We can help you create a garden that meets your needs whether it be attracting butterflies, designing a colorful palette of plantings or planting shade trees or a buffer between you and the neighbors.

Incorporating native plants in your yard benefits you and your community. It takes time and money but the benefits far outweigh the costs.

Scroll down this page to learn more about our two garden consultation options to get you started.

Consultation at the Nursery

1 hour  / $85 per hour

Visit the nursery or call to make an appointment (941) 322-1915

An informal, hour-long consultation at the Nursery can vary. We work with gardeners with different needs and levels of experience including:

  • Those brand new to Florida or the concept of “planting native” will benefit from our introduction to gardening with natives.

  • Those who have moved and want help in envisioning what their new yard could look like.

  • Those experienced gardeners that might want to redesign or liven up an existing landscape, learn about specific plants, want feedback for their own work or need help reaching their goals.

We can introduce you to the concept of gardening with native species in Florida.

We can help you to choose “the right plant for the right place”, prepare your garden for planting, space plants for mature growth and install and maintain your plants.

We can help you identify and eliminate non-native invasive species from your landscape.

Sustainability is an important part of the planning process.

This hour is not about creating a formal plan on paper; that could be created later by our design service.

Our focus always is on native plants. Trouble-shooting problems with non-natives is not our forte although we can help you replace them with better alternatives — native plants. We can offer information about non-native edible and herb plants.

You can leave with plants that will do well in your garden, should you chose to buy plants on the same day as your consultation.

To make the most of this consultation, bring the following with you if possible:

  • Pictures of the overall space and existing garden. Cell phone photos are fine.

  • Plot plans or surveys.

  • Sun conditions during the day and throughout the year

  • Soil conditions for all seasons.

  • Current irrigation schedule if applicable

  • Plans, priorities and goals

  • Native plants that you like (and “Florida friendlies” you want to keep.)

  • Homeowners association or neighborhood gardening restrictions or rules.

Bring your questions! We look forward to working with you.

Home Consultation

1 hour

Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, Osprey, Venice, Nokomis, Laurel:

$165 / $65 optional additional hour at home or nursery

Palmetto, Ellenton, Bradenton:

$175 / $65 optional additional hour at home or nursery

Siesta Key, Englewood, North Port:

$185 / $65 optional additional hour at home or nursery

Longboat Key, Anna Maria Island:

$200 / $65 optional additional hour at home or nursery

St. Pete, Tampa:

$250 / $65 optional additional hour at home or nursery

Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, Cape Coral, Fort Meyers

$250 / $65 optional additional hour at home or nursery

Don’t see your location? Call us for a custom cost for a home consultation.

Visit the nursery or call to make an appointment (941) 322-1915

In this one-hour visit, you’ll have an opportunity to talk about your gardening goals. We’ll focus on the current state of your garden and your vision for the future. We’ll teach you how to put natural Florida gardening and design into practice — everything from prep work and installation to future maintenance.

Specifically we will:

  • help you envision your future garden space.

  • identify the existing plants in your garden. (Common and hardy native plants are our specialty so we might not be able to ID all non-natives but we can point out any on Florida’s pest plant list.)  

  • offer advice about what to keep and not keep in your landscape.

  • suggest native species that will do well ( “the right plant in the right place”.)

  •  advise you about mature plant spacing.

  • rethink your lawn with you.

  • make suggestions as to how to create shade.

  • help you plan for seasonal changes.

During our visit, feel free to record our talk or jot down ideas so you can further your own research later.

An additional hour at our nursery at a discounted cost is a popular option after the home garden consultation. This is an hour-long walkabout at the Nursery where you meet with us to view our demonstration gardens and our available nursery plants that we discussed during your home garden consultation.

To make the most of our visit to your property, it is helpful, though not a requirement, for you to:

  • have a feel for what a newly installed and mature native plant landscape looks like by studying our website and visiting the nursery ahead of time.

  • have an idea about priorities or goals.

  • provide us with plot plans or surveys.

  • know your yard’s sun and soil conditions during the day and throughout the year.

  • provide any irrigation schedules.

  • let us know about neighborhood or association gardening restrictions and rules.

If you plan to have us design your garden, this is the first step. Learn more about our design service.