WHAT IS GARDEN COACHING?
Garden coaching is a client-driven consultation-based program that provides you with the information and ‘tips and tricks’ that you need to keep your garden healthy and looking it’s best. Coaching sessions can cover anything from plant specific information, soil care, perennial care, tree and shrub care, pruning, pest control, and even garden design! Hands-on demos will arm you with necessary gardening skills and ‘homework’ will keep you focused on the tasks at hand.
Coaching is a great option for individuals eager to get their hands dirty and learn about the wonderful (and highly addictive) world of gardening! Garden coaching is great for:
‘budding gardeners’ eager to learn more about gardening
new home/property owners who need help identifying the plants in their newly acquired garden and who want to learn how to properly care for them
seasoned gardeners looking for more direction with respect to maintenance, or eager tackle new skills
individuals who are looking to evolve, overhaul, or add to an existing garden and want someone to ‘bounce ideas off of’ and generate a focused game plan
GARDEN COACHING IS OFFERED IN THE FOLLOWING FORMATS:
GROWING SEASON COACHING PACKAGES- monthly subscriptions that run from March 1st to November 31st; packages can start at any point throughout the growing season too!
INDIVIDUAL CONSULTATIONS- one-off consultations booked on an ‘as-needed’ basis
1/ GROWING SEASON COACHING PACKAGES
Season-long garden coaching is the perfect way to learn how to care for your garden from those very first mild days in late winter to the time the snow flies in late fall! Coaching throughout the growing season will take you on a journey as you learn the tips and tricks of keeping a tidy, well-maintained, and healthy garden.
In addition to learning the ‘how-tos’ of gardening, coaching sessions will explain the ‘whys’ so that you can come away with a broader understanding of how plants function and how your garden grows.
There are two types of growing-season coaching packages to choose from and they are outlined below:
PACKAGE 1: BASIC GARDEN COACHING
A predominantly virtual package.
This package includes one initial in-person (or virtual) site visit to identify all the plants within your garden and discuss their care. Garden goals, and generating an overall ‘game plan’ for the growing season will also be discussed. A follow-up email will be sent after the initial visit to summarize the items that were discussed during the visit.
Monthly ‘maintenance reminder emails’ (a list of maintenance tasks customized to your garden plants) will be used to keep you on top of the plant-specific tasks that need to be completed in your garden.
COST: $200 (Initial visit; up to 2 hours in duration); $45/month (March to November)
PACKAGE 2: STANDARD GARDEN COACHING
A step up from the basic package, Standard Garden Coaching includes an initial site visit to identify all the plants on your property and discuss their care. The initial visit will also be used to discuss your ‘growing-season goals’ for the upcoming year. Standard garden coaching also includes monthly 1-hour in-person (or virtual) garden visits to walk-through your garden. Throughout the year, topics discussed during these visits can include:
spring clean-up techniques
pruning techniques and ‘how-to’ demonstrations
plant selection and installation
soil amendment suggestions and tips for application
tree, shrub and perennial care techniques
tips for plant relocation/division/removal
identification of garden pests and techniques for controlling them (this includes insects, diseases, weeds)
identification of nutrient deficiencies
demonstrations of general garden tasks (such as edging, cultivating, weeding)
how to prepare a garden for winter
problem plants or problem areas in the garden
design principals for an aesthetically pleasing garden
Monthly plant-specific ‘maintenance reminder emails’ (a list of maintenance tasks customized to your garden plants) will also be sent to your inbox to keep you on track too!
COST: $200 (initial visit; up to 2 hours in duration); $125/month (March to November)
INDIVIDUAL CONSULTATIONS
Individual consultations are typically one or two hour long ‘garden walk-throughs’. They are a great service for individuals who have moved to a new property and who need help identifying the existing plant material (Is it a weed or not a weed? That is the real question.)
Consultations are also great for homowners who are not satisfied with the current state of their garden and are looking for guidance. By the end of the consultation, it will become clear that some plants will require removal, while some will require pruning, division or relocation.
Techniques for plant maintenance/care will also be discussed and suggestions for new plant material may be made. The soil and growing conditions on the property will also be assessed and discussed.
After a consultation, you will be armed with information and pointed in a more focused direction- the next step is to play in the dirt!
Follow-up visits are rescheduled as needed/desired.
COST: $150/hr plus HST (first consultation); $100/hr plus HST (follow-up consultations)
A few other details:
In-person consultations are conducted in the area defined by the Halton Region boundaries to the east and west, 401 to the north and Lake Ontario to the south; for properties located outside of this area, travel will be billed in addition to the monthly fee at a rate of $0.52/km (starting at the Halton Region boundary or at the 401). Alternatively, garden visits can be conducted virtually via ZOOM at no added cost.
Subscription payments are due at the beginning of each month; in-person visits are scheduled once payment is received and ‘maintenance reminder emails’ are sent when payment is received.
A 5% discount is applied to the overall cost of a whole-season coaching package (March 1st to November 31st; 9 months of coaching) when purchased and paid in full before March 1st.
All prices are in Canadian dollars and are subject to 13% HST
Garden text support (text/email support throughout the month) can be added any package for an additional $50/month plus HST