Yard not up to snuff? Hire a garden coach.

  • Debra Smith
  • Tuesday, October 9, 2007 4:31pm
  • Local News

You can get a career coach and a spiritual adviser, why not someone to lead you through the finer points of garden work too?

Susan Harris, a self-described garden coach based in Maryland, has started a worldwide network of garden coaches. Three are from the Seattle area. The service is intended to give homeowners some solid design advice and in some cases, teach them a thing or two. To give you an idea of what’s involved, here’s how Harris sums up her services:

•Some people want gardens, so I visit and assess the whole lot, find out their tastes and practical requirements, then offer design suggestions, draw borders, and suggest plants for the site, including tips about where to find plants, tools and mulch. I often come back as their garden progresses, any time they need help planning the next improvement in their garden.

•Some people need to know what’s in their just-purchased yard, so I tell them what to keep, what to yank, and how to take care of it all. This usually involves teaching them how to prune their shrubs. Often requires no follow-up.

•Many have have overgrown shrubs and need to be shown how to get them under control and make them much more beautiful and healthy.

•Experienced gardeners sometimes need a new pair of eyes on their garden, or permission to remove a plant they hate. (“But it’s been there forever.” Exactly.)

•Couples have been known to hire me to solve their disagreements over what to do with their yard. I cling desperately to my claims of objectivity and stay prepared to duck at any time.

I love the idea, until I saw her fees: $75 an hour. Is that much cheaper than hiring a designer who will do the work too?

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