Get Garden Coached :: Fall Plantings!

Echinacea (a.k.a. Coneflower) can be established in the autumn.

We all woke up to a crisp day today, reminding us of the loveliness that is ahead in the way of autumn.

I'm excited to get back out to the garden. Maybe you are thinking about it, too? Or want to get things organized and ready for spring?

Can I humbly suggest garden coaching as a way to make things more streamlined and less daunting in the garden?

Fall is an ideal time to create garden beds, clean things up and establish perennials, shrubs and trees. What's *really* nice is that your hard work and planning will last through the winter and spring will be that much simpler.

Affordable garden coaching packages include a site visit and assessment, follow-up plans (plant lists and maintenance timelines) and email or phone support through-out the growing season.

Email tcgerlach@gmail.com or call 434.953.5419. That's me!

Mother's Day :: Gift of a Garden Coach

That's me!

Do you have a burgeoning gardener : mama : wife?

I've been having a blast coaching clients this season on all things - from garden reclamation : vegetable gardening : container gardening : weeds vs. plant identification : small-scale landscape design : native plantings.

Maybe the mama in your life has a little plot she would like to start working but needs a smidgen of get-up-and-go? OR maybe you are the mama and need to, um, spoon feed gift ideas to your loved ones?

You can email me at tcgerlach@gmail.com or call 953.5419.

A Peek Into Garden Coaching

I had a truly delightful time visiting with Lotta this past weekend and walking through her gardens. Visit her blog post to learn a little more . . .

Her thoughts make me so happy.

And as if seeing her verdant, history-rich landscape wasn't enough, I had a chance to take my own peek at something :: her studio!

Here's something new that she has been creating as of late - wall art . . . swoon . . . . available at her shop, inleaf.

Quietly Resurfacing In The Garden

I've been (very happily) busy with a few new projects, while also tweaking things for the upcoming garden coaching season. I have my first ad (ever) running in March - so was working on that design. See above. What do you think? Does it aptly convey what I do? I realized that in advertising, I not only have to get the word out that I am offering this service - but I need to also educate possible clients on the definition of garden coaching. Tricky.

I have also been writing an article on Edible Landscaping for this beautiful (somewhat) new magazine, Flavor. Scratching a writing itch. I feel ever so lucky to be included and hope that you will check it out when it comes out in mid-March.

The fleeting moments when I am out and about, I have tucked a few seed packets into my shopping basket. Mostly flowers for now - Love-in-a-Mist, calendula, bachelor's button, sunflowers, lots of forget-me-nots, morning glories.

And my favorite evening talks with Corey fuel plans for the growing season. You see, this past autumn, we created a flat, lawn-like area that runs from our house to a classic barn-like structure Corey has built for his company's shop. When you live in the foothills, any level ground is rare. But there are lots of spots beckoning me, begging me to fill up with plants . . .

And, our vegetable garden awaits under black plastic. Cooking. Ready for more compost. There is a chance that a fence may go up around it - which will allow me to plant some things that I discovered while doing 'research' for the Edible Landscaping article. Juneberries, mulberries, raspberries.

I see that the rambling nature of this post is a carbon copy of my pre-spring brain. Typical! More soon . . .

And The Garden Coaching Goes On

I was lucky enough to meet three more garden coaching clients these recent winter months - and also donated a garden coaching package to a local school fundraiser and silent auction.

I thought it might be good to share a little on what each client is being coached on . . . helping more people understand how garden coaching works.

The first client has a 30 foot bed in front of her house. We just worked on prepping the bed, getting compost down and talking about some low-maintenance shrubs and perennials for that spot. She's also excited about planting a few annuals.

Another client is very interested in growing her own food. We reviewed her house for the optimal planting sites and a plan for foiling the deer. She is going to start an herb bed and a vegetable garden with lettuces and greens in the spring and tomatoes in the summer.

And this past weekend I met with a young mom who would like to brighten up her property with some trouble-shooting landscape designs and old fashioned favorites. She would like to see things fill out at a decent clip - so my plan for her will include shrubs, shade-loving plants, drought-tolerant plants and some plants that will prevent erosion.

Each client receives a plant list (with photos), local resources for plants, seeds and supplies, as well as a timeline. Keeping things simple, focused and streamlined. The garden coaching package also includes unlimited follow-up phone calls, emails, support.

As I am getting ready for spring - I would love to hear from you. I worry that being so close to (and, um, obsessed with) gardening - I might lose sight of what new gardeners need and want.

What would you like to see or learn from a garden coach?

Our weekend was just the right pace of resting, visits with friends and getting outdoors. How about you?

Juniper snippings in an enamel pitcher worked as our centerpiece for Thanksgiving (top photo). I have a new appreciation for the delicate blue berries that dot the trees around our land. It will be fun to bring in more greenery over the next week or so.

Willa and I got out for a hike and came home with a few goodies (second photo from top). Several nut varieties and some unusual moss and lichens. Saved in a mason jar for future identifications.

Bulbs found their respective spots around our land during an afternoon planting of tulips and daffodils for our new outdoor room. I will be forcing a few for indoor scents and color in the dead of winter . . . (second photo from bottom).

I also had a garden coaching session with a new mom - who is discovering the grounding effects of working with the soil and simply being outside. Her excitement injected me with energy, too. Funny how that works every time!

And finally, I finished two hats for the Knit One, Save One campaign. Willa is modeling one for me - she was so busy crawling this weekend it is hard to capture her sitting still. But you get the idea.

A Great Time of Year for a Garden Coach

I know. I know. It is grey and drizzly and cold. Light years away from the greenery and growth spurts of spring.

But now is the time to plan. And dream. And learn! Think now about saving on fuel and groceries next year by growing a few vegetables in a small plot in your own yard. Or create a new garden bed . . . for native plants, cutting flowers . . .

And, if I may humbly add, a session or two with a garden coach could be a great (cough) gift.

What do garden coaches offer? If you are excited or interested or curious about growing something . . . anything . . . and just need a jump-start and some guidance, a garden coach is up your alley. Getting into gardening doesn't need to involve expensive landscape architects, major machinery and lots of money. If you are intrigued and want to do the work yourself, but just need help figuring out where to begin, coaching is an ideal.

I help clients create flower beds, raised vegetable beds or container gardens. I can offer up plant lists, based on your tastes and your plot and your energy level. My coaching incorporates organic practices, a celebration of growing your own food, herbs flowers - while paying attention to what works in Virginia.

The quiet of winter offers so many opportunities to get ready for spring planting.

The Worldwide Directory of Garden Coaches is here. Susan Harris' wonderful Garden Coaching Blog is here. And an Associated Press Garden Coaching article that includes LISH and me is here.

Always feel free to email me if you have any questions about my garden coaching offerings - or garden coaching in general - sugarholler@hotmail.com.

LISH - Associated Press Article!

 

You read that right, my friends. I have kept mum about this latest bit of excitement in my life . . . but over the holiday break, I was contacted by an Associated Press reporter regarding garden coaching and mentoring.

Dean Fosdick, a seasoned writer on nature and gardening, took great care in putting together this terrific piece. The article is starting to crop up here and there and over here. He even mentions the Life in Sugar Hollow blog as another outlet for learning opportunities and garden tutoring.

Dean also interviewed the garden coach's coach - Susan Harris. Visit her blog for a worldwide directory of garden coaches, as well as wonderful articles and resources for newbie/aspiring garden coaches.

And (shameless plug), visit here for more details on what I offer as a garden coach in the Charlottesville area.

Garden Coaches - Hut! Hut! Hoe!

The New York Times recently published an article on the new-ish movement of garden coaches.

I'm throwing in my hat and hanging out my shingle (click here for more details on Life in Sugar Hollow's garden coach offerings)!

If you are a do-it-yourselfer who wants to learn more about your existing garden or would like to plant a new garden, garden coaching could be right up your alley. I also specialize in vegetable gardens and container gardening.

Not in the Charlottesville area? Check out Susan Harris' ever growing Worldwide Directory of Garden Coaches.

Hanging Out My Shingle: Garden Coach

I am a certified horticulturist with a concentration in organic practices.

Gardening does not have to be daunting or stuffy. We’ll take small steps to get you on your way to growing your own food, flowers or herbs. Or to simply create a manageable garden around your home or on your property.

Areas of expertise include plant identification and care recommendations for new house (and garden) owners. Assessing your existing or expected garden/landscape for what suits you at the moment. Establishing organic vegetable gardens. Creative container gardening.

I encourage and foster the new or curious do-it-yourself gardener regarding the cultivation of herbs, annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees and native plant recommendations for Central Virginia. We can develop plant, supply and tool lists; planting and maintenance schedules; as well as review area gardening and landscaping resources. Or we can just focus on a particular project, one season at a time.

Location: Charlottesville, Virginia and surrounding areas

Email – sugarholler@hotmail.com or call 434.823.1669.