Garden Design

 

Let’s start with your dreams of a naturalistic garden. What do you want the garden to do: Soothe? Excite? Exhilarate? Transport? Make you feel alive? All of the above? I’ll provide  photos and videos that capture that spirit and help you discover “must-have” plants to form the foundation of your garden. Along the way, I’ll create rough sketches and mock-ups. The end result will be a planting plan tailored to your needs and desires. Finally, I can recommend a professional installer to implement the plan, and I can collaborate throughout the process in any way you wish. (Outside Massachusetts, this service can be provided virtually.)

To understand Deborah’s approach to garden design, you might consider viewing the recording of her Reimagined Gardens lecture, which is a detailed examination of her design process. 1 month of access with unlimited views is $25. Use the contact button if you are interested.

 

Are you a do-it-yourselfer?  Do you want an entirely new bed or garden?  Or do you want to take an existing garden in a more naturalistic direction? I can consult as much or as little as you like—short term or over years. Do you want help from start to finish or a 1-hour “design on the fly” consultation? Something in between? If you’re in the Boston area, I’ll make site visits; if not, Facetime tours and photos are excellent substitutes. In the U.S., I’ve coached gardeners in Massachusetts, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, New York, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.—and I’ve consulted on gardens in Michigan, Toronto, and Zurich.

To get a sense of Deborah’s approach, you might consider viewing recordings of her lectures: New Perennials: A Love Story, Not Your Mother’s Garden, & Reimagined Gardens are all available now for personal viewing at $25 each for 1 month of access with unlimited views. Use the contact button if you are interested.

 

Coaching & Consulting

What others are saying

  • “Deborah is a treasure. She is deeply informed, passionate, and able to speak about her art and craft in ways that are easy to understand and operationalize. She teaches and consults at the highest levels of the field, and if you are an experienced gardener, or even a professional, Deborah adds incomparable value. She is equally able to tailor her advice so that it suits the more casual gardener (I was at best an amateur, and everything I know I owe to her). Whatever your level or need, you can't go wrong if you turn to Deborah.”

    — Mark O'Connell

    Chestnut Hill, MA

  • “Deborah has been helping me with my garden for the past three years. Her incredible knowledge of New Perennial landscape design principles and her amazing capabilities of conveying this knowledge has made working with her on improving my garden a real pleasure. As important as her encyclopedic knowledge is her infectious enthusiasm for everything related to the garden. She is particularly helpful in the design phase of creating a new garden or enhancing an existing one.

    — Judith Bodie

    Brookline, MA

  • “After being an impulsive, haphazard gardener for years, under Deborah’s tutelage my garden now has coherence, a natural flow, and startling combinations of colors that surprisingly complement one another. This is only season one and it’s glorious; I know it will grow even more stunning year after year…”

    — Jennifer Locke

    Milton, MA

  • “Deborah's enthusiasm and willingness to share and teach are a true inspiration. With her deep knowledge and patience, over several sessions, she worked with me to establish my own small garden that follows New Perennial principles.”

    - Ariella Lerman

    Washington, D.C.