Landscape Design
ABOUT:
Beautiful and functional gardens are guided by a landscape design that details plans for a particular site. Landscape designs include hardscaping elements like decks, patios, and paths as well as plant type and placement. The Hardy Bunch starts every project with a design that the client keeps along with a plant list and an estimate for installation if the client does not intend to do the work themselves.
​​​
PROCESS:
Before we prepare a design, our owner designers have a free in-person consultation with each client where we walk through your space together and discuss your vision and ideas for your outdoor space. Some of the key questions that we work to answer during that initial consultation include:​
-
What specific issues are you hoping to address?
-
How does the space need to function?​​ (Is the space used for entertaining? Are there particular access challenges that need to be addressed?)​
-
What sort of planting styles speak to you? (Do you like space between your plants or a tightly planted tapestry? Do you like lots of color or prefer a foliage focus?)
-
What is your budget and what areas or features do you want to prioritize first?​​
After our initial consultation, we send a summary email detailing project plans, ideas, and notes, and we include an estimate for preparing the design. Once you approve the design estimate and make your initial deposit we will provide you with an estimated timeline and start working on the design. Every project is unique and the cost of garden designs can vary significantly ($250-2,500) depending on the size of the planned planting, the inclusion of hardscaping elements, the complexity of the planned planting, and many other factors.​​
For each and every project, the Hardy Bunch team hand draws a unique rendering that brings each client's vision to life. We then meet with each client again to review the rendering and plant list in person, make final tweaks, and schedule the installation of your new garden.
Professional Installation
Because The Hardy Bunch works closely with each client from the beginning of the design phase, through the entirety of project installation, we can ensure that your garden fully realizes your vision and exceeds your expectations. ​
​
We set clear expectations about project timelines, and update clients promptly if there are changes. With a keen eye for sprouting plants, we take extra care and attention during installation to prevent any damage to other areas of your garden. Additionally, we reuse removed plant material, either transplanting it on your site, or salvaging it for use in other future projects. ​
​
Our team maintains clean, tidy, and safe job sites, and we encourage client engagement throughout the installation process to ensure your new garden is exactly to your liking. We take pride in our work and operate with a high level of attention to detail to ensure the finished product is showstopping. Finally, we clearly communicate care needs and offer maintenance to help ensure long-term success!
Hardscaping
Hardscaping elements are constructed site improvements that make a space more functional and usable. They tend to be interactive, encouraging clients and visitors to move through a garden, to take a seat and contemplate, or to relax with company. These elements include, but are not limited to:
​
-
Decks
-
Patios
-
Paths
-
Retaining walls
-
Borders
-
Fences
-
Overhangs
-
Pergolas
-
Gazebos
-
Arbors
-
Fire pits
-
Drainage solutions
​
Our approach is to intentionally blend hardscaping elements with other landscaping elements to create a cohesive whole that is both functional and beautiful.
​​
It's important to consider hardscaping elements early in the design process, because these structures are often large enough to influence overall garden layout. Paths to no-where or patios in forgotten hard-to-access corners equate to wasted space, and few urban gardens have space to spare. Your Hardy Bunch designer can help you prioritize and incorporate the highest-impact hardscaping elements, within your budget and spatial constraints, to make your garden as functional and inviting as possible
Landscape Maintenance
The Hardy Bunch knows that it can be challenging to find knowledgeable plantspeople to maintain your garden. All too often, maintenance companies hedge cut trees into lollipops or damage perennial grasses during fall cleanup, causing more harm than good. While there are plenty of 'mow-and-blow' lawn care companies, clients looking for a team with expert plant knowledge to maintain perennial and naturalistic plantings often struggle to find good options.
The Hardy Bunch takes a different approach to landscape maintenance. We approach maintenance with a do no harm ethos where, first and foremost we prioritize the long-term health of plants, not their short term appearance. Our deep knowledge of our region's plants and their natural patterns and cycles enable us to provide the correct tending at the right time to accentuate the beauty of plants as they grow and change throughout each season. In our maintenance work we follow organic gardening practices - we never use chemicals to control weeds. Instead, use methods like hand weeding, selective pruning, cutting back, division and transplanting to ensure your garden thrives and looks its best for the long haul. We support soil health by leaving the leaves and mulching, which optimizes plant health and growth.​ Working closely with each client, we tailor their maintenance plans to their specific needs.
Floral Design
As plant lovers with deep familiarity of the plants that grow in our region, its no shock that we love creating flower arrangements that highlight the most beautiful combinations happening in our gardens each season.
​
Working primarily with plants and flowers that we grow ourselves in our home gardens, our florals are modern, whimsical, seasonal, and regionally specific. We work closely with each client to understand the vibe of their event, the space that the event is being hosted in, and their specific tastes. Then we plan a selection of colors and textures that will be available based on your event dates, and confirm that those options align with your vision.
​
Given the limitations of growing your flowers in our small urban gardens, we are only able to offer our floral design services to a handful of clients each year. If you are interested in having The Hardy Bunch prepare floral arrangements for your event please complete our "Schedule a Free Consult" form on our "Contact Us" page.
