|
Aloe vera from De Materia Medica by Pedanius Dioscorides 
|
landscape consultation . . .
I take on landscape consultation jobs throughout the year, though I always encourage clients to plan major plantings in the fall, when the weather is cooler and just before the fall/winter rains start (the BEST time to plant in our mediterranean climate). If you are interested in engaging my services, read my thoughts below and then contact me to discuss your project and get an estimate for the initial consultation.
It was in the late 70s, as a young man recently married, that I first started to make gardens. I already had several years experience growing plants, but creating a garden is another thing entirely.
Even though I also had been trained in art & design from a very early age, and had always appreciated the aesthetic appeal of the natural landscape, I was surprised at the opportunities I found to manipulate a 3 dimensional space through the selection of certain plants! Having come to appreciate various species' unique form, shape, and color, I was excited to see how I could combine those with the characteristics of other plants and structures.
I still enjoy the process today and routinely respond to a few new client inquires (I still have a 'day job'). Working with beginners and seasoned gardeners alike, I find it very informative to be 'down in the trenches' of garden making, understanding what people's hopes and dreams might be and what challenges they find daunting. Mostly I do consulting, helping homeowners figure out what might be possible on their land and who they might realize their dream.
Because of my passion for climate appropriateness, low resource use, low maintenance, as well as innovation and beauty, this is my perennial baseline (i.e. look for someone else if you really like to squander water and just have to grow plants that are not at all suited to your garden).
Often, I am asked for examples of 'my work' so that a client can see if they 'like it'. Because I am not generally designing gardens in total and usually leave client to fulfill their own dream, this is not something I can easily produce. I also do not consider it a compliment if someone were to say "I knew you were working on the project - it had you name all over it"! Some landscape designers do create a certain look that is uniquely personal and is what clients hire them to replicate. Success for me is to create something uniquely the client's, suited to their needs and desires, their constraints and flights of fancy.
Something on which I spend a lot of time and effort is figuring out the right plants for specific sites. Plants selection is all too often regarded as mere personal preference. While it is true that this form, texture, or color is desirable for an aesthetic concept, it is also true that all plants do not grow well under that same conditions and exposure. Only if the plants thrive will the design come together, only if they can be maintained properly will they mature into something wonderful. And sometimes a key plant is hard to find, or we must take time to propagate it - clients who have had to wait come to know why it was very much worth it.