Submitted by Shirley Bovshow
Babies don't come with instructions and gardens don't either! That's what Gardening Coaches are for! (At least for the gardens, that is.) My clients appreciate the time spent with them tutoring them on the particulars of their plant life, but unless they have photographic memories or take notes, some of the important tips I give them may blow away with the wind. I offer custom garden maintenance manuals for my landscaping clients and think its a great idea for Gardening Coaches to offer. Think of it as a "pictorial guide" to each garden.
What you will need to get started on authoring a Custom Garden Manual:
- A digital camera
- Your computer with a program for creating word documents
- A fee for your time to create the custom manual.
- Laminating machine, or better yet, a neighborhood Kinkos, FedEx or other "office and printing service" shop to bind and laminate your manual
The content of the manual should be custom and include information that is pertinent to your clients garden. Here are 10-Basics to get you started. (Let me know what you would include if you don't see it on this list.)
1. Photo of the whole yard with date.
2. Plant List
3. Photo Plant Identification and Care Guide: Photos of each tree, major shrub and more permanent perennials with relevant information for its care in its planting zone and micro-climate.
3. Maintenance Photos: Photograph trees, shrubs and perennials after proper pruning, dividing, dead heading, staking, and include notes, (feel free to draw arrows, circles, stars anything for emphasis) and guidelines for the care of each plant. This is where I make suggestions on how tall the hedges should be maintained and how not to cut strappy leaf plants like phormiums!
4. Soil Information: If you tested the soil, make a note of your findings and include the test date.
5. Plant Feeding Schedule: This is a great opportunity to plug your favorite organic products. Our clients may not be aware of all of the options.
6. Watering Schedule and Guide: If your client has a lawn, include the amount of time it should be watered based on their present irrigation system. Garden beds should also have a watering schedule (if on a separate valve than the lawn- you never know, sometimes they are together!)
7. Pest and Disease Guide: If you want to go the extra mile, you can include photos of the pests and disease signs for their inventory of plants or just the ones experiencing trouble. Include a list of products and instructions for use. Effective homemade remedies are particularly welcome!
8. Tree Pruning Schedule
9. Schedule for Seed-Growing: In case your clients want to cultivate an edible garden or annuals.
10. List of Recommended Products and Vendors: I like to include a list of my favorite nurseries, arborists, landscaping supply stores and products that I recommend.
11. Your Company Name and Contact Information
Upon completion, have the whole manual bound and laminated so that it can be left outdoors in a designated spot. It should be handy, just in case the homeowner is not up to caring for the garden in the future and needs help from someone else.
I charge for the manual and include an hour of my time to review it with my clients at their home.
Hope this gives you another service to add to your menu!
Washington, D.C.'s big glossy monthly has a comprehensive feature this month about finding help in the garden and includes coaches, along with the more established professions of designers and landscape architects. Excellent! I was interviewed and quoted at length, as was one of my clients. Kathy Jentz, editor of Washington Gardener Magazine, was asked about the difference between a coach and a consultant. Her answer: there's no formal distinction, but those who call themselves consultants tend to have certificates or degrees in landscape design or horticulture, while coaches are generally people who have gardened for years and developed expertise that way, as well as through research or volunteering in a community or botanical garden. Good explanation, Kathy!
