Meet and Greet

In this initial meeting we will walk the property together, define the scope of the project, discuss your vision for the future garden, and identify a general budget to work toward. This is a good time to interview each other and make sure it is a great fit for both parties.

Projects including design and installation generally range from $6,000 - $80,000 depending on scope of work and built materials such as stone work.

Phase 1 - Information Gathering

Lots of time will be spent on-site before design begins, getting to know your property, the house/other structures and the existing vegetation and soils. Spending this time in the early stages ensures that the future gardens not only feel appropriate but will also be resilient within the specific conditions of the site. This phase also includes rigorous relevant research and due diligence including sourcing survey plot plans if available from client or town records.

Phase 2 - Conceptual Design

Pulling together what was gathered from the initial meeting, your goals, the site itself and from research, this phase focuses on putting ideas on paper.

The conceptual plan will develop the gardens general layout, such as where key planting areas will be located and how spaces will be arranged. Preliminary palette documents will illustrate the planting aesthetic unique to your space. Built features, such as stone patios and landscape lighting, etc. will also be outlined with proposed material selections. This provides an opportunity for conversation so Emma can really hone in what strikes the client, which is helpful for the final design phase when selections are narrowed down. Meeting in this middle phase is vital to creating a successful garden that is personalized and that can meet the clients’ aesthetic and functional needs.

Only when the conceptual plan is finalized does the process move to Phase Three and a cost estimate for installation will be provided.

Phase 3 - Final Design

At this stage, final decisions are made concerning the built features of the garden and the planting areas. Planting design documents are prepared, outlining the seasonal palette of plants that will be featured in the garden as well as the key matrix plants and their groupings. Not all plants will be listed, but the goal is for 70 percent of the plants to be native to the northeast.

Phase 4 - Site Preparation and Planting

The client will hire local contractors for excavation, grading, rainwater management, tree and shrub removal, and construction of built features on a case-by-case basis. Emma occasionally subcontracts masonry work if Moonlit has designed stonework in the landscape plan and she feels it would ensure a cohesive completed landscape for her to be involved as it directly ties to the gardens. Emma is happy to provide recommendations where she can if not subcontracting out these services. Planting areas, when possible, are also prepared (sod removal and/or existing perennial/shrub removal) by the excavator/mason when working in collaboration. With their equipment on site, this can save loads of time!

Emma personally selects all plants from the most reputable local nurseries and specialty growers for more exotic edibles as well as harder to source natives. Structural plants, like specimen trees and shrubs, are planted first, with large specimens planted by local contractors. Structural perennials are set out as defined by the plan, followed by the rest of the filler perennials and grasses, which are laid out intuitively. Finally, the matrix under-layer is placed around all the other perennials, tying everything together. This approach creates a garden that feels natural without the rigidity of following a plan exactly.

Phase 5 - Maintenance

Naturalistic low maintenance gardens still require regular maintenance, especially in the first two years. It takes time for these plantings to fill in. Once they do, the need for bark mulch is eliminated as the perennials and matrix laters are planted so densely. Until then, the garden needs to be weeded and watered thoroughly and regularly to help these tender new plants become established in their new environment, no matter how rugged and resilient they are in the long run. Emma personally manages each newly planted garden through its first growing season. After this first season, the plantings can usually be managed by a motived client with periodic checkup visits by Emma to monitor its evolution, which usually includes a few days of work per growing season.

Once established, the garden is designed to thrive on average rainfall, only requiring supplemental water in periods of drought. Plants are living things and even the best-laid planting designs can contain weak links that for one reason or another fail in a garden. Follow up visits to check on the progress allows for changes that need to be made. This ongoing relationship between designer and client allows for a garden that can evolve gracefully overtime.