies, plant selection and plant health, to evaluate progress on already established goals, to review current garden conditions in order to give techniques and methods for making improvements, and to offer suggestions to bring in new and innovative ideas to make the garden the best it can be. Billed at $80.00/hr. rate.
Mentoring: Geared to aspiring horticulturists, plant persons, beginning garden designers and gardeners who would like to accelerate their knowledge and experience base by engaging in ongoing dialogues about plant selection, design and implementation. Visits to Alex's private garden, as well as to local public and private gardens, nurseries and commercial sites would provide the basis for this interaction.
Billed at $100/hr. rate. Please inquire for student rates or a sliding scale for those who might need it.
A planting of Great Plant Picks in Alex's private garden:
Lonicera 'Baggesson's Gold' in back-center, Viburnum carlesii at the top left, cut leaf shapes of Acanthus spinosus in middle behind sculpture, bold silver leaves of Brunnera 'Sea Heart' in center, long, silver spotted leaves of Pulmonaria longifolia var.cevennesis in front of sculpture, black accents of Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' along path, shiny foliage of Helleborus x hybridus 'Sally' tucked in next to Acanthus, chartreuse green flowers of Primula 'Green Lace' (syn. 'Francesca') peeking out next to Brunnera. Large golden perennial on right is Leucoseptrum japonicum 'Golden Angel'.
Lonicera 'Baggesson's Gold' in back-center, Viburnum carlesii at the top left, cut leaf shapes of Acanthus spinosus in middle behind sculpture, bold silver leaves of Brunnera 'Sea Heart' in center, long, silver spotted leaves of Pulmonaria longifolia var.cevennesis in front of sculpture, black accents of Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' along path, shiny foliage of Helleborus x hybridus 'Sally' tucked in next to Acanthus, chartreuse green flowers of Primula 'Green Lace' (syn. 'Francesca') peeking out next to Brunnera. Large golden perennial on right is Leucoseptrum japonicum 'Golden Angel'.
Partially shaded border in June with some more Great Plant Picks:
Cryptomeria japonica 'Sekkan-sugi' top center, Philadelphus 'Belle Etoile' white flowers to far left in bloom, Phlomis russeliana with yellow, whorled flowers in front right.
Cryptomeria japonica 'Sekkan-sugi' top center, Philadelphus 'Belle Etoile' white flowers to far left in bloom, Phlomis russeliana with yellow, whorled flowers in front right.
