garden consultation
A single on-site visit. My eye on your property for the day.
What It Is
Some properties need a full commission. Some need an afternoon with someone who can read the ground and tell you the truth about it.
The Consultation is a single visit to your property. We walk it together. We look at what's thriving, what's failing and why, what the layout wants to become, and what your future plans will actually cost. You ask everything. I answer plainly.
No drawings, no proposal, no pitch. Just the most honest read of your land you're likely to get, and a written record of it.
What We Cover
Every property brings its own questions, but most visits move through the same ground:
Diagnosis. Why the hydrangeas keep dying in that corner. Where the water actually goes when it rains. What the soil is doing under the mulch. Failures always have reasons, and most of them are visible if you know where to look.
Planting. What belongs in your conditions, what's fighting them, and what I'd put in the ground if it were mine. Specific plants for specific places, suited to Middle Tennessee clay and the light your property actually gets.
Layout. Where the paths want to go. What's blocking the view that matters. Which spaces are working hard and which ones nobody uses. Small moves that change how the whole property reads.
Budget and sequencing. What your goals will realistically cost, what to do first, what can wait, and where spending more now saves money later. If you're planning a future project, this is the conversation that keeps it from starting in the wrong place.
You receive my field notes. One to two pages, written for your property alone: what we found, what I'd plant, what I'd change, and how I'd sequence the spending.
The field notes are working counsel, a record you can act on for years. Design drawings belong to commissions. This is something different: the observations, the reasoning, and the plan of attack, in writing, so nothing we walked through gets lost.
Who It's For
New homeowners who've inherited a landscape and don't know what they're looking at yet.
Properties where something is failing and nobody has been able to say why.
Gardeners who want to do the work themselves and need direction they can trust before they spend another season guessing.
Anyone planning a larger project who wants an honest read on scope and budget before committing to anything.
If you already know you want a designed garden, start with a commission instead. Every commission begins with this same walk, so there's no need to book it twice.
How It Works
Tell me about your property. Where it is, roughly what's on it, and what's on your mind. I'll confirm the fee and we'll find a date.
I work across Middle Tennessee, from city lots in Nashville to acreage in Franklin, Leiper's Fork, and Wilson County. For larger rural properties farther afield, travel can be arranged.
Inquire to Book
FAQ
Questions:
How long is the visit? It depends on the property. A city lot takes less time than forty acres. When you inquire, I'll tell you what your property needs.
What does it cost? The fee depends on the size of the property and the travel involved. I confirm it before anything is booked, so there are no surprises.
Do I get a planting plan or drawings? No. Drawings are commission work. You get the visit, the conversation, and written field notes: what we found, what I'd plant, what I'd change, and how I'd sequence the spending.
Can the consultation lead to a commission? Often it does. The consultation is a complete thing on its own, and it's also the most natural first conversation of a larger project. If we move into a commission afterward, the consultation fee is credited toward it.
What should I have ready? Nothing is required. If you have a survey or plat, photos of problem areas through the seasons, or a list of what's been planted and lost, all of it helps. Mostly, come with your questions.
Do you travel outside Middle Tennessee? For larger rural properties, yes, by arrangement. Tell me about the land and we'll go from there.