What Is a Garden Consultation?

If you’ve ever stood in your yard feeling unsure where to start, wondering which plants would fit your site, or just need help identifying and maintaining the plants you already have? A garden consultation might be exactly what you need! A consultation is a focused, one-on-one visit where we look at your space together and talk through goals, challenges, and possibilities for your garden.

A garden consultation is always geared towards what you want to learn more about. It could be about a redesign you would like to do yourself, how to maintain a yard of a newly purchased home, how to convert existing gardens to be more sustainable or just general tips on how to better manage your gardens.

Typically, during a garden consultation, I come to your property or you show me via video call and we spend time observing how the land functions. We look at the sun and shade patterns, soil conditions, drainage, existing plants, and how you currently use the space. We also discuss your garden goals, which might include growing more food, supporting pollinators, reducing maintenance, improving wildfire resilience, or creating a more beautiful and functional outdoor space. Every consultation is uniquely tailored to each person and garden since every garden and gardener is different.

One of the biggest benefits of a consultation is that you are getting advice from a professional horticulturalist, which is specifically tailored to your site, instead of generic tips from the internet. You will receive professional recommendations that actually make sense for your soil, climate, and lifestyle. This can include plant suggestions, layout ideas, soil improvement strategies, pruning guidance, water management ideas, organic gardening tips and ways to work more harmoniously with nature.

When the on-site portion of our consultation is over, I will take the notes and photos and compile them into a thorough document to share with you. This usually includes a summary of our visit, any notable advantages and challenges your site offers, plant suggestion lists, invasive species management strategies, maintenance tips, local supplier recommendations, and more.

Garden consultations work well for new homeowners, gardeners feeling stuck, or anyone wanting a second opinion before investing time or money into major garden changes. They are also helpful if you plan to do the work yourself but want professional insight to avoid costly mistakes. At the end of a consultation, most people leave feeling more confident and inspired to take the next steps. You walk away with a clearer understanding of your landscape, practical actions you can take right away, and a long term vision you can grow into over time.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or unsure about your outdoor space, a garden consultation can be a powerful first step toward a healthier, more resilient, and more enjoyable garden.

Garden consultations are one of my favourite services to provide since I value helping people feel more connected to their space and to nature. I'm grateful to be able to empower others with my knowledge and help them move forward with more confidence. I am always taking new consultation clients, so feel free to contact me about how I can help you in your garden.

Here are some client testimonials about my garden consultation services:

As a complete gardening newbie, I’m so grateful for Bethany‘s help. She explained clearly, from the basics to the “why” behind each step, and gave me creative ideas to improve my existing plants and trees. Her plant suggestions were exciting, and her drawings are incredibly helpful – I’ll be following them to a T! I highly recommend Bethany to anyone looking to learn and grow their garden with confidence. - Lindsay

Bethany did a great job planning our garden! She has alot of great ideas, and experience and we followed her plan in helping us create a really nice garden. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for her services. Will will use her again! - Peter

Bethany is so knowledgable and passionate about helping people truly understand the land we live on and share with our fellow creatures. Her breadth of knowledge spans many different disciplines from herbalism to permaculture design and so much more. She is a natural teacher who wants to empower her clients to go deeper into their own passions. I have learnt so much from her. She is always responsive to questions and is a hard worker taking pride in helping clients achieve their goals. Thank you Bethany. -Gillian

Example of a front garden enhancement during a Garden Alchemist consultation.