A Description of Our Offered Services

When contacting us to request service, it can sometimes be difficult to know which service for which you are asking.  Below, you will learn more about what we offer. We do estimates for the following types of work: consultations, designs, installations, and maintenance. Installations and maintenance are our regular services that we offer all year to keep the crew working all season. If we are behind in getting work on the crew’s schedule or are in the busy season we may not be offering design only and consultation services. We also have a native plant nursery that is open to the public for online ordering and meadow-side pick up or in person shopping mid April to mid November each year.

Do you need an estimate, a consultation, or design service?

Estimates

An estimate is a brief site visit (usually about 15-20 minutes) where we view your landscape, hear your needs and then, within about a week, follow up with a written estimate of the cost for us to do the work.  It really helps us to have a project budget in mind. If we are really busy we may need to prioritize estimates for clients who know what their budget range is.  We won’t necessarily spend the whole budget you give us, but we will know how serious you are about your project and if your budget lines up with what you want. Estimates are geared toward projects where our team will handle all aspects from planning through installation. We don’t offer gardening advice or plant selection information on estimates. If you would like someone to walk through your property and tell you what you have, what you should plant, or other detailed advice, we consider that a consultation.

The written estimate does not include a formal design or plant list, but is instead a description of the work to be performed and general plant sizes/quantities (for example: “6 1gal perennials to the left of front door”). Should you choose to accept the estimate and send a 1/3 deposit to confirm the work, we then provide a more detailed plant list (for example: “6 1gal Asclepias tuberosa to the left of front door”), with an opportunity to revise the plant selections to suit your needs/taste.  If you prefer to have more details prior to confirming the work, you can send in a design deposit (starting at $250 depending on scope of area to be replanted) and we will sketch the design for you with plant names. If you want plant specifics BEFORE confirming a work project then let us know and mail the design fee in full.

Think about when you want the work to be done. In spring and fall we typically book about a month or more in advance, so plan ahead!  Estimates are accurate for one month’s time since conditions–especially weeds–can change!

Estimate Cost: Free

Pro: Free pricing for a project you are interested in. If you move forward with the work and send in a 1/3 deposit you get lots of great information planning and plant advice from professional horticulturists at no extra cost!

Con: Gives you basic pricing idea for your project but we don’t give a lot of free detail up front so if you are looking for gardening information/advice you’ll want to schedule a consultation. If you have trouble visualizing your garden from a verbal description then you’ll want to pay for a design first (this process will take a bit longer because we prioritize projects that we have deposits for).

Consultations

Consultations are about 30 minutes on site. We spend time discussing your needs, making a few recommendations on site and gathering photos and information.  You let us know your goals, problems, and questions and we give you the solutions in written form. We then need 1-2 weeks (depending on the season) to provide a written summary of the solutions we discussed.

Consultations are geared toward people who want to tackle some or all of a project on their own, but want professional guidance about how to proceed. Fees vary based on the extent of the information and time (including travel) needed.  Consultation fees are usually paid on the day of service.

Consultation Cost: Ranges from $250-$375

Pro: You get some great information from our team of professional horticulturists who have a broad knowledge base about plants, especially native plants. You can have us install the plan from the consultation, or you can purchase your plant material from our nursery and install yourself!

Con: Sometimes we are so busy focusing on doing estimates for work that will keep the crew busy that we’re not always able to offer consultations.

Design Services

If you would like us to create a plan of your garden-to-be ahead of time, we charge a design fee. Costs vary depending on how extensive the areas to be designed are and how much work you are looking for. A sketch for a single family front of the house bed is usually around $250. A CAD design for the same area would be $350-450.

We’ll come out for a visit and discussion of your needs, and then create a black and white design that includes plant names, locations, and quantities (includes one revision).  This option is often helpful for those who prefer visual information, and want a master plan for an area or an entire property that can be carried out all at once or broken into stages.  The final design provides a document that the homeowner can implement, or they may opt to hire us to assist with installing some or all of it.

We find some clients think they need a full site design when really, for budgeting purposes, they’re looking for a design of only one area. We can do property designs in stages, starting with your highest priority. When we move on to your next area of importance we can design that area to fit in with the previously planted areas.

You have two options for design services: sketches or CAD designs.

Sketch

A sketch is exactly what it implies.  Our designers will loosely hand sketch an appropriate design of your project, and provide a corresponding plant list.

 

Pro- Quicker then a CAD drawing, this quick sketch format can give you an idea about what the designer is visualizing without taking a lot of time. You can have us install the design or you can purchase your plant material from our nursery and install yourself!

Con- If you want to start with a sketch before committing to a project it can take a few weeks longer in the busy season when we prioritize projects we have deposits for.

CAD

For a CAD (computer aided drafting) design, our designers will use our computer program to compose a scaled graphic design for your project.

Pro- This is a detailed layout of the new proposed gardens to help the client visualize the designers plan. You can have us install the design or you can purchase your plant material from our nursery and install yourself!

Con- The design process, depending on how extensive the site is and how much of the current landscape has to be added in to the new design, can take awhile. We prioritize projects that we have a deposit for so many times there is a delay of a month or more if you want a design only project with no installation.

Design Cost: Ranges from $250-$1250

Do you need installation or maintenance services?

Installation Service Description

Installation is the beginning or continuation of a landscape project, and involves actual planting and, if needed, hardscaping. The installation process begins with an estimate and progresses from there.  Our installation services include:

• Native landscapes
• Conservation landscapes
• Rain gardens
• Planters, flower pots, and/or window boxes
• Perennial gardens
• Shade gardens
• Herb gardens
• Seasonal annuals
• Bulb plantings
• Shrub installations
• Trees planting
• Hardscapes and pavers
• Dry-laid stone patios
• Retaining walls
• Paving stones and stone pathways
• Small waterfalls and small (5ft x 5ft) ponds

Installation Cost: Varies, typically around $2000 for a front yard, keeping some and replacing some, $2500 for back yard, more if creating entirely new beds, adding in stone work and more

Maintenance Service Description

Maintenance services involve maintaining an existing landscape. Typically, we will first come out for an estimate to determine your maintenance needs.  Maintenance services include…

• Garden clean up- weeding and invasive plant removal, edging, mulch, pruning as needed
• Weeding
• Mulching
• Edging
• Pruning
• Transplanting and minor new plantings
• Natural fertilizing- Espoma products and compost
• Soil building, compost addition
• Expert weeding (without the use of chemicals)

We can maintain your…

• Flower pots and window boxes
• Trees and Shrubs
• Garden Pathways
• Perennial gardens
• Shade gardens
• Rain gardens
• Medicinal and herb gardens
• Evergreens

Typical maintenance packages are for monthly visits of a minimum of four hours, but can adjusted to your specific needs.

We also offer seasonal cleanup services.  These services are a more intensive maintenance job that may be desired in the beginning of the spring or at the end of the fall.  For this service we concentrate more on seasonal pruning and cutbacks, in addition to our regular maintenance services.

Maintenance Cost: Packages start at $240, typical single family home weeding service, depending on size and scope of landscape beds, is $240-$600 and can be capped off at a set monthly amount

 Native Plant Nursery

We also have a Native Plant Nursery at our headquarters in Glenwood MD!  We carry a variety of native and locally grown plants, are passionate about supporting pollinators, and are happy to share our knowledge of sustainable gardening practices.  We offer in-person shopping as well as online shopping with contactless meadow-side pickup. We will be transitioning to a new, more streamlined online ordering system for the 2021 season, so stay tuned! The nursery will re-open on April 12, 2021, with regular hours on Mon-Thurs, 10am-2pm. We will also hold Saturday sales in the spring and fall- check out our Events page for dates and more details!

Click here for our proposed Spring 2021 Inventory

If you are looking to tackle a native plant gardening project on your own, but aren’t sure how to choose your plants, we can provide you with a Plant Selection Service. If you send us approximate measurements and a photo of your proposed planting area, we can provide you with a list of native plants that are right for your garden based on your site conditions, along with suggested quantities to fill your space.

Plant Selection Service Cost:  Service starts at $50 per area, and varies based on size and scope of request

Request any of the services described above here.

 

 

Blog Author: Chrissie M, Amy P, Lauren T, Jessica C