More about what I do: Coaching



Hi, I am Svetlana, I live in Corvallis, where I have a small backyard nursery, and I am your friendly and non-judging gardening coach.

You may have a garden that is not quite perfect for you, or that is entirely out of control.  Maybe you know exactly what you want, or maybe you are completely lost. Maybe you are tired of planting things and seeing them being eaten by our local fauna, or maybe you are just afraid of what your neighbors would think.  

Let's talk! At the very least I will listen to you. But we can also explore your dream garden, and see how to move towards it.  We can start very small, or big - it's up to you.  

 

I can help you organize your ideas, create mood boards, explore design options, provide rough estimates and logical order of projects, look for contractors, shop for plants, do smaller projects together. I can be your coach - share my knowledge, come for follow-up visits, troubleshoot when needed.  I also offer occasional workshops and nursery tours.  I am not offering gardening services as such, but I can join you in gardening tasks as a partner and a coach. 

We can chat about the functioning of the garden - what would you and your family like to do there? Are you all about interacting with the garden, using it for entertainment, growing beautiful and delicious things, or would you rather mostly look at it from the window of your house? All these considerations lead to the layout decisions.  Then we can talk about the esthetics. 

The Function: what would you like to do in the garden?

I can help you focus your ideas: too many things are tempting to cram into the garden - so may amazing looking pictures of lovely gardens everywhere!  But once we figure out the main focus of the garden, it is easier to stay on the path (pardon the pun).  Here is an example of a Pinterest board for one of my clients, for whom we chose a woodland garden with a Japanese accent.  And here is the idea board of a modern sun-lit prairie look for another client.   Based on that we make our hardscaping choices and scheme our planting schemes. 


Once we find our feel and function for the garden, we can design the plan together, and strategize about the project. 


If your project is a big one with construction involved, I can help you find contractors to do the job. 

As for planting, I suggest we better do it together - this way it will be your garden, you will know it intimately and understand its tricky ways.  The secret to green thumbs is caring. If you care about the plants you planted, you will be checking on them, and you will see when they need your (and mine) help. I will be there with you! 



The main thing, though, is to have fun on the way, and to celebrate every small victory, forgive yourself for every failure, and enjoy your garden, especially if it is a work in progress.  My neighbor and mentor Carol used to say: "Garden is never 'done." And then she would always add: "And therein lies the joy." 

The Cactus theater - my newest projectThe Cactus Theater - the newest project

So, if you would like to reclaim your garden, but need a bit of support doing that, email or call me! Our first consultation will be free (of charge and of judgement too). 


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