Need garden advice? Yvonne’s garden coaching

Garden coaching services: Hamilton, Burlington, Ont., and surrounding area

• Existing gardens: I will assess your property, and discuss with you your taste and practical needs, what works and what doesn’t in terms of existing plantings, and offer design solutions and plant suggestions. I can also advise you about where to buy plants and tools. If you need help planning further improvements to your garden, I can come back later in the season and offer additional suggestions as the garden grows.
• New owners of resale properties: If the existing garden of the property you just bought is a mystery to you, I can help you identify plants and decide what to keep, what to rip out, and how to take care of it all. I also offer shrub pruning advice and demonstrations. Many older yards have overgrown shrubs that need to be cut back radically to return them to health and beauty.
• New homeowners with a blank slate: If there’s nothing in place but sod, let me advise you on what trees and shrubs to plant and where to place them. I can stake out rough layouts on the ground, or give you a quick on-the-spot drawing for garden beds, but I do not supply detailed to-scale master plans.
• Experienced gardeners: Do you sometimes wish you had a fresh pair of eyes to look at your garden, or even give you permission to get rid of plants you hate? (Just because it’s been there forever doesn’t mean you have to keep it.)
• Month-by-month maintenance schedules: If you are new to gardening, and don’t know what to do when, I can provide monthly to-do lists tailored to your needs.

About me and my garden style

I prefer naturalistic, full, lush, beautiful plantings that are earth-friendly. See blog archives (right) for pictures of my garden.

I have been an avid gardener for 20 years. Together with my husband, John, I garden on 10 acres just outside Hamilton, Ontario, which I document in this blog. Our garden has been featured in Chatelaine and Gardening Life, and on TV on Gardeners Journal, and was also featured in Canadian Gardening magazine’s 2011 Annual Great Garden Guide issue in an unprecedented 28-page spread.

I have a certificate in landscape design from Mohawk College, and am the author of Clueless in the Garden: A Guide for the Horticulturally Helpless (Key Porter, 2003, reissued as Basic Gardening, 2008), (which unfortunately is now out of print in both versions). As a garden writer and photographer, I have written for many Canadian magazines, and I run my own gardening information website called flower-gardening-made-easy.com.

What clients have said:

Thanks for coming so promptly to discuss our gardening conundrums. We needed a fresh look as we were ‘stuck in a rut’. You have given us some very helpful and practical ideas and we can’t wait to get started!!! -Rob & Lois

Fee and contact info

I charge by the hour ($80/hr) for in-garden consultation and an additional flat-rate $80 for a written follow-up report outlining recommendations and suggested plants, if it is desired. The follow-up report will be e-mailed or posted within 3 business days following the visit.

Payment accepted: Cash or cheque at the time of the visit. I find that most clients need from 1 to 3 hours. Minimum charge is for 1 hour ($80, which does not include written follow-up).

Travel time is charged extra if you are located more than a 30-kilometre drive from Ancaster, Ont., e.g. Oakville or Toronto; there is no mileage charge for local consultations (Ancaster, Binbrook, Burlington, Brantford, Dundas, Hamilton, Stoney Creek and Waterdown).

FAQ: Do you do yard work? I will be hands-on in showing you techniques such as pruning a shrub or planting a perennial to help you achieve your gardening goals, but I do not provide actual yard work for my clients.

A quick e-mail will get the ball rolling using the contact form below (email works best for me). How to prepare: Once we’ve had our initial conversation by email or telephone, I’ll be able to advise you of any necessary preparations you may have to make for our coaching session(s).

How to contact me:

Comments or questions are welcome.

If email doesn’t work for you, call 905-304-0766.