As a gardener, we often talk about leaving a garden when you move to a new house and that is important.  On the other hand, I’ve spent a lot of the last year thinking about how to start a garden at a new house with myself as a client. 

I thought I would spend time exploring what the previous homeowners had planted and finding new treasures. While I didn’t find many plants planted by the previous owners, I have enjoyed finding plants that found their way to my property on their own.  Our backyard is mostly a forest with a lot of native plants like dogwood trees, blueberries, viburnums, and more.  The native wildlife are different as well.

It is a new environment with a different soil type, climate and, to some extent, a blank slate to work with.  We also have a homeowners association that gets a say in how things look as well.  I want the garden to be beautiful and comfortable for my family and pets while also being home to beautiful plants that I enjoy. 

It is a new thing to have myself as a client.  I’m going to be a very budget conscious client, but there are also plants I have or want that need a home along with the normal problem solving like shade, water management, and privacy. And, as always, I’m not the only person that will use this garden, so it is not just about what I want. If this resonates with you, please follow along as I develop a design for this new garden.