Plant Selection/Garden Design

Following a consultation, I can create both a Plant Selection Chart and a basic Garden Design for you.

For plant selection, I generate a chart for you that details and categorizes all of the species that I would recommend for your ecosystem based on your needs, with each species categorized according to its use and placement within the garden, whether it is cool or warm season, and really any other information you'd like included. All you have to do is choose the species you like the most from each category.

Garden designs then take the final plant selection and turn it into a graphic that shows the placement and arrangement of those species together, so you can be sure you'll like how it looks. I can also outsource the garden design to an affiliated landscape designer for something more in-depth!

$40 for Plant Selection chart only.

$70 for Garden Design only.

$90 for both!

Lawn Killing & Soil Remediation:

Killing lawns is one of my favorite tasks. I want to see less lawn and more native plant communities. Soil remediation measures such as tilling are only recommended in ruderal soils that have become heavily compacted. Most suburban lots have hard, compacted, ruderal subsoil primarily composed of clay and rubble which makes for extremely difficult and stressful growing conditions for most native plants (but not all! There are specialist plants who can break the clay for you, given several years).

Sod flipping is the most effective, most ecological, least wasteful, but most labor intensive method of killing your lawn. It involves cutting the sod into tiles and flipping them over so that they solarize themselves. Subsequently covering them in mulch will prevent most resprouts.

Tillage is best for compacted, ruderal soils, but can also be used to quickly weaken or destroy a lawn. Tilling is rarely recommendable in decent soils because it can bring up dormant invasive seeds and disrupt the soil biome that provides for your ecosystem. A shallow tilling can be sufficient to destroy a lawn without heavily disrupting the soil.

Herbicide sod removal is methodically the same as any other herbaceous invasive removal, and simply involves spraying the turf with Glyphosate or with a grass-specific herbicide. This is ideal if you do not plan on planting right away and do not want to disrupt the structure of the soil, but all of the deficiencies and hazards of herbicide use must be considered.

$20/square meter for Sod Flipping

$16/square meter for Soil Tillage

$15/square meter for Mulching

$48/square meter for ALL THREE!!!

Required: 25% deposit, subject to waiver

Rates can be reduced for bulk amounts!

$10/square meter for Herbicide Sod Removal

Garden Installation:

I can offer full garden installations, including transplants and divisions, and I can also find you a supplier and facilitate the purchase and transport of your plants for an adjustable fee which will be modified on a case-by-case basis. For installations, transplants, and divisions, I charge by the approximate size of the container that is or would be necessary to contain the plant’s root ball.

Price of installation will be adjusted in high bulk, ie. 100 plugs can be installed at $600 rather than $650.

$7 or 10/$65 for Plugs and pots >1qt.

$16 or 5/$70 for pots 1-3 qt.

$24 or 5/$110 for pots 4-6 qt.

$32 or 5/$145 for general shrubs/pots >1.5 gal.

$48 or 5/$225 for general trees/pots >3 gal.

Required: 25% deposit, subject to waiver

Invasive Species Removal:

This is how I got my start, and I continue to offer effective, safe, low-impact, and ecological invasive removal for cheaper than anyone. And I mean removal, cause most landscapers would rather it grow back...

• Invasive species removal is charged by area (grasses/forbs) or volume (woodies) of material destroyed, in squared or cubic meters, excepting hand-removal methods, which are charged by quarter-hour.

• Off-site transport of removed material will be charged according to the volume of material removed, plus a travel fee based on the travel-time required to transport all material. The client must assume that off-site removal of the waste material is their responsibility, unless otherwise discussed. Small amounts of material can be destroyed on-site. Many treated forbs require no waste removal. If you have concerns about waste material removal, please mention them during consultation!

• These rates will change for larger-scale sites (>.5 acres). If you have lots of land in need of restoration, we'll negotiate a completely different, budget-friendly rate!!!

• One quote for invasive removal covers 3 treatments, which can take place over multiple years. A fourth treatment may be included in the price at the contractor's discretion.

• I do not charge for herbicide. Herbicide is complimentary and optional, and herbicide use is accepted by the client and at the client's own risk as soon as a retainer is paid.

Required: 25% deposit on jobs over $499, subject to waiver

$5/cubic meter for woody removal (small trees, shrubs, vines, etc)

$3.50/stem for small woody removal (saplings)

$10.50/square meter for non-woody removal (grasses & forbs).

$7/square meter for deadheading.

$12.50/15 minutes of creeping vine removal (anything with underground runners that must be removed by hand)

$25/15 minutes of poison ivy removal (by hand)

Ecological Garden Maintenance:

I can offer ecological gardening maintenance on a case-by-case basis. I am capable of all of the services that would support the necessary ecological processes to make your garden - no matter how ruderal - a healthy native ecosystem. Be it your backyard, a school garden, a library, a park district, a bioswale - if its green infrastructure, I'm happy to help.

$40 /hr or get a seasonal flat rate for your site!